Articles by Grist staff

Greens Vs. Genes

Enviros fighting genetically modified foods in Britain scored a point today when the government announced that it would not fight a legal challenge against its licensing of crop trials. Friends of the Earth had gone to court to stop a trial planting of genetically modified rapeseed, arguing that the government illegally made changes to the […]

Going Bananas over Kiwis

The kiwi bird, New Zealand’s national symbol, is in danger of going extinct within five to 10 years, enviros warn. New Zealand’s kiwi population is now estimated at 70,000, down from 5 million in 1923. Though the population has been declining for decades, a recent study by New Zealand’s Forest and Bird Society, which found […]

Car and Drivel

Heavy lobbying by the auto industry thwarted efforts in the Senate to toughen fuel-economy standards for automobiles, particularly light trucks and sport utility vehicles. By a 55-40 vote, the Senate voted yesterday to maintain a five-year freeze on studying possible changes to the corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards, which have not been changed since […]

Chicks Dig It

A high-tech composting technique in which natural soil bacteria and fungi are combined with chicken droppings is now being used to clean up areas contaminated by DDT and other toxic pesticides. The method, which was patented in the U.S. this week, involves digging up polluted soil and creating carefully controlled compost heaps that let soil […]