Do Forever Chemicals HAVE to Be Forever?

"Forever chemicals": Can we solve this persistent pollution problem?

What are PFA’S?

https://www.wbur.org/news/2019/11/08/what-are-pfas-chemicals-and-should-i-be-freaking-out-about-them

https://www.euronews.com/green/2022/08/19/forever-chemicals-what-are-pfas-and-can-we-solve-this-persistent-pollution-problem

https://www.ourdailyplanet.com/story/the-fda-reaches-agreement-with-companies-to-phase-out-food-packaging-containing-pfas/

Stockholm University: In Antarctica and on the Tibetan plateau rainwater is unsafe to drink

https://www.su.se/english/news/it-s-raining-pfas-even-in-antarctica-and-on-the-tibetan-plateau-rainwater-is-unsafe-to-drink-1.620735

In breast milk, toxic concentrations of "forever chemicals" have been discovered

https://www.industryglobalnews24.com/in-breast-milk-toxic-concentrations-of-forever-chemicals-have-been-discovered-how-dangerous-are-they

Scientists discover that two common, cheap substances can break down "forever chemicals".

https://www.euronews.com/next/2022/08/19/two-substances-found-in-nearly-every-chemistry-lab-could-help-break-down-forever-chemicals

https://www.eenews.net/articles/breakthrough-research-could-destroy-forever-chemicals/

Researchers are investigating whether microbes can help break down fluorinated contaminants

https://cen.acs.org/environment/persistent-pollutants/microbes-save-us-PFAS/99/i10

What’s going on with PFA’s where you live??

Grand Challenge: Understanding and Sustaining a Biodiverse Planet

STEM, STEAM, STEMX, STEMD and beyond..

ERC Grand Challenges: For project design, for inquiry, for activism.

Photo by Kai Dahms on Unsplash

Young People Say "Fridays for Our Future"

Young people are taking their future into their own hands. What does the youth movement for climate justice look like? How are they making their voices heard, and will they have the impact they intend?

School climate strikes resume across the world

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/mar/25/fridays-for-future-school-climate-strikes-resume

How Fridays for Future Keeps the Climate Relevant Amidst Other Crises

https://www.dw.com/en/how-fridays-for-future-keeps-the-climate-relevant-as-other-crises-rage/a-61232469

https://fridaysforfuture.org/

Sunrisers are marching over 600 miles across the Gulf South and California

https://www.sunrisemovement.org/campaign/generation-on-fire/

The Sunrise Movement is a youth movement to stop climate change

https://www.sunrisemovement.org/about/

South Korean students shave heads in protest

https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/skorean-students-shave-heads-protest-over-japans-nuclear-waste-water-plan-2021-04-20/

Colombian youth file the first climate change lawsuit in Latin America

https://www.dejusticia.org/en/colombian-youth-file-first-climate-change-lawsuit-latin-america/

Youth activists not just skipping school, they are also taking concrete steps to influence the policymaking process

https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/energysource/youth-climate-activists-arent-just-striking-theyre-taking-policy-action/

Kids vs. the World in a Landmark Climate Complaint

https://gizmodo.com/its-kids-vs-the-world-in-a-landmark-new-climate-lawsui-1838343565

Well, these Canadian elementary school students WANTED to protest…..

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/cbe-climate-strike-ban-sunalta-elementary-1.5299356

Boston’s Global Climate Strike organized by local groups

https://thescopeboston.org/7857/news/environmental-activists-join-bostons-global-climate-strike-organized-by-local-groups/

In 185 countries, an estimated 7.6 million people have attended Fridays for Future climate strikes.

https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/are-you-ready-climate-strike-fridays-for-future-friday

1.1 Million were approved to Skip School for Climate Protest

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/16/nyregion/youth-climate-strike-nyc.html

Belgrade joins global climate strike with second Fridays for Future protest

https://balkangreenenergynews.com/belgrade-joins-global-climate-strike-with-second-fridays-for-future-protest/

Why we shouldn’t need a Fridays for Future Movement | Franziska Marhold | TEDxVienna

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynwIZIdsb7w

BUT….. the issue of Climate Change is curiously absent from shows for kids

https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/2021-6-winter/critic-s-notebook/children-s-programming-needs-tackle-climate-change

Organized climate change denial shapes public opinion on global warming

https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/climate-change-denial-fossil-fuel-think-tank-sceptic-misinformation-1.5297236

Fridays For Future U.S. - We Don't Care

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLi_Y3OF1q4

Protest in Glasgow and around the world for action against climate change

https://www.npr.org/2021/11/06/1053218525/cop26-glasgow-global-climate-action-protests

Grand Challenge: Sustaining a Biodiverse Planet

ERC Grand Challenges: For project design, for inquiry, for activism

Photo by Liam Edwards on Unsplash

Tricky Insects: Insights into Evolution

Whether it’s for mating, self-defense, or finding a meal, insects have evolved in surprising ways.

Thanks to Tony Spagnuolo, Calcutt Middle School, Central Falls, RI, for this installment’s origin.

