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Turkey: The Unexpected Wild Bird of Boston

Pecking at crumbs beneath metal tables and chairs, city birds mingle together. They strike the ground with their beaks, mistaking string and candy wrappers for food. A man pulls from his pocket a Ziploc bag. Inside are two stale pieces of white bread. He opens the bag and begins tearing the bread into small pieces, […]

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Under the Radar: The Implications of the Pakistan Stream Gas Pipeline

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan met in Moscow to discuss the implementation of a national gas pipeline in Pakistan. The multibillion-dollar project does not have a proposed completion date, but both nations have agreed to discuss the project’s viability and strengthen Russo-Pakistani energy relations. News of the Russian invasion of […]

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The Ecological Disaster of Smokey Bear

“Remember Only YOU Can Prevent Forest Fires,” is a phrase that most people in the United States recognize. Smokey the Bear, a black bear with a personalized park ranger hat, blue jeans, and a shovel, touted this line time and again. He was introduced in 1944 as an advertising campaign for the United States Forest […]

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Boston’s Congestion Problem Is Taking a Toll. Is Congestion Pricing the Solution?

On January 29, 2019, the Boston Green Ribbon Commission released the Carbon Free Boston report, detailing a path for Boston to achieve carbon neutrality (no net release of carbon into the atmosphere) by 2050 through vast changes across several sectors. Immediately following the presentation, The Boston Herald published an article titled “Carbon Free Boston Panel […]

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When Vanilla Became More Expensive Than Silver

In 2013, the price of one kilogram of natural vanilla was $20. Five years later, it was over $600, more expensive than silver. 80% of the global vanilla supply is generated on the island of Madagascar, and 70% of Madagascar’s people rely on vanilla for their income. Every vine must be hand-planted and every bean […]

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Why Is Climate Advocate Justin Trudeau Building an Oil Pipeline?

Canada’s Trans Mountain Pipeline has delivered 300,000 barrels of crude and refined oil per day from Alberta to British Columbia since 1953. But when its owner, Kinder Morgan, proposed in 2013 to construct a second pipeline to run alongside the original one to deliver an additional 600,000 barrels per day, controversy arose. First Nations groups, […]

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Plastic Straw Bans: A Tricky Place to Start

In 2015, while conducting field work in the waters of Costa Rica, Texas A&M graduate student Christine Figgener found a male sea turtle with a plastic straw lodged up his nose. Figgener’s team removed the straw in hopes that the turtle would survive. The video of the incident went viral, sparking an international movement to […]

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Australian Government Returns Rainforests to Aboriginal People

On September 29, 2021, the Queensland State Government in Australia signed an agreement that returned a region of rainforests to the Aboriginal, or indigenous, tribal group that has inhabited the land for thousands of years. Included in the agreement were Daintree, Cedar Bay, Black Mountain, and the Hope Islands national parks; in total, 160,000 hectares […]

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The River Thames Has a Drug Problem

As London’s urban population continues to grow, improper wastewater management increases exponentially. Every major and growing city has experienced at one point or another an imminent need to update its sewer systems in order to accommodate the waste influx. In London, this issue is acutely prominent due to improper disposal of sanitary products and the […]

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Spotted Lanternflies Spotted

First, you must identify the bug. Is it red when its wings are open? Is it brown with dark brown spots when its wings are closed? If so, you’ve found yourself a spotted lanternfly. What can you do about it? As they are an invasive species, they must go. You open the cabinet beneath the […]