With today’s struggling economy, people not only within Western Pennsylvania but also across the entire United States are considering various ways to reduce their home energy costs. Imagine waking up every day and not having to collect so many bills from the mailbox. Bill and Marilyn Spohn from right here in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania do just…
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…
Backyard Birding
When I looked out of my bedroom window the other morning, I was delighted at what I saw: The first Baltimore Oriole I had seen all spring! The Baltimore Oriole, easily identified by its pointed beak, entirely black head and fiery orange plumage, is one of the many birds you may see migrating through Western…
Recycle, Reuse, Re-wear
Environmental and Ethical Problems of Fast Fashion With the amount of cheap clothing available it’s easy to end up with a few items that caught your eye while passing through the clothing section. I have personally struggled with this while working in a clothing section. I would see a cute t-shirt end up taking it…
Insects That Murder! Who Knew?
A beekeeper by the name of Ted McFall could not wrap his head around a time where he had a job duty to check on a group of beehives near Custer, Washington. As he looked more closely he noticed bee carcasses on the ground along with thousands of bees with their heads torn off their…
The Social Effects Covid has on Our Zoo Friends
It is no surprise the impact that the Corona Virus has on our everyday life in Pittsburgh. It has not only affected the human elements of our lives, but has also impacted the economy and the environment. It also it effects the social wellbeing of the animals at our local zoo. The numerous detrimental impacts of the Corona Virus on human life continue…
E-waste: A Problem That Just Keeps Getting Bigger
Moore’s Law is a technological law that states the number of transistors on a microchip doubles every two years and the cost of computers is halved. In layman’s terms, this means that technology exponentially improves to the point where consumers need to buy new technology every 2-4 years. While technological advancements are made for the…
Fermentation: Not just for cucumbers, but everything in your fridge
Each year the United States racks up a bill of roughly $1.3 trillion dollars because of the 1.3 billion tons of food it wastes. American families have fallen into a cycle of over purchasing and then wasting the excess because of minor blemishes or the product is a day past expiration. In order to combat…