Rebecca Altman is trained as an environmental sociologist, serves on the Board of Directors of the Science and Health and Environmental Health Network, and is working on an intimate history of plastics for Scribner Books (US) and Oneworld (UK). Altman was guest editor for a four-part Orion series on the effects of the petrochemical industry on life, economics, and democracy.
Rebecca Altman

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On Vinyl
THE TRAIN THAT DERAILED NEAR THE Ohio-Pennsylvania border in February 2023 was hauling mixed frozen vegetables. It was hauling malt liquor and semolina flour as well as chemicals used to make Continue reading
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Who Sings From the Resins?
The photography of Raymond Thompson Jr. and his Appalachian Ghosts, a follow-up to “Upriver,” in the Summer 2021 issue. Continue reading
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Upriver
A researcher traces the legacy of plastics. Photos by Ansel Adams. Continue reading