Humans rely on bees probably the most out of all insects in the world, but not just for honey or pollination. No, they’re actually also working away in labs and even giving us parts of their very home to help humans out. 

So if all you know about bees is that they flit from flower to flower, think again. Here are some of the fascinating ways bees have helped humans even more than just making all the flowers and food bloom across the world.

The Humble Honeybee and Medicine

The sweet taste of honey is almost certainly the first thing you think of when you think of bees. But honey isn’t just food. Medical grade honey, taken from honeybees, has been developed to help treat burn wounds. It has antibacterial properties that prevent infection, and its use has proven to be effective against a type of bacteria that are resistant to up to 13 types of antibiotics. On top of that, even honey used in large amounts didn’t make the bacteria more likely to become resistant to its antibacterial properties. 

Though research is ongoing to fully understand medical grade honey’s capabilities for treating wounds, researchers are also exploring other ways bees can help us, including with their venom 

It might sound counterintuitive. Isn’t venom-anything bad for you? Well, apparently not.

In 2020 researchers found that honeybee and bumblebee venom killed cancer cells in triple-negative breast cancer, an invasive, fast-spreading, and hard-to-treat cancer. And it killed the cancer cells without harming healthy cells. 

Dr. Ciara Duffy, who headed the study, also tested a small component of honeybee venom called melittin that can be produced synthetically and found it had many of the same anti-cancer effects.

Synthetically-produced melittin means we can protect the honeybee population. It also means scientists can make it more effective as a cancer cell-killing agent by adding new components to better recognize and target cancer cells. Duffy’s team has also started testing melittin on ovarian cancer cells, which has also proven effective.

None of Your Beeswax! …Well Maybe Just a Little

It’s common knowledge that bees pollinate plants, which lets those plants produce food for us to eat. But, how much do they actually help us?

Oh, just about 30% of the world’s dietary supply. Which means every three meals a day a human eats, an entire meal can be attributed to the hard work of bees.

While other insects and animals do contribute to pollination as well, bees as a species are pulling the most weight. But it’s not just the domesticated bees living in stacks of bee boxes on the sides of fields doing this work. Studies have shown that having wild bees and honeybees interact increases the pollination efficiency of honey bees, specifically in a sunflower field. The best way to ensure that interaction is having natural habitat nearby farms so wild bees can live nearby, while still pollinating crops.

But beyond helping our food grow, and making honey from it, bees also create beeswax. It’s the substance the bees use to actually make their hives and the cells that they store honey and larvae in. For bees it serves as the building block of their home, but it also has several properties that make it useful for cosmetic purposes. 

Products like lipstick and cream use beeswax as a stiffener, which keeps the product adhered to the face better. But it also has antiseptic properties that protect the skin. It creates a thin film on the surface of skin and protects it from bacteria. This makes beeswax a good natural ingredient in cosmetic products. 

Bee Brainpower

Worker honeybees live for 15 to 38 days in the summer, and they have a lot of flowers to visit and paths to memorize in that barely two month lifespan. A bee’s brain is smaller than one cubic millimeter—a sesame seed is two to four millimeters—so researchers at Virginia Tech wanted to analyze how bees were able to keep so much knowledge in that tiny brain of theirs.

Professors Read Montague and Brian Smith put bees in a laboratory and tested how different scents, which would be flowers in the real world, sent specific signals in the bees brain as they tried to learn about a new environment. Some of the brain chemicals bees have are the same in humans, and can lead to new discoveries about how brain chemicals play into learning or brain disorders.

They’re continuing to study how chemicals like dopamine, serotonin, tyramine, and octopamine release in a bee’s brain to help them learn and possibly apply those findings to better understand how human brains learn as well. 

Busy, Busy Bees

Bees do a lot for us, even if we don’t always see it. The yellow-striped flyers have contributed to the ecosystem for generations, happily buzzing away while people collect their honey and beeswax, and now are studying every part of them to further medicine and research. But not everything about honeybees is always peachy.

Though they’re not endangered, honeybee populations have been on the decline. Exact numbers are hard to pin down, considering there are wild hives out there we don’t know about, but 2025 started with 2.63 million colonies in the U.S. and ended with an estimated loss of 50% of hives. Fortunately, they seem to be recovering this year, but it’s important to do all we can to support honeybee populations. 

One way to help bees is to make our system of agriculture more sustainable. Habitat loss contributes to wild bees population decline, so the less new farmland we have to make from their habitats, the more they can thrive both in human-kept hives and the wild. Learn how you can support sustainable practices like regenerative agriculture and keep habitats safe from further development.

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Plants and flowers have been used as a form of expression for as long as humans have been able to articulate themselves. Be it in poems, paintings, or gifts, there’s a general understanding that these living things mean something. But some of their symbolism goes much deeper than simple ‘love’ or ‘well wishes.’

