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EPA changes impede environmental justice research
Michelle R. Matisons Waste Management & EnvironmentalEnvironmental justice emphasizes the impacts of environmental deterioration on social groups and the communities on the front lines of climate change. As the concept mainstreams, it clashes with a possible new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) policy that undermines public health links to industrial pollutants, adverse weather events like hurricanes and wildfires, and other climate change factors. Meanwhile, the U.S. has begun official proceedings to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, and a new medical report warns of sustained public health problems due to increased temperatures and other climate-related challenges.
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Study: Airplanes have dirty, unsafe water
Scott E. Rupp Transportation Technology & AutomotiveA new study is telling us that airplanes are incredibly disgusting and that travelers need to avoid certain things at all costs. Most importantly, avoid onboard water, except that which is from a sealed water bottle. Don't wash your hands with it, and certainly don't drink it. That’s according to the 2019 Airline Water Study. Developed by DietDetective.com and the Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center, the study tested the quality of water on 11 major airlines and 12 regional airlines.
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Palantir, BP develop concerning ‘data-drilling’ techniques
Michelle R. Matisons Science & TechnologyOne of the most recent developments in Big Tech involves news of "data drilling," as evidenced by a contract between CIA-adjacent data-mining company Palantir Technologies and BP (formerly British Petroleum). The wedding of an older industry like oil with data technology is big news for many trying to keep abreast of the climate effects of the international extraction economy as they relate to elections, foreign policy, and intelligence communities; operations. And, vice versa: data mining is moving into unchartered waters here, and more environmental accountability for the uber-wealthy tech sector is a pressing issue.
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New life for New Mexico’s bighorns
Chester Moore Jr. Recreation & LeisureIf looks could kill I would have been a dead man. The ewe fixated on me with a focused intensity. It was obvious she knew I was a stranger in her rocky domain, and I suspected her to bolt at any time. But as clacking sounded from the rocks below, she broke the stare and looked down. Up came her baby, a gorgeous Rocky Mountain bighorn born this spring and already masterfully moving up through this gorgeous and treacherous gorge.
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A former landfill is Maryland’s first community solar farm
Scott E. Rupp Facilities & GroundsA hole in the ground that recently contained nothing but our post-consumable unmentionables is receiving a new life as an energy production facility in Maryland. In Fort Washington, a landfill has been transformed into the state’s first large-scale community solar farm, NPR affiliate WAMU-FM reports. Conceived in 2017, the transformation is the result of a pilot running through next year, which is designed to "expand accessibility to solar energy for state residents," WAMU-FM says.
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Is there a public utility option for California’s PG&E?
Michelle R. Matisons Waste Management & EnvironmentalDamage from 13 different wildfires has affected California during the past week. Sonoma County’s Kincade fire grew to 77,000 acres, ravaging large land swaths, whole neighborhoods, and grape-ripening vineyards. At 80% contained, it is nowhere near the size of 2017’s Thomas fire, which caused $2.2 billion in damages and heated debate about fire prevention. But all the fires combined will yield more damages incurred for the already embattled energy industry in the state. Poor air quality is now commonplace in the health-focused state, and this issue alone may press more people to consider radical solutions.
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Innovative urban farming can meet the demand for fresh produce
Bambi Majumdar Food & BeverageRecent research from Arizona State University gives us hope for a sustainable agricultural future. Researchers assessed the benefits of urban agriculture and found that it can lead to food sustainability. The case study was that of urban agriculture in Phoenix, and the conclusion was that the city needed to use only 5% of its urban spaces to meet its sustainability goal. The study pointed out that this experiment can be adopted quickly by other cities that wish to develop their own sustainability goals through urban agricultural methods.
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Study: Groundwater supplies in peril as irrigation, pumping decimate aquifers
Scott E. Rupp Waste Management & EnvironmentalAccording to a recent study published in the journal Nature, water stored in aquifers underground makes up the vast majority of accessible freshwater on Earth. Its abundance has fueled forays into drier locales, enabling a boom in crop production. People and livestock are not the only things relying on aquifers. While about 70% of all groundwater used worldwide goes to agriculture, surface waterways, including rivers and streams, need groundwater, too. The Nature study shows the water is at an "ecological tipping point" that scientists call the "environmental flow limit."
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Where to see fall bird migrations
Dave G. Houser Travel, Hospitality & Event ManagementJust the mention of wildlife migrations brings to mind the frenzied scene of millions of wildebeest, zebras and gazelles racing across the Serengeti plains of Africa. It is a grand spectacle to be sure, but every fall certain areas of the U.S. play host to mass migrations of similar scale and excitement as billions of birds take wing on their way to southern wintering grounds — in flocks that are often large enough to darken the sky. For those who would like to get in on the action, here are six major stopover spots across the United States where you can see birds as they make their way to warmer climes.
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Bison on the mountain
Chester Moore Jr. Recreation & LeisureThe unmistakable silhouette of a bull bison caught my attention. Enshrouded in a rainy mist, the curving horns, broad shoulders and massive hump were a perfect picture of nature’s strength. Seeing bison at Yellowstone National Park was not surprising. After all, it is the epicenter of their remaining wild range. Seeing one near a mountain’s peak at an elevation of nearly 10,000 feet, however, was not expected.
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