Membracidae- The “thorn mimic”

https://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/17034758

https://www.si.edu/stories/beautiful-and-bizarre-treehopper

Bird droppings? Nope, clever moths and caterpillars

https://bugoftheweek.com/blog/2021/8/9/bird-droppings-nope-clever-moths-and-caterpillars-looking-like-poop-beautiful-wood-nymph-eastern-tiger-swallowtail-black-swallowtail-red-spotted-purple

Crafty Caterpillar Puts Flowers on Back

https://twistedsifter.com/2012/05/wavy-lined-emerald-moth-camouflaged-looper-info-pics/

https://roadsendnaturalist.com/tag/camouflaged-looper/

The hawkmoth: These critters mimic snakes

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2254257/The-caterpillars-mimic-snakes-grow-spiky-spines-eat-toxic-flowers--predators-away.html

How about twigs?

http://www.urbanwildlifeguide.net/2013/05/twig-mimic-caterpillar.html

https://www.tcpalm.com/story/life/columnists/carol-cloud-bailey/2020/07/29/those-little-clusters-twigs-your-house-and-trees-actually-caterpillars-port-st-lucie-stuart-vero/5517313002/

The Giraffe Weevil

https://www.madamagazine.com/en/der-giraffenhalskaefer/

https://www.sfzoo.org/giraffe-weevil/

The Amazonian ant species Allomerus is monogamous, likes only one food, and builds traps

https://indianapublicmedia.org/amomentofscience/trap-building-ants.php

https://whyfiles.org/shorties/177ant_traps/

Can You Find The Mimics In America's Largest Insect Collection?

https://www.npr.org/2018/04/03/598240941/video-can-you-find-the-imposter-bugs-in-americas-largest-insect-collection

Grand Challenge: Unlocking the Mysteries of the Universe

Grand Challenge: Understanding and Sustaining a Biodiverse Planet

STEM, STEAM, STEMX, STEMD and beyond..

ERC Grand Challenges: For project design, for inquiry, for activism.

Frank Vassen - Flickr: Giraffe Weevil, Andasibe, Madagascar CC BY 2.0

Dealing with the Water

What will we do with the water? The future is already here wherever you are — in the form of rising sea levels and frequent, destructive flooding. What is to be done?

Rising Sea Levels Are Inundating Coastal Economies Four Times Faster

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-08/rising-sea-levels-inundating-coastal-economies-four-times-faster

Why the Missouri River Is Just Going to Keep On Flooding

https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2019/04/30/525174.htm

Mississippi River, Missouri River listed as 'most endangered' in US

https://www.ksdk.com/article/weather/flooding/mississippi-river-missouri-river-endangered-flooding/63-ac1f8dd8-ba4a-474c-b5fd-4a5b837a9ef4

The Dutch Have Some Solutions to Rising Seas. The World Is Watching.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/06/15/world/europe/climate-change-rotterdam.html

https://www.thestructuralengineer.info/news/the-dutch-solution-to-rising-seas

Jakarta may become the first megacity claimed by climate change. A last-ditch plan to save the city may not be enough

https://www.wired.co.uk/article/jakarta-sinking

Walls Won't Save Our Cities From Rising Seas. Here's What May

https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/science/walls-won-t-save-our-cities-rising-seas-here-s-ncna786811

“Green roofs” are being used in urban areas where space constraints limit the use of other stormwater management practices.

https://www.epa.gov/soakuptherain/soak-rain-green-roofs

Permeable Pavement Systems as a Mitigation Strategy to Combat Stormwater Outfall and Sea Level Rise

https://sharkresearch.rsmas.miami.edu/permeable-pavement-systems-as-a-mitigation-strategy-to-combat-stormwater-outfall-and-sea-level-rise/

https://www.usgs.gov/science/evaluating-potential-benefits-permeable-pavement-quantity-and-quality-stormwater-runoff?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects

Rethinking the Future of Dams in the U.S.: The country must grapple with a legacy of 90,000 dams- the future of our existing dams, including 2,500 hydroelectric facilities, is complicated in the age of climate change

https://therevelator.org/rethinking-dams/

The World’s Largest Dam-removal Project — and What We Could Miss

https://therevelator.org/klamath-dam-science/

Can High-Volume Water Pumps Save Cities From Rising Sea Levels?

https://mwipumps.com/2021/02/05/how-flood-control-water-pumps-can-save-cities-from-rising-sea-levels/

What are the solutions being discussed near you? How are you impacted? Is there hope? Are there jobs to help with the challenge?

Grand Challenge: Understanding and Sustaining a Biodiverse Planet

ERC Grand Challenges: For project design, for inquiry, for activism

Photo by Lin Po-Tsen on Unsplash

Will Climate Change Take Us or Remake Us?

Climate change is transforming ecosystems at an extraordinary pace. As species respond, their interactions with the physical world and the organisms around it change too. This triggers a cascade of impacts throughout the entire ecosystem.

https://www.nap.edu/resource/12491/ecological_impacts.pdf

Will Climate Change Remake Human Biology? As temperatures continue to climb, will we wither away, or will our physiology begin to adapt? Should we be sweating it??

https://onezero.medium.com/will-heat-remake-human-biology-7e9c9dcf8ba7

Global warming will likely alter the internal workings of our bodies — and cause a noticeable shift in our appearance.

https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/science/climate-change-could-affect-human-evolution-here-s-how-ncna907276

Our digestive systems will need to evolve in response to food availability— where crops and livestock can be cultivated.

http://www.fao.org/livestock-environment/en/

Some 'warm-blooded' animals are shapeshifting and getting larger beaks, legs, and ears to better regulate their body temperatures as the planet gets hotter.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/09/210907110718.htm

Climate and Land Use Change

https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/what-are-long-term-effects-climate-change-1?qt-news_science_products=0#qt-news_science_products

What, if anything, can we do to prepare physically and emotionally for what the warming climate will bring? What conversations are you having in your family, your school, your community?

