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Julie Kucks
Nov 2, 20232 min read
Fossil Fuel’s Grip on Climate Education in America
“They’re basically asking students to debate something that scientists don’t debate, and that’s a big problem.” Have you ever heard of a...
Julie Kucks
Oct 25, 20233 min read
Scientific Investigation Notebooks: A Guideline for Student-Led Discovery
Scientific investigation is the process of finding an answer to a question by using multiple research methods. Students must formulate...
Julie Kucks
Oct 18, 20234 min read
NJIN’s Mission to Save the Bees
Our farm is now home to 6,000 honeybees! The NJIN farm is on a mission to save the bees! Our 50 acres are now home to over 26 varieties...
Julie Kucks
Oct 12, 20234 min read
College Grads Pay More and Are Underemployed. What’s the Issue?
Dr. Kevin J. Fleming has identified why college graduates are underemployed. And he has a solution. There is a gap between college...
Julie Kucks
Oct 3, 20231 min read
New Study Reveals that Environmental Wellbeing Improves Global Economy & Equity
A new study has discovered that investing in the environment not only boosts the global economy, but also improves equity for poorer...
Julie Kucks
Sep 28, 20235 min read
What High Schoolers Should Know About Ban on Affirmative Action
How does the Supreme Court decision to ban race-conscious admissions change things for graduating students? High schoolers have a new...
Julie Kucks
Sep 22, 20231 min read
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...
Julie Kucks
Sep 14, 20234 min read
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, 20236 min read
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, 20232 min read
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, 20235 min read
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, 20233 min read
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, 20235 min read
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, 20231 min read
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, 20235 min read
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, 20231 min read
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, 20235 min read
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, 20233 min read
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, 20234 min read
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, 20235 min read
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, 20231 min read
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, 20234 min read
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, 20234 min read
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, 20231 min read
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, 20235 min read
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, 20233 min read
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, 20232 min read
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, 20239 min read
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, 20233 min read
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, 20232 min read
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, 20233 min read
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, 20234 min read
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, 20234 min read
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, 20234 min read
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, 20235 min read
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, 20236 min read
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, 20237 min read
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, 20236 min read
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, 20233 min read
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, 20233 min read
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, 20239 min read
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, 20234 min read
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, 20237 min read
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, 20237 min read
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, 20224 min read
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, 20225 min read
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, 20222 min read
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, 20223 min read
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, 20222 min read
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, 20224 min read
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...
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