Latest Articles

Oh, Yes! It’s Mr. Bill!

Mr. Bill to Serve as Spokesperson for Louisiana Coastal Campaign With a $14 billion, 30-year restoration plan — potentially the largest public works project in American history — at stake, an educational campaign meant to raise awareness about Louisiana’s eroding coastal marshes has turned to the one voice capable of spanning generations, articulating the scope […]

Endless Summer

Climate Scientists Predict More Hot Summers for Europe Thanks to global warming, summer heat waves like the one that killed close to 20,000 people in Europe in 2003 could recur up to once every two years by the end of the century. So claims a study conducted by a group of scientists from Swiss Federal […]

It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Cow

Demand Rises for Organic and Natural Beef What’s bad news for most ranchers may be great news for growers and purveyors of organic and natural-fed beef. In the wake of the discovery of mad cow disease in the U.S., folks who still like to chomp on a nice, juicy steak are increasingly seeking out beef […]

An interview with Interior’s Lynn Scarlett, one of the architects of Bush’s “new environmentalism”

The people who make policy don’t always make headlines. The Bush administration boasts more than a few strong-minded, behind-the-scenes strategists with almost as much influence as cabinet members. Lynn Scarlett is one of them. As assistant secretary of the Department of Interior’s Office of Policy, Management, and Budget, Scarlett helps determine the budgets for all […]

Interior Design

Interior’s Lynn Scarlett Defends Bush’s “New Environmentalism” When it comes to the environment, Lynn Scarlett may be the most influential Bush administration member you’ve never heard of. As an assistant secretary in the Interior Department, charged with analyzing rules and determining budgets throughout the agency, she has significant say over everything from mining to wildlife […]

Death Be Not Toxic

Green Burials Catch on Amongst the Eco-Friendly Set It’s no longer enough to live an eco-friendly life; now, the greenest of the green are planning for their own eco-friendly deaths. A small but growing number of people are seeking out burial in green cemeteries. Ramsey Creek Preserve in Westminster, S.C., is one such spot, a […]

Readers sound off on biodiesel, waterless urinals, jocks, and more

  Re: Put the Pedal to the Mettle Dear Editor: I am currently considering a new car, and was interested to read Jim Motavalli’s recent article in Grist. I was disappointed, however, that in his vehicle summaries, he failed to mention biodiesel as an option for environmentally conscious consumers. Why? Is there something about biodiesel […]

Just Stick to Tofu

Farmed Salmon Contaminated With PCBs, Other Nasties Consumers, still struggling with the news that bovine spongiform encephalopathy-laden beef will make your brain melt and mercury-laden tuna will make your children stupid, were met today with more bad news: A new study in the journal Science claims that fish-farmed salmon contain enough contaminants (primarily PCBs and […]

Homeocidal

Herbal Medicine Trade Threatens Thousands of Plant Species The booming worldwide market for herbal medicines threatens between 8 and 20 percent of the 50,000 known wild medicinal plant species with extinction, according to a forthcoming study by the World Wildlife Fund. Having risen by10 percent per year for the past decade, the herbal medicine trade […]

Terror Error

Top British Scientist Calls Global Warming Bigger Threat Than Terrorism Which menacing global problem should be keeping you up at night: terrorism or climate change? Britain’s top government scientist is creating a bit of a stir by arguing that it’s the latter, and lambasting President Bush for having his priorities all out of whack. In […]