“i am the first and only girl in my family which alone creates expectations around me, setting an example for my brothers. i decided to take interest in an area where not a lot of girls are present,” said mwangala maunga, a multi award-winning young scientist, innovator, climate and child rights advocate from lusaka, zambia.

from a young age, mwangala was a book worm, with her readings focused on science and technology. after pondering becoming a medical doctor or an astronaut, she found herself thriving in all of the stem fields (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). 

clean water for all

driven by the passion to find lasting solutions to the prevailing waterborne diseases rocking most african countries, mwangala, at just 12 years old, came up with an innovative idea to produce a water purifier entirely powered by solar energy. her idea is one that supports the world’s move to more sustainable energy, which in turn plays a key role in helping both developing and developed countries in achieving many of the un’s 2030 sustainable development goals, according to the world bank group. 

she built the water purifier prototype with a combination of wooden and metal sheet enclosures, black paint for insulation, heat absorbent black trays, reflective materials, sheets of glass, glue and catch troughs.

“it is easy to use, as one just needs to put water in it and place it in the sun. however, as science develops, so does my idea,” she said. 

during our interview, mwangala, who is now 16, said she believes her water purifier idea is divine and could not have been timelier, as its conception was closely followed by the declaration of a cholera outbreak in zambia in 2017. cholera is a sometimes fatal infection of the intestines, often caused by drinking contaminated water. mwangala explains that, “the main reason i developed the water filter was because i wanted to provide clean and safe water in the simplest way possible, as opposed to a complicated water purification system.” 

according to mwangala, she nursed the idea for the solar water filter while she was in grade 5, however, she only actualized it when she was in grade 8.

“i remember sitting in a science class and drawing the draft in my exercise book,” she said. “when i showed my friend and asked if she thinks it could actually work, her answer was negative as she said it won’t go anywhere.” a few years down the line, it is evident that mwangala pressed on with her idea. 

using her voice

in an effort to widen the scope of her impact in the lives of other young girls across zambia, she founded the girl power platform, an organization that exists to create stem opportunities for girls especially in rural communities in zambia. 

“i live in the capital city which exposes me to more of these opportunities. what about girls that live in remote areas? i love to see girls thrive because i know for a fact that they have limitless potential,” mwangala said.

through her organization and her innovation, mwangala has been able to address and inspire over 600 girls in her school through stem and climate advocacy activities.

considering the fact that mwangala spends most of her time in school, she reveals she has not had ample time for community outreach. however, she plans to take this on as soon as she completes secondary school this year. “now that i am graduating, it will allow me to have more outreach time to girls in remote areas,” she said.

as she leaves high school this year, her immediate goal is to “complete a book i am working on titled, ‘this far,’ which practically highlights the major events of my life; where i started from and all leading to this point.”

she also plans to engage in mass production of the water filters by early 2023 as the water purifier prototype has gone through the necessary scientific tests and is now at the patenting stage.

her college ambitions are to pursue development studies and engineering. “i intend to reach out to more underprivileged girls in communities and inspire them with my story and educate them on climate change and how they can contribute to making our planet a better place,” she said.

mwangala reveals that she comes from a family that values education and academic achievements. because she is able to access more opportunities, she says, “i am poised to use my voice at every opportunity to educate younger girls, with support from my parents and siblings who have been real cheerleaders in my journey.” 

powered by the sun

her efforts have been crowned with several recognitions, including the best inventor in the science and tech category at the dstv africa multichoice – cartoon network powerpuff girls’ awards; the 2019 youngest recipient of the brenda muntemba award as an “emerging young african leader” at the push women awards; the youngest and only zambian speaker at the 2020 virtual international youth day which featured the youngest deputy minister of information and technology in namibia, hon. emma theofelus; and the youngest stem change maker award at the 2021 genius education zambia awards.

mwangala believes her success is determined by her “ability to do what she loves doing to her heart’s content.” using her gifts to the best of her abilities, she is willing to continue to challenge the status quo in stem by harnessing the power within her in practical ways to bring about positive change in her community and inspire other young girls towards sustainable development.

given that about 418 million people still lack access to even a basic level of drinking water in africa, access to clean water continues to be a permeating development issue. as access to clean, affordable, and safe drinking water is both a fundamental human right recognized by the united nations and goal 6 of the united nations, sustainable development goals, environmental and health benefits are both captured in mwangala’s water purifier innovation.

she has also demonstrated that solar energy remains crucial not only in providing the world with an opportunity to cut down on its carbon footprint, but also to confront the numerous impediments to sustainable economic growth worsened by climate change. 

this story was featured in our series, slipping through our fingers: the future of water.

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all sources are listed, additional footage provided by pace ghana.

music from uppbeat (free for creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/caleb-fincher/br… license code: syo1ebv07k0ruasy

• 7 ways oil and gas drilling is bad for the environment. why do we need renewable energy, anyway? what’s wrong with the current energy sources we use?

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• this startup says it has found a way to cut the cost of making solar cells in half. leap photovoltaic is working on a way to build solar panels without the use of silicon wafers, a hard-to-manufacture component that limits production. this could mean vastly expanding domestic solar production.

• 6 cool renewable energy projects that will shape the future. china’s solar highway, the hornsdale power reserve in south australia, and more.

check back tomorrow for more info on what is being explored at cop26 — and good reads to keep you informed!

however, restaurants are putting climate change on the menu. industry leaders are transitioning their restaurant operations to be more sustainable and climate friendly. here are 5 ways they’re doing it.

renewable energy 

restaurants are converting their spaces into sustainable buildings. azurmendi, a three-michelin-star restaurant in spain and two-time sustainable restaurant award winner, uses solar panels for electricity and uses geothermal energy for indoor climate control. root down, a sustainably focused restaurant in denver, is run entirely on wind power. nomad an ultra-local restaurant in australia operates off of solar energy and is a solar panel host site for the community. 

the shift to renewable energy is not exclusive to high-end restaurants. mcdonald’s opened a new net zero energy restaurant, the first in their fleet of 36,525 locations, in july 2020 in orlando, florida. the new location is a first step in mcdonald’s sustainability goals, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 36% by 2030. 

sustainable sourcing 

the farm-to-table phenomenon that became popular in restaurants over the past few years has been crucial to kick-starting a wave of restaurant sustainability. local, farm-to-table produce emits less carbon, as there is less transportation necessary to deliver it. amber in hong kong, the sustainable restaurant award 2020 winner, specializes in ultra-local, hyper-seasonal selections on their menu. their menu is up to 50% plant-based and they’ve removed all dairy from their dishes.

blue hill, a new york based restaurant, was one of the first to prioritize ultra-local sourcing and foster relationships with the farmers they work with. by seasonally changing menus and sourcing produce and meat products from local, sustainably operated farms, restaurants can greatly reduce their carbon footprints.

recycling

we can all do our part by recycling. we all know the saying: “reduce, reuse, recycle.” restaurants are using recycled paper products, recycled water, and recycled furniture. relae in denmark, winner of the sustainable restaurant award 2019, recycles wherever possible. from reusing empty wine bottles to serve their in-house filtered water, to using recycled furniture and wearing sustainable-fabric aprons, relae works tirelessly to employ sustainability in all aspects of their operations.

founding farmers in washington, d.c., uses recycled materials in a similar way. from recycled paper-composite counter tops, to recycled paper menus and recycled wood furnishings, the restaurant group prioritizes sustainability in all nine of their locations.

circular economy and community involvement 

many restaurants engage in circular economies and community involvement, which helps their communities and involves locals in sustainability efforts. septime in paris sources all of their produce from french farmers, and works with those farmers to save seed varieties and plant species. mil, a restaurant nestled in the andes mountains of peru, fosters close relationships with local communities and the farmers they source from, ensuring that farmers receive 50% of harvest profits. woodberry kitchen, a baltimore restaurant, repurposes oyster shells and returns them to chesapeake bay to regenerate oyster beds. 

zero food print

zero food print is an organization that enables farmers to practice carbon farming. carbon farming is a method that restores soil biology, which then pulls carbon out of the atmosphere, reviving the soil and replenishing nutrients. zero food print restaurants contribute a few cents per meal to helping farmers implement carbon farming through grants from the organization’s restore programs. according to professor rattan lal at ohio state university, “a mere 2% increase in the carbon content of the planet’s soils could offset 100% of all greenhouse gas emissions going into the atmosphere.” 

as restaurants prioritize sustainability, they are supporting local farmers, reducing their impact on the environment, and making an impact on their guests. by continuing to put climate change on the menu, restaurants will be a key player in the fight against climate change. 

