cross, a social media and marketing professional, has been a fan of swift since the 31-year-old singer released “love story” in 2008. she feels she has grown up just “one era behind her’s” and views swift as an older sister of sorts. she is not alone in feeling this connection to swift; hundreds of fans expressed similar sentiments. 

for fans of swift, the last year and a half have been nothing short of overwhelming. the singer-songwriter released two surprise albums in 2020 and began releasing her re-recorded albums, with “red” slated to release this november. sister albums “folklore” and “evermore” expanded swift’s impact beyond the pop music charts and have now piqued the interest of an entirely new group: conservation scientists. 

these scientists are interested in the impact that swift’s use of nature-based language has had on environmental empathy. it could be the first domino to fall in a series of events that leads to resolving many ecological issues. 

“pop culture is part of how we see and know things,” said jeff opperman, the global lead freshwater scientist for the world wildlife fund and author of the new york times article ‘taylor swift is singing us back to nature.’ “we need artists like taylor swift beginning to integrate [nature] into their lyrics. it’s not going to solve [climate change] on its own by any means, but it’s a brick in rebuilding that bridge between us and nature.”

opperman’s interest in swift’s lyrics began when he decided to listen to the album “folklore” at the recommendation of several peers. he first noticed that all of the short videos for the album on spotify were of swift observing nature. slowly, he realized how often swift wove natural imagery into the lyrics of her songs.

“she’s in a meadow, she’s in a forest, she’s walking along a lake… it often takes a while for the lyrics to kind of sink in. you don’t really hear all the words, and then you start listening, and it’s like, ‘oh! she keeps referencing parks and trees and creeks and lakes and all this stuff,’” opperman observed. 

opperman began figuring out just how many more nature-themed words swift used compared to other pop artists. he compared the lyrics of the 32 songs on “folklore” and “evermore” to the first 32 songs on spotify’s today’s top hits playlist and found that she uses nature-based language seven times as frequently as the other pop songs. 

opperman’s analysis shows that swift’s use of nature-related words is highly uncommon in modern music. a 2017 study published by the association for psychological science titled “a growing disconnection from nature is evident in cultural products” found that the use of nature-related words in song lyrics declined by 63% from the 1950s to the first decade of the 21st century. their analysis of nature-related words in english works of fiction and film storylines found similar results. 

“it’s an indication that the culture doesn’t pay attention to nature or the most beautiful aspects of nature as much… if you value something, you would probably think more about it, talk about it more,” said selin kesebir. kesebir is an associate professor of organizational behavior at the london business school and the lead scientist on the study. 

the researchers found that as one encounters nature more frequently, it is more likely that they would include nature-related concepts in cultural creations. when they do not spend time in nature, they will not likely include a reference to it in a song, poem, or film. 

“the creative process requires creators to access elements of conceptual knowledge stored in their minds and to combine these elements (ward & kitayama, 2010). this means that nature-related concepts can make their way into cultural products if they are stored in the minds of cultural creators and are cognitively accessible to them,” the study stated. “conversely, if creators have limited encounters with nature or if these encounters do not register with them, nature is less likely to feature in their work.”

kesebir and her team found that urbanization and technological change are likely reasons for the declining interest in nature. technology has become a replacement for the joy, recreation, and entertainment that nature once provided.

the researchers also believe that these findings are of concern due to the strong evidence that documents the positive effects of contact with nature and because “cultural products not only reflect the prevailing culture, they also shape it.” this belief means that as people lose physical contact with nature and do not hear or see it in cultural products, such as songs and movies, it creates a negative feedback loop that diminishes interest in nature altogether. 

“if you don’t have these cultural role models, then you are less likely to enact that on your own… if you observed other people doing that, then you will be more likely to do that on your own,” said kesebir. 

kesebir, a ph.d. in social psychology, believes that swift’s impact on redeveloping this connection to nature could be significant, especially because she is this role model to so many people. she believes that swift has far more reach than authors like ralph waldo emerson, who wrote about nature in the past. 

