News & Commentary

Tech Support: The Software Developer Who’s Fighting Food Waste

October 4, 2016 DispatchNew York CityJolene Edgar

Jeff Schacher knew that restaurants waste food. And that people are hungry. So he invented a tech-savvy way to rescue millions of meals.

Will California Say Bye-Bye to the Plastic Bag for Good This Time?

September 23, 2016 DispatchCaliforniaBecca Cudmore

Two ballot initiatives involving the bag ban are on the ballot this November—but one of them is not what it seems.

One of America’s Great Rivers Fights for Its Life

July 5, 2016 DispatchGeorgia, Florida, AlabamaRobynne Boyd

The Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint river system brings precious water to three southern states. If only they could all get along.

This Former Meatpacking Facility Is Now an Experiment in Sustainable Urban Ag

March 8, 2016 DispatchChicagoSusan Cosier

Come take a tour of "The Plant."

Drinking In the Heavy Metal

February 8, 2016 DispatchFlint, MichiganSusan Cosier

Thanks to the Flint water crisis, the city’s kids could experience terrible, long-lasting consequences from lead exposure.

Toxin Avenger

January 18, 2016 DispatchUnited StatesSarah Engler

By following hundreds of children from the womb through adolescence, Dr. Frederica Perera has become a public-health superhero.

Growing Green Awards

January 18, 2016 DispatchUnited StatesMelissa Denchak

Celebrating America’s most influential leaders in the sustainable food movement

Stop, Drop, and Roll

December 9, 2015 DispatchChicagoSusan Cosier

Every week, barrels upon barrels of volatile crude oil crisscross Chicago by rail, endangering tens of thousands of schoolkids.

No Photos, Please

October 23, 2015 DispatchWyomingAlisa Opar

New Wyoming laws stifle freedom of speech and make citizen science illegal.

The Soil Savior

October 15, 2015 DispatchTexasJeff Turrentine

A Texas farmer is bucking tradition by putting soil health above all else. The result? Water-retaining, nutrient-rich pay dirt.

Hey, Congress, Quit Blaming the EPA

August 18, 2015 DispatchColoradoBrian Palmer

The Gold King mine accident is on you, too.

Going Whole Hog Without Antibiotics

August 13, 2015 DispatchMissouriBarry Estabrook

Farmer Russ Kremer caught a drug-resistant infection from his own pigs. Now he's raising them right.

The Community Farmer That Could

August 13, 2015 DispatchMissouriEmma Marris

Molly Rockamann's 14-acre plot in suburban Missouri could be a model for the nation.

The Farmer Who Weeded Out Chemicals

August 12, 2015 DispatchCaliforniaLaura Fraser

Organic farmer Jim Cochran proves that growing nontoxic strawberries isn’t just possible, it’s profitable.

The Algae That (Almost) Ate Toledo

July 27, 2015 DispatchToledo, OhioBarry Yeoman

Summertime in Toledo: Lakeside barbecues, Mud Hens double-headers, and toxic algae blooms.

Roam, Roam on the Range

June 24, 2015 DispatchMontanaAlisa Opar

This Montana cattle ranch is trying to ensure its operations benefit wildlife—and yes, that means wolves, too.

Not-So-Secret Gardens

June 15, 2015 DispatchChicagoSusan Cosier

Uncovering Chicago’s gardens—and planting their locations on a map—could help sow the farming movement.

Toxic Two-Step

May 15, 2015 DispatchTexasJeff Turrentine

When politicians and corporate polluters step onto the dance floor in Texas, the state’s environmental agency provides the music.

Let's Get Wasted!

March 30, 2015 DispatchNew York CityClara Chaisson

A pop-up restaurant gives trash-bound food a place at the table.

Old Cow, New Tricks

March 10, 2015 DispatchWestAlisa Opar

Desert-friendly cattle that came over with Columbus might be better bovines for the drought-plagued West.