Articles by Grist staff

Gulf State forests ravaged by Hurricane Katrina, says study

The impact of Hurricane Katrina on the people of the Gulf States is well known (if occasionally ignored), but the storm also brutalized the region’s forests. A new study published in Science reports that Katrina destroyed some 320 million trees in Mississippi and Louisiana, leading to a laundry list of problems. Federal funding for replanting […]

Locavore is New Oxford American Dictionary Word of the Year

The word “locavore” has received the esteemed honor of being the New Oxford American Dictionary 2007 Word of the Year. For you non-locavores, the word is defined as “a person who endeavors to eat only locally produced food.” It was coined about two years ago by four San Francisco women who popularized the idea of […]

Wal-Mart releases its first “sustainability report”

Hugemongous retailer Wal-Mart released its first “sustainability report” yesterday after having delayed its release several times. In it, the company touts its recent efforts to green its operations, while also admitting it has a long way to go. “We make no claims of being a green company,” said company CEO H. Lee Scott. No argument […]

IPCC Synthesis Report coming out Saturday

Policymakers of the world, get ready. Tomorrow, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change releases its Synthesis Report that will attempt to summarize the world’s climate-y plight in a language governments can understand. Saturday’s report will be the official abbreviated version of the 2,500 pages of scientific reports the IPCC churned out earlier this year. The […]