Author: Mike Soszynski

About The Author

Mike Soszynski

Mike Soszynski graduated from the University of Arizona with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Rutgers University with a Masters in Public Policy in 2012 & 2015 respectively. He currently works for a community development nonprofit based in New York City and enjoys riding his bicycle, punk music, and baking. Mike also likes birds, eating doughnuts, and public land.

Dog Ripped to Shreds from Dogfighting Now Named “American Hero”

Dog Ripped to Shreds from Dogfighting Now Named “American Hero”

Posted by | Sep 20, 2017 |

A pit mix dog named Abigail almost lost her life to dogfighting. Now she is being recognized for her indomitable spirit and resilience. She was found anemic and infested with ticks, with scars covering her body. Half of her face was missing and she was covered in mud. Her wounds strongly suggested that she had been a victim of dogfighting. She was taken to an animal rescue facility, and staff completed multiple major surgeries to address her extensive skin damage. She needed several iterations of gauze and wrappings for her wounds to heal. So the staff fashioned the medical...

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Artist Wins Thousands from BP, Donates to Greenpeace to Protest Big Oil

Artist Wins Thousands from BP, Donates to Greenpeace to Protest Big Oil

Posted by | Sep 14, 2017 |

The winner of BP’s annual Young Artist Award at the National Portrait Gallery in London has donated 1/7 of his winnings to Greenpeace as a symbolic act of dissent. The artist, Henry Christian-Slane, won £7,000 in prize money from the oil giant but decided to donate some of his winnings to the prominent environmental group because he felt “very uncomfortable with the idea that the portrait award was being used to improve BPs image.” All oil and gas operations are destructive and have lasting impacts on land and ecosystems. They disturb the ground surface, fragment habitats, and strip the...

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How Orange Scraps Saved A Costa Rican Forest

How Orange Scraps Saved A Costa Rican Forest

Posted by | Sep 6, 2017 |

Thanks to 12,000 tons of food waste, a portion of a Costa Rican forest is now thriving. In the 1990s, researchers offered an orange juice company (Del Oro) an appealing deal. The juice manufacturer would donate part of its land to a national park in exchange for the right to offload waste orange peels and pulp at a designated site in the park. But in a twist, another O.J. manufacturer sued and won a case in front of the Costa Rican Supreme Court— it was decided that dumping waste orange peels and pulp for biodegradation was “defiling” the land. The Court...

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The Havoc of Hurricane Harvey & How You Can Help

The Havoc of Hurricane Harvey & How You Can Help

Posted by | Aug 29, 2017 |

Southeast Texas is reeling. Coastal towns like Rockport have been devastated by extreme winds. Houston has been hit by trillions of gallons of rain. Rivers, streams, creeks, and bayous have risen at alarming rates. Officials have issued mandatory evacuation orders over concerns of levees overtopping or breaking. The storm has affected nearly 7 million people in 18 counties. Ten people are dead and thousands are displaced (and assessing the true extent of the impact has not even begun). The area’s most vulnerable residents have felt a magnified impact. For example, Houston’s homeless population often take refuge in low-lying spaces (e.g. under freeways...

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SeaWorld’s Credit Rating Has Just Been Downgraded For Plunging Profits

SeaWorld’s Credit Rating Has Just Been Downgraded For Plunging Profits

Posted by | Aug 15, 2017 |

SeaWorld is struggling to stay afloat. Revenue and attendance have plummeted — last year, their stock price hit an all-time low. And last week, Moody’s Investors Services released a research note that downgraded SeaWorld’s credit rating due to ongoing “branding challenges.” These challenges can be traced back to the 2013 documentary Blackfish, which called attention to the company’s disturbing treatment of orcas. The film focused on the stress and confinement of Tilikum,  showing how twenty years of captivity led the killer whale to exhibit aggressive behaviors and eventually kill three people. Since the release of the documentary, massive petitions and protests...

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