Tag: <span>ecosystems</span>

Creating an Accessible Hudson River through Place-Based Education

I’m in a classroom giving a lesson on the ecology of the Hudson River. As I always do, I start the class by asking the students: “How many of you have been down to the River?” And as usual, only about half the students raise their hands. I don’t probe …

Silvopasture: Happier Animals, Happier Ecosystem!

Pictured here are two groups of relatively similar cattle who are experiencing drastically different living situations. Briefly imagine life as one of the cows pictured here—where would you rather be living? If you are a beef-consuming individual, which of these sets of cows would you rather eat, or drink milk …

Is your Sustainably Labeled Seafood Actually Sustainable?

  While I was sitting at home one night, I decided to watch a new Netflix documentary titled “Seaspiracy.” The name was catchy and seemed interesting as I love learning about the ocean and our waterways. Little did I know that I was in for a rude awakening. While watching …

Doom and Gloom in Algae Blooms: New Technology Inspires Hope and a DIY!

On a day like any other, you take your lunch and stroll out to your favorite spot by your local lake to sit and watch the ducks while you eat. When you arrive on this particular summer day, much to your horror, you see that an entire end of the …

What’s in your water?–What we all need to know about DPBs

Do you know what’s in your drinking water? It may be more than you realize. We disinfect our drinking water to protect us from organisms we can’t see. From boiling water to sand filters, water treatment dates back to the 18th century, and treating drinking water has saved countless lives. …

NYC → OAX

In 1974, Congress passed the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) to create a standard of quality for public water systems and protect citizens from waterborne disease. Faced with the costs of drinking water filtration infrastructure and upkeep, New York City officials chose to instead adopt a watershed management program to …

From a Classroom to the Wilderness

All the hype about Alaska is real: it is BIG, BEAUTIFUL, and WILD. I don’t know how to begin to describe it after that. Adjectives fail at capturing whatever *it* is here. I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to live, work, and play here for the summer. …

We’re gonna need a smaller boat: Re-imagining residential water systems

In the US, we use more than double the amount of water per person than any other country in the world. An estimated 57% of our public water supply is used for residential use. The most recent 2010 USGS report estimates per capita US residential water use to be 88 gallons per day (gpd), which translates …

A Not So Shrimpy Environmental Issue: Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Aquaculture Production in Mangroves

Mangroves are arguably the coolest ecosystem on the planet, in addition to being one of the most biologically productive. Mangroves are trees with above-ground root systems that are partially submerged in water. They are located predominantly in tropical and subtropical coastal regions where freshwater meets the sea. These ecological powerhouses …

Succeeding in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem…and Beyond

Big Sky Country. What runs through your mind when you read those three words? A never-ending canopy of blue skies, perhaps? The wide open spaces of ranch land, home to cowboys and cattle? Or crystal-clear rivers teeming with trout, meandering through green meadows bordered by snow-capped peaks? For me, and …