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Sustainability

This category contains 327 posts

Golf courses and renewable energy: a land use exploration

I am not a golfer. And before I start, I want to say that the authors of the paper I’m talking about are not saying that they think all the golf courses in the world should be converted to renewable energy sites. But, they are raising questions about land use decisions and who benefits. Weinand … Continue reading

Plastics, recycled plastics, and dangerous chemicals

Okay, so I want to start this post by saying that we need to reduce plastic use overall and that the message in the research I’m going to discuss is not that recycled plastics are the problem. But there are consequences of viewing plastic recycling as the thing that will save us from our plastic … Continue reading

The impacts of nature play versus non nature play for preschoolers

I love it when a random question helps me discover something new. I started listening to Seek: How curiosity can transform your life and change the world by Scott Shigeoka. This inspired a random search through the research literature for articles on curiosity and sustainability. I thought the first one I found was super interesting. … Continue reading

It’s smokey outside and it impacts my physical and mental health

I woke up this morning to an air quality warning with levels at 10+ on the air quality health index. Sadly, with climate change, these warnings are becoming more frequent during the summer months where I live. You can’t plan for specific ones, but you do have to plan that they will happen. As an … Continue reading

Using solar panels to support grasslands during drought

I admit, I’m the person who wonders why we don’t put solar panels on school roofs and over parking lots. It seems like these would be prime places. I have thought less about mixing solar panels and agriculture, mostly because agriculture is not my area of expertise. However, some research by Sturchio and Knapp (2025) shows that … Continue reading

We need reciprocity

There are lots of different definitions of reciprocity but it often includes asking for permission, only taking what is needed, sharing what is taken, and giving thanks or giving back (Teixidor-Toneau and colleagues, 2025). I first paid attention to the idea of reciprocity when reading Robin Wall Kimmerer’s book Braiding Sweetgrass, which I highly recommend … Continue reading

Climate change and individual responsibilities

I’m trying to find some articles that discuss the risks of focusing so much of the climate change mitigation responsibilities on individual actions. Somewhat surprisingly papers on this have been harder to find. This week I want to point to a post from Cambridge University International Development on how climate justice relates to this discussion … Continue reading

How do climate change related events impact urban biking?

I have definitely had to put my bike away and take the car in response to events like wildfire smoke. I haven’t had to for extreme heat, but extreme heat where I am, while bad, isn’t the same as some other places in the world. But, as we approach summer, and remembering that last year … Continue reading

It’s more than just the smoke

Wildfires are growing in size and intensity with climate change. Clearly the smoke from these fires has direct health consequences; however, some recent research shows that the concern goes beyond the smoke itself. Kelesidis and colleagues (2025) studied the impact of the 2023 Canadian wildfires on New York. They found that there were the expected … Continue reading

For adults, plant proteins lead to longer life expectancy

The environmental and social arguments for decreasing animal based protein intake and increasing plant ones have been around for a while. And surely they have convinced some to make changes in their diets. But what about a health link? If you knew that eating more plant proteins as an adult would help you live longer … Continue reading

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