Latest Articles

Bleeding Between the Lines

Longline Fishing Takes Heavy Toll on Turtles Yesterday we wrote about longline fishing wiping out large numbers of albatrosses; today, there’s news that the fishing technique is messing with another charismatic critter — the sea turtle. “In the year 2000, longline fishermen from 40 nations set at least 1.4 billion hooks on longlines that average […]

Stuck in Trafficking

Enviros Accuse Malaysia of Enabling Illegal Timber Smuggling The Environmental Investigation Agency and the Indonesian environmental group Telapak yesterday accused the Malaysian government of turning a blind eye to the widespread trafficking of timber illegally logged from Indonesia. According to an investigative report by the two groups, large quantities of the endangered tropical hardwood ramin […]

We’re Outta Here

In honor of dearly departed George Washington and Abe Lincoln, the Grist staff will be taking a little break on Monday. But don’t worry your pretty little heads — we’ll be back at our green news-gathering on Tuesday. Happy Presidents’ Day!

Umbra on fabric softening

Dear Umbra, With winter upon us, I’m thinking about a serious matter: fabric softener. During the summer, I don’t use any. However, with snow looming, static cling is on my mind. Long story short, which is better: liquid fabric softener or dryer sheets? AllieShippensburg, Penn. Dearest Allie, Your home will be a happier, healthier place […]

Umbra on composting paper

Dear Umbra, Two questions: Does the colored ink in newspapers still contain chemicals bad for a compost pile? Also, what about the colored ink printed on cardboard boxes? I want to have a safe compost pile to use in a garden. Anonymous Dearest Mysterious Reader, Some readers may find gardening questions in February a bit […]

Umbra on diaperless parenting

Dear Umbra, I have a baby on the way. Due to prodding by my wife, I have begun to think about things such as diapers. Babies make a lot of boom-boom, and wrapping it all up in a bundle of plastic diaperness, tossing that in a plastic sack, and then tossing the lot in a […]

With feds slow to tackle mercury pollution, state leaders step up

The Mercury Mutiny is gaining force on the state level, galvanizing some unlikely rebels. Eastern states including Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and New York were the first to jump into the fray, launching local efforts to reduce mercury pollution in response to the Bush administration’s widely criticized plan for dealing with mercury. Then last […]

Shape Up or Ship Out

Texas Ship-Inspection Company Implicated in Prestige Tanker Disaster Negligence on the part of the Texas-based American Bureau of Shipping — a company that conducts safety inspections of ships — could be to blame for the notorious Prestige tanker disaster, which spilled millions of gallons of oil off the coast of Spain 15 months ago and […]

Nativity Scene

Native Peoples Speak Up for Their Lands Indigenous peoples are rallying for their lands and their rights this week in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where a major U.N. convention on biodiversity is taking place. Representatives of native peoples are demanding the right to reject development projects on their ancestral lands, saying that multinational companies should not […]

Got to Admit It’s Getting Bettors

Bettors Will Get a Chance to Help Save Albatrosses A well-known bookie is teaming up with enviros in a creative effort to help save albatrosses, sea birds that are increasingly threatened by a fishing technique called longlining, which involves the use of tens of thousands of baited hooks dragged behind trawlers for 60 miles or […]