Articles by Grist staff

Test Ban Treat

Here’s one unintended consequence of the impending U.S. war against Iraq: The Bush administration has delayed a formal challenge to the European Union’s ban on genetically modified food. Recently, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick blamed the ban for widespread starvation in the developing world and said the administration was considering taking a case against Europe […]

Mongoose Step

Invasive species are a problem throughout the world — but in Japan, with its fragile island ecosystems, the problem is particularly severe. The most prominent Japanese battle to protect native species is raging in Lake Biwa, the nation’s largest freshwater lake and a cultural icon frequently referenced in literature, theater, and film. There, voracious American […]

A Spoonful of Sugar Makes the Sustainability Go Down

The United Nations isn’t generally thought of as a marketing entity — but a little marketing savvy is just what’s needed to encourage sustainable consumption habits worldwide, according to the U.N. Environment Programme. Right now, the organization says, only 5 percent of people in developed countries maintain sustainable lifestyles, defined as “enjoying a good quality […]

Solar, Without Flair

President Bush’s proposed budget for the government’s 2004 fiscal year doesn’t contain much good news for renewable energy advocates: Total research funding for the Energy Department’s energy efficiency and renewable energy programs would increase just 0.1 percent. Last summer, though, the feds apparently had enough money to purchase a solar-energy system to heat the presidential […]