COVID-19: A Chance to Re-Evaluate our Approach to the Environment

Coauthored by Ashley Smith While many of us are concerned how Corona Virus will affect our health and economy in the long term, another area of our lives is being affected by the pandemic in some positive ways – our lived environment. NASA scientists are some of the people reporting their findings on the environmental…

Sustainable Crafts from Recycled Materials

Many of us have found a bit of extra time on our hands as well as feeling very stressed out during the COVID 19 pandemic. I wanted to keep my focus on something positive, uplifting or inspirational. I times of stress, arts and crafts can be an amazing stress reliever. These activities make me feel…

Compost: A Community Effort?

A local crew of high schoolers are helping the South Hills of Pittsburgh to effectively compost. While composting has been an effective way to reduce waste in landfills, families in Mt. Lebanon have been less than savvy. The township, along with others in the area, is filled with suburbs that produce lots of waste. With…

Acid Rain, How Does it Impact The Environment?

Acid rain refers to the precipitation of atmospheric acidic substances into the underlying surface in the form of rain, snow, particulate matter, gaseous matter and water vapor. The first person to discover acid rain was M. Ducros, who published his article in the 1845. A journal of Pharmaceutical Chemistry confirmed its existence. As an environmental…

Endangered PA Animals

Its no secret that hunting is a popular recreational activity in Pennsylvania. So much so, that the day after Thanksgiving, is reserved so that those in school are able to take a day off and hunt. There are more than 20 species, currently endangered in Pennsylvania and five are on the threatened species list.  Now…

Conversations with Grandma

One purpose to learning, and increasing knowledge, is the opportunity to share this knowledge with others. Any scientific topic can be difficult to discuss because there is a baseline level of knowledge, and terminology, necessary for understanding. Regardless, there are ways to share knowledge accessibly through conversation. In an article for Yale Climate Connections, Sara…

Who should you discuss climate change with?

In the past I have considered how, for some topics, certain individuals are more easily persuaded compared to others. Karin Kirk, in her article for Yale Climate Connections, introduces the spectrum of persuadability. There is a good figure in her blog post illustrating the spectrum. As Kirk explains, the spectrum of persuadability includes the following…

Upcoming Environmental Events

 Shale and Public Health Conference This free event is happening today (until 5pm) at the University of Pittsburgh University Club. The address is: 123 University Place, Pittsburgh, PA 15260. Topics include: “research on childhood cancer in Pennsylvania, Public Health and the Plastics Lifestyle, and shale gas activity and sexually transmitted infections in Ohio.” SCDN Webinar…

Considerations for a Hydroelectric Plant in Pittsburgh

Hydroelectric dams offer a sustainable solution compared to fracking, but they are not a perfect solution. According to Rita Michel from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Rye Development of Boston are looking to install a hydroelectric dam below the Highland Park Bridge. She explored some of the possible detriments to a hydroelectric dam through interviews with people…

Pittsburgh’s Top 5 Sustainability Organizations

Top 5 Environmental Organizations in Pittsburgh: 1. PA Environmental Council – pecpa.org PA Environmental Council (PEC) aims to rebuild and restore the original environments found in the Western Pennsylvania area. They do so through various initiatives in innovation, collaboration, education, and policy. The organization has been around since the 1970s and continues to work with the…