schenker is an avid traditional grower with wild roots, but along with the other organization members, she will be pivoting toward an innovative form of gardening called hydroponics that wild roots is incorporating.

hydroponics is the technique of growing plants using a water-based nutrient solution rather than soil, according to the usda national agricultural library.

“it’s kind of like a constant flowing water system, and there’s no soil needed,” schenker said. “the plants are just growing out of the water.”

rachel silverman, a mccormick school of engineering second-year industrial engineering major, is the co-vice president of engineers without borders, a student organization using engineering to promote sustainability. their newest project is partnering with wild roots to build the hydroponic system.

silverman said hydroponic systems pump water directly to the roots of the plants, which is beneficial for the environment.

“due to soil degradation, we lose soil faster than we can make it, so having an alternative available when we can grow produce without soil is really essential,” silverman said. “second of all, it uses a lot less water than how you would normally grow plants because it doesn’t have to be saturated in the soil and water can be recycled through the system.”

hydroponic systems work circularly, with water pumping from the nutrient-filled water into the grow tray, and then cycling back to the solution tank where more nutrients are added. the nutrient-water solution is typically replaced every two to three weeks for an average-sized hydroponic structure, according to floraflex. an energy source is needed to provide light for the plants when grown indoors and to pump the water.

engineers without borders and wild roots are working out these technical details in an effort led by silverman and juliana gonzalez, a mccormick second-year majoring in manufacturing and design engineering. silverman said she and gonzalez weren’t familiar with gardening alternatives like hydroponics before wild roots reached out, but when the organizations connected, engineers without borders researched the system and decided to take on the project.

“i think you learn a lot more through doing. joining this club has taught me a lot more about the different solutions that exist,” silverman said. “[i am] just getting a better grasp of the situation with the environment and the ways we can help.”

once engineers without borders agreed to collaborate with wild roots, they put together a rough design and worked through logistics with wild roots advisor corbin smyth. their final sketch is a 6-feet long and 4-feet wide structure with plants growing in horizontal rows above a water basin. while many hydroponic structures feature lights above the plants for controlled growth, this system will not need them because it will receive natural light outdoors. 

gonzalez said the biggest barrier they faced was getting their materials approved. engineers without borders sent their material proposal to the northwestern student organization finance office (sofo) to order before spring break, she said. sofo officials asked the students to restructure their plans solely with materials from vendors approved on ibuynu, a web-based ordering platform providing organizations with streamlined purchasing options.

“they ended up sending us the materials [list] back, and then we redid the materials and sent it back to our advisor, who sent it to sofo,” gonzalez said. “the whole process took a really long time. it was very frustrating, honestly.” but the process and patience paid off.

gonzalez said the students decided to exclusively choose items from home depot when rebuilding their materials list because the store is approved on the sofo platform. while engineers without borders initially planned to unveil the structure in late may of 2024, gonzalez said they are postponing the project launch until the coming academic year due to the delays. she said that even with delays, she thinks a hydroponic system will be meaningful enough for the university that the students are sticking with the plan.

the hydroponic system will bring awareness about water consumption and waste on campus, gonzalez said. she added that sustainability is a large part of the world now, and integrating it into engineering projects is very interesting to her.

eric weber, director of operations at plant chicago, embraces and builds upon the sustainable aspects of hydroponics, they said. plant chicago, on chicago’s south side, adopted hydroponic and aquaponic urban gardens in 2011 when the organization launched. their first systems were located at the plant, a former meat processing warehouse welcoming a collaborative community of small food businesses, according to the plant website. plant chicago relocated their hydroponic and aquaponic structures to their current space a few blocks away in 2020, said weber.

hydroponics is one component of an aquaponics system, which pumps naturally fertilized water from fish tanks to plants growing in water, then redirects the plant-purified water back to the fish tanks, according to nelson + pade. fish waste fertilizes the water and special bacteria in the water breaks down the ammonia in the waste that would be harmful to plants.

weber walked us through plant chicago’s indoor space, which boasts several hydroponic and aquaponic towers of various sizes. in the aquaponic structure, fish swim lazily on the lowest level and a series of pipes lead up to neat rows of plants growing in the water. weber said the main benefit of aquaponics over hydroponics is that it grows fish in addition to plants.

“you get the ability to have a potential protein source that you can harvest and eat in addition to your veggies,” weber said. “you treat the system as its own living organism; you’ve got fish, you’ve got plants, you’re trying to keep them living in harmony with each other.”

the nutrient source in a hydroponic system differs significantly from that of an aquaponic system, weber said. in a solely hydroponic structure, the plants rely on a synthetic fertilizer rather than organically processed fish waste. according to weber, this ties into one of the main criticisms of hydroponic growth.

critics of hydroponic growth don’t see hydroponics as organic and instead prefer more natural methods, said weber. while the u.s. department of agriculture (usda) makes no mention of soil growth in their definition of organic, the usda does specify that “the basic rule for organic agriculture is to allow natural substances and prohibit synthetic,” according to the website’s organic 101 subsection. if hydroponic and aquaponic systems do not use synthetic fertilizers, the usda recognizes them as eligible for organic certification.

but, according to the real organic project, a defining characteristic of organic produce is growth in soil. weber acknowledged that for both hydroponic and aquaponic growth, the plants grow in a controlled environment rather than letting nature take its course.

“you’re trying to control as many parameters of the environment as possible, so the amount of light, temperature, humidity, airflow, oxygen, co2…” weber said. “all that requires technology in some form, which tends to be fairly expensive, and electricity. depending on your electricity source or part of the world, it can vary in its environmental impact and cost.”

weber said the “gut check” for these technology-based growth methods is properly weighing cost and energy use against the systems’ benefits. they said some gardeners can build a small in-home hydroponic system for a couple hundred dollars, but the systems can cost upwards of $10,000 depending on size customizations and energy needs. some structures rely primarily on renewable energy sources, such as the systems at plant chicago, which operate from a 16-kilowatt solar array on the roof installed over a year ago, according to weber. however, others can rack up energy from non-renewable sources such as coal or natural gas, they said.

opposing organizations such as the real organic project look at the potential cost- and energy-related negatives of hydroponic growth and rule it out as a sustainable option. weber takes a more holistic approach. they said multiple factors should be considered when implementing hydroponics, such as which crops thrive naturally in that geographical area, which financial resources are available, and whether renewable energy is easily accessible. hydroponics also recycles water in a world where drought is spreading due to climate change.

“just as easy as it is to say, ‘oh, hydroponics is going to save us from world hunger,’ those broad strokes could be used to say, ‘oh no, this is terrible, it’s a huge waste of space and time and money and electricity,’” weber said. “i don’t think either of those are right.”

to exemplify their point, weber said they would never set up huge greenhouses in florida to grow trees inside because the climate is ideal for growing them naturally outdoors. however, they may consider growing leaf lettuce in nevada using indoor hydroponics. the state’s desert climate means far more water would be required to irrigate fields than it would be to grow plants in a nutrient-based water solution. they said in that case, the overall water loss is significantly less, which is a clear benefit to growing crops in a desert environment.

kellye fleming, branch assistant at the evanston public library’s robert crown branch, said hydroponics may not always be sustainable, but offers a great resource nonetheless. she implemented a rental program for hydroponics systems at her branch two years ago, where patrons can rent out small structures for 11 weeks at a time for free.

hydroponic growing is great for people such as fleming who live in apartments and don’t have much access to greenspace, she said. she added that soil can contain lead or other heavy metals in urban areas, making it impossible to grow healthy crops. indoor hydroponic growth makes fresh produce more accessible in that circumstance and for growing greens and herbs off-season. flemings said she doesn’t rule out the benefits of hydroponics simply because it’s not considered organic.

“if you are sustainability growing items, does it matter if it’s organic?” fleming said. “as long as people are growing, it’s great.”

schenker also frowns upon black-and-white criticism of hydroponic systems. to her, everything has a positive and negative, she said, and giving people more options for plant growth in different situations is a move in the right direction.

“i’m not saying that we should completely move toward hydroponics — i think that would be unsustainable,” schenker said. “but when it comes to how little access to good, clean food people have nowadays, a diverse amount of solutions to implement is great.”

the hydroponic system created by engineers without borders and wild roots will tentatively be placed outside norris university center in 2025.

silverman said the system will feature a qr code with information about hydroponics so students can learn more about why this structure was built. she thinks the project will spark interest in the environment on campus, she said.

“i hope it draws curiosity toward sustainability-focused tools,” silverman said. “i want it to open the conversation about other ways we can be more environmentally conscious.”

this article was originally published in north by northwestern.

this photo essay explores traditional plant harvesting within cherokee culture. this is a tradition that my family has passed on and continues to keep alive while retaining sustainable practices.

our practices are to ensure that the future generations have access to the same traditions and resources that their ancestors did.

to view the photo essay, please click here.

vacuolar myelinopathy is a neurological disease most commonly seen in bird species such as eagles and coots. the brains of the infected organisms develop lesions in the white matter of the nervous system, causing a loss of motor function. mortuary circles call this “swiss cheese brain.”

from its first recorded instance near degray lake in arkansas during the winter of 1994-1995, researchers, including aquatic scientist susan wilde, conducted field and laboratory studies to determine how species contract this disease. through laboratory and field experimentation, wilde and her team have recently concluded that a toxin produced by cyanobacteria is growing on invasive plant species within water bodies in the southeastern united states.

wilde, an associate professor at the university of georgia, worked with an international team from various scientific backgrounds. their findings, published in science, discovered the epiphytic cyanobacteria (aetokthonos hydrillicola) grow on hydrilla verticillata, a non-native plant species found in bodies of water. wildlife, such as fish, birds, and amphibians, eat these plants and consume the neurotoxin that leads to vacuolar myelinopathy.

vacuolar myelinopathy is not limited to the waterfowl that feed on these plants, explained anton j. reiner, a professor of anatomy and neurobiology at the university of tennessee health science center.

“it’s not a uniquely avian brain disease. it winds up looking like a uniquely avian brain disease because you have to consume a lot of it,” said reiner.

vacuolar myelinopathy also affects fish and amphibians that end up eating these cyanobacteria-infected invasive plants. fish, amphibians and waterfowl that feed on hydrilla become infected with vacuolar myelinopathy. higher-level predators such as coots and eagles consume the smaller animals, thus continuing the spread of the disease throughout the entire food web.

“so-called ‘apex predators’ like eagles, for example, wind up being especially susceptible to [vacuolar myelinopathy] because of their diet,”reiner said.

the disease manifests approximately five days after exposure when clinical signs of loss of motor control function become visible in avian species like eagles and coots. infected coots will float on the surface of the water on their backs and spin in circles, making them easy prey for eagles and other large avian predators. infected eagles will sit on tree branches with their wings drooping downward. according to reiner, there are instances of eagles flying into the sides of mountains while infected with vacuolar myelinopathy.

“every eagle i’ve ever seen with symptoms [of vacuolar myelinopathy] has died,” said william bowerman, professor and chair of the department of environmental science & technology at the university of maryland.

bowerman is a long-time collaborator of wilde’s on vacuolar myelinopathy, and his current research revolves around eagles as indicators of climate change and contaminants around the great lakes. he explained that birds are quality gauges of how the environment responds to various stressors, so the conservation of avian species from vacuolar myelinopathy impacts everyone.

“[vacuolar myelinopathy] killed tens of thousands of waterfowl and over 100 bald eagles. so, it’s a new, emerging disease, and it could be linked to pollution and also may be somewhat of an indicator of climate change,” said bowerman.

wilde and her team discuss spreading awareness and advocacy as a means to combat vacuolar myelinopathy in their recently published research. early in the paper, they state that the shift from the previous name of the neurological disease, “avian vacuolar myelinopathy,” to its current title “vacuolar myelinopathy” is necessary as it is not only limited to avian species. wilde and her team state that they are not yet sure of the potential impact vacuolar myelinopathy has on humans and recommend that further research be conducted.

“we want people to know the lakes where this disease has been documented and to use caution in consuming birds and fish from these lakes,” wilde told the american association for the advancement of science.

while there is still plenty of research to be done on vacuolar myelinopathy, wilde and her team’s discovery of the link between the cyanobacterial toxins and the lethal neurological disorder helps lie to rest the source of the perplexing avian deaths. bowerman hopes that wilde’s work will serve as a reminder of the importance of conserving a clean environment.

“it’s just important to understand that our organisms in the environment tell us what’s going on,” bowerman said. “if the birds and the mammals are healthy, then people are healthy.”

like the pandemic, climate change can feel like a massive, impossible problem that we as individuals have no control over. fortunately, just like how people all over the world choose to wear a mask and socially distance from others every day, you have the ability to make an impact on the environment from the safety of your home. 

1. whip out your green thumb 

as covid-19 has held the world hostage for the past few months, not only has people’s physical health suffered but so has their mental health. according to a recent poll conducted by the kaiser family foundation, 45% of american adults say that stress associated with worrying about the virus has had a negative impact on their mental health. another survey conducted in early april by researchers at yale university and george mason university shows that about 66% of americans “feel a personal sense of responsibility to help reduce global warming” even during the pandemic.

how can people address their stress about the state of the environment, while also managing their anxiety about exposure to covid-19? gardening might help. 

an article published by the national institutes of health (nih) in 2018 explores the idea of green care, defined as therapy by exposure to plants and gardening. the article cites a japanese study that found just looking at plants reduced stress and fear. physically, patients experienced a decrease in blood pressure, pulse rate, and muscle tension. in terms of the current pandemic, gyms across america remain closed, in addition to a number of parks and beaches, depending on individual state restrictions. this has made staying active each day substantially more difficult. gardening can be a way to get out of the house, get fresh air, and make an impact on the environment. 

on a larger scale, gardening reduces the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and increases oxygen. according to the national wildlife federation, trees can absorb up to one ton of carbon dioxide pollution from the atmosphere. so if every american planted one tree, millions of tons of carbon dioxide could be absorbed each year. essentially, this would reduce global warming and improve air quality, which is particularly important during a pandemic that can affect the respiratory system. gardens also attract pollinators, including insects and birds, which are “vital to the production of healthy crops” and essential for maintaining ecosystems, according to the united states department of agriculture. 

if you’re someone who lives in a city or doesn’t have access to your own outdoor space, you can keep plants inside your home. the nih article mentions that indoor gardening has been used to treat mental health issues, not just for an at-home change in scenery but because plants can remove toxins and dust from the air with their leaves. if you don’t have the greenest thumb or feel stressed about keeping something alive, there are several types of low maintenance plants that thrive indoors. 

2. take something off your carbon plate

during the pandemic, going to the supermarket has become a stressful experience as shoppers do their best to socially distance while searching the aisles for what their family needs. many people have opted for delivery services such as instacart but still face the issue of an increase in food prices. according to the u.s. bureau of labor statistics, the price of meat, eggs, and poultry jumped 4.3% from march to april, the biggest monthly increase in 50 years.

is it possible to spend less time in the grocery store, save money, and eat more sustainably? the answer is yes, and it starts with purchasing less meat. 

methane is a greenhouse gas 25 times more powerful than carbon dioxide, which means it traps heat more efficiently in the atmosphere, according to the environmental protection agency (epa). the epa also states that livestock, especially cattle, produce methane when they digest their food, specifically by belching. the storage of livestock manure also produces methane, making agriculture the largest source of methane in the united states. 

in addition to contributing a lot of methane, beef production takes up a significant amount of natural resources. according to the world resources institute (wri), one-quarter of the planet (excluding antarctica) is used for cows to graze on. this pastureland is often the result of substantial deforestation. according to the yale school of forestry and environmental studies, cattle ranching is responsible for 80% of deforestation of the amazon. the wri also states that beef production uses between two to four times the amount of freshwater as other livestock does and 7.5 times more freshwater than plant-based food. 

if consumers were to swap beef for pork, poultry, or plant-based protein, the wri predicts global greenhouse gas emissions would drop by 15%. making that simple choice next time you’re in the supermarket allows you to make a positive impact. plus, you can save room in your freezer. 

