Elizabeth Grossman

Elizabeth Grossman

Elizabeth Grossman is the author of High Tech Trash, Watershed: The Undamming of America (Counterpoint Press, 2002), and Adventuring Along the Lewis and Clark Trail (Sierra Club Books, 2003). She is also the co-editor of Shadow Cat: Encountering the American Mountain Lion (Sasquatch Books, 1999).
Grossman’s writing has also appeared in a variety of publications, including Amicus Journal, Audubon, California Wild, Cascadia Times, Chicago Tribune, Environmental News Network, Grist, The Nation, New York Times Book Review, Newsday, Oregonian, Orion, the Patagonia catalogue, Salon.com, Seattle Times, Washington Post, and Yes! A native of New York City, she has a BA in literature from Yale University. She now lives a minute’s walk from the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon. When not at her desk writing she's out exploring—hiking, camping, paddling, sketching, and watching birds.

default blog post image

Hazards of the Harvest: Children in the Fields

By Elizabeth Grossman / On August 9th, 2011
While the rest of the country has been experiencing an epic heat wave, in the Pacific Northwest where I live, thus far the summer has been unusually cool. One consequence of the cool weather is a slow-to-appear local tomato crop, made evident to consumers by some remarkably high prices.
default blog post image

The Toxins in Baby Products (and Almost Everywhere Else)

By Elizabeth Grossman / On June 3rd, 2011
Carcinogenic flame retardants were supposed to be gone by now, but, like endocrine-disrupting plasticizers, they persist A dangerous flame retardant known as "Tris" has reappeared in products designed for babies and young children, among them car seats, changing table pads, portable crib mattresses, high chair seats, and nursing pillows.
default blog post image

200 People Per Shoe - Making Nike footwear in Tangerang, Indonesia

By Elizabeth Grossman / On November 17th, 2010
Excerpt from Elizabeth Grossman's blog, The Pump Handle. "We Trust You," says the sign over the entrance to a factory in the Pratama Abadi manufacturing complex that produces Nike footwear in Tangerang, Indonesia, a city of 1.4 million about 12 miles west of Jakarta. Just inside "Factory 1" hangs an enormous banner that reads (in English) "Craftsmanship - No Quality, No Work." It pictures an older man kneeling as he works with a hand tool.
default blog post image

Sea Levels Rise and Scientists Wade In

By Elizabeth Grossman / On February 19th, 2009
If anyone doubts that the world's environment is in a state - if not of crisis then of grave concern - I suggest attending a major scientific conference. Among the sobering assessments offered at the 2009 annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science held this past weekend in Chicago, came from climate scientist Chris Field, director of the department of global ecology at the Carnegie Institution for Science.
default blog post image

Last minute Bush Administration actions

By Elizabeth Grossman / On November 10th, 2008
On November 4, from the White House to state houses and the unsung offices of Soil & Water Conservation and Public Utility Districts, American voters elected what is likely an unprecedented number of pro-environment candidates.