Grand Challenge: Understanding and Sustaining a Biodiverse Planet

Grand Challenge: Unlocking the Mysteries of the Universe

ERC Grand Challenges: For project design, for inquiry, for activism

Photo by Ross Findon on Unsplash

Is the Anthropocene Era a sinking endeavor?

Rising Seas: Many of us have begun to sink. Will that make us pay attention?

Seven places that are sinking faster than anywhere else in the US

https://www.businessinsider.com/cities-towns-sinking-rapidly-us-2019-6

New Maps Show How Sea Level Rise Will Destroy Coastal Cities By 2050 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimdobson/2019/10/30/shocking-new-maps-show-how-sea-level-rise-will-destroy-coastal-cities-by-2050/?sh=27cf6690456c

Our Debt to Places That Are Sinking

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/07/18/opinion/our-debt-places-that-are-sinking/

The Marshall Islands likely won't exist if we warm the planet 2 degrees

https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2015/06/opinions/sutter-two-degrees-marshall-islands/

Students on Pacific islands being swallowed by rising seas join global climate strike

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/climate-strike-change-protests-solomon-islands-global-warming-demonstrations-south-pacific-kiribati-marshall-islands-a9113386.html

The People of the Isle de Jean Charles Are Louisiana’s First Climate Refugees—But They Won’t Be the Last

https://www.nrdc.org/stories/people-isle-jean-charles-are-louisianas-first-climate-refugees-they-wont-be-last

This Alaska Town is Fleeing to Higher Ground

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/as-water-levels-rise-this-alaska-town-is-fleeing-to-higher-ground

How Sea Level Rise Threatens the NY/NJ/CT Region

https://www.fairfieldct.org/filestorage/10736/12067/17055/26401/48821/UNDER_WATER___How_Sea_Level_Rise_Threatens_the_Tri-State_Region_December_2016.pdf 

Are the Dutch Docklands Floating Islands a Sustainable Alternative?

https://trends.archiexpo.com/project-25436.html

What kind of conversations are you having about rising water? Do you live on high ground? Or on low ground? What does activism look like where you live?

Grand Challenge: Understanding and Sustaining a Biodiverse Planet

ERC Grand Challenges: For project design, for inquiry, for activism

Photo by Stormseeker on Unsplash

For the Birds

More people are watching the birds. But there are fewer of them to watch. What can the birds tell us? How have we treated them over the years? What will our combined futures look like?

The Pandemic: How Have Birds and Other Wildlife Responded?

https://www.audubon.org/news/a-year-pandemic-how-have-birds-and-other-wildlife-responded

Bird-watching soars amid COVID-19 as Americans head outdoors.

https://apnews.com/article/us-news-ap-top-news-ca-state-wire-or-state-wire-virus-outbreak-94a1ea5938943d8a70fe794e9f629b13

Millions of people are birdwatchers, with masses of clubs and groups in different countries across the globe

https://chirpbirding.com/blog/81/how-popular-is-birdwatching/

 As the earth warms, birds are literally our “canaries in the mine”.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/millions-of-birds-are-migrating-earlier-because-of-warming/

https://www.audubon.org/climate/survivalbydegrees

The Effects of Climate Change in 3 Birds

https://time.com/3319416/birds-climate-change/

Looks That Killed: The Fashion of Extinction

https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2016/06/looks-kill-fashion-extinction/

Humans are behind the extinction of hundreds of bird species over the last 50,000 years.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/08/210811113120.htm

Rosalie Edge: a forgotten hero of our natural world whose brave campaign to protect birds charted a new course for the environmental movement

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-mrs-edge-saved-birds-180977167/

The World’s First Refuge for Birds of Prey

https://www.hawkmountain.org/

 How are the birds doing in your area? Do you watch them or feed them? Who's taking care of them? What are the birds telling YOU??

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55795816

Grand Challenge: Understanding and Sustaining a Biodiverse Planet

ERC Grand Challenges: For project design, for inquiry, for activism

Photo by Boston Public Library on Unsplash

Trees and Plants: More Amazing Than Ever

From tiny flowers to grand networks of aspens, we are surrounded by trees and plants. And, we are learning more about our green neighbors all the time. What can you learn from the recent discoveries we’ve collected here?

Plants and animals share many of the same genes—but we use some of them in different ways.

https://blog.helix.com/eya-twg-plant-human-similarities/

Fungi, whales, trees, and humans grow the same way, and growth, not metabolism, is the common pattern that ties all complex life together.

https://theprint.in/science/different-but-similar-fungi-whales-trees-humans-grow-the-same-way-study-suggests/326845/

Under our feet is an information superhighway that allows plants to communicate.

http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20141111-plants-have-a-hidden-internet

https://www.nationalforests.org/blog/underground-mycorrhizal-network

Bristlecone pines only grow in the arid regions of the Western United States, and can live for thousands of years.

https://www.oldest.org/nature/bristlecone-pine-trees-usa/

Heirloom Farming from Jefferson’s Estate

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/farming-gardens-at-monticello

Andrew Jackson’s Magnolias

https://www.gardendesign.com/trees/presidential.html

A Photo Gallery of Vermont’s Oldest Trees

https://fpr.vermont.gov/forest/big-tree-photo-gallery

Why do trees from 300 million years ago have more complex structures than they do today?

