Once upon a time, there was a neighborhood comprised of rows of houses that stretched endlessly along paved roads, hugged by neatly-trimmed patches of grass, and illuminated by fresh water drops from sprinklers. In this ideal town, families would laugh passing by in their minivans that carried children to good neighborhood schools and parents …
Author: echen35
Does your Hamburger Contribute to Climate Change?
In this day and age, it seems that so-called “fad diets” are becoming more and more popular, especially among millennials and young adults. Aside from all of the more extreme diets - such as the grapefruit only diet or taking shots of apple cider vinegar to boost metabolism - there is a rising market …
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Thoughts on Ecocriticism and Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake
From Walt Whitman to Japanese poetry and Native American oral traditions, people around the globe have always had a habit of expressing their concern and articulating their inescapable relationship with their natural environment through literature. Whether they spoke of the environment with a delicate love, or expressed an anxiety for nature’s hostile interaction with them, …
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Microbead Management: Where Are We Now?
You might have forgotten about them, but two years ago microbeads were all the rage, literally. The tiny plastic particles used in cosmetics were a topic of hot debate in 2015 and 2016 after word got around that aquatic wildlife were treating them as a snack. Unfortunately, this kind of snack was soaking up toxins …
Artificial Rhino Horn: An Artificial Solution?
Rhinos are worth more dead than alive. In South Africa, owning a rhino is a liability rather than a privilege. This is because rhinoceros horn is revered in some countries as a medicine and status symbol that promotes health, wealth, and prosperity. A kilogram of horn can cost up to $65 000, exceeding the value …
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Intern Spotlight: Meet Victoria
Victoria Wallace ‘18 is an intern for Illinois PIRG (Public Interest Research Groups) and Environment Illinois. She worked with a Campaign Organizer, Lianne May, on a national campaign to get colleges to commit to 100% renewable energy in college campuses. Campuses are the perfect places for implementing renewable sources of energy such as wind, solar, …
The Green, Orange and Blue
By Emily Chen; Photo by Tyler Baldassone In 2016, the Marching Illini (MI) made a complete 180 turn regarding environmental sustainability. What once was an organization where paper was invaluable is now a completely digitalized, efficient system. Known as “The Nation’s Premier College Marching Band”, the MI was founded in 1867 and has been performing …