3. do a little digging before you click ‘buy’ 

as weeks have turned into months, people have been scrambling to find ways to kill time while maintaining social distancing. besides relying on streaming services, there has been an increase in online shopping. according to the u.s. department of commerce, americans spent $146.47 billion online with u.s. retailers in the first quarter of 2020, increasing 14.5% from the same time last year. 

major retailers specifically saw a jump in numbers. target experienced a 141% increase in digital sales in the first quarter of 2020 and sales fulfilled by the delivery service, shipt, went up by 300%. amazon also had a successful first quarter, making $75.5 billion in net sales, an increase of 26% from the same time last year. 

with great power comes great responsibility — and a lot of packages. you have to wonder what the total amount of cardboard and plastic pollution will be when we look back on these few months of the pandemic. there are some numbers we do currently have. according to national geographic, 8 million tons of plastic wind up in the ocean each year. we also know that companies like amazon have struggled to make environmentally conscious choices in the past. last year, the washington post reported that amazon’s newly introduced lightweight plastic mailers created to reduce the use of cardboard boxes weren’t easily recyclable and clogged up machinery in recycling systems. 

on the other hand, amazon has launched a few initiatives to become more sustainable, including a guide on how to recycle different types of packaging. if you’re still worried about contributing to potential packaging pollution, you can buy products from companies that have consistently prioritized sustainability. 

according to the united nations economic commission for europe, the fashion industry emits about 10% of global carbon emissions and produces almost 20% of global waste water. however, companies like toms, patagonia, and thredup — the largest online thrift store — lead by example. there also are several organizations dedicated to educating people about conscious consumerism including remake and good on you. these resources provide a roadmap to sustainable online shopping so you can keep your life and closet guilt-free.

mcneal, arizona—for monarch butterflies, it’s all about the milkweed. without it, the iconic butterflies have no place to lay eggs and no place for their larva to feed – especially on their stupendous annual migrations. 

monarch populations have declined steeply in the past decades for a variety of reasons, including loss of habitat. to reverse the trend, the western association of fish and wildlife agencies in january instituted the western monarch butterfly conservation plan, a 50-year effort to help the monarchs bounce back. 

some of the first steps are being taken in arizona.

at whitewater draw wildlife area near mcneal one day last month, 25 volunteers spent five hours planting milkweed to create waypoints for monarchs migrating to southern california and west-central mexico from the northern u.s. and canada – a trip that can stretch 3,000 miles each way.

the wildlife area – which is the winter home to more than 20,000 sandhill cranes – is a wetland nestled amid the arid plains of southern arizona, about 100 miles southeast of tucson. it has damp soil in places – ideal for several species of milkweed, a stalky, green wildflower of the genus asclepias.

monarchs leave the northern u.s. and canada in early fall to spend the winter on the california coast and in the sierra madre occidental in mexico, the u.s. department of agriculture says. each trip takes four generations of butterflies to complete.

the planting project was set up by arizona game & fish department as its part in the overall western monarch butterfly conservation plan, which is meant to help reverse the 74% population decline of the monarch in arizona, california, idaho, nevada, oregon, utah and washington.

the population of monarch butterflies overwintering in california last january was the lowest on record, with only 28,429 butterflies – an 85.2% decline from the previous year and a 99.4% decline from the number observed in the state in the 1980s.

bill van pelt, the grassland coordinator for the western association of fish and wildlife agencies, oversees interstate programs and projects focused on grassland biomes. 

“what these states did is came together, to come up with ideas to try to boost populations and give them areas for nectarine or feeding, and then waystations or layover areas and to take their next step on their migrations,” van pelt said.

other regions where the monarch populations are more permanent, such as california, focused on building out roosting areas – rest stops for the migrating monarchs, which only travel in daylight. for arizona, it means planting several varieties of milkweed through a collective effort among game & fish, the southwest monarch study and the gila watershed partnership.

whitewater draw was the first of several arizona locations where milkweed will be planted, but that wasn’t originally planned. a dry monsoon season for arizona delayed the planting at every other location, but whitewater draw is a special case, said cheri boucher, a project evaluation program specialist for game & fish.

“we had originally planned to do a number of these during monsoon season and, you know, august, september, october, but this past monsoon season was one of the driest in history,” boucher said. “so we have postponed most of the events that we had planned until december, january, february.”

whitewater draw already has a maintained water source for the sandhill cranes, which spend their time in shallow, muddy waters, socializing and avoiding predators. not needing to rely on rainfall to ensure the milkweed survives makes whitewater draw special, but the process of planting will be the same for all the six other locations. 

the morning starts with a quick orientation from steve plath, the nursery manager for gila watershed partnership, about milkweed and what it takes to get the plants to grow. gail morris, a coordinator and conservation specialist for southwest monarch study, also explains how milkweed fits into the monarch life cycle.

the process itself involves taking immature milkweeds and planting them in moist soil on the edge of a water source. the five different varieties of milkweed have adapted to different amounts of water, meaning they get planted in a ring type formation along the banks. the plants survive best in moist dirt, so digging the holes is a muddy operation.

