Articles by Grist staff

Capital Steps

Venture Capital Investment in Clean Technology Grows Clean tech is hot. Research and development of eco-friendly technologies in water purification, agriculture, transportation, manufacturing, recycling, air quality, and renewable energy such as solar, wind, and hydrogen is drawing a larger and larger share of venture capital. In 2003, total venture capital spending fell by 14 percent […]

To Well in a Handbasket

Abandoned Oil Wells Vex Southern California Oil wells run dry, and when they do — as many have in Southern California — the looming question is, what do you do with them? The once-booming California oil business hit its peak in 1985, and since then much of the oil has gradually dried up and the […]

Geoss in the Heouse

Countries Agree to Form Earth Observation Framework Delegates from 44 nations and 26 international groups agreed this weekend to form a global environmental observation system by 2014, to be called — in what we can only assume is a tribute to Douglas Adams’ “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” — the Global Earth Observation System of […]

The Fore Horsemen of the Apocalypse

Golf Courses Aren’t So Green Though the golf industry says it’s been striving to lighten its ecological impact, golf courses are increasingly flashpoints of environmental controversy. According to the Worldwatch Institute, the U.S. is home to some 18,000 golf courses — more than half the world’s 35,000 — covering 1.7 million acres and using 4 […]