Category Archives: Sustainability & Green Jobs

Natural Gas 101: Pros & Cons

Natural gas is a fossil fuel, like oil and coal. It’s formed from decayed organic material transformed by high temperatures and pressures over millions of years into bubbles of methane gas. Conventional sources are found in underground gas fields or oil fields. Unconventional sources are more challenging to extract because the gas is locked inside…
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Hydroelectric Power 101

Hydroelectric power uses the kinetic energy of moving water to produce electricity. It's the most widely used form of renewable energy, generating 19% of electricity worldwide (1). While large-scale projects have had mixed results in the developing world, when done properly, hydroelectric is a cheap, clean and effective method of producing energy. Hydroelectric Methods Most…
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Drought Issues Facing the United States

What is Drought? The dictionary defines drought as “a period of dry weather” or “an extended shortage (1).” Drought has always been difficult to define because it varies based on location and associated impacts to the human and natural environment (2). In all cases, drought is temporary in nature, tends to be cyclical and results…
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Solar Power 101: Advantages & Disadvantages

Solar power is the conversion of the sun’s energy into electricity. With an estimated 173,000 terawatts of solar energy continuously hitting Earth’s surface (1), there is more than enough energy to meet the world’s current consumption levels of 15 terawatts per year (2). The trick, though, is collecting it. Solar Power Technology Solar energy is primarily collected…
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El Niño and La Niña: Their Impact on the Environment

We know that there are many anthropogenic forcings on the climate, particularly the volume of carbon and greenhouse gases pumped into the atmosphere as a part of our everyday lives. Yet there are a number of natural processes that affect local weather, regional climate and global conditions. Some effects on our climate are a result…
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Gaining International Experience in Environmental Science

Whether you have been hit by the travel bug, your parents promised a trip for graduation (anywhere you wanted to go!), you can’t find a job close to home, or you just plain want to build a skill-set to set you apart from your peers, you may be looking for international work in Environmental Science. …
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Recommended Environmental Science Articles & Journals

Information about what is happening in the scientific community reaches us a variety of ways.  Some may be through a group you follow on social media.  Some may be via word of mouth, or CNN, BBC, in a class, on the radio as a public notice, overheard at a restaurant, etc.  One tried and true…
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