News & Commentary

For Thousands of Years, Indigenous Tribes Have Been Planting for the Future

November 30, 2021 DispatchIowa, Canada, Pennsylvania, OklahomaSusan Cosier

With yields of biodiversity and a more climate-resilient food supply, a movement is sprouting in BIPOC communities across North America to save heirloom seeds and preserve culture.

Will Hawai‘i Show the Rest of the Nation the Way to Clean Up the Power Sector?

September 16, 2021 DispatchHawaiiD. W. Gibson

To help achieve 100 percent renewable energy by 2045, the state’s electric utilities now need to take up climate action if they want to turn a profit.

The South’s Clean Energy Disruption

August 17, 2021 DispatchFlorida, Texas, MemphisRobynne Boyd

The region’s heritage of fossil fuels falters as clean energy rises in its place.

Sharing the Road: Safer Streets Means Safe for Everyone

June 25, 2021 ExplainerUnited States, California, Missouri, Atlanta, San Jose (California), St. Louis, GeorgiaDan Reed

As they incorporate equity into transportation planning, a number of U.S. cities are making room for bicyclists, pedestrians, scooters, and wheelchairs in every part of town.

Blackfeet Nation Is Taking Back the Food System

June 21, 2021 DispatchMontanaNicole Greenfield

A tribal-led plan to build a meat-processing facility on the Blackfeet Nation reservation in Montana will help invigorate the local economy, safeguard cultural traditions, and protect community health and the environment.

A Native Hawaiian Digs into Her Roots to Grow Food, Knowledge, and Hope

May 18, 2021 DispatchHawaiiJeff Turrentine

Inspired by an ancient system of natural resource management, Kukui Maunakea-Forth works with her community to turn Oʻahu youth into farmers—and scholars.

Why Florida Needs an Offshore Drilling Ban—One That’s Permanent

December 9, 2020 DispatchFloridaRobynne Boyd

While the state can take solace in the recent moratorium extension, its waters are still at risk from the devastating impacts of seismic testing.

Meet the Sunshine State’s New Clean Energy Darling—Community Solar

August 6, 2020 DispatchOrlandoCourtney Lindwall

As part of the American Cities Climate Challenge, Orlando, Florida’s solar strategies are helping make the clean energy revolution more accessible for all.

Agrivoltaics: Sheep (and Soil Scientists) Juice Up the Solar Farm

February 20, 2020 DispatchGeorgia, North Carolina, EastRobynne Boyd

Solar farmers get a hand from regenerative agriculture experts to feed the soil under their arrays—another powerful tool to help fight climate change.

Missoula, Montana, Proves That Tackling Car Culture Isn’t Just for Big-City Slickers

November 5, 2019 DispatchMontanaAlisa Opar

The streets are hardly choked with traffic, but this Northern Rockies locale sees plenty of other good reasons to get more of its commuters out from behind the wheel.

Needing Water, Georgia Stirs Up a 200-Year-Old Dispute With Its Northern Neighbor

October 29, 2019 DispatchGeorgiaAustyn Gaffney

As droughts parch the Southeast, interstate squabbles heat up over the Tennessee River (and the Chattahoochee . . . and the Flint . . . and the Apalachicola).

America’s Dairyland May Have a PFAS Problem

October 11, 2019 DispatchMidwest, Wisconsin, MaineSusan Cosier

The toxic chemicals have been showing up in milk around the country, prompting midwestern farmers to take a closer look at their land.

Are My Denim Jeans Bad for the Environment?

August 27, 2019 ExplainerUnited States, ChinaCourtney Lindwall

Environmental reporter Tatiana Schlossberg, author of "Inconspicuous Consumption," says the American staple needs a 21st-century overhaul for the sake of our water, climate, and health.

Could These Country Roads Be Toxic to Kids?

April 9, 2019 DispatchIowaSusan Cosier

A county in eastern Iowa has been replacing gravel with slag, a steel industry byproduct. It’s hard, sharp, and potentially a public health concern.

These Farmers Are Sowing Seeds of Diversity in the U.S. Food System (and Have Been for Quite Some Time)

April 8, 2019 DispatchGeorgiaRobynne Boyd

A movement to preserve the cultural heritage and organic practices of African American farmers is growing in the Southeast.

How the Dairy Industry Is Fouling the Drinking Water of These Wisconsinites

March 6, 2019 DispatchWisconsinAustyn Gaffney

With the manure of one mega-dairy already contaminating the water supply and another operation on the drawing board, Central Sands residents have had enough.

These Montanans Don’t Want an Industrial Slaughterhouse in Their Backyard

February 1, 2019 DispatchMontanaLora Shinn

In the small city of Great Falls, residents push back against a Big Ag plant that would consume 3.5 million gallons of water—and produce 102,995 pounds of waste—per day.

Robby Astrove’s Vision for Atlanta Is Delicious

November 26, 2018 DispatchAtlantaRobynne Boyd

This visionary green thumb is bringing food justice, and heirloom fruit trees, to low-income communities in Atlanta where grocery stores are few and far between.

After 140 Million Years, the Chinese Sturgeon May Soon Be Extinct

November 20, 2018 ExplainerChinaJason Bittel

As dams have popped up in the Yangtze River, one of the world’s biggest freshwater fish is running out of room—and time.

Montanans Find Their Scenery More Precious Than Copper or Gold

August 15, 2018 DispatchMontanaLora Shinn

Environmentalists, the recreation industry, and lovers of the state’s great outdoors push back against new mine developments threatening their waters.