Latest Articles

It’s Better to Give Than to Receive … Unless You Do Both

Grist fundraiser continues, ups the ante with mall-defying giveaways You’re a good person. You’ve spent lots of time in stores this month, or online, buying eco-friendly gifts for those you love. And even though you know it’s better to give than to receive, you’re quietly hoping you don’t get lousy gifts in return. Fear not! […]

The Incredible Bulk

Al Gore plans to launch grassroots carbon-freeze movement When is a grassroots movement not a grassroots movement? When it’s started by a kajillionaire movie-star politician, we’d say. But you can’t blame Al Gore for trying. At a venture-capital conference last week, Gore returned to the “carbon freeze” idea he’s been bandying about for a while, […]

Gems Fightin’ Words

Federal agency predictions that mines would not pollute water were wrong, study says Before giving a precious-metal mine the go-ahead, federal agencies must find that the operation will not taint surrounding waterways with chemicals like arsenic, cadmium, mercury, lead, and cyanide. But for the past 25 years, agencies’ pollution predictions “did not generally agree with […]

Mileage in Mirror Is Smaller Than It Appears

U.S. EPA revises vehicle mileage formula for 2008 and beyond Wondering why your Escalade gets eight miles to the gallon, not the 11 that was advertised? U.S. EPA to the rescue! In a move reflecting “real-world numbers,” the agency has revised the way it crunches mileage numbers for the first time since 1984. The new […]

Santa’s Gonna Be Pissed

Arctic summer ice could melt nearly completely by mid-century, study says The Arctic Ocean could lose nearly all of its summer ice by 2040, says a study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. Research suggests that Arctic ice will begin retreating rapidly around 2024; by mid-century, far northern Canada and Greenland may claim the […]

We’re Hungry for Your Support

Grist fundraiser continues, ups the ante with edible giveaways You know how, last New Year’s, you resolved to eat better? And you did, for a week or two, but then one day the cookies just sort of reached out for you from the cabinet, and that was the end of that? This year, we’ve got […]

Hybrids connected to the electrical grid could change the energy game

The U.S. Department of Energy has concluded that the existing U.S. electrical grid -- without additional construction for generation or transmission -- could accommodate 180 million cars that draw their power from night-time (off-peak) electricity. That's about 85% of the cars in the country.

The full report is not yet available, but based on the press release, there's lots of good news -- with some bad news mixed in.

Finally, teh soy and teh gay, united

Looks like there's more to soy biodiesel than protecting the environment and energy independence -- it's also going to help keep down the homosexual population!

Yes, it seems that medical "evidence" has finally shown homosexuality is not genetic at all. It is, in fact, your momma's fault for giving you soy-based formula.

Let's keep that "devil's food" out of the mouths of babes and in our fuel tanks!

Seriously, though, soy products (that aren't fermented) do contain high levels of phyto-estrogens, which are analogous to the female hormone estrogen. Studies are mixed as to the effects of soybeans' chemicals and metabolites on infants, as well as on adults. But none of them point to a link between soy and homosexuality.

If you're leery of soy formula's possible effects on babies (and want to give your baby the best start all around), stick to breastfeeding.

U.S. EPA thinks lead in the air may be A-OK, and more

Read the articles mentioned at the end of the podcast: Bra-vo Plumb Crazy By Hook and By Crook Folks, We’re Encountering Some Turbulence Native Shun Read the articles mentioned at the end of the podcast: Fill ‘er Up Que Sarah, Sarah Tanks for Nothing At Bat And don’t forget to donate to Grist’s “New Year’s […]

Not quite, but cellulosic ethanol may be coming sooner than you think

Even as organizations ranging from Consumers Union to the Cato Institute cast doubt on the environmental value of corn-based ethanol, facilities designed to make it are popping up by the dozen throughout the Midwest. Meanwhile, cellulosic ethanol — which can be derived from just about any plant matter — draws near-unanimous environmental raves. Trouble is, […]