Imaginings
stories, creative nonfiction, poetry, and other imaginative accounts of the natural world
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Making Tracks: Environmental Histories of the Brazilian Cerrado
By Claiton Marcio da Silva The Brazilian Cerrado made me an environmental historian. My interest in the agricultural transformations in Brazilian savannas—a biome located in the central part of Brazil that extends over an area of approximately 2.000.000 km²—started when I left the southern and subtropical regions of the country to seek employment in the…
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The Bellflower Specialists
By Eunice Blavascunas and Alie J. Zagata I grew up in Switzerland, in a family of natural historians. I often say that I grew up in a sleeping bag because my family went camping in the wilderness most weekends and throughout the summers.
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For a Dignified Life
Hazardous Hope Part 1 “Remediation Practices in Ecuador” by Maximilian Feichtner (*Featured image © Theresa Leisgang) Like a tiny mushroom, hope is growing in the once-lush rain forest of the Amazon in northeastern Ecuador: bioremediation as a solution to the extensive environmental contamination. It is a hazardous hope, however. Hazardous because it relates to a dangerous…
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Making Tracks: Unsettling Landscapes and Imaginations
By Tony Weis I come from the settler-colonial nation of Canada, in a part of southwestern Ontario that sits upon the traditional territories of the Attawandaron, Anishnaabee, Haudenosaunee, and Leni-Lunaape Peoples. Today, nine First Nations reserves together control just over one percent of all land in southwestern Ontario. The landscape must have been beautiful, and…
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Unsettling Landscapes and Imaginations
In the “Making Tracks” series, RCC fellows and alumni present their experiences in environmental humanities, retracing the paths that led them to the Rachel Carson Center. For more information, please click here. By Tony Weis *All images courtesy of the author I come from the settler-colonial nation of Canada, in a part of southwestern Ontario that…
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Welcome to the Taproom
By Pavla Å imková When I started doing research in beer history, I had no idea what I was getting into. I doubt there is a beer pun in the world I haven’t heard yet. People have wished me hoppy holidays. They can barely contain their excitement about interesting beer articles they have just read.
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Student Research: Pollinators – The New Buzzword?
“Pollinator Declines: Impacts on Biodiversity and Agriculture” By Stephanye Zarama-Alvarado Think of the evolution of life. Imagine how diverse species have blossomed since Precambrian times and how they fit together to create a delicate ecological balance on our planet. Though hominids have been in the natural world for millions of years, modern humans only began to evolve…
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Nurturing My Greens with High-Tech? Reflections on Vertical Farming and the PlantCube
by Marlen Elders When I first saw designs for the plantCube, a smart, fully automated machine for producing perfect vegetables, it seemed more like a high-fashion kitchen device than a sustainable alternative for growing vegetables. The plantCube was created by Munich-based start-up agrilution, whose cofounder, Maximilian Lössl, spoke with us at a Tuesday Discussion at…
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Student Research: Permaculture – Alternative Agriculture, part 2
Last year, students of the RCC Environmental Studies Certificate Program had the opportunity to attend a three-day workshop with Jochen Koller, Diploma Permaculture-Designer and Director of the Forschungsinstitut für Permakultur und Transition (FIPT). Students gained an insight into the ethics and design principles of permaculture, the diverse spheres of activity, and the practical possibilities. In this short…