Climate Culture

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  • The savory challenges of being a sustainable chef in Big Ag country

    Fifteen years ago, I left a great job teaching at a prestigious northeast culinary school to move back to Iowa and be an executive chef at a Holiday Inn. It was difficult to find people, in Vermont or Iowa, who did not think I was certifiably insane. Those who thought they knew Iowa claimed, “There’s […]

    Kurt Michael Friese Culture

  • Want environmentally conscious effervescence? DIY

    If you’re a fan of sparkling water but feel guilty about having to buy it bottled, you might enjoy this NYT story about home seltzer makers that provide "environmentally conscious effervescence." Myself, I don’t care for the bubbly stuff, but I did find this part amusing (emph. mine, obvi): Plain tap water has become the […]

    Grist staff Culture

  • Umbra on tossing food waste

    Dear Umbra, I am a college student. I eat a lot on the go. Not fast food or boxed meals, but when I leave my dorm I usually grab an apple, banana, or other fruit/veggie to eat as I walk to my destination. I don’t compost, instead I just throw the banana peel or apple […]

    Ask Umbra® Culture

  • Group will do organic lawn care outside Capitol

    Nonprofit SafeLawns.org has received permission to use organic gardening techniques on a portion of the National Mall for a two-year trial period. Can environmentally friendly soil treatments be embraced at the site of battling over a Live Earth concert? You could cut the tension with a spade.

    Grist staff Culture

  • A journey into the heart of industrial agriculture

      Americans live in a post-agricultural age. Today, fewer than two of every 100 U.S. citizens owe their living primarily to the land. A century ago, two of every five did. Yet even though very few of us contribute to food production, we all still eat — and food comes from somewhere. But where? In […]

    Tom Philpott Culture

  • A Grist special series on food and farming

    You know where babies come from, sure — but do you know where Tater Tots come from? In this two-week series, we’ll take you on a behind-the-scenes tour of your very own diet. Everybody eats, every day, but we tend to gloss over the details. Things like the work that really goes into putting food […]

    Grist staff Culture

  • A recap of Seattle’s Green Fashion Week runway show

    "Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening." — Coco Chanel Upon arriving at the runway show capping off Seattle’s Green Fashion Week, the first thing I noticed was the green carpet. Then […]

    Grist staff Culture

  • Heat shuts down Chicago marathon

    Sweltering humidity and 88-degree temperatures forced yesterday’s Chicago marathon to shut down early for the first time in its 30-year history. One runner died, more than 300 were hospitalized, and thousands were really irritated.

    Grist staff Culture

  • Like they do it in Italy

    From Der Spiegel: It’s not easy to be punctual for a meeting with Stefano Cimicchi. Parking places are hard to come by in Orvieto, even if cars are still legal. Cars in the city center stick out like a sore thumb among strolling pedestrians, who move to the sides of the streets with studied slowness. […]

    Tom Philpott Culture

  • Senate passes asbestos ban, Democrats want to rid toys of lead

    Hey, you with the asbestos-contaminated attic: The Senate has unanimously passed a measure to ban importation, manufacture, processing, and distribution of products containing asbestos. Forty other nations have already banned the cancer-causing mineral, which is found in more than 3,000 consumer products in the U.S. Speaking of things that should have happened a long time […]

    Grist staff Culture