Articles by Grist staff

An insult generator for tree-huggers

Inspired by Mark Peters' piece on tree-hugging and name-calling, a dear reader and his friend converted an Elizabethan insult generator into a Conservative insult generator and then into a combined Elizabethan-Conservative insult generator. So there, you quailing, hazardous-waste-spooning pignuts!

Take Me to Your Weeder

Solar-powered robot could pick weeds and reduce herbicide use Here’s an innovative idea for limiting herbicide use: A solar-powered robot with 20/20 vision and depth perception that uses GPS navigation to search out and destroy weeds. As it moves along at three miles per hour, the two-foot-tall, five-foot-long robot, designed by engineers at the University […]

America’s Coast Wanted

Katrina and Rita destroyed 217 square miles of Louisiana coastline Hurricanes Katrina and Rita drowned 217 square miles of Louisiana’s fragile coastline, turning wetlands, undeveloped dry land, and farmland into open water, says a new study by the U.S. Geological Survey. The research underscores the urgent need for a storm buffer of plants, soils, and […]

‘Burb Your Enthusiasm

Commuting costs often outweigh savings from living in suburbs, researchers say The cost of commuting more than 12 miles often nullifies the savings of cheaper suburban housing, says a new study by the Center for Housing Policy. Low- to moderate-income families are often pushed to outer suburbs by a lack of affordable housing near job […]