the only water roy pfaltzgraff has for his crops in haxtun, colorado, is what comes out of the sky, and that is not much during this mega-drought that has been devastating the west. despite extremely difficult growing conditions, pfaltzgraff still produces crops at a decent yield, in large part due to his soil health practices.

pfaltzgraff is part of colorado’s saving tomorrow’s agricultural resources (star) soil health program and is the only farmer in colorado, as of october 2022, to receive a maximum of five stars for the soil health of his fields. the outstanding soil health in his fields also impacts food quality, and pfaltzgraff is passionate about producing a quality product compared to the conventional farming focus on yield. with an associate’s degree in culinary arts, he has crafted several delicious gluten-free mixes using millet flour, corn, and other crops on his farm.

pfaltzgraff believes that it is important for people to get to know farmers and understand how food is produced. farmers and producers like pfaltzgraff will be profiled for their soil health practices in an upcoming three-part documentary series called “hold our ground,” which i am helping produce with the colorado state university center for science communication.

in september 2022, i had the privilege of visiting mcginley ranch of the turner institute of ecoagriculture near gordon, nebraska, to learn about regenerative ranching and ecological economics for conservation and commerce. 

on nearly 80,000 acres of pasture, a herd of about 4,000 bison is supporting a community of more than 8,000 organisms. these bison are carefully managed and grazed on parcels of land to create subtle disturbances in the vegetation and soil below. grazing disturbances create habitat diversity which sustains life on the prairie and improves its watershed. 

in this short film, dr. carter kruse and ranch manager tyrell mcclain explain the importance of regenerative bison ranching and its lucrative opportunities. 

in june of 2020, the george washington university announced an initiative to eliminate single-use plastics on campus. as the first campus in the district of columbia to implement a policy of this kind, i wanted to dig deeper into the specifics of it. what are the specific logistics of the policy? what challenges has gw encountered implementing it? what do students think of gw’s efforts? after interviewing a director of sustainability at gw and surveying students, i got to the bottom of the story. 

the internship was nothing less than incredible––i was thrust right into the swing of things as soon as my first day started. that first week, i shadowed a segment that would become the largest part of my internship, “experts on camera”––one-on-one broadcast quality interviews that we arranged between scientists and reporters in order to facilitate conversation and increase availability. we decide on an overarching theme and three subtopics for that month’s round of “eoc,” as we called it, and then go searching for experts to contact. if they accept our invitation to participate, we schedule a 90 minute window, and the reporters simply sign up for a 15 minute slot. on the day of, we jump into a set of questions we come up with for a general video that will be edited and posted on the website for those who couldn’t attend. 

my first round of “eoc,” i edited one of the three videos. the second round, i edited all three videos, as well as helped brainstorm topics and assisted in finding experts. my third round though, i did everything, from deciding on a whole topic and subtopics to finding experts, pitching them to our team, contacting them, writing all promotional material and general video questions, interviewing them, and editing the videos together. 

the biggest challenge that i experienced was that many people didn’t respond, so we always had to be prepared––backups had to be ready to go at all times. for one segment, we went from zero reporters signed up to all four slots being filled in less than 12 hours. it was nerve-wracking, but it was the most rewarding process i’ve ever experienced. i watched myself go from a shadow to successfully leading a whole “eoc” round myself. i can go look at my segments about climate change––specifically species extinction, children’s health effects of wildfire smoke, and agricultural yields––and know that i am the reason they exist and can be reported on more effectively.

health and climate are inspiring change in what’s on the menu and california-based company eat just is on the forefront of this food revolution.

host frank sesno speaks with josh balk, co-founder of eat just, which has produced and sells plant-based eggs and now, manufactured chicken. the first restaurant is now serving it in singapore, and he says more manufactured food – chicken and fish – is on the way. started from a single cell, say from a feather, in a lab, then ultimately to your plate, it uses a fraction of the water, produces a fraction of the waste, methane, and other things that pollute and warm the planet.

then we hear from planet 世界杯欧洲预选赛免费直播 mary magnuson about insect farming. high in protein, low in planetary impact – are lime-cilantro grasshopper tacos the future?

find out more in our latest episode of planet forward, seen on pbs’s peril and promise and produced in association with asu’s global futures laboratory:

in addition, she believes in the importance of crop rotation as well as leaving parts of her farm alone, not cropping, so the natural environment can take shape and replenish the earth. it takes an entire community to be involved and passionate about where they get their food from for these things to continue to change. so as discussions of sustainability progress the connection between local farms, local communities, and their environment must be at the forefront. 

open public spaces increase the quality of life for all people living in an area and are essential to the development of healthy cities that meet the needs of their people. my project is about the importance of public space to healthy community development, social resilience, and happier people.

different forms of public space play different roles in each of these, roles like education, accessibility, physical and mental health, activism, and exposure to nature. in his book “just sustainabilities,” julian agyeman asserts that these spaces are where we encounter other people and cultures, people watch, protest, and engage in acts of revolution (agyeman, 2013).

i want to showcase different ways people use public spaces, how that determines the needs of the people living in those communities, and how they contribute to a better quality of life. i believe that this is important in resistance against gentrification in many communities. developers and real estate companies claim new development projects will draw people into certain neighborhoods and stimulate their economies, but it may not really be what that community needs. 

public parks are undoubtedly valuable to all communities. they encourage physical activity and engagement with elements of nature. they provide spaces for people to exercise, socialize, and just have fun. a neighborhood park may be the closest thing to exposure to nature for people in some communities. it can provide interaction with nature that is not possible in cities. until coming to syracuse for college, the small wooded areas of prospect park and the beach were the closest i had ever gotten to nature.

plazas and squares, throughout history, have been important gathering places for community action and protest. they provide a known location with a large amount of space that helps get people involved, engaged, and centralized.

public libraries give people the resources to educate themselves, read for pleasure, and gain access to valuable community programs and events. more indirectly, they provide a heat-controlled, safe indoors for anyone regardless of their demographic. i spent entire summers at my local library trying to escape the summer city heat, where i cultivated a love for reading and made lasting friendships that were particularly valuable for me as an only child.

both of these spaces, as well as plazas, public museums, and public beaches, can provide invaluable access to nature, physical exercise, essential resources, and connections, places to inspire and host protest and art, all regardless of class, race, and gender. they also offer people exposure to other cultures and their values. some problems have been observed with certain public spaces increasing gentrification, and a solution for that demands thorough community outreach when designing and building a public space. additionally, how people use their current public spaces can dictate what people want from public spaces.

an example of this is in dyker beach park. people used to convene there to play bocce, a culturally significant italian game. a few years later, bocce courts were built in the park, and even as the population shifts in demographics, people can be seen every weekend on the courts. every class of people uses these spaces. also, people who may not have much space in their homes can have another place to feel at home, as well as feel like part of a community.

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references:

agyeman, j. (2013). introducing just sustainabilities: policy, planning, and practice. london, uk: zed books.

the niagara river is a very popular fishing destination for anglers. however, legacy pollution from past industries has contaminated waterways and aquatic life. with every fish caught, anglers and fish-consumers are at risk for poisoning. ddt, pcbs, heavy metals, and other toxins accumulate in the fish through biomagnification. this video describes the protective measures that you can take while fishing and provides some representation to those who greatly depend on fishing as their main source of food.