Maggie Yang•Floods, worsened by climate change, are growing more severe and frequent, causing devastation all across the globe. From historic floods in China, to the ongoing devastation in 2024, the toll on human lives, infrastructure, and economies is profound. However, collaborative global efforts to reduce emissions and build resilient communities can help ensure a safer future for all!
Recycling can be considered one of the only methods to reduce waste from ending up in a landfill, ocean, or incinerator. Although, there are some flaws in recycling, learn about why recycling is important for preserving our Earth!
Movies have been around since the 1890s and are great sources of entertainment for all ages. They are also an amazing way to spread awareness of issues happening around the world as well, as they garner a large audience. However, the movie industry needs to limit its environmental impact.
Although humans may have caused the loss of over a thousand square miles of land in Louisiana’s coast, they also have the innovation and resources to restore it. After gaining billions of dollars from filing a complaint in the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill along the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, the CPRA is now funding a Coastal Master Plan that involves numerous projects aimed at restoring Louisiana’s Coast. One of these projects, the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion, will divert sediment-rich water from the Mississippi River back into basins in Louisiana that have been blocked off by man-made levees. This will allow sediment to build up and will slowly restore coastal habitats in the area.
Hawaii is an extremely popular travel destination, but the locals have a complicated relationship with tourism. For one thing, the Hawaiian economy is heavily dependent on tourism, and a decrease in tourism can hurt many businesses. However, tourism is also a problem, as it inflates housing prices and causes culturally significant sites to be turned into tourist spots. Tourism also causes environmental problems, as it hurts the land and the wildlife, including Hawaiian monk seals, Hawaiian yellow-faced bees, Hawaiian green sea turtles, and coral reefs.
Overall, while the back-to-school season is a stressful time for most, it’s also stressful for the environment. Consumers tend to purchase more school supplies than are necessary and end up discarding items that they never needed in the first place. This trend has contributed to excessive landfill waste over the past decade and will only continue to worsen the condition of our environment if nothing is done to mitigate the issue.
The Bee Movie contributed to the popularity of the “Save the Bees” movement, but was somewhat inaccurate in its portrayal of the real environmental issue. The release of this movie has led to common misconceptions about the nature of beekeeping and the types of bees that exist. In reality, beekeeping is beneficial to honeybees, if done correctly and responsibly.
Menstrual product conversations are too often ignored, to the point that regulations have not changed in decades. However, recent studies reveal significant safety concerns with menstrual products: tampons can contain toxic metals like lead and arsenic, while pads may have harmful chemicals such as PFAS. It is time to advocate for transparency and regulation in the industry in order to keep ourselves safe.
The intensifying effects of climate change are increasing the frequency and severity of natural disasters, including droughts, hurricanes, and wildfires. Among these, droughts are often overlooked. Currently, Malawi faces a severe crisis, with about nine million people affected by El Niño-induced droughts and floods. This has led to significant crop failures, particularly in maize production, resulting in widespread hunger and food insecurity.
NYC is extremely crowded throughout the year, especially during the holiday season. Holiday celebrations such as the New Year’s celebrations cause a lot of trash and pollution. Trash bags can often be seen littering the sides of NYC streets. Air pollution in NYC is also a big issue, giving it bad air quality that especially affects marginalized communities. Some solutions are switching to all-electric buildings, walking instead of driving in the city, and being mindful of your trash.
Dr. Seuss often tries to teach valuable lessons to children with impressionable minds with his books. Although these books employ humorous images at times, many of his lessons apply to real life as well. The Grinch is admittedly not the best person for taking joy in others’ sadness, and for attempting to destroy Christmas spirit.
All ecosystems are incredibly sensitive to changes in population because all organisms rely on each other for food or shelter. The rapid growth of the sea urchin population along the coast of California has harmed kelp forests beyond repair and destroyed aquatic ecosystems.