they thank us and we slip back into the crowd of protestors chanting in the shadow of the madison gas and electric plant. that photo op won’t be the last time i overthink a seemingly easy decision on this hot afternoon, because today is the global climate strike and i’m not attending it — i’m covering it.

as i march with the crowd from mg&e to the steps of the state capitol, it’s hard not to get swept up in the rousing speeches and impassioned chants, but i try to remember the journalistic guidelines i have been taught. 

when i first started at the badger herald, one of the university of wisconsin’s student newspapers, i was quickly taught the basics of unbiased journalism — speak to a representative from both sides, report only verifiable facts and do not post anything political to your social media. many of these “journalism ethics” were then expanded upon and further instilled into me through my classes at uw. 

at the strike, i stood next to my friends who waved large crayola-lettered signs and chanted passionately. as i weaved through the sweaty crowd, i tried to establish my own journalistic guidelines on the fly — i could accept pamphlets but i couldn’t hold a sign, my friends could post pictures i was in but i couldn’t post one myself, i could clap but i couldn’t cheer. 

looking back, i was definitely overthinking things, but my self-imposed limitations do a raise a question many environmental journalists are constantly facing — what is our role in the fight against climate change?

it may seem obvious that as with other global debates, our job is to inform the public and report the facts. but with climate change, these “facts” are often more complicated than they appear. 

climate change first really came into the public sphere in 1988 when dr. james hansen of the national aeronautics and space administration testified in front of a congressional committee and said he was “99 percent certain” that the warming trend of the previous few years was not because of natural variation, but was caused by a buildup of carbon dioxide and other artificial gases in the atmosphere as a result of the burning of fossil fuels. 

this story made the front page of the new york times under the headline, “global warming has begun, expert tells senate.” this article cited several scientists and mathematical models, all indicating that immediate action was needed. the piece included only one sentence acknowledging that some scientists believe the recent warmer temperatures are due to natural fluctuations. 

over 30 years later, the public’s perception of climate change has become increasingly divergent from the scientific discourse. 

ninety-seven percent of climate experts have concluded that human-caused climate change is a reality, according to the american association for the advancement of science. but as of 2019, 35% of americans think that global warming is generally exaggerated, up from 31% in 1997, according to a gallup poll.this same poll found that as of 2018, only 42% of americans would consider themselves an environmentalist, down from 76% in 1989.

i have seen how important this public perception of climate change can be in directing policy. one of my aforementioned crayola sign-toting roommates is marina minic, a uw junior studying chemistry and environmental studies and an executive board member for campus leaders for energy action now. 

clean is a student organization working through strikes and petitions to get uw to power the campus exclusively with renewable energy by 2050 and to derive all electrical power from renewable resources by 2030. i have covered several protests organized by clean and have joined them during their weekly petitioning around campus, their version of greta thunberg’s fridays for future. 

minic said that most students she interacts with support clean energy; they are just unaware that it is such a major issue at uw.  she said that whenever she tells students that only 1.61% of uw’s energy consumption comes from clean and renewable sources, they are disappointed and happy to sign clean’s petition. 

a major way clean informs students and gains visibility is through media coverage, minic told me. 

“if the chancellor wakes up the next morning and she sees every local paper has written about something, obviously you can’t ignore it at that point,” minic said. “it’s also a good way to raise awareness to other students to get involved in the movement because i think most people do care about this issue and maybe just didn’t know about it.”

this media attention has always been key for the environmental movement. however, in the years since hansen first testified before the senate, how the media covers climate change has shifted. 

a study published in 2003 by the global environmental change journal featured a content analysis of articles published by the wall street journal, the new york times, the washington post and the los angeles times from 1988 to 2002. the study found that the majority, 52.6%, of articles presented both the view that climate change is being caused by humans and the view that it is due to natural fluctuations, in a balanced way. the study also found that from 1988 to 2002, the articles’ focus on the need for immediate climate action decreased. 

this study is dated, but more recent studies show similar trends. the day after the intergovernmental panel on climate change released its report announcing that global warming is likely to reach 1.5°c between 2030 and 2052 if current trends continue, media matters for america analyzed the home pages of the top 50 newspapers in the country. they found that only 22 covered the report. 

this lack of coverage and the tendency to prioritize balance over accuracy may be connected to the politicization of climate change. a recent report published by the science communication journal conducted a content analysis of all climate change-related articles published by major newspapers in the u.s between 1985 and 2017. the report found that representations of climate change have become more politicized. 