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/tree-structure-mystery-china-scientists-baffled-a8016276.html

But There's Some Trouble…

The sixth mass extinction, climate change, and the loss of habitats and species, threaten Europe’s native woodlands.

https://mossy.earth/rewilding-knowledge/tree-extinction

In Australia:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/17/australia-spends-billions-planting-trees-then-wipes-out-carbon-gains-by-bulldozing-them

Facts About Large-scale Tree Planting

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55795816

Grand Challenge: Understanding and Sustaining a Biodiverse Planet

ERC Grand Challenges: For project design, for inquiry, for activism

Photo by José Ignacio González Pansiera on Unsplash

Biblical Waters: Some Miracles May Be Required

Some 2,000 years ago, Jesus walked across the Sea of Galilee, according to the Bible. Today, that doesn’t require a miracle.

Home to six percent of the world's population, yet just one percent of the world's freshwater resources, the Middle East needs to take critical action to narrow the gap between water supply and demand.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/11/middleeast/middle-east-water/index.html

Israel’s Sea of Galilee and Dead Sea are dying – What Is Being Done?

https://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/israels-sea-of-galilee-and-dead-sea-are-dying-what-is-being-done/

Drought turns the Fertile Crescent into a dust bowl.

https://earthdata.nasa.gov/learn/sensing-our-planet/crisis-in-the-crescent

Is the Sea of Galilee's recent water level rise dangerous?

 https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/is-the-sea-of-galilees-recent-water-level-rise-dangerous-663520

Sinking Israel-Jordan relations leave Dead Sea, a natural wonder, low and dry

https://www.timesofisrael.com/sinking-israel-jordan-relations-leave-dead-sea-a-natural-wonder-low-and-dry/

Jordan River's holy water is slowly drying up

https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/am/jordan-rivers-holy-water-is-slowly-drying-up/10665436

What Does the Future of the Euphrates Spell for the Middle East?

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/what-does-future-euphrates-spell-middle-east-180967224/

Desalinated water affects the energy equation in the Middle East

https://www.iea.org/commentaries/desalinated-water-affects-the-energy-equation-in-the-middle-east

 Is desalination the Sea of Galilee's savior?

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-israel-galilee-idUSKCN1NA1EV

Amoebas Again! Fountains of Life Found at the Bottom of the Dead Sea

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/artful-amoeba/fountains-of-life-found-at-the-bottom-of-the-dead-sea/

Red Sea – Dead Sea: Ambitious plans to join two oceans and transport billions of cubic meters of water per year

https://www.waterworld.com/international/desalination/article/16202588/red-sea-dead-sea-tender-includes-desalination-plant

What's in your faucet??

Grand Challenge: Understanding and Sustaining a Biodiverse Planet

ERC Grand Challenges: For project design, for inquiry, for activism

Photo by Benjamin Rascoe on Unsplash

Can Our Oceans Save Us?

How much of our earth do the oceans cover? (go look it up!).

How has ocean area changed with different eras in the Earth’s history? (make sure to check out the Precambrian Era).

With that much area and influence on life on Earth, it’s obvious that oceans play an important role in many climates around the world. How can we think about their future - and ours - as we consider climate change?

The Ocean’s Heroic Potential

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/12/21/opinion/oceans-heroic-potential-could-be-realized-under-biden/

There are Solutions To Climate Change In The Ocean

https://oceanblueproject.org/solutions-to-climate-change-in-the-ocean-urban-ocean/

Bad news. Good news. The ocean report you didn't see.

https://heated.world/p/the-ocean-report-you-didnt-see

Think tank for the future of coastal cities

https://urbanoceanlab.org/

Clean It Up

https://theoceancleanup.com/

A New Reason to Love Bottom Feeders: They Suck Up Carbon

https://www.livescience.com/46084-deep-sea-fish-suck-up-carbon.html

Coronavirus lockdown giving world’s oceans much-needed breathing space

https://environmentjournal.online/articles/coronavirus-lockdown-giving-worlds-oceans-much-needed-breathing-space/

Wetlands are a pivotal part of the natural system

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/habitat-conservation/coastal-wetlands-too-valuable-lose

Rhode Island and Chesapeake Save the Bays

https://www.savebay.org/bay_issues/habitats-and-wildlife/

https://www.chesapeakebay.net/discover/ecosystem/the_estuary_system

Restoring Wetlands Will Prepare Us for Sea Level Rise

https://bayareamonitor.org/article/how-restoring-wetlands-will-prepare-us-for-sea-level-rise/

Mangrove ecosystems support an incredible diversity of creatures and are extremely important to the health of the planet.

https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/plants-algae/mangroves

Urgency of Helping the Oceans Stay Healthy

https://time.com/5863821/saving-the-oceans/

Oceanography and Teaching

https://mirjamglessmer.com/2019/09/04/favourite-quote-by-miriam-goldstein-the-ocean-is-strong-and-powerful-and-it-likes-to-rip-things-up/

Grand Challenge: Understanding and Sustaining a Biodiverse Planet

ERC Grand Challenges: For project design, for inquiry, for activism

Photo by Erastus McCart on Unsplash

The Last Straws for Our Environment?

Plastic straws - how could such small items create such big controversies?

Fact Check: How many straws do Americans actually use in a day?

