Author Archives: Emiko Uohara
Trying to Live Zero-Waste in San Francisco for 7 Days
Hi! I’m Emiko, a university student living in San Francisco. I’m spending 7 days trying to live a zero-waste life. My goal is to show that change doesn’t have...
Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2025: How Metal-Organic Frameworks Revolutionize Sustainability
Each October, Nobel Prize laureates are announced to the world, sharing the exceptional innovations and creations of thinkers from around the globe. The Nobel Prize is a prestigious distinction...
The Single-Use Plastic Dilemma
Single-Use Plastics Have a Massive Impact on the Environment Single-use plastics (SUP) are items that are meant to be immediately disposed of after one brief use. Examples of SUPs...
Papacy and the Planet
On May 8th, the Sistine Chapel released a cloud of white smoke from its chimney, marking the decision on the 267th pope. Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost became the first...
The Environmental Impact of “Superfoods”
“Superfoods” is a term coined by the United Fruit Company to market bananas in the early 1900s and does not have a scientific definition (UC Davis). In the twenty-first...
Rewriting Nature: The Environmental Impacts of CRISPR/Cas9
CRISPR/Cas9 is a new technological advancement that has turned decades of “what ifs” into possible avenues of science. In 2020, Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna were awarded the Nobel...
The Environmental Impact of Data Centers and Artificial Intelligence
Casual social media scrolling, internet browsing, and streaming music are some of university students’ favorite pastimes, but not many people realize that their relaxation has consequences for the planet....
Moo-ve Over Cows: the Environmental Footprint of Milk Alternatives
Over the years, I have sampled a plethora of dairy milk and milk alternatives. Suffice to say, the path to choosing the perfect milk can become a rabbit hole....
Inspection Failure at USF: Waste Sorting Mistakes Revealed
USF’s Waste Sorting Audit Reveals Areas for Growth USF disposes about 2.1 million pounds of waste annually, the equivalent of 12 Space Shuttle Endeavors or 160 African bush elephants....
Sustainable Education for Global Transformation
The word “sustainability” is often connotated with planting trees, eliminating ocean pollution, and reducing waste. While these are incredible feats, they are only seeds in the forest of sustainability. ...