Articles by Grist staff

A Good Sense of Drought

Parris N. Glendening (D) yesterday declared Maryland’s first statewide drought emergency in history and said mandatory water conservation measures probably will be imposed as soon as next week. In the meantime, the state has suggested that residents take shorter showers, not wash cars, and not bother to water the lawn or flower beds. Glendening, speaking […]

High Yangtz-iety

For the second year running, floods are wreaking havoc in the Yangtze River valley. In an effort to stem the problem, China’s cabinet last year issued an order banning logging in many parts of central China because clearcutting had led to soil erosion that in turn contributed to flooding. This year, in a rare public […]

Midwesterners have a drinking problem

Drinking water across the Midwest is polluted with high levels of the herbicide atrazine and poses a particular risk to infants in the first four months of life, according to a report released yesterday by the Environmental Working Group. The D.C.-based group found that between 1993 and 1998 atrazine contaminated the tap water of some […]

Just My Type

Compaq recently filed a patent for a keyboard that uses the typing process itself to recharge laptop batteries. Employing magnets attached to the shaft of each key, the company has developed a way to convert the energy from typing into electrical energy to charge the batteries.