When Green Energy Turns Toxic: Re-Tooling Solar Panels
Experts discuss the shift towards recycling solar panels and what more needs to be done to make this energy source truly sustainable.
Conservation and Sustainability Sub-categories:
- Energy and Renewable Energy (5)
- Recycling (4)
Elevating Solar Energy
While current solar energy relies on the sun, scientists are now developing new technology that would allow for 24/7 energy absorption. We speak with an expert about this exciting development and what lies ahead.
The Gift Economy
There’s more spots to find secondhand items apart from Goodwill or a local antique store. Next time you’re in the market for something specific, go online and search if your area has a Buy Nothing group.
How To: Getting Into Gardening This Summer
Getting started in gardening can seem overwhelming - especially if you have trouble keeping a solo houseplant alive. But with some research and a small investment, the rewards of tending to a garden are life-long.
The Future of Ethanol
Ethanol is a key additive in the gas that powers our cars and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. But with electric cars gaining popularity – how long will this massive ethanol market survive? How are producers making this process more environmentally friendly?
Saving Coral Reefs
Coral reefs are home to 25% of all marine life – approximately 800,000 species. But these vibrant, colorful landscapes are more than just a home for life; coral reefs are animals themselves.
The Expanding Landfill in Space
From weather forecasting to cellular coverage to global imaging, we heavily rely on space satellites in our day to day lives. We discuss the serious issue of human-created space debris and what’s being done to curb this problem before it reaches catastrophic levels.
The Many Modes of Transportation
Dr. Susan Shaheen, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of California-Berkeley, joins us this week to highlight the country’s current infrastructure and what more needs to be done to promote greater citizen mobility with bikes, scooters and other non-motor modes of transportation.
The Endless Drought: Dwindling Water in the West
Lake Mead, the reservoir created by the Hoover Dam, is at its lowest levels ever recorded. Drought is not a new problem in the West, but it is getting worse as the years go by. What’s being done to curb water consumption and increase supply so people’s taps don’t run dry?
The Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Conundrum
How often do you buy an item from the store that’s packaged in a plastic container or wrapped in plastic? Daily decisions like these add up and are feeding into the global plastic crisis. Scientists estimate that there’s anywhere between nine to 16 million tons of plastic on the sea floor, polluting the environment, harming species and releasing harmful …
The State of Climate Science in the U.S.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere leading to a warmer planet. The largest source of greenhouse gas emissions due to human activities is from burning fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas for electricity, heat and transportation. In recent years, the increasingly dry and warm climate in the …
A Shift Towards Sustainable Construction & Design
Today, a greater number of architects and developers are not only thinking about profit and supply, but the additional - sometimes invisible - factors at play when it comes to new buildouts. These include the true benefits to humans, the environmental toll and the most practical designs that are symbiotic with nature.
The Plight of the Strawberries
Strawberries are ubiquitous across the U.S. Supermarkets in every town stock cartons of fresh strawberries year round at a reasonable price. But this widespread availability may come to a halt in the near future as the industry faces several big challenges: labor shortages, climate change, sustainable farming legislation, etc. We discuss the history of the …
Plastic, Where Does It All Ultimately End Up?
Around 90 percent of the plastic we use is left unrecycled and dumped in a landfill. Over time, this waste seeps into our oceans, harming its ecosystems and creating massive islands of floating garbage. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is now more than twice the size of Texas. What small steps can we each take to reduce plastic consumption and get …
How New Concepts Are Increasing Access To Nutritious Food
You want to eat healthily, but sometimes that’s not always possible. There’s nothing around that’s quick, affordable and above all, hits the spot. We cover how new models are creating a greater number of nutritious options and the challenges that comes with sustaining the profitability of these new systems.
Culture Crash: Chronicling the Nuclear Disaster at Chernobyl
We discuss the new HBO miniseries, co-produced with Sky UK, titled “Chernobyl”. The show follows the chronological events of the 1986 nuclear disaster in the Soviet Union and captures the confusion and terror in the days, months and years following the accident.
Greener Gardening During Climate Change
Gardeners always seek to get the most out of their plants, but some are finding that their plot of land doesn’t produce the way it used to because of wildly changing, extreme conditions—torrential rain, then draught, heat then cold. We talk to two experts who explain ways to increase your garden’s productivity, and how it can help combat climate change.
Spiders & Bats: The truth behind the Halloween icons of fear
Spiders and bats are two of the most indelible symbols of Halloween fear across the country. We talk to experts to get the truth behind these traditionally scary creatures, and hear why neither of them are nearly as scary as we’ve been made to believe.
Saving the Cheetahs
Cheetahs are the fastest of all land animals – they can reach speeds of up to 70 mph in short bursts. Despite their speed and hunting ability, cheetahs are endangered in Africa and Asia, and don’t breed especially well in captivity. In Africa, they can attack livestock herds for food, and that puts them in danger from the subsistence farmers who need to …
