Unwrapped Earth

designing a sustainable future

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just a boy with a passion

    • mapped out

      Every summer leaves a few memories that really stick with me. Sometimes it’s a weird airport experience, sometimes a great sunset, sometimes making an unexpected friend, sometimes – apparently – it’s pulling population data to understand rainfall patterns in Maui.

      Last year, during my sophomore year, I joined the TOPS School Open Science Team, working under Professor Kytt MacManus, Juan Martinez, and Professor Antonio Tovar on a project that at first seemed way beyond me. “TOPS” stands for NASA’s Transform to Open Science, and the full program name is Science Core Heuristics for Open Science Outcomes in Learning (SCHOOL) – but what that really means is making science something more collaborative, transparent, and accessible to everyone. I got the chance to help build a learning module that used open data tools to investigate a real environmental event.

      Our project had a big name: Flood Watch Report: Maui Heavy Rainfall Analysis Using Census API. At first, I thought research was always about finding answers. But the Maui lesson wasn’t about answering a specific question. The point was to demonstrate, share, and democratize powerful tools so anyone – researcher, college student, or curious high schooler – could use Open Science and Open Source resources for their own investigations. If you’re curious, the project homepage is linked here. It shows how science can be open and collaborative through a variety of case studies, the Maui Flash Flooding that I worked on being one of the many in the “disasters” module of this big project.

      My working group’s focus was on an extreme rainfall event in Maui in January 2024. Our goal wasn’t to solve the entire problem – it was to demonstrate how publicly available data and simple tools can help people better understand and respond to disasters. My role involved using U.S. Census data to look at where people live on Maui and how those areas aligned with rainfall patterns. That meant figuring out how to request very specific data from large government datasets – a process that sounded complicated at first but became more manageable as I got deeper into it. One of my main jobs was to pull population data for census tracts in Maui using something called a Census API. At the start, I didn’t even know what an API was – three letters that sounded intimidating and super techy. But it turns out, an API, or Application Programming Interface, is basically a way to ask a giant online database for the exact info you need and plug it straight into your coding project – kind of like asking a librarian for exactly the right book instead of searching the whole library yourself.

      There were definitely frustrating moments. Sometimes things didn’t load properly. Sometimes the data didn’t match up the way I expected. But as I kept working, I slowly began connecting the dots – learning how to pull geographic data, match it with population statistics, and visualize it all on a map. Along the way, I also learned how to use GitHub and Visual Studio Code, tools that helped me organize the code and collaborate with the team efficiently. It was incredibly satisfying to see those visualizations take shape, not just because they looked cool, but because they told a story. A story about where people live, where the rain hit hardest, and what that might mean for disaster planning and emergency response.

      One of the best parts of the experience was that it wasn’t just about learning – it was about creating something others could use too. I got to help write and shape an actual open lesson that walks people through the process step by step. That’s what open science is all about: making tools and knowledge freely available so others can build on them. If you want to check it out, here’s my working group’s page (Flood Watch Report: Maui Heavy Rainfall Analysis) that I worked on.

      This project also connected to my growing interest in using technology to solve real-world environmental problems. Last summer, I worked on sea level rise through a program at Fordham University that focused on how AI could be used for public benefit. I created a project on using AI to help detect sea level changes in NYC. Since then, I’ve been especially interested in how tools like AI and open data can be used for the environment – not just as buzzwords, but as real, useful instruments for research and awareness

      I reached out to Professor Kytt MacManus early in my sophomore year, and I’m incredibly thankful he introduced me to Juan Martinez and this project. Now that the TOPS School project has officially come to an end, I’m writing this reflection with a lot of gratitude – for the opportunity, the mentorship, and what it means going forward. It reminded me that meaningful research doesn’t always require a lab coat – it sometimes just takes curiosity, persistence, and the willingness to learn new tools.

      This summer, I was also on Columbia’s campus for the Environmental Studies pre-college program that I have previously mentioned, and it was honestly so special to finally meet Professor MacManus and Juan in person instead of just Zoom meetings, phone calls, and emails. Getting a tour of the Mudd building and seeing the labs where this work happens made everything feel more real and exciting. Although the TOPS SCHOOL program has now ended, it’s been a journey since then, one that I am incredibly grateful for.

