Innovate~Educate~Collaborate

Tag: ecology

Green Junction: Have you thought about the coral reefs? By Julie Peller

Coral reefs are home to about 25% of all marine plants and animals. The roles of coral reefs are extensive: protection of coastlines from flooding and erosion, marine habitats, goods and services, sources of new medicines, and more. According to a new global study, the marine world experienced a 14% loss of coral from 2009 […]

January 31, 2022
Green Junction: What to do about plastics? By Julie Peller Ph.D.

I often write about plastic pollution since it is one of the greatest threats to the earth. Our current lifestyles rely on these materials, meaning that plastic production will continue to increase, at least in the short term. Another reason I regularly highlight this environmental threat is because each of us can make a difference […]

January 12, 2022
Green Junction: 90% of all toys are plastic. By Julie Peller Ph.D.

An estimated 90% of all toys are made of plastic. These are used for a short time or even several years but have a much longer lifetime on earth as garbage. Most plastics are made from fossil fuels. Newer plastics that contain a portion of material derived from plants are marketed as bioplastics; however, these […]

January 9, 2022
Green Junction: The Treacherous Reality of Tree Loss By Julie Peller Ph.D.

For areas of the Northern Hemisphere that experience four distinctive weather seasons, it is the time of the year when trees provide an ablaze of colors, one of nature’s stunning wonders. In addition to their visual beauty, trees provide oxygen, shade, ecosystems, and so much more to life on earth. The tree cover worldwide plays […]

December 20, 2021
Green Junction: Sustainable Agriculture by Julie Peller Ph.D.

The number of farms in the United States has been falling since 2007, while farm sizes over these years have been increasing. Most US farms are small family farms; these occupy about half of the country’s farmland. However, they generate only 21% of the food production, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). […]

December 9, 2021
Green Junction: Glass is a Beautiful Thing. By Julie Peller, Ph.D.

Glass is a beautiful material that is believed to date back to 2400 BC. Glass is made of roughly 70% silica sand with other components, namely limestone (calcium carbonate) and soda ash (sodium carbonate). By heating these materials in a furnace above 2700 degrees Fahrenheit and then cooling, glass forms. Soda-lime glass is the most […]

October 22, 2021
Reading just may haunt us.

I am what many call an “active retiree‘. I retired from a career job but not from being active in the world and helping it become better. I do virtual book clubs along with public speaking, and the book clubs are more like discussion groups virtually via “Zoom”—all as a labor of love to encourage […]

August 26, 2021
GREEN JUNCTION: The earth’s natural balances have been disrupted BY JULIE PELLER PH.D

The severe, unprecedented weather associated with increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is more concerning every passing year. The recent record heat in the US Northwest made headline news for several days. Temperatures in Portland, Oregon, reached 116oF, higher than other cities in the US have ever reached, except Phoenix and Las Vegas. […]

August 25, 2021
GREEN JUNCTION: What resources from Mother Nature do you treasure and protect? BY JULIE PELLER PH.D

The reason we hear about semiconductors in the news is due to the shortage of semiconductor chips. Semiconductors are materials that have properties that are essential in most electronic devices. Silicon is the most widely used semiconductor. It is an element and is often produced by heating silicon dioxide (sand!) at very high temperatures, along […]

August 24, 2021
GREEN JUNCTION: In the 6th anniversary year of Pope Francis’s Laudato Si, BY JULIE PELLER PH.D

In the 6th anniversary year of Pope Francis’s Laudato Si, there are ongoing efforts by many organizations and individuals for ecological conversion to restore and protect Our Common Home. Ecological conversion involves changes of mind and heart that transform lifestyles towards harmony with the earth. Professor Stacy Davis at Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana, describes […]

August 5, 2021