Publication Items

Lawn Chemicals May Make Fertile Soil for Local Environmental Stories [1]

Lawns can be as much bane as boon for homeowners that care for them throughout the United States. But when their maintenance involves the use of pesticides and fertilizers, they become a much wider concern for community health and the surrounding environment. The latest TipSheet combs through the grass for a better understanding of the problem, and offers ideas and resources for local environmental coverage.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [3]
Chemicals [4]
Consumer [5]
Environmental Health [6]
Health [7]
Journalism & Media [8]
Laws & Regulations [9]
Pollution [10]
Region:
National (U.S.) [11]
Visibility:
Public [12]
- Read more about Lawn Chemicals May Make Fertile Soil for Local Environmental Stories [1]
EPA Scientific Integrity Policy — Good Journalism and Good Science Need Lots of Light [13]

“Science is back at EPA,” declared the agency’s new administrator. But for reporters to do their job means more, argues the latest WatchDog — it means ditching a long-standing policy that requires EPA scientists have permission, along with press office “minders,” for interviews. Why that holds back quality journalism and government responsibility to protect public health. Plus, how past agency appointees have overruled science.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog [14]
Topics on the Beat:
Environmental Politics [15]
Government [16]
Journalism & Media [8]
Policy [17]
Science [18]
Region:
National (U.S.) [11]
Visibility:
Public [12]
- Read more about EPA Scientific Integrity Policy — Good Journalism and Good Science Need Lots of Light [13]
Angling for Stories on Streams Suffering From Climate Change? Try Trout [19]

Telling the local climate change story may mean you’ll have to dip a wading-boot-clad toe into the nearest stream, virtually at least. A decline there of a bellwether species, freshwater trout, could signal climate change-driven changes in critical water temperatures. To help guide your investigation, Reporter’s Toolbox spotlights a government database that taps into a massive network of monitoring stations.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [20]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [21]
Environmental Health [6]
Fish & Fisheries [22]
Journalism & Media [8]
Water & Oceans [23]
Region:
National (U.S.) [11]
Visibility:
Public [12]
- Read more about Angling for Stories on Streams Suffering From Climate Change? Try Trout [19]
Wastewater Ponds Often a Local Story Worth Stirring Up [24]

The tale of a toxic wastewater pit menacing a Florida community is a story that could be told in communities around the nation. As the latest TipSheet warns, these waste sites can turn into ticking time bombs. But in reporting the story locally, the first thing to know is which of the many kinds of wastewater ponds to look for. Here’s a rundown.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [3]
Chemicals [4]
Disasters [25]
Health [7]
Journalism & Media [8]
Laws & Regulations [9]
Pollution [10]
Waste [26]
Region:
National (U.S.) [11]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [27]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [28]
International [29]
Canada [30]
Visibility:
Public [12]
- Read more about Wastewater Ponds Often a Local Story Worth Stirring Up [24]
“Eating Wild Japan: Tracking the Culture of Foraged Foods, With a Guide to Plants and Recipes” [31]

A world of unique, foraged foods is at the heart of a new book, “Eating Wild Japan: Tracking the Culture of Foraged Foods, With a Guide to Plants and Recipes,” that also delves into what is being lost with large-scale farming. Our BookShelf reviewer Melody Kemp shares the joys and the worries recounted by the author, long-time SEJer Winifred Bird.

SEJ Publication Types:
BookShelf [32]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [3]
Consumer [5]
Food [33]
Journalism & Media [8]
Region:
International [29]
Asia [34]
Visibility:
Public [12]
- Read more about “Eating Wild Japan: Tracking the Culture of Foraged Foods, With a Guide to Plants and Recipes” [31]
Does Climate’s Future Depend on Better Batteries? [35]

The path of our planetary climate may depend largely on our transition away from energy sources that cause global warming. And that, in turn, may rely on one thing: improved batteries. The new Backgrounder explores the future of energy storage — how batteries work, the progress the technology has made and the brutal battery competition ahead between the United States and China.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [36]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [21]
Consumer [5]
Economy & Business [37]
Energy & Fuel [38]
Environmental Politics [15]
Science [18]
Technology [39]
Transportation [40]
Region:
National (U.S.) [11]
International [29]
Asia [34]
Visibility:
Public [12]
- Read more about Does Climate’s Future Depend on Better Batteries? [35]
Flexibility in the Face of the Unexpected [41]

When a Chicago-based freelancer was just about to hit the road to report a three-part story and TV segment on the potential impacts of two proposed copper mines in the Great Lakes basin, there was a little hitch: The COVID-19 pandemic hit. The new FEJ StoryLog has the story of how Lorraine Boissoneault found the flexibility to complete her grant-supported project.

SEJ Publication Types:
FEJ StoryLog [42]
Topics on the Beat:
Energy & Fuel [38]
Environmental Health [6]
Environmental Politics [15]
Journalism & Media [8]
Natural Resources [43]
People & Population [44]
Water & Oceans [23]
Region:
National (U.S.) [11]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [45]
Visibility:
Public [12]
- Read more about Flexibility in the Face of the Unexpected [41]
Cruising EPA’s CompTox Chemicals Dashboard [46]

A massive database of databases maintained by EPA tracks more than 800,000 chemicals. And while CompTox is highly technical, it’s the source for important developments that environmental journalists need to know about, among them exploring whole classes of toxic chemicals, and understanding how big data and AI is transforming their regulation. Plus, alternate sources of chemical data for your reporting needs.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [20]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [4]
Environmental Studies [47]
Science [18]
Technology [39]
Region:
National (U.S.) [11]
International [29]
Visibility:
Public [12]
- Read more about Cruising EPA’s CompTox Chemicals Dashboard [46]
Replacing the Nation’s Lead Lines Begins With Locating Them [48]

One especially ambitious element of the Biden infrastructure plan would swap out millions of lead pipes. It’s a massive, costly endeavor, but could remove from the country’s water supply a neurotoxin that harms human health, especially of kids and the poor. TipSheet looks at the new plan and offers ideas for reporting the story in your area.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Environmental Health [6]
Environmental Politics [15]
Government [16]
Health [7]
Journalism & Media [8]
Laws & Regulations [9]
People & Population [44]
Water & Oceans [23]
Region:
National (U.S.) [11]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [45]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [27]
Visibility:
Public [12]
- Read more about Replacing the Nation’s Lead Lines Begins With Locating Them [48]
How a Lauded Reporter’s ‘Open Mind’ Led Story in a Surprising Direction [49]

An investigation into lead poisoning treatment policies prompted some very unexpected conclusions for one long-time investigative journalist, whose deeply reported and surprising projects won plaudits from judges for the Society of Environmental Journalists’ annual awards. Find out how Charles Schmidt turned an aside from a source into a penetrating look at a critical public health and environmental challenge.

SEJ Publication Types:
Inside Story [50]
Topics on the Beat:
Health [7]
Journalism & Media [8]
Pollution [10]
Water & Oceans [23]
Region:
National (U.S.) [11]
Visibility:
Public [12]
- Read more about How a Lauded Reporter’s ‘Open Mind’ Led Story in a Surprising Direction [49]

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