      I came away from this understanding more than just how to navigate datasets. I saw firsthand how science can be more inclusive and open-ended – less about having all the answers, and more about exploring the right questions. Being part of that process made me feel like I wasn’t just learning about science. I was doing science.

      So here’s to confusing files, surprising insights, and maps that help tell important stories. And here’s to the inspiration this experience has given me – maybe someday, down the road, I’ll even write and publish my own research paper (of course, under the proper mentors & with the guidance), a meta-analysis on flooding. But if that happens, it’ll be a little while from now.

    • case by case

      There’s something oddly satisfying about a good case study – digging into a problem, tracing the solution, realizing it’s kinda genius (or kinda flawed), and then sitting in a group and arguing about it in the most respectful academic way possible. That was a big part of my experience in the Columbia Precollege program taught by Dr. Nicola Barratt I attended these past few weeks, and honestly, it surprised me how much I liked it. Not just presenting my own projects, but hearing about everyone else’s. The energy in those discussions? Weirdly electric.

      My first case study was on Hotel Marcel, the first net-zero hotel in the U.S., and it felt like starting strong. I mean, this place is solar-powered everything, repurposed from an old brutalist building, and run on clean energy. It doesn’t even have a gas line. The more I learned, the more I realized how sustainable design could look sleek and smart – not just “eco.” Comparing it with stuff like The Edge in Amsterdam and even a whole city like Curitiba really showed me the scale of what’s possible. A building. A block. A whole city. It made me think about design choices not as compromises, but opportunities.

      Week 2 was all about water, food, and air, so I went with sustainable paper production, which… sounds boring at first. But then you realize how many trees we kill, how many habitats we destroy, just so we can write math homework or print out flyers we throw away two hours later. I looked into using FSC-certified wood and tree-free materials like hemp and bamboo. It was all about how changing materials and methods could change the whole game for ecosystems and emissions. Tree-free paper: who knew?

      But here’s where it got interesting. Other groups presented on stuff like New York City’s water supply, Love Canal, vertical farming, factory farming, and even mushrooms as meat (I know, it’s a vibe). Each one had this unique angle:

      • NYC’s water system is over a century old and still delivers water to 8+ million people, which is wild. But it leaks – a lot.
      • Love Canal was like an environmental horror story turned into a rallying cry for grassroots action and better policies.
      • Vertical farming looked futuristic and efficient, though super expensive.
      • Mushroom meat had everyone lowkey craving fungi burgers.
      • And factory farming reminded us that behind the cheap bacon is a laundry list of diseases, emissions, and ethical messes.

      Compared to those, my paper project felt like the “quiet kid” – not flashy, but steady. It wasn’t fighting wildfires or rebuilding an aqueduct, but it had this subtle importance. Like, changing the way we produce something so basic as paper affects forests, animals, and air quality without needing billion-dollar tech or government emergencies. Low drama, high impact.

      Then came week 3. ALERTCalifornia – my final case study – was pure sci-fi turned real. AI cameras scanning the forests of California to detect wildfires before they blow up into disasters. It’s proactive, smart, and honestly kind of beautiful. Saving lives and ecosystems with data? Count me in.

      What made this one feel even more personal was the fact that this wasn’t my first time diving into AI for good. If you recall, last summer I did a program at Fordham that was kind of like this Columbia one – but focused entirely on how AI could be used to benefit society. My project back then? Using AI to detect sea level rise around NYC and how that data could help prepare the city for flooding. So working on ALERTCalifornia this year felt like picking up where I left off, but with even more urgency.

      Since that Fordham program, I’ve found myself getting more and more into the idea of using technology – not just for convenience or cool gadgets – but to actually solve real-world problems. Especially environmental ones. Whether it’s smarter energy systems, wildfire prevention, or cleaner cities, I’ve started to realize that AI isn’t just a tool – it’s a bridge. Between science and people. Between problems and solutions. Between now and what’s possible.

      That week, other groups shared projects on things like green infrastructure, Mississippi River Delta restoration, and sustainable fishing. Some had huge budgets (like $50 billion), others had trade-offs that made my brain hurt. One helped cities breathe easier but risked gentrifying neighborhoods. Another promised cleaner fishing but left communities struggling with stricter rules.

