Articles by Grist staff

What Goes Around Dumbs Around

Bush administration considers unloading mercury on world market With stunning foresight, the U.S. Department of Energy is pondering a sale of more than 1,300 tons of mercury on the world market. Never mind that mercury sold overseas will, in all likelihood, just drift back to the U.S. as toxic air pollution. Never mind that, as […]

So That’s Why the Bay is Green

Billions of gallons of raw sewage flow into Great Lakes annually, report says The Great Lakes, subject of our favorite mnemonic device (HOMES), is being contaminated by homes — and other places where people poo. According to a report released today, 20 cities release billions of gallons of raw sewage into the lakes every year, […]

Show Us Your Titanium

Smog-eating mineral added to buildings and roads in Europe, Japan Why do buildings just stand there when they could make themselves useful? Some companies have a solution: coating buildings and roads in Europe and Japan with a “smog-eating” mineral, titanium dioxide, that cleans surfaces and nearby air. The coating can reduce some pollutants by 20 […]

Best Feet Forward

Two takes on the box-office smash Happy Feet For the last couple of weeks, a moving musical about a dance-happy penguin has been romping through U.S. box offices, shoving even suave operative James Bond out of the way. What’s the key to the movie’s success, and does its environmental message ring true? Andrew Sharpless of […]