Articles by Grist staff

I'd Like to Be Under the Sea … Forever

Whoopie! — you can now plan to have your cremated ashes sunk in the ocean as part of an eco-friendly artificial reef. A Georgia company, Eternal Reefs, is promoting the reefs as the “only death care option that is truly an environmental contribution and also creates a permanent, living memorial for the deceased and their […]

Power, but Not Mercury, to the People

Wisconsin is moving to become the first state to force electric utilities to cut their mercury emissions. This week, the state Natural Resources Board is expected to approve for public comment a set of rules that would reduce mercury emissions from power plants by 90 percent over the next 15 years. The rules are aimed […]

Pulp Friction

Cheap paper made from rampant logging of the Indonesian rainforest is flooding Britain. Public agencies are among the big users of the paper, despite calls by the government to use products only from sustainable sources. Asia Pulp and Paper, Indonesia’s biggest paper producer, receives significant backing from British banks. About 70 percent of Indonesia’s forests […]

A Connecticut Yankee in King Coal's Court

Connecticut Gov. John Rowland (R) on Friday vetoed the “Sooty Six” bill that would have forced the state’s six oldest and least efficient power plants to cut emissions of sulfur dioxide. His decision came the day before the bill would have automatically become law. Rowland had said he would sign the bill, and Democrats and […]