Articles by Jess Zimmerman

Jess Zimmerman was the editor of Grist List.

All Articles

  • New eco-friendly fertilizer: Plant farts

    While those lousy cows are pooting out greenhouse gases, some hardworking plants – anaerobic digestors, which are crucial to the production of biogas – are making waste that can be used as cheap, natural fertilizer. Digestate, the byproduct of anaerobic digestion, could replace manufactured nitrogen fertilizers that are energy-intensive and expensive to produce.

    Jess Zimmerman Agriculture

  • Afghan-produced biofuels could be one good thing to come out of the war

    In a larger sense, nobody wins in the war in Afghanistan. But Marine sergeant Brian Nelson is hoping that in one particular instance — encouraging Afghans to convert some of their crops to biofuel — everyone can win. Marines win because they can help meet their alternative energy goals. They want to cut fuel usage […]

    Jess Zimmerman Energy

  • Cats and wind turbines vie for the title of ‘biggest avian menace’

    Finally, we are starting to get answers to that universal question: Who would win in a fight, cats or wind? If the fight is "who can kill the most birds," the cats are way ahead, says a new study in the Journal of Ornithology. For sheer avian death tolls, wind turbines can't even hold a […]

    Jess Zimmerman Energy

  • Louisiana’s new oil plague sounds tasty, is terrifying

    Remember tar balls? Those were just an appetizer. The scary new oil formations washing up on Louisiana’s beaches sound like you’d get them at Whole Foods — “emulsified oil,” “oil mousse.” Um, yum? This comes right on the heels of the government approving deepwater exploration plans for the first time since last year’s disaster. Sure, […]

    Jess Zimmerman Uncategorized