Take a Break From 2020 During Fat Bear Week, A Completely Real Holiday

At this point it seems fair to say that, as years go, 2020 is pretty depressing. So depressing, in fact, that at times curling up with a good book and plenty of blankets and proceeding to sleep through the second and third marking periods can seem pretty appealing. Unfortunately humans cannot hibernate our problems away, but bears can! And lets be real, watching chubby bears … Continue reading Take a Break From 2020 During Fat Bear Week, A Completely Real Holiday

The 100 Year Story of the Last Farm in Grand Rapids

As I arrived at the Kids’ Food Basket farm to volunteer I was reminded of a scene from Andy Weir’s bestselling novel, and later movie, The Martian. That might sound odd, but it really was what first struck me about the farm. As on Weir’s fictional Mars, volunteers were working hard under the beating sun to make improbable green shoots sprout from the cracked, dry … Continue reading The 100 Year Story of the Last Farm in Grand Rapids

Global Carbon Emissions Have Dropped by 17% During COVID-19 Shutdowns

It has been nearly nine weeks since Michigan schools shut down, and many other countries around the world shut down well before that. Since the beginning of quarantine, scientists have been predicting that the shutdowns will have a significant effect on the environment, but a new study in the journal Nature provides concrete evidence for those claims. Scientists have discovered that as driving, airplane travel, … Continue reading Global Carbon Emissions Have Dropped by 17% During COVID-19 Shutdowns

What is a Murder Hornet?

2020 is beginning to seem a bit cursed. Our recent headlines have been a bit doom and gloom, first a global pandemic, then increasing quarantines and shutdowns, then desperate koalas, and so much more. It doesn’t come as much of a surprise that we now have something new to worry about, “murder hornets”. As the name suggests, these insects are far from cute and cuddly. … Continue reading What is a Murder Hornet?

Turns Out Koalas Lick Trees

With all the worries of our personal COVID-19 quarantine, it can be easy to forget how the pandemic is affecting the wider world. Last week we talked about the Forgotten Role of Plants, so this week we are checking in with animals. Weird stuff has been happening in the animal kingdom since long before the COVID-19 pandemic set in. Even though humans are staying inside, … Continue reading Turns Out Koalas Lick Trees

The Forgotten Role of Plants

We are excited to announce that, although the Earth Week edition of the City Voice is over, the environmental column will continue. Ecology, and economicology, is a big part of academic life at City High Middle. Teachers often discuss issues surrounding invasive species that attack local areas, like Sea Lamprey and the Emerald Ash Borer, but we often forget about another notable kingdom of organic … Continue reading The Forgotten Role of Plants

Spy on Monarch Butterflies with the Help of a Hummingbird Drone

Usually the emphasis of nature documentaries is not on how the footage was filmed, but this case is different. The amount of time and effort scientists put into actual nature filming is tremendous, but some environments are harder to infiltrate than others. One such citadel of nature are the fir forests of Central Highland Mexico, where thousands of Monarch butterflies migrate every winter. Scientists do … Continue reading Spy on Monarch Butterflies with the Help of a Hummingbird Drone

What Can We Do To Beat Climate Change and Pollution?

We at the City Voice are excited to announce that, even though the Earth Week edition is over, the environmental column will continue with regular articles. Ecology, and economicology, is a big part of academic life at City High Middle and we are excited to continue to cover these topics. – The Scrivener Despite the pandemic crisis we are currently facing, we are still in … Continue reading What Can We Do To Beat Climate Change and Pollution?

Earth Day Read: Harvard publishes a study linking air pollution to COVID-19 mortality in the United States as the EPA resists tighter stricter controls on fine particulate matter (PM2.5)

Xiao Wu, Rachel C. Nethery and Francesca Dominici of Harvard University published the first national study conducted on COVID-19 and air pollution in the United States on April 7, 2020. Due to the fact that many pre-existing conditions identified to potentially increase risk of death for COVID-19 are the same diseases affected by air pollution, they “investigate whether long-term average exposure to fine particulate matter … Continue reading Earth Day Read: Harvard publishes a study linking air pollution to COVID-19 mortality in the United States as the EPA resists tighter stricter controls on fine particulate matter (PM2.5)

Earth Day Read: Air Pollution in Many Large US Cities has Declined Due to A Lack of Transportation

Large cities in the US such as Seattle, Los Angeles, and New York have all seen a decrease of nitrogen dioxide, a gas produced by the burning of fossil fuels in cars and trucks. The lack of traffic is mostly caused by the social distancing rules that prohibit people from going to work and other businesses that are deemed “unnecessary.” It is important to note … Continue reading Earth Day Read: Air Pollution in Many Large US Cities has Declined Due to A Lack of Transportation