Articles by Grist staff

George A. Polisner, socially responsible e-shopkeeper, answers questions

George A. Polisner. What work do you do? I’m the founder and president/CEO of alonovo.com. What does your organization do? We are working to empower people by fully informing their market decisions. We are infusing the online shopping experience with a simple ratings system based upon trusted research data on social responsibility. People can choose […]

The Pinch of Tides

Spiking utility costs may hit laundromat customers in the pocketbook Better start hoarding those quarters: Soaring energy rates are driving up the price of washing your stinky drawers. The Coin Laundry Association, a trade group representing about 5,000 “retail self-service laundries” nationwide, says its members are looking for ways to rein in skyrocketing utility bills. […]

Boy Vey!

Air pollution may cut number of boy births Looking to score, fellas? The secret may be moving to a highly polluted area. Turns out air pollution may skew the ratio of female to male births in favor of the former, by altering the proportion of sperm that carry an X vs. a Y chromosome. A […]

With This Ring I Thee Bled

Gold mining’s toll on environment mounts as supply grows scarcer That one-ounce gold ring you’re wearing? Think of it as 30 tons of rock mined, moved, and saturated with diluted cyanide. Gold mining wreaks enormous environmental destruction, almost all of it in service of the voracious global market for gold jewelry. And as good gold […]