“i think it’s this key sort of on-ramp to becoming an active conservationist. that first step is like, ‘oh, the woods are pretty. taylor swift liked it; maybe i should go outside, take some pictures.’ i think that’s definitely a key first step on that continuum. at sustain, we like to just take that to the next step further and link it to a call to action,” said betsy mortensen, the ceo and co-founder of sustain. this non-profit organization partners environmental organizations with the music industry. 

sustain holds song-writing retreats that bring people into national parks to connect with nature and form an emotional connection to public lands. sustain also has a program called trail sessions, which pairs outdoor concerts with guided educational hikes at public lands. 

“70% of people that attend trail sessions have never visited our featured locations before, which kind of stunned me. so it is like a big part of the reason that people are coming out to these is because of the music component that they’re attracted to, like, ‘oh, i know this band, this sounds cool. i feel comfortable going to this place that i’ve never been because the band is there,’” said mortensen, who has a master’s degree in environment, society, and development. “95% of people intend to return to these places on their own.”

however, mortensen and sustain co-founder, harrison goodale, said that swift’s nature-related lyrics are just the first step in inspiring people to connect to the outdoors. 

“i think that there is significance if the artists were able to promote the conservation efforts in terms of explaining why they’re choosing to do nature, rather than just be like, ‘oh, this is an aesthetic,’” said goodale.

goodale has a degree in music education and is a musician himself. he believes that albums like swift’s should do more than just use nature as an aesthetic. instead of just explaining why she likes trees, goodale thinks that a call to action that explains the importance of these trees could do a lot to preserve them. 

both opperman and kesebir also believe that swift’s music on its own will not solve issues like climate change. still, swift may unintentionally disband this negative feedback loop by creating cultural products that increase interest in nature. 

however, cross is an example of a fan of swift’s who has found herself caring more about nature due to the lyrics in “folklore” and “evermore.” on top of spending more time with her chickens to pose them for photos, cross has connected with specific lyrics that have drawn her closer to nature. one of the bonus tracks on the “folklore” album is titled “the lakes,” which includes vivid imagery in the lyrics. an example of these lyrics is, “i want auroras and sad prose // i want to watch wisteria grow right over my bare feet.” this song, in particular, led to cross paying more attention to her environment.

“i would say i paid more attention to lakes, which is so weird because obviously, lakes are pretty big here in vermont; we have a ton of them. i never really loved looking at them, but i never noticed how beautiful they were with the mountains behind them, and now i always feel like in my head i can really take me to the lakes, and i want to go there and spend more time there,” cross said. 

although there is no empirical evidence that swift’s music has led to more people becoming conservationists, anecdotes like cross’ prove that it is possible.

“there is this cultural deficit, and if the biggest pop star in the world does this, well, that’s at least a start in repairing the cultural deficit,” opperman said.

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just outside of the cvs that i could barely get myself to walk to, there was always a man sitting on the corner, covered in beads of sweat from the thick humidity and sun beating down on his bald head. earlier in the spring, when it wasn’t so hot, he asked for spare change. now, he asks if i can get him a bottle of water. 

heat already kills more americans than all other extreme weather events combined. by 2100, some projections show that deaths from heat may surpass the current rate of deaths from all infectious diseases combined.

and one of the greatest solutions to extreme heat is planting more trees. us cities are pouring millions into tree planting initiatives––washington, d.c., seattle and houston are already on track to meet million-tree planting goals by 2030. i dove into the heat issue last summer when i wrote a piece for the guardian about the shortfalls of these plans. i found that cities are really good at planting trees in high-income neighborhoods, and not so good at planting trees in low-income, majority minority neighborhoods, where it can be up to 15 f hotter.

the issue becomes even more complex when you factor in tree micro inequalities––yes, it’s actually a thing. boston seems to be doing pretty well in distributing tree canopy across all neighborhoods. but david meshoulam, president of boston tree nonprofit speak for the trees, described that low-income neighborhoods rank well in tree canopy because they have big parks nearby, which factor into the neighborhood total. boston is really struggling to plant street trees, which offer that shade on your walk to the grocery store, but you can’t see that in the data.

we really don’t know where to plant trees if we look at tree totals by neighborhood, like we have been. those totals will hide those micro inequalities that cities should be targeting. so, if houston has a goal to plant 1.6 million trees, where should they put them? 

that’s exactly what 100 community scientists in the city set out to answer.

on august 7, the nature conservancy and the city of houston had scientists with thermal sensors attached to their cars and bicycles to cover 300 square miles––the largest geographical mapping effort in u.s. history––in hopes to produce a detailed thermal map to inform their tree-planting decisions.

these 100 scientists, who i like to think were armed in their white lab coats, thick glasses and wirey hair––the archetype of a scientist––pedaling all over town with their heat-sensing devices, are sparking a trend across the country. the nature conservancy also has similar projects going on in phoenix, denver, los angeles and new york.

jaime gonzalez, tnc’s lead on the urban heat map community event, said strategic mapping like this will solve multiple problems at once. not only will it help with heat mitigation, but it will also fix inequities and help the city to laser-focus their mitigation efforts on areas that need it the most. 

many cities are starting to realize that many steps come before actually planting the trees. initiatives like finding where to put them are just as important as the planting itself––what’s another tree in an already tree-heavy area going to do? and it’s becoming more and more important as our summers continue to get hotter.

“this year there were 10 days that felt 105 f or greater in houston,” gonzalez said. “by 2065, if no actions are taken, that jumps to 74 f. that’s an entirely different city to live in, and we already see the inequity and we know that that’s going to get worse.”

as we see more lab coats hit the streets, hopefully we’ll also see city planners fill in those tree gaps. although we have a break from the heat for a little while, we can still prepare for what’s to come in just a few months.

in response to the more than 100 fires since oct. 8, head of operations for the lebanon’s civil defence, george abu masa, said in an interview with agence france-presse, “we have mobilized 80% of our personnel and almost all our centers in lebanon.” the dire situation was echoed by syrian agriculture minister mohammed hassan qatana who reported dozens of fires still burning on oct. 9, with two provinces along the lebanese border, tartus and latakia. 

this is a pattern that began in october of 2019, due to rising average temperatures and increases in the wind. one factor that continues to plague lebanon, in particular, is the increase in human pollution in natural spaces without the proper infrastructure and institutions to account for the debris that will fuel future infernos.

there is a growing international movement and recognition of nature-based solutions to economic, ecological, and systemic conundrums. the undp equator initiative highlights local sustainable development achievements across all seven continents through the collaborative efforts of the united nations, governments, civil society, business, and grassroots organizations. 

in 2020, a community in the congo basin called vie sauvage was one of the equator prize awardees because of their commitment to the health of various native, endangered species (particularly the bonobo ape) and the accompanying economic development that arose from ecotourism, sustainable management, and community activism. this community proved that placing biological conservation and indigenous values as the main priorities is also the most economically beneficial move for this, and potentially other, isolated indigenous and local groups.

“the just shall flourish like the palm tree, shall grow like a cedar of lebanon.” (psalms 92:13)

there is a deep connection between the strength and vitality of the cedar trees and that of the lebanese culture and identity. given the obvious linkage between this natural capital and social capital, i believe that there are plenty of opportunities to restore faith in institutions and the role of government through a biological conservation drive. green cedar lebanon is a non-profit, non-governmental organization that leads reforestation drives and social media campaigns to raise awareness on green solutions and galvanize political will for climate action.

while the influence of civil society in lebanon may not be as great as other nations due to unrest, its existence and collaboration with other groups demonstrate a tepid, yet growing demand for climate action and civic engagement in a nation that has struggled with both since its inception.

think of the creature you most despise: something you think has no purpose or that simply freaks you out. you might ask, what’s the point of that organism? if anything this creature is unwanted or pesky. we might not think twice before we step on it or try to get rid of it. true, these species might be unsightly or frightening, however they are just as important to your livelihood as the food on your plate or the roof over your head and here’s why:

but amid the environmental wreckage, some trees remain untouched. these trees are wrapped in iconic bright orange robes and deemed sacred, protected from harm and destruction. these trees have been ordained as monks.

at a time when pope francis is calling upon religious leaders to step up as environmental advocates, thai buddhist monks are answering the call. through rituals like tree ordinations, some monks in thailand are integrating buddhist principles into the environmental movement in order to garner support from their followers and encourage sustainable practices.

dr. susan darlington, professor of anthropology and asian studies at hampshire college in the u.s. and author of the book the ordination of a tree, explains that protecting trees is a form of merit-making, an important practice in buddhism. by accumulating merit through performing good deeds, buddhists are ensuring a better next life and taking a step closer to reaching enlightenment and, ultimately, nirvana.

“making merit is extremely important for thai buddhists,” darlington said. “they see (tree ordination ceremonies) as an act of making merit, which can help with rebirth and, in some cases, having a better life now.”

one of the primary goals in the buddhist religion is to end suffering, and the forests of thailand are certainly suffering.

“there are places in northern thailand, particularly in nan province, where there has been a lot of deforestation, so the watersheds areas fill the water with mud, silt, and pesticide runoff causing more severe flooding in the rainy season and more severe drought in the dry season,” said gordon congdon, the conservation program manager for wwf-thailand. “in many ways, climate change is amplifying problems that are already existing.”

with over 90% of the thai population practicing buddhism, monks hold an influential role as leaders to whom people look for guidance in all aspects of life.

“they become the leader that people would trust,” said dr. chaya vaddhanaphuti, a geography professor at chiang mai university whose ph.d. studies focused on climate change. “if i asked the farmers who they would choose to trust between government officers and the monks, they would choose the latter.”

with such an immense amount of influence in villages throughout thailand, monks are utilizing their position to add a unique moral dimension to the environmental movement. however, rituals alone are not enough.

although buddhism is typically a religion famed for its detachment from society, ecology monks believe that their religion is inherently tied to nature. buddhist monks like phrakhu ajan somkit, who is based in nan province in northern thailand where deforestation is an issue of major concern, are entering the political sphere to consult with government officials on environmental initiatives and rights for rural farmers. other monks, like phrakhu win mektripop, an ecology monk based in bangkok, are trying to find more sustainable solutions to everyday problems by implementing solar panels in temples and helping villagers create cheap huts out of mud and natural materials.

“when the buddha was born, he was born under the tree. he was enlightened under the tree. his first sermon was under the tree. we can see that most of his life was related to the forest,” said phra win. with a master’s degree in environmental economics from chulalongkorn university, phra win understands how important agriculture is to the rural population of thailand.

as thailand shifted from a low-income to an upper-income society in less than a generation, however, sustainability hasn’t exactly been the focus of the country’s economic development. for instance, big companies like cp all public, which owns over 10,000 7-eleven stores in thailand, are taking advantage of the rapid pace of growth by contracting rural farmers to mass-produce monocrops like maize and rice.

“they plant corn, they harvest it, they sell it to the big company and earn just about enough to pay off their debt,” said congdon. “it creates this vicious cycle of dependency on the large companies and the farmers never get ahead, which leads to more and more deforestation.”

seeing no other options, these farmers continue unsustainable practices that are stripping the soil of valuable nutrients and plunging them deeper into debt. however, ecology monks are working to provide an alternative that is beneficial to both the environment and the people.

another one of the most harmful environmental issues in thailand is simply a lack of knowledge.

“when i lived with the farmers during my ph.d. studies, they never used the term climate change,” said vaddhanaphuti. “however, they knew that the climate had changed from how it was affecting their farms.”

in order to help teach rural farmers about the environment, phrakhu sangkom thanapanyo khunsuri, a prominent ecology monk based in chiang mai, developed an alternative farming school through his temple in chonburi called the maab-euang meditation center for sufficiency economy. with 49 full-time students this year, phra sangkom mixes buddhist concepts of personal reflection and a theory called “sufficiency economy.” this theory was developed by the previous thai king, bhumibol adulyadej, and encourages subsistence farming, self-sufficiency, and a detachment from material goods.

along with teaching classes at his school and working in the field, phra sangkom often travels throughout surin and chiang mai on speaking tours to bring his philosophy directly to the people. each speech typically has over 100 attendees, he says.

“if the people understand that the jungle gives them oxygen, water, good food, medicine, and clothes, do you think they are going to help protect it?” phra sangkom asked as he gestured to his own farm, which was filled with mangoes, bananas, rice, and more. “of course!”

ecology monks like phra sangkom have been marked as leading environmental advocates in thailand, but some have also been marked with a target on their back.

as their environmental influence spreads throughout thailand, monks are helping to obtain more community forest rights for indigenous people and farmers, which takes land away from both the government and logging and oil companies. some monks have been prosecuted by the thai government for their controversial activism. others have been assassinated, like phrakhu supoj suvacano, an ecology monk involved in trying to prevent the land around a meditation center in chiang mai from being converted into a tangerine farm.

even in the face of these threats, many ecology monks continue their work, which has started to receive help and support from other outlets, like local universities and ngos.

