GMOs are a hot topic these days. Get in an argument with someone who’s ‘pro-GMO’, and they’re likely to tell you that we’ve been engineering crop genetics since the dawn of agriculture. This argument certainly has a strain of validity to it. But it fails to account for the fact …
When we hear about Syria in the news we are repeatedly disheartened. We see a country in shambles, bombs exploding, injured children… The media discusses the increased political tensions in the area and the threat of international war. The world is trying to find homes for millions of refugees fleeing the …
As the impacts of climate change become more of a reality, many cities are developing sustainability plans to guide them towards a greener future. While setting the goals within these plans can be challenging, it is an even greater challenge to achieve them. Many of these plans focus on specific …
With an increasing demand for alternative energy production, offshore wind has become a hot topic of discussion. For the last twenty years Germany, United Kingdom, and many other European countries have been leading the way for offshore wind production to meet energy demands. Quite recently, the United States constructed its …
In the US, we use more than double the amount of water per person than any other country in the world. An estimated 57% of our public water supply is used for residential use. The most recent 2010 USGS report estimates per capita US residential water use to be 88 gallons per day (gpd), which translates …
Winos, take notice! For many of us, it can be difficult to discern how climate change will tangibly impact everyday life. If you are an everyday wine drinker (like myself), you might be surprised (and disappointed) to learn that your happy hour beverage of choice is strongly linked to a changing …
Mangroves are arguably the coolest ecosystem on the planet, in addition to being one of the most biologically productive. Mangroves are trees with above-ground root systems that are partially submerged in water. They are located predominantly in tropical and subtropical coastal regions where freshwater meets the sea. These ecological powerhouses …
The Wallkill River begins in northern New Jersey, at Lake Mohawk. Flowing north ninety miles, it joins the Hudson River at Kingston. The Wallkill flows through abandoned mines, a national wildlife refuge, and some of the richest farmland in the country. It still has dams strung like beads along …
Continued from Part I – New England Forests “A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.” —Lao Tzu Highstead New England’s grassroots conservation organizations continue to innovate around individual challenges. Those …
On a crisp fall day some several years ago, I left my house in rural Connecticut for a contemplative walk in the woods. My restless teenage legs were matched by my curiosity about the world around me. Down a wooded path with no houses in sight, I stopped to rest along …
