Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Video: The Story of Coal

This little video does a bang-up job of tracking electricity from homes to coal-fired power plants, and showing the outrageous scale of coal's impact.

Ben Jervey
By Ben JerveyNov 21, 2010
Ben Jervey
Ben is a writer and editor covering climate change, energy, and environment, and is currently the Climate and Energy Media Fellow at Vermont Law School. He was the original Environment Editor at GOOD Magazine and his work has appeared regularly in National Geographic News, Grist, DeSmogBlog, and OnEarth. He recently worked with the non-profit Focus the Nation to publish an Energy 101 primer. When living in New York City, he wrote a book, The Big Green Apple, on how to live a lower impact life in the city. A bicycle enthusiast, Ben has ridden across the United States and through much of Europe.
See Full Bio

As we put together our Energy Issue, I've been pouring through reams (gigabytes?) of information about residential energy use and electricity supply and demand and so on. A pithy summary would probably go something like: American electricity use is ridiculously dependent on coal.

Alas, too few people think about coal when they flip on light switches or set their DVRs. This little video (which I found thanks to Michael Graham Richard at Treehugger) does a bang-up job of tracking electricity from the home to the coal-fired power plants, and showing the outrageous scale of coal's impacts, on the environment and public health. Check it out:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lC1lrajJExo

Yes, it's technically propaganda for a home solar energy systems company, SunRun, and, yes, the narrator's voice gets a bit monotonous. But the facts are sound and it's one of the best coal primers I've ever seen.

environmentenergyvideocoalfossil fuelsdirty energyenemy of the human racethe story of coalbusiness and entrepreneurship

The Latest

Photo of a beaver in water
Environment

Over 400 years after going extinct in England, wild beavers released in nature reserve

Freddie Mercury
Culture

Noticing her preschooler loves Freddie Mercury, a mom sees surprising benefits to showing him Queen concerts

Amanda Seyfried and Joni Mitchell
Culture

Amanda Seyfried shocks Jimmy Fallon audience with cover of Joni Mitchell’s 'California'

orchestra playing
Humor

Orchestra teacher receives scam call during class and has her students scare them off in the best way

More For You

14 images of badass women who destroyed stereotypes and inspired future generations

Throughout history, women have stood up and fought to break down barriers imposed on them from stereotypes and societal expectations. The trailblazers in these photos made history and redefined what a woman could be. In doing so, they paved the way for future generations to stand up and continue to fight for equality.

Why mass shootings spawn conspiracy theories

While conspiracy theories are not limited to any topic, there is one type of event that seems particularly likely to spark them: mass shootings, typically defined as attacks in which a shooter kills at least four other people.

When one person kills many others in a single incident, particularly when it seems random, people naturally seek out answers for why the tragedy happened. After all, if a mass shooting is random, anyone can be a target.

Pointing to some nefarious plan by a powerful group – such as the government – can be more comforting than the idea that the attack was the result of a disturbed or mentally ill individual who obtained a firearm legally.

Keep ReadingShow less

11 hilarious posts describe the everyday struggles of being a woman

Between the bras, makeup, periods, catcalling, sexism, impossible-to-attain beauty standards, and heels, most men wouldn't survive being a woman for a day without having a complete mental breakdown. So here's a slideshow of some of the funniest Tumblr posts about the everyday struggles that women face that men would never understand.

All photos courtesy of Tumblr.

Keep ReadingShow less

Satanists put up a billboard in Florida promoting state's abortion law loophole

This article originally appeared on 12.30.20.



In some states, women are put through humiliating and dangerous pre-abortion medical consultations and waiting periods before being allowed to undergo the procedure. In four states, women are even forced to bury or cremate the fetal remains after the procedure.

These government-mandated roadblocks and punitive shaming serve no purpose but to make it more difficult, emotionally damaging, and expensive for women to have an abortion.

Keep ReadingShow less

Awesome chart shows you how far you can drive on empty.

There are two types of people in this world – those who panic and fill up their cars with gas when the needle hits 25% or so, and people like me who wait until the gas light comes on, then check the odometer so you can drive the entire 30 miles to absolute empty before coasting into a gas station on fumes.

I mean…it's not empty until it's empty, right?

Keep ReadingShow less

19 countries photoshopped one man to fit their idea of the perfect body

If you ask people what they think the “perfect" body looks like, you're sure to get a range of answers, depending on where the person is from. Last year, Superdrug Online Doctor created a project, “Perceptions of Perfection" that showed what people in 18 countries think the “perfect" woman looks like. The project was a viral hit.

They've recently released the male version.

This time, they asked graphic designers—11 women and eight men—in 19 countries to photoshop the same image to highlight the male beauty standards for their country.

Keep ReadingShow less

Trying To Guess Which Twin Smokes Is The Perfect Way To Help You Quit

It's not revolutionary news that smoking wreaks havoc on your body in different ways. More often than not, however, the focus of anti-smoking campaigns is on your internal health, citing emphysema, heart disease, and lung cancer, to name just a few consequences.

While the superficial effects may not be as lethal, appealing to people's sense of vanity can have a powerful effect as this clever gallery below shows. Twins, only one of whom smokes, sit side by side, showing the profound damage smoking can cause to your face, hair, and teeth.

Keep ReadingShow less

A viral Twitter thread about body autonomy is a reminder of the ‘fear’ and ‘shame’ women still are forced to confront.

Body autonomy means a person has the right to whatever they want with their own body.

We live in a world where people are constantly telling women what they can or can't do with their bodies. Women get it form all sides — Washington, their churches, family members, and even doctors.

Keep ReadingShow less
© Copyright 2025