inside the flora-filled bird haven greenhouse, tucked along the eastern edge of joliet, illinois, the high-pitched screams of children echoed over the soft sounds from the trickling waterfall. 

these weren’t shouts of excitement — they were part of a lesson. horticulture educator nancy kuhajda, from the university of illinois urbana-champaign extension program, had instructed them to scream as a way to demonstrate what not to do if they encounter a wild animal. instead, stay quiet and simply point, she advised.

about 40 fourth grade students congregated on monday, march 10 for the return of joliet’s kids n nature adventure after school program held at pilcher park nature center. in its 22nd year, the 27-week immersive program is a partnership between the university of illinois extension will county master naturalists, joliet district 86 public elementary schools, and the joliet park district. as children in urban areas are becoming less curious about the outdoors, the program inspires kids to become “nature warriors,” kuhajda said.

on the first day back for the immersive nature program, the kids began the afternoon in the bird haven green house so kuhajda could set out some ground rules.

about 40 students from m.j. cunningham elementary school and isaac singleton elementary school befriended one another through the nature program.

“the idea is to expose a person of any age, really, to get out in nature because for a long time, as our interest in technology has increased, that requires a lot of time and people have spent less and less time in nature,” kuhajda said. “covid, although being a terrible tragedy, did some good. and in our case, it returned people to going outside.”

although the spring session of kids n nature adventure is open for most fourth graders in joliet’s public schools, the summer session is specifically targeted to students from six underserved schools with children in low-income households or those who have special needs, kuhajda said. 

experts, such as horticulture and landscape design professor andrea faber taylor at university of illinois urbana-champaign, have studied the impacts of children growing up in urban environments.

whether due to technology, lack of green space, safety, busy parents, or other factors, children are losing the many physical and psychological benefits that come with connecting with the environment.

“we know that when children have even just views of green space, they’re better able to pay attention, control impulses, and set better self-control,” faber taylor said. “there’s work showing that they’re more likely to grow up to be stewards of the earth if they have opportunities when they’re younger to play in nature.”

one of the best benefits, kuhajda said, is the students’ increase in confidence as they spend more and more time in nature. 

“i have been here since the start,” kuhajda said, “and it’s just so rewarding.”

prior to students’ enrollment of the kids n nature adventure program, kuhadja told parents to send their children wearing “play clothes.” students take turns rolling down a small hill near joliet’s bird haven greenhouse to help them get “dirty” in order to connect with the environment. it’s “all part of the nature immersion,” kuhajda said.

naturalist ryan schoeling instructed the students to raise two fingers above their heads in the woods of joliet’s pilcher park nature center after he spotted deer tracks on the ground.

“and how we can tell is deer are what’s called an ungulate, which is an animal that has hooves, like a horse,” schoeling told the students. “but deer have two hooves, so it’s like taking your two fingers, they fit perfectly in that track.”

students took turns fitting two fingers into the deer tracks in the woods. the immersive kids n nature adventure program encourages students to be curious about wildlife, even if they never thought much about it before, kuhajda said.

“one of the other works that goes along with letting kids play in nature shows the value of risk taking,” faber taylor said. “that’s missing from a lot of children’s play now when you’re in a green space.”

schoeling demonstrated how the staff usually get sap from a maple tree in the woods on the second week of the nature program. maple sap is about 3% sugar, which would taste similar to a glass of water, schoeling told the students.

schoeling also showed the kids burnt maple sap after it’s heated up in the evaporator in the sugar shack of joliet’s pilcher park nature center. “you see all that stuff in there?” schoeling said. “that’s a combination of carbon, bark, sticks, leaves and lobes. that’s why we have that filter, because we don’t want that stuff going in our syrup, right?”

looking at the students through a bottle of grade a amber syrup, schoeling told them that cooking the sap longer results in dark amber syrup which is sweeter but sells for less.

the 27-week program has invited elementary school students from all over joliet every year to form close friendships with one another.