While the holidays are a fun and happy time of year for families around the world, it is extremely important to be aware of the impacts of your actions on the environment and always be doing what you can to take care of it. From recyclable wrapping paper to eco-friendly gifts, the holidays can still be enjoyable while doing your part to keep our Earth clean.
In the frenzy of holiday festivities, it’s easy to overlook the impacts our decisions have on the environment. From Christmas trees to gift-giving to decorative lights, our holiday traditions leave their mark on Earth. But, there’s still hope for us if we make small changes in our normal holiday routine. Embracing eco-friendly alternatives for trees and decorations, opting for sustainable gifts, minimizing food waste, and choosing energy-efficient lighting are among many choices we can make to help our environment thrive in the long run.
Recently, coral reefs have been declining due to human impact. Climate change has changed the temperatures of the oceans, causing stress upon coral reefs that makes the corals turn pale, weaken, and die. Harmful fishing practices, including deep water trawling, explosive fishing, and cyanide fishing also hurt the corals.
Stink bugs, originating in East Asia, are a widely-known invasive species in the United States. They can easily be identified by their oval-shaped bodies and ability to fly. Stink bugs pose various environmental concerns such as food waste, plant damage, and nutrient depletion in soil. Several solutions to stink bug infestations include pesticides, stink bug traps, biological control, sealing entryways, and hiring an exterminator.
The Tasmanian tiger, an important keystone species, went extinct in 1936, leading to the decline of the Tasmanian ecosystem. However, as new technological advancements are made in the field of genetics, the Tasmanian tiger, once deemed lost forever, may find its way back to the shores of Tasmania.
Food waste is a huge issue each Thanksgiving with a whopping 305 million pounds of food wasted, enough to feed over 150,000 people for an entire year. Millions of travelers on Thanksgiving travel far and wide to spend time with their families for the occasion, raising their carbon footprint and contributing to climate change. The well-known Macy’s Day Parade is slowly draining our limited helium reserves as huge floats are inflated each year.
German yellowjackets are an invasive species that entered the United States in the 1970s from either Europe, Northern Africa, or Asia. These aggressive wasps are known to cause a variety of health issues with their stings, such as toxic reactions, allergic reactions, secondary bacterial infections, and typical reactions.
Asian lady beetles were brought here to act as pest control because people thought they did the job more efficiently than ladybugs. Unfortunately, these angry little beetles took America by swarm, killing off our beloved ladybugs and infesting our homes with their yellow goo and a foul stench
The spread of the spotted lanternfly to new countries, with its alarming ecological and economic impacts, is a challenge that requires immediate collective action. Understanding what lanternflies are, their life cycle, and their impact on the environment is the first step toward regulating the growth of this invasive species.
Vietnam is often exploited by fast fashion companies for cheap labor. Although garment workers in Vietnam typically do make minimum wage, they often don’t make a livable wage, leading them to work many hours overtime.
Bangladesh is the second biggest clothing producer in the world. Many clothing companies outsource production to Bangladesh due to its high quantity of skilled laborers that are willing to work for low wages. This leads to unethical labor practices such as underpaying workers, unsafe factory environments, and the use of child labor.
When you look beyond the low prices and trendy clothes, fast fashion is extremely detrimental to our environment and encourages unjust labor practices. Chinese laborers are subject to unsanitary, dangerous working conditions in sweatshops and are paid well below minimum wage.
Fast fashion, with its allure of affordability and trendiness, has undoubtedly transformed the fashion industry. However, it’s important to acknowledge and learn about the the significant issues associated with it — environmental degradation, labor exploitation, and cultural insensitivity.
Earthquakes are extremely dangerous natural disasters that occur due to the shifting of tectonic plates against one another. They are ranked in severity from 0–10 on the Richter scale. Strong earthquakes have the potential to kill tens of thousands of people and decimate entire cities. If you ever find yourself stuck in an earthquake, always remember to drop, cover, and hold on.
Tornadoes are violent spinning columns of air commonly formed by thunderstorms. They are typically found in the Central Plains region of the United States, as well as other areas of the world where moist air clashes with cold air.