Sometimes a flower actually came from a bitter-sweet Greek myth, or has been used in religious imagery for generations. Maybe a saint used a plant no bigger than a thumb to teach a country about a religion. Regardless of the biology of the plant, people will still find meaning behind the greenery that fills so much of the plant. The list of meaningful flora is long, but here are five notable ones that are steeped in myth and symbolism.

The Buddha’s Favorite Flora: A Lotus Flower

The Lotus Flower is an aquatic flower that is a common motif in religious art, particularly in symbolism of Hinduism and Buddhism. As with most symbols, the lotus flower is associated with multiple traits, some of the most prominent being purity, awakening and transformation. It’s often used in visual depictions of the Buddha, be it paint or thankgkas, which are traditional Tibetan scroll paintings that depict spiritual teachings. One of these scroll paintings that is still preserved was titled the Lotus Lama.

Unlike most thankgkas that are painted on scrolls, the Lotus Lama artist instead stitched small pieces of fabric together to depict the Tibetan Buddhist teacher Tsongkhapa in meditation. Two lotus flowers hover over his shoulders as part of the symbolic scenery. 

But the lotus flower isn’t just a key religious symbol, it’s also woven into Buddhist stories itself. The Buddhist enlightened figure Padmasambhava’s name means “Lotus-Born” as he is said to have been born from a lotus flower already fully enlightened, the highest form of realization in Buddhism.

There’s plenty of small ways the Buddha is connected to the lotus flower as well, he’s often depicted sitting in a lotus position for meditation, and some sculptures have him actually sitting on a lotus throne. This flower’s depiction has been intertwined with the Buddha’s for centuries that it’s no wonder it’s taken on similar meanings of transformation.

The Clovers and their Religious Friend, a Saint

Everyone knows two things about a four-leaf clover; it’s lucky, and it’s Irish. Technically called a shamrock—a family of plants that still doesn’t have its own scientific notation—the four-leaf variety is a 1 in 10,000 rarity most likely caused by a recessive gene trait in the plant. That rarity is primarily responsible for causing it to become associated with luck.

But the three-leafed version has its own symbolism in Irish myth. Historian Marion R. Casey said the three-leaf clover was associated with a legend that St. Patrick himself used the plant to teach Catholic doctrine of the Holy Trinity. The three leaves represented the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

As the patron saint of Ireland, St. Patrick’s use of the plant spurred it into the country’s identity. Now, the shamrock is widely recognized as a national symbol of Ireland. It’s been used in iconography for the country and even in decorations on gifts to foreign dignitaries. So despite the famous nature of the elusive, lucky four-leaf clover, the standard shamrock holds a similarly symbolic status for its country.

Lucky Bamboo and you Guessed it, Luck!

Despite its name this tall, leafy plant isn’t actually a species of bamboo at all. Native to Western Africa, the dracaena sanderiana has been adopted into the Chinese decorating philosophy of feng shui, which aims to create harmony in living spaces. The more harmony, the more luck.

People who practice feng shui believe lucky bamboo is one of the plants that enhances luck—go figure. To optimize the plant’s use in space, it should be put in the east or southeast most direction of the room. Feng shui also puts lots of emphasis on incorporating the elements of wood, fire, water, earth, and metal. A lucky bamboo plant can have all five. Wood is the bamboo itself, stones or pebbles in the container are the earth, water is what lucky bamboo grows in, the pot can be metal, and a red ribbon can be tied around the stalks to signify fire.

But the symbolism doesn’t end there, the number of stalks in a lucky bamboo plant can also hold special meaning when gifting the plant. Two stalks doubles your luck and represents love, while three stalks represent wealth, happiness, and long life. Five stalks brings luck in finance and business, while ten stalks means you wish the receiver gets everything they want. A large, 21 stalk plant is the highest amount of well wishes you could possibly give. 

Regardless of the specific type of luck, gifting any number of stalks is a sign of well wishes. Just be sure to avoid the four stalk bamboo, which is often associated with bad luck or death.

Narcissus Flower; Prettier than the Mythical Man it’s Named After

This plant’s name comes from Greek myth, and like most Grecian mythology there are countless versions of the same story recounting events differently. But across many of its retellings, specific beats remain the same to form the collective myth of Echo and Narcissus:

A nymph named Echo slights the goddess Hera, who curses Echo to only ever repeat the words of others for the rest of her life. Meanwhile, a boy named Narcissus is born and the blind seer Tiresias prophecies that Narcissus will live a long life so long as he did not know himself.

Narcissus grows into a beautiful man with many admirers, but turns all of them down. Echo eventually happens upon Narcissus in the woods and instantly falls in love with him, but as she’s only able to repeat his words back to him Narcissus rejects her. Echo flees. Some myths include the greek goddess of retribution, Nemesis, intervening in this part, but others also have Narcissus happen upon a demise all on his own.

