Articles by Grist staff

Oregon Trailblazers

When it comes to sustainability, Oregon is No. 1, says the San Francisco-based Resource Renewal Institute. The group ranked states on transit spending, open-space protection, recycling, and pollution prevention, among other things. New Jersey (shocking!) and Minnesota came in second and third, respectively. The institute’s Randy Solomon said Oregon took top honors because the state […]

When It Rains, It Poors

Poor people in the U.K. are among those worst affected by environmental problems in the country, according to a recent study published in Britain. The researchers conducted a series of focus groups in four different areas — a poor neighborhood in Glasgow, another in London, a former mining village in North Wales, and a rural […]

The Green Planet

The Northern Hemisphere is greener now than it was 20 years ago, possibly because the Earth’s temperatures are rising, according to a NASA-funded study. The scientists found that the growing season has lengthened and vegetation density has increased above 40 degrees north latitude. In North America, the growing season is now as much as 12 […]

Fish-ious Cycle

Traces of antibiotics, estrogen, and antidepressants have been found in Canada’s water system, according to Canadian health officials. They promised yesterday to develop regulations requiring drug manufacturers to assess how their products would affect the environment. So far, the substances have been found in sewage effluent; the officials said drinking water would be tested shortly. […]