Latest Articles

Snippets from the news

• Why CDC responded with “lack of urgency” to formaldehyde warnings. • 500,000 gallons of oil spilled from Hurricane Ike. • Democratic Republic of Congo cancels two-thirds of logging contracts. • Expert says 99 percent of Alaska’s glaciers are in decline. • Michigan governor signs renewables legislation. • Algae fuels the green revolution. • Ted […]

The pet-food industry takes a serious look at distillers grains

Should the mush left over after the ethanol process — known as distillers grains — be fed to farm animals? There’s been little real debate around that question, even though a) heavy use of distillers grains as cow feed has been linked to deadly E. Coli 0157H7 outbreaks; and b), the mush has been shown […]

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has been lax on industrial pollution

Though Alaska has a birth-defect rate twice the national average, and though exposure to industrial toxins has been strongly linked to birth defects, Gov. Sarah Palin has made little effort to keep industrial pollution at bay. To the contrary: Thanks to Palin’s nod, Alaska is home to the only coastal fishery in the U.S. where […]

Obama adviser Heather Zichal talks to Grist about energy and climate

Heather Zichal. Barack Obama’s campaign has a deep bench when it comes to climate and energy policy, one that includes scientists, policy wonks, and economists. On July 20, Obama added Heather Zichal to the team as policy director for energy, environment, and agriculture. Before coming to the Obama campaign’s Chicago headquarters, Zichal served as the […]

Rice debates Inhofe tomorrow

For those who can’t get enough of political debates, here’s another of note. Andrew Rice is the Democratic nominee challenging Sen. James Inhofe (R) of Oklahoma for his Senate seat. They are holding their first — and only — debate on Tuesday, 5:15 CDT, in Tulsa. KJRH will televise and stream online for those who […]

Fey is Palin, again

Watch about five minutes in for Palin to address “this climate change whosiwhatsit.”

National Wildlife Federation Action Fund endorses congressional candidates for the first time

The National Wildlife Federation Action Fund is endorsing six congressional candidates in the November election — a first for the group. “We wanted to be able to, at election time, let voters know who are really going to be champions on [conservation and wildlife] issues in Congress, and do what we can to spread the […]

Starbucks accused of big-time water-wasting

Starbucks wastes some 6.2 million gallons of water each day through a health policy that requires a constantly running tap at each store, says a breathless indictment in British tabloid The Sun. A Starbucks spokesperson confirms the use of a dipper well, which uses “a stream of continuous cold fresh-running water to rinse away food […]

Umbra on aerosols

Dear Umbra, Love the column. Keep up the great stuff! A question: My co-workers and I are suspicious of buying spray cans, even though we know they no longer contain CFCs. We suspect that aerosol cans contain HCFCs — hydrochlorofluorocarbons — which are proving to be dangerous as well, this time as greenhouse gases. Do […]

It’s time to build the green-collar economy

This post originally ran on Wonk Room. —– At best, the federal government’s bail out of Wall Street will help the U.S. economy — which is already in a ditch — avoid a total meltdown. Fine. Now we need a plan to jumpstart the economy and actually get America moving again. In my new book, […]