While out on a stroll Narcissus comes across a still pool of water, and reaching down to drink from it he catches his reflection. He falls in love with it. Unable to break away from his own reflection to eat or sleep, Narcissus withers away by the pool and dies. From the spot next to his reflection, a narcissus flower blooms.

In modern day, the narcissus flower is actually a genus of flowers, its most well-known variety being the daffodil. Despite a rather somber Greek myth explaining its existence, the actual flower itself is definitely pretty, though not fall-in-love-with-it pretty.

Mistletoe

The tradition of kissing under the mistletoe has its roots in Norse mythology. The god Odin had a son named Baldur who was prophesied to die, and in an attempt to save her son, Baldur’s mother and the goddess of love, Frigg, gathered all the plants and animals and made them swear an oath that they would never harm Baldur.

All of them agreed, but Frigg had forgotten to ask the lowly mistletoe plant. Aware of this, the trickster god Loki fashioned an arrow of mistletoe and used it to kill Baldur. Luckily the gods were able to resurrect Baldur, and a now delighted Frigg declared mistletoe a symbol of love and vowed to kiss everyone who passed below it. An interesting turn of events after said plant just killed a man, but either way mistletoe has now become an inescapable part of the Christmas season.

The tradition of kissing under the mistletoes evolved over the years. For a while it was bad luck if one of the people under it refused to kiss. Another version said after each kiss a berry should be plucked from the mistletoe, and once the berries were all gone the kissing should stop. Not a bad reputation for a plant that’s technically a parasitic species.

They Matter Even Without a Myth 

If history and myth have proven anything it’s that even the simplest things like flowers and plants can be given epic origin stories, elevated to a place of religious status, or imbued with subtextual meaning for entire cultures. But while the origins of these plants’ meaning may be intangible, the plants themselves are very much real.

Extinction is a very real problem for plants as much as it is for animals. We want to keep lotus flowers and mistletoe and all the other wacky-origin story plants we have, both so we can keep telling those stories, and because preserving nature is vital.

Over 60 seed plant species went extinct between 1900 and 2018, and that dwindling biodiversity impacts an entire ecosystem of other plants and animals. One way to keep ecosystems going is to make them resilient by reinforcing the biodiversity already existing there.

Consider donating to our Canopy Tree Project, which aims to plant 60 million more trees around the world by 2030. Through dedication to preserving the plants already here, we give them more of a chance to both thrive, and create meaning for all of us.

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Data centers are booming nationwide, powering AI and our digital lives — but at what cost to communities? In this Earth Week 2026 episode of 22 Minutes With…, Ashish Kapoor, Senior Energy & Climate Advisor at the Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC), reveals the environmental and economic impacts of the data center surge, especially in Virginia.

From massive energy demand, water strain, and diesel pollution to rising utility bills and land grabs, Kapoor breaks down the real footprint of these facilities and why ratepayers — not just tech giants — are footing the bill. Drawing on PEC’s successful fights against bad projects and their push for smarter solutions like agrivoltaics and distributed energy, he shares practical tools for communities: local listening, coalitions, and policy wins that protect land, air, and wallets.

This is your guide to understanding data center impacts, cutting through the hype, and fighting back with facts.

Ashish Kapoor is the Senior Energy & Climate Advisor at The Piedmont Environmental Council, where he works on clean energy policy issues at the local and state levels. He recently developed an innovative agrivoltaics project in Virginia that combines crop farming, solar energy production and battery backup. Ashish grew up in western Pennsylvania and New Jersey. He graduated from Pennsylvania State University’s Schreyer Honors College with a Bachelor’s in Economics and Political Science and subsequently received a J.D. from Rutgers School of Law in Newark, New Jersey. During and after law school, Ashish worked as a public policy attorney on a variety of issues, including environmental and social justice in the U.S. and abroad. Most recently, he worked as a national solar consultant at Sunrun, the nation’s largest residential solar company.

Introduction

Hi, I am Kathleen Rogers, President at EARTHDAY.ORG, and welcome to 22 minutes with. Today, we have a special guest Ashish Kapoor, Senior Energy & Climate Advisor, Piedmont Environmental Council, Virginia. Welcome, Ashish. 

Interview questions

Q: Tell us a bit about PEC and what you do.

AK:  I’m the senior energy and climate advisor at Piedmont Environmental Council. Piedmont Environmental Council has been around for over 50 years and really works in a few different spaces. So there’s a whole team of folks that work on preserving natural resources, historic resources and land. We donate to food pantries, use regenerative practices, and really sort of volunteer driven, with some full time staff there that really run the operations, but have a lot of folks out there learn about farming, and take those lessons back to the community. I work sort of at the cross-section of all of those issues, on the energy and climate side.

Q: PEC has a long track record of winning land‑use fights with communities, like stopping Disney’s development in an historic battle, and dozens of other really bad projects . What made those community campaigns successful?

AK: There is a Virginia conservation network that was born out of those processes, which is a coalition of hundreds of environmental groups in Virginia that work on everything from water quality to the Chesapeake Bay, to tree plantings, to energy equity, to the clean energy transition, and peaker plants and everything in between. So a really robust and diverse coalition was born out of that. And I think that’s the same energy that we’ve taken and the same lessons we’ve taken into the data center coalition.

We founded the Data Center Coalition a few years back. Similarly, just various stakeholders, individuals and groups. Let’s first of all, get informed on this data center issue that’s really reared its head over the last few years in Virginia. Get really sort of on the ground information, scientifically sourced information, work with universities, share that info, communicate it through town halls, community meetings, email alerts, videos and whatever medium.

So, to your question, it’s that local engagement, the fact that we all have agency at a time. I think when things feel so big and so overwhelming the temptation to doom scroll is understandable. But you know these things like data centers there’s no cloud. There’s steel and concrete on the ground and there’s infrastructure impacts.we see our roles as being amongst the groups that sort of coalesced coalitions to use in-house expertise to tell that story and then use that to create policy. 

Q: Data centers are coming to towns everywhere, not just Virginia. How big is this national boom, and what is driving it?

AK: AI is driving this demand. Generative AI is driving this demand. Crypto’s driving this demand. Whatever comes to fruition. We have to build the electric infrastructure, right? And we have to build, you know, billions of dollars of transmission, billions of dollars in gas plants. 

Q: I recently watched  your TEDx talk, 3 ways to find the radical middle, you describe the ‘radical middle’ and three tools for getting there: reverse empathy, courageous vulnerability, and local listening. What does that look like when a community is split over data centers, and how has it shaped your approach?

AK: That is really kind of based on my own life experience and also my experience working at PEC and those issues, you know, local listening, reverse empathy, courageous vulnerability. They inform all issues, including data centers. Whether folks agree with us or not, hearing what people fear losing and what they’re concerned about when it comes to data centers, it may be that transmission line in their backyard, it may be their electric bill going up, iIt may be the fact that they bought their forever home, and 500ft away from their property there’s a giant data center that’s being built, and there’s nothing they can do about it. There’s so many ways in which we can kind of understand the community and where folks are coming from, and that’s really important in storytelling. And so far, it’s also important to hear from folks that are pro-data center and pro-growth because there are benefits. Of course, that comes from data centers financially, for the tax base, keeping property taxes low. 

I live in Loudoun County, Data Center capital of the world. And I’m raising my family here and we love it. But, you see  a good thing gone bad in a lot of ways. And you see it all over the place so that’s not enough. How do you create coalitions? How do you work with people that you may not traditionally have worked with? This is really not a partisan issue. There’s so many different tentacles to this issue that this is really an opportunity to bring a lot of folks together and to really sort of raise up what their concerns and anxieties are of day to day life and also sort of the greater existential, climate impacts and energy impacts for all of this. So all of that is informed by my work here. Those are the pillars that you said that inform what we do, and helping folks kind of put all those pieces together so they can also be better communicators of the issue and kind of come across as these are complicated things to talk about.

Q: Take us inside one of your counties. Residents are feeling the impacts: land grabs, noise, water strain, power bills. What are they actually living with day to day?

AK: You know, for many folks that may be going through those bucolic views as you’re going through some of these farmland that they’ve had yet for generations. And now there’s a giant transmission line going through there and all else that that transmission line brings, that transmission line impact might feel different for someone living in the suburbs. It’s going through their backyard. It may feel less sort of existential or less an insult to their background, but it’s still a giant eyesore. So there’s different ways in which we can definitely kind of tell the story. But I think, you know, the great thing about being locally grounded and having this footprint that really runs the gamut and politically class wise, is that that’s where this sort of concept of the radical model that I was exploring in that talk kind of comes into play, where we craft solutions in a way that should resonate with everyone.

Q: As data center energy demand surges, how can distributed generation and storage help meet that need, and what does that mean for local communities and infrastructure?

AK: So for the grid to be built to where it’s at now, it took 100 some years and it’s really built in that sort of centralized way. We have a coal plant, a gas plant, which produces energy. You have substation, giant transmission lines, those big erector sets take that energy, as you said, seven, eight, nine, 10% energy loss on those wires, and you step that down. It goes into those distribution lines into people’s homes. That’s been the way that we’ve made and transported energy for a long time. Distributed generation is the idea that you generate energy close to where you use it. 

We have a couple percent of our energies from a kind of smaller scale solar in Virginia. What will it take to make that greater? There’s a couple small batteries attached to your solar on your home, that will allow you to run your whole home off the grid if the if the power goes out. Any medical needs, whatever it is, you can run it in that way. If you took 20,000 batteries like that and combined them, and utility paid you this concept known as virtual power plants, you can pull from your battery, your battery, your about 20,000 batteries, a little bit of energy and you give the grid what it needs at that main time, that peak load, which is really what we’ve built our grid for. That time in the summer, or that time in the winter where AC’s are on, data centers are on, usually you don’t get up that high, but the grid is built with that extra cushion. So that’s why we’re having to build new gas plants, because, those peak load moments in particular, those peaker plants just operate 30% of the time. So you can use this distributed way of doing it and virtual power plants, and pull from everybody, give everybody some money for being a part of the solution. Store power when it’s cheap and available. The sun is shining, the wind is blowing, store it. And then when that grid needs it at night or during that peak load time, then you discharge it. So you’re able to kind of create more of a balanced grid. 

We need energy. Everybody’s kind of dying for an extra electron. At the same time, the utility’s proposing that we undercut rooftop solar on high while they make money off of transmission lines and centralized generation. Who pays for it? We do. You know, it’s all subsidized by the ratepayers. So that ties into the data center issue to where all these, all this new energy, all this new transmission, who’s paying for it for the richest companies in the world? We are. 

Q:Tech companies promise jobs, tax revenue, and even help with energy costs. How much of that holds up when you look at the real numbers?

AK: What are the benefits? I mean there’s, there’s billions of dollars of revenue, and billions of dollars of benefits, coming to the state of Virginia, coming to Loudoun County. That helps keep my property taxes low. So, that’s definitely a benefit. 

The employment comes at the beginning when you’re building and you’re employing electricians, you’re employing plumbers and all of that. But once the data center is up and running, you’re not really employing more than a handful of people there. And you can look at the parking lots if you want proof. But there’s not many people that actually have to go in there once it’s fully operational. But but money talks, right? And so that’s real. But what about the negative externalities? From just the financial perspective, we give a tremendous tax incentive to the data centers in Virginia. Close to last year, I think around $1.7 billion worth. That could have gone to fund schools or could have gone in other directions. We don’t ask for anything. We don’t ask for any sustainable practices or any renewable practices.

Q: The Wall Street Journal warns of a data center “gold rush” and even a glut of datacenters. How do you cut through that sales pitch with facts people can trust?

AK: It’s a challenge to kind of take what’s happening in your data center proposal in your community and tie that to everything else. How does this affect me? And we are living in a time where things do feel very nationalized and very overpowering. These companies have a lot of money.

One, it’s using every form possible, emails, town halls where people can come have a few hundred people, talk to folks, hear what they’re hearing on the ground, educate them, get educated by them. Conversation with legislators, local media, state media mapping. So it’s really kind of all hands on deck in terms of communicating the impacts, but also figuring out the impacts. When a transmission line gets proposed through your backyard, or your electric bill goes up 2 or 3 times, you do the math. If you’re paying an extra 300 bucks, a month over 12 months times ten, 15 years there. I mean, you’re talking tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars over time that your bill is going up. That’s something everybody feels.

Q: Communities are not powerless. What tools do they really have—zoning changes, public hearings, lawsuits, ballot measures—to shape or stop bad projects?

AK: Learn about the local process. There’s no better way in my experience than to learn about, how do you make a law, than to go in there, get involved in your general assembly and work with people that know how to write a law. That’s all it is, is people that work on stuff at the local level. They work with the legislator to write the law. Then they help advocate for it and lobby for it. And, you know, you might get something passed. And that’s really how all of that stuff happens. It’s folks on the ground that are crafting solutions. So that’s open for anybody. 

Q:Some states try to limit data centers while others chase them (Trump administration is trying to prevent states from doing that.). How can everyday people push for rules that protect their land and water in that landscape?

AK: There’s some national workgroups. There’s conversations with federal legislators. And we have Julie Bolthouse, she really leads us on the data center work from the land use perspective. And she’s really dug in with the rest of our land use team. And our president, Chris Miller, engages quite a bit at the national level. So everything from sort of Chesapeake Bay water impacts to electric infrastructure impacts to the need for more energy generation being built. We’re out there where we’re talking with folks and we’re sharing information and trying to empower communities. 

Q: Can you name one town or county that beat back a bad data center proposal, and what made it a “bad” proposal in the first place? What tipped the scales? (PEC/Fauquier’s Gigaland withdrawal, Prince William substation denial, etc.)

