Hold the Salt, Please: The Environmental Impact of Road Salt
As winter approaches, we’ll soon see salt-spreading plow trucks on the roads. And Todd Walter, director of the New York State Water Resources Institute, says salt that is washed off the roads stays in the soil for months. “It gets back down to background levels again sometimes as late as October, so we’re really keeping the system juiced up for a […]
The International Joint Commission Invites Public Participation via Online Platform
The IJC, or International Joint Commission, is an organization that was founded in 1909 when the Boundary Waters Treaty was signed by the US and Canada. This commission works to resolve and prevent disagreements between the two countries while acting as an independent and objective advisor to the governments. In 1972, Canada and USA came together to create the Great Lakes Quality […]
What will Trump mean for the Great Lakes?
Donald Trump’s election victory came with plenty of support from the Great Lakes region — unofficial returns show him winning five of the eight states. But in the aftermath of the election, environmental advocates were trying to determine how his presidency will affect the region, especially in light of his pledge to defund the Environmental Protection Agency. Aryeh Alex, director of the […]
A Renewable Energy Revolution in Small-Town America
Energy, the environment and their relationship to the economy are an important issue this election season, and this piece highlighting the renewable energy movement that’s taking hold in small-town American comes just in time to provide some interesting insights as we head to the ballot box. The video from Atlantic’s American Futures series produced by James and Deborah Fallows highlights […]
Dakota Access Pipeline: An On-the-ground View from a Young Protestor
I first came across Trenton Joseph Casillas-Bakeberg in a live facebook feed posted by Myron Dewey of Digital Smoke Signals while researching first-hand accounts of situation in North Dakota. I was moved by his calm, thoughtful demeanor as he told the story of a traumatizing experience he had a week ago today, Oct. 27th as he was pulled forcefully out of a […]