Arizona, California, and Nevada have reached an agreement to address the looming water crisis in the region by reducing their use of Colorado River water. This temporary solution marks a significant victory for the western states, which rely on the river for irrigation and drinking water.

A new plan would conserve at least 3 million acre-feet of water by 2026 in an effort to ensure the crucial waterway continues to generate power and provide drinking water.

Some Indigenous farmers are trying to bring traditional food back to their communities. Michael Kotutwa Johnson, a farmer from the Hopi Tribe, is focusing on bringing Hopi corn back to the dining table – not only for the health benefits but also to connect his people to their culture. Johnson, who also is a faculty member at the University of Arizona’s School of Natural Resources and the Environment, refers to corn as “our mother.”

The University of Arizona is helping communities contribute to decision-making on water resources in the state. Professor Sharon Megdal with the UA Water Resource Research Center talks about getting indigenous peoples involved and how their knowledge can be transferred to cities coping with water concerns.

Maria is a trilingual international student interested in studying the intersection between language and psychology. Her interests in environmental sustainability sparked as she saw the differences between countries’ perspectives towards going green. Working for AIR was her first step into the environmental field and learning more about the climate crisis through her role has made her realize that there’s still hope for people to restore the planet’s health. She’s learned that there are many things we can do to protect our planet both collectively and individually.

In March, Earth Grant students joined forces with students from two other AIR Education Initiatives programs, Indigenous Correspondents Program and Diana Liverman Scholars, to present on their learning journeys and community-engaged projects.

Isabella Feldmann is a 2022-2023 Earth Grant student who interns at the Sonoran Institute. She explains that Earth Grant has amazing professional development opportunities in the environmental field that allows students to broaden their experiences in the industry! She’s also writing a thesis studying how marine microorganisms out of the Amazon River Plume use organic phosphorus versus manmade inorganic phosphorus as an energy source.

Meet a UArizona senior majoring in Economics at the Eller College of Management and minoring in Sustainable Built Environments. As a member of Students for Sustainability, she loves sharing the projects the group is working on across the UArizona campus.