“we are figuring out how we can bring the buddhists who are just sitting and meditating out into the world to deal with the suffering,” said somboon chungprampree, executive director of the international network of engaged buddhists, an organization which is working to connect activist buddhists and non-buddhists from all over asia. “there is not just personal suffering; there is social and environmental suffering out there and people need to figure out how they can help as a buddhist.”

in an increasingly moral and technologically advanced society, he had great timing: 70% of millennials said they were more likely to pay extra for a product that contributes to a cause they care about, so when ecosia launched in 2009, it was extremely well received.

ecosia is a search engine that generates revenue from ads, like any other search engine. however, they use 80% of this profit to fund tree planting projects around the world. a certified b corporation, ecosia has had impact all over the world, working with organizations like the world wildlife fund and the the nature conservancy.

why trees? trees and humans have a long history together. trees, like humans, are the among the most complex of organisms. living up to 5,000 years old, they have profound impact on the surrounding landscape, shaping the ecosystems around them in intricate ways.

trees can be sources of food, can provide habitats for endangered animal species, can sequester immense amounts of carbon dioxide out of the air, and contribute to biodiversity and ecological health. they bring life back into the soil around them, due to mutualistic partnerships between tree roots and mycorrhizal fungi. and this in turn can stimulate other plant life and animal resources. trees are important for regulating water: they can act as buffers against flooding, but can also fight against desertification. trees also are important in creating good air quality.

ecosia estimates that every search on their web browser sequesters about 1 kg, or 2.2 pounds, of carbon from our atmosphere.

ecosia works with local communities in order to determine what these communities need. the diverse effect of trees on their environments can almost always be a part of the solution, but more than that, ecosia empowers local communities and stimulates local economic growth by getting passionate community members involved. while oftentimes working with big third party partners on the ground, such as the eden reforestation projects or the jane goodall institute, ecosia also works directly with small communities, sometimes one or two community members, who have a vision of restoring environmental health to their regions. by working directly with community members, ecosia generates local jobs, stimulates passion, and increases local economic growth.

this is evident in the san martin region of peru, which was largely deforested in the 1980s as it became a red zone for cocaine production. ecosia’s partners on the ground, pur projet, is working with community members, teaching them about forest management and sustainable harvesting, and providing local jobs planting trees. they are now growing cocoa instead of coca.

jacey bingler, ecosia’s head of pr and country director usa, joined the team in 2015. after completing a degree in journalism she had worked in communications and publishing, but felt that her work was unfulfilling and had no greater impact on the world. when she joined ecosia, she immediately felt motivated and supported by the people and mission surrounding her.

businesses with social missions are often more successful because the people behind them are passionate about what they do and believe in the mission. this is certainly true of ecosia, as jacey says, it is very uplifting and has a positive impact on her work to be around such “enthusiastic people.” she says that this kind of work environment can make it harder when something does not work out the way you wanted, because you believe in the mission so much, but it also provides a community of people that support you when things don’t work out.

ecosia has planted over 25 million trees already and has over 70 million users. they aim to plant 1 billion trees by the year 2020. partnering with bing and using the money generated from ads to plant trees, ecosia has an extremely scalable business model, with the success of having planted 25 million trees already, and the bright future of developing an even larger user base and generating more revenue to plant trees.

currently their user base is widely european, australasian, and south american, with only 10% of their users coming from the usa. they are hesitant, however, to spend money on ad campaigns when it could be spent planting more trees. this is territory that they are navigating thoughtfully, doing cost-benefit analyses in order to determine if their ad campaigns will generate more money than they cost, or at least break even.

another core value of ecosia is transparency. they publish monthly business reports and tree planting receipts and updates on ongoing projects, generating stories from their sites on the ground. in ethiopia they are making a difference on the ground, directly interacting with and influencing communities. in february, 2018, they generated 793,636 euros, 52% of which they invested in tree planting. minus operating costs, this equals 80% of their surplus. they funded tree planting projects in indonesia, tanzania, and madagascar.

