Articles by David Roberts

Elevator Pitch Contest winner

More than 2000 votes have been placed, and the people have made their choice clear. Without further ado, the winning Elevator Pitch:

Do you love breathing air and drinking water? Mountains, oceans, cities, streams? Want kids to grow up healthy, happy, and peaceful? That's environmentalism. It's about everyone and everything you love.

Congratulations to winning (and mysterious) Gristmillian saltman! As soon as we get in touch, a VFOGT (Very First Official Grist T-shirt) shall be winging its way to his/her door.

Thanks for playing, everyone. And thanks for voting.

(Some slightly grumpy and deflationary comments beneath the fold. Don't even click. Seriously.)

What to make of Ford?

You got this, but then again, you got this. What's an enviro who thinks of the world in terms of black and white, good and evil, supposed to do?

Solar death ray

Yes, you read that right.

(Via Judith Lewis)

What’s the Arctic Refuge worth to you?

In my experience, environmentalists are ... uh, how to put this delicately ... not very politically pragmatic. So, here's a thought experiment.

Imagine that, for whatever reason, the Republicans' current effort to drill in the Arctic Refuge was defeated, and the Refuge was taken off the table.

Now imagine, further, that Bush and the Republicans approached the major environmental organizations and their backers in Congress and offered a deal. They said, for instance, "if you let us get drills into ANWR, we'll sign onto Kyoto."

Would you do it?

What would you take in exchange for drilling in the Refuge? Click "read more" and vote in the poll.