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/19/business/plastic-straws-ban-fact-check-nyt.html

Where do drinking our straws fit into the array of environmental challenges?

https://www.coastal.ca.gov/publiced/ccd/history.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/kidspost/plastic-straws-are-little-but-they-are-part-of-a-huge-problem/2018/09/07/63bfe44e-ac9f-11e8-b1da-ff7faa680710_story.html

https://www.1millionwomen.com.au/blog/straws-why-they-seriously-suck/

A Brief History of the Straw: Beginning with: When Straws Were Actually Straw

https://www.bonappetit.com/entertaining-style/trends-news/article/history-of-the-straw/amp

https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-drinking-straws-1992399

The Science of Straws: Getting the Atmosphere to Work for You

https://www.indianapublicmedia.org/amomentofscience/drinking-straws-work.php

https://www.thenakedscientists.com/articles/questions/how-does-drinking-straw-work

The Strange Invention of the Bendy Straw

https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/11/the-amazing-history-and-the-strange-invention-of-the-bendy-straw/248923/

How plastic straws took over the world

https://api.nationalgeographic.com/distribution/public/amp/environment/2018/07/news-plastic-drinking-straw-history-ban

How L.A. Bars and Restaurants Have Adjusted to the Plastic Straw Ban (and So Can You)

https://www.lamag.com/citythinkblog/plastic-straw-ban-solutions/

Straw Bans: Unintended Discrimination?

https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/11/health/plastic-straw-bans-disabled-trnd/index.html

https://time.com/5335955/plastic-straws-disabled/

https://www.today.com/health/plastic-straw-bans-hurt-kids-adults-disabilities-advocates-say-t158808

Plastic Straw Alternatives

https://yesstraws.com/blogs/news/19-plastic-straw-alternatives

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-06-05/the-fight-for-paper-straws-is-getting-fierce-in-new-york-bars

https://nymag.com/strategist/article/best-rreusable-straws.html

Starbucks Bans Plastics Straws, Winds up Using More Plastic Overall

https://reason.com/2018/07/12/starbucks-straw-ban-will-see-the-company/

https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/plastic-alternatives-doing-harm/

Tray? Check. Spork? Check. Napkin? Check. But No More Plastic Straws In Miami-Dade School Cafeterias

https://www.wlrn.org/education/2020-03-10/spork-check-napkin-check-but-no-more-plastic-straws-in-miami-dade-school-cafeterias

Grand Challenge: Understanding and Sustaining a Biodiverse Planet

ERC Grand Challenges: For project design, for inquiry, for activism

Photo by Thoa Ngo on Unsplash

Increasing Threats from Wildfires

The burning issue: managing wildfire risk. What happens when thousands, even millions, of acres burn? After a wildfire rages through an area, the ecosystem is disrupted - but is it actually healthier because of what’s now able to grow? Over millennia, people have worked with fire in keeping forests healthy - is our contemporary Smokey the Bear really the best mascot for management? With maps, data, and information below, see what sense you can make out of how we should handle wildfires to come.

Climate Change Has Doubled the Number of Wildfires

https://www.c2es.org/content/wildfires-and-climate-change/

https://www.oliverwyman.com/our-expertise/insights/2019/sep/the-burning-issue-managing-wildfire-risk.html

The year rainforests burned

https://news.mongabay.com/2019/12/2019-the-year-rainforests-burned/

More countries than ever hit by forest fires

https://phys.org/news/2019-11-countries-forest.html

Wildfires in South America from January to August 2020, by country or territory

https://www.statista.com/statistics/1043895/number-wildfires-south-america-country/

What makes California burn so much?

https://abc7.com/what-causes-wildfires-cal-fire-california-ca/6381945/

Active Fire Mapping-Large incident map

https://fsapps.nwcg.gov/afm/

https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/

People and Forests

https://www.fs.usda.gov/science-technology/people-forests

Managing Fires

https://www.fs.usda.gov/science-technology/fire

Wildfire Support from 438 Miles Above

https://www.usgs.gov/news/wildfire-support-438-miles-above

For Help, Australia Looks to Aboriginal Practices

https://www.yesmagazine.org/environment/2020/01/13/australia-fires-aboriginal-land-management/

In U.S., Native Tribes Are Taking Fire Control Into Their Own Hands

https://www.wired.com/story/wildfires-native-tribes-controlled-burns/

https://www.bia.gov/bia/ots/dfwfm/bwfm/forestry-fire-management-stories/confederated-salish-and-kootenai-tribes-make

Native approaches to fire management could revitalize communities

https://news.stanford.edu/2019/08/27/traditional-fire-management-help-revitalize-american-indian-cultures/

Introduction to Fire Ecology

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xjVXybavO0

Where the Forests Fall, the Grasses Grow

https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/lcmap/science/lcmap-change-stories-where-forests-fall-grasses-grow?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects

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Our Old Friend NaCl and Some Cool Salty Places Around the Globe

Salt: a compound, a taste, a mineral, a treasure. When we’re cooking, we don’t want too much, nor too little. Wars have been fought over salt, expressions created about it (“he’s worth his salt”), and all sorts of superstitions about throwing it over your shoulder. What more do you know about our friend NaCl?

It's been a big deal for humans.

https://www.mashed.com/160965/the-untold-truth-of-salt/

https://manoa.hawaii.edu/exploringourfluidearth/chemical/chemistry-and-seawater/salty-sea/weird-science-salt-essential-life

Everyone needs salt for fluid balance, muscle and nerve function. How much do we need?

