Articles by Grist staff

Windy Cities

Wind power is usually generated in vast, open spaces — mountaintops, prairies, or offshore in shallow waters. But the Netherlands is taking wind power to new heights, literally: the rooftops of buildings in metropolitan areas. With light, quiet, efficient designs that often blend into the surrounding architecture, these urban windmills are built to take advantage […]

Muck Ado About Something

Russian journalist and environmental muckraker Grigory Pasko was paroled from prison yesterday after serving part of a highly contested term for treason. Pasko became the poster-child for concerns about Russian limitations on press freedoms when he was convicted for taking notes during a 1997 meeting of Russian naval commanders. The court claimed that Pasko had […]

Lead Us Not

Ninety percent of the global gasoline supply is unleaded — but the majority of the remaining 10 percent is consumed in developing nations. That’s bad news for citizens of those countries because leaded fuel is associated with neurological damage, particularly in children. Now, though, there’s some good news from the United Nations Environment Programme: Most […]

Ready, Aim, Fire

The Bush administration, U.S. troops, and Iraqi citizens aren’t the only people preparing for war: Employees of American companies that specialize in extinguishing fires from oil wells are also readying themselves for what’s to come. Iraq’s economy, Middle Eastern political stability, and U.S. interests all dictate that the oil industry cannot be a casualty of […]