While Arizona has abundant solar resources, policy decisions, regulatory changes, and the absence of state level incentive programs has limited the states solar adoption rate. This study examines if better solar education can change the way people in Pima County, Arizona purchase, manage, or make decisions about solar energy technologies. With the counties high solar irradiance of almost 300 days of sunshine (80%) a year, solar power has serious potential, but adoption remains limited due to knowledge gaps, economic barriers, and policy challenges. This longitudinal survey was conducted across two semesters of Fall 2024 and Spring 2025, and there were 68 participants in the first survey and 74 participants in the second survey. Results show that better solar education is supported by over half (56%) of the participants surveyed, because they believe better solar education improves solar purchasing/management decisions. The interviews confirm the survey results, with cost savings as the main consumer driver, distrust in some solar companies, and the affordable option of Power Purchasing Agreement’s for people who cannot afford the cost of solar installation. The study further finds that solar education plays an important role in boosting solar adoption, addressing misinformation, and improving policy. The public’s support for solar education, incentives/rebates, and energy conservation programs, says that Pima County could greatly expand its clean energy sector, providing jobs, and clean energy for the future generations of this region.

Food forests are layered ecosystems that improve biodiversity through permaculture techniques, food security, environmental health, and community empowerment. Many food forests have been created throughout the country and world but often are designed based only on what grows native in that region. However, to create a successful food forest for the city, it must meet the needs of the residents. Data was collected from residents of Goshen, Indiana, through surveys, systematic document review, and observational analyses to find the most valuable produce to be included in the food forest design. This data provided context for resident demographics and locations, food growth interest, and preferences for a community space. Case studies of other food forests, reports, and weather data emphasize the value that vegetation has on communities, the importance of local businesses, and how growing conditions can be utilized for successful yield. The study found that many fruits, vegetables, and herbs that Goshen residents prefer can grow in the Northern Indiana climatic region and the community space should prioritize water, seating, and open space. Through utilization of collected data from residents and information from case studies of food forests, a sustainable design for the site can be created. Localism, walkability, and health are priorities for Goshen residents and the implementation of a food forest and community space in the city can provide support for the diverse populations through free and accessible healthy produce.

If it does not, it should and can be made to. The creation and longevity of space debris in Earth’s orbit pose a massive international problem. The rate of the generation of space debris is significantly increasing. At an unknown but proximate time, debris collisions could trigger a cascade effect that eliminates humanity’s access to space for at least hundreds of years unless prompt mitigatory, collective action is undertaken. Academics have proposed a plethora of solutions. Most of those solutions are not viable because they fail to appropriately consider incentives, they misunderstand the recent and developing multipolar geopolitical paradigm shift, they would take too long or cost too much, or some combination of all of these factors. Unilateral action by the United States and determined, collective action by American corporations could greatly ameliorate the space debris problem. The Outer Space Treaty of 1967 (OST) is the best conduit for prompt and effective action in this manner. Article IX of the OST delineates how states cannot interfere with each other’s activities in space. While scholars have produced heaps of descriptions and interpretations of the Article IX phrases “due regard” and “harmful contamination,” the key for solving the space debris crisis may lie in the relatively ignored phrase: “appropriate measures.” The appropriate measures clause in Article IX, which is the ideological framing of Article I, might mandate funding the development of active debris removal (ADR) technologies for space-capable states. Those articles, combined with consideration for Article VI, which endows private action with national attribution and responsibility, could allow a synergy between the United States and ADR companies that could shape international law and form a pragmatic solution to the space debris crisis.

Antarctica is an environmentally critical and fragile region, yet human activities and climate change continue to harm the continent. Despite the environmental protections mandated by the Antarctic Treaty, the operation of U.S. Antarctic research stations continues to present material harms to the region, and gaps in the Treaty’s legal framework allow research station operations to escape full environmental oversight. The U.S. National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), a procedural statute guiding federal agency decisions, can supplement these gaps in environmental protections, but its application to Antarctica is challenged by the presumption against extraterritoriality. Yet, strong precedent exists for NEPA’s extraterritorial application outside traditional U.S. jurisdiction. In one pivotal case, NEPA applied extraterritorially to waste management activity at a U.S. Antarctic research station, but this statutory application was confined to agency decision-making that occurred within the domestic United States. This precedent should be extended to warrant NEPA’s true extraterritorial application to Antarctic research station operations. Such extraterritorial application is justified by the United States’ significant legislative control in Antarctica, the absence of foreign policy conflicts, and the broader global implications of continued Antarctic degradation. Implementing NEPA at U.S. stations would enhance environmental oversight and reinforce global Antarctic conservation efforts.