It was still dark at 6 a.m. when I gathered my things for the day and headed out shivering into the Cochabamba morning, bare toes waiting for the warmth of the sun. I met Jaime on the corner and we climbed in to the red, white, and blue “micro” bus, that would take us south to the main market, la cancha, that was […]
Recent Articles
Winner: A Tale of Two Trails
Hiking the Appalachian Trail has traditionally been viewed as an escape from modern society. But with a new generation of hikers bringing technology into the woods, trail culture is rapidly evolving. Do these changes reflect a more social and accessible trail, or do they threaten the age-old benefits of experiencing the outdoors?
Stephanie Stefanski in Patagonia
Over the past three months, I had the privilege to meet and interview over 300 people in Patagonia. From backpackers in hostels to families on winter vacation, from French to English to Spanish to Portuguese, each complemented my interview with his or her own story and words of advice. Among these 300 I found friends, a family, and a network […]
Erin Beasley in Honduras
About halfway through my bucket shower with mosquito larvae this morning, I thought, Why didn’t I spend this summer with my grandma? She being my go-to symbol of childhood creature comforts: air conditioning, trips to the North Park pool, walking through the mall, soaking up MTV and eating Klondike bars on her couch. Grandma would have loved six weeks of […]
Carina Roselli in Iraq, part 3
This blog entry tells a few stories about Kurdistan’s water usage. With considerable sadness, I must admit that my observations have not been particularly positive. As I strive to find my professional place in Iraq’s water security endeavors, I am daily reminded that water management is not just an environmental challenge – it’s a cultural one. My disappointment began one […]
Acheampong Atta-Boateng in Ghana
I headed straight up North without hanging out with my folks in the South, hoping I could complete work in time then follow up with fun. Well, things did not go as intended. The field had been deelyp ploughed while the ever-frowning sun greeted the early mornings with its scorching rays. Under such stress, two balls of warm-up “kenkey” (boiled […]
Caitlin Doughty in Perú, part 3
Fortunato ran across the Ollantaytambo town center to greet me in typical Peruvian fashion, with a kiss on the cheek. A huge smile filled his face as he expressed his relief in finding me (our plans had been less than concrete, yet worked out nonetheless – also in Peruvian fashion). Fortunato quickly became one of my favorite people in Peru […]
Marissa Galizia in Kenya
On the airplane flying back home after 10 solid weeks of adventure in Kenya, I wanted to reflect on everything I had seen and done over the past two and a half months. Yet, at the same time, it seemed like too much to think about. It seemed easier just to think about what was ahead with my pending arrival […]
Ben Friedman in New York City, part 2
I’m not ready to talk about my internship at the Natural Resources Defense Council, even though I’m already more than 8 weeks in (good lord!), so I’ll write about biking to work in New York City. My commute is becoming one of the central parts of my summer and as my girlfriend Emily recently pointed out to me, I’ll likely […]
Alisa Zomer in Manila, part 2
Crispy lechon, fried milk fish, juicy chicken inasal – these are but complements to the main feature on the Filipino supper plate. Taking up nearly three quarters of a meal and most of one’s belly, rice is the star attraction of the Filipino diet. To better appreciate this amazing grain, I decided to travel to northern Luzon to explore the […]
Peter Umunay in Gabon
I am writing from Libreville, the capital city of Gabon. This is one of the Congo Basin forest countries where, after one month chopping trees down for my research in DRC, I am working with Proforest (an NGO based in the United Kingdom) on Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIA) and High Conservation Value forests (HCV) before the conversion of […]
Kelly Stoner in Tanzania, part 3
Just a quick post today to note an F&ES connection here in Tanzania! This past semester I took a course entitled “Conservation in Practice: An International Perspective” taught by McKluskey Fellow Dr. Amy Vedder. It was an interesting look at the challenges and opportunities for conserving wildlife, and with a small class of only 16 students we got into some […]