Journalism & Reporting Portfolio
Selected Clips
How Octavia Butler’s 1993 book ‘Parable of the Sower’ predicted our climate reality, Grist Magazine. Jul 31, 2024.
Set in 2024, the sci-fi classic shows an America ravaged by climate change. Here's what the book got right — and what we can learn from it.
‘Reef stars’ restored Indonesia’s blast-damaged corals in just 4 years, Grist Magazine. Mar. 26, 2024.
A community-based approach to restoration combined with an ingenious device can bring back reefs traumatized by dynamite fishing.
Galapagos Giant Tortoises Prove Their Worth as Ecosystem Engineers, Hakai Magazine. Oct. 12, 2023.
A decades-long project to restore Galapagos giant tortoises is changing the face of the island of Española.
A simple way to make electric cars more accessible: Share them, Grist Magazine, Sep. 14, 2023.
Car shares not only make EVs more equitable, they reduce the number of vehicles on the road and the resources needed to decarbonize transport.
Seattle’s Black Farmers Collective nurtures communities and crops, High Country News. Sep. 1, 2023
At Small Axe Farm, producers learn how to tend vegetables and grow their businesses.
Social & Environmental Justice
London saw a surprising benefit to fining high-polluting cars: More active kids, Grist Magazine, Sept. 17, 2024
Four in 10 London children stopped driving and started walking to school a year after the city's clean air zone went into effect.
How Octavia Butler’s 1993 book ‘Parable of the Sower’ predicted our climate reality, Grist Magazine. Jul 31, 2024.
Set in 2024, the sci-fi classic shows an America ravaged by climate change. Here's what the book got right — and what we can learn from it.
Extreme heat kills 1,301 pilgrims during the Hajj in Mecca, Grist Magazine. Jun. 24, 2024.
Some Hajj pilgrims say authorities failed to provide adequate water, shade, or medical assistance, which is contributing to the rising death toll.
From Abandoned Ballfield to Urban Garden, Blue Dot Living. Apr. 24, 2024.
A garden in Burien, Washington, brings together a neighborhood and a school for at-risk students to address the community's needs.
Biden’s ‘Solar for All’ awards $7B to bring affordable energy to low-income families, Grist Magazine. Apr. 23, 2024.
The program is designed to reduce greenhouse emissions and energy inequity.
Locs Represent Resistance for Black People in the U.S. That’s Why They Are under Fire, Scientific American. Apr. 16, 2024.
In cultures hostile to African hairstyles, so-called dreadlocks have long been a countercultural symbol for those who stand in opposition to oppressive ideals.
Bloomberg funds youth-led climate action in 100 cities worldwide, Grist Magazine. Apr. 10, 2024.
The grants will ensure young activists can shape local climate actions.
These ‘green banks’ are getting billions to decarbonize disadvantaged communities, Grist Magazine. Apr. 04, 2024
The Biden administration just distributed $20 billion in IRA funding to loan to individuals and communities across the country.
Hair Straighteners and Relaxers May Be Harmful to Health. Here’s How to Make Them Better, Scientific American. Apr. 04, 2024
Growing evidence suggests certain hair products marketed toward Black women may be harmful to their health. Scientists, entrepreneurs and policy makers are taking steps to fix the problem.
No Fish, No Food, Nautilus. Nov. 3, 2023
How warming oceans could deplete nutrition for millions in the tropics.
A simple way to make electric cars more accessible: Share them, Grist Magazine, Sep. 14, 2023.
Car shares not only make EVs more equitable, they reduce the number of vehicles on the road and the resources needed to decarbonize transport.
Seattle’s Black Farmers Collective nurtures communities and crops, High Country News. Sep. 1, 2023
At Small Axe Farm, producers learn how to tend vegetables and grow their businesses.
These Nonprofits Are Creating a Solar Punk Future for South Seattle, Today, South Seattle Emerald. Jun. 30, 2023
In South Seattle, a baseball field turned community garden has become a central hub for learning about sustainable living and clean technology.