with politics ever-changing, how we view our environment should not be impacted. simple understandings aim to find common ground for everyone while taking a deeper look at how the next generation of leaders understand our environment today. in this story, learn how high school students from upstate new york, to vieques, puerto rico are engaging with environmentalism at pivotal points in their lives.

check out the full story by clicking on the image below!

in 2015, pope francis wrote his encyclical letter laudato si’, calling catholics around the world to environmental action. in 2021, pope francis followed this by telling catholic organizations to launch a seven year plan to create environmentally sustainable efforts within their communities. some catholic organizations in washington, d.c., like the washington theological 2022年世界杯亚洲预选赛结果 and its member school within the catholic university of america (cua) have also chosen to follow the pope’s encyclical. 

gabrielle choate is cua’s director of sustainability and is solely in charge of the campus’s operation and engagement for the school’s community. “i’m a one person team,” choate said.

engaging students in sustainability

while cua does not have an environmental science program, they offer a sustainability minor along with programs in environmental chemistry and environmental engineering. as part of their efforts to engage the community, choate said she invites faculty in for monthly meetings to discuss how to implement conversations about sustainability into their classrooms for subjects that are not necessarily about the environment. 

“the student body, the staff and faculty are receptive to sustainability, especially as we relate it back to the church’s teachings,” choate said. 

one example, choate said, is a business professor incorporating a lesson on sustainability into a marketing course. she added that this allows students who may not have previously encountered sustainability concepts to engage with them in their studies.

like many universities, cua also organizes a green move-out in which departing dormitory denizens recycle unwanted belongings, runs the cardinal closet, a free thrift store funded by donated clothes for students, and much more. but choate said that her favorite program is cua’s community garden.

“you can’t get better than an afternoon or a morning hanging out in the community garden,” choate said, adding there are many birds, butterflies, and dragonflies to watch. 

even though she is a one-woman team, choate said she spends her days performing many different tasks. she might begin in the community garden before checking out the thrift store. she also added she fills out award applications, updates cua’s website about their sustainability efforts and meets with students, faculty and staff. 

“it’s exciting,” choate said. “every day is different.” 

the standard solar project

although not directly run by the university, across the street to the west of the basilica, cua leased out land to standard solar, a solar project developer, to create a solar panel farm to benefit nearby communities. the farm has been in operation since the summer of 2024. 

cua was not directly involved in the construction of the solar panel farm, but choate said they pay for power at a reduced price. standard solar mainly sells the power to pepco who then supplies district residents who have signed up to receive community solar benefits. 

before the solar panel farm was constructed, the site was a naturally wooded area. of the original 40 acre property, approximately 15 acres were cleared to make space for the solar panel farm while the remaining 25 acres were left untouched. 

choate added these efforts were made to support the local ecosystem by also planting the first round of pollinator plants beneath the solar panels this past fall. the dc beekeepers alliance has also installed three beehives on the property to further promote biodiversity.

“the bees are very happy, very productive,” choate said. 

according to choate, it is estimated that the bees have produced 25 pounds of honey so far with hope for much larger amounts in the future once the bees fully establish their colonies.

she also said the area has a couple of large stormwater retention basins, which hold runoff rainwater from surrounding areas and temporarily hold it to prevent rapid release into storm water drains. choate said this benefits the bees as well since they have a water source nearby their hive and plants. 

catholic connections

to the south of the basilica are the headquarters for the washington theological 2022年世界杯亚洲预选赛结果 which include 10 theological graduate schools in the eastern and western tradition located in the washington metropolitan area, pennsylvania, and central virginia, one of which is cua’s school of theology. 

headed by executive director larry golemon, the washington theological 2022年世界杯亚洲预选赛结果 educational programs offer a certificate in ecology and theology. students are required to obtain five credits to achieve the certification, but each school in the 2022年世界杯亚洲预选赛结果 has different courses which meet the requirements. 

for example, golemon said students at wesley theological seminary near american university have a course on ecology in the anacostia river along with one where they go hiking in west virginia to learn about fracking and forms of mining. by providing green curriculum to the 2022年世界杯亚洲预选赛结果 ’s partnering institutions, they are lifting the “visibility” of available courses at these schools. 

