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As a bike commuter I really appreciate a lot of cycling infrastructure. Marked bike lanes are great, and separated paths are typically better, except for one giant caveat: intersections. I am always extra vigilant at intersections, but especially ones where I’m moving from a separated path across the intersection. It definitely feels like drivers don’t … Continue reading
Sugar substitutes like Stevia are generally promoted as a health choice. They are low or no calorie and are often significantly sweeter allowing people to use less. But while the health effects are continually the subject of research, the environmental impacts have been less well studied. Suckling and colleagues (2023) have attempted to address this … Continue reading
I’m a fan of open education resources (OER), which are “teaching, learning, and research resources that, through permissions granted by the copyright holder, allow others to use, distribute, keep, or make changes to them” (Aesoph, 2022). In fact, after becoming frustrated that I couldn’t find an appropriate OER for my introduction to sustainability course and … Continue reading
I can’t tell you how many papers I have read about the sources of pro-environmental concern or attitudes. If we could figure this out then it could be easier to design information materials intended to encourage pro-environmental behaviours. But there are a lot of factors at play. And they intermingle with each other in ways … Continue reading
It is the start of February and I may have just done my last cross country ski of the season. Grass was poking through everywhere. And the snow is so soft that I push through the track regularly. Don’t get me wrong, we have more cold days coming I’m sure. But increasing freeze thaw cycles … Continue reading
In the US, approximately 30-40% of all food is wasted according to the USDA. Generally, on this topic the discussion focuses on how to reduce this number with strategies for every stage of the chain from farm and manufacturing to the consumer. But Saba and colleagues (2023) have taken a different approach. Focusing specifically on … Continue reading
I do my best to make purchases from more sustainable companies, but I can’t do all the research myself. I rely on choosing retailers that I hope, based on their statements, are doing their own investigation into their supply chains; however, research by Fraser and van der Ven (2022) indicates that fast fashion supply chains … Continue reading
Last week I got part way into my bike commute when I was hit by the weight of the smog. We had an air quality warning in the city for a number of days, but in some areas it was painful to breathe and in others it wasn’t noticeable. Urban air pollution is one of … Continue reading
I wrote before about things that are too nice to use. At the time, I searched for research on this idea and came up dry. But a recent study has started to fill the gap. Kowalski and Yoon (2022) looked at how the reasons that people are attached to different products impact whether those products … Continue reading
I wrote a post a few weeks ago about how the book Curbing Traffic by Melissa and Chris Bruntlett enabled me to understand how targeting cycling infrastructure for 8 to 80 year olds can create a usable network for everyone including commuters. It was their insights about aspects like traffic separation and intersection approaches that … Continue reading
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