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Do You Know What’s in Your Body?

Imagine something so small that it has attached itself to almost everything around you yet, you can never see it with the naked eye. Imagine blindly consuming toxins that circulate throughout almost every part of your body day in and day out, never conscious of the significant bodily damage taking place inside of you. What I am describing is the unfortunate reality for humans in today’s plastic-obsessed world. Microplastics exist in almost all corners of the environment, and their potential harm to human health and the environment has received increasing attention from the public and the scientific community. Through explaining […]

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Fast Fasion is Affordable, but at what cost?

Introduction The unbelievably low prices of clothing and the super-high sales look enticing and make you think “Oh, why not just buy this cute outfit, it’s only X amount of dollars.” However, once you understand everything that goes on behind the scenes to make inexpensive clothes at a low price, you will think twice about your purchasing decisions. Fast fashion is the “rapid design, production, distribution, and marketing of clothing.” (Rashmila, 2024). On the surface, this process seems harmless and efficient, but after starting my research I very quickly realized that this is not the case. There are endless amounts […]

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How Environmentally Beneficial are Electrical Cars?

Abstract You may have noticed more electric cars or hybrid cars on the roads or more public charging stations appearing in parking lots. Electric cars are becoming more and more popular and have become a very quick hit on the market. There has been lots of information that electric cars are better than gas powered cars for the environment and about how environmentally friendly electric cars are. Of course this comes with some backlash that electrical cars are not as sustainable and beneficial for the environment as they claim to be. One example of a negative claim is that the […]

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Why should cover cropping be adopted as a sustainable and reconstructive farming practice?

What is Cover Cropping? Cover cropping is a technique where farmers plant one or a mix of extra crops in their field as ground cover around their primary crop. Cover crops can have a wide array of positive benefits on both the soil in the field and the primary crop that they’re planted around, from suppressing weeds and pests to increasing the health of the soil microbiome. It’s a practice that has been known and used for thousands of years, however the majority of farmers are reluctant to adopt this practice because of perceived negative economic impacts and little to […]

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Lithium Batteries: Truly Clean Energy?

Abstract Lithium mining is an industry that has seen a large increase in popularity over the last 20 years due to a revolution in lithium battery technology. Lithium batteries are used primarily in electric cars and consumer electronics and have progressed largely in size and energy capacity. The extraction and reuse of lithium is where the industry becomes problematic. While using batteries produces no harmful emissions, the same cannot be said for mining operations. They use powerful equipment fueled by gas and diesel engines, producing many carbon emissions. Furthermore, the recycling methods currently in place further exacerbate this issue. In […]

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Popular Sustainability: The Overconsumption of “Sustainable” Items

Introduction: Water bottles, Tote Bags, and Metal Straws: The Newest Trends in “Sustainability” With the continued increase in social media usage and the chronic need of consumers to keep up with new trends, our society is falling deeper and deeper into a habit of overconsumption. Recently, some of the most sought-after items have been reusable stainless steel water bottles. An emerging problem that I have noticed is the frivolous habit of buying items, like these bottles, that are specifically marketed to reduce waste and minimize carbon footprint. We are glorifying gluttony and materialism. For some reason, people carry water bottles […]

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