I’m sure at one point, all of us owned some kind of product with microbeads in it. I remember walking down the isles of the drugstore and seeing bottle after bottle of face wash filled with those little blue beads that promised softer, clearer skin. But slowly they began disappearing. Throughout the years, concerns related [...]
The importance of voice … and how to find it.
If you’ve been following the updates and blog posts corresponding to our story on sea lampreys and Asian carp, you may have noticed that some of our story elements were updated last week. We were able to include some new (fabulous) photos courtesy of McKenna Corson. We updated some of the custom graphics from Addie [...]
Dinner has been served — with a little side of microplastics
An October 2018 study in the Environmental Science & Technology journal found more than 90 percent of salt worldwide is contaminated with microplastics. In other words, you’re eating microplastics. Essentially, microplastics are “small particles of plastic that are smaller than 5 mm,” according to the International Institute for Sustainable Development. Our cosmetic products and facial [...]
What Does Zero Waste Really Mean?
What is Zero Waste? Zero waste is a social movement that encourages people to completely eliminate garbage that would end up in a landfill, an incinerator or the environment. Zero Waste movements have emerged all over the United States and internationally as well. Many Zero Waste initiatives start off as grassroots initiatives that blooms into [...]
What is E-waste and why is it a problem?
Electronic waste, nicknamed e-waste, is increasingly becoming a global problem. Electronic waste describes discarded electrical or electronic devices. Often, people buy new electronics, like smart phones, despite ours being fully functional. The average American only keeps a cell phone for 18 months before discarding it. These devices pile up in landfills across the globe and [...]
How BPA can affect your health
Bisphenol A. An industrial chemical that has been used to make plastic since the 1960’s. You may hear it referred to as BPA when your friends talk about a water bottle left in a hot car. Many studies have been done on this chemical, including some done by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). According [...]
Summit County proposes ‘pipeline emergency fund’
Just a few weeks after Nexus began operating some parts of the pipeline in Northeast Ohio, Summit County officials are proposing a plan in case of emergency. County Executive Ilene Shapiro and two county council members have proposed the creation of a pipeline emergency fund. The Akron Beacon Journal reports that the money will come [...]
Revisiting Data on Sea Lampreys
Now that we’re past the first round of our group projects, we’re looking into how we can best assist WKSU, Kent State’s NPR station, with creating multi-layered and engaging content based off of our reporting. The best way to do so? With data, of course! Data collection can help reporters in lots of ways-- and [...]
Ohio’s Politicians on the Issues: Energy
Gov. John Kasich Kasich has been notable for his continued support of renewable energy regulations, even as members of his party attempt to weaken them. In late 2016, he vetoed a legislation that would have made state renewable standards voluntary for the next two years. Kasich has urged lawmakers and future office holders to stop [...]
Crack open a cold one: Climate change effects beer consumption, cost
Two weeks ago Ella Abbott and I traveled to Stratton, Ohio, where we discovered a sense of disapproval over the closing of the W.H. Sammis Power plant, a coal-fired facility. Even though the fossil fuel power station emits carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas which is a major contributor to climate change, some community members [...]
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