      What I’ve realized from all this is: there’s no perfect solution. Every “yes” comes with a “but.” Every win for the planet can be a loss for people – or at least, some people. It’s all about balance.

      So if Hotel Marcel taught me that sustainable design is possible, and paper production showed me that the little things matter, ALERTCalifornia – and the AI projects I’ve been exploring since last summer – made it clear: tech is a tool. But humans still drive the outcome.

      Looking back, I’m glad I got to explore such different issues. From hotels to hemp, from fires to fungi, I’ve seen how messy and amazing this work is. And I’ve seen how all of it – very policy, plant, or platform – comes down to the same question:

      How can we live better with the world around us?

      Still figuring it out. But this summer gave me a few more clues.

    • studying the future

      “three weeks, two field trips, and one planet to protect“

      This past month, I took a class called Environmental Studies: Designing a Sustainable Future at Columbia University’s Precollege Programs – taught by the incredible Dr. Nicola Barratt. I went in thinking we’d just be reading articles and building case studies. And sure, we did some of that. But what I didn’t expect was how real it would feel – how much I’d see, hear, and experience that stayed with me long after class ended.

      Over the three weeks, we dove into the science and systems behind sustainability: food, water, energy, equity, climate policy. But the two field trips we went on – one to the Javits Center and one to the Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant – were what grounded it all. I’d heard words like “green infrastructure” and “resource recovery” before, but now I had actual images in my head. Giant anaerobic digesters. A rooftop orchard. Bees. Wastewater. Apple trees. Biogas. LED lights. All of it, tangled together in the story of how New York City is trying to live lighter on the planet.

      We also took walks around campus and outside of campus – sometimes to get outside and reset, other times to look more closely at the urban ecosystem around us. Our professor, of course, wanted these moments to meaningful, and introduced us to an app called iNaturalist. At first, I thought it was just a plant ID tool. But it’s actually so much more than that. With every photo you take – of a flower, a bug, a mushroom, a tree – you’re not just naming it. You’re submitting it to a global database of biodiversity. Your small moment of curiosity becomes part of something much bigger: a way to track species, monitor ecosystems, and support environmental research.

      The app changed the way I look at my surroundings. It slowed me down. Made me notice more. I started taking pictures of plants pushing through sidewalks, beetles on benches, lichens growing on forgotten corners of brick. And I wasn’t just observing – I was participating. Contributing to something meaningful, just by being present and paying attention.

      And in a strange coincidence (or maybe not a coincidence at all), I was added to the Sheldrake Environmental Center’s 2025 Backyard BioBlitz – a project where I’ll be using iNaturalist in a similar way to help support local research and documentation. As a Nature Reporter and volunteer at Sheldrake, this felt like such a full-circle moment. The BioBlitz encourages participants to photograph uncultivated nature – wild things that grow or move or land without human intervention – in places outside of Sheldrake itself, to help expand their research radius across my county.

      So whether I’m walking the city or wandering the woods in my town, I now carry this quiet intention: to document what I see, not just for myself, but for science. To learn what’s here, so we can protect it. And to help others do the same – one small observation at a time.

      Javits Center: A Different Kind of Skyline

      You don’t usually associate convention centers with sustainability, but the Javits Center changed that for me. On the outside, it looks like any other glassy building – but up top, there’s a green roof stretching across seven acres. It’s not just for show: this roof absorbs 80% of stormwater, houses more than 70 bird species, and doesn’t need much maintenance thanks to the sedum that grows there. There’s also a rooftop orchard with native plants, apple trees, and a greenhouse where even the lettuce is picked by request from the chef downstairs.

      What stood out to me most was how much had to change structurally to make all this possible. The building literally had to be redesigned to carry the weight of life – of soil, plants, trees, and the systems needed to support them. It made me realize that sustainable design isn’t just about “adding green” on top. It’s about rethinking the bones of a place so it can hold more life – and more purpose.

      Also: there are bee houses. Four of them. With European honeybees doing their thing among the flowers, right above the chaos of Manhattan.

      Newtown Creek: What Happens After You Flush

      The second field trip brought us to Newtown Creek – NYC’s largest wastewater treatment plant. I’m not going to lie, I didn’t expect to be inspired by sewer systems. But it was kind of incredible.

      This single facility treats 300 million gallons of wastewater a day. And what stuck with me is how invisible that process usually is. You flush, and it’s gone. But here, we walked through the steps – from the screening of giant debris to the tanks where bacteria break down organic matter, all the way to disinfection before the water is released again. It takes about 8 hours from start to finish.

      Then there are the anaerobic digesters – those futuristic silver domes that process sludge and food waste to create biogas. It’s this closed loop that turns “waste” into something valuable, cutting down on emissions and even giving energy back to Brooklyn. That kind of circular thinking felt really powerful. Nothing was wasted unless we decided to waste it.

      And again, sustainability didn’t just mean technology – it meant ecosystems. We talked about NYC’s water supply, fed by gravity through forests upstate. We saw how green infrastructure like rain gardens helps reduce sewer overflows and supports urban biodiversity. We even learned how clogs, known as “fatbergs”, (yes, from cooking grease) can trigger overflows that damage both city infrastructure and nearby ecosystems.

      The Bigger Picture

      In both trips, the message was clear: sustainability isn’t about doing one thing perfectly. It’s about doing a lot of things better – together. Stronger roofs, smarter waste systems, more thoughtful energy use, cleaner water, more green space, healthier cities. And most of all, it’s about designing with people and nature in mind, side by side.

      I used to think environmental design was mostly for architects and engineers. But this class showed me that storytelling, observation, and systems thinking are just as important. I’m learning how to think like a designer – not because I want to build buildings, but because I want to help shape ideas, questions, and choices that lead to something better.

      I’m grateful for the chance to study with Dr. Barratt and my classmates – all of us from different states and countries, coming together in one room to figure out what kind of future we want to design. And more importantly, how we want to design it.

    • learning to see

      Every few weekend mornings this summer, I’ve been heading into the woods – not as a camper or a hiker, but as a nature reporter.

      It’s a funny title, “nature reporter.” Sounds official, maybe even a little dramatic. But really, all it means is that I take my phone, a notebook, and my curiosity, and try to capture whatever’s happening at Sheldrake Environmental Center – through photos, facts, and little stories for their social media. A dragonfly balancing on a reed. Mushrooms that popped up overnight after a storm. A robin that just won’t leave the blueberry bush alone. I snap pictures, jot down notes, ask questions, and later help turn that into posts people might scroll through while sipping coffee.

      I’ve been calling the series Through My Lens: Sheldrake in Focus – because that’s what it is. Not just a collection of nature shots, but a window into the way I’m learning to see this place and everything that lives in it. If you want to check out some of the posts I’ve written, they’re up on Sheldrake’s social media pages, linked here:
      📸 Instagram
      📘 Facebook

      At first, I felt like I had no idea what I was doing. I love nature, sure, but who was I to write about it? What if I called something the wrong species? What if no one cared about the tiny beetle I found on a milkweed leaf?

      But I kept going back. And soon, I started to see things differently.

      There’s a quiet magic to watching a space change week to week. The way the pond shrinks after a dry spell. The soft yellow of goldenrod slowly taking over the meadow. I began learning the names of things – like cattails, jewelweed, and tree swallows – and with the names came this weird sense of connection, like I was greeting familiar neighbors.

      I’ve always loved taking pictures, but this summer pushed me to slow down and look closer. I started crouching in the mud for the perfect angle or waiting ten minutes just to catch a butterfly with its wings open. And the more I looked, the more I wanted to understand – not just what something was, but what it did, how it fit into the bigger picture, why it mattered.

      And I think that’s what I’ve come to appreciate most about this whole experience – it made me realize that storytelling isn’t just about people. It’s about ecosystems too. When I post about an eastern box turtle or a blooming patch of Joe Pye weed, I’m telling a story about that specific moment in time, but I’m also inviting people to care. To notice. Maybe even to visit and see it for themselves.

      The funny part is, I thought I was just helping out – volunteering for a nature center I remembered from field trips in elementary school. But somehow, through field guides and Instagram captions and muddy shoes, I started feeling more grounded. Like I was part of something a little bigger than myself.

      I still don’t always know the names of everything I see. And I still get nervous that what I write isn’t “scientific” enough. But I think there’s a kind of power in that – in learning out loud, in being honest about curiosity.

