Chicago area recycling industry struggles after China bans waste imports
By Lucia Whalen Medill Reports Before China halted the importation of plastic and other recycling waste from around the globe, the majority of Americans were living in a fool’s paradise. For most people, recycling ended at dumping paper, plastic and glass in a large bin – blue in Chicago. From there, most people paid little […]
Predicting climate change depends on supercomputers and Germany has Europe’s only supercomputer dedicated to climate
By Lucia Whalen Medill Reports Hamburg is home to one of the fastest-thinking supercomputers in the world at the German Climate Computing Center (DKRZ). The supercomputer whizzes through global tsunamis of climate data to develop climate models used in landmark blueprints for the future, including the most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report. […]
Local guitar pick vending machine business donates a share of profits to Planned Parenthood
By Lucia Whalen Medill Reports Chicago music venues Gallery Cabaret, The Empty Bottle and Cole’s Bar have new additions to their décor: adult vending machines that, for the price of four quarters, deliver a small plastic container that holds a one-of-a-kind guitar pick and a condom. The business, Glitter Picks, is owned by local Chicago […]
Lake surfers ride the high, frigid waves at Indiana Beach
By Lucia Whalen Medill Reports Fall marks the time of year when most people in the Chicago pack away their swimsuits and say goodbye to the beach. But Lake Michigan surfers aren’t most people. For surfers who live for the challenges of the lake, fall marks the time of year when waves get bigger and […]
New NOAA weather prediction system improves severe storm forecasts
By Lucia Whalen Medill Reports The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration updated its weather prediction system this June with a climate model that will include data from updated oceanic science, allowing for more accurate climate change-related severe weather forecasting. The new weather model, called Finite-Volume Cube-Sphere dynamical core (FV3), also provides faster forecasts and can […]
Meet the next generation in climate science: Chicago teen studies glaciers in Mongolia
By Lucia Whalen Medill Reports The summer before college, most 18-year-olds work summer jobs, attend music festivals and spend their final days at home with friends before heading off to their first year of independence. Patricia Joyner is not most 18-year-olds. Over the summer, Joyner, a recent graduate of Gary Comer College Prep high school […]