he also mentioned students often do not come to a school associated with the theological washington 2022年世界杯亚洲预选赛结果 with plans to obtain a certificate in ecology and theology, rather they take one class fulfilling a certificate requirement and decide to take more. 

but golemon said these sustainability efforts extend beyond their institution’s educational offerings. at the virginia theological seminary in alexandria, va., the four new faculty homes built on campus were the first residential buildings to obtain leed certification in alexandria. the family dorms also located on the campus have leed certification as well. 

in the washington theological 2022年世界杯亚洲预选赛结果 offices, golemon said they only have recycling programs and little reminders to turn off the lights before leaving the room. but golemon said this is for good reason. 

“if there’s any action going on in the 2022年世界杯亚洲预选赛结果 , it’s certainly not in our offices,” golemon said. “it’s on the campuses of our schools.”

this video is an investigation into the relationship between art, science, and the environment, aiming to emphasize the importance of using art to convey science, particularly in the environmental sciences. this story is told through an interview with bonnie monteleone, co-founder of the plastic ocean project, a non-profit focused on the plastic pollution crisis based in wilmington, north carolina.

their mission is based on three pillars: scientific research, artistic storytelling, and collaborative solutions. monteleone, an artist at heart, created the traveling art exhibit “what goes around, comes around”, a mural made of plastic waste collected from the ocean in the shape of “the great wave of kanagawa” by katsushika hokusai.

monteleone is an expert in merging the arts and sciences in environmental storytelling and emphasizes the importance of using art to convey science, “it’s this little dance that we’re constantly doing, just so hungry to share, to communicate with one another. and that’s where, when i started this conversation the science was locked up, and helping people understand how horrible we were treating the ocean because we weren’t communicating.”

at northwestern university’s quaternary sediment laboratory, ph.d. students working with professor yarrow axford analyze cores of sediment taken out of lakes from illinois to greenland. cut in half and laid in pvc, upon first glance the mud looks pretty nondescript. but, on closer inspection, it’s a sediment layer cake full of climate clues. a five-foot sediment sample can span tens of thousands of years. 

ph.d. student mia tuccillo said that as the earth’s climate rapidly warms, “going into the past is really powerful, because if you can understand what happened in the past, you can better understand what might happen in the future.” you can also recognize the accelerating pace of climate change now.  

tuccillo’s ph.d. research focuses on the climate clues in the cores, but she also studies the impacts of climate on ecosystems and drinking water quality in greenland’s indigenous communities. by looking at the sediment samples, tuccillo found that cyanobacteria, a type of bacteria also known as blue-green algae, increased in greenland’s lakes 5,000 years ago — when temperatures were much warmer.

the existence of cyanobacteria in sediment cores indicates anoxic events in lakes, which effectively cut off oxygen for fish. some types can even be toxic. tuccillo said that today, a lake she studies in greenland is undergoing an increase in potentially toxic cyanobacteria never seen before. 

“today, as we’re going into a period of really intense warming, it kind of allows us to predict what might happen in these small lakes,” she said. “these are lakes that people drink from, these are lakes that people fish from, and an anoxic environment is very bad for ecosystems.”

ph.d. student aidan burdick doesn’t study the sediment itself, but the critters fossilized in it. in sediment samples from new england, he catalogues the exoskeletons of fly larvae called chironomids under a microscope, leafing through a guidebook to determine what species they are. 

“there is a really strong link globally between where different species live and what the temperature is,” he said. “if it gets too cold, they’ll move. so basically, the community of flies for a given temperature will look really different.” 

burdick said he finds 70 to 300 chironomids per sample. he records the numbers and types of chironomids into a database, which synthesizes the information to produce temperature estimates. 

