Skip to content

Joel Balsam

  • Writing
  • About
  • Multimedia
  • Blog

Tag: environment

January 16, 2023 joelbalsam online, Portfolio, Print

Toronto Life: The Homesteaders of Mount Forest

One of my favorite stories ever. I interviewed the Murph-Ariens at their off-grid homestead in Ontario and channeled their life story in an as-told-to feature. Read it at Toronto Life.

November 21, 2022 joelbalsam Portfolio, Print

Globe: Is Nickel Making These Quebecois Sick?

Concern about contaminated air causes tension in a small town at the heart of Canada’s push to be a leader in a green economy. Read the multimedia feature in the Globe & Mail.

June 17, 2022 joelbalsam online, Portfolio, Print

Globe & Mail: Saving Quebec’s Chorus Frogs

Another feature for the Globe & Mail's climate desk. This time, it's about Quebec's tiny chorus frogs and the fight to save them before they're silenced. Story here.

December 22, 2021December 22, 2021 joelbalsam Portfolio, Print

Globe & Mail: Why The Magpie Is Legally A Person

Can a river have rights? I drove up to Quebec's Côte-Nord region with photographer Stephanie Foden to find out how and why the Ekuanitshit Innu pushed to make the Magpie River a legal person. The story appeared on the front page of the Globe & Mail newspaper and was released online as a multimedia feature. … Continue reading Globe & Mail: Why The Magpie Is Legally A Person

December 7, 2018December 7, 2018 joelbalsam Blog

TIME: He Saved the Largest Venomous Snake in the Americas. Now, He Hopes It Could Save Human Lives.

Which would you rather save, a cuddly panda or a deadly viper? The snake is more valuable than you think. I’m proud to finally share this story I’ve been working on since early 2018 about a man saving the world’s largest pit viper. Photos by Stephanie Foden Story on TIME

On February 20, 1943, a Purépecha farmer was working his cornfields when the ground beneath him began to shake. Then, sparks and ash spewed out the ground and the farmer ran for his life. Over 9 years, the youngest volcano in the Americas arose from the ground and completely consumed two towns in lava and ash. All that remains is a stone church in a bed of jet-black lava rock. Fortunately, all the villagers escaped.

Twitter

  • @vivekmjacob BONJOUR! 1 month ago
  • Could nickel dust in the air of a Quebec City neighborhood be making residents sick? Read my latest climate feature… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 2 months ago
  • Louisiana's swamp-dwelling Rougarou has scared kids for decades, but now it needs our help. This story for… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 3 months ago
  • In July, I had the opportunity to go to the #MarquesasIslands and came back with a custom tattoo that means a lot t… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 3 months ago
  • Shared my excitement about the #FelliniMuseum in #Rimini for @fodorstravel fodors.com/world/europe/i… 4 months ago
Follow @JoelBalsam

Recent Posts

  • Toronto Life: The Homesteaders of Mount Forest
  • Globe: Is Nickel Making These Quebecois Sick?
  • TIME: The Dream of an ‘Internet Country’ That Would Let You Work From Anywhere
  • Globe & Mail: Saving Quebec’s Chorus Frogs
  • Gastro Obscura: What Happened to Montreal’s Legendary Melon?

Blog at WordPress.com.
  • Follow Following
    • Joel Balsam
    • Join 105 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Joel Balsam
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar