News
|
Opinion
|
Perceiving climate change
Sarah Ahmed and Michael Morgan // May 28, 2013
Everyone saw the news, the pictures, the videos. When Superstorm Sandy ravaged the shores of New York and New Jersey, it did so as the deadliest and costliest storm in American history. The cost of the damage was astronomical, 48 people died in New York alone, millions suffered from power loss, and structural damage costs were upwards of $75 billion.
Read more >>>
Everyone saw the news, the pictures, the videos. When Superstorm Sandy ravaged the shores of New York and New Jersey, it did so as the deadliest and costliest storm in American history. The cost of the damage was astronomical, 48 people died in New York alone, millions suffered from power loss, and structural damage costs were upwards of $75 billion.
Read more >>>
Schapiro's vow to stop signing, answering petitions heightens chances of missing important issues
Letter to the Editor // May 12, 2013
Last week, President Morton Schapiro co-authored an article in the Wall Street Journal titled "We Didn't Sign at the Office" vowing to neither sign onto nor answer petitions.
We understand that the "the number of signatures or media attention" a petition receives doesn't necessarily reflect the importance of the issue. After all, just a few months ago a petition demanding the U.S. government construct a Star Wars styled Death Star received more than 34,000 signatures, prompting an official White House response.
But to veer in the complete opposite direction and refuse to consider any petitions misses the simple fact that many petitions do reflect well-researched policy demands. For example, the national fossil fuel divestment campaign — which many of us were disappointed to see President Schapiro and his co-author explicitly target in their article — is based on the overwhelming scientific consensus around climate change and the urgent need to mitigate it. If this doesn't reflect decades of "serious thought and discussion," then few issues do.
Read more>>>
Last week, President Morton Schapiro co-authored an article in the Wall Street Journal titled "We Didn't Sign at the Office" vowing to neither sign onto nor answer petitions.
We understand that the "the number of signatures or media attention" a petition receives doesn't necessarily reflect the importance of the issue. After all, just a few months ago a petition demanding the U.S. government construct a Star Wars styled Death Star received more than 34,000 signatures, prompting an official White House response.
But to veer in the complete opposite direction and refuse to consider any petitions misses the simple fact that many petitions do reflect well-researched policy demands. For example, the national fossil fuel divestment campaign — which many of us were disappointed to see President Schapiro and his co-author explicitly target in their article — is based on the overwhelming scientific consensus around climate change and the urgent need to mitigate it. If this doesn't reflect decades of "serious thought and discussion," then few issues do.
Read more>>>
Moving made easy and charitable
Christina Wang (Kellogg '13) // May 7, 2013
Do you cringe at the site of untouched food, outgrown clothing, or perfectly good appliances that are simply thrown into a dumpster? Do you ever stop to think about the changing environment, or wonder how you can help reduce waste or give back to the community?
Read more >>>
Do you cringe at the site of untouched food, outgrown clothing, or perfectly good appliances that are simply thrown into a dumpster? Do you ever stop to think about the changing environment, or wonder how you can help reduce waste or give back to the community?
Read more >>>
Social justice requires environmental justice
Chelsea Corbin (Medill '14) and Mark Silberg (Weinberg '14) // April 28, 2013
At the turn of the 21st century, the United Nations established eight Millennium Development Goals poised to achieve the most comprehensive solutions to the global community’s gravest challenges. All 193 members of the U.N. agreed to work toward the eradication of extreme hunger, the achievement of universal primary education, the promotion of gender equality, the reduction of child mortality, the improvement of maternal health, the combating of disease, the work toward environmental sustainability and the development of global partnerships to achieve these goals.
Read more >>>
At the turn of the 21st century, the United Nations established eight Millennium Development Goals poised to achieve the most comprehensive solutions to the global community’s gravest challenges. All 193 members of the U.N. agreed to work toward the eradication of extreme hunger, the achievement of universal primary education, the promotion of gender equality, the reduction of child mortality, the improvement of maternal health, the combating of disease, the work toward environmental sustainability and the development of global partnerships to achieve these goals.
Read more >>>
Increased interest in sustainability draws people toward Community Supported Agriculture
Rachel Graf (Medill '14) // April 20, 2013
Walls of windows create a naturally lit environment inside the museum that perfectly highlights the dozens of tables piled high with organic food. From vegetables to honey to cheese to meat, the Green City Market boasts a wide variety of locally grown crops.
Read more >>>
Walls of windows create a naturally lit environment inside the museum that perfectly highlights the dozens of tables piled high with organic food. From vegetables to honey to cheese to meat, the Green City Market boasts a wide variety of locally grown crops.
Read more >>>
Grounds to gas
Elizabeth Conger (McCormick '14) // April 11, 2013
Coffee grounds: one of the most prolific sources of waste on campus. Sodexo sells coffee to sleep-deprived students and faculty through many vendors, including Starbucks, Einstein’s, and catering services. Between these sales and dining hall consumption, Northwestern’s coffee consumption produces about 415 pounds of used coffee grounds every year. Currently, these grounds are composted to make fresh soil, but their usefulness could be extended further.
Read more >>>
Coffee grounds: one of the most prolific sources of waste on campus. Sodexo sells coffee to sleep-deprived students and faculty through many vendors, including Starbucks, Einstein’s, and catering services. Between these sales and dining hall consumption, Northwestern’s coffee consumption produces about 415 pounds of used coffee grounds every year. Currently, these grounds are composted to make fresh soil, but their usefulness could be extended further.
Read more >>>