What Is Blue Space? Blue space refers to visible water features, in much the same way that green space refers to visible greenery. Both natural and man-made water features count as blue space. Examples of blue space, therefore, include the sea, rivers and streams, lakes, ponds, waterfalls, pools, and more. Why Is Blue Space Important?…

If you’ve sat in traffic during your morning commute and wished for something better, you’ve felt the effects of urban sprawl first-hand. Here’s how urban sprawl is defined and what it’s doing to our local environments and communities. Urban Sprawl Definition So, what is urban sprawl? Urban sprawl is defined as “the rapid expansion of…

Sometime between 1832 and 1839, inventor Robert Anderson puttered down a nameless Scottish street in a crude electric carriage. It took years for the electric vehicle to become practical—mostly due to battery issues—and it took even longer for electric cars to catch the eye of the general public. Today, however, electric vehicles (EVs) are gaining…

The term “energy equity” is generating a lot of buzz these days as people become increasingly aware of how disadvantaged communities are disproportionately impacted by pollution, a lack of investment in clean energy solutions, limited access to energy-efficient housing and transportation, and a lack of understanding about renewable energy choice. These marginalized communities often also…

Aesthetics has become a widely-used concept nowadays, from your “Instagram aesthetic” to your personal fashion aesthetic. But America’s most alluring places have aesthetics of their own—beauty that is being threatened by visual pollution. Here’s a look at the meaning of aesthetics and the ways in which visual pollution can erode it. What Does ‘Aesthetic’ Mean?…

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette printed the Letter to the Editor by our Assistant Director, Dave Demko, on Friday, February 28. You can read the original here, but we also reprint it below. I’m writing in response to the Feb. 20 article “From Bass to Glass: Developer Proposes 21-Story Office Tower at Site of Strip Building with…