Latest Articles

A debate on water privatization, part five

Everyone knows that water is the stuff of life. But is it best viewed as a commodity or as part of the commons? Should providing safe, affordable water be the role of governments, corporations, or partnerships between the two? On Tuesday, July 13 (dates may vary for local stations), the PBS show P.O.V. is airing […]

Umbra on when to retire a fridge

Dear Umbra, I love to freeze fresh veggies at their peak of ripeness during the summer. Then, in the winter, I don’t have to buy commercially frozen veggies or long-distance transported ones. In order to do more of this, I’d like to move my 1985 refrigerator to the basement and use its freezer entirely for […]

Hey, You, Get Off of My Cloud

Chinese Provinces Fight Over Cloud Seeding Hey, speaking of water debates, how’s this one for weirditude? In China — large sections of which are parched by persistent drought — the practice of cloud “seeding” is causing some truly 21st century water disputes. Cloud seeding involves using planes, special guns, and rockets (!) to spur the […]

D’oh Canada!

British Columbia to Sell Land North of Glacier National Park for Mining Despite strong reservations expressed by Montana state officials and citizens, British Columbia announced yesterday that it will proceed with the sale of land just north of Glacier National Park for exploratory drilling for coal-bed methane. Coal-bed methane is a kind of natural gas; […]

Mongo the Magnificent

Mongo Hunting Is the New Freecycling Here at Grist we’re big fans of freecycling, the goods-exchange system sweeping the U.S. (or, well, at least some rarified pockets therein). Author Ted Botha, however, is taking it to a whole ‘nother level, as the kids say. He set out to furnish his New York City apartment using […]

Bush administration plans to scrap roadless-rule forest protections

Many political observers thought President Bush would lay off the environment during the election season. After all, he faces an opponent with a well-burnished rep as an environmental good boy. Seems they’ve misunderestimated Dubya yet again. Ann Veneman. Photo: USDA. On Monday, Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman announced a Bush administration plan to scrap the hard-won […]

A debate on water privatization, part four

Everyone knows that water is the stuff of life. But is it best viewed as a commodity or as part of the commons? Should providing safe, affordable water be the role of governments, corporations, or partnerships between the two? On Tuesday, July 13 (dates may vary for local stations), the PBS show P.O.V. is airing […]

Tender Lovin’ Corps

Kerry Proposes Forest-Restoration Corps Speaking of forests: John Kerry today unveiled his own forest plan, which among other things would trim $100 million in timber-industry subsidies to fund the creation of a Forest Restoration Corps that would tend to the long-term health of America’s national forests. The corps, with its echoes of Roosevelt’s Depression-era Civilian […]

Ah, to Dell With It

Dell and HP Announce Computer Recycling Programs After years of pressure by enviro groups and shareholders, the world’s two biggest PC manufacturers Tuesday announced dueling free computer recycling programs. From July 18 to Sept. 6, Hewlett-Packard will recycle, free of charge, any computer, monitor, digital camera, fax machine, cell phone, or other gadget dropped off […]

Yucc’d Up Beyond All Recognition

Yucca Mountain Provokes Yet More Controversy The perpetually beleaguered Yucca Mountain federal nuclear-waste storage facility has become even more beleaguered. Try to stay with us: First, last week a federal appeals court ruled that the government had erred by failing to follow a National Academy of Sciences recommendation to plan for safety from radiation leaks […]