Rebecca Clarren writes from Portland, Ore.

Rebecca Clarren's Salon stories

Tuesday, Nov 11, 2008 00:54 EST

The EPA's Stalin era

"It's absolutely shocking what's going on," say insiders. Secretive changes have diluted science and jeopardized public health. Will Obama overcome Bush's toxic legacy?
Tuesday, Mar 4, 2008 01:37 EST

Should biotech piggy go to market?

Consumer advocates worry that the FDA is throwing open the barn door to genetically engineered animals too quickly.
Thursday, Jan 24, 2008 01:25 EST

Put a stake in it

Cut up to 10 percent of your electric bill simply by turning off "vampire" appliances that run all night.
Monday, Jan 7, 2008 00:28 EST

Not-so-green jeans

Organic cotton is a leap ahead for the garment industry -- not so the toxic dyes and finishing agents used in trendy eco-jeans.
Monday, Dec 10, 2007 01:29 EST

Go green this holiday season

Amazing kid swings, handbags, local food deliveries and more -- all organic or handcrafted from recycled materials.
Saturday, Dec 1, 2007 01:11 EST

Does organic wine taste bad?

Figuring out which (if any) organic wine to buy can feel like navigating dawn with a hangover.
Monday, Nov 26, 2007 00:49 EST

Green investing 101

Now that I am ready to start investing, I want to find out if my money can grow in green fields.
Monday, Nov 19, 2007 01:44 EST

Shopping for a clean washing machine

Should you put your trust in the Energy Star rating when buying a a new appliance?
Monday, Nov 12, 2007 01:15 EST

Public bathroom dilemma: Paper or air?

How we dry our hands has more of an impact than you might imagine.
Monday, Nov 5, 2007 00:24 EST

Bamboo shoots and trees

Bamboo is a wise alternative to wood products. But there are still a few toxic snakes in the grass.
Monday, Oct 29, 2007 04:02 EDT

Who needs a Prius anyway?

Plenty of new fuel-efficient cars pollute less than trendy hybrids, without draining your bank account.
Tuesday, Mar 27, 2007 05:20 EDT

Inside the secretive plan to gut the Endangered Species Act

Proposed regulatory changes, obtained by Salon, would destroy the "safety net for animals and plants on the brink of extinction," say environmentalists.
Friday, Feb 9, 2007 01:40 EST

Behind the Pillow Angel

Doctors at the Seattle hospital that operated on a disabled girl to keep her from reaching sexual maturity -- the controversial "Ashley Treatment" -- were more troubled by the procedure than has been reported previously.
Wednesday, Dec 13, 2006 01:34 EST

Coming clean about "cruelty free"

The label sounds nice but doesn't guarantee those expensive soaps and lotions were created without being tested on animals.
Saturday, Sep 16, 2006 05:30 EDT

Virtually dead in Iraq

To protest the war in Iraq, a media artist infiltrates the U.S. Army's popular online video game and gets himself shot. While angry gamers, soldiers and even some peace activists call him a nuisance, others say his message hits home.
Friday, May 26, 2006 04:30 EDT

What's good for Bill Gates...

The Microsoft mogul says America needs more foreign engineers and programmers to compete. Critics say it's all about cheap labor.
Friday, May 5, 2006 04:00 EDT

EPA to citizens: Frack you

In the Rockies, a gas-extraction process called "fracking" may be releasing a carcinogenic stew of chemicals. Dozens of people say it has made them seriously ill, but the EPA refuses to investigate -- a failure one of its own engineers calls "irrational and corrupt."
Wednesday, Nov 23, 2005 01:37 EST

Rerouting the bridges to nowhere

House Republicans were shamed into "compromise" on $454 million of bacon earmarked for Alaskan bridges -- but the pork just got recanned.
Friday, Sep 9, 2005 16:41 EDT

"The entire community is now a toxic waste dump"

The Gulf Coast is drowning in a poisonous stew, people are dying from waterborne bacteria, and federal funds have been drained by years of pro-industry policies. Katrina is one of the worst environmental catastrophes in U.S. history.
Tuesday, Aug 9, 2005 15:34 EDT

A bridge to nowhere

Alaska's Gravina Island (population less than 50) will soon be connected to the megalopolis of Ketchikan (pop. 8,000) by a bridge nearly as long as the Golden Gate and higher than the Brooklyn Bridge. Alaska residents can thank Rep. Don Young, who just brought home $941 million worth of bacon.
Wednesday, Apr 13, 2005 11:55 EDT

Land of milk and money

Critics say Horizon and other mass-production dairies don't deserve the organic label -- and that the USDA needs to come up with a real definition.
Wednesday, Dec 22, 2004 10:26 EST

Selling the forest for the trees

In a gift to timber industry patrons, the Bush administration is thinning national forests and cutting down government scientists who stand in the way.
Friday, Sep 10, 2004 18:06 EDT

Baked Alaska

In the Arctic, where flowers are madly blooming, trees are growing to mutant sizes and the snowpack is thinning, researchers are getting an incontrovertible view of global warming.
Friday, Aug 27, 2004 14:00 EDT

Got guilt?

Dairy workers grub for minimum wage in sickening manure pits -- so American consumers can have cheap milk and cheese.

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