Sentient Media

4 days ago | sentientmedia.org | Frida Garza

Two years ago this week, the Supreme Court’s decision in Sackett v. the Environmental Protection Agency significantly limited the agency’s ability to use the 1972 Clean Water Act to safeguard the nation’s wetlands from pollution and destruction. The decision determined that wetlands — waterlogged habitats that help filter water and sequester carbon — must be indistinguishable from larger bodies of water to be eligible for protection under the law.

1 week ago | sentientmedia.org | Nina Elkadi

At least eight miles of a Southwest-Wisconsin stream were polluted by a manure spill earlier this month. The spill killed hundreds of fish, including many wild brown trout. The affected waterways — Spring Valley Creek, Moore Creek and the Kickapoo River — have long been remarkable for their healthy water quality, healthy enough to sustain naturally-reproducing trout populations.

1 week ago | sentientmedia.org | Gabriella Sotelo

In order to reduce climate pollution, we have to talk about food. Food production accounts for roughly a third of global greenhouse gas emissions, and meat, particularly beef, is the biggest contributor to that share. Cattle produce vast amounts of methane, and raising them demands enormous quantities of land, water and feed. Yet as the scientific consensus around beef’s environmental impact has evolved, so too has the meat industry’s strategy for how we think about solutions.

1 week ago | sentientmedia.org | Frida Garza

This story was originally published by Grist. Sign up for Grist’s weekly newsletter here. In 2010, United States lawmakers passed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which aimed to tackle both childhood obesity and hunger by making school meals more nutritious. Two years later, the Department of Agriculture updated its guidance for schools participating in the National School Lunch Program, or NSLP, in accordance with the law.

2 weeks ago | sentientmedia.org | Sky Chadde |Investigate Midwest

This story was originally published on Investigate Midwest. Around 6:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve in 2022, flames ripped through the bowels of an industrial facility in Fremont, Nebraska. Elevators were scorched. Conveyor belts collapsed. Metal doors melted. As smoke filled the sky, employees scrambled to escape. One dialed 911. “The plant’s on fire,” he hurriedly breathed. “Is everybody out of there?” The dispatcher asked.