Articles by Grist staff

The Great White Soap

USDA will certify organic soaps and cosmetics In a victory for consumers’ all-natural kissers, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has decided it will allow worthy lip balms, lotions, and other personal-care products to carry the “USDA Organic” label after all, as well as dietary supplements and pet food. The department had decided this spring that […]

Downward Freezing Dog

Freezing AC is status symbol at some Asian offices In some tropical Asian cities, it’s become a symbol of luxury to keep offices at an arctic chill. Hong Kong may be the world’s coldest city when you’re indoors, say researchers, who found the average office temperature is between 70 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit (72 to […]

And Miles to Go Before I NEPA

U.S. government sued over climate impacts of overseas energy projects U.S. efforts to find fossil-fuel supplies overseas will create significant climate disruption, harming not only people in those countries but folks at home, according to a lawsuit filed against the federal government by a coalition of green groups and U.S. cities. Ranging from Greenpeace to […]

Marsh o’Potamia

Once-vast marshlands being restored in Iraq The marshlands of Iraq, drained nearly dry by Saddam Hussein, are making a surprisingly robust comeback. Seen by some as the inspiration for the biblical Garden of Eden, the lush wetlands once covered nearly 3,600 square miles near the confluence of the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers. Mid-century drainage projects […]