Articles by Grist staff

Its Bark Is Worse, and That Bites

Last month, Mexican officials learned their country is losing its forests at a rate of nearly 3 million acres a year, or nearly twice the clip previously thought; now, they’re blaming the heavy deforestation on impoverished indigenous farmers in Chiapas, who slash and burn the jungle to scrape out their meager living. The long history […]

Matthew Meyer, Ecosandals.com

Matthew Meyer is a third-year law student at the University of Michigan. In 1995 he cofounded the Wikyo Akala Project, which today sells used-tire sandals around the world at Ecosandals.com. Monday, 14 Jan 2002 ANN ARBOR, Mich. I first set foot in an African shantytown in 1992. As I walked through the Mathare Valley, a […]

Yucca-ing It Up

Following 14 years of study that cost $4.5 billion, the Energy Department yesterday formally recommended that Nevada’s Yucca Mountain become the country’s permanent storage site for highly radioactive nuclear waste from power plants and weapons factories. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham said the science showed that Yucca Mountain would be a secure home for the waste. […]

Irish Eyes Are Smiling

The Irish government has okayed plans to build the world’s largest offshore wind farm. The $630 million project will have three times the electricity-generating capacity of all current offshore wind farms worldwide; its 200 turbines will produce 10 percent of Ireland’s power. When completed, the project will help Ireland cut its greenhouse gas emissions by […]