Articles by Grist staff

C’est Bonn

Legendary music fest Bonnaroo urges fans to go green What do you get when 80,000 blissed-out music fans spend four days in the Tennessee sun? Besides sunburns in inconvenient places, that is. You get trash: 600 tons of it. And you get a captive crowd, which makes it a fine time to offer words of […]

Umbra asks: Where has Grist gone?

Dearest Gristmillers,

Umbra Fisk here, writing to inquire whether you've seen any of my Grist colleagues.

I spent the last few weeks in my usual spot in the basement, working on a series of columns about eco-friendly foodstuffs, pausing only for the occasional bite of locally grown fiddlehead fern. Finished at last, I rushed up the five flights of stairs to turn in the copy.

But the place was nearly empty. The people, the computers, the desk, the 2005 and 2006 Best Magazine Webby awards -- all gone. Unaccountably, all that was left was a brand new unicycle.

I know it's been tough up there lately: bad news about melting icecaps, Grizzly-Polar-Care Bear hybrids, etc. Also, it's very, very crowded (why do you think I fled to the basement?). Still, I'm not quite sure where they'd go.

Let me know if you see them. You'll recognize them by the kenaf notebooks, furrowed brows, and quick wordplay. Also, one of them is carrying a suitcase stuffed with cash -- though apparently not nearly enough. The fundraising guy, Michael, muttered something a few days ago about needing $60,000, having only half of it, and desperate times/measures. I was on deadline, and wasn't paying close attention. Now I wonder.

In addition to keeping your eyes open, maybe you could also open your wallet, and relieve some of Grist's financial strain. Send 50 bucks by 11:59 p.m. PDT tomorrow, June 23, and I tell you what: I'll put you in a drawing for this nifty Kris Holm Unicycle. I'm finding it too challenging to both pedal and fork fiddlehead at the same time, so this one-wheeler can be yours.

Unbalanced,
Umbra

P.S. The one nice thing about working in the basement is easy access to the storage closet. And do you know what's in there? A beautiful Calfee Design bike made of gleaming, sustainable bamboo. Send us $100 and I'll put you in a drawing for it. Or send $50, and I'll give you a chance at one of these 24 pairs of Miōn shoes. They're waterproof -- handy as sea levels surge!

P.P.S. There is more than one way to give, so pick your pleasure: check, PayPal or credit card.

Step One: Get a Job With Better Health-Care Coverage

Wal-Mart to educate employees on environment and health Retail leviathan Wal-Mart, anxious to be the eco-friendliest big-box chain around, is developing a program to teach employees how to care for themselves and the environment. Anonymous sources say the as-yet-unveiled plan, tentatively named the Environmental Health and Wellness Program, will give employees practical advice, like using […]

You Look Like You Just Saw a Coast

Offshore drilling bill moves forward in House Legislation that would end a 25-year ban on most offshore drilling was approved by the House Resources Committee yesterday. The bill would authorize oil and gas development farther than 50 miles offshore, unless a state acted to prohibit exploration within 100 miles of its shore; the current ban […]