“it’s pretty bizarre, but it actually works really well and it allows us to answer a lot of interesting questions about climate,” he said. 

burdick said north america goes understudied by scientists, as they typically seek grants for more “exotic places.” his samples, because they are from new england, demonstrate the effects of the laurentide ice sheet melting in canada at the end of the last glacial period. the ice sheet covered much of north america in ice a mile thick as far south as st. louis. as it rapidly melted it gushed freshwater into the atlantic ocean, disrupting ocean circulation and causing cold temperatures in the northern hemisphere. 

“there is some evidence that a similar type of phenomenon might be happening with the melting of the greenland ice sheet,” he said. “and while that might not be as extreme as it was 12,000 years ago, it might be kind of an analog for how that region could respond to these changes if they were to also happen in the future.”  

burdick and tuccillo’s sediment research offers quantitative data for models that predict climate change. however, tuccillo said working directly with indigenous communities in greenland is just as important, as their experiences inform her research questions. 

“there’s a lot of people that want to talk to you,” she said. “the field work is so much more than just like, collecting samples. it’s also kind of like a cultural immersion, too.”

photos by ilse von heimburg.

access to electricity is already unstable for much of the world and economic inequality has been rising exponentially. in addition to the human equity side of this issue, the foundation of our electrical supply is one of the driving forces of climate change and the sixth mass extinction.

whether it be knowledge about our nervous system or potato radios, most people are familiar with the presence of electricity in organisms. last year, our biodesign team at the university of richmond outlined a plan to explore this as a renewable energy source, centering the invasive species english ivy.

a foot long clipping of the vine from right behind the university’s library produced over 0.5 v. while small, this is a notable amount of electricity which can theoretically be scaled up with biomass, as well as stabilized with capacitors, and stored in batteries.

few of us in this day and age would do well without electronics for a month; imagine losing everything from your phone to washing machine to heating. yet all of us come from places affected by natural disasters, climate change, poverty, or other forms of instability.

a “grassroots” power source has the potential to alleviate the financial and physical burdens of the most vulnerable populations. this project is an interdisciplinary study of biology, electrical engineering, design thinking, and sustainability with the purpose of making electricity environmentally sustainable and socially conscious. 

jingmai mountain, located in yunnan province, china, has the world’s largest, oldest and best-preserved ancient tea forest. it was inscribed into the world heritage list in 2023.

the blang people are the indigenous group in jingmai mountain and are one of the first ethnic groups to cultivate and utilize tea.

as a young scholar researching indigenous peoples and traditional food systems, with ancestors from four different asian ethnic groups, i came to this remote border village in 2021 for a vacation, seeking inspiration. while dining with a local blang family, the host proudly explained to me:

“yes, this is how we eat! when we go to gather tea, we collect any edible wild ingredients we find along the way. children learn to identify these traditional ingredients from their elders, and when they see them while playing, they pick them and bring them back for the adults to check if they are edible. during festivals or agricultural leisure times, we also invite friends and family to our fish ponds to pick some wild vegetables and make grilled fish with banana leaves. throughout the year, we eat hundreds of wild vegetables! they are all organic and very healthy.”

i was amazed by their way of obtaining food and the biodiversity of the local ingredients, which is crucial for planetary health. i was very eager to document these practices and hoped to contribute to recording the traditional knowledge of the blang people. so, i visited the local community leader, mr. nan, to hear his views.

“amazing! [recording traditional knowledge] is exactly what i have always wanted to do, but i never had the time! tourists who come to jingmai mountain are only interested in the beautiful landscapes and pu’er tea here. you are the first person interested in our ingredients. the ingredients are not only for foods but also used by us to connect our gods in rituals. i believe it is very necessary to document these ingredients and the traditional knowledge behind them.

the locust disasters caused by drought in recent years have also made many traditional ingredients very scarce. nowadays, young people only like to play with their phones and go to the city for school after the age of ten. if this knowledge is not recorded, it will be lost in the future! as an elder in the community, i believe it is my responsibility to record this traditional knowledge with you. i will be happy to organize the elders of the whole village to help you document these ingredients.”

thus, the collaborative project began. i contacted independent artist and photographer, chaohui li, the china biodiversity conservation and green development foundation, the china good food action hub, the central academy of fine arts, and the university of toronto for collaboration. since the end of 2021, we have co-created a series of activities with the local community to document and promote the local traditional food system by combining traditional knowledge, science, and art.

