AmeriCorps, the US federal agency that oversees volunteerism and service work, abruptly pulled teams of young people out of a variety of community service projects across the country on Tuesday. The work stoppage was due to cuts attributed to the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, volunteers were informed Tuesday afternoon. WIRED...
In Colorado, gas for cars could soon come with a warning label
The Centennial State may become first in the nation to require retailers to warn consumers that burning fossil fuels “releases air pollutants and greenhouse gases, known by the state of Colorado to be linked to significant health impacts and global heating.” The warning is the linchpin of a bill — HB25-1277 — that...
Whole, skim, or soy? The congressional battle over milk in school lunches.
In 2010, United States lawmakers passed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which aimed to tackle both childhood obesity and hunger by making school meals more nutritious. Two years later, the Department of Agriculture updated its guidance for schools participating in the National School Lunch Program, or NSLP, in accordance with...
The environmental policy backed by free-market Republicans
Several years ago, Louis Blessing’s wife asked for his help replacing the battery in her laptop. An electrical engineer by training, Blessing figured it would be a quick fix. But after swapping out the old battery for a new one and plugging the laptop in, he discovered it wouldn’t charge....
In Louisiana’s ‘Cancer Alley,’ Black communities get all of the pollution, few of the jobs
This coverage is made possible through a partnership between Grist and Verite News, a nonprofit news organization with a mission to produce in-depth journalism in underserved communities in the New Orleans area. Residents of the mostly Black communities sandwiched between chemical plants along the lower Mississippi River have long said they...
How baby chickens became America’s hottest commodity
Murdoch’s Ranch & Home Supply in Helena, Montana doesn’t often see a crowd. But, these days, the line to get in the door can be hours long. People have yelled at one another as they jockey for position and, inside, employees field as many 200 calls a day from eager...
The ‘king of poisons’ is building up in rice
Throughout the Yangtze River Delta, a region in southern China famed for its widespread rice production, farmers grow belts of slender green stalks. Before they reach several feet tall and turn golden brown, the grassy plants soak in muddy, waterlogged fields for months. Along the rows of submerged plants, levees...
Scientists predict a brutal hurricane season while Trump takes aim at NOAA’s budget
With towns and cities in the southeastern United States still reeling from hurricanes that hit last year, scientists are now releasing their forecasts for what could unfold in the hurricane season that starts in less than two months. Colorado State University is predicting nine hurricanes in 2025, four of which...
El eslabón no regulado de una cadena de suministro tóxica
En enero de 2018, Vanessa Domínguez y su marido llevaban unos años coqueteando con la idea de mudarse a otro barrio de El Paso, Texas. Su hija estaba matriculada en una de las mejores escuelas primarias del condado, pero como la familia vivía justo fuera de los límites del distrito,...
Looking to create effective climate change policy? Ask the community.
For Peter Hasegawa, it all started with the heat dome. The labor organizer remembers the 2021 extreme heat event that killed more than 400 people in the state of Washington. That disaster woke up residents and union members to how deadly climate change can be. Although Seattle had passed climate...