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/146677

https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/how-body-regulates-salt-levels

How Salt Has Shaped Our Landscape

https://www.saltassociation.co.uk/education/physical-geography-salt-shaped-landscape/

Salar de Uyuni- the World’s Largest Salt Flat

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salar_de_Uyuni

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/salar-de-uyuni-bolivian-salt-flat

Uyuni stargazing tour - Night Sky Reflections from the World's Largest Mirror

https://www.rutaverdebolivia.com/tour/uyuni-stargazing-tour/

https://science.nasa.gov/night-sky-reflections-worlds-largest-mirror

Where Does the Ocean Get its Salt?

https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/exploring-our-ocean/0/steps/730

A Luxury Salt?

https://www.dandelionchandelier.com/2019/09/15/luxury-salt/

Freshwater Is Getting Saltier, Threatening People and Wildlife

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/freshwater-is-getting-saltier-threatening-people-and-wildlife/

The Salt Flats of Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico

https://www.tpl.org/our-work/cabo-rojo-salt-flats

Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah: Flats are as solid as concrete, ideally suited for speed trials; several world automobile and motorcycle speed and endurance records have been established there

https://www.britannica.com/place/Bonneville-Salt-Flats

https://utah.com/bonneville-salt-flats

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/super-mario-kart-and-the-bonneville-salt-flats/id1342003491?i=1000409944879

Salinas Grandes, Argentina

https://argentina-travel-blog.sayhueque.com/salinas-grandes-salta-province/

“Man can live without gold, but he can’t live without salt”: Stuff You Should Know (Podcast)

https://www.iheart.com/podcast/105-stuff-you-should-know-26940277/episode/how-salt-works-29467958/

Why does salt make food taste better? (SciShow Video)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATrSoMlx5PE

The largest body of water in California was formed by a mistake. In 1905, the California Development Company accidentally flooded a huge depression in the Sonora Desert, creating an enormous salty lake called the Salton Sea.

https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/sea-worth-salt/

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Good vs. Evil: Jellyfish Spark Debate

In Japan, jellyfish 6-ft wide are clogging fishing nets and power plant intakes. In Wisconsin, scientists are studying how jellyfish proteins might help treat Alzheimer’s disease. Across the world’s oceans, jellyfish could potentially help clean up plastics.

Could jellyfish play an essential role in the future of our planet - by destroying it or by saving it?

The term "jellyfish" is a slippery one.

 http://www.nbcnews.com/id/39764288/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/good-vs-evil-jellyfish-swarms-spark-debate/

Jellyfish Blooms and the Future of the Ocean

https://www.earthisland.org/journal/index.php/articles/entry/jellyfish_swarms_are_bad_news_for_ocean_ecosystems/

https://www.fastcompany.com/90362601/jellyfish-are-booming-because-of-climate-change-and-human-activity

What Jellyfish Can Teach Us About the Oceans’ Future

https://therevelator.org/spineless-jellyfish/

Many jellies have evolved unique abilities

https://theconversation.com/jellyfish-have-superpowers-and-other-reasons-they-dont-deserve-their-bad-reputation-88746

Brainless Creatures Can do Some Incredibly Smart Things

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2018/05/life-without-brains-smart-slime-molds-plants-jellyfish-osr-science/

Brain Research Supports Drug Development From Jellyfish Protein

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/10/061027183731.htm

Brains of simple sea animals could help cure neural disorders

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-nature-combjellies-idUSKBN0E123O20140521

Scientists believe jellyfish could help rid our waters of plastic waste

https://thenextweb.com/syndication/2018/09/13/scientists-believe-jellyfish-could-help-rid-our-waters-of-plastic-waste/

A gelatinous solution to plastic pollution

https://gojelly.eu/

Can Jellyfish Unlock Secrets of Immortality?

https://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/02/magazine/can-a-jellyfish-unlock-the-secret-of-immortality.html

A surprising variety of sea creatures feed on jellyfish, and that their growing populations may not be so bad 

https://api.nationalgeographic.com/distribution/public/amp/animals/2019/01/many-ocean-creatures-surprisingly-eat-jellyfish

Jellyfish can grow back into their juvenile stage when resources are scarce, reproduce in massive groups and kill an adult human. (Podcast)

https://www.iheart.com/podcast/105-stuff-you-should-know-26940277/episode/jellyfish-even-cooler-than-octopi-29467347/

Identify that Jelly

https://www.vims.edu/bayinfo/jellyfish/guide/index.php

Jellyfish 101 (Video from National Geographic)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9z8ujpPgUjI

What species of jellyfish are you most interested in learning more about? Could they change the world as we know it?

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Bringing Back Our Fish

Migratory routes blocked, predatory invasive species, and low water quality have made it hard on native fish. Here are some stories to help us understand what challenges they face - and what we might do about it.

Reopening Rivers for Migratory Fish: Every year, millions of fish migrate to their native habitats to reproduce. They are often blocked from completing their journey.