with the help of 50 local villagers and the participation of indigenous youths, we collected 199 traditional ingredients (166 are plant-based) from the jingmai mountain tea forest and recorded their traditional medicinal effects, cultural meanings and cooking methods.

at the same time, we found that the development of tourism, the monoculture of tea planting for income, climate change, the introduction of new productive varieties to replace traditional varieties, overexploitation, the loss of traditional knowledge and related environmental protection regulations have made it more difficult for locals to obtain traditional ingredients.

the research results have been published in two academic papers and presented at the 27th united nations climate change conference (cop27) in egypt in 2022, the 7th china good food summit in 2023 and the world food forum at the headquarters of the food and agricultural organization (fao) in rome, italy, in 2024. the project was also selected in unesco’s case study collection on “safeguarding intangible cultural heritage and climate action from the asia-pacific region.”

in the field of art, we co-created the performance art piece “rainforest succession-la mianm” with more than 30 local villagers, filmed two related documentaries and exhibited the documentations and installations of the performance art at the 2023 shanghai urban space art season.

we organized local youth to watch documentaries to understand their views on traditional knowledge and the difficulties they encountered in learning it. we are currently discussing with community leaders how to enhance the transmission of traditional knowledge among local youth through artistic creation and biodiversity schools.

in terms of public impact, the project has been reported by more than ten media outlets, including the china central television net-news, gaining more than half a million views. a blog to introduce this project won first prize in a blog competition recognized by the international union of forest research organizations.

the blang chef mr. cao’s innovative dishes made with water taro sticks and sweet bamboo shoots were showcased at the 2024 world food forum in rome. the blang fermented tea used in rituals was also brought to the fao’s global-hub for indigenous people’s food systems, where it was presented to indigenous friends from around the world.

melinda hou, the ceo of good food fund china action hub, believed that: “the jingmai mountain project has excellently documented and showcased indigenous cultures in china, playing an important role in inspiring mainstream society on how to transform to sustainable food systems and other sustainable development goals (sdgs). other tea plantation regions, such as india and myanmar, will also benefit from this project because of the similar ecosystems and lifestyles. our organization plans to work closely with local villagers to further contribute to protecting the ecosystem and biodiversity of jingmai mountain.”

gina kennedy, ph.d., principal scientist with the alliance of bioversity and ciat, who was not involved in this project, feels that “this is a very inspiring example of combining a desire for scientific knowledge from the researcher perspective with the desire from the local community to document their traditional foodways and local knowledge on edible biodiversity for future generations.

it is a beautiful example of using a scientifically rigorous process to identify and document local food biodiversity and combine this with culinary and artistic traditions to create demand. it is also nice to learn that the project findings were widely disseminated to showcase this as an inspiring example for others, especially members of the united nations global-hub.”

cassandra metz took her two daughters to a national park on a whim. she drove west from their hometown of brooklyn, new york with the intention of enrolling the kids in the junior ranger program for one summer. metz and her family ended up spending days in parks hiking, walking and exploring.

she was hooked. “it was like love at first sight,” metz said.

that was 2012. since then, metz has found time to spend time in nature with her family every year. metz, a photographer, enjoys capturing travel and nature. to her, national parks are an ideal subject because of their “idyllic and sometimes rugged beauty.”

metz’s photography is often black and white, leaving the landscapes of the public spaces she visits as the main focus. as a black woman, metz is a part of the least represented group that visits national parks.

