Publication Items

Ditching Plastic Straws — A Strawman for the Real Problem of Marine Litter? [1]

Plastic straws might have quickly become this summer’s bogeyman, with bans by Starbucks, hotel chains, resorts and some big cities. But as this week’s TipSheet points out, straws are only a part of the massive marine litter problem facing the world’s oceans. Here’s how to put recent straw bans into broader perspective.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Consumer [4]
Environmental Health [5]
Fish & Fisheries [6]
Food [7]
Journalism & Media [8]
Pollution [9]
Water & Oceans [10]
Wildlife [11]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
Alaska and Hawaii [13]
California [14]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [15]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [16]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [17]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [18]
International [19]
Canada [20]
Mexico [21]
Asia [22]
Australia & Oceania [23]
Central America & the Caribbean [24]
South America [25]
Visibility:
Public [26]
- Read more about Ditching Plastic Straws — A Strawman for the Real Problem of Marine Litter? [1]
Hurricane Reporting, By the Numbers [27]

Smart coverage of the ongoing hurricane season means reporting not just people stories, but numbers stories too. This week’s TipSheet explains and offers half a dozen metrics, including pressure, width, surge and rainfall, to better track these extreme storms. Plus, should there be a “Category 6?”

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [28]
Disasters [29]
Journalism & Media [8]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [15]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [16]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [17]
International [19]
Mexico [21]
Central America & the Caribbean [24]
Visibility:
Public [26]
- Read more about Hurricane Reporting, By the Numbers [27]
Coming to a Coastal Area Near You — Drowning Real Estate [30]

It’s a blockbuster — literally. Homes by the tens of thousands are at risk of being lost to coastal flooding in coming years, communities broken up thanks to climate change. This week’s TipSheet tells you how to find the data to tell the story and provides examples of model reporting.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [28]
Consumer [4]
Disasters [29]
Economy & Business [31]
Environmental Studies [32]
Journalism & Media [8]
People & Population [33]
Planning & Growth [34]
Water & Oceans [10]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
Alaska and Hawaii [13]
California [14]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [15]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [16]
Northwest (OR WA) [35]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [17]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [18]
Visibility:
Public [26]
- Read more about Coming to a Coastal Area Near You — Drowning Real Estate [30]
“Pandora's Garden: Kudzu, Cockroaches, and Other Misfits of Ecology” [36]

Weird and unwanted critters are the subject of a new collection of literary essays that mine the author’s experience to help tell a well-researched, entertaining story of invasive species and the pitfalls of ecological tampering. Read our BookShelf review of “Pandora's Garden: Kudzu, Cockroaches, and Other Misfits of Ecology.”

SEJ Publication Types:
BookShelf [37]
Topics on the Beat:
Biodiversity [38]
Environmental Health [5]
Natural Resources [39]
Science [40]
Wildlife [11]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [17]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [18]
Visibility:
Public [26]
- Read more about “Pandora's Garden: Kudzu, Cockroaches, and Other Misfits of Ecology” [36]
Will Climate Change Sink Your Favorite Park? [41]

The Trump administration unsuccessfully tried to hold back a flood of information on how sea level rise may inundate the nation’s park system. But now a new report yields wave after wave of stories, depending on your coverage area. TipSheet explains how to make smart use of the just-released document.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [28]
Consumer [4]
Environmental Politics [42]
Environmental Studies [32]
Forests [43]
Government [44]
Journalism & Media [8]
Natural Resources [39]
Planning & Growth [34]
Water & Oceans [10]
Wildlife [11]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [45]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [15]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [16]
Northwest (OR WA) [35]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [17]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [18]
Visibility:
Public [26]
- Read more about Will Climate Change Sink Your Favorite Park? [41]
Often Misunderstood Estuaries Underpin Environment’s Health [46]

