Forests impact water and air quality, and our quality of life. That’s why we’re exploring forests and trees in this season of the Sustainable Carolina Podcast.

In this episode we talk with Jay Leutze, a double Tar Heel, author and land trust professional. An unscripted childhood outside, a love for reading, and dedication to his community has led to a life of stewardship and leadership. Earning his degree from the UNC School of Law taught him humility and respect. Today, he works with the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy, where he helps buy land for the purpose of conservation and preservation. 

After watching the community he lives in go through Hurricane Helene, he saw people set aside their differences to help one another. He truly believes that nature and conservation is a space that unites us.

Sustainable Carolina works within the UNC Institute for the Environment to increase the University energy and water efficiency and decrease waste sent to the landfill. We work with student, staff and faculty to connect University research with these operational efforts.

The new season of the Sustainable Carolina podcast kicks off with a special episode, recorded live during a Carolina Engagement Week Panel. 

From Highlands, North Carolina to the highlands of the Galápagos, Carolina’s communicators have stories to tell. Venture outside the confines of Chapel Hill to learn about the students and faculty conducting community-based research projects for a better future. This episodes discusses light pollution in the Outer Banks, hemlock health in the Appalachian Mountains, water security in the Galápagos and much, much more. 

This episode features:

• Alyssa LaFaro, Research Communications Manager, UNC Office of Research Communications, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research
• Kelly Weaver, Deputy Director, UNC Center for Galapagos Studies
• Emily Williams, Director of Communications, UNC Institute for the Environment
• Abigail Brewer, Communications and Engagement Specialist, Sustainable Carolina

Sustainable Carolina works within the UNC Institute for the Environment to increase the University energy and water efficiency and decrease waste sent to the landfill. We work with student, staff and faculty to connect University research with these operational efforts.

Six million people living in the United States do not have access to safely managed sanitation. But Amy Kryston is cautiously optimistic that this public health problem can be solved in our lifetimes.

In 2022, Amy began a deep dive into this staggering statistic. Through the UNC Institute for the Environment's Environmental Justice Graduate Research Award, she wrote a systematic review  on the social barriers to adequate wastewater treatment.

Her work was published in the International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health in 2024. She hopes the review can be a jumping off point for policymakers, municipalities and governments working to address this public health problem.

Sustainable Carolina works within the UNC Institute for the Environment to increase the University energy and water efficiency and decrease waste sent to the landfill. We work with student, staff and faculty to connect University research with these operational efforts.

"Anyone who thinks they're too small to make a difference has never met the honey bee." 

Nathan Halsey, co-president of the Carolina Beekeeping Club lives by this quote. As a high school student during the pandemic, he picked up beekeeping. When he arrived to Carolina, he knew he wanted to continue his business, Halsey's Hives. But he also wanted to make an impact on campus. In this episode, he shares how he balances running a business, building awareness for beekeeping at Carolina and succeeding in academics.

Sustainable Carolina works within the UNC Institute for the Environment to increase the University energy and water efficiency and decrease waste sent to the landfill. We work with student, staff and faculty to connect University research with these operational efforts.

On the fourth and final bonus episode, we learn about applying research out in the real world and engaging students in the process. 

First, UNC Department of Earth Marine and Environmental Sciences Assistant Professor Antonia Sebastian talks about her research on 100-year floodplains, urban development and the social implications of development. She also shares how her research influences the ways she engages with students at the UNC Sustainable Triangle Field Site.

Then, Research Associate Professor and Director of the Center for Public Engagement with Science Kathleen Gray encourages students interested in pursuing research to engage with faculty at Carolina. She talks about the far-reaching efforts of CPES. The group partners with municipalities to share important data and also with schools to share the power of science.

Sustainable Carolina works within the UNC Institute for the Environment to increase the University energy and water efficiency and decrease waste sent to the landfill. We work with student, staff and faculty to connect University research with these operational efforts.

This third bonus episode explores water. 

First, we take to the skies with UNC Department of Earth, Marine and Environmental Sciences Professor Tamlin Pavelsky. Pavelsky, who serves as the freshwater science lead for NASA's Surface Water and Ocean Topography mission, shares findings from the Atlantic Coast to the Yukon Delta to the Kakhovka Dam. SWOT is visualizing rivers and lakes in ways we've never seen before.

In the second half of the episode we hear from Anna Patterson, program director at the UNC Environmental Finance Center. Anna begins by sharing the challenges water utilities, especially those that are underfunded, face when trying to manage stormwater. She shares how green infrastructure can change the way we view stormwater and how utilities might go about paying for this type of infrastructure.

Sustainable Carolina works within the UNC Institute for the Environment to increase the University energy and water efficiency and decrease waste sent to the landfill. We work with student, staff and faculty to connect University research with these operational efforts.

This episode explores two topics in global public health, presented at our spring Sustainability Research Symposium. Both researchers begin their conversations by sharing how our changing climate impacts their research and respective fields of study.

Lindsey Smith Taillie, Gillings School of Global Public Health Department of Nutrition associate professor and associate chair of academics, shares research she's completed in Latin America and the United States. She talks about how Brazil is leading the way in incorporating sustainability into their dietary guidelines.

Then, Abhishek Bhatia, a doctoral student in the Carolina Health Informatics Program, talks about analyzing post-disaster data to understand how countries respond to humanitarian crises. He compares and contrasts the work he did in two different countries — Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria and India — after major flooding in 2018.

Sustainable Carolina works within the UNC Institute for the Environment to increase the University energy and water efficiency and decrease waste sent to the landfill. We work with student, staff and faculty to connect University research with these operational efforts.

In the first of four bonus episodes this season, we have Mike Piehler and Chloe Hall's talks from our April 2024 Sustainability Research Symposium. The research presented in this episode takes place at two of the UNC Institute for the Environment's field sites. Piehler's episode looks at blue carbon storage at the UNC Institute of Marine Sciences and Hall's research takes us to the Highlands Biological Station, where she studied microplastic particles in mountain streams.

Sustainable Carolina works within the UNC Institute for the Environment to increase the University energy and water efficiency and decrease waste sent to the landfill. We work with student, staff and faculty to connect University research with these operational efforts.

Ileana Fenwick is both a marine scientist and a data scientist. Pursuing her doctorate in the UNC Department of Earth, Marine and Environmental Sciences, she searches for patterns in fisheries ecology data. Because she strongly believes that greater data transparency and inclusion will help solve the climate change puzzle, she challenges herself to share her own data and code with other scientists.

 Outside of her research, Fenwick works to help other Black environmental and marine researchers feel less isolated in their work. With direction from Openscapes and a grant from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, she leads the Pathways to Open Science Program. The remote, 6-part program brings in Black researchers and speakers to talk about data-intensive science with participants. This work is made possible through partner support from Black in Marine Science, Black Women in Ecology, Evolution and Marine Science and seven Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

Sustainable Carolina works within the UNC Institute for the Environment to increase the University energy and water efficiency and decrease waste sent to the landfill. We work with student, staff and faculty to connect University research with these operational efforts.

Ella Feathers, a senior at Carolina, wears many hats in the sustainability space at Carolina. She has served on the Carolina Sustainability Council and currently co-chairs the UNC Student Government Department of Environmental Affairs. She also works as a science communicator for the Data Driven EnviroLab, led by Angel Hsu. In her episode, Ella talks about recognizing burnout, carrying a mindset of progress and  showing up in the sustainability space. 

Sustainable Carolina works within the UNC Institute for the Environment to increase the University energy and water efficiency and decrease waste sent to the landfill. We work with student, staff and faculty to connect University research with these operational efforts.