Hurricanes are disastrous severe weather events that occur between June and November each year. They normally form when ocean temperatures rise, creating a swirling vortex of clouds and water. Climate change is only making hurricanes occur more frequently and with greater intensity.
Wildfires can be caused by a variety of things such as leaving campfires unattended, discarding lit cigarettes, throwing out matches, and leaving the stove on. Certain natural events can also cause wildfires, including lightning strikes.
Despite declarations to clean the Seine dating back to 1990, none have been successful until the recent $1.5 billion cleanup in preparation for the Summer 2024 Olympics. E. coli levels have fluctuated significantly over the past few months, calling into question the suitability of the Seine River in being used for the upcoming Olympic games.
Private jets may be the ultimate dream ride for the wealthy, but we can’t ignore their contributions to climate change. It is time for private jet owners to take a more eco-friendly approach to their flight habits by embracing sustainable aviation technology, participating in carbon offsetting, and promoting greener regulations.
The Willow Oil Project is central to many environmental debates due to its negative environmental impact and economic opportunities. It threatens to worsen climate change and disrupt fragile ecosystems, endangering species like polar bears.
Algae overgrowth is harmful to plants, animals, and humans, as it causes sickness through the toxins it releases, causing death and higher water purification costs; covers plants below preventing sunlight from reaching them; and depletes waters of oxygen, leading to the deaths of organisms surrounding these algae overgrowths.
Plastic straws are not safe for the environment as they decompose extremely slowly and recycling machinery is not equipped to recycle the small plastic tubes. Even though many people think using paper straws is better for the environment, it isn’t a perfect fix as paper isn’t recycled when it is stained with food or drink.
The pervasive presence of microplastics in our environment highlights the urgent need for action at individual, state, and federal levels. Microplastics released from synthetic textiles, plastic containers, vehicle tires, and personal care products, have infiltrated ecosystems around the world and threatened the health of humans and aquatic organisms.
This blog will teach you how to break 3 bad habits that are contributing to the environmental decline we are currently witnessing. Energy loss and greenhouse gas emissions are issues that need to be taken seriously if we want to save our world.
This blog will teach you 5 unique ways to help the environment. The trick is to start small and build from there.
Reusable water bottles have been around since the 1960s, but did not become a status symbol until the 2010s with the emergence of the Bobble water bottle. As people collect water bottles and ultimately discard them after the trend finishes, pollution from water bottles increases.
Teslas have become increasingly popular in recent years, due to their claims that they are environmentally friendly as an electric-powered vehicle. The fact that they use electricity instead of gas is certainly an advantage, as it gets rid of the problem of CO2 tailpipe emissions. However, the electricity comes from power plants which may have their own CO2 emissions.
Each year, hundreds of tons of food land in landfills, releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere as they degrade. These gases pose a severe threat to the health of our environment and have major implications when it comes to global warming. However, through composting, some of these pollutants released from landfills can be reduced.
The ozone layer, although thin, plays a pivotal role in absorbing harmful UV radiation from the Sun and protecting human life. Regardless of the simple fact that humans could not live on Earth without the ozone layer, we have slowly destroyed it over time by emitting CFCs into the atmosphere as industrial byproducts.
The invasive Burmese Pythons from southern China, Burma, Indochina, Thailand, and the Malay Archipelago are disrupting the ecosystem in the Florida Everglades by feeding on organisms in the wetlands.
There are so many amazing women fighting to make the world a better place for our predecessors. As an organization founded by a woman, and run by mostly women, it is only fitting that we pay homage to the women who paved the way for environmentalists like us, inspiring us and thousands of others to preach our message of protecting our home.
El Niño and La Niña are equally interesting oceanic weather phenomena that have significant effects on the environment. Although they have the potential to wreak havoc and destruction in the Southern Pacific region, there is beauty to how these events complement each other.
Prom dresses are purchased yearly by each generation of students. With each new year, new prom dress trends emerge and old prom dresses become outdated. This issue has impacted the ability of prom dresses to stay out of landfills, as young people avoid outdated dresses to avoid criticism.
