Articles by Grist staff

Municipalities try to encourage students to walk to school

Cities across the U.S. are turning their attention not only to green education, but to how students get to school. Forty years ago, half of all students walked or bicycled to the schoolhouse. Today, that number has dropped to 15 percent, while 60 percent of youths are toted in a car. The shift, brought on […]

Freegans get by just fine on others’ castoffs

Changed your light bulbs, gone vegetarian, sold your car, but still feel like your consumer impact is intolerable? It may be time to go freegan and learn to live off the waste that others throw out. Freegans gain most of their possessions and sustenance by foraging — for clothes, for furniture, and for grocery-store food […]

Pacific gray whale population may still be severely depleted

The Pacific gray whale, long held up as an environmental success story, may not have made as impressive a comeback as once thought. Thanks to a widespread ban on commercial whaling, the Pacific gray whale became the first marine mammal to be taken off the endangered species list in 1994. When whales began dying off […]

Greens sue to speed up protections for giant earthworm

Greens plan to sue the federal government in hopes of speeding up endangered-species protections for the Palouse earthworm, the largest and longest-lived earthworm in North America. It can grow up to a yard long, spits at attackers, and smells like flowers. We kid you not.