The Rocky Files: Environmental Stories About Pollution and Climate Change

THE ROCKY FILES: THE POWER OF PEOPLE

Rocky Kistner

There is nothing more impactful than stories about people on the front lines of climate change and environmental assaults. The fishermen, the farmers, the residents battling refinery pollution and bureaucracies. From the boreal forests of northern Alberta to the polluted refineries of the Gulf of Mexico, I have seen their story-telling power resonate with people all over the world. This site is meant to be a collaboration with people of all walks of life and all regions. Join me and tell your stories. We have the power to make change.

Oil Money is Polluting Research at LSU and UofL
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin (Photo: Gage Skidmore from Surprise, Arizona, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons) MoneyTrail.Substack.com
A push to mark the buried history of ‘harrowing’ slave prisons near Busch Stadium; St Louis Post-Dispatch
In Their Own Words; Story Insights from SEJ 2023 Award Winners Society of Environmental Journalists
First-place winner of the large market feature story prize from the Society of Environmental Journalists’ 22nd Annual Awards for Reporting on the Environment, “What Do the Protectors of Congo’s Peatlands Get in Return?” by Ruth Maclean and Caleb Kabanda, with photography by Nanna Heitmann, for The New York Times.
In Their Own Words; Story Insights from SEJ 2023 Award Winners Society of Environmental Journalists
Are Dates the Next Peace Building Superfood? Jerusalem Post
As the Threat of Lyme Disease Rises, Why Hasn’t Research Funding Followed Suit? Undark magazine
Rescuing The Massive Swamp Our Country Depends On But Has Mostly Forgotten; Huffington Post
In Louisiana’s Barataria Bay, dolphins face a slow and painful death from a coastal restoration plan. Is this the price of climate change?  TheRockyFiles.org
On the Banks of the Mississippi, Clean Energy Rises in the Heartland; American Association for the Advancement of Science
In the Louisiana Bayou, Dolphin Victims of Hurricane Ida Set the Stage for a Political Fight Over Coastal Restoration; DeSmog
Under Cover: Midwestern Farmers Are Using Cover Crops To Reduce Erosion, Improve Soils and Fight Climate Change; American Association for the Advancement of Science
Mississippi Heat: How Jackson Is Planning for a Dangerously Hot Future; American Association for the Advancement of Science
Dolphins in the Louisiana Bayou Keep Dying. A Reconstruction Plan Might Make It Worse; Huffington Post
Want to fight climate change? Start by protecting these endangered species; The Revelator
Every Breath You Take: The Economic Case for Marine Life; Undark magazine
A Decade Later, Gulf Residents Suffer From BP’s Toxic Legacy; Huffington Post
As the Great Lakes warm, Marquette plans for a healthier future American Association for the Advancement of Science
Alaskan communities adapt to dramatic climate change American Association for the Advancement of Science
There’s An Environmental Disaster Unfolding In The Gulf of Mexico Huffington Post
Mississippi Beaches Have Been Vacant For 2 Months As A Toxic Algae Bloom Lurks Offshore; Huffington Post
Nine Years After BP Spill, Some Cleanup Workers Still Feel Sting of Dispersants; Undark magazine
Gulf Residents Deserve The Full Truth About Oil Cleanup Chemicals Huffington Post

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Enviro journalist; SEJ board; co-founder Money Trail on Substack; https://t.co/5Rt7qKWX07; website at https://t.co/amddk2YMap; Mizzou J School grad

therockyfiles

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Arlyn Schipper Iowa farmer

Ex-Navy Seal Troy Van Meek and his wife Amy talk about their Iowa solar company

Exxon spill Mayflower, AR

Paying the Price: Tar Sands Oil Communities in Canada Suffer From Health Problems

Awards

  • Edward R. Murrow
    Radio-Television Digital News Association Edward R. Murrow award For investigative reporting on U.S. congressional travel violations, American Public Media’s Marketplace and American RadioWorks (2006)

  • George Polk
    George Polk award for national television reporting“The Great American Bailout," associate producer PBS Frontline (1991)

  • Investigative Reporters & Editors
    Investigative Reporters and Editors national television award"That's What Friends Are For," Investigation of AIDS charity abuses by Dionne Warwick’s foundation, reporter and producer, ABC New Day One (1993).

CONTACT

Please contact Rocky Kistner with story ideas and posts that explain the impacts of climate change and environmental assaults in your community. Together we can disseminate the power and importance of local voices and reporting.