Kennedi Hewitt

Environmentalists say the EPA’s efforts to clean up toxic waste fall short

23Aug

By Climate 360 NewsNo Comments

Community, Loyola Marymount University, Morgan State University, Policy, Video

Environmentalists say the EPA’s efforts to clean up toxic waste fall short

By Kennedi Hewitt and Alexis Durham https://youtu.be/lkopo6be_eo Produced, filmed and edited by Kennedi Hewitt and Alexis Durham. Glenn Ross is a self-proclaimed urban environmentalist. For 40 years, the 71-year-old has fought to make his Baltimore community a safer place for his children and neighbors by educating others on the reality of Superfunds. A Superfund, as defined by the Environmental Protection Agency, is a contaminated site “due to hazardous waste being dumped, left out in the open, or otherwise improperly managed.” Such sites include landfills and mining sites. Officially titled “Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act” (CERCLA), Superfunds were established by Congress in the 1980s after the Love Canal ...

Urban gardens aid in the fight against food deserts and climate change

20Aug

By Climate 360 NewsNo Comments

Community, Loyola Marymount University, Video

Urban gardens aid in the fight against food deserts and climate change

https://youtu.be/DqDT1KgEL9c By Kennedi Hewitt In South Central Los Angeles, across the street from the new metro system on Exposition Boulevard, is an urban garden owned by Ron Finley. Finley, also known as the “Gangster Gardener”, founded The Ron Finley Project to “transform food deserts into food sanctuaries.” Finley, who has been gardening since he was a kid, says he views gardening as a source of freedom because it is an “empowering practice to grow your own food.” “Everyone should at least have the potential to cultivate their own food,” he says, “cook their own food, and that to me is a form of freedom.” South Central LA, a predominantly low income and Black and Brown community, is considered a food desert. As defined b...

‘We consume too much and we toss it too quickly’: Palomo-Lovinski encourages a circular fashion economy

29Jul

By Climate 360 NewsNo Comments

Economy, Kent State University, Loyola Marymount University

‘We consume too much and we toss it too quickly’: Palomo-Lovinski encourages a circular fashion economy

Photo via Kent State University. By Kennedi Hewitt and Connor Fallon Before she was a beloved professor at Kent State University, Noël Palomo-Lovinski was a sustainable fashion designer in New York City. Ahead of her time, she got into sustainability as a new mom searching for more organic foods and products for her family. Over time it became a lifestyle. “Once you start learning some facts about climate change you go down a deep rabbit hole and develop a passion,” said Palomo-Lovinski. As a professor in the early 2000s, she used her experience to encourage her students to curate their fashion sustainably. She was met with backlash and told that she was destroying and limiting their creative practices. Despite this pushback, nearly 20 years...

Five things to know about sustainable fashion

25Jun

By Climate 360 NewsNo Comments

Economy, Loyola Marymount University

Five things to know about sustainable fashion

By Kennedi Hewitt Via Anna Sullivan on Unsplash. Sustainable fashion is a huge hot topic. Want to learn more about what it means, but not too sure where to start? Here are a few articles to guide you. 1.) “Fast fashion vs. sustainable fashion.” Despite its many benefits, sustainable fashion is not the preferred method of clothing production. Fast fashion, which is more harmful for the environment and less sustainable, still dominates the industry. Read more about the pros and cons of fast fashion as it compares to sustainable fashion here. 2.) “Seven forms of sustainable fashion.” There are many ways to be sustainable in your fashion choices outside of shopping; sustainable fashion choices don’t start and end with buying ...

Five questions about natural gas, answered

22Jun

By Climate 360 NewsNo Comments

Energy, Loyola Marymount University, Policy

Five questions about natural gas, answered

By Kennedi Hewitt and Maddie Cindrich A SoCalGas storage facility sits alongside the Ballona Wetlands in Los Angeles, CA. Photo by Maddie Cindrich. A group of Los Angeles activists are demanding that SoCalGas shut down its natural gas storage facility in Playa Del Rey. They worry about a potential blowout that could harm hundreds in the nearby community. Here’s five quick things to know: What is natural gas? Natural gas, primarily composed of methane, is a fossil fuel mostly located deep beneath the Earth’s surface. While it is one of the most commonly found sources of energy on the planet, alongside petroleum and coal, it is considered to be one of the least sustainable energy sources. In the 19th century, natural gas was mos...

22Jun

By Climate 360 NewsNo Comments

AUTHOR

Senior Correspondent, LMU My name is Kennedi Hewitt and I am a sophomore at Loyola Marymount University studying English and journalism. I’m a member of Loyola Marymount’s Association of Black Journalists and the Black student union on campus. I’m a former assistant news editor for the Los Angeles Loyolan and a current managing editor for the paper. For Climate 360, I am a senior correspondent for the LMU team. My interests include the race and class intersection of climate change. As young people, we are always told that climate change will be our problem to take on and address, so I'm excited to be a part of Climate 360 and explore how climate change impacts different people around the country and hopefully uncover some ways to help.

Organic cotton farming proves to have environmental benefits, yet still lacks popularity among cotton farmers and businesses

15Jun

By Climate 360 NewsNo Comments

Economy, Kent State University, Louisiana State University, Loyola Marymount University

Organic cotton farming proves to have environmental benefits, yet still lacks popularity among cotton farmers and businesses

By Kennedi Hewitt, Ava Borskey, Connor Fallon and Grace Springer When the cold weather comes around and people start searching for their most durable and fashionable heavy coats, brands such as Patagonia and Everlane are among the best rated clothing brands worn. However, in addition to being top manufactures for outdoor wear, Patagonia and Everlane are also renowned for their sustainable and transparent production practices, zero waste initiatives and environmental activism. Furthermore, they are celebrated for their commitment to using organic cotton over conventionally grown cotton. Organic cotton is often advertised as a cleaner and more sustainable material in the fashion industry. Like other organic crops, it’s grown without the use of pesticides,...