By: Margaret Xun The demands of the modern world are seemingly non-stop. To keep up, about 75% of adults in Canada consume coffee on a daily basis. But how sustainable are the plants behind the coffee? Shade-grown coffee has been shown to be more environmentally beneficial while simultaneously capturing a richer flavour. Sun-grown coffee refers…
What exactly is “Sustainable Packaging”?
By: Alisha Wang As climate awareness becomes more and more widespread, a lot of companies have turned to more sustainable packaging to both attract more customers and to minimize their carbon footprint. However with Greenwashing, it can often be difficult to tell if a package is actually “sustainable”. Here is a closer look at the…
My visit to Oslo, Norway | Travel blog
By: Sophie Choong After arriving in Oslo late last night, I drove four hours to get to the nearest scenic Norwegian fjord: Sognefjorden, known as the largest and deepest fjord in Norway! I stopped in Lærdal before driving to Sogndal, the home of the fjord. I took an evening cruise to see the fjord and…
The Shrinking Salt Lake
By: Margaret Xun As it stands, Utah’s Great Salt Lake is projected to dry up within only five years due to various human interventions. The lake, which serves as a vital ecosystem to over 10 million migrating birds, has shrunk to about six metres below its average elevation, earning a record-breaking low in the lake’s…
Sustainable Menstruation Products
By: Alisha Wang Menstruation is one of the most universal experiences and as a result of its frequency and sheer amount of people who menstruate, the waste accumulated as a result has had impacts on our environment, however, there have been sustainable alternatives created. Tracking the damage menstrual products have caused on our environment is…
What’s the deal with suburban sprawl?
By: Sophie Choong Suburban sprawl, also known as urban sprawl, refers to the expansion of cities and their surrounding suburbs, typically characterized by low-density housing, commercial development, and the reliance on personal vehicles. It is the idea of human population growing “out” instead of “up,” the latter of which is seen as common urban planning…
So who’s really responsible for climate change?
By: Sophie Choong In the mid-2000s, searches for the term ‘carbon footprint’ skyrocketed on Google Search. Carbon footprint has become a ubiquitous phrase to describe how each of us lives, works, and travels, and our personal impact on the environment. Your carbon footprint is affected by every lifestyle choice you make: from how much meat…
How Will the Willow Project Affect the Environment?
By: Margaret Xun Contrary to President Biden’s promise to end new oil drillings on federal land as well as predictions for its disastrous impacts on the environment, March 13, 2023 marks the date on which America’s largest current oil project was approved. The Willow Project, an ambitious, dangerous, and encumbering plan to drill into Alaska’s…
Community Spotlight: UNICEF and WWF Youth Advocate Katie Yu
By Enya Fang Hi Katie! Please introduce yourself to those who may not know you. I’m Katie Yu, she/her pronouns. I live in Iqaluit, Nunavut and have lived here my whole life. Currently, I’m a high-school student in grade 11 – most of my time is spent on school but I’m big on environmental advocacy…
Utah’s Shrinking Great Salt Lake
By: Sophie Choong The largest saltwater lake in the Americas is drying up—and fast. Utah’s Great Salt Lake and its surrounding marshes are home to millions of species, from waterfowl to brine shrimp. With the wetlands around the lake spanning 360,000 acres, many bird species use the lake as a resting point during migrations between…