Election season has officially peaked, and with 7 candidates vying for the Democratic nomination in NYS District 19, voters are finding it increasingly difficult to distinguish between the candidates’ various platforms. As a self-declared policy wonk, I think the differences are clear. However, I am also deeply biased and completely …
The United Nations (UN) is a leading organization addressing complex and interdisciplinary issues on a global scale. My key areas of interests focused on by the UN are conflict, disaster response, environmental security, peacekeeping, and cooperation. During my internship experience at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, …
On the west coast, fire season never ends. There is almost always some fire burning in California–as is shown on this map, provided by CalFire and updated in real time. When California burns, what happens to the people? This question becomes increasingly prominent as more people than ever flock to California …
American forests are at risk. Wildfires are becoming more frequent, fire season is lasting later into the year, and fires are burning for longer. And the costs of these fires continues to mount. The Forest Service spent $2 billion fighting forest fires last year. Wildfires in Northern California alone caused $65 …
Driving forward change in the environmental field is a large and extremely important challenge. The issues that the field hopes to address—from climate change to food insecurity—are systemic, complex and long term. Creating meaningful change requires many things, perhaps the most important of which is leadership. Otis Rolley is one …
The NYC Compost Project, created by the NYC Department of Sanitation (DSNY) in 1993, works to rebuild NYC’s soils by providing New Yorkers with the knowledge, skills, and opportunities they need to make and use compost locally. NYC Compost Project programs are implemented by DSNY-funded teams at seven host organizations, …
“Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody.” – Jane Jacobs, The Death and Life of Great American Cities The built environment often does not meet the needs of all community members, so intertwined are the physical and social dimensions …
Where are your Malbecs? I don’t know anything about wine, but I know I like “Sancerre”s. I cut my teeth in the beverage industry in 2014, working part time at a small wine and spirits shop. Over the years, my colleagues and I have worked hard to expand palates and …
The State of New York has been a leader in energy systems since 1882 when Thomas Edison developed the world’s first electrical grid in New York City. As new challenges related to climate change and its various consequences, such as Superstorm Sandy, have arisen throughout the 21st century, New York …
Imagine, for a moment, a seesaw. On one side, put volcanoes, fires, and decomposing plants. On the other side, put trees, oceans, crops, and gardens. This seesaw represents how carbon dioxide enters and leaves the atmosphere. Trees, oceans, soil, and living organisms remove and store carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, …
