Environment – Alison Pearce Stevens

I was on NPR on Friday

Alison — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 14:47:34 +0000

I got to chat with Genevieve Randall about all things BEAVERS, how people and the environment can coexist, and how I transitioned from biologist to children’s author.

Check it out here (my section begins at 37:54).

Also: check out Jewel Roger’s poem at 23:33!

Blueberry Honor!

Alison — Mon, 24 Mar 2025 18:52:49 +0000

I am delighted to have Animal Climate Heroes selected as a Blueberry Honor book! Created by Evanston Public Library to recognize children’s books that foster a love of nature and the environment, the Blueberry (a blue-planet play on the Newbery Medal) is a huge honor, and I’m grateful for the recognition.

If you want to know more, you can check out Betsy Bird’s overview of the award ceremony here, see the full list of Blueberry Honor books here (be sure to click Show next 15 items at the bottom!), or check out some of the thank-you videos on YouTube.

Books for a Better Earth

Alison — Tue, 28 Mar 2023 17:21:04 +0000

I’m super excited to be one of the authors contributