Earth Day 2024: “Planet vs. Plastics”
Did you know that more plastic has been produced in the last ten years than in the entire twentieth century? It can take up to 1,000 years for plastics to break down. Even after that, tiny particles called microplastics remain in the soil, groundwater, and climate. Educating people is one goal of the annual Earth […]
Effects of Oil Spill Near Trinidad and Tobago
An oil spill near the Caribbean country of Trinidad and Tobago has been declared a national emergency. On February 7, 2024, the nation’s coast guard spotted oil coming from an overturned ship about 4 miles (6 km) off the coast of the island of Tobago in the Caribbean Sea. Oil has washed ashore and covered […]
Kenya and Other Nations Focus on Planting More Trees
The east African nation of Kenya has a goal to grow 15 billion trees by 2032. This is part of an effort to restore trees to over 10 million hectares (over 38,000 square miles) of land. On Monday, November 13, 2023, this effort to improve Kenya’s environment received a major boost. Kenya’s government declared that […]
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Pride Month 2022 June is LGBTQ+ Pride month. Across the globe, June will feature celebrations, parades, marches, festivals, and more. Pride began in 1970 to celebrate gender diversity. The month-long observation also raises social awareness about issues faced by the LGBTQ+ community. June was chosen to honor the Stonewall Uprising, which took place on June […]
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James Hong is Honored by Hollywood Hollywood’s star-studded Walk of Fame is iconic. Did you know that of the over 2,700 stars, only nineteen belong to people of Asian descent? The most recent honoree is James Hong, who has seven hundred film credits to his name. This includes roles in Blade Runner and Disney’s animated […]
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American Girl Releases AAPI Doll of the Year Every year since 2001, the American Girl toy company has released a Girl of the Year doll. Unlike its regular line of historical dolls, the Girl of the Year dolls reflect the diversity of today’s world. The 2022 Girl of the Year is Corinne Tan. She is […]
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Winds of Change Depending on where you live or travel in the United States, you’ve probably seen tall, windmill-like structures dotting the horizon. These wind turbines use the wind’s renewable energy to generate electricity. But how much energy do they actually produce? In general, natural gas is still the number-one source of electricity generation in […]
Earth Day 2022: Invest in Our Planet
April 22, 2022, is the forty-second worldwide observance of Earth Day. This year’s theme is Invest in Our Planet, which encourages business, government, and individuals to work together to combat climate change. Do you know how Earth Day started? Do you know how you can participate in this year’s observance? Here, btw takes a closer […]
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Ukraine Asks for More Help and Biden Responds As the Russian attack on Ukraine continues for a fourth week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky used Zoom on March 16, 2022, to send a message to the United States. He asked for more help from the U.S. government in fighting off the military attacks. In his message, […]
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Coral Reefs Show Damage From Climate Change Coral reefs are important for many reasons. They support about one-fourth of all fish species on Earth. They also help protect and shield coastlines from storms. But coral reefs are dying off at an alarming rate. The Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network recently published a report analyzing data […]