Monthly Archives: March 2014

The Truth about Travel: How Eco-Friendly is your Hotel?

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View of the Pacific Ocean in Quepos, Costa Rica

View of the Pacific Ocean in Quepos, Costa Rica

Sitting on the cliffs of the Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica, next to the coast of the Pacific Ocean, is a small eco-lodge called Lapa Rios where visitors from around the world can escape from the modern world and find nature again. Nestled on 1000 acres of rainforest, this lodge offers 50 guests an opportunity to not only have fun, but to also lessen their impact on the fragile ecosystem of the rainforest while supporting the local economy. The experience is the epitome of the burgeoning field of ecotourism.

Ecotourism is a growing trend around the world. According to the International Ecotourism Society, the brand of travel has grown 20 percent to 34 percent each year since 1990. Ecotourism is defined by Merriam-Webster Dictionary as “the practice of traveling to beautiful natural places for pleasure in a way that does not damage the environment there.” And yet it has become so much bigger than just the environment. In order to participate in true ecotourism, lodges must take into account how they are affecting the local community. Ecotourism is about being local.  Continue reading →

Environmental Racism: How Communities of Color Bear the Greatest Burden of the US’s Waste

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Protest against the arrival of the first tuck, 1982. Photograph By: Jenny Labalme

In September 1982, citizens of the very poor, predominantly black, Warren County in North Carolina marched against establishing a PCB (highly toxic chemicals which were previously used in electrical equipment such as transformers and capacitors before they were banned in 1979) landfill in their community. Six weeks later, after the last truck loaded with contaminated soil arrived at the landfill location, the police had arrested 523 people protesting the toxic dump, including Democratic Congressman Walter Fauntroy. The situation also marked the first official documented use of the term “environmental racism”—a phrase that  implies race plays a factor in overlooking environmental and health concerns in neighborhoods occupied primarily by people of color. Although the term itself was coined quite a long time ago, this problem remains controversial today. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, racism is “poor treatment of or violence against people because of their race.” By extension, environmental racism is often defined as “the disproportionate impact of environmental hazards on people of color.”

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An Introduction to Livestock and the Climate Crisis

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cattle_grain_feed

Grain-Fed Cattle
Courtesy of Institute for Livestock & the Environment

The industrial livestock sector is heating our planet at an alarming pace and will continue to do so unless sweeping changes are made to production practices and consumer habits. The contemporary conversation around climate change tends to focus on the consequences of an overreliance on fossil fuels. Meat production is often overlooked as a significant contributor to the climate crisis, despite emitting 18 percent of global greenhouse gases – a percentage point larger than that of all modes of transportation. Considering the ramifications of climate change, it is crucial to analyze and transform the relationship between meat production and the environment. Continue reading →

Winds of Change: Redefining the Energy Market

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Meadow Lake Wind Farm

While driving north through Indiana en route to Chicago in the middle of the night, drivers will likely find themselves suddenly surrounded by a sea of red blinking lights. They don’t signify a nearby airport or some secret government operation. Instead, the red lights simply indicate the tops of turbines—or high tech windmills. In the sunlight, I-65 adopts a yellow-brick road quality, the sheer magnitude of the extraordinary wind farm that stretches for miles actually visible. The behemoths adopt a sleek and graceful quality, their blades dancing in sync high above the scattered tree line. This particular operation, the Meadow Lake Wind Farm, consists of 303 turbines that produce approximately 500 MW of power, or enough energy to power 150,000 to 300,000 homes per year. Meadow Lake Wind is one of 28 North American farms operated by Spain-based EDP-Renewables, whose combined output equals nearly 3,700 MW.  At the moment, growth of the wind industry in the US has been slow. But experts argue that with increased support of wind farming in the US, there is an opportunity to avoid sole reliance on nonrenewable fossil fuel sources for energy. One day soon, we may find ourselves not relying on the Kansas oil fields anymore.

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Space-Based Solar Power — A Viable Solution to Our Energy Crisis?

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Photo courtesy SPS-ALPHA/http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/716070main_Mankins_2011_PhI_SPS_Alpha.pdf

Twenty-two thousand miles above the Earth, an array of silicon glitters in the sunlight, quietly beaming power down to the planet below and providing energy to millions. One-hundred million miles away, a single photon leaves the sun, rocketing at the speed of light towards Earth. Upon arrival, the photon hits the silicon array of the solar cells in geosynchronous orbit, where the cell transforms the raw energy of the sun into microwaves, which are beamed down to a receiving station on Earth. Once at the receiving station, this power is fed onto the electric grid where it can now be used to power cities and homes. Behold, the possibilities of space-based solar power.

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