Food insecurity a challenge for nearly half of college students in the U.S.
SANTA MONICA, Calif. – According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 48 percent of college students in 2016 reported food insecurity. Some universities, including Arizona State University and Santa Monica College in California, have programs to help.
Additional carcinogens prompt changes at groundwater plant at Tucson Superfund site
PHOENIX – The operators of a treatment plant near a Superfund site in Tucson have made some changes after the discovery of perfluorinated chemicals in groundwater. Authorities blame the contamination on manufacturing activities and unlined landfills near the airport decades ago.
With deadline looming, can Arizona Legislature agree to complex drought plan?
PHOENIX – Arizona’s 90 lawmakers have to approve a Drought Contingency Plan by the end of January, but can they digest the complexities and produce a plan that’s equitable for farms and cities?
Save water, drink beer: Camp Verde collaboration swaps corn for barley
CAMP VERDE – A collaboration among Camp Verde farmers, investors and the Nature Conservancy has reduced Verde River water usage by getting farmers to swap our summer corn for winter barley, a key ingredient in beer.
Filling bellies and landfills: Meal prep kits are convenient, but at a cost
LOS ANGELES – Those prepared meal kits delivered to your door offer quick convenience, but they leave a larger environmental footprint than you might think. They also require consumers to think about proper disposal of packaging, particularly plastics.
Tree rings give clues as to how climate change could shift drought in the Sonoran Desert
TUCSON – The tree ring lab at the University of Arizona recently looked at tree rings to make conclusions about shifts in the tropical belt for 800 years.
Profits and flames: Private firefighters an option for the wealthy
BOISE, Idaho – Some insurance companies are including private firefighting as part of coverage.
New houses, built to fire code, burned down anyway in California’s 2017 Thomas Fire
LOS ANGELES – California's building codes are not keeping up with the severe, wind-driven wildfires that are becoming the norm.
Phoenix and some companies offer options for recycling holiday lights
PHOENIX – Phoenix now offers light-recycling services. Residents can drop off lights at one of two transfer stations, starting the day after Christmas.
‘Our stories need to be told’: Grand Canyon park enlisting Native input as it marks 100 years
FLAGSTAFF – Native voices are being heard as Grand Canyon National Park gets ready to celebrate its centennial next year. Park officials are converting the Desert View overlook and watchtower into a cultural site featuring tribes who have called the canyon home for hundreds of years.
Hiking is for everyone, but not everyone feels welcome to hike
PHOENIX – Not everyone feels welcome on hiking trails, for all sorts of reasons. Sometimes it’s about physical ability. Sometimes it’s about transportation. And sometimes it’s about the color of your skin.
Rolling easy: Barriers to hiking are falling for some with disabilities
PHOENIX – People with disabilities are finding allies and new ways to get outdoors. One of those allies is Ability360 of Arizona, which works to give people with different abilities the chance to live independently.