“we’ve never felt unwelcome, we’ve never felt scared or in danger, but we do recognize that we
are an anomaly,” said metz about traveling to national parks as a black family. she is a champion against the disparity and has written letters and proposals with ideas on how to bridge the gap between black people and the great outdoors.

overcoming a historical exclusion

public spaces like national parks are accessible to all members of a community, city or country. however, the complex relationship between african americans and public spaces is part of a historical legacy of disenfranchisement supplemented by exclusion, destruction and violence.

public space is central to the history of america’s development and a global understanding of the sanctity of nature. during the beginning of his second term as president of the united states, president woodrow wilson signed the “organic act of 1916,” the act that established the national park service (nps).

the nps can create accommodations for visitors, write permits for use and approve monuments. colloquially, rangers refer to nps sites as parks, but the agency and its employees are stewards of battlefields, memorials, monuments, parkways, rivers, parks and many other places americans and america’s visitors frequent. the nps and its employees are directed to conserve “the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wildlife” by providing safety for citizens.

the mission seems simple; however, the goal to preserve public space has often excluded black
individuals and communities. the nps has 85 million acres of land and 429 sites being taken
care of by 21,000 employees and 123,000 yearly volunteers. yet, in their own words, the agency has a diversity deficit. black people are 6.7% of the nps workforce. the nps’s diversity initiative spans 60 years, but progress in all categories (race, gender, age) has been slow.

public spaces and “slow violence”

aside from the economic barriers and possible social isolation that could come from being black in the national park service, the lack of black history alienates people of color.

kangjae “jerry” lee, a researcher and professor at north carolina state university, calls the elitism and racism that affects public spaces “slow violence”: a creeping, structural violence perpetrated by oppressors to harm and marginalize minority groups.

conservation, the practice of preventing the destruction of a natural space or habitat, is a movement that the library of congress says dates back to 1850. lee, a scholar of parks, recreation and tourism management, says the conservation movement and creation of national parks is a response to immigration and urbanization.

“white elites promoted this idea that cities were dirty places inhabited by immigrants and people of color and that natural spaces were clean, quiet spaces that white people should enjoy,” lee said lee to nc state university’s college of natural resources news. empowered by government leaders like madison grant, white conservationists dismissed black americans as unworthy of nature and federally excluded black americans from public spaces.

alternatively, black environmentalists posit that black people have a different relationship to land. kimberly k. smith, an environmental ethics-focused political scientist and historian, says black people integrate wilderness into the black intellectual tradition instead of attempting to separate people from land in the name of preservation. wilderness exists in tandem with society and “its preservation facilitated the preservation of african american cultural forms and  racial consciousness,” said smith.

the legacy of black people’s exclusion from public spaces continues today. in may of 2020, birdwatcher christian cooper was threatened by a white woman in central park. cooper’s now-deleted twitter video of the harassment went viral and, according to new york times reporter sarah maslin nir, gathered over 40 million views by june of the same year. 

in the video, cooper asks the woman to leash her dog in accordance with park rules. the woman refuses and calls the police telling the operator multiple times that “an african-american man is threatening my life.” the angered woman exercises the power of america’s racial hierarchy to attempt to remove cooper from the public park. 

“there are certain dark societal impulses that she, as a white woman, facing in a conflict with a black man, that she thought she could marshal to her advantage,” said cooper in a 2020 interview with the new york times.

displacement and lack of representation

like cooper’s conflict, the federal government used their power to oust black americans from their land. seneca village was a thriving black neighborhood in 1820s new york. the neighborhood was attractive to black people because of its low property prices and its secluded location. the establishment of the african methodist episcopal (ame) caused people to buy the land around the church. free black people moved to seneca village and created a thriving community full of schools, gardens and other community essentials. 

when the city of new york decided to build central park, seneca village was demolished and its residents were displaced. diana wall’s “archaeology of identity and dissonance” says the destruction of seneca village was intentional. the black people living in the neighborhood could not defend themselves and fight for fair financial compensation for their homes. without property, black men were not able to protest through their vote.

in 1853, new york city officials authorized the purchase of the land that makes up the modern-day central park. the city of new york used eminent domain to acquire private property for public use. historians from the central park conservancy hosted an archeological dig to unearth the history of seneca village. the fruits of the exploration were minimal, yielding a china set and other kitchen essentials. the black residents of seneca village were erased to create a park that was supposed to unify and purify the increasing population of immigrants and people of color moving into new york.

