DON FITZ The Green New Deal has attracted perhaps the greatest attention of any proposal for decades. It would guarantee Medicare-for-All, Housing-for-All, student loan forgiveness and propose the largest economic growth in human history to address unemployment and climate change. But the last of these hits a stumbling block. Creation of all forms of energy contributes to … [Read more...] about What Would a Deep Green New Deal Look Like?
Focus on Pages
The "Focus On" section provides in-depth information and opinion on many facets of sustainability. (Although these topics may appear quite distinct and separate, it’s important to remember that they are interconnected and interdependent in multiple ways — in general, the 4 basic principles of ecology apply to all complex systems.)
When you select a Focus On… topic, the system will select all the articles and posts in that category with the most recent pages at the top, just under a brief introduction to the topic. (Many articles appear in multiple categories.)
Background & detail information is organized into the main categories listed in the left sidebar.
Transportation
Acknowledgments (Sustainability Impact Assessment)
First of all, the Alliance thanks the 5 student interns whose hard work made this project possible: Olivia Barz (Lehigh ’19)Ryan Dougherty (Lafayette ’19)Harris Eisenhardt (SUNY–ESF ’19)Ashley Kushner (Lafayette ’19)Brandy Moser (Boston University ‘21) The project team thanks the many community leaders for their assistance—and is especially grateful to Lin Erickson, … [Read more...] about Acknowledgments (Sustainability Impact Assessment)
Recommendations (Sustainability Impact Assessment)
The recommendations take a holistic view to mitigate the challenges associated with the Da Vinci Science City and explore opportunities. Each recommendation indicates which of the five impact areas (climate, community, local economy, health, and environment). All recommendations are directed to the Da Vinci Science Center unless otherwise stated. To operationalize … [Read more...] about Recommendations (Sustainability Impact Assessment)
Sustainable Travel
by Scott Slingerland I believe that most people truly care and have the highest respect for human life, clean air, and clean water. Yet, people are conditioned and desensitized to things that kill us every day—traffic crashes and vehicle emissions. In 2016, more than 37,461 people in the U.S. were killed in traffic crashes and about 2.5 million more were injured. Traffic … [Read more...] about Sustainable Travel
The Cycle of Discarding
by Briana VanBuskirk We’re stuck in a cycle that fosters the creation, use, and discarding of materials without any consideration for the environment, animal rights, or human rights. Why is this? It’s no secret that financial gain is the core problem. At some point in our lives, we’ve felt guilty for giving into the consumer lifestyles that provide us with easy, cheap access … [Read more...] about The Cycle of Discarding
Forgoing Fossil Fuels, Finally
By Rebecca Canright One of the greatest flaws of human nature is our urge to resist change in favor of stability. In America, many of us cling to our current way of life —our big, oil-hungry cars and homes, our destructive industrial food system, and our innumerable electronic gadgets that come with the conveniently hidden costs of unethical labor and environmental … [Read more...] about Forgoing Fossil Fuels, Finally
Is explosive crude oil traveling through your community?
Trainloads of crude oil from the Bakken shale in ND do pass through the Valley — and these trains travel through the center of Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton, often right next to the Lehigh River. This raises major safety concerns and serious questions about how to protect people. The Wall Street Journal's map of rail shipments estimates 1–10 trains/wk on the Norfolk … [Read more...] about Is explosive crude oil traveling through your community?
Elements of Campus Sustainability
There are many inter-related and interdependent factors that contribute to campus sustainability. This section looks at two ways to organize the different aspects of sustainability for campuses. The Sustainable Learning Community: One University’s Journey to the Future, outlines four interdependent lenses for looking at sustainability, developed at UNH: Biodiversity & … [Read more...] about Elements of Campus Sustainability
Sustainability Tracking & Assessment
The STARS [Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System] developed by AASHE uses a detailed checklist to rate campuses in each of the following areas [based on STARS 2.0]: Education & Research Curriculum: It is important for institutions to have education programs and/or courses that address sustainability. Higher education institutions are positioned to prepare … [Read more...] about Sustainability Tracking & Assessment
Sustainability & Business
Businesses have a profound effect on sustainability. Businesses are permitted to externalize many of the costs associated with producing, using, and disposing of their products, which means that the cost and damage is shared by everyone. For example: Coal sells as a commodity at about $50/ton. Experts estimate that the extraction and burning of coal creates additional costs to … [Read more...] about Sustainability & Business