environment

4 tips to caring for bird feeders
By Gwendolyn Craig
November 28, 2012 - 10:49pm
Bird-lovers can keep their feathered friends healthy and happy by regularly cleaning feeders. Here's how.

Many of us avian lovers long for this time of year. We hang up, suction cup or stake in the ground our feeders, fill them to the brim with seed, sneak back into the house and wait.

Before you know it, there are cardinals, chickadees, juncos, sparrows, doves and blue jays. They eat and bicker, waddle around, hop, flit away, come back, nibble, dip and dive until the seed is gone. But before you put out some more, take a closer look at your feeder and the surrounding area.

Putting the garden to bed
By Danielle Preiss
November 8, 2012 - 3:30pm
Volunteers at community gardens around Syracuse pull up the last fruits and vegetables and make preparations for winter.

Deborah Keirsey worked quickly. She was undeterred by the rain drizzling down or the finger-stiffening cold as she scooped shovelfuls of dirt away to make room for a young fruit tree. There wasn’t much time left before dark; Keirsey knew there was ample work to get to. After a few turns, her shovel hit something solid. “You’ve got some sparks there!” her daughter, Jessyca, yelled out as Keirsey finally took a moment to laugh.

Testing wells earns goodwill
By Ellie Wilkinson
November 3, 2012 - 11:55am
While sampling water in New York's Southern Tier, Syracuse and ESF students had a chance to meet some of the people who could benefit the most from their data: New York landowners.

Tucked into a sleeping bag on the top of a hill in southern New York, Egan Waggoner watched as a stream of meteors flashed across the dark sky. A landowner had allowed Waggoner and his teammates to stay the night in her backyard in return for having her well’s water tested earlier that day. The next morning, he rose and roused the others after the family had gone to church, and they continued on to the next well. 

Tricks for green Halloween treats
By Riddley Gemperl...
October 25, 2012 - 2:53pm
Try these fall dessert recipes that are better for the Earth — and for your health — than conventional candies.

Trick or treat, give me something good and full of artificial sweeteners and trans-fats to eat?

Halloween candy is tempting and only in season once a year. Plus, it comes in “fun” sizes, so you can eat more and without feeling guilty. Well, without feeling guilty until you look at the ingredient list, or until you eat 15 candy bars and your stomach revolts on you — whichever comes first.

One World: Peace talks include the environment
By Michele Maciejewski
October 9, 2012 - 3:30pm
Caring for our planet has been one important thread running through talks during the Dalai Lama's two-day visit to Syracuse.

The Dalai Lama is at Syracuse University, in case you couldn't tell. His Holiness, along with other Nobel Laureates, activists and even a former CIA director have been talking about the current state of conflict and security throughout the world, as well as ways to foster peace.

SyracuseFirst "mobs" businesses to encourage buying local
By Maya Gao Qian
October 6, 2012 - 2:34pm
"Cuse Mob" events have brought recognition and revenue to two local Syracuse businesses.

On Sept. 13, Om Boys Juice and Smoothie Bar in Armory Square was suddenly invaded and mobbed by about 100 people, though the owners didn't even bat an eye. 

Super-green (and small!) Starbucks opens for business in Colorado
By Michelle Van Dalen
October 2, 2012 - 7:44pm
The iconic coffee company proves its devotion to the environment with a new experimental shop that is LEED-certified and made with local materials.

Starbucks is the biggest mainstream coffee franchise in the United States, making it less appealing to self-proclaimed "hipsters" all about going against mainstream culture. Hemp-wearing environmental advocates have to scour the nooks and crannies of cities to find a different coffee joint worthy of hipsterdom. Well, in most cities, that is.

Save the date for "Save the Rain"
By Gwendolyn Craig
September 19, 2012 - 5:55pm
Stop by the "Save the Rain" program Saturday, Sept. 22 to learn about the Onondaga Lake cleanup and other sustainability efforts around Syracuse.

Rain or shine, “Save the Rain,” a program dedicated to reducing pollution in Onondaga Lake, will host the 2012 Clean Water Fair this Saturday, Sept. 22 from 9 a.m.—2 p.m. at the Metropolitan Wastewater Treatment Plant. The fair will update visitors on “Save the Rain” projects.   

Syracuse celebrates Earth Day 2012
By Chris Baker
April 22, 2012 - 9:56pm
Bad weather is no match for Sunday's environmental celebration.

Despite gray skies, Thornden Park was shrouded in green Sunday afternoon for an all-day celebration of Earth Day 2012. The late-day rain held off just long enough for five-hour celebration starting at noon.

Earth Week 2012
By Erin Carson
April 16, 2012 - 6:39pm
In honor of Earth Week 2012, Erin Carson compiled a list of college-student-friendly tips that can help you go green this week!

After a rare and gorgeous 80-degree day in Upstate New York, it seems Syracuse has caught on to the fact that it’s Earth Week. Repay Mother Earth for the unseasonably, snow-free weather by adopting a few green practices. Here are some of our favorite ways to do that, courtesy of Green Universal.