in the future, ecosia wants to create an option for sustainable searches. because search engines influence behavior so much, this leverage point could be used in order to drive more sustainable behavior. when you search something on any search engine, the likelihood that you end up clicking, buying, or doing the first option is 42%. the likelihood of clicking the second option is only 12%. this power of convenience could be harnessed so that the next time you are looking to buy a washing machine, instead of the first result popping up being a new, unsustainably made washing machine from lowe’s, the first result could be an innovative, sustainable version of the washing machine from a new startup, or a used washing machine that someone in your area is selling. by making sustainable options accessible and easy, this idea has huge potential for changing the way that users think and behave, but most importantly, consume.

while this idea is in its earliest stages, the world needs a sustainable search engine function, especially when other search engines, like google, refuse to work with any charitable versions. ecosia originally partnered with google, however, google backed out of their agreement a few weeks after launching due to the fear that a search engine with a charitable cause would generate false clicks on ads. in order to protect their clients, google drew out and drafted a statement in their bylaws saying that they would not partner with charitable search engines in the future. in ecosia’s nine years of experience, there has been no data to support this assumption, according to bingler.

when you go outside, be mindful of the trees around you and take the time to appreciate all the work that they do for your local ecosystem. and next time that you go online, remember to install ecosia as your default browser; you can be a part of an important mission to improve lives and environments everywhere by planting trees.

what if i told you groups of residents, volunteers, are bringing back washington’s tree canopy one tree at a time?

this month, my media team heard about local non-profit casey trees, whose initiative is just that: restoring all the leaves and branches overhead in the city through the mobilization of volunteers. since 1950, the tree coverage of d.c. has gone from 50 percent tree canopy to 35 percent, leaving streets barren, bleak and gray. in our 360 video about the evolution of greenness in the district, we tell a story of these volunteers as they try to undo the last few decades of damage.

we wanted to use the 360 medium as an interactive, immersive way to get the viewers into the story. the viewers stand right in the grassy d.c. meadow with the volunteers, looking on as a volunteer shovels out a hole for the yearling and walking through a shady tree-filled city street right there with us. all the while, our crew runs away from the spherical camera set up in the middle of the street, desperately trying to get out of the shots. the product? an opportunity to live through the project’s transformation and the city’s dramatic change.

casey trees’ goal is to enhance the canopy to 40 percent coverage, which has been hard as d.c. develops and creates more buildings, like so many other cities have. our team traveled around the city trying to find the greenest street corner to film, but it was hard. we ended up on capitol hill, filming the abundant foliage that swayed in and out of the view of the library of congress and other government buildings.

but our production team quickly realized most d.c. neighborhoods are not as green as the well-kept and thoughtfully preserved federal lands. it was not hard to find a street corner to film for the bleak shot of typical downtown intersections. and when our team learned more about what these trees on the street could mean for the city, the effect shocked us. not only do trees make the city look more beautiful. they also absorb stormwater, offset pollution of co2 and air particulate matter, have positive effects on health and longevity and reduce d.c. urban heat island effect. trees are important, and we wanted to capture this through the spatial overview of the casey trees mission.

their simple approach to a huge issue is to have volunteer plantings every week. through these events, head arborist becky schwartz of casey trees, hopes that volunteers will start to become invested in the issue and dedicate more time and effort to helping bring the green, shady, relaxing streets back.

she said, “[our] motto of casey trees is to connect people to trees, through trees and at casey trees and so by having these community tree plantings and the other events we do, we’re kind of connecting people to each other.”

this space, in the nation’s capital, is one you can now explore and have access to in the video. move around and see the volunteers deploying to plant trees in the bare space. as you look around at the volunteer swinging a pickaxe high to break the ground, you may have the sensation of mud caking on your palms and calluses forming. like the volunteers, you too will feel connected to the environment and the cityscape.

you can plant the trees that will, in three years, mature to contribute to the overall canopy. and at the end, you will be able to take a look at northwest d.c., where you can see the future of the city’s streets. as they probably looked in 1950, the streets are lined with autumn leaves and healthy trees. by 2030, if casey trees continues to connect volunteers with their environment in order to enhance the district, more neighborhoods will feel like this one.

— everly jazi