Nurturing the next generation of environmental leaders

GFP graduate student Greg Harris of Cambridge, Massachusetts, published the featured cover story for the summer print issue of the Earth Island Journal. In "Charismatic Megafounders" Harris reflects on his 2023 Earth Expeditions course to Thailand and asks: What happens when conservation leaders, like Dr. Pilai Poonswad Orri Vigfússon, and Wangari Maatha, step down? He writes, "In much the same way that the persistence of hornbills depends on this fragile exchange between generations, the success of our human efforts at conservation depends on our ability to nurture the next generation of environmental stewards." Read more

AIP student spends free time cleaning up Ohio's Buckeye Lake

AIP graduate student Mike Curtis of Millersport, Ohio (pictured here with his daughter, Tegan), published an opinion piece in his hometown newspaper, The Columbus Dispatch. "Nobody wants to have a fun day [at the lake] end in an emergency room when a pet or child cuts themself on a broken piece of glass," he writes. Since 2022, Curtis has been spending his free time leading community litter clean-up efforts at Buckeye Lake; he's collected 71 pounds of trash. Read more

I'll have the cricket pancakes with fruit on the side please

GFP graduate student Molly Biagi of River Grove, Illinois, was recently published on Bugible, an online guide into the world of bug eating. In the guest blog titled "We Have a Thing or Two to Learn from Other Countries When it Comes to Entomophagy" she writes that "eating insects isn’t a new concept ... and has deep historical roots across the world." Eating the right insects can provide nutrition and be good for the planet. Feeling adventurous? She invites readers to cook with critters themselves and offers a few "bug bite" recipes. Read more

AIP student to present at veterinary summit this fall

AIP graduate student Ezekiel Miller of Cleveland, Ohio, will be a poster presenter at the 8th Annual International Veterinary Social Work Summit in September 2024. His presentation, which is based on his spring 2023 master's coursework in his Conservation Science & Community (CSC) class, will focus on the perceptions of Cleveland's lack of tree canopy, despite its "Forest City" nickname. Miller will cross-compare those views, the views of tree experts, and the percentage of Cleveland's declining tree canopy. Read more

Exploring the confluence of place and human/nature connectedness

AIP graduate Julie Spurr '24 of St. Louis, Missouri, views her role in helping the world as a "slow burn placemaker." While Spurr discusses igniting change, she also thinks "creating places that encourage people to love and feel interconnected to nature, inviting them to feel a part of the bigger system...isn’t fast work with fast results; it’s a generational time-frame at best. With the super wicked problems we face, there’s absolutely the pressure of time, and everyone has a role to play." Read more