April Fool’s Day and Easter, holidays that millions of people around the world celebrate each and every year, can have significant impacts on our environment. From plastic pollution, to deforestation, to food waste, the celebrations that bring us happiness and joy can destroy ecosystems and ruin the lives of other organisms.
How many trials do you think it takes to deem a product safe for human consumption? Products are tested on hundreds, sometimes thousands, of animals before being mass produced and sold to humans. Most of these tests inflict serious physical damage on the innocent creatures we share our Earth with.
Coachella claims to aim for sustainability and to leave a positive impact on the desert and the outside world, which it does so through its many programs dealing with waste, water, and energy. However, these programs are not enough simply because there are factors Coachella cannot control.
Earth Day is essentially 24 hours set aside to honor the environment and attempt to mitigate the impact humans have had on it. There are a variety of ways you can take action this Earth Day with friends and family to have a positive impact on our environment.
Paper standardized testing has detrimental impacts on the environment due to the pollution made by the copious amounts of paper wasted, the plastic that is excessively used to cover each test, and the amount of fossil fuel burned in transportation. Luckily, technology is at its height and it is no longer necessary to have standardized testing solely on paper.
Marine cloud brightening, a solar radiation modification method that injects salt aerosols into the air to thicken clouds and deflect the sun’s rays, is a potential solution to cooling our oceans and atmospheres. But, it is a complex process that may take decades to refine until it is a suitable and effective technique to combat climate change.
The spongy moth, scientifically known as Lymantria dispar, is an invasive species introduced to North America in 1869 that has caused significant environmental damage since the 1880s. These insects emerge periodically in large numbers, defoliating trees through excessive leaf consumption and causing histamine-induced rashes in humans.
Today, dogs are bred for perfection and for personal preference. Because humans are very selective about their dog’s physical appearance, they often turn to unnatural breeding techniques to obtain their desired dog’s physique. Mass breeding techniques often result in the emission of large quantities of methane into the atmosphere and increase risks of health defects in pups.
Summer is approaching quickly and sunscreen is an essential product for those who want to soak up the sun. Although some sunscreen products contain chemicals that are detrimental to coral reefs and the organisms that live within them, efforts have been made to reduce the large quantities of sunscreen dumped into our oceans annually.
Hunting used to be used just for purposes of obtaining food, but now, it has become a sport to some. In trail hunting, dogs are used to viciously kill wild animals, and the dead bodies are often thrown in stink pits. In trophy hunting, hunters kill wild animals just to display a certain body part for show. These are not only cruel to the animal that is hunted, but is also not a sustainable practice and can greatly damage ecosystems.
Crystal Cave’s troubling beginnings in the 17th century caused the degradation of natural formations like stalagmites and stalactites that took millions of years to form. After 150 years of tours, the staff in the Crystal Caves have developed a deeper understanding of how human interactions impact the formations in the cave.
The Idaho state government issued water curtailment orders in early June because multiple districts exceeded the amount of groundwater they were allowed to withdraw. This curtailment threatened the health of crops and had the potential to devastate the Idaho agriculture industry.
An abundance of plastic sheds off swimwear to release microplastics into the environment when swimwear is worn and washed. Microplastics can have devastating impacts on aquatic ecosystems and severely impair human health.
Acid rain is a threat to our environment. It negatively impacts the health of both aquatic and terrestrial species, causing trophic cascades and long-lasting damage to ecosystems.
Acrylic nails are created from a combination of liquid monomer and powder polymer that is molded and shaped into your desired length onto your natural nails. They are strong, durable, and long-lasting. However, these fake nails are harming the environment, and are also very harmful to humans’ long-term health.
The billionaire Taylor Swift is being scrutinized for her excessive carbon emissions from her personal use of her jet. Her private jet is estimated to have released 8,300 tonnes of carbon emissions in 2022, which is about 1,800 times the average human’s annual emissions.
