Field Notes

For World Cities Day, watch the recording of this GAIA and UN-Habitat webinar featuring zero-waste experts from India, Chile, South Africa, and other countries to discuss locally-rooted solutions for a more sustainable future.

📸 Say hello to the magical Bigbelly seahorse, or Hippocampus abdominalis, logged onto iSeahorse by citizen scientist dtawse. 👀 Spot a seahorse too? Snap a photo and report your sighting to the iSeahorse project hosted on iNaturalist.org. Your photos can provide crucial data, helping our scientists fill research gaps to better protect seahorses and the seas.… Read more

It’s common sense that before building a road, pipeline, mine, data center, or dam, developers should have appropriate permits to make sure they are meeting basic standards to safeguard rivers, drinking water, wildlife, and communities. Every community needs reliable infrastructure and clean water, and a permitting process that helps balance these needs. American Rivers supports […]

Enjoy this Halloween sea turtle ASMR... Loggerheads are one of the spookiest species! . . . #seaturtles #halloween #asmr #shorts #wildlife

We all like turtles here at STC, so we had to bring back this gem from 2007 for Halloween 🧟🐢 • • . . . #seaturtles #iliketurtles #halloween #throwback

🇧🇷 Versão em português abaixo ⬇️ Did you know that Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Iguazu Falls are not in the Amazon? They are in the Atlantic Forest. 🌳 This forest was once huge, and today only about 24% of its original cover remains. That is why we are at COP17 of the Convention on Biological Diversity, in Yerevan, Armenia: the Atlantic Forest is a biodiversity hotspot and a priority for globa

Lead pollution was included in the official proceedings of the Ibero-American Association of Attorneys General (AIAMP). Here is how we got there. Article by: Rodrigo Velarde – Country Director of Pure Earth Peru When I was invited to the 33rd General Assembly of Ibero-American Association of Attorneys General, I did…

#ThrowbackThursday This week’s spotlight study estimated that fisheries in Thailand catch 29 million seahorses a year – over 3x previous estimates. The major contributors were both commercial and small-scale fisheries, both of which are turning into indiscriminate fisheries as they increasingly retain and sell non-target species. The study highlights the importance of precautionary measures, inclu

29.10.2026 Statement from Leoncia Ramos on Canadian mining harms in the Dominican Republic Leoncia Ramos lives beside Barrick Mining’s Pueblo Viejo gold mine in the Dominican Republic, where communities report water contamination, air pollution, and other health impacts. Barrick brought Pueblo Viejo back into production in 2012, and has since generated vast quantities of mine waste as Latin Americ

If you have eaten in DC, or been educated in DC, or found opportunities in DC, we’re pretty sure you have Beverley to thank.

29.10.2026 News Release Mining Impacts Don’t Stop at the Border: Caribbean Leaders Bring Demand for Accountability to Ottawa As Canadian mining interests expand, community representatives from the Dominican Republic and Haiti are calling on Canada to address threats to water, health, and agricultural livelihoods, and to hold Canadian companies accountable. OTTAWA – Two community leaders from Haiti

https://savingcranes.org/webinars/ For more than 50 years, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) has been one of the nation’s most effective tools for bringing wildlife back from the brink, and the Whooping Crane is among its clearest success stories. Now, sweeping changes under the Trump Administration are reshaping how the law works. Join Hardy Kern, Director of Government Relations at American Bird

Leoncia Ramos, an organizer with the Comité Nuevo Renacer in the Dominican Republic, presents her testimony as part of a Parliamentary press conference held on October 28, 2026 in Canada. She urges Canada to take action by working with the Dominican government and Barrick Mining to support a dignified resettlement of her community and others bordering the Pueblo Viejo gold mine. For years, the Com

Did you know that d4995947-fa3b-4474-a262-daae9ea341e9 has now helped prevent 7 million plastic bottles from reaching the environment? And that’s only part of the story. Since 2023, Busch Systems has partnered with Plastic Bank to create measurable environmental and social impact. Together, we’ve helped extract 139,318 kg of plastic and impact 905 people across Indonesia, Brazil, Egypt, and Thaila

“Together Against Lead” will share practical recommendations through social media to help families identify potential sources of exposure and take preventive measures in their homes. Peru’s Ministry of Health (MINSA) and Pure Earth Peru have launched the “Together Against Lead” campaign, a joint communications initiative that aims to raise public…

Project Drawdown is heading to COP31 Drawdown Admin Wed, 10/28/2026 - 15:06 October 28, 2026 Image Credit: United Nations Off This November, Project Drawdown will be in Antalya, Türkiye, for COP31, the annual United Nations Climate Change Conference.Project Drawdown Executive Director Jonathan Foley, Ph.D., and Board Chair Stephan Nicoleau will be on the ground in Antalya sharing how science can s

