27 Magazines & Websites that Pay for Writing on The Environment and Sustainability

Many Paying $1.00+ Per Word

Writers! Today for you, I have a list of 27 publications that pay for writing about the environment and sustainability.

We’ve researched payment rates and contact information for these publishers, so you can easily contact the right editor.

If you’re new to pitching, I encourage you to spend time carefully studying the publications you would like to write for. Learn their style, how they’re organized, the types of writing they publish, and even the general lengths of the articles they publish. Also, pay special attention to the way they write article titles, as this is often vital to the pitch writing process.

Once you’re familiar with the publication, you can brainstorm ideas, and then carefully craft a short pitch to the appropriate editor at the publication. For paid subscribers, feel free to send me a draft pitch, and I’ll give you my feedback.

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If you’re looking for even more opportunities to get published,you should also check out this list of 200 Publications that Pay Writers. You can also browse the many lists we’ve published so far on this site.

1. Hakai Magazine explores "science and society in coastal ecosystems." They accept queries for feature articles and other news and views for their magazine. Word count for feature submissions is between 1,000 to 5,000 words, which pay CAD $1.55/word and up. News and views are 300 to 800 words stories and commentary, stories about science pay CAD $1.00/word and analysis pays CAD $1.25/word. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.

2. Grist is a non-profit online publication that covers climate and sustainability. They welcome “a wide range of freelance pitches, from reported essays to in-depth investigations to changemaker profiles and Q&As.” Their “core topics include clean energy, sustainable food, environmental justice, livable communities, and reinventing the economy through cutting-edge science and cleantech.” Articles range between ​800 to 2,000 words. Pay starts at $0.80 per word. Details here

3. Reckoning is “an annual journal of creative writing on environmental justice.” They are seeking submissions for their ninth issue with relevance to food sovereignty to ocean plastics to industrial cleanup to Indigenous rights. They take submissions from ‘Indigenous, Black, Brown, queer, trans, disabled, neurodivergent and/or otherwise marginalized writers and artists from everywhere.’ They are paying $50/page for poetry and art, 10c/word for prose. They are always open for submissions, but their arbitrary cut-off point for the fourth issue is September 22, 2024.. To learn more, visit this page.

4. The Open Notebook is a “non-profit organization that provides tools and resources to help science, environmental, and health journalists at all experience levels sharpen their skills.” They welcome pitches for brief guides, story-behind-the-story interviews, and reported features. They pay $1,500 for interviews (1,500 to 2,000 words), and $2,200 for reported features (1,500 to 2,000 words). They are not taking submissions at the moment, however you can keep an eye on their submission guidelines.

5. It's Freezing in LA! (IFLA!) is an independent magazine about climate justice, art and science. They are looking for pitches for articles about environmental issues. They pay £150 for 1,000 words. For details, refer to this Twitter post and this page.

6. Northern Woodlands is a quarterly magazine publishing articles that aim at conservation-minded people. Topics include all aspects of the Northeast’s forests: wildlife species, woodworking, natural landscapes, and woodlot management. New feature writers start at $0.20 per word. Poems earn $10 each. The "A Place in Mind" column pays $250 for around 800 words. The "Knots and Bolts" column pays between $100 and $750 for 200 to 700 words, depending on length, complexity, and editing time. To learn more, read the submissions guidelines.