National (U.S.)

 Death, be not proud: A green sequel on funerals

GRAVEMATTERS: A JOURNEY THROUGH THEMODERN FUNERAL INDUSTRY TO A NATURALWAY OF BURIAL 
By Mark Harris Scribner, $24 
Reviewed by JIM MOTAVALLI

Looking for some bedside reading with a high "eeewwww" factor?

You can't beat Mark Harris' "Grave Matters: A Journey Through the Modern Funeral Industry to a Natural Way of Burial."

 BY TIM WHEELER

The environment has enjoyed a terrific run in "the media" lately. Climate change has pushed onto the front page of newspapers repeatedly in the past year. It's garnered extended airtime on CNN, Fox and other broadcast outlets, and graced the covers of all kinds of magazines, from TIME to Vanity Fair, Vogue and, most recently, Sports Illustrated.

 By JOANN M. VALENTI

Without a doubt, Everything's Cool, a documentary on climate change, most aptly defined the 25th Annual Sundance Film Festival goers' experience in Utah's below freezing January weather. Record-setting temperatures dropped into negative double digits, an especially challenging experience for the usual hoards of film industry representatives and celebrities from Los Angeles.

 By RON SEELY

 Water, of all the natural resources upon which we rely, is perhaps the one that we take most for granted. We turn on our faucets and out it comes, clear and cool and always there.

 By KEN WEISS

tBy JAN KNIGHT

New York Times' science section grows smaller while content increases, trend study shows

Although The New York Times' Science Times section grew smaller in 2000, editorial content increased while advertising decreased, according to a random sample analysis spanning 20 years.

 DAVID POULSON

When Darren Samuelsohn heard "global climate change" during January's State of the Union address, he suspected it was the first time the president had uttered the phrase in his annual assessment of the country.

The Greenwire senior reporter verified his hunch by combing through the six others. And his story was the first to lead with that fact.

 SEJ's board, members and staff have raised nearly $40,000 since June toward our $103,000 Endowment Challenge. That's good progress, but there's an even bigger mountain to climb in order to meet the challenge by May 31.

By CHRIS BOWMAN

Daffodils in January. Wildfires in February. Bermuda shorts in March.

Like seemingly everything in the environment these days, this year's SEJ annual conference has been scheduled remarkably earlier than usual: Sept. 5-9 at Stanford University.

The coals fueling your Labor Day barbeque will still be glowing as you pack for the pleasant climes of Stanford, heart of California's Silicon Valley.

By JEFF BURNSIDE

 The intensifying drive to maximize newspaper websites means print reporters may get pulled in several new directions.

What's more, they'll be expected to do more in the same amount of time for no additional pay, and face the looming possibility of doing something akin to television news reporting – with little or no training.

So why are some leading environmental journalists embracing all this?