|
| Headline |
Author |
Published |
Section |
We Hold Its Value to Be Self-Evident
Ecuador approves new constitution granting inalienable rights to nature |
|
29 Sep 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 3:33 PM on 29 Sep 2008 Ecuador approved a new constitution this weekend that, among other things, grants inalienable rights to nature, the first such inclusion in a nation's constitution, according to Ecuadorian officials. "Nature ... where life is reproduced and exists, has the right to exist, persist, maintain, and regenerate its vital cycles, structure, functions, and i ... |
|
| Topics: Ecuador, environmental justice, news, politics, wildlife (all these topics) |
|
|
Drinking at the public fountain
The new corporate threat to our water supplies |
Guest author |
25 Sep 2008 |
Gristmill |
| This is a guest essay by authors and filmmakers Alan Snitow and Deborah Kaufman. Their book Thirst exposed how the corporate drive to control water has become a catalyst for community resistance to globalization. This essay was originally published on TomDispatch and is republished here with Tom's kind permission. ----- In the last few years, the world's largest financial institutions and pension funds, from Goldman Sachs to Australia's Macquarie Bank, have figure ... |
|
| Topics: books, business, environmental justice, food, politics, water conflicts (all these topics) |
|
|
We're the real cowboys
We need some qualified public leaders |
Jim Goodman |
10 Sep 2008 |
Gristmill |
| It strikes me that many of the problems we run into on a daily basis are caused by people doing a job for which they are not fully qualified. At the top of the list, I'm afraid we must place those we elect to office and those they appoint to government service positions. We have all run across the bad restaurant meal: a cook who wasn't so good; an owner who didn't get fresh ingredients; a wait person who ruined the meal with bad service. How about the salesper ... |
|
| Topics: environmental justice, food, agriculture, politics, George Bush (all these topics) |
|
|
Whole Foods signs deal to pay up for Florida tomatoes
Natural foods giant agrees to penny-per-pound raise for farmworkers |
Tom Philpott |
10 Sep 2008 |
Gristmill |
| I reported a few days ago that a deal was imminent; now it's official: Whole Foods has signed an agreement with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers to pay an extra penny-per-pound for Florida tomatoes. The raise will go directly into the pockets of some of the lowest-paid workers in the United States. In addition, the press release states, Whole Foods is working with the CIW to create a "domestic purchasing program to help guarantee transparent, ethical and respons ... |
|
| Topics: environmental justice, business, agriculture, food (all these topics) |
|
|
Slow Down, Slow Food!
Slow Food Nation was magnificent in many ways, but overshot its mandate |
Tom Philpott |
05 Sep 2008 |
Victual Reality |
| Photo: karmacamilleeon Slow Food Nation -- that grand, sprawling culinary event that seemed to permeate San Francisco over Labor Day weekend -- has passed. Now we can ask: What was it? A brazen display of foodie elitism, as some critics charge? A transformative moment in an ongoing effort to overthrow the industrial food system, as its organizers sometimes hinted? Slow Food N ... |
|
| Topics: agriculture, Alice Waters, environmental justice, food, green living, San Francisco, slow food, Victual Reality (all these topics) |
|
|
Slow Food Nation: Whole Foods to pay up for tomatoes
Benitez of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers says deal imminent with Whole Foods |
Tom Philpott |
04 Sep 2008 |
Gristmill |
| I'm a lame blogger when it comes to breaking news at conferences, when my brain typically reaches explosion point with all the information zooming in.I should have live-blogged this Saturday, while I was taking in Slow Food Nation's 'Toward a new, fair food system' panel: Coalition of Immokalee Workers leader Lucas Benitez revealed that Whole Foods is on the verge of agreeing to pay an extra penny per pound for the Florida-grown tomatoes it buys. As part of its 'Cam ... |
|
| Topics: events, slow food, environmental justice, agriculture, business, food (all these topics) |
|
|
RNC: 'Good old-fashioned fossil fuels'
Grist talks to Niger Innis about the 'war on the poor' |
Kate Sheppard |
02 Sep 2008 |
Gristmill |
| After the 'War on the Poor' event David and I attended Tuesday morning, we caught Niger Innis of the Congress of Racial Equality for a quick interview about their campaign. The presentation this morning focused on politicians whom Innis accuses of being engaged in a 'war on the poor' -- all of which, at this point in the roll-out, are Democrats. The 'objective criteria' for making the list, according to the speakers, was how they voted on 16 pieces of legislatio ... |
|
| Topics: politics, environmental justice, climate equity, video, news, Republican National Convention, Muckraker (all these topics) |
|
|
The Electric Cool-Aid Acid Test
Aid agencies offer carbon offsets aimed at helping poor adapt to climate change |
|
02 Sep 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 7:39 AM on 02 Sep 2008 Aid agencies and environmental groups, including UNICEF, Greenpeace, CARE International, and others, partnered up recently to introduce new carbon offsets aimed at reducing carbon emissions while also helping the poor adapt to climate change. The voluntary carbon-offset market is worth some $330 million and is likely to grow even more as consumers in r ... |
|
| Topics: carbon offsets, energy, environmental justice, news (all these topics) |
|
|
Color of change
Groups urge action as report finds black Americans are more likely to suffer in changing climate |
Kate Sheppard |
03 Aug 2008 |
Gristmill |
| A new report finds that African-Americans in the United States will suffer the effects of climate change more severely than white Americans. They are twice as likely to live in cities where the heat-island effect makes already-high temperatures more severe. They're also likely to be 'fuel poor.' Increases in energy demand due to greater use of air-conditioning and population growth are more likely to affect them. 'There is a fierce urgency regarding climate c ... |
|
| Topics: climate change impacts, climate equity, environmental justice, Muckraker, news, politics (all these topics) |
|
|
Have you smelled the little piggies?
