Articles by Grist staff

Turning Over a New Reef

Here’s some cheery news to lighten all the grim findings about the bleaching of much of the Great Barrier Reef: Australian scientists have stumbled onto a new reef off the coast of Queensland. At 46 square miles, the reef can’t hold a candle to its 133,200 square-mile big brother, but it’s still bigger than, for […]

Environmental What Agency?

Rumors are heating up about who will fill the shoes of U.S. EPA Administrator Christie Whitman, who announced her resignation last month and will step down June 27. Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne (R) and Tom Skinner, the EPA’s Midwest regional administrator, seem to have risen above two earlier possibilities — Deputy EPA Administrator Linda Fisher […]

Tapped Out

Drinking bottled water isn’t necessarily a good thing for your health or for the environment, since the plastic bottles take up space in landfills and their contents are not subject to strict regulations. But how safe is the tap water you drink? Getting better, but still not as good as it should be, according to […]

Home Is Where the Smart Is

Canada’s efforts to meet the terms of the Kyoto Protocol on climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions could have a positive outcome for homeowners: Under a plan approved by a federal cabinet committee this week, Canadians who take steps to make their homes more energy efficient could get an average rebate of about $740. […]