Articles by Grist staff

How Local Can You Go?

Triple-bottom-line strategy working for small biz Small, local businesses are increasingly embracing social responsibility and promoting environmental health — and making a profit in the process. “When people come to me, I’m their first choice, a locally owned business that can produce at value,” says Guy Bazzani, whose small Michigan firm restores old buildings using […]

To Catch a Leaf

FBI raids companies linked to E. coli-tainted spinach Federal agents raided two produce plants in Salinas Valley, Calif., yesterday, as part of a criminal investigation into whether they violated food-safety and environmental laws in distributing E. coli-tainted spinach. The FBI and the Food and Drug Administration executed search warrants for the plants operated by Natural […]

Baseball All Year Round!

Northeast U.S. may feel like South if climate continues changing, says study The days of mild summers in the Northeastern U.S. may be numbered, says a study by the Union of Concerned Scientists. If global greenhouse-gas emissions were reduced by 3 percent each year, the average temperature in the nine Northeast states would still likely […]

Middlebury’s nordic ski team goes climate neutral

The Middlebury College Nordic Ski Team is starting off the athletic season with a clear conscience. Well aware of how global warming could eliminate their sport altogether, the team is going green to protect the white stuff. After calculating their environmental footprint -- from the eco-costs of travel to the energy used to power coach Andrew Gardner's office -- the skiers decided to go climate neutral.

They've partnered with NativeEnergy, a Native-owned renewable energy company that will use the money from the skiers' offsets to support wind-driven local energy creation.

"NativeEnergy is proud to work with these athletes to help build new renewable energy projects that will help preserve the skiing experience we all enjoy," said NativeEnergy's Thomas Hand, who also happens to be a Middlebury alum and one of my favorite eco-dreamboats.

Update [2006-10-6 14:3:2 by Sarah van Schagen]: I just received an email from Thomas Hand (swoon!) letting me know that the Middlebury Alpine Ski Team has also gone carbon neutral. Here's to a great (eco-conscious) season!