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.

climate change is threatening people globally, but it also presents business opportunities through innovation and sustainability, said bea perez, global chief communications, sustainability, and strategic partnerships officer at coca-cola.

perez addressed hundreds of global influencers and upcoming mba entrepreneurs at northwestern university’s kellogg climate conference this spring. perez and other corporate leaders advocated for sustainability during the impending climate crisis linked to rising temperatures, economic instability, weather disasters and water insecurity. 

the conference drew on expertise from the energy, transportation, agriculture, food, finance and other sectors to leverage solutions, such as the generating enough electricity and parts to transition to electric fleets for corporate shipping and mass transit. 

an anticipated $1.3 trillion in investment will be needed to innovate and curb climate pain points companies have inflamed in recent years, turning the spotlight on the sustainability leaders globally. 

perez focused on coca-cola’s recent sustainability efforts and errors at the conference hosted by the kellogg school of management and northwestern’s paula m. trienens institute of sustainability and energy. 

evaluating big business’s responsibility to mitigate climate change

kellogg brought corporate leaders from companies including exxon-mobil, invenergy, and general motors under one roof to educate and prepare future business leaders to prioritize sustainability and innovation. 

there’s two things everybody should understand about climate — where do greenhouse gasses come from and how are industries and companies following through on climate mitigation goals, said meghan busse, associate professor of strategy at the kellogg school of management. 

perez combined the outlook for commercial profitability and sustainability to evaluate what roles the fortune 500 company plays in prioritizing the climate as a key strategy in decisions, not just an offshoot program. 

her theme was accountability — owning up to coca-cola’s mistakes and reimagining the company’s more recent role in mitigating climate change. some steps included changing bottle design and water conservation. 

“don’t you think we have a responsibility as a business to manage those resources [water and carbon] and do better?” perez said.

taking accountability

by reducing the amount of carbon used to produce a singular coca cola product by 25%, perez said the company found a loophole when they first tried to focus on sustainability. 

their per unit carbon usage was down, but since business was growing, it let coca-cola grow their carbon emissions in “absolute terms,” perez said. 

“we made a mistake,” perez said. “and so just as any smart business group would do… we had to reset the plan.”

in other words, coca-cola needed to establish new targets that held all aspects of their business accountable in lowering their carbon emissions – and not just their production line. 

perez also recognized the role fortune 500 companies play in restoring resources like water. 

“you can’t have a conversation about climate, unless you talk about water,” perez said.  

coca-cola established three goals hoping to restore all the water they use for production globally: using 100% regenerative water across 175 facilities facing “high water stress,” improving 60 watersheds’ health, and returning two trillion liters of water to communities. 

in 2021, coca-cola introduced regenerative water as a metric for achieving their sustainability goals. the concept includes reducing, reusing, recycling and replenishing water to communities for nature and other stakeholders to use, according to their 2021 sustainability report. 

perez’s talk put more responsibility on corporations to work on climate change mitigation, rather than falling on the consumer. 

“water is a human right… a lot of places in developed countries don’t have water regulation. if you go into emerging markets, they typically do. and so how do you make sure there’s [a] great water policy in place for people and for society?”

emphasizing community

perez said that between 2018 to 2022, there were only 18 days, on average, between every billion-dollar disaster, compared to 82 days in the 1980s. 

coca-cola shifted its value proposition from getting communities to spend money on their products to investing back into the communities where resources are acquired from.

“if you don’t have strong communities, you don’t have businesses,” perez said. 

“water still will always be number one, but it cuts in many slices… some people say, ‘we saw you met your target five years ahead of schedule, so what are you doing today?’” perez said. 

she said coca-cola is now working to replenish 100% of the water it uses. 

room for improvement

despite getting ahead of their target, coca-cola falls short compared to the company’s leading food and beverage competitor: pepsico.

pepsico used 1.4 liters of water per liter of beverage product produced, according to their water stewardship approach, which is 0.39 liters less than of coca-cola’s usage in their latest business and sustainability report. 

perez also spoke about the importance of independent auditing for environmental, social and governmental reporting. 