“we’re all having fun, you know, digging in the mud and planting milkweed,” boucher said.

since the southwest monarch study began actively monitoring the monarch population in 2008, morris has seen a heavy decline, even considering normal population fluctuation. climate change affects the butterflies, he said, but the impact is really felt through the decline of milkweed and other native plants.

“climate change isn’t directly … like, the sun isn’t killing the butterflies,” morris said, “but it’s killing the plants that they eat, right? it (climate change) can affect the monarchs if the temperatures get too high, it can affect it in two ways.”

rising temperatures also can slow the rate of caterpillars’ growth, affecting the monarchs’ entire migration schedule, morris said, adding that higher winter temperatures could destroy monarch habitats used today.

for the volunteers, the idea of helping make a better future for the butterflies was more than enough to get them to come out. ariana tamayo remembers seeing monarchs in mexico as a child, an experience she wants future generations to have.

“they hang out in trees and it’s almost like a honeycomb of them,” tamayo said. “it’s pretty amazing.”

video by melanie porter/cronkite news

for boucher, the volunteer response has far exceeded expectations.

“i couldn’t have anticipated how many people were excited about this program,” she said. “when the press release went out, all of the volunteer slots were filled within a matter of hours, and that’s over 250, you know, volunteers that have signed up to help out various wildlife areas around the state.”

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related story

population of migrating monarchs dwindling, but experts say it’s not all doom and gloom

arizona game & fish hopes all the milkweed survives from these plantings, but as the first year of this program, it’s about learning as well. boucher said the department will be back out next year to learn and adapt.

“with any habitat rescue duration effort, you do expect a certain amount of mortality,” she said, “but we’re hoping to learn from the plants that we’ve put in today.” 

officials plan to record how many of each milkweed species survived in each location, which will help them adjust to ensure a higher survival rate in the future, boucher said.

weather permitting, game & fish will plant milkweed in cornville, springerville and safford in january and february. other planned sites are near buckeye, black canyon city and bullhead city.

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this story is part of elemental: covering sustainability, a multimedia collaboration between cronkite news, arizona pbs, kjzz, kpcc, rocky mountain pbs and pbs socal.

watch my video to learn more about invasive species management in the washington, d.c., metro area.

the project, called fast farming: feeding a hot, dry world, uses a genetic screening technique known as activation tagging to identify genes that improve a plant’s ability to tolerate environmental stresses. these stresses, such as drought and extreme heat, are worsening as a result of climate change and already are threatening the ability of farmers around the world to grow enough food.

the team has launched a crowdfunding campaign to support the project. it’s the first to launch under a new partnership between penn state and useed, a crowdfunding platform that partners with universities to support research projects.

the team is aiming to sustain an intensive research program for a full year, allowing them to test many different environmental conditions with an expanded set of plant varieties and giving them the chance to identify many more new stress-tolerance genes.

the team uses brachypodium distachyon, a small, fast-growing grass species related to wheat and barley. they grow many thousands of brachypodium plants in greenhouses and growth chambers to mimic soil and weather conditions faced by farmers around the world. they can harvest valuable data from one generation of plants in as little as one month. the research team also hopes to make direct contact with farmers and plant breeders around the world, learning about the specific challenges they face as a result of climate change and helping them to efficiently identify the best hardy, high-yielding crop varieties that will grow well under fluctuating climate conditions.

the students involved in the project include nikki kapp, a master’s degree student in plant biology, and penn state undergraduate students liam farrell, jaime jarrin and samantha roa.

anderson’s group studies the dynamics of plant cell walls, with a focus on improving our ability to sustainably produce food, materials and energy from plants. before joining the penn state biology department in 2011, he completed postdoctoral research at the energy biosciences institute at the university of california berkeley, which focuses on the scientific, technical and societal aspects of developing sustainable sources of bioenergy. he is currently a principal investigator in the center for lignocellulose structure and formation, an energy frontiers research center funded by the u.s. department of energy.

for more information on anderson’s research, visit his laboratory website.