Environment is one of the three pillars of sustainability that encompasses sustainable material choices, recycling, upcycling, and making eco-friendly decisions that affect our surroundings.
How to Combat Air Pollution Air pollution has a variety of contributors from stationary sources, like factories and power plants, to natural sources, like forest fires and dust storms. Air pollution has been shown to have a direct link with health. Those living in areas with high levels of air pollutants have a 20% higher risk of […]
Save Space by Growing Up Want to multiply the number of plants you can grow in a garden or on a patio or deck? Grow up! Vertical gardening, a technique to cultivate plants up surfaces or supports, is the perfect way to squeeze lots of plants into a small space. Growing up, rather than out, […]
The average American lifestyle requires about 2,000 gallons of water every day. Fresh water consumption has doubled since World War II and is expected to rise 25% by 2030. All of this water use takes a toll on the planet and can create water scarcity which effects up to 2.8 billion people around the world at […]
The Dos and Don’ts of Successful Dumpster Diving While some people spend the early morning hours asleep, partying, or getting ready for work, other people around the world pursue a slightly less conventional activity: digging through trash. Why, you might ask, would someone enthusiastically subject themselves to the often disgusting sights and smells on the […]
Plastic Buildup in Our Oceans From food storage to furniture—we use plastic for everything. In 2008 alone 245 million tons of plastic were produced. These plastics often find there way into our waterways. Every year 6.4 million tons are dumped into the ocean. Many marine wildlife are injured or killed from plastic consumption. The Great Pacific […]
How to Plant a Rooftop Garden Whether you have a green thumb or not, there are plenty of advantages to a personal garden. Beside the simple pleasure that comes with growing your own fruits and vegetables, maintaining a garden can improve your health and promote sustainability. And for people who think they don’t have the […]
A Guide for Students and Parents Twenty percent of Americans go to school every day. That’s 60 million students, teachers, faculty, and staff who work and learn on our nation’s campuses. And while many schools struggle with funding, standards, and behavior, the issues of the environment and good health sometimes fall through the cracks. That’s […]
How to Create a Wildlife-Friendly Backyard Today’s environmental news is often alarming, especially the warnings that biodiversity, a term used to describe the immense variety of life on Earth, is under siege. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) warns nearly one third of known species are threatened with extinction, including 41 percent of […]
Your Introduction to Hydroponics When most people think of gardening, soil comes to mind. But plants don’t actually require it to survive. They mostly need the nutrients and minerals in the soil. Plants can grow in water, gravel, perlite, rice hulls, pine bark, cedar shavings, and other mediums, or even suspended in air. The science […]
Is Chewing Gum Harmful to the Environment? Whether it’s being used as a mid-day breath refresher or on the playground to see who can blow the biggest bubble—chewing gum is a daily habit for many people. But what happens when you’re done chewing it? 80–90% of chewing gum is not disposed of properly and it’s […]