Articles by Grist staff

Plastic, Man

In an effort to reduce its plastic waste by 30 percent, Taiwan has passed a law banning the free distribution of plastic bags and disposable tableware in some 75,000 establishments, including restaurants, department stores, supermarkets, convenience stores, and fast-food franchises. Taiwan currently uses 20 billion plastic bags per year (or 2.5 bags per person per […]

Crystal Mess

The city of Monterey, California, has permanently banned the Crystal Harmony cruise ship from docking in its bay after the ship’s owners, Crystal Cruises, confessed to dumping more than 36,000 gallons of wastewater in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, home to 27 species of marine mammals. The incident occurred in early October but wasn’t […]

Defense Offensive

Citing the specter of impending war in Iraq, the Bush administration asked Congress this week to exempt the Pentagon from a wide range of environmental laws. Congress rejected a similar request last year, but now, war looms and Republicans control both the House and the Senate. Under the plan proposed by the administration, the Pentagon […]

My Abalone Has a First Name

The word “abalone” probably doesn’t bring to mind the same connotations as, say, “heroin” — but conservationists in South Africa say that illegal trade in the ocean mollusk has wreaked the kind of havoc usually associated with narcotics, bringing guns, gangs, and violence to previously peaceful communities. Abalone is a prized gourmet food in much […]