NEWS

Learn more about how Matt Boulton and fellow student advocates contributed to current University policy on waste diversion at Northwestern.

SB1513—the Disposable Food Service Container Act—sponsored by State Senator Laura Fine (D-09), was not called to the floor before the end of spring legislative session. If passed, the act would have phased out foam containers by 2030, giving businesses and institutions nearly six years to transition to safer, more sustainable alternatives. The bill is expected to return in January. Learn more about the harms of polystyrene foam and what you can do to help in this story by Samantha Alvarez.

Through its groundbreaking exhibit “Woven Being,” Northwestern’s Block Museum foregrounds the voices of Indigenous artists from Zhegagoynak/Chicagoland, challenging reductive stereotypes with place-based, contemporary work rooted in deep cultural history. The exhibit reclaims narrative power, inviting viewers to reflect on the enduring presence, evolving practices and future of Indigenous communities in the region.

After overcoming years of community opposition, Patriot Acres in Des Plaines has entered its first full year of operations, rapidly expanding its composting facility to recycle organic waste, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, support local agriculture, and help build a sustainable, job-creating ecosystem in Illinois. Rhiannon O’Berry dives deep into the facility’s history and current operations.

Staffer and assistant editor Cate Bouvet explores the complex impact Trump’s policies have on Evanston’s local climate policies, and how local groups are working to further climate initiatives.

Contributor Meadow Neubauer-Keyes recounts a transformative canoe journey through Northern Michigan that deepened her connection to Indigenous traditions and underscores the urgent need to prioritize Indigenous knowledge in protecting the Great Lakes and combating the climate crisis.

Chicago residents react to President Trump’s lifting of a plastic straw ban in federal buildings. The true impact of plastic straw use and how Chicagoland fights back.

The decision represents a significant shift in U.S. climate policy with profound implications for local communities, the national economy and the global effort to address climate change. 

This week… wildfires rage across Los Angeles, oil and gas corporations continue to amass wealth and native residents of the Wind River Indian Reservation protest against land theft.

Plant Futures may be the newest club on Northwestern’s sustainability scene, but it’s already making big moves. See how founder and president Sam Rappin combines passion with profession to make a difference in the world of plant-based food.

Jade Sasser’s book provides a talking point for the inequalities wrapped up inside climate advocates’ population argument.

Feel your hay fever worsening when you’re on campus? Northwestern’s selective tree-planting practices may be to blame. Find out more about “botanical sexism” and what it means for urban environments.

This week… 31,000 acres of public land returned to the Penobscot Nation in Maine, an inadequate climate financing deal at COP29, and protests across Aotearoa (New Zealand) to protect Indigenous land rights.

This week… the COP29 climate summit kicks off in Azerbaijan, wildfires ravage New York and New Jersey and rising sea temperatures devastate the mussel industry in Greece.

This week… the COP29 climate summit kicks off in Azerbaijan, wildfires ravage New York and New Jersey and rising sea temperatures devastate the mussel industry in Greece.

This week… unusually warm weather in the Chicago area, the carbon footprint of Taylor Swift’s two-year Eras Tour and deadly flooding in Valencia, Spain.

This week… the UN publishes its annual Emissions Gap Report, Pacific Island nations at risk of sinking under the waves and a controversial mega-development on a historic floodplain in South Carolina.

This week… the UN talks biodiversity in Colombia, a Spanish team develops better solar cells and Australian beaches covered in mysterious tar blobs.

This week… Hurricane Milton batters Florida, fossil fuel advertising in sports and heat waves caused by… corn?

Welcome back to This Week On Earth for the 2024-2025 academic year! This week... devastating floods in Nepal caused by global warming, deforestation law delayed in the Europe and nuclear waste piling up in the U.S.

How one Northwestern course offers students a chance to tap trees, collect sap and cook their own maple syrup.

During Earth Week, Northwestern’s environmental student organizations host a bevy of events to promote sustainability and mindfulness on campus. Although students can and do take action to reduce their individual footprints, corporations that drive systemic consumerism are the biggest players in the current climate crisis. By working together, we can confront large companies and bring about real change.