Welcome to the Blog

It is no secret that we are facing a mental health crisis here in the United States. Buckle up, because this might get a little depressing – but don’t worry, Nature is once again here to save the day!

According to a recent study undertaken by Mental Health in America:

• In a 5-year period, rates of severe youth depression have increased.
• 50% of screeners age 11-17 often think about suicide or self-harm throughout the week.
• Over 76% of youth with severe depression – 1.7 million kids - did not get treatment they need.

And that’s just our kids. Adults also face steep rates of depression, much of which is caused by lack of access to proper care, other research finds.

“Mental health services in the U.S. are insufficient despite more than half of Americans (56%) seeking help,” says the National Council for Behavioral Health. “Limited options and long waits are the norm, but [there are] some bright spots with 76% of Americans now seeing mental health as important as physical health.”

That’s good news indeed. Better news, if you’re one of the enlightened who knows how important it is to seek out mental health improvement: Nature can help.

It hardly bears saying that we humans tend to act without considering the consequences, but this is truer than ever in the case of bioaccumulation. Here’s why we should all be freaked out by this concept.

What do a tiny piece of phytoplankton and an orca whale have in common?

They’re both riddled with toxins, byproducts of human activity that these organisms have no choice about and can’t do anything to prevent.

It’s depressing. We’re depressed right now.

Because bioaccumulation is no joke. It’s the idea that chemicals concentrate in animals as they eat food or are exposed to substances containing them. The same is true for plants.

The true kicker, though, is that plants and animals take chemicals in faster than they can get rid of them through normal metabolic processes.

And that really sucks.

Making the decision to install a green roof on your garage, deck, municipal building or commercial structure is a big one, with a lot of factors involved. Here’s a quick look at the reasons why you would.

Green roofs have, like, a great rap.

Everyone knows they look awesome. Most people know they’re “good” for the environment, even if they’re not clear on how. And many people are aware of their amazing abilities to soak up stormwater and clear pollution from the air.

While green roofs are one of the absolute best stormwater solutions we have in our cities today, though, you might not feel as good about the costs involved.

Which leads to a big question: Should you get a green roof? Or save that money for, like, a hundred classic Nintendo 64s?

(We don’t know. Just a thought.)

Luckily for you, we’re here to answer that question today.

Wondering what to do if your city doesn’t offer municipal curbside compost pickup? Never fear; there are plenty of ways to keep food scraps out of landfill.

If you’re anything like us, it kills you to toss a banana peel in the garbage. Watching those carrot shavings languish in the trash can is tantamount to murder. You’re tempted to secretly bury apple cores in the nearby park in the dead of night.

Because trashing food – even if it’s only scraps we’re talking about – just feels so wrong.

And, well, it is wrong. Compost has amazing benefits for the world, and has been a valuable aspect of human stewardship for many millennia. But today, it seems we’ve forgotten its importance.

The result is that more than 15 percent of municipal solid waste ends up being food scraps, with 22 percent of landfills represented by food waste (as of 2015 numbers, the latest available). That’s 39.7 million tons and 30.3 million tons respectively, the difference accounted for by combustion for energy recovery.

Of that original 39.7, only 7.4 percent is combusted and only 5.3 percent is composted. Not good enough, we say.

But assuming your city doesn’t offer municipal compost pickup, and most still don’t, what are you supposed to do? Without that bin, what composting alternatives do you really have?

Well, it turns out, quite a few. If you're wondering how to compost outside your home, here's what you need to know.

Land conservation is an increasingly acute concern, but most people don’t know what they personally can do. Here’s a rundown of how to play your part.

Land conservation sounds like a Big Thing.

An overwhelming thing. An undoable thing, even.

But it doesn’t have to be. We’re trying to expand our understanding of what exactly this concept means and what we can do to support it. If you’re with us, then here are several ways to understand and support land conservation efforts.

Wild pollinators deserve a lot more credit when it comes to pollinating our food. They’re more prepared, they’re more effective, and their services produce better food. What more could you want?

When it comes to pollination, we instinctively give all the credit to honeybees. But those little buggers (no pun intended) don’t deserve it.

Sure, honeybees are great. We’re not into Colony Collapse Disorder, and we definitely think that the plight of the honeybee is illustrative of bigger problems in the world.

When it comes to their role in pollination, though, it’s been a bit overblown. We need to give wild pollinators their due for the sake of our environment and urban ecology, and that starts with understanding who they are and why they’re so important. 

Do you love nature? You’re not alone; it’s in our blood.

If you’ve ever felt that automatic intake of breath upon looking out over a grand vista …

If you’ve ever felt a tear come to your eyes when the woods rain leaves down in fall …

If you’ve ever held a friend’s puppy and had the fleeting urge to kidnap it and move somewhere no one could ever find you …

… then you might have a strong case of biophilia. (Or you might just be a sociopath, but that’s a different blog post.)

Sadly, the most wonderful time of the year is not always so wonderful for the environment. There are, however, steps we can take to minimize the impact of holiday decorations.

We hate to Scrooge things up, but holiday decorations are a serious bugbear when it comes to urban ecology and environmental stewardship as a whole.

Sure, that giant glowing Santa in your neighbor’s front yard may look cute (when it’s not keeping you up at night), but it’s definitely not an environmental win.

Actually, we just realized that giant glowing Santas don’t have any redeeming value.

But what about evergreen bunting? Wreaths? Twinkle lights? After all, what are the winter months without these charming touches of holiday cheer?

We feel you. Truly, we love a good winter wonderland just as much as anyone else, which is why we’re tackling this problem head-on.

Net Zero is here to stay - as a need, that is. Unfortunately, we're not meeting that need by a long shot.

These days, “consumption” is a dirty word, and for good reason.

Yes, we all have to eat. We need heat and clothing and energy to power the cloud that will one day take over the Earth and rule us all, for good or ill.

Circle of life and all that.

But what we don’t need to do is produce all our energy offsite, which is more expensive and less efficient than powering buildings right where they’re at.

Enter net zero buildings, also called zero energy buildings and net zero energy buildings. If you’re not in on this green infrastructure trend yet, you need to be.