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/habitat-conservation/reopening-rivers-migratory-fish

The Los Angeles River: Could L.A. welcome native fish once again?

https://www.lamag.com/citythinkblog/la-river-native-fish/

Bringing a native fish back to Lake Huron

https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/lake_herring_bringing_a_native_fish_back_to_lake_huron

Researchers Aim to Reestablish an Ancient Fish in an Ohio River

https://www.the-scientist.com/notebook/a-project-aims-to-reestablish-an-ancient-fish-in-an-ohio-river-65234

Florida wildlife: Non-native fish invading Florida’s freshwaters

https://www.staugustine.com/zz/news/20191209/florida-wildlife-non-native-fish-invading-floridas-freshwaters

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzaeYzAC8Ro

Prehistoric hydro-engineering: Native Americans in Ancient Florida Developed Fish Farms - Archaeologists explore huge walled fishponds on artificial island built by the powerful Calusa kingdom over 1,000 years ago

https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/.premium-native-americans-in-ancient-florida-developed-pre-electricity-fish-storage-1.8724474

Cape Cod Herring Runs

https://www.capecod.com/lifestyle/all-you-need-to-know-about-cape-cod-herring-runs/

More herring are running as dams are razed.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/04/21/lifestyle/herring-are-running-all-more-so-dams-are-razed/

NYC Nature: The Stubborn Staying Power of the Alewife Herring

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/16/nyregion/alewife-herring.html

Gila trout returning to native Arizona waters

https://azdailysun.com/gila-trout-returning-to-native-arizona-waters/article_8b7db2eb-a79b-5329-831b-4f3dea93aead.html

Non-native relative of the piranha, found in Arizona lake

https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-environment/2018/01/19/pacu-fish-creepy-humanlike-teeth-taking-bite-out-arizonas-waterways/1033687001/

An Approach to Conservation of Native Fish in Yellowstone

https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/upload/YS-25-1-FISH-ISSUE-PDF-FINAL-WEB_R.PDF

A story of native fish conservation and what it takes to restore trout in the Yellowstone ecosystem (podcast)

https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/photosmultimedia/onefishtwofish.htm

What is the status of native fish species near you?

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The Colorado River: The Beating Heart of the American Southwest

The Colorado River travels through seven US states and two Mexican states over the course of its 1,450mi journey. The River’s basin, inhabited by Native American peoples for at least 8,000 years, faces serious issues today. Dams, aquaducts, land use practices, and recreation impact quality of life for thousands of species. What threats - natural and man-made - does the River face, and what do we need to understand (and do) to restore its health?

https://www.americanrivers.org/river/colorado-river/

https://coloradoriver.org/about-the-river/

Chasing Rivers, Part 1: The Colorado (National Geographic video)

How did the 2010 Baja California earthquake change the course of the Colorado River?

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-69-magnitude-quake-shakes-san-diego-region-2010apr04-htmlstory.html

From Hope to Reality: The Colorado River Flows to the Sea (Sonoran Institute video)

Will the Colorado Run Dry?

https://e360.yale.edu/features/the-wests-great-river-hits-its-limits-will-the-colorado-run-dry

We Are Rivers Podcast: Colorado River Compact Call Part 1 – What Could A Call Mean (Podcast episode)

John Wesley Powell’s Exploration of the Colorado River

 https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/geology/publications/inf/powell/sec3.htm

https://www.nps.gov/dino/learn/historyculture/john-wesley-powell.htm

History of Colorado River Indian Tribes

https://www.postonpreservation.org/colorado-river-indian-tribes

https://www.crit-nsn.gov/

https://itcaonline.com/member-tribes/colorado-river-indian-tribes/

The Colorado Aqueduct

https://www.asce.org/project/colorado-river-aqueduct/

Tribal Water Rights in the Colorado River Basin

https://medium.com/@ricafulton/indigenous-water-rights-of-the-colorado-river-ff80cdd9c504

Restoring the Colorado: Bringing New Life to a Stressed River

https://e360.yale.edu/features/restoring-the-colorado-bringing-new-life-to-a-stressed-river

Native American Tribes Oppose River Project on Navajo Land

https://www.ecowatch.com/native-americans-dam-colorado-river-2641467216.html

Colorado River Basin Natural Flow and Salt Data

https://www.usbr.gov/lc/region/g4000/NaturalFlow/documentation.html

Meet the Four Endangered Fish of the Colorado River

https://westernresourceadvocates.org/blog/meet-the-four-endangered-fish-of-the-colorado-river/

Poetry of Rivers and Earth: Geode

https://www.susanbarba.net/books

How are the rivers near you faring? Clean? Healthy? In need of attention?

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Colorado River Basin (Shannon1: Creative Commons)

The High Environmental Costs of Cruise Ships

When you think of going on a cruise, what comes to mind? Faraway places, high end entertainment, delicious food? How about toxins and economic instability? Explore these links to consider some of the pros and cons of the cruise ship industry.

Cruise ships pose many environmental concerns, from waste disposal to toxic paint to the creation of noise that can harm marine life

https://daily.jstor.org/the-high-environmental-costs-of-cruise-ships/

Cruise Industry's Boom Is Primed To Continue

https://www.forbes.com/sites/joemicallef/2018/09/01/the-cruise-industrys-boom-is-primed-to-continue/#1b4026562d89

The world's largest cruise ship and its supersized pollution problem

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/may/21/the-worlds-largest-cruise-ship-and-its-supersized-pollution-problem

Places That Are (and Aren't) Coping With Cruise Ship Popularity

https://www.travelagentcentral.com/cruises/places-are-and-aren-t-coping-their-cruise-ship-popularity

A year after illegally releasing oil into the ocean, cruise line allegedly dumps over 500,000 gallons of sewage and 11,000 gallons of food waste

https://www.businessinsider.com/carnival-cruise-ships-dumped-sewage-waste-into-ocean-report-2019-4

Cruise ship collision with Budapest sightseeing boat

https://apnews.com/95bb78cfcc31492c8356945915185097

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What Happened to Two of America's Iconic Trees?