“imagine if it were just coca-cola saying, ‘hey, we did this,’” perez said. “do you think you would believe me? this is a little bit like a conflict of interest, right?” 

esg reporting involves publicly disclosing information about environmental, social and governmental business operations, according to the corporate governance institute. 

coca-cola made the switch to sustainability report auditing through ernst and young, a multinational professional services company, in 2015. 

coca-cola was one of the first in the pack, since only 2% of fortune 500 companies started esg reporting back then, perez said. 

perez urged audience members to look up coca-cola’s business and sustainability reports, which replaced the reports that were originally only geared towards quantifying how well the company was reaching sustainability targets.   

the transition came after coca-cola realized it was sending “unintended signals” that they had two separate reports, perez said. 

“it would look as if it [sustainability] wasn’t important to our business,” perez said. “frankly, you saw throughout those charts how important it [sustainability] is to our business].”

a data-informed approach

coca-cola incorporates a next-generation data platform to track and manage progress against esg metrics and has abided by the sustainability accounting standards board standards since 2020, according to their 2021 reporting frameworks and sustainable development goals. 

the company focuses on water leadership, packaging, climate, sustainable agriculture and communities in their esg report, according to their 2022 business and sustainability report. 

“we integrated the data,” perez said. “we made sure that we have the same standard that we have in our financial reporting as we have in here — [the esg report].”

currently, companies are only required to report scope 1 and scope 2 criteria, which involve reporting greenhouse gas emissions from sources an organization directly owns and from indirect energy sources the company has purchased, according to the securities and exchange commission. 

scope 3, emissions that the company does not produce by itself and are not from the companies’ assets, and water consumption reporting are still not required by the sec.

navigating the future of esg reporting

currently, coca-cola’s reporting has been voluntary in the u.s., so accountability hasn’t come at a penalty cost, yet. 

but what happens when the sec enforces mandatory esg reporting?

on march 6, the sec adopted rules to “enhance and standardize climate-related disclosures by public companies,” according to the sec’s enhancement and standardization of climate-related disclosures for investors. 

while declaring water-usage was proposed as an inclusion  for the final rule, it was ultimately axed to simplify requirements and prevent putting a “topical focus” on any one climate-related disclosure, according to the disclosure. 

coca-cola has already begun anticipating the sec’s future moves towards making sustainability reporting mandatory.  

 perez said she tells her team to consider how much voluntary reporting they’re doing that could impact mandatory reporting in the future. 

“if you report work you’re really not doing, with the sec rules, you’re going to have personal fines to executives, criminal penalties potentially. so the stakes are higher,” perez said. 

thick winter socks: check. thermal underwear: check. non-perishable food: check. bear spray: check. industrial-sized pipe: check. bailey nash’s packing list for her upcoming trip looks a little different as she pursues her travels as a climate science detective. 

nash, a third-year ph.d. candidate in northwestern university’s department of earth and planetary sciences, will travel to southern greenland this summer with a team of other researchers to collect sediment cores from lake beds that offer a window into the past of climate cues.

“basically what we do is show up to the lake, fill this big raft, float into the middle of the lake, shove what’s essentially a plumbing pipe down into the bottom of the lake, and then we pull it up,” nash said.

the research team returns to professor yarrow axford’s quaternary sediment laboratory on campus where nash works with axford, her ph.d. adviser, to understand climate change by analyzing components in the mud samples accrued over thousands of years.

students in axford’s lab operate under a paleolimnology focus, according to nash, which is the study of lakes throughout the past. nash said the goal is to use the story of lakes changing over time to paint a bigger picture of how the earth’s climate has changed.

other student researchers in axford’s lab seek a similar goal from sediment cores extracted much closer to home. aidan burdick, also a third-year ph.d. student in the department of earth and planetary sciences, gathers sediment cores from lakes in the midwest. burdick gestured to a long half-tube of sediment from crystal lake, illinois, on the table in front of him as he described its revelations about the past climate record.

“this core represents about 1,200 years of time,” burdick said. “we use a technique called radiocarbon dating” to follow the trail of time.

burdick said radiocarbon dating helps them determine the age of the layers in their sediment cores because it is based on a type of carbon isotope that decays over a set period of time once organic matter such as moss has died. he pointed to the layers on the core that marked when the europeans settlers pioneered in illinois.

a bulk of the lab’s work — both in the arctic and in the midwest — centers around how knowledge of the past can help scientists understand current and future changes associated with climate change, said nash. the sediment core displayed in the lab reveals evidence of settlement, according to burdick, which points toward human effects on climate change.

the team analyzes the organic matter and other components in the sediment cores by using a long, flat piece of technology called the geotek multi-sensor core logger, according to burdick. the equipment uses a flat bed to move the core through the logger while a camera takes high-resolution images of the sediment core and logs what is found at the various layers. burdick said it also measures the amount of magnetic material in the sediment, gives numerical values for the varying mud coloration and detects different types of ions and atoms found in the core such as calcium and aluminum.

“we can just put the core on, program it, leave it overnight, and then come in and have a ton of data we can use to help characterize our cores,” burdick said. “it’s pretty cool.”

nash acknowledged that climate research is an ongoing process undertaken by scientists worldwide, and her work in axford’s lab is merely one aspect of the collaborative effort toward understanding the changing environment. she said she entered graduate school starry-eyed and ready to change the world, and she is now recognizing their records are a nuanced drop in the bucket of broader research seeking to answer her biggest questions.

“those individual drops aren’t going to be reflective of the whole truth,” she said. “we’re really pulling together different elements of what already exists, what’s currently being done, and incorporating it into our story and trying the best we can to build that story.”

the production and trade of palm oil have significant environmental and social implications. unsustainable palm oil production exacerbates global climate change. developing countries, which often lack resources to address climate change issues adequately, bear the brunt of its impacts.

by advocating for sustainability certification programs, we uphold the ethical imperative to minimize harm, promote justice, and act as responsible global citizens.

unsustainable palm oil production poses significant ethical challenges and has far-reaching consequences that affect the environment, society, and global responsibility. palm oil, widely used in food, cosmetics, and biofuels industries, has become a highly profitable commodity, driving extensive expansion of plantations. this trend is corroborated by sources such as “oil palm in indonesia” authored by john d. watts and silvia irawan in 2018. however, the rapid growth of the palm oil industry has come at a grave cost.

one of the primary ethical concerns of unsustainable palm oil production lies in its severe environmental impact. palm oil is not only bad for the climate — as their forest habitat is cleared, endangered species such as the orangutan, borneo elephant and sumatran tiger are being pushed closer to extinction. this loss of biodiversity raises moral questions about our responsibility to protect and preserve other living beings on earth.

according to efeca briefing note, deforestation for palm oil also contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions, exacerbating climate change and its associated moral risks. the degradation of peatlands, often cleared for palm oil cultivation, releases large quantities of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, accelerating global warming. the adverse effects of climate change disproportionately affect vulnerable communities in developing countries, which often lack the resources and adaptive capacity to cope with the consequences. 

the palm oil industry’s expansion creates economic disparities, particularly when small-scale farmers are pushed out by large plantation companies, leading to monopolization. small farmers may be forced to adopt unsustainable practices to compete or find alternative livelihoods, exacerbating environmental and social issues. the unequal distribution of benefits and profits within the industry raises questions about justice and equitable development.

the lack of transparency in palm oil supply chains allows for unsustainable practices to persist without proper scrutiny. following the investigation of the rainforest action network  a big number of palm oil-producing companies source from suppliers engaged in illegal and environmentally damaging activities, such as land grabbing, deforestation, and peatland drainage, and human rights violations. this lack of accountability in supply chains hinders efforts to trace the origin of palm oil products and makes it challenging for consumers and stakeholders to make informed decisions based on ethical considerations. consumers who want to make ethical choices may find it difficult to identify products that are genuinely sustainable and produced with respect for the environment and human rights.

as rainforest rescue states, in 2021, approximately 66.7 million acres of rainforest had been cleared for palm oil production globally. according to rainforest rescue, “forests and human settlements have been destroyed and replaced by “green deserts” containing virtually no biodiversity on an area the size of new zealand.”

palm oil plantations often replace diverse and ecologically valuable forests, leading to a significant loss of biodiversity, while the use of pesticides and fertilizers in palm oil production lead to soil and water pollution. obligatory sustainable certification programs can help protect biodiversity by promoting the adoption of practices that preserve existing forests, conserve wildlife habitats, and promote reforestation efforts. 

besides, unsustainable palm oil production is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, exacerbating climate change because clearing forests releases vast amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere due to draining peatlands.

what is more, palm oil cultivation requires significant amounts of water, leading to water scarcity and contamination, and generates considerable waste.

multiple sources, for example, international labour rights forum report serious violations of workers’ rights in palm oil production, including forced labor, child labor, harassment, violence against human rights defenders, and discrimination against women. safe and fair working conditions are lacking, emphasizing the necessity of sustainable certification programs to address these issues.

many smallholders in the supply chain are subject to untransparent agreements that burden them with unexpected debts and unfair remuneration for their products. for instance, nestlé purchases palm oil from mills in sabah state, malaysia, as swiss ngo solidar suisse reported. the report highlighted ruthless exploitation and forced labor on the oil palm plantations, where a significant portion of the workforce, approximately 840,000 people, are illegal immigrants from indonesia, including up to 200,000 children, earning wages below the world bank’s extreme poverty line.

as the forest people programme funded by the uk government states, in indonesia, about half of the palm oil labor force is women. palm oil companies contribute to discrimination and violence against women by failing to prevent sexual violence by their employees. they also contribute to other rights violations that disproportionately affect women.

smallholders and indigenous populations who have inhabited and protected the forest for generations are often brutally driven from their land. human rights violations are everyday occurrences, even on supposedly “sustainable” and “organic” plantations. for example, forest people programme funded by the uk government concluded that in 2010, the indonesian government’s national land bureau reported that it had recorded 4,000 land conflicts across the archipelago in the palm oil sector. according to forest people program, “in liberia, it is estimated that 40% of the population reside inside concessions for rubber, oil palm, forestry, and the extractive sector.” nestlé buys palm oil from exportadora del atlantico in honduras. the palm oil mill in the aguan valley has been implicated in a violent land conflict, with accusations of involvement in the killings of at least 140 people. 

companies frequently violate the cultural rights of indigenous peoples by destroying sacred sites, cultural artifacts, or monuments, causing the loss of intangible cultural heritage, and preventing communities from practicing traditional livelihoods.

in conclusion, implementing and enforcing obligatory sustainable certification programs for palm oil production is crucial to mitigate the moral risks associated with climate change, addressing environmental protection, workers’ rights, and social responsibility, and promoting a more sustainable and equitable global trade market.

certification programs will promote responsible business practices that benefit communities, promote social well-being, and contribute to inclusive development. furthermore, certification programs should encourage transparency and accountability in corporate practices. companies are required to disclose their social and environmental performance, fostering trust and enabling consumers to make informed choices.

the ross specializes in watershed ecosystem science, where they use large datasets to produce actionable insights that their partners can implement. one of the ross’s most important partnerships is with the biogeochemistry lab at rocky mountain research station (rmrs), which helps the ross collect and analyze stream chemistry for some of their key study watersheds.

another exciting aspect of the ross’s work is the harmonization of water quality data (from partners like rmrs) with satellite imagery to help estimate water quality from satellites, which helps fill in data gaps. critical to their open science mission, they keep all code open and accessible, providing publically available reproducible workflows for others to use their tools.

along with being a leading voice in watershed ecosystem management, the ross wants to make science welcoming to everyone, with the goal that their work “fosters a better, just, equitable, diverse, and inclusive scientific community.”

welcome to my food justice. 

this project was also made in an effort to combat sinophobia, or the fear or dislike of chinese people, which has been escalating in the united states since the onset of covid-19. the culture that i grew up with is beautiful and i wanted to share not only its beauty, but the ways that my culture intersects with environmentalism as well. 

the trails that guide us around acadia on our family vacations have been in use for thousands of years before us as legacy trails. instead of being used for recreation, legacy trails brought ranchers, indigenous peoples, or firefighters from point a to point b as quickly as possible, long before the times of cars and paved roads. 

rising visitation in national parks

acadia now hosts about 4 million visitors each year. on trend with many other national parks across the country, visitation soared after the pandemic. i was first thrilled to hear that many other americans are taking advantage of their public lands. however, calls from the parks rang a different tone. this rapid increase in visitor use has strained infrastructure systems, spread already overworked staff thin, and battered hiking trails. 

times like these are when the work of recreation ecologists shines through. jeffrey marion, ph.d., is a recreation ecologist with the us geological survey out of virginia tech and studies how the history of legacy trails shape the sustainability, design, and durability of our current hiking trails across the country. marion’s goal is to better understand how to mitigate the impact that humans have on the environment while allowing them a taste of wilderness through hiking trails. 

hiking trail design is oftentimes hidden on the paths that i grew up on. once trail designers and builders have completed their trail, it often should appear as if they were never there to give visitors a taste of “untouched” wilderness. careful planning is critical in ensuring that a hiking trail is long lasting. this careful planning may often be contrary to the legacy trails that already lie in place—these were built for convenience, not sustainability. 

after analyzing the legacy trails in an area, designers must assess if they are already sustainable, can be altered, or must be scrapped all together. marion emphasizes that water plays the biggest role in a trail’s sustainability. if you were to dump your water bottle down a mountain, the water would take the fall line down to the bottom. if a hiking trail follows that same route or lies at an unfriendly angle to it, water will either wash out or puddle in the trail.

creating the ideal trail

according to marion, the ideal trail angle is one that is diagonal to the fall line. in the process of trail design, designers then carefully craft the control points of a trail. these points lay out where the trail needs to begin and end, where people should go, and where people shouldn’t go. in the case of bubble rock, the iconic viewpoint that makes the hike is a positive control point. other examples of positive control points include waterfalls or scenic vistas, any beautiful scenery that humans would stray off the path to see if the trail did not already lead them there. negative control points such as ecologically sensitive sites are used to mark areas that the trail needs to avoid. 

marion says that trail design is not rocket science—it’s just a general understanding of the ecological role that outdoor recreationists have on their environment. with all of the steps that go into the design process, trails reemerge as more sustainable and durable to the effects of high foot traffic and natural elements. sustainably built hiking trails mitigate the effects that outdoor recreationists have on their environment while giving them the feeling of being in total wilderness.

with the recent surges in park visitation since the pandemic, recreation ecologists suggest that relying only on sustainable hiking trails isn’t enough. in 2020, visitation records were up 335% in july in comparison to may visitation numbers—this figure historically lies at 75%. 

christopher monz, ph.d., a professor of recreation resource management at utah state university, explains that visitor management is also key in mitigating the impacts that overcrowding has on hiking trails. he researches visitor impacts in rocky mountain national park in colorado, the fifth most visited park in 2020. to reduce overcrowding, rocky mountain national park implemented a timed-entry system into the park. visitors cannot get into the park without a reserved spot at a specific time.

monz says that timed-entry systems help reduce the burden of overcrowding on park resources while improving overall visitor satisfaction. some have suggested that extending access into the backcountry areas could alleviate overcrowding, however this raises questions about whether parks exist to serve visitors or the environments they protect. to monz, the future of managing overcrowding in america’s public lands looks like combining sustainable hiking trail design with managed access into the park. 

behind my family’s hikes in acadia were trail designers working to ensure that we had the ability to hike to bubble rock without harming the native plants, animals, and soil. after learning about how sustainable trail design and visitor management can reduce the impacts of overcrowding, i no longer just see hiking trails as the pristine nature that i once did. i now see the trail designer studying topographic maps to find the best route or the trail crews moving rocks, building stairs, or clearing trees to make a trail passable.

in a way, hiking trails are more beautiful now. i see the future of high visitation in national parks as a mesh between human impact and natural beauty. we can still preserve our public lands, make hiking trails more durable, and allow access for visitors all while protecting the core environment of parks. it’s something we rarely see in today’s world—a relationship that strikes the perfect balance of human impact and protection to let people appreciate nature while preserving it for generations to come. 

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.

i traveled to “the end of the world” alongside climate leaders from over 36 countries, gathered to learn and connect over climate change mitigation.

to get there, we had to endure the 30-foot waves of the drake’s passage tossing us back and forth with formidable force. but as the ocean calmed, a glacier materialized out of the mist suddenly, jarring us out of our stupor.

the moment was one of pure wonder and elation – bundled up against the wind and snow, everyone sprinkled onto the deck to soak it in together. our first excursion took us out onto antarctic waters, stepping from the sturdy ship into little zodiac boats.

the enormity hit us then. the peace of the place is indescribable. the quiet, unfathomable. the awe and inspiration completely underestimated.

the following days, we experienced honest, raw interactions with the animals and landscapes of the antarctic.

the weather brought us harsh wind, soft snow, blizzarding and radiantly crisp blue skies, sometimes all within a matter of hours. in antarctica, the powerful notion of our planet as a living and breathing ecosystem came through with such strength.

but even immersed in the most untouched, pristine habitat on earth, it wasn’t long until the effects of climate change reached us. in early march, news had spread about a heatwave on the antarctic plateau. the concordia research station in east antarctica measured a temperature record high of -11.8 degrees celsius, 40 degrees above the month’s average. scientists reported they had never seen weather behavior like this in the history of antarctic weather recording. during our expedition, the typical antarctic snow turned to rain. rob shockingly revealed that in the dozens of times he had visited antarctica, this was the first rain he had witnessed.

witnessing climate change firsthand in a place so far away from the human-inhabited world hit me with massive impact. in the face of these monumental problems, it can feel like nothing you can do will make a difference. but as rob reminds us, believing we can’t make a difference or that someone else will instead is the greatest danger of all.

so, what can you do?

climate change is such a complex issue that it can be difficult to know where to begin and what can make the most impact. this is especially true since there are multiple related issues plaguing our environment at the same time, such as plastic pollution, excess waste and habitat destruction. i’ve found that it is easiest to start wherever you can find the greatest sense of fulfillment from your impact. easily implemented but effective changes help break through the barrier to habit change people so often face. when i returned from antarctica, i had more motivation than i’d ever had before. i felt where i could make the most immediate impact in my life was to move toward a less-waste lifestyle.

i swapped out my single-use bath and kitchen supplies for reusable alternatives. now whenever i order food or a drink to go, i bring my own containers or ask if they can serve me with washable dishes rather than plastic ones.

here are some other simple action steps you can take now:

• reduce your use of single-use plastics and swap them for reusable items
• reduce your carbon footprint: limit flights, carpool, bike-ride or walk, etc.
• join community environmental events, such as local clean-ups, climate action campaigns, community gardening events, etc.
• invest your money responsibly around environmental, social and governance (esg)
• make your voice heard by those in power and seek out leadership positions yourself

one of the most important things you can do is talk to others about climate change in your community. have conversations on what you’ve noticed about the climate, share sustainable news and practices that interest you and discuss what the best ways are for you personally to contribute to climate mitigation. this can be the most powerful step of all. conversation is a necessity in creating change in this world. you could talk with your professors and peers about how sustainability plays a role in your area of study and engage with politicians through discussion and voting. the most valuable contribution we can give comes from collaboration: the exchange of ideas big and small, working and creating, together. united, we can make all the difference in the world, for the world.

in Ángela and the plastic problem, she embarks on a journey to discover what her local community and communities across her country are doing to increase sustainability by combating plastic waste. learning about intiatives in other cities and even going on a trip to the marvelous galápagos islands, she is helped and inspired along the way by her best friend, julia, and her mamá.

Ángela meets new friends like pedro and his mother to continue her exploration of ecuador, facing her fears to discover how community can tackle plastic pollution together.

in this children’s book, youth will hopefully be inspired to take action after learning about what other people are doing to combat plastic waste. 

Ángela and the plastic problem was written as an original story by first-time and emerging authors maria zaharatos & shelby atherton, edited and published with support from elena negrón, and illustrated by ruby walker.

the following two page spreads are an excerpt from the book. 

the book is made available through the texas-based educational nonprofit organization, faro: projects for global education, which writes educational curricula and children’s books on global issues.

for interested readers who liked this excerpt, you can check out the full book available on amazon, and keep an eye out for our kindle version coming soon! 

for teachers or others who want to use the book for educational purposes – please contact faro at info@faropge.org