Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT)

The “underworld” of sewage treatment had fascinated one journalist for years. But it was only after winning a reporting grant that Christine Woodside had the luxury of spending dozens of hours to focus on how one old, malfunctioning plant left a local community appalled and angered. Woodside shares the details in the latest installment of SEJournal’s newest column, FEJ StoryLog.

For Boston Globe environment reporter David Abel, a side project shooting video of the 2013 Boston Marathon sealed his passion for nonfiction filmmaking, one that has since yielded four high-profile nature documentaries. In EJ InSight, Abel traces that path and details how he balances his environment reporting and filmmaking. Plus, view images from Abel’s documentary work.

The toxic compounds known as PFAS are causing a crisis in the waste and recycling industry, which faces mounting regulation and litigation over handling its presence in the waste stream. One reporter on the PFAS front lines explains the industry’s dilemma, as well as the challenges of covering the story and how a financial prism led to important insights into industry’s response.

With this issue, SEJournal launches its newest column — FEJ StoryLog. The bimonthly feature will bring you the lessons of journalists who have been able to pursue their public service reporting work through the largesse of the Fund for Environmental Journalism. Column editor Carolyn Whetzel tells the story of the grant program and its successes. And watch in coming weeks for our first grantee StoryLog, from reporter Christine Woodside.