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There are so many stories about the conflict between wildlife and farmers. Each one is trying to make their living and their approaches aren’t always compatible. Burrowing animals create holes that animals like horses and cows can fall in and get injured. Predators can prey on animals on the farm. Herbivores can decimate crops. On … Continue reading
Plastics are everywhere. For decades they’ve been cheap and disposable. But plastics are made mostly from crude oil. So between the impacts of the oil and the impacts of the waste plastics, particularly incinerating these wastes, release huge amounts of carbon dioxide. This makes plastic a huge issue for climate change. But, you might ask, … 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
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
I’ve looked into research on food sustainability and to say it’s complex is an understatement. Local good but meat bad; what if it’s local meat? Fruits and veggies good; what if they’re grown with lots of fertilizer and pesticides? What about farming practices and transportation distances and water use? I have a good background to … Continue reading
If you aren’t vegetarian or vegan do you look at the vegetarian section of a restaurant menu? Would you be more likely to choose vegetarian or vegan if those items are mixed in with similar meat based dishes? How about choosing an item from a section called “Environmentally friendly main courses for a happy planet”? … Continue reading
I think many people have been left with the feeling that not only is recycling enough but it’s also the responsibility of the end user to do the recycling. But corporations have a huge responsibility to reduce plastic waste in all areas of the supply chain. And a large number of companies globally indicate that … Continue reading
For a project in university I once looked at all the things in health care that used oil based products, it’s a lot. I talked in that project about how important it is to prioritize where we use oil as we will inevitably have to phase out its use. Nobody wants to stop important health … Continue reading
I remember a few years ago when a friend shared that they were going to try a vegetarian option for something until they discovered that it wasn’t healthier than the meat option. This kind of assumption is relatively common in my experience: the plant based option is assumed to be healthier and more sustainable. But … Continue reading
The oceans are, without question, under pressure. Overfishing, habitat degradation, pollution, and acidification are all taking their toll. There are however a growing number of marine protected areas. But that requires that these areas are actually effective. This is the question that Jacquemont et al (2022) asked. Specifically they were looking at the impacts of … Continue reading
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