      Because maybe the best way to protect something is to first learn how to see it.

      Above are some pictures I took in the past few weeks that you can learn more about on Sheldrake’s socials!

    • growth

      The last couple of weeks have been a blur, and to be completely honest, I can’t believe how much I have learned and accomplished in this time. It feels like everything I have been working towards, both in Project Green and beyond, is starting to build into something much bigger. I have taken a leap into different responsibilities and participated in events at which entirely changed my perspective on everything. This has been one of the most exciting seasons yet. Sometimes it is a little overwhelming, but more than anything it is honestly super inspiring to see everything coming together and realizing I am another positive change-maker in my community.

      One of the coolest updates is that I was elected Treasurer of Project Green! I feel like this is a significant upgrade for me and am excited to embrace the new challenge. As Treasurer, I will be responsible for all the finances for the club, something I’ve never done before but I am excited to learn. I already have some ideas about how we can fund our club’s compostable cup initiative. This is one of the major undertakings we have been working on as a club, which is to replace plastic water bottles with compostable cups. Now I get to be a part of the process to administer the funding behind the initiative. I think it’s going to work out well, and I will be able to learn how to manage a budget and develop ideas on how we will fund projects like these.

      And in regard to that compostable cup program, it’s been going quite well! Recently, our club went to a school board meeting where data was shared regarding the success of our initiative and the outcome reports were very promising. The report showed that we had actually been able to reduce plastic water bottle sales at our school. It is really gratifying to see positive impact from an effort we started. The evidence we are going to show how seemingly insignificant adjustments to the way we do things can influence behavior change, including providing just another option rather than plastic. This gives me more energy to continue onward and look at ways to cut back, and get more of the community engaged in being mindful in reducing waste.

      This past Tuesday, April 22 was Earth Day, and it felt like a big milestone for me. As part of Project Green, we were at an Earth Day Expo at our local library and it was one of those days where everything just fell into place. We had a booth and presented our compostable cup project, showcased what we’ve done, and taught folks about how composting can be a very effective, low-barrier waste diversion option. It felt really powerful to see people get excited about what we’re doing and it was exciting to realize that there is a lot of momentum behind something that seems like one of many components to big solutions. And then the best part was interacting with other local organizations who were there! I learned about all kinds of different sustainability projects, from sustainable transportation solutions to ideas for making gardening more sustainable. I even met a guy who runs a nonprofit which supports sustainable gardening practices and he is looking for volunteers this summer – I am strongly considering signing up! It is all about expanding my knowledge and skills and it was very inspiring to meet people doing such amazing work.

      To make things just a little bit more exciting, New York Congressman George Latimer and our Mayor were both at the expo too! It was actually pretty surreal to be part of an event where local leaders were showing up to support sustainability, and it again reinforced my sense that the work we’re doing with Project Green is well within a more significant movement. Their participation in the event reinforced the significance of this kind of work and the ability of grassroots efforts to be impactful if we’re supported by our local leaders.

      In addition to hosting the expo we also had a children’s Earth Day reading event at the library where we read books like The Lorax and had a discussion with the kids about why it is important to be kind to the environment. What I loved about this event was how we made sustainability something that was fun, realistic, and approachable to the kids. We weren’t just giving them information but were using storytelling to excite their imaginations and get them to think about how they could make a difference in their daily lives. To be honest, it was pretty refreshing to work with the kids. They were so curious and many of the questions they asked are ones I had not even thought of! The parents were really happy about what we were doing, and some said they wanted to attend more events in the future. We are even considering creating a website, if not a email list for Project Green, so that families can sign up if they want to be updated on all of our future projects. So this is something we will definitely be working on in the not too distant future.

      Looking ahead, we have another nature center event in a week, and I am very thrilled about it! The event will be a kids’ workshop, where the kids will make their own compostable plant cups. The kids will have an engaging tactile experience, and be able to get their little fingers dirty, while learning about the value of composting and sustainability at a younger age. I am excited to do this because they express a lot of joy and I trust that this will be very special for everyone involved. Once the event happens, I will update the blog on how it went and what we accomplished, but at this moment, I am simply eager to share an opportunity to engage younger kids towards protecting the environment!

