environment

Those of you who know me (and probably many who do not, considering my propensity to parade about in Husker apparel) know that I am from Nebraska. Go ahead; smirk a little bit about that vast, nebulous, unsophisticated, middle-of-nowhere part of the country. It’s okay. I get that a lot. Nebraska is pretty far away, [...]

Nearly 200 students from over 70 colleges and universities converged on campus last weekend to discuss divestment from fossil fuel companies, collaborating with frontline activists to shape what students described as the most unified and energetic youth climate movement in years. However, meetings between students, activists, and Board of Managers members to discuss divestment were [...]

A group of 62 Swarthmore students aboard two charter buses made their way down to Washington D.C. this past Sunday, joining more than 40,000 protesters in a rally decrying the proposed Keystone XL pipeline. Organized by 350.org and the Sierra Club, the Forward on Climate Rally drew demonstrators from across the country and Canada to [...]

Divestment is becoming an increasingly salient issue both at Swarthmore and at colleges and universities around the country. The movement, which aims to compel colleges and universities to stop investing in companies that produce fossil fuels, has grown rapidly over the last few months. Early in December, the New York Times published an article detailing [...]

Ecosphere, Swarthmore’s coalition of all the environmental groups on campus, held an open meeting on Sunday, to identify and discuss the implementation of environmental goals that should be achieved by the year 2020.The coalition, which was started last year and which just held its second conference, consists of all seven environmental groups on campus — [...]

“Crippling drought. Devastating wildfires. Superstorm Sandy. Climate has come home — and the American people get it.” These words are the slogan of the “Forward on Climate” rally scheduled for Feb. 17.The protest stands in opposition to the proposed Tar Sands Pipeline (also known as the Keystone XL Pipeline) that will carry toxic tar sands [...]

How can disaster be beautiful? Dare to find out. Currently on view in McCabe Library atrium until February 20, J. Henry Fair’s “Extraction and the American Dream” is both breathtaking and shocking. The exhibit is comprised of a series of photographs of potentially environmentally harmful activities such as hydrofracking and coal mining and environmental disasters such [...]

It’s an exciting time for Environmental Studies (ENVS) at Swarthmore. Following up on an initiative from the spring semester, a dedicated group of students and faculty are making strides in an effort to increase the size and depth of the ENVS program. Presently, those interested in ENVS have the option of either designing their own [...]

The 21st century is known as the age of technology.  Every year there is a new electronic gadget designed to be sleeker, smarter, faster, and more able to do many different actions at once. With all this new technology ingratiating itself and being ubiquitous in our lives, people often forget to ask what happens to [...]

As of today, about 100 alumni of varying class years have signed the Alumni Petition for Fossil Fuel Divestment. Started by Swarthmore Mountain Justice, a student organization working on ending various forms of fossil fuel extraction, especially mountaintop removal coal mining, the petition aims to persuade the College to divest from the fossil fuel industry, [...]