the content analysis showed that political actors have been increasingly used as sources in recent years, while the use of scientists as sources has been decreasing. it also found that the mention of “democrats” and “republicans” in climate change-related articles have increased. 

the perceived politicization of climate change has influenced actions being taken to address it. when 350 madison, a climate action organization, petitioned the uw foundation to divest from fossil fuel industries, the foundation wrote a letter saying it did not want to do anything that would make the university be seen as a political actor, rather than an academic and research institution. 

this argument is not unique to uw. ari bortman, a university of pennsylvania junior and a campus organizer with fossil free penn, told me that when fossil free pushed for divestment at upenn, the administration said it did not want to make a political statement. that refusal, bortman said, is a political statement in itself. 

“at this point, their vehement resistance to make any kind of statement on the industry really belies their leanings,” bortman said. “we know that the fossil fuel industry destroys people’s lives, destroys people’s homes for profit… exxon admits to spending billions of dollars to spread false science to misinform people, that’s not debatable. to not say that these things are bad is a political statement.”

bortman’s reference to exxon mobile’s misinformation campaigns actually touches on part of why climate change has become so politicized. a recent report, “america misled,” analyzed internal corporate documents from the fossil fuel industry showing it knew about the reality of human-caused climate change for decades and actively funded denial and disinformation campaigns.  

one document from 1998 outlines the american petroleum institute’s global climate science communications plan. this plan includes a bullet point list titled, “victory will be achieved when.”

“media “understands” (recognizes) uncertainties in climate science,” one bullet point read.  “media coverage reflects balance on climate science and recognition of the validity of viewpoints that challenge conventional wisdom.”

corporations’ efforts to influence media messages about climate change have persisted throughout the years. one day in february, after covering clean’s divestment die-in where protestors chanted and laid down at the top of bascom hill as a part of the national fossil fuel divestment day, i came home to find marina fuming in the kitchen. 

i had been covering the protest for the badger herald, but the other school newspaper, the daily cardinal, had been given a pamphlet from the uw alumni foundation emphasizing that technically it is the foundation that is invested in fossil fuels, not the university. 

the resulting daily cardinal article said that students were protesting uw’s “alleged” investment in fossil fuels. 

the word “alleged” was eventually removed after the daily cardinal met with clean. in the meeting, clean’s executive board explained that because all $124,785,961 the foundation has invested in oil and gas is donated to uw, the university is still profiting off fossil fuel investments. 

seeing the importance media coverage plays in this issue, and the concerted effort those who profit from the fossil fuel industry have continued to put into influencing the media, makes me wonder — as a journalist, is it truly biased to take a stance on climate change? furthermore, as a student with a platform, do i have a responsibility to share that stance?

i think back to the global climate strike; standing on my tip toes with my arms outstretched trying to record the speakers, i remember how moved i was by what they said. 

one speaker, uw freshman crystal zhao, reflected on her experience moving from china to massachusetts at 14 and witnessing how climate change has affected different parts of the world. her speech moved me because she discussed the importance of everyone having a role in the climate movement. 

“i’m here today because i care about the future generation and selfishly, i am here today because i care about the reputation of our generation,” zhao said. “i don’t want us to be remembered as the generation that failed to act when we still had a chance to save our home.”

her speech brings me back to my original question: as a journalist, what is my role in the climate movement? this may be a question i continue to grapple with throughout my career. but i do know one thing — after zhao spoke, i cheered as loud as i could. 

this temperature difference can be very problematic when heat waves hit big cities for a number of reasons. for example, increased temperatures can increase energy consumption and increase the amount of air pollutants and greenhouse gases that are emitted. 

but these heat islands (uhis) also are problematic for individuals experiencing heat stress — which can cause heat injuries that sometimes lead to death — and can exacerbate global temperatures.

it’s a rising concern that’s being met with research on the subject — with the hope that the research can inform solutions and result in action. here are some solutions that can help reduce the impacts of the urban heat island effect.

increase the green 

shading

preserving and increasing the green space and canopy cover in urban areas can have a significant impact on how warm a city is. with increased canopy cover, the potential for more shade exists and consequently more cooling effects. most of the time this means planting more trees to increase tree canopy cover. but deciding where to plant trees in a city is crucial to the success of the trees and the cooling that they provide, as well as crucial to making sure that the urban canopy is distributed fairly.

aaron ramirez, an assistant professor at reed college, and hannah prather, a postdoc in ramirez’s lab, employ translational science when conducting their research, where they incorporate managers and other stakeholders into the process of research so that conversations can be started right away about how to act upon the research.

they are working with the city of portland to reduce the canopy disparities and make sure that less wealthy communities are not more adversely affected by the urban heat island effect. 