      As a personal interest, I recently became a volunteer at our local environmental center a few times a month. My primary responsibility is to take pictures of the different flora and fauna on the center grounds and do slightly more research on what I’m taking pictures of. It really has been so rewarding to be outside exploring the natural environment and learning more about the species that inhabit it. After taking my pictures I simply send them along with research notes, and they’re published on the center’s website. It is honestly such a straightforward and fulfilling contribution, and I’m learning so much about local ecosystems. The volunteering has also provided me with an appreciation for how important it is to save the natural areas right in our own backyard.

      I have also started doing research, in conjunction with the TOPS SCHOOL Open Science Team. I have joined a Working Group for Disaster Damage Assessment related to the Maui flood disaster from January 2021. This group has been tasked with taking the satellite and drone images from this event and compiling in a lesson format that is useful for others to use and uploaded to the TOPS website for others. The focus is to quantify the damage from the disaster and then visualizing and presenting the data, using maps and graphs, so the general public can understand the impacts of this disaster. I am learning a considerable amount about how data science can be used concerning environmental issues and how technology can be utilized to build understanding around catastrophic events. This is a whole new world for me and I am excited to see how this project develops.

      With Project Green, volunteering, and working on research with TOPS, I feel like I’m keeping a lot of balls in the air related to sustainability. Nonetheless, it is all very satisfying. I am learning that sustainability is not just one thing; it is community action, education of others, and using technology to produce even greater impacts. It is a broad field with lots of opportunities, and I am excited to see where I go from here. There is one big lesson I have learned recently, however, and that is that little actions matter, and when we come together, we can create big changes.

    • ecoExplorations

      If there’s one thing I’ve taken away from my experience with Project Green, it’s that just knowing what’s going on in the world isn’t enough – and it’s time to find solutions and start implementing change. I’ve spent the last few months as an engaging new member of my school’s environmental club, eager to start new initiatives to reduce waste, raise awareness in our community, and forge sustainable connections with others who appreciate our planet. I’ve also realized that little changes go a long way with community efforts.

      One of the current projects that my school’s Project Green is working on is reducing plastic waste. Plastic bottles are everywhere – from vending machines, to the cafeteria, to students who forget their reusable bottles on any given day. One of our projects to combat this unavoidable plastic addition is to spread the wealth of compostable cups around school so that students have quick and easy access to a sustainable solution if they’re without a reusable bottle. It made me realize how much sustainability is about accessibility; it can’t be expected that people change their ways – they need to be offered improved and more accessible opportunities to do so. If we’re ever to reduce their convenience for plastic consumption, we need to give people solutions that work for them.

      Aside from school, we have been exploring ways to increase our impact into the larger community. Part of that was the opportunity to attend a sustainability expo at our local library. That event will give us a chance to meet other environmental organizations in our community and learn about what they have been doing. Up until now, the majority of my environmental work has revolved around school-based initiatives, so I am looking forward to learning from others about community-based sustainability efforts. Who knows – we may meet people who are implementing projects we haven’t even thought of, or perhaps, ways that we can collaborate! This event will also be an opportunity for us to share what we have done with Project Green – work to reduce waste, educate students, and clean up around the local area. Even as a high school group, we have real work projects that could help inspire other community members to do some work, too.

      Education has been yet another area of emphasis for us, and we are currently coordinating an environmental book-reading event at the library. The aim of this particular endeavor is to expose younger kids to sustainability issues in a engaging and fun way. Most kids like nature, but they don’t know how much of it is threatened because of pollution, climate change, and destruction of habitats. Our goal is to get kids thinking about the environment by reading them books that address these issues in an age-appropriate way. Maybe one of them will grow up to be an environmental scientist, a conservationist, or merely someone who makes sustainable choices in their daily lives. This has gotten me thinking a lot about education and sustainability – so much of what people do (or don’t do) for the environment has to do with their knowledge. If they don’t know the problem exists, how can they care about finding a solution? This is why I love that Project Green is not only about action but about raising awareness as well.

