One path towards real environmental justice (EJ) is the growing movement to recognize that nature — encompassing plants, animals, and the air, land, and water — is not property, not something to own and exploit, but entities that have their own rights to exist and thrive. All too often EJ deals only with environmental racism and not the rights of all current and future beings … [Read more...] about Recognizing the Rights of Nature
Environment & Ecology
Plastic-Free Giving
Beyond Plastics has a handy reminder sheet on how to avoid plastic during the holiday gift-giving season. A lot of it is common sense, of course — but the reminders are welcome! You'll find the online plastic-free giving guide online at https://www.beyondplastics.org/green-gifts Beyond Plastics is a nationwide project based at Bennington College in Bennington, Vermont. … [Read more...] about Plastic-Free Giving
Rights of Nature
Many of you are familiar with the idea of the Rights of Nature / Rights of Mother Earth, but it's a long way from understanding the concept to seeing how it plays out on the ground, where someone (or a group) has to speak for the natural entity and then people have to figure out how to resolve the situation. Inside Climate News recently ran an excellent article on this … [Read more...] about Rights of Nature
You’ll love the new issue of the Sustainable Lehigh Valley booklet!
The new issue of the Sustainable Lehigh Valley booklet is loaded with creative writing and art, and a majority of the content comes from students — both high school and college — and young adults here in the Lehigh Valley. You can read it online or download the full PDF edition, which is formatted in two-page spreads so it's similar to reading the printed booklet. Print … [Read more...] about You’ll love the new issue of the Sustainable Lehigh Valley booklet!
Clean energy, batteries, & mining
Clean, renewable energy is essential for sustainability. The main problems with getting to 100% renewable energy are that solar and wind energy spend on weather and time of day, and this makes some sort of storage important. Improved and less expensive batteries are often touted as the solution to the intermittency of truly renewable energy. Unfortunately, the demand for … [Read more...] about Clean energy, batteries, & mining
Building Demolition
Those concerned about the dust that will be released by the upcoming implosion have good reason for concern. According to studies, including Nuruddeen Usman's 'An Evaluation of Buildings Destruction Technique and Its Menace', published in the EU, this method of demolition creates many serious health risks that can take years to show up. [PDF] It goes on to say that modern … [Read more...] about Building Demolition
FYI: News you won’t find in mainstream media
There’s a Toxic Weed Killer on the Menu in K-12 Schools Across the US – Glyphosate has been found in over 70 percent of oat-based breakfast cereals served in US schools. Creative Communities Are Addressing Social Isolation – Social connections are not just nice to have—they can significantly affect our health and well-being. Inspired by creative approaches abroad, … [Read more...] about FYI: News you won’t find in mainstream media
FYI: Fracking chemicals still showing up in PA freshwater mussels
Environmental Health News, 10 September 2018—Chemicals from fracking wastewater dumped into Pennsylvania's Allegheny River before 2011 are still accumulating in the bodies of freshwater mussels downstream, according to a new study. The study, published Wednesday in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Science & Technology, is among the first to show bioaccumulation—the … [Read more...] about FYI: Fracking chemicals still showing up in PA freshwater mussels
Peter’s blog: ‘What could we be learning from others?’
A recent article by Janice Lee ('What Humanity Can Learn From Plants'), raises this question. It's well worth reading! Lee asks why we value 'scientific' knowledge over all other ways of knowing and points out some other limitations of our ways, such as rendering non-human living beings as 'it', as if they were inanimate objects. She suggests we could learn a lot from trees … [Read more...] about Peter’s blog: ‘What could we be learning from others?’
My summer internship: Sustainability Impact Assessment
As an intern for Alliance, I was able to meet and hear the concerns of local officials and important community stakeholders. We discussed issues and gathered advice from a diverse array of people like city councilmen, NGO leaders, and company executives. I learned of the extensive detail and nuance that is necessary to create an effective sustainability assessment. It was a … [Read more...] about My summer internship: Sustainability Impact Assessment