Black Is the New Green: The Beauty of Black Earth Day at Yes Farm, South Seattle Emerald. May 04, 2023
For the second year in a row, the Black Farmers Collective and the Urban League created a space for Black Seattleites to celebrate the environment.
What the Climate Movement Can Learn from the Most Successful Civil Rights Organization, The Trouble. Apr 29, 2023
To realize a just transition, we need more organizing projects that connect political goals and the economic self-determination of local communities. To do that, climate groups should learn from the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee of the 1960s.
A New Community-Led Food Hub Is Coming to South Seattle, South Seattle Emerald. Apr 01, 2023
The new South Seattle Community Food Hub will provide cold and dry food storage, a commercial kitchen, and food processing space. Made possible by King County and Food Lifeline, the food hub will be a big step in fighting food insecurity in the South End.
How Afrofuturism has empowered queer Black artists, LGBTQ Nation. Oct. 28, 2022
Afrofuturism is a way to imagine the unimaginable so it can be made real.
To feed my soul, I went back to my roots, Grist Magazine. Sep. 13, 2022
Writer Syris Valentine volunteered on a farm in Seattle. He shares how the experience taught him about much more than agriculture.
Energy & Clean Tech
Wind turbines rarely fail. So why did Vineyard Wind’s fall apart?, Grist Magazine. Jul 25, 2024.
GE Vernova’s initial analysis found that the fundamental design is sound and the failure of a turbine off the coast of Nantucket originated in the factory that built the blade.
America’s grid isn’t ready for a renewable future. A new federal rule could change that., Grist Magazine. May 14, 2024
The regulation requires grid operators to develop plans to build out the transmission needed to deliver on Biden’s climate agenda.
California’s EV wave highlights the challenges ahead for utilities, Grist Magazine. May 9, 2024.
As much as $20 billion in upgrades will be required, but the electric vehicle transition could still reduce rates statewide.
Rivers are the West’s largest source of clean energy. What happens when drought strikes?, Grist Magazine. Apr 26, 2024.
With rivers across the West running low, utilities must get creative if they are to meet demand without increasing emissions.
8 years into America’s e-scooter experiment, what have we learned?, Grist Magazine. Apr. 15, 2024
The climate benefits of shared e-scooters depend upon how companies deploy and manage them, and what steps are taken to keep riders safe.
US experienced staggering growth in solar and wind power over the last decade, Grist Magazine. Apr. 03, 2024
Nearly a quarter of the nation's grid now runs on renewables, bringing the country closer to its climate goals.
Policy & Politics
Has extreme weather made voters care more about climate change?, Grist Magazine. Sept. 20, 2024.
The answer depends on their political affiliation.
States are falling behind in using IRA funding to advance climate action, Grist Magazine. Aug 30, 2024
Two years after the IRA passed, a new report found that states have only captured a tiny fraction of the funding available.
Vermont passed a bill making Big Oil pay. Now comes the hard part., Grist Magazine. May 17, 2024.
The state still has to figure out how much individual fossil fuel companies must pay for the impacts of climate-driven disasters.
With its new tailpipe rules, the EPA eyes an electric future, Grist Magazine. Mar. 20, 2024/
Automakers back the tighter emissions regulation, which climate advocates welcome but feel "falls far short of what is needed."
Seattle Releases Plan to Curb Climate Pollution from Buildings, The Urbanist. Jun. 9, 2023
Landlords are pushing to delay implementation schedules and lessen fees.
What Seattle’s Green New Deal reveals about creating inclusive, regenerative, just communities, Grist Magazine. Jan. 27, 2023
"The green revolution will not be won by presidential proclamation or congressional decree. It will be won city by city, neighborhood by neighborhood, day by day."
Can the Seattle Comprehensive Plan Slow Urban Sprawl and Prevent Farmland Loss?, The Urbanist. Oct. 20, 2022
Now, more than ever before, it’s essential that we protect our irreplaceable agricultural lands and promote the growth of resilient and regenerative food systems.
Climate and Environment
When Pollution Brings Snow, Nautilus. Nov. 14, 2024.
Metals and minerals from industry can trigger snowfall over hundreds of miles.
Meet the scientists behind the ice sanctuary — a memory vault for dying glaciers, Grist Magazine. Jul. 24, 2024.
Glacial ice contains valuable data about climates past. These researchers are working to preserve those records for the future.
How cleaning up shipping cut pollution — and warmed the planet, Grist Magazine. Jul 18, 2024.
When the maritime sector slashed sulfur emissions, it became an accidental experiment in geoengineering.
A Buffer Zone for Trees. Nautilus. May 10, 2024.
How frosty pockets in valleys could help protect some trees against climate change.
Hotter Days Are Increasing Car Crashes and Fatalities, Scientific American. Sep. 21, 2023
Hot cars are a health hazard for everyone on the road—and climate change could make things worse
Ecology and Biodiversity
To prepare for the climate of tomorrow, foresters are branching out, Grist Magazine. Oct. 16, 2024
At a reforestation site in Washington, forest managers are experimenting with "assisted migration" — planting trees from warmer, drier regions — to boost the forest's resilience.
‘Reef stars’ restored Indonesia’s blast-damaged corals in just 4 years, Grist Magazine. Mar. 26, 2024.
A community-based approach to restoration combined with an ingenious device can bring back reefs traumatized by dynamite fishing.
Pollinators Flock to Flower-Filled Solar Panel Fields, Scientific American. Mar. 19, 2024.
Solar farms seeded with wildflowers can boost pollinator population
Galapagos Giant Tortoises Prove Their Worth as Ecosystem Engineers, Hakai Magazine. Oct. 12, 2023.
A decades-long project to restore Galapagos giant tortoises is changing the face of the island of Española.
Tropical Forests in Big Trouble, Nautilus. Jan. 24, 2024
Over a third of all species of trees on the planet may face extinction.
Economics
We’re in debt to the Earth. How can we repay it?, Grist Magazine. Aug 12, 2024.
"Earth Overshoot Day" reminds us that humans consume more resources than the planet can provide. Correcting that requires reimagining human behavior.
The IRA has injected $240 billion into clean energy. The US still needs more., Grist Magazine. Mar. 12, 2024.
An analysis of the bill's impact shows that for every $1 the government invested, the private sector spent nearly $5.50.
How Activists Are Trying to Change the Way Banking Gets Done, Yes Magazine. Nov. 9, 2022.
A public bank would allow the state of New York to keep its money closer to home, and put it to good work.
Science & Tech
Scientists want to build a ‘doomsday’ vault on the moon, Grist Magazine. Aug 27, 2024.
Climate change is threatening Earth's biodiversity. Could frozen regions of the moon be the best place to "back up" lifeforms?
Spying from space: How satellites can help identify and rein in a potent climate pollutant, Grist Magazine. Aug 07, 2024
Methane levels in the atmosphere are rising. An armada of satellites could help identify leaks from oil fields, landfills, and animal feed operations.
A new satellite could help solve one of our climate’s biggest mysteries: Clouds, Grist Magazine. Jun. 7, 2024.
After 23 years and nearly $900 million, EarthCARE is poised to provide an unprecedented look at how clouds and aerosols shape, and respond to, climate change.
Which Is More Dangerous: Outer Space or the Deep Sea?, Scientific American. Jul. 31, 2023.
Explorers of space and the deep sea face similar dangers, but some differences make one realm safer than the other.
Earliest Merging Galaxies Discovered in New JWST Photos, Scientific American. Jul. 11, 2023.
Astronomers found two colliding galaxies dating back to less than 500 million years after the big bang.