Resilience by Design; Biophilic Urbanization

Biophilic design. Yeah, I had no clue what it was either. BUT once you know what I know, I think you’ll be impressed. Biophilic design is constructed on the premise that any good design-whether it be for cities, buildings, sites, regions, or homes-includes nature and natural elements. Seems like a pretty simple concept, sure. However,…

Who We Should Blame?

The weather is changing. The growth cycle of plant life is changing. A polar bear traveled to Britain. These situations are really weird and abnormal. The normal cycle of life is being destabilized. People argue that global warming is the root cause for these issues. What is the root cause of global warming? Is overpopulation? Poverty? Trade…

Is aquaculture the new agriculture?

Food and water shortages are two of the biggest threats humans are facing in the near future. With increasing temperatures, warmer oceans, and negative effects from climate change new sustainable solutions are needed. According to the Census, the population is projected to steadily increase in the United States over the next 30 years, having enough…

Urban Greenspace VS Climate Change

Combating climate change is a daunting task…a big…scary…but necessary task. Science has shown time and time again the physical and mental tool that climate change has on our earth and those who populate it. The question on so many minds are: what can we do? The answer to that question is lengthy. In truth, there are so…

Back to the basics

Restaurants have turned a new leaf so to speak in recent years; many have turned away from big distributors and mass meat production companies to supply produce and meat for their menus. Countless restaurants in the Pittsburgh area are using homegrown local produce, meat, and dairy to fill their menus. One of the restaurants working…

But, what about soil?

Available healthy soils begin to decrease as populations in urban areas continue to increase.   Anthropogenic activities are causing contamination to soils that could be used for food production and ecosystem health. Urban soils are limited in growing cities, seen in parks, urban gardens, and homeowners backyards.  Forests are few and far between and the…

Moana Addresses Environmental Issues

I watched the movie Moana recently. It is a cute movie. The color and landscape in the movie is wonderful. How clear the water is! I was not born beside the sea. Even when I went to the seaside, I still could not see the sea in the movie. It is a wonderland I want…

When Climate Change Meets Mental Health

Climate change. There’s no secret that there are ALOT of sides to that story; but I’m about to tell you a very crucial one and it’s the impact that climate change has on mental health. Climate change is thought to be the “stable changes in the meteorological parameters like precipitation and temperature over a period…

Urban Gardens

Vacant lots, old tires, wooden boxes are not the typical images that come to mind when visualizing gardens or small farms. But those are precisely what is being used in local areas of Pittsburgh for gardens. Carrots, tomatoes, beets, berries, and corn are just a few of the beautiful crops popping up around Pittsburgh in…