Articles by Grist staff

Can a suburban mom survive without a car?

When Christine Gardner proposed a story about going car-free for a month, we hesitated -- until we found out she lives in Normal, Ill. How could we resist? Halfway through her experiment, and a world away from the life she temporarily left behind, the journalist and suburban mom reports on how things are going so far. Watch for a full report in Grist later this summer, and visit Christine's blog in the meantime to keep an eye on her travels and travails.

She finally talked to me.

The Orange H bus driver, the friendly one with the nice voice, finally spoke directly to me.

"I'd like to have your hours," she said.

I was returning home from an interview about the new performing arts center, a four-mile round trip that was taking three hours. In a lapse of judgment, I'd sat toward the front of the bus, and told the driver I occasionally wrote for the local paper.

That was enough for her to hear. Among other things, she told me about the pond by Kmart that was a breeding ground for mosquitoes and West Nile virus. I needed to write a story about that, she said.

An obese woman who smelled like old underwear sat next to me, even closer to our white-haired driver. She piped up to say that her doctor had found blood clots.

With a baby, a toddler, a stroller, and a bus pass, I've given up driving this month to see if it can be done. People have told me I'm crazy -- and lugging an economy-sized box of diapers down my quiet suburban street has brought that point home well enough.

Now, more than halfway through the month, I realize I'm not only crazy, I'm all alone.

Beach Oys

Beach contamination is costly; chlorinated pools may elevate asthma risk As many as 1.5 million swimmers and surfers get sick every year from bacterial pollution at Southern California beaches, according to a new study by researchers at UCLA and Stanford. The chief cause of dirty ocean water is storm runoff laden with oil, pesticides, and […]

Nothing to Seep Here, Folks

BP shuts down wells on North Slope after whistleblowers report leaks Oil giant BP is voluntarily shutting down 12 oil wells on Alaska’s North Slope after employees alleged they were leaking. Whistleblowers told London’s Financial Times that in some places, insulating material used to keep pipes from freezing — usually crude oil or diesel — […]

Lazy People Can Save the Planet

Use the dishwasher if you want to save water, U.K. study concludes We know your type: Your dirty dishes are piling up as you sit immobilized by the question of whether it’s more enviro-friendly to use the dishwasher or wash them by hand. But live in squalor no more — a study by U.K. nonprofit […]