The estuaries that proliferate across the United States can be hard to define — and protect. But their role in a healthy environment makes them a crucial focus of good reporting. The latest Issue Backgrounder explores their importance, the many challenges they face, and how to track the agencies and programs meant to protect them.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [47]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [48]
Biodiversity [38]
Economy & Business [31]
Environmental Health [5]
Environmental Politics [42]
Fish & Fisheries [6]
Government [44]
Laws & Regulations [49]
Natural Resources [39]
People & Population [33]
Planning & Growth [34]
Policy [50]
Pollution [9]
Water & Oceans [10]
Wildlife [11]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
Alaska and Hawaii [13]
California [14]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [45]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [15]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [16]
Northwest (OR WA) [35]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [17]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [18]
International [19]
Mexico [21]
Visibility:
Public [26]
- Read more about Often Misunderstood Estuaries Underpin Environment’s Health [46]
Tracking Troubled Waters with ‘Endangered Rivers’ List [51]

A running list of endangered rivers becomes an annual starting point for strong local coverage of critical water issues. This week’s TipSheet spotlights the latest additions to an inventory of trouble spots around the United States, plus key angles and issues for coverage, and a selection of top resources.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Agriculture [48]
Chemicals [52]
Consumer [4]
Economy & Business [31]
Energy & Fuel [53]
Environmental Health [5]
Environmental Politics [42]
Fish & Fisheries [6]
Government [44]
Journalism & Media [8]
Laws & Regulations [49]
Natural Resources [39]
Pollution [9]
Water & Oceans [10]
Wildlife [11]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
Alaska and Hawaii [13]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [45]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [54]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [55]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [17]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [18]
Visibility:
Public [26]
- Read more about Tracking Troubled Waters with ‘Endangered Rivers’ List [51]
How a Hurricane Whipped Up Student Energy/Poverty Project [56]

A journalism teaching project planned to cover local energy inequities. That was before Hurricane Irma swept Florida. In the end, inspired student reporters moved community leaders to action with human-centered, data-driven stories focused on solutions. Journalist and educator Cynthia Barnett shares the lessons in our latest EJ Academy column.

SEJ Publication Types:
EJ Academy [57]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Consumer [4]
Disasters [29]
Energy & Fuel [53]
Environmental Politics [42]
Government [44]
Journalism & Media [8]
People & Population [33]
Policy [50]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [17]
Visibility:
Public [26]
- Read more about How a Hurricane Whipped Up Student Energy/Poverty Project [56]
When Disaster Strikes, Building Codes May Make Things Worse [58]

They may not be the sexiest topics on the environmental agenda. But building codes and zoning can become a matter of life and death when natural disasters strike. This week’s TipSheet runs down the reporting challenge when floods, earthquakes and wildfires threaten your coverage area.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [28]
Disasters [29]
Government [44]
Journalism & Media [8]
Laws & Regulations [49]
People & Population [33]
Planning & Growth [34]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
Alaska and Hawaii [13]
California [14]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [15]
Northwest (OR WA) [35]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [17]
Visibility:
Public [26]
- Read more about When Disaster Strikes, Building Codes May Make Things Worse [58]
“The Gulf: The Making of an American Sea” [59]

A new book on the Gulf of Mexico earns kudos for the balance and passion of its tone, as well as for its historical storytelling about this important ecosystem and the overfishing, oil spills, hurricanes, explosive growth and poor land-use decisions it faces. BookShelf reviews Jack Davis’ “The Gulf.”

SEJ Publication Types:
BookShelf [37]
Topics on the Beat:
Biodiversity [38]
Disasters [29]
Economy & Business [31]
Energy & Fuel [53]
Environmental Health [5]
Environmental Politics [42]
Fish & Fisheries [6]
Natural Resources [39]
People & Population [33]
Planning & Growth [34]
Policy [50]
Pollution [9]
Water & Oceans [10]
Region:
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [17]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [18]
Mexico [21]
Central America & the Caribbean [24]
Visibility:
Public [26]
- Read more about “The Gulf: The Making of an American Sea” [59]

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