During the 33rd Ordinary General Assembly of the Ibero-American Association of Public Prosecutors, held in Cusco, a proposal was put forward to include lead and other heavy metal pollution affecting children as a priority area of work for the Environmental Protection Network. Lead and other heavy metal pollution pose a…

Climate capital: Finding the gaps, financing the solutions 2026-12-02 Drawdown Admin Wed, 10/28/2026 - 11:24

By Menna Zayed, 2026 Africa Zero Waste Academy Participant What if solving the waste crisis means changing the system, not simply managing the waste? Coming from Egypt, I have seen […] The post Africa Zero Waste Academy 2026: Rethinking Waste, People and Possibility first appeared on GAIA.

The Nature Foundation Sint Maarten strongly supports the government’s plan to establish Sint Maarten’s first terrestrial park and looks forward to the upcoming timeline, stakeholder consultations, and legal protections. On October 21, Minister of VROMI Patrice Gumbs announced that approximately 17 hectares of land known as Rainforest land — spread across multiple parcels in the […]

Territorial Fragmentation, Dispossession, and Violence Against Cross-Border Indigenous Peoples and Nations Systematic and Multidimensional Violations of Rights and State Obligations...

Join us for El Porvenir’s 2026 Virtual Fiesta! Celebrate the impact of our work in Nicaragua and help bring clean water, sanitation, and improved stoves to more families. Thank you for being part of our mission!

Listen to WE ACT for Environmental Justice's Uptown Chats podcast! Join hosts Jaron Burke and Lonnie Portis every month as they explore issues in their community through the eyes of everyday people, and discuss how environmental justice is showing up in the news. It’s not just for experts, it’s for everyone! Hyperscale data centers are getting a lot of coverage in the news lately, and rightly so.

This timeline begins as the first group of beluga whales and dolphins leave Marineland Canada. We continue to update it as we learn how the rest are faring:

Imagine living in a cold, dark world where the sun never rises. For much of the ocean, that’s what life looks like. Sunlight only reaches the upper layers of the ocean, leaving the vast majority of the deep sea in permanent darkness. Waters this deep aren’t just cold, they can be near freezing. And to ... Read more

Our Director of Community Development, Roge Michel, describes what enrollment is, and why you should enroll yourself too!

Beyond EPR. Creating value for people and the planet in Manila. Earlier this October, our Plastic Bank Founder and CEO David Katz joined business, government, and sustainability leaders in the Philippines to explore how Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) can go beyond compliance. The message was clear: Recycling isn't just about recovering plastic. It's about recognizing the value of the peopl

Dr. Gilberto Bergamo Neto is a biologist. When whales and other large mammals die, they sink to the seafloor, providing deep-sea animals with feasts that can sustain seafloor communities for ages. He studies the connectivity and reproduction of animals found at these organic falls between Antarctica and South America. Answering questions about our vast unknown Ocean draws him into his work. How di

Conference. Period. is Jamaica’s premier menstrual and reproductive health conference, bringing together students, parents, educators, healthcare professionals, policymakers, researchers, advocates, and private-sector leaders to advance menstrual equity, reproductive health, and dignity for all. Hosted by HerFlow Foundation as part of its 10th anniversary celebration, A Decade of Dignity, this ina

Conference. Period. is Jamaica’s premier menstrual and reproductive health conference, bringing together students, parents, educators, healthcare professionals, policymakers, researchers, advocates, and private-sector leaders to advance menstrual equity, reproductive health, and dignity for all. Hosted by HerFlow Foundation as part of its 10th anniversary celebration, A Decade of Dignity, this ina

Conference. Period. is Jamaica’s premier menstrual and reproductive health conference, bringing together students, parents, educators, healthcare professionals, policymakers, researchers, advocates, and private-sector leaders to advance menstrual equity, reproductive health, and dignity for all. Hosted by HerFlow Foundation as part of its 10th anniversary celebration, A Decade of Dignity, this ina

Volunteers volunteer for a reason; they believe in a cause and they want to make a difference. This past May, Alongside Hope Parish Representatives from across the vast province of Alberta came together to learn, share, sing and have fun as we explored the work of Alongside Hope — our mutual cause. We brainstormed ideas […]

Whale, whale, whale… look what we have here. It's a shark! Subscribe for more ocean stories! 🌊 Video by @PaulNicklen #OceanSchool #InternationalWhaleSharkDay #WhaleShark #Galapagos #Explore