In eastern North Carolina, citizens and students rise up for environmental justice |
Guest author |
17 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| This is a guest post by David Hamilton and Jordan Treakle. David is an organizer with the Real Food Challenge, and a founding member of FLO (Fair, Local, Organic) Food at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Treakle, a UNC student, is also a member of FLO Food. Last month, about 150 people converged on Raleigh for the pinnacle of a 51-hour hog vigil. Busloads full of children and old-timers from Halifax, Duplin, Sampson, and Bladen counties, where the sten ... |
|
| Topics: agriculture, air pollution, environmental justice, food, North Carolina, toxics, waste (all these topics) |
|
|
I'm Restricted to You, Don't You Know That You're Toxic?
Cheap materials, lax government standards at fault in toxic FEMA trailers |
|
03 Jul 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 12:25 PM on 03 Jul 2008 The toxic trailers used by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to house thousands of homeless Gulf Coast residents after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita were found to be troublesome to occupants' health due to cheap building materials and lax government standards for RVs, scientists said Wednesday. "Manufacturers of travel trail ... |
|
| Topics: environmental justice, health, news, politics, United States (all these topics) |
|
|
Judicial activism
Aftermath of Supreme Court's Exxon decision |
Sir Oolius |
26 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Estimated time for full ecological recovery by affected species from the Exxon Valdez oil tanker spill: 15 - 30 years. Estimated time for full financial recovery by Exxon Mobil Corp. from yesterday's Supreme Court decision: 4.5 days. As written in yesterday's opinion: The real problem, it seems, is the stark unpredictability of punitive awards. |
|
| Topics: Alaska, environmental justice, oil, politics (all these topics) |
|
|
Have a Sense of Tumor!
New York state passes bill to create detailed map of cancer cases |
|
20 Jun 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 9:40 AM on 20 Jun 2008 In an effort to educate the public about correlations between cancer rates and environmental factors, the New York state legislature just passed a bill that would create a detailed map of cancer cases in the state. The online map would plot the neighborhoods of cancer patients as well as the location of industrial facilities like chemical manufacturers and power plants. &quo ... |
|
| Topics: environmental justice, health, legislation, New York, news, politics (all these topics) |
|
|
Kyra's Path
Reflecting on his daughter's future, a father says the green movement must diversify |
Marcelo Bonta |
10 Jun 2008 |
Grist Feature |
| The face of America is changing -- is the environmental movement ready to face change too? "Kyra, do you know this is yours?" I ask, looking down at the skinny little girl with big, curly, dark brown locks. Her hair to body proportion resembles Thing One and Thing Two from Dr. Seuss' Cat in the Hat. "What do you mean?" A furrowed face of mostly che ... |
|
| Topics: advice, environmental justice, environmental movement, green living, parenting (all these topics) |
|
|
Richer, greener
Focusing population growth in the right places will make us both |
Ryan Avent |
09 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| The New York Times looks at the impact of high gas prices in communities across the nation today and concludes that increases are most painful in rural areas. Part of this analysis involves an examination of money spent on gas as a share of total income. The big middle of the country does badly, and Appalachia and the deep South do very badly. We can explain some of the excessive spending on fuel in these places by noting their dependence on trucks and the lack of ... |
|
| Topics: environmental justice, gas prices, placemaking, public transportation, urban planning, Washington DC (all these topics) |
|
|
Purdy lil Heifer
|
JMG |
03 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Heifer International, a nonprofit that lets people make gifts of livestock to farmers in impoverished areas, gave a shout out to Grist in its March/April WorldArk magazine (albeit using .com in the web address).Now, in the May/June issue, not only does Grist get a shout out with a correction in the letters column, but the whole issue is outstanding.Here's just a sample of the terrific content:The cover story, Our Carbon Hoofprint, provides 'a closer look at the indictment of the ... |
|
| Topics: agriculture, e-waste, environmental justice, websites (all these topics) |
|
|
Slave ethanol?