Stately elms trees lined the streets of American cities and towns. Chestnuts blanketed North America, providing food and furniture. What happened? And are they gone forever? Could it happen again to other species?

History of Dutch elm disease

http://www.jewishrhody.com/stories/history-of-dutch-elm-disease,2762

The toll on Providence RI’s urban canopy

https://www.ecori.org/natural-resources/2015/4/29/dutch-elm-disease-takes-toll-on-john-brown-house-elms

Programs of the Elm Research Institute

https://www.libertytreesociety.org/about.html

Elm trees: An American Comeback Story

https://friendsoftrees.org/blog/elm-trees-an-american-comeback/

A Maine town where elms have remained strong

http://castinepatriot.com/news/2011/jun/24/castine-elm-trees-focus-of-tour/#.XiXOSVxOnZE

Clones help famous elm tree live on, for now

https://www.tribuneledgernews.com/local_news/state_and_national/clones-help-famous-elm-tree-named-herbie-live-on-for/image_1932b596-8ee9-576a-8b18-cfdadfd421d9.html

One of NYC “Great Trees”

https://www.nycgovparks.org/facilities/great-trees?id=33’s

More than a century ago nearly four billion American chestnut trees were growing in the eastern U.S. The chestnut blight has been called the greatest ecological disaster to strike the world’s forests in all of history.

https://www.acf.org/the-american-chestnut/history-american-chestnut/

What it Takes to Bring Back the Mythical American Chestnut

https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2019/04/29/what-it-takes-bring-back-near-mythical-american-chestnut-trees

Resistant hybrids of the American chestnut tree are making a comeback

https://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/american-chestnut-tree-zmaz10fmzraw

One of the Largest Remaining American Chestnut Trees in North America (video)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQwV0QfJmwI&feature=youtu.be

Do you live where elms and chestnuts have vanished? Could they grow again?

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By Ptelea - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16572537

Coming to Grips With Food Waste

Food waste is gaining prominence and visibility in our modern world.

Multiple Impacts of Household Food Waste

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2019.00143/full

Grocery Store Waste Statistics Are a Wake-Up Call

https://www.dumpsters.com/blog/grocery-store-food-waste-statistics

High school students shocked at waste uncovered during cafeteria food waste audits

https://www.nclnet.org/lifesmarts_foodwaste_audit

Schools waste $5 million a day in uneaten food. Here's how Oakland is reinventing the cafeteria

https://grist.org/article/schools-waste-5-million-a-day-in-uneaten-food-heres-how-oakland-is-reinventing-the-cafeteria/

Farmers Are Using Food Waste To Make Electricity

https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2019/11/30/783001327/chew-on-this-farmers-are-using-food-waste-to-make-electricity

https://www.biogasworld.com/news/turning-food-waste-into-energy-to-power-homes/

South Korea once recycled 2% of its food waste. Now it recycles 95%.

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/04/south-korea-recycling-food-waste/

A Restaurant With No Leftovers

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/01/business/zero-waste-restaurants.html

Grocery stores make reducing food waste a priority in Durango

https://durangoherald.com/articles/308780-grocery-stores-make-reducing-food-waste-a-priority-in-durango

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Climate Change: Faster Than Expected-Who’s Doing What?

Iceberg-making submarine aims to tackle climate warming by re-freezing the Arctic

https://projects.archiexpo.com/project-266195.html

Check this out~ A great TOOL for climate study: The Global Climate Change Explorer

https://www.exploratorium.edu/climate/ice

Making Climate Solutions a Reality

https://www.climaterealityproject.org/blog/seven-solutions-climate-crisis

Giant walls and cooling tunnels may be the best ways to save polar ice.

https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/science/can-these-bold-plans-keep-world-s-ice-sheets-melting-ncna877616

Florida Keys Deliver a Hard Message: At $60 million a mile, the Keys may abandon some roads to sea rise rather than raise them

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/environment/article238040499.html#storylink=cpy

Saving coral in the Gulf of Mexico

https://www.voanews.com/science-health/plan-would-protect-21-coral-hot-spots-gulf-mexico

For New England, more intense rain events, more severe coastal storms, temperature extremes, poor air quality, disappearing salt marshes.

https://www.providencejournal.com/news/20181123/impacts-of-climate-change-pronounced-in-northeast

Saving Vermont’s Nordic skiing industry (for a while at least)?

• https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2019/12/08/warming-winters-new-method-preserving-snow-for-skiing/F7cPOzXGkH9RKh9nRsrPAM/story.html

• https://fasterskier.com/fsarticle/innovation-and-the-science-of-over-summer-snow-storage-at-the-craftsbury-outdoor-center/

• https://www.craftsbury.com/blog/6801/snow-storage-final-2018-data

On the Connecticut River

https://engineering.umass.edu/news/how-deal-with-climate-change-connecticut-river-and-beyond

In New Mexico, increasing temperatures, shrinking water resources, and impact on the chile industry:

https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/confronting-climate-change-new-mexico

https://www.lcsun-news.com/story/news/2019/09/19/climate-change-means-uncertain-future-new-mexico-chile-farmers/2378419001/

Don’t play in the bubbles. Frothy Waves of Sea Foam Coat the Coast of Chennai

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/sea-foam-chennai-india

What’s happening around YOU? What’s hopeful? What’s worrisome? What are people DOING??

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