Gen Z Opens Up About Mental Health & Education Needs in New Study
A new Gallup-Walton Family Foundation study talked directly with Gen Z’ers across the nation and learned what many of us in the older...
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Julie Kucks
- Sep 14
- 4 min
3 Ways Research Improves Self-Esteem
While researching the blogpost you are about to read, I went down 9 different rabbit holes and read over 18 articles. I pulled...
Julie Kucks
- Sep 7
- 6 min
Feeling Comfortable in Nature Means Greater Healing Benefits
Study finds a sense of belonging in the natural world is key to sustaining nature’s mental health benefits. For my birthday this year, I...
Julie Kucks
- Aug 30
- 2 min
The Secret to Building Wealth? Relationships.
Wealth doesn’t guarantee happiness. But happiness in relationships can guarantee wealth. Most of us have a strong desire to be...
Julie Kucks
- Aug 24
- 5 min
Proactive Vs. Protective Climate Action
When a meditator sits on their cushion, their work is to balance two things – effort and concentration. You can’t have effort without...
Julie Kucks
- Aug 16
- 3 min
We Want Innovative Future Leaders. But We’re Not Educating Innovatively.
How do we prepare students for a future we can barely even imagine? One Friday in 2018, Greta Thunberg decided to skip school. This...
Julie Kucks
- Aug 10
- 5 min
Does A.I. Belong in the Classroom?
Do you remember H.A.L. 9000 – the treacherous AI who causes the chilling plot-twist in 2001 Space Odyssey? How about Agent Smith and the...
Julie Kucks
- Aug 3
- 1 min
The United Nations 2022 Cohort of Young Leaders
7 years ago, the United Nations initiated the inaugural Cohort of Young Leaders for the Sustainable Development Goals. This honorary...
Julie Kucks
- Jul 26
- 5 min
What is Math Fact Fluency & Why Is it Important in STEM?
Whenever we learn a language – whether we’re learning Spanish, beginning to play an instrument, or understanding how nature speaks – we...
Julie Kucks
- Jul 19
- 1 min
The 11th Annual Report From The World Economic Forum
For over a decade, the WEF has released a report each year exploring the latest cutting-edge technologies that are expected to positively...
Julie Kucks
- Jul 13
- 5 min
The Globe Reached Its Highest Temps In History This Month
104°F in Beijing. 130°F in Death Valley, CA. 67°F in Antarctica. That’s right. Antarctica. Last week, the globe set a brand-new record –...
Julie Kucks
- Jul 4
- 3 min
Mentorship: The Bond That Goes Beyond Academics
“It is through relationships that we learn other possible ways of living our lives.” Shortly after H. Yumi Kim began her Assistant...
Julie Kucks
- Jun 28
- 4 min
3 Reasons Why High School Research Will Help Get You Into College
If you’ve ever seen (or even heard of) Gilmore Girls, you’ll know that the main character, Rory, is desperate to get into Harvard – and...
Julie Kucks
- Jun 21
- 5 min
5 Unique Cultural Rituals to Celebrate the Summer Solstice
How important is the Sun? The sun supports life on our planet. It provides the light that plants need for photosynthesis to create their...
Julie Kucks
- Jun 15
- 1 min
How to Be an Environmentalist When You Can’t Get Off The Couch
Some days, it is really difficult to care about the earth. When we are feeling mentally and emotionally low, our brains have a tendency...
Julie Kucks
- Jun 7
- 4 min
6 Upcycle Artists Inspiring Us to Get Creative With Recycling
For six months, I lived with all of my recyclables stockpiled in my home – and my home is a small catamaran, so there’s not a lot of...
Julie Kucks
- Jun 1
- 4 min
Why Environmentalism is Gen Z’s Greatest Career Choice
Don’t want to be boxed in? Pursue a career in environmentalism and play every role. In the dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451, the character...
Julie Kucks
- May 24
- 1 min
African River Prawns Are the Solution to Schisto Disease
Ecologists discover that reintroducing African River Prawns to waterways can heal parasitic disease 20 million people worldwide are...
Julie Kucks
- May 18
- 5 min
5 Social Media Mindfulness Tips For The Summer
Summertime means freedom for many young people. It is a time to shut the books, click off the timers, and leave the obligations behind –...
Julie Kucks
- May 11
- 2 min
Corporate Social Responsibility is a Joke: Individuals Fight for the Planet
The 2023 Goldman Environmental Prize Winners Show the World What Social Responsibility Looks Like She sleeps nights away from her family...
Julie Kucks
- May 4
- 2 min
2 Sisters Are Recycling CO2 to Create Sustainable Textiles
“Our vision is a world where human prosperity and economic growth is planet positive.” The fashion industry releases 1.7 billion tons of...
Julie Kucks
- Apr 28
- 9 min
A Conversation With the Man Who Fought for 1.5°
In honor of Earth Day this past weekend, I want to share with you an unbelievable conversation I had last year. It was my extreme honor...
Julie Kucks
- Apr 20
- 3 min
True Stories of Real Plant-Lovers Quietly Saving Our Planet
“To see things in the seed, that is genius.” – Lao Tzu Have you ever felt like you didn’t matter? Have you ever felt like your actions...
Julie Kucks
- Apr 13
- 2 min
Runako Gentles’ Story: An Encouragement to Young Environmentalists
How one boy’s journey can help young people dealing with purpose anxiety If you are a young person asking yourself this question, you may...
Julie Kucks
- Apr 5
- 3 min
5 Reasons Why Summer Education Is Important
Summer may seem far away, but it will be here before we know it! And now is the time to get a head start on planning your child’s summer...
Julie Kucks
- Mar 29
- 4 min
Is Screen Time Harmful or Helpful for Student Learning?