“our research interests in this area are focused on how uhis drive increased tree stress in urban forests,” ramirez said. “this is an important potential feedback loop whereby communities already underserved could experience higher rates of tree stress and mortality, which would strengthen the urban heat island effect.

“in our work, we are developing new methods for measuring tree stress in the urban landscape and working with managers to explore ways to prevent these dangerous feedbacks between increased tree mortality risk and human health risks.”

management decisions, informed by their research, could be anything from updating approved planting lists to including more drought-tolerant trees to changing how the city manages irrigation of city parks. this is especially important for portland and other cities that have some of the highest urban heat island effects around the country. portland, ranked no. 4 in the difference between rural and urban temperatures, is up to 19 degrees hotter in urban areas, while no. 1-ranked las vegas has a difference of up to 24 degrees. 

green roofs 

increasing the amount of green spaces in cities can happen in seemingly unlikely places. green roofs have the ability to help combat the urban heat island effect by providing shade, reducing rooftop temperatures, and increasing insulation in buildings, which reduces energy consumption. green roofs can even remove greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants from the air via sequestration and storage. 

solar 

the use of solar energy can have many of the same effects as increasing green spaces in cities in addition to acting as a mitigator of climate change and the heat island effect. in using solar panels, the need for non-renewable energy is reduced and fewer amounts of detrimental emissions are put into the atmosphere in the first place, which can help reduce temperatures by not contributing to the greenhouse effect.

depending on the type of solar array installed, it can provide shading and cooling similar to that of vegetation.

additionally, when installed on rooftops, solar panels are able to insulate buildings. in the summer months this can create a cooling effect during the day, while in the winter months it can help prevent heat loss at night. this means less cooling energy and costs in the summer and less heating energy and costs in the winter.

city management

vegetation is a great way to adapt to urban heat islands, but how we manage man-made materials is also very important in how we react to rising temperatures. 

cooling materials

the materials that buildings, cars, pavements and other surfaces are made of and what color they are affect how much heat is retained in those objects and how much heat stays in urban spaces.

lighter colors have high albedo — a measure of how much light that hits a surface is reflected without being absorbed — and trap less heat than darker colors. cool roofs and cool pavement can help lower temperatures, but there are more areas that can also be evaluated.

the heat island group at berkeley labs is looking at cars, pavements, roofs, and walls to evaluate what materials and colors can help create cooler cities. often this means lighter colors and more reflective materials will provide the most benefits.  

city planning 

the urban heat island effect is a complex network of many factors, such as those discussed above. researchers like vivek shandas at portland state university point out that there are other factors to consider as well in addition to the ones already discussed. designing our cities so that there are varied building heights, varied canopy cover, and varied street widths can immensely help reduce the heat island effect by increasing air flow that can then cool down the city environment. the hope is that research like shandas’ can help inform city planners and managers so they can adapt to the detrimental urban heat island effect. 

so: what do we do?

whether mitigating it in the first place or adapting to the urban heat island effect, there are many ways in which researchers have the potential to work with bureaucracy to bring about much needed change. this can be accomplished by increasing urban green spaces and cover, choosing better materials to build with, planning cities in better ways by being informed by research, and reducing our reliance on energy from fossil fuels.

these ideas — along with reducing our footprints in other ways including eating more plant-based foods, reducing fuel consumption for travel, using less single-use packaging, and interacting with our legislators to let them know how we feel about a changing climate — have the potential to reduce the urban heat island phenomena and make cities safer for residents in the years to come. the research has and will continue to guide us to solutions. now is the time to act upon it.

click on the photo below to learn more and see the full story about putnam:

after the closing of arizona’s last coal mine, the navajo nation is investing in renewable energy. the nation is looking to solar for the future.  

solar panels are a common way to get renewal energy, especially in sunbelt states like arizona. but one company is using solar panels to pull water straight from the air. this technology is helping arizonans as well as people around the world.