Amnesty International: forced labor in Brazil's sugarcane fields |
Tom Philpott |
30 May 2008 |
Gristmill |
| As the case for corn-based ethanol unravels, a lot of pundits and green-minded investors have settled on a new panacea: ethanol from sugar cane, which thrives in the tropics. Thomas Friedman has been blustering about it for years now; Richard Branson recently hinted he might start investing in it. Sugarcane is a deeply ironic crop on which to hang a 'sustainable energy revolution.' Historically, the spread of sugarcane in Caribbean islands and South America involved ... |
|
| Topics: agriculture, Brazil, energy, environmental justice, ethanol (all these topics) |
|
|
Leading to problems
Implications of the study linking childhood lead exposure and adult criminality |
Liz Borkowski |
30 May 2008 |
Gristmill |
| A study just published in the journal PLoS Medicine (and written up in the L.A. Times) suggests a link between childhood lead exposure and adult arrests for violent crimes. Studying 250 adults for whom they had prenatal and childhood blood lead level measurements, University of Cincinnati researchers found that each 5-microgram-per-deciliter increase in blood lead levels at age 6 was associated with a nearly 50 percent increased risk of arrest as a young adult (the ris ... |
|
| Topics: environmental justice, green living, health, parenting, scientific research, toxics (all these topics) |
|
|
Michigan WIC whacks organic
Evidently, women, infants, and children in need don't deserve organic |
Tom Philpott |
28 May 2008 |
Gristmill |
| The Women, Infants, and Children program provides food aid to 'low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and non-breastfeeding postpartum women, and to infants and children up to age five who are found to be at nutritional risk,' according to the USDA website. The federal government funds the program through grants to states, which then decide how to allocate the cash. Evidently, in Michigan -- a state undergoing severe economic strain -- some bureaucrats have bought into ... |
|
| Topics: environmental justice, food, green living, health, Michigan, organic food, parenting, shopping (all these topics) |
|
|
Pb & Jail
Childhood lead exposure linked to criminal behavior, violence |
|
28 May 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 6:36 AM on 28 May 2008 Childhood exposure to high lead levels leads to smaller brain mass and is linked to criminal behavior and violence, according to two new comprehensive studies. Researchers tracked kids from Cincinnati, Ohio, from before birth through adulthood and found that early exposure to lead resulted in a loss of brain matter of over 1 percent on average, particularly in the areas of the brain resp ... |
|
| Topics: environmental justice, health, news, scientific research, toxics (all these topics) |
|
|
Whirled Bank
Does the bank have a legitimate role in solving the climate crisis? |
Erik Hoffner |
21 May 2008 |
Gristmill |
| The World Bank, which once upon a time wanted to rid the world of poverty, is now trying to position itself as climate crisis savior -- but at the same time is continuing its fossilized ways. So says EarthBeat Radio -- check out their illuminating podcast on it. Janet Redman, the author of a report entitled 'The World Bank: Climate Profiteer,' is interviewed about a $2 billion portfolio of carbon offsets for industries in the global north to be developed in the global s ... |
|
| Topics: carbon offsets, climate, economy, environmental justice, World Bank (all these topics) |
|
|
Urban Legends
Smart(ish) Cities series ends, sustainability efforts march on |
Lisa Selin Davis |
16 May 2008 |
Grist Feature |
| By now, you may have forgotten that Portland was ever crowned the Miss Universe of Sustainability, and have started packing up your bicycles and solar panels for the big move to Syracuse or Tampa. OK, maybe you're not thinking of uprooting yourself and your family. More likely, you're evaluating your own city to figure out what green things it's got going for it, where it lags behind, ... |
|
| Topics: environmental justice, green building, placemaking, Smartish Cities, special series, sprawl, urban planning (all these topics) |
|
|
No country for poor (wo)men
Higher food prices likely mean more health problems for low-income folks |
Tom Philpott |
13 May 2008 |
Gristmill |
| I doubt if many people really believe that the recent spike in food prices will, as a New York Times piece put it, 'make organic food more accessible' and force people into healthier eating patterns. (I wrote about this topic in a recent Victual Reality column.) For those who do, I offer this remark from Adam Drewnowski, an epidemiologist from the University of Washington, quoted in the Philadelphia Inquirer:The food crisis will make obesity and attendant diabetes even ... |
|
| Topics: economy, environmental justice, food (all these topics) |
|
|
Break up with your utility company ... or get dumped
Millions of Americans may not be able to afford heat or power this year |
Sharon Astyk |
09 May 2008 |
Gristmill |
| So, I spent almost $2,000 today ... to fill up our oil tank. We heat primarily with wood, but we use oil as a backup system to keep the pipes from freezing and occasionally on days when we're going to be out for an extended period. Our hot water is also heated with oil. For whatever reason, most oil heat in the U.S. is in the Northeast, mostly in towns beyond gas lines like mine. I suspect today's purchase may well be the last tank of heating oil we ever buy. Unfor ... |
|
| Topics: energy, energy at home, environmental justice, oil (all these topics) |
|
|
Emetic Justice
Polar-bear listing would hurt the poor, says industry |
|
09 May 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 2:10 PM on 09 May 2008 If the U.S. Interior Department decides that polar bears are endangered, litigation will be immediate from a group arguing that bear protection will "result in higher energy prices across the board, which will disproportionately be borne by minorities." So says Roy Innis, chair of the Congress for Racial Equality -- a recipient of Exxon funding that has recently aligned itself with ac ... |
|
| Topics: climate, endangered species, environmental justice, insanity, litigation, news, polar bears, politics (all these topics) |
|
|
|
©2008. Grist Magazine, Inc. All rights reserved. Gloom and doom with a sense of humor®.