not all parks are built on the back of a forgotten black community, but few monuments commemorate black america’s contributions. the acceptance of black landmarks as national monuments is a recent process. billionaire and philanthropist robert f. smith donated the family homes of dr. martin luther king, jr. to be designated as national historic sites. 

there are 400 national parks in the united states. there are 12 parks that are named after african americans. without smith’s outside intervention the history surrounding dr. king’s house would be lost, destroying a community’s right to history and access to an important public space.

without representation of black history and representation within the nps, black visitors to public spaces can feel isolated and unsafe. the threat of danger or violence creeps through the great outdoors.

in september of 2020, the great smoky mountains national park was vandalized. the vandalists left a large black bear skin and head draped over the sign that marked the entrance to the park.  next to the animal skin was a cardboard sign that said “here to the lake black lives don’t matter.” the sign is in reference to the black lives matter movement that stands against racism and violence against black people.  

great smoky mountains national park, located in the appalachian mountains along the tennessee and north carolina border, was a segregated park. j.r. eakin, the great smoky mountains national park’s first superintendent, claimed black people would not use it unless their facilities were designated and separate from white facilities. the parks’ legacy seeped into their segregated lunch areas and into the ancestral memory of the surrounding black communities.  

however, the lack of black people in public spaces is changing. 

“the service recognizes that, when diverse citizens visit units of the national park system and see and converse with someone who ‘looks like me,’ and who performs the various important responsibilities at these sites, it gives them a sense of being a part of and accepted by the larger community — including the national park service” and “this is beneficial for the service” and for the people it serves said jonathan jarvis, the former director of the united states department of interior.

charting new paths forward

today, organizations like black girl environmentalist, earth in color and the national black environmental network work to engage their communities in outdoor activities and to preserve the history and culture of black agrarians. 

earth in color’s mission is to affirm the “deep cultural connections” that black people have to the earth, “due to our shared ancestry and interconnected histories.” black girl hike pledges “to see brown faces in green spaces.” 

alongside the national park service, these black environmental groups have the power to address the socioeconomic and historic discrepancies between the groups that frequent public spaces. the persistence of black environmentalists who continue to show up for their home towns’s public spaces can help free america from the collective memory and policies barring black people from nature.

“this is our land and our history, so why not be in these spaces,” said cassandra metz.

kayla smernoff is a journalist studying at howard university. her article is from nikole hannah-jones’s essay writing course inspired by historical anthology ‘the 1619 project.’

“reading sea creatures & corals: a penghu story” (esri story map) is my love letter to the coral reef ecosystem and the organisms it supports in the penghu archipelago, taiwan. i collaborated with the foundation of pescadores citizens, a local ngo, to organize volunteer sessions on penghu’s main island for scleractinian coral rehabilitation.

while stationed on the island, i was inspired by the terns soaring through the sky and the sea turtles swimming freely in the ocean. this inspiration led me to write two short stories featured in the story map, looking into their challenges living under anthropogenic impacts. by the end of last summer, i had helped transplant over 90 coral stems with volunteers and mapped live coral coverage across five sites (2020–2023) on penghu’s main island and in south penghu marine national park for long-term monitoring efforts. the map integrates underwater footage, photography, film and digital photos, gis maps, and figures from the scientific literature to immerse the audience in the underwater world.

the story map is divided into five sections, beginning with my short stories on greater crested terns and sea turtles, an introduction to the biology of corals, and the restoration work i carried out with the ngo in penghu. my story raises awareness of the urgent need to preserve coral reef ecosystems and inspire a deeper love for the ocean.

click on the presentation below to read the full story!

milan, italy is recognized as a global leader in design, art, and business. in the city’s bustling center, one can see leonardo da vinci’s last supper alongside the fashion houses of prada and giorgio armani — all while cooling off with a cup of gelato.

but talk to the city’s residents and they’ll reveal a secret that will make you drop your spoon. behind milan’s glitz and glamor lies a difficult truth: the city suffers from the most polluted air of any eu metropolis, a status that threatens the city’s future.

