Articles by Grist staff

Mmm, pollutocrats

The Simpsons flee Springfield in the dark of night.

TM and © 2007 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Fans of The Simpsons have had to wait 18 years for the first full-length feature film about the family, opening on July 27. Although the hype leading up to the release date has included unique publicity stunts -- such as a contest between 14 Springfields across the U.S. to determine who gets to host the hometown premiere, and the conversion of selected 7-Elevens to Kwik-E-Marts, complete with KrustyO's, Buzz Cola, and Squishees -- the film's producers have kept mum about the details of the plot.

However, the word on the street is that Homer, his new pet pig, and a leaking silo full of pig droppings somehow spur a large-scale environmental crisis that must be contained by the U.S. EPA. The EPA chief is a villainous Russ Cargill, who reports to U.S. President Arnold Schwarzenegger (voiced, respectively, by Simpsons veterans Albert Brooks and Harry Shearer). Somewhere along the way, Erin Brockovich makes a cameo as herself.

The Guardian got a peek at 10 minutes of the film, and notes that a cameo of Green Day in the film has the band members "poisoned and drowning in the fetid Lake Springfield after interrupting a Duff Beer-sponsored show 'to say one thing about the environment.'" Methinks that the water pollution may link back to the pig-poop issue, but that's just wild speculation an educated guess on my part. Another spoiler is that Lisa is rumored to develop a crush on a green activist while pulling together a school presentation on climate change, appropriately entitled "An Irritating Truth."

But we'll all have to wait for another week and a half to find out exactly how it all plays out, unless Fox wants to give Grist staffers a prescreening (hint, hint).

Can’t They Just Use the Ocean?

Schwarzenegger announces $5.9 billion plan to battle drought California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has announced a $5.9 billion plan to prepare for his state’s almost-certain continued drought and population boom. Taking the need to douse Big Agriculture as a given, Schwarzenegger called for construction of new reservoirs and dams — but, true to his Greeninator reputation, […]

Jam Plan Is Toast

NYC mayor’s traffic-reducing proposal shot down, for now New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s congestion-fee proposal, reportedly down to the wire on Monday, is now just down, period. The plan would have charged a fee for Manhattan-bound vehicles during peak hours, but the state Senate adjourned without voting on the measure after Democrats made it […]

Deader Than Ever

Biofuels could contribute to historically big Gulf of Mexico dead zone Still think corn-based biofuels will save the world? Here’s another piece of the no-they-won’t puzzle: Researchers say more intensive farming of more land in the Midwestern U.S. — in part a result of the push for more corn production — could contribute to the […]