By: Monterey Rayman The Hawaiʻi coastal sand dunes are delicate, picturesque ecosystems and vital components of the ecological and economic fabric. The sand dunes urgently need restoration due to threats such as erosion, invasive species, and human activities. Centering on both biodiversity conservation and economic services, sand dune restoration emerges as a strategic investment with extensive benefits for Hawaiʻi’s environment and economy. Sand dunes stand as havens of biodiversity, nurturing a diverse array of native plant and animal species finely tuned to flourish in these ever-c ..read more

Carbon sinks are defined as entities that absorb more carbon from the atmosphere than they release, and environmental scientists have long recognized plants, the ocean, and soil as prime examples of such sinks. New studies reveal that tidal landscapes, increasingly inundated by rising sea levels every year, are significantly larger carbon sinks than previously believed. Carbon dioxide is not considered a pollutant, but it is unarguably a greenhouse gas whose continuous and increasing emission is elevating the effects of global warming at an exponential rate. Tidal landscapes, including mangro ..read more

The Searial Cleaners, committed to environmental preservation, has developed a range of innovative products including the BeBot, Collec’Thor, PixieDrone, and InvisiBubble, which are each designed to combat marine waste in diverse locations with various methods. The PixieDrone, is a controllable device that skims the surface of the water collecting floating waste of all types. This includes organic, plastic, glass, metal, tissue paper, and rubber wastes, Similarly to the Collec’Thor, the targeted scope for this device are harbors, marinas, rivers, lakes, and ponds. These particular environmen ..read more

Laila Salgado s our world becomes increasingly urbanized, with over half of the global population residing in cities, predicted to reach 70% by 2050, the need for sustainable urban development has become more crucial than ever. The modern day city emits extreme environmental harm, with 70% of greenhouse gas emissions coming from cities, 90% city emissions coming from their buildings and transportation, and 66% of the world’s energy use coming from cities. Green cities aim to promote environmental justice and boost the overall quality of urban life, creating spaces that are resilient, inclusi ..read more

Olivia Copeland, Ashley Czermak, Katelyn Hersey, Lucy Diaz Currently, the United States is facing an escalating environmental crisis, as the risk of wildfires is intensifying and in turn causing an increase in pollution. These environmental challenges are reshaping the nation's landscape and posing a significant threat to public health. Historically, the United States has tackled wildfires through a combination of prevention, monitoring, and management methods. This includes ignition management, technological advancements, and the Clean Air Act (CAA). Yet, due to the increasing frequency an ..read more

Autumn Marsh The climate crisis is putting organizations, advocates, and communities under increased pressure to move towards renewable energy as much as possible and as soon as possible. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has an ambitious plan to alter energy production along the entire West Coast by establishing floating wind farms. If things go well, their plan will expand to open waters all over the country to establish even more renewable energy sites. UN Climate Action discusses how electricity production is one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. Cle ..read more

Meghan Oh Permit Trading, otherwise known as Emissions Trading or “cap and trade” is a market based approach to reduce pollution from corporations by creating an allowance that can be bought or sold to other agencies. The goal of permit trading is to limit the amount of pollution by creating a “cap” that allows them to pollute a certain amount. While they are proven to be effective in reducing pollution, there are many limitations, advantages and disadvantages. Pros Cost-effective: Saving money, and resources Emission trading is more cost effective than traditional command and control ..read more

Singing and dancing with people who love the same music you do while watching one of your favorite artists perform is part of what makes concerts such an amazing experience. At first glance, tours and concerts are a win-win situation for everyone; artists make money, and fans have a great time. But an often overlooked aspect of tours is the environmental impact that they create. It's hard to believe such a liberating experience could cause extensive environmental harm, but unfortunately, it is the reality. While there is limited data on the carbon emissions and other impacts that tours prod ..read more

This past year, wind energy output rose to account for more than 9% of the U.S. electricity supply. Wind energy provides a low-cost clean energy alternative to millions in the United States. In South Dakota and Iowa, wind energy provides over 50% of the state's energy. With the continuing growth, strong performance, and impressive electricity supply provided by wind energy, the future of this alternative energy looks bright. Wind power is obtained through wind turbines which use the wind’s kinetic energy and convert it to electrical energy through generators within the turbines. A small ..read more

In September of 2019, Swedish youth climate activist Greta Thunberg delivered speeches in New York and Montreal: “If no one else will take action, then we will. We demand a safe future. Is that really too much to ask?” The week of September 20 that year saw one of the largest climate change action strikes in world history. What is known as the Global Week for Future Climate Strikes was part of the larger grassroots School Strike for Climate Movement, also called Fridays for the Future, which was inspired and started by Thunberg when she began to walk out of schools on Fridays to protest lack ..read more