Good news! Hillary Susz has a new single, just released, and it’s called “Pollution.” The folk music resurgence is still going strong, but you probably haven’t heard a take on this familiar genre like Hillary’s. She’s a formally trained poet, originally from Spokane, Washington, who currently teaches and studies fiction at CU Boulder. With such an extensive writing background, you know that means you’re in for some tightly-spun and surprising lyrics: “Her hands are like pollution / Though not like trash / more like a purple sky / A shiny foil wrapper  / that holds me hold me... Read More

Begin Angry Outdoorsman. I am mad, but not near as mad as I was when I originally wrote this post last Wednesday.  You see, it has been over three weeks since the government shutdown started on December 23rd.  During this time most of our National Parks have remained open. Also during this time basic services have been halted—things like collecting entrance fees, guiding tourists, plowing the roads, cleaning toilets, emptying trash bins, and restricting access to certain parts of the parks.  Seven people have reportedly died in the parks during this time, which is actually less than the average... Read More

Most of the ski resorts in the Rocky Mountains have environmental protection policies because the mountains they are built upon are considered National Parks. These ski resorts are required to include a certain level of eco-friendliness, commitment to environmental stewardship, and commitment to environmental restoration. Resorts are often a part of the community they are in, especially in a ski town.  Resorts offer many jobs and include shops, restaurants and residences.  Because the resorts are at the heart of the local economies in these ski towns, when a ski resort uses less energy from... Read More

The oil and gas industry in the United States is exponentially growing due to the use of a relatively new technology called hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking. In fact, the United States is on its way to becoming the number one exporter of oil in the world.  While fracking in the United States has allowed for increased oil and gas production, it is far from benefitting the United States in other important sectors. Fracking is done by injecting a mixture of dangerous chemicals, water and sand into shale deposits at high temperatures.  This mixture is then pulled back to the surface... Read More

After the publication of the International Report on Climate Change by the United Nations, a few things were made very clear according to an article on TheGuardian.com. One of the truths that rang loudest is that carbon emission reductions will be a necessity in order to decrease the severity of the impacts of climate change. Reducing the amount of atmospheric carbon an individual pollutes can be very difficult. While someone might be very carbon conscious, they may have no control over certain aspects of life that create pollution. The U.S.’s Energy Information Administration’s website and... Read More