numerous factors make milan vulnerable to elevated levels of air pollution. italy’s second-largest city is home to much of the country’s heavy industry and agriculture. both sectors produce substantial amounts of pollution from waste and burning. milan is also situated in northern italy’s po valley, a low-lying area surrounded by mountains that trap dirty air. with a lot of pollution with nowhere to go, milan’s unique economic and geographic features turn it into an air pollution pressure cooker.

polluted air isn’t just a cosmetic issue. valentina bosetti, a professor of climate change economics at milan’s bocconi university, notes that air pollution can have a lasting impact on our mental and physical health. the world health organization (who) agrees, stressing that exposure to particulate matter can increase the risk of strokes and heart disease. the american lung association echoes these claims, while also linking air pollution to higher rates of cognitive impairment and alzheimer’s.

it’s health concerns like these that compelled anna gerometta, founder of the milan-based nonprofit cittadini per l’aria (citizens for the air), to push for change. as an adult, gerometta recalls that she was aware of milan’s air pollution but didn’t give it much thought. that changed when her daughter experienced dermatitis and allergies that worsened with exposure to milan’s polluted air. newly motivated, gerometta threw herself into the issue of air pollution in northern italy and started cittadini per l’aria.

after founding cittadini, gerometta launched her groundbreaking no₂, no grazie! (no₂, no thank you!) campaign, one of the first air pollution citizen science projects in italy. gerometta began by gathering over 200 milan residents — a process she described as “not easy” — and helped them place small air quality sensors near their homes, schools, and workplaces.

she then collaborated with researchers to transform the sensor data into moving visuals. cittadini’s interactive maps show not just air quality, but also the estimated increase in hospitalizations, heart attacks, and other conditions expected due to pollution.

in 2023, the no₂, no grazie! campaign exploded to 1500 volunteers across italy, with a motto of sai cosa respiri? (do you know what you’re breathing?) gerometta’s success has won the support of international environmental organizations, with patagonia and wwf italy supporting her fight for clean air.

despite cittadini’s achievements, gerometta notes that air pollution remains an “invisible issue.” individuals can rarely see, smell, or feel particulate matter in the air — as a result, it’s easy to ignore. a generational divide also exists.

at a recent cittadini event, several young activists discussed their decision to leave milan because of concerns for their children’s health. however, the science surrounding air pollution has accelerated past the ability of researchers to communicate said science to people of all ages.

professor bosetti at bocconi university has witnessed this gap firsthand. bosetti is a leading climate change researcher, but she has often heard air pollution described as a “fifth-order problem.” she has since abandoned her air pollution research, describing the results as too depressing.

however, bosetti notes that progress is possible towards cleaner air. milan’s city government has already implemented notable changes: when air quality declines, the city introduces low emissions zones and lowers speed limits. but air pollution is not a tangible issue, and these measures have resulted in pushback from italian citizens.

this three-way tug of war between activists, the government, and the public can make the issue of air pollution feel intractable. the success of the no₂, no grazie! model lies in its ability to assemble disparate groups of people — including nonprofits, researchers, and citizens — to make a change.

in 2023, the city of milan sponsored cittadini’s data collection efforts. this raises the hope that the no grazie! campaign will be used not just to inform and educate, but also to improve local policy.

milan is a place that never stops running, as if the city is constantly indulging in italian espresso. but at night, the city’s tension fades. it’s times like these that i ask locals how they feel about the air. it seems everyone knows someone who has moved away because of pollution.

anna gerometta’s activist friends have moved. professor bosetti lost a colleague who became fed up with long stretches of unhealthy air. i’ll leave this city eventually, too, as part of a cohort of young people leaving partially due to pollution.

we aren’t alone. from mexico city to lahore, india, air pollution represents an under-discussed threat to public health.

if what you see concerns you, talking to a friend or neighbor can help raise awareness. for those looking to make an even greater difference, the no grazie! campaign offers a model as radically collaborative as it is impactful. it only asks us to consider a future of smog and respond: no, thanks. no, grazie.