AK: In Fauquier County with the Giga Land proposal, which is a giant data center proposal, they eventually withdrew that application. It was a few hundred megawatts worth of energy and over 2 million square feet of development space. And they were able to push that back. I mean, this is something that’s become really an issue that transcends age and, and class and race and all those other things. So I think there’s there’s a lot of hope there

Q: Data centers bring a lot of hype, money and noise globally. What is your go‑to strategy to cut through it—town halls, social media, local papers, or door‑to‑door—and help communities tell their own story?AK: There’s no sort of coherent sort of strategy. It’s sort of a free for all, and every man and woman for his or herself. So with that you’re going to get all these negative externalities. So from an engagement perspective, one of the benefits of that, as I was saying a little bit earlier, is that a lot of folks are being impacted in different ways. You’re interested in this, or maybe it’s the climate part, maybe it’s the water part. Maybe your childhood home now has a data center in the backyard. You know, like that. Whatever it is, find out who the local organizations in your area are that are working on this, and maybe there’s nobody working on it. Get educated. Find a little bit of an entry way through an org or through whatever your interest point is.

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Humans have used art as a form of expression since the beginning of time. From cave paintings to modern museum galleries, artwork is made with intention. It has a message behind it. That’s why it’s so often used during movements, to rally people behind something better conveyed through image than words.

That link is something even scientists want to understand. Our brains process words in a specific way, but art? That’s completely subjective. 

Linking the Brain to Art

Everyone’s heard the phrase “a picture is worth a thousand words.” Well, it can be, but it’s more like it’s worth a completely different type of neurological stimuli, specifically how humans decide whether or not they “like” a piece of art.

Researchers at Caltech scanned the brains of volunteers over four days, who went through thousands of paintings and rated how much they liked the painting. What they found was that the medial prefrontal cortex that sits in an area in front of the brain assigns a subjective value to art right when a human first sees it. The brain breaks art into essential qualities and decides if it likes those qualities or not. 

Of course, it’s still all subjective. Even if we all use the same part of our brains to decide if we like art, it doesn’t mean we’ll all end up liking the same art. But that neural activity only explains the initial “gut-check” a person has towards a piece of art, and doesn’t account for one important aspect.

Knowing the message behind the art.

Modern Protest Art

“Protest Art” is a loose term for the art created by activists and social movements with a specific cause or action behind it. These types of art are hard to trace far into the past, but some famous historical examples include Paule Revere’s “The Boston Massacre” from 1770, displaying the event of the same name five years before the American Revolutionary War started. It, like other protest art pieces, captured the essence of the movement Revere was a part of.

In modern day, protest art pops up in many forms, but none are as classic as the mural. The British street and graffiti artist Banksy is one of the most recognizable “protest art” artists out there. His murals have often commentated on politics and current events. However, most movements aren’t heralded by a singular artist, but rather many coming together to create art that speaks to a wide range of people. The 2020 Black Lives Matter movement in the United States saw hundreds of murals go up in honor of George Floyd. Even the simple peace sign got its start as a sketch used on protest signs for an anti-nuclear protest walk.

Ultimately, a single piece of art isn’t the thing that unites a social or political movement visually, but the culmination of many pieces of artwork made by those most invested in that movement. .

This Year’s Poster

One of the many people invested in the good of the planet is Miles Wintner, who created the 2026 Earth Day poster. He represented this years theme of “Our Power, Our Planet” into depicting the Earth as a flower being held in a person’s hand.

To him, it represents both the tenderness and strength of humanity’s relationship with the plant. How ideally, the earth is cared for gently by humanity like we would a flower. It adds to the surreal nature of being human at a time when it’s critical to be planet-minded.

You can add your voice to the cause just like Wintner did and participate in Earth Day this year at one of thousands of events. Art is subjective, and a great tool to get a message across, but people need to make it, see it, and be inspired by it. So be inspired, not just by Wintner, but by the world, because it’s in the palm of our hands.

Order your limited edition poster.

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Climate change can feel like an insurmountable issue, but we aren’t as alone in fighting for our planet as we think. Scientists are constantly creating new technology to slow or repair the damage our warming climate causes.

These breakthroughs can happen across disciplines, from engineering to manufacturing, and can be used in locations from space to the ocean. They might seem small on their own, but these innovations push our efforts to protect our planet forward. Here are some of the inventive ways people are fighting against climate change that you might have never suspected.

Protecting the Coral Reefs with Light and Food

As oceans warm and further damage coral reefs, a process called coral bleaching, scientists have found ways to help coral build resistance to the negative effects of warming water. Their solution? Food.

The more food that coral eats, the higher the chance it can survive rising temperatures and bleaching. Coral consumes zooplankton, a microscopic organism found in oceans. In early 2025, scientists created a tool that increases coral’s feeding opportunities, thereby helping its heat resistance.

This device, called the Underwater Zooplankton Enhancement Light Array or UZELA for short, is an autonomous underwater light that draws in nearby zooplankton for coral to eat. The study found that running the device in a location for just one hour a night increased local coral feeding rates by 10 to 50-fold, compared to areas without the device. It helped strengthen both healthy coral and already bleached corals by bringing its food closer.

These efforts are important because coral reefs are vital to keeping erosion at bay, sustaining the fishing industry, and generating tourism. The Great Barrier Reef, for instance, is home to 1,625 species of fish, and even more crustaceans, turtles, rays, and other sea creatures. 

PULLQUOTE: [“The real intent of this project is to inject new technology and energy into coral restoration success. It’s something that can be deployed strategically for high-value reefs, or projects that have already had a lot of investment in them.”] — Andrea Grotti, professor of Earth Sciences at Ohio State University

Battling Deforestation … from Space?

Losing trees affects many aspects of our planet’s health, from losing animals habitats to even contributing to climate change. Trees remove carbon dioxide from the air and since it’s a greenhouse gas that warms the earth, taking trees away limits a natural deterrent against a warming atmosphere. There are ways to fight it though, satellites for instance have long been used to monitor rainforests and identify where illegal deforestation is happening. 

However, traditional satellites can’t take pictures through clouds, which often cover rainforests. This makes it hard to track deforestation in real time, and by the time authorities can get images, sometimes the perpetrators are already gone.

But now satellites are using radio waves that can take pictures through the clouds. 

The European Space Agency’s Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission consists of two satellites orbiting the Earth. It uses Radar for Detecting Deforestation, called RADD, to capture images that are nine times more detailed than traditional satellites. It’s so specific it can detect changes on an almost tree-by-tree scale. Now, the Global Forest Watch compiles the satellite data so anyone can see data on the world’s tree coverage. Simply click on different countries to get a visual overview of tree cover, biodiversity, and the different types of forests growing around the world.

Solar Power Is Getting Cheaper and Cheaper

If there’s one surefire way to fight against fossil fuels, it’s to make renewable energy sources as cheap and practical as possible. Luckily, solar panel prices have only been dropping, and it’s all thanks to technological advancement.

As engineers improved the design of solar panels, the total cost to make one also dropped. In 1975, a single solar panel watt cost almost $130 in today’s money, while in 2024, that same watt was less than $0.30. By 2023 solar panels had grown so efficient that it only took a year for a solar panel to generate the same amount of energy that was used to create it. 

On top of that, creating solar panels themselves is also becoming more environmentally friendly. While producing aluminum for a solar panel’s frame results in a large carbon footprint, using renewable-generated electricity to power the smelters is one of several ways to decrease that carbon impact.

In the same vein, aluminum is highly recyclable, and the process uses only 5% of the energy required to make new aluminum. Not only is solar a key energy player in battling climate change, but every step of making solar panels is being carefully looked at to reduce its impact on the environment.

Fighting Fire from the Sky

There are roughly 60,000 to 80,000 wildfires each year in the United States, a number that’s stayed steady for the past four decades. Yet, in 2023 fires in the US cost over $23 million in losses, up from $18.8 million the year before. To combat wildfires, firefighters are using new technology to scope out the spreading flames.

The Fire Urgency Estimator from Ground to Orbit, or the FUEGO project, started by Berkeley physicist Carlton Pennypacker, is one of these new types of technology. It has the potential to revolutionize wildfire fighting by providing real-time data on how and where a wildfire is spreading.

FUEGO will rapidly identify wildfires and track their motion across the U.S., specifically scanning high fire-risk Southern California every 30 seconds. This gives firefighters rapid, up-to-date data on its location. Pennypacker’s team has already created a prototype of the technology, which they outfitted on spotter planes as a test run. It cross referenced data on humidity and wind speed to prove its effectiveness in battling wildfires.

PULLQUOTE: [ “The costs associated with research, development, and implementation of FUEGO would likely be paid for many times over (perhaps even in its first year of operation) through the system’s capability to detect wildfires in their incipient stages, report them to the relevant fire agencies, and provide valuable data to responding firefighting systems.”] — Carlton Pennypacker, astrophysicist at the University of California, Berkeley

There’s a long way to go, but we can all do our part

Researchers at the top of their fields are working constantly in tandem with technology to fight climate change, but there’s ways you as an individual can also help.

Getting active in organizations like EARTHDAY.ORG helps amplify your voice with like-minded individuals concerned on how to prioritize our planet’s health. On top of that, consider using our Climate Education resources to become your own expert in everyday sustainable living, since saving our planet isn’t just a job for scientists. 
Whether that’s making a composting system, learning how to plant a garden for local pollinators, or coming out for Earth Day 2026 in April, it’s also important for you to step up in whatever way you can.

This article is available for republishing on your website, newsletter, magazine, newspaper, or blog. The accompanying imagery is cleared for use with attribution. Please ensure that the author’s name and their affiliation with EARTHDAY.ORG are credited. Kindly inform us if you republish so we can acknowledge, tag, or repost your content. You may notify us via email at woods@earthday.org. Want more articles? Follow us on substack.

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As the most popular day of the year to buy flowers, Valentine’s Day drives business into the storefronts of thousands of florists and supermarkets across the world. And the flowers themselves? Also from around the world. 

Few flowers are grown anywhere near the shop where they’re sold. Roughly 80% of all flowers sold in the US are imported, mainly from South America, and the largest worldwide supplier in 2023 was the Netherlands. This long journey creates a massive carbon footprint, by plane it can cost 1 to 1.5 kg of CO2 emissions per stem

But flowers are not the only way to show that special someone. Here are five things to gift someone this Valentine’s Day to show them you care about them, and the Earth:

Budding Love Locally 

Most flowers bought in the US burn a lot of fuel in transit to the supermarket or local florist shop. Luckily, there is a more rosey option. Locally grown flowers take far less fuel to transport, support nearby farmers, and last longer because they don’t spend a week traveling after they’re cut.

Locally grown means a florist only sells flowers grown within a 100-mile radius of their shop. By buying from local farmers, you cut down on the costly carbon footprint it takes to transport imported flowers and support the local economy. Growing your own blooms or picking wildflowers from surrounding parks are also great options. 

P.S. I Love Handmade and Digital Cards

You did it in elementary school, so why not bring this creative tradition back? Valentine’s Day is one of the most popular days to send or give a card, with around 145 million exchanged on the holiday each year. But not every piece of a paper card can be recycled, like glitter, ribbons, felt, music boxes, and foil, so most cards will end up in a landfill. If you do buy a card, be sure to remove all these extra pieces before recycling.

So instead, make a homemade gift card. Cut out hearts from paper, write a heartfelt message, or paint or draw a picture for your loved one. If you’re far away from your special someone, a digital card can be just as memorable and doesn’t contribute to landfill clutter. 

Paper Petals 

Unlike real flowers, paper flowers never wither. They’re also a perfect craft for any little ones participating in the day as a present to Mom. 

There are many different ways to make these flowers. The most common way is using tissue paper and pipe cleaners for a 3D bouquet. You can also use old egg cartons to make a flower garland, hyacinths from construction paper, or a cupcake liner lollipop flower.

These are just a few of the many crafty ways to make a more permanent bouquet for your Valentine. Anything that makes use of craft supplies or everyday recyclables is a chance to keep something out of the landfill and brighten up the room at the same time.

Potted Plants

Instead of buying a flower that’ll die within a week, give one that’ll continue to blossom longer, and multiple times. Potted plants of any kind means you can watch your love grow… literally.

But if your special person doesn’t have a green thumb, don’t worry! There are plenty of easy-to-care-for plants you can get them. A snake plant, for instance, is a large fern-like plant with deep green leaves that stick straight into the air. Just tell the recipient to not water it too much and have them put it next to a window for some sun. Some other greenery options include the leafy ZZ Plant, which tolerates low light and dry conditions, or succulents which should be placed where they get lots of light and sparsely watered.

For a flowering plant, try the Peace Lily, which likes some light and just needs its soil kept moist. A potted zinnia will give a pop of color to one’s home and should only be watered when its soil is dry. African violets are compact and just need a bright window and enough water to keep the soil damp.There really is an option for everyone!

Memories Don’t Wilt 

What do you get for someone who has everything? Something to do!

A 2023 survey shows that 92% of Americans hope for gifted experiences, compared to 77% wanting a physical gift. Though that high percentage for the physical means you still shouldn’t skip on the chocolate this Valentine’s Day, maybe instead of the bouquet of flowers, you can gift something to remember.

Tickets to a concert or a play are classics. Some kind of class, from cooking to glass blowing, can be a way to get your loved one out of their comfort zone. If you’re celebrating on a budget, try taking your sweetheart on a picnic date at a nearby park. Pack each of your favorite foods, and if you want to be sappy, cut the sandwiches in the shape of a heart — just make sure to compost the chef scraps. 

Show Love for your Partner, and the Planet

No matter who you’re celebrating this love-filled holiday with, there’s always an opportunity to speak someone’s love language while also showing your love for the earth. EARTHDAY.ORG’s love language is an act of service, and we’re proud to plant hundreds of millions of trees to show our appreciation for the planet. If service is your love language too, and you want to help us reach a billion trees planted by 2060 (that’s 34 Valentine’s Day’s away) consider donating to our Canopy Tree Project to help show the earth some extra love.

This article is available for republishing on your website, newsletter, magazine, newspaper, or blog. The accompanying imagery is cleared for use with attribution. Please ensure that the author’s name and their affiliation with EARTHDAY.ORG are credited. Kindly inform us if you republish so we can acknowledge, tag, or repost your content. You may notify us via email at fielder@earthday.org. Want more articles? Follow us on substack.

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