How much screen time is too much in education? Our team recently discovered this interview with Maryann Wolf, the director of the Center...
Julie Kucks
- Mar 20
- 4 min
Students Reveal What’s Wrong with Education in a Global Survey
Are students happy in school? Do they feel like they have a purpose? Is our education system failing them? We now have insight into these...
Julie Kucks
- Mar 16
- 4 min
The Elephant Whisperers: An Elephant Caretaker’s Journey to Love
“I cannot imagine a life without elephants.” "Oh, my dear. Did you sleep, my child? How are you? Oh, my dear. Oh, my dear Raghu, my...
Julie Kucks
- Mar 8
- 5 min
Mindful Birding Relieves Stress in Teens
I recently moved to a marina in South Brooklyn. And the most dramatic mental change since moving out of the city’s epicenter toward the...
Julie Kucks
- Mar 1
- 6 min
How Puberty Changes the Brain
We know that puberty changes the body. But what does it do to the mind? Puberty. We often associate it with “raging hormones,” impulsive...
Julie Kucks
- Feb 21
- 7 min
Girls are Opting out of STEM: What Can We Do?
With STEM-related fields burgeoning, why is it that girls are less likely to pursue these opportunities than boys? “Draw a scientist.” In...
Julie Kucks
- Feb 15
- 6 min
3 Sustainable Living Habits to Improve Mental Health
We know sustainability and mental health are important. But how does one affect the other? Uggianaqtuq. This is a vocabulary word of the...
Julie Kucks
- Feb 7
- 3 min
Recycled Wastewater Makes the Best Drinking Water
What if you could reclaim the water that runs down your drain, pour it into a glass, and have the cleanest drinking water possible?...
Kate Saunders
- Feb 2
- 3 min
Alternative Health Care for Horses
When was the last time you cleared your horse’s energy fields? Knowing your horse includes knowing their energy fields and exploring...
Julie Kucks
- Jan 25
- 9 min
11 Foraged Foods That Can Save Money on Groceries & Prescriptions
Could a food foraging guide help you through the recession? Dr. Nicole Apelian is an herbalist, biologist, and survivalist who has over...
Julie Kucks
- Jan 18
- 4 min
5 Easy Beginner Compost Tips
Composting is easy, clean, and is an ideal way for us to lessen our food waste. If you’ve been thinking about composting but decided it...
Julie Kucks
- Jan 12
- 7 min
Why is Holistic Education Important? Understanding What Students Need for Academic Success
Holistic education is a learning philosophy that believes students are people, not simply academics, and should thus be educated as a...
Julie Kucks
- Jan 4
- 7 min
Returning to Old Routines in the New Year
It’s the new year. The holidays – where we slept more, slept less, drank more, drank less water, celebrated, and let go of habits – are...
Julie Kucks
- Dec 28, 2022
- 4 min
3 Nature Lessons for New Year’s Resolutions
New Year’s Resolutions — does the phrase make you shudder? Research shows 80% of people fail to reach their new year’s resolutions by...
Julie Kucks
- Dec 21, 2022
- 5 min
5 Wintery Nature Practices That Encourage Us to Slow Down
Winter: a lot of us associate this season with sadness, darkness, coldness, discomfort. A time of year when the sun disappears early and...
Julie Kucks
- Dec 15, 2022
- 2 min
Give the Gift of Sustainability: 8 Eco-Friendly Companies to Shop This Holiday
The holidays are here, and Americans are slated to spend $910 billion shopping online. While the holidays are a time of celebration and...
Julie Kucks
- Dec 6, 2022
- 3 min
3 Ideas to Cool a World That’s Getting Hotter and Hungrier
You’ve probably been seeing a lot on social media about COP27 – the 27th U.N. Climate Change Conference of the Parties. As usual, there...
Julie Kucks
- Nov 30, 2022
- 2 min
Females Are Rebuilding the Planet’s Forests
Sherilyn Deschain is a third-generation forest owner and caretaker who has inherited care of acreage in Hillsborough, NC where her mother...
Julie Kucks
- Nov 22, 2022
- 4 min
3 Ways Horse Therapy Helps Students With High Functioning Anxiety
"I'm so stressed out!" "I have a lot on my plate." "Finals are here and I'm just a bundle of nerves!" How many times have you heard a...
Julie Kucks
- Nov 15, 2022
- 2 min
New Study Proves 60 Minutes in Nature Reduces Stress Levels
The first study of its kind has proven that 60 minutes spent in the outdoors diminishes hyperactivity in the amygdala. This project was...
Julie Kucks
- Nov 9, 2022
- 4 min
Blue Health: The Water-Based Approach to Mental Wellness
I live on a houseboat. I just moved in this month – it is a Catamaran Cruiser SE35 docked on Jamaica Bay in South Brooklyn. From my...
Ann Leslie Davis
- Nov 2, 2022
- 1 min
New Carbon Capture and Utilization Strategy Recycles CO2 Emissions
It’s morning and you wake on a comfortable foam mattress made partly from greenhouse gas. You pull on a T-shirt and sneakers containing...
Julie Kucks
- Oct 26, 2022
- 2 min
Harvard Takes Cues from Nature in New Biologically Inspired Engineering
The RoboBee. Metamorpho. Octobot. These are just a few of the remarkable biologically inspired technologies the Wyss Institute at Harvard...
Julie Kucks
- Oct 18, 2022
- 6 min
Shut Your Textbooks. Experience Learning.
“I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand.” – Confucius Imagine your child as a little one – they’ve just started...
Julie Kucks
- Oct 11, 2022
- 3 min
Ecovillages Are Illuminating the Way to a Sustainable Future
Ecovillage: an intentional, traditional or urban community that is consciously designing its pathway through locally owned, participatory...
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