      We are also planning a river cleanup close to our school, which I think is going to end up being one of the most impactful projects. Hearing about pollution is one thing, but physically removing trash from a natural space and observing first-hand the extent of human waste’s effect on the environment is another. It will be a shocking experience for not just us from Project Green, but everyone involved. There is something about being in nature and seeing the damage done, that makes these problems feel much more real than hearing about it. I hope this sense of responsibility extends beyond simply being a good citizen of the earth, and stays with people long after spending a day collecting litter from the river.

      In addition to all of this hands-on work, I have also been investigating a very different side of environmental science via NASA’s Transform to Open Science (TOPS) SCHOOL Project. During my first meeting, I was introduced to the world of open science, data sharing, and coding tools for studying environmental issues. I learned how to use GitHub and Visual Studio Code, which scientists use for collaboration on projects and data analysis. I saw how Jupyter Notebooks and Quarto are platforms that scientists use to write and execute codes that visualize environmental trends. What struck me the most, however, was the significance of open data. Much of NASA’s research – on everything from tracking climate change, monitoring water resources, or predicting natural disasters – are public data so that the data can be utilized by a wider audience. Seeing what scientists can do with technology to study and address environmental issues has made me realize that sustainability is not just action at the grassroots level; it is also figuring out data and innovative ways to solve for larger scale problems.

      Through Project Green and the TOPS SCHOOL Project, I have experienced two different, but both extremely valuable, approaches to sustainability. In one case, I saw how small-scale, local activities – such as decreasing waste, cleaning up rivers, and teaching people – can have an impact in a community. In the other case, I learned about the role of technology and data science in addressing global environmental issues. This has made me understand that environmental science is not just one type of discipline. Environmental science is a combination of so many different types of disciplines, whether they be conservation, coding, or policy-making.

      In the future, I want to continue to look at the crossroads of sustainability and technology and what that means to harness data towards more sustainable decisions, but also, it means leveraging creative platforms to reach individuals with education around these important issues. I know there’s still so much to learn. For now, I’m excited to continue to forge through Project Green to learn from TOPS SCHOOL to explore my next path. If you are passionate about sustainability, I encourage you to get involved in someway – whether it be through a school club, community project, or even through small actions in your own life. Every little action matters, and we can make a difference together.

    • my journey

      The more I explore the broad topic of sustainability, I’ve realized that it’s not just about projects and studies – it’s about learning, discovering what I’m actually passionate about, and learning how I can contribute. When I first became interested in sustainability, I was mostly worried about the environment. I wanted to know how we can reduce pollution, reduce carbon footprint, and protect ecosystems, the far-fetched problems. But as I’ve gained more experience through volunteering, research, and my internship, I’ve started to see sustainability in so many different ways – and my interest for it keeps growing.

      Working with Project Green really showed me how powerful education is when it comes to making change. Teaching people about sustainable habits – like reducing waste, composting, and supporting eco-friendly products – taught me how just spreading awareness can spark action. At first, I thought that sustainability was about what we do individually, but later I realized it’s also about enabling others to do the same. Working on local projects and creating resources so people can have an understanding of sustainability helped me realize how much of a strong community can be built when everybody is involved. It made me realize that sometimes sustainability isn’t something that we can accomplish ourselves alone – more so, how all of these little things are contributing to something bigger.

      Experiencing the internship at The Spaceship Academy made me see how innovation and sustainability go together. I worked on a project where we helped others track their transportation carbon emissions and reduce them, and it really enlightened me on how technology can actually solve real-world problems. I learned that there is no single solution to sustainability – they need to be innovative and pragmatic. And through this project and my internship, I learned about The Earth Prize competition too, and I saw how other projects had come so far and that inspired my partner and I to restructure our project. We had been trying to tackle the problem of carbon emissions from too many aspects, but through reading former competition winners’ project proposals we realized it is always good to work on just one, specific thing – for example, transportation – and focus intensely on that. This helped me grow as a problem solver and learn the importance of balancing innovation with pragmatism.

      I’ve also recently reached out to the Weinberg Nature Center to volunteer there, which is a place that is very meaningful to me. I used to visit there as a kid, whether it was for fun or for a school trip. It was here where I was introduced and fully emersed in the environment and nature – we learned about the environment and the creatures and plants that lived in them while taking walks through the nature center’s trails. . I’m excited to go back and help them with their educational programs or in any other way. It feels like a full-circle moment, and I’m looking forward to contributing to the center’s work in teaching others about sustainability and conservation. It’s made me realize that sustainability isn’t just about reducing waste or carbon emissions – it’s about helping people connect with nature in a deeper way. I think this is especially important to the younger generations because when you embrace this, you’ll be held more accountable to take care of the planet.

      Although I have not been doing research professionally yet, I have begun reaching out to researchers and learning about how I can dig deeper. In the meantime, I’ve been reading a lot myself. One of the articles I read through during my studies was a discussion about new and emerging technologies that would be beneficial in dealing with climate change and environmental matters. It really inspired me for my internship at The Spaceship Academy, where I’ve been working on a project related to transportation emissions. After going through some of these technologies, I developed a new idea that blends technology and sustainability in a way that never crossed my partner and I’s minds. It’s exciting to feel how learning about these new innovations can push me to think outside the box and offer out-of-the-box ideas to the projects that I take on.

      Reflecting on all that I have learned, I can see how far my understanding of sustainability has evolved. It’s not something – it’s an attitude that can be applied to innumerable areas of life, from global warming to public health. I’m excited to keep learning, questioning, and finding out where my green journey will take me. There is still so much to learn, and I am looking forward to seeing what the future holds.

    • sustainable curiosity

      Science has been a subject that has piqued my interest since childhood. In Earth Science as an 8th grader, I was amazed by the universe’s vastness and how small we are within it, being on a small planet in an endless universe. In contrast, when I took Biology in 9th grade, I discovered the other end of the scale – how communities of microbes inhabit our bodies, each tiny but vital to life. I enjoyed the way science could step back and consider the universe or step forward and discover tiny worlds within us. It revealed that science is very wide-ranging, with infinite directions to follow.

      My broader interest in science motivated me to learn about sustainability. I discovered and attended the ‘Future Leaders of AI’ program, where I designed a chatbot to raise awareness about rising sea levels in New York City. This taught me that there are many areas of sustainability – from technological innovation to community-driven solutions.

      My interest in sustainability allowed me to look for different clubs, organizations, internships, and research opportunities in my area. I’ve witnessed different forms of environmental sustainability through the Project Green club at my school and my internship at The Spaceship Academy. In Project Green, I help teach my community about sustainable actions, including the conservation of energy , waste reduction, composting, through visits to the library and workshops. We have also hosted various hands-on activities that are targeted at a younger audience to educate and encourage them to pay more attention to their environment. While interning at The Spaceship Academy, I am targeting solutions for quick impact such as developing a program to help people monitor and reduce their transportation carbon footprint. Although this project in the making, together, these experiences have showed me that sustainability can be reached through many different ways, whether it is through education or through action.

      I have recently been very interested in the connection between environmental sustainability and human health. Searching for researchers who conduct research on environmental sustainability, I explored NYU research programs. As NYU is both a medical center and university, I was surprised to discover that there were so many professors, even many with PhDs, doing research not just on environmental science but also on the impact of the environment on human health. One of their studies that I immediately took notice of was on environmental factors affecting pregnant women, how air pollution affects maternal and infant health. Unfortunately, this researcher is not accepting any highschoolers, but I was struck with how environmental issues aren’t entirely about the planet – they have concrete effects on humans’ lives and health status.

      This gave me the incentive to look deeper into healthcare’s role in sustainability. I learned that while hospitals are necessary for saving lives, they are also polluters through energy consumption, single-use plastics, and medical waste. I learned examples of solar panels being used by hospitals as an energy source and the use of biodegradable material to reduce single-use plastics. I also learned that efficient disposal of medical waste prevents hazardous chemicals from causing environmental pollution, protecting ecosystems as well as human health. This intersection of healthcare and sustainability is compelling because it addresses two major issues at once – protecting both the Earth and its people.

      Sustainability is such a broad topic, and the more I read about it, the more questions arise. I would like to continue to explore such areas as sustainable agriculture, green technology, and how industries can work together and solve environmental issues. I hope to remain connected with experts, push myself through new ventures, and share the knowledge that I acquire through this blog.

      Science doesn’t just give answers – it allows us to solve the world’s biggest problems. My journey has only just begun, and I look forward to seeing what my sustainable curiosity brings.