Articles by Grist staff

Orange You Glad We Didn’t Say Switchgrass?

Fruit may be the latest source for biofuel madness Could your kumquat power your Kia? A team of U.S. scientists has made a low-carbon fuel from fructose, the sugar in many fruits. It could be a better bet than ethanol, with 40 percent more energy, less vulnerability to water, and more stability; since it can […]

Quench Warners

Desalination won’t solve world’s water woes, report says Another high-tech environmental solution may be going out the window: a new report from the World Wildlife Fund says desalinating water could hurt more than it helps. Estimating that there are more than 10,000 desalination plants around the world, WWF says the energy-intensive practice of filtering salt […]

Mamas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Gameboys

New U.S. coalition hopes to get vid-kids back outside More than 50 business leaders, politicians, and activists have formed a national partnership to get America’s kids the hell outside. Inspired by recent concerns that too much fun with video games, computers, and TV can lead to obesity and depression, the National Forum on Children and […]

Burgers With a Conscience?

New scorecard rates corporations on their actions to fight climate change Which fast-food joint has the most cred on climate change — McDonald’s, Wendy’s, or Burger King? A new scorecard from the nonprofit group Climate Counts has the answer; it ranks these and 53 other major corporations on their commitment to reducing their contributions to […]