Articles by Grist staff

The Good Phyto

Global warming affects ocean’s tiny plants, which could affect global warming Proving that big things do come in small packages, researchers say global warming could hobble the teeniest marine organisms, phytoplankton — which could, in turn, lead to more warming. Whuh-huh? Well, these wee plants not only make a tasty sea snack, they provide a […]

Plumb Crazy

U.S. EPA considers delisting lead as an air pollutant That sound you hear? It’s jaws dropping everywhere in response to the U.S. EPA’s announcement that it might stop regulating lead as an air pollutant. Citing the fact that concentrations of the toxic heavy metal in the air have dropped 90 percent since 1980, and using […]

Friends in Flow Places

U.S. Interior lets oil-industry royalties slip away, investigation says An eight-month investigation by the U.S. Interior Department’s inspector general reveals that Big Oil may be skirting millions of dollars in annual gas and oil royalties while Interior officials grease the skids. Some of the juicier findings: officials said they’d reviewed 72 percent of revenues from […]

But other mail-order mags lag behind in setting eco-standards

Intimate-apparel maker Victoria's Secret, beloved by teenage boys everywhere, sends out more than a million catalogs a day. There's a catalog for every season (because you can't just wear pastels year round) and every sale (no matter the time of year, there are bras and panties half off).

And until recently, all those delicate underthings -- and the angelic models making us all wish we had airbrushers of our very own -- were gracing pages made entirely from virgin wood. (Not the kind you're thinking of, perv.) Which is why treehuggers ForestEthics launched a major PR campaign to expose Victoria's 'Dirty' Secret.

Fast-forward about two years to a victory announcement today, as Victoria's Secret's parent company, Limited Brands (which also includes Express, Bath & Body Works, and The Limited), commits to a number of tree-happy measures. In addition to upping post-consumer waste and Forest Stewardship Council content in their catalogs (including 80 percent PCW recycled content in their clearance mags), Limited Brands will eliminate all pulp supplied from Canada's Great Boreal Forest, which contains 25 percent of the world's remaining intact, roadless forest. Additionally, they're reducing overall paper use, shifting some paper mills to FSC, and putting $1 million toward research and advocacy protecting endangered forests.

Wo0t!