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(04/20/17 4:30am)
The DukeImmerse program I had spent time applying to and been ecstatic about has just been cancelled for low enrollment. What the program? It's called "Imagining Food Futures: How Should We Eat on a Changing Planet." It is not easy to know how few smart millennials are concerned with the state of our food future. This is probably a product of the great food abundance that exists across America, to the unopened eye. Yet while we’ve been pumping nitrogen, phosphorous, and other chemical fertilizers into our factory fields, we’ve also been stripping our soil of health. The rates of erosion have began to exceed the natural rate of new soil formation. Even the Duke Campus Farm has been under a restorative kick for years.
(04/06/17 10:45am)
Last year, one of the largest gas leaks in history rolled through the luxuriously-developed hills of Southern California unseen and out of control. Natural gas, being stored in a facility said to be safe, started erupting from a well on Oct. 23 of last year. Natural gas’ main component is methane, which is lighter than air and spreads quickly, accompanied by other noxious gases like benzene. These gases are undetectable to the human eye, they float invisibly through the air, but those caught in the toxic cloud are quick to feel the effects.
(03/23/17 5:44am)
The flooding management system in the lower Mississippi River is still the largest endeavor ever by the Army Corp of Engineers. Most people don’t know that America already has its own Great Wall of China—underwater—that cost $70 billion and several centuries to construct. By 1937 the Corps had begun building levees along both sides of the river, as journalist John McPhee wrote after a trip to Louisiana 60 years later, “the levees were each about as long as the Great Wall…in many places higher and in cross-section ten times as large.” The project was a flagship for its time, but successful by no means. Since then, the Corps have spend time and money on additional structures to the worsening area, including channels and diversion structures. Today, the Corps continue fighting a battle against the forces of nature, the extent of which no person could fathom.
(03/09/17 7:39am)
Last week, I went to catch up with an old friend who graduated from Duke last spring. Dr. Spencer Ware, a major in Environmental Science, found his new job by researching urban gardens in the greater Raleigh/Durham area. He stumbled across a small but productive operation called Sweet Peas Urban Gardens. This haven, created by Tami Purdue, takes up an average size plot in the middle of a residential area that features a greenhouse, outdoor garden and a Crop Box. You may not recognize the term "Crop Box," as the concept is quite new. Sweet Peas is home to the fifth one ever created!
(02/23/17 5:02am)
For the first time, a recent study has confirmed that human-caused pollutants have affected the deepest oceans on our earth. The Mariana Trench, more than 10,000 meters below sea level, has its entire ground coated in persistent organic pollutants originating from humans before being banned in the 1970s. It is discoveries like these that allow us humans to question our impact on these tragedies, both holistically and individually. However, as college students, people would prefer to worry about their upcoming tests and papers than recycling or composting. This reasoning is understandable, but unfortunate. Our generation is the most compelled that change is needed, but also the least compelled to step outside of social norms to embody that change.
(02/02/17 6:57am)
Last spring, I spent my semester at USC through Duke in LA. While there, I became familiar with the clear and present homelessness problem in which, for example, an entire neighborhood has turned into blocks and blocks of homeless tenters stacked almost on top of each other. These tents have become so established that from time-to-time you can actually see the mailman making deliveries to them. While it is admirable that the city doesn’t disrupt this living community, the people living there have little access to food or water.
(01/19/17 10:58am)
Now that snow has officially graced the lands of our local population, it can be hard to imagine picking up fresh fruits and veggies from a farmers' market. While walking across the street from East Campus to the grocery options like Harris Teeter and Whole Foods is convenient, it often leaves our standards unsatisfied and our wallets empty. One could find themselves searching through aisles for hours, awed by the newest soda variations or Lays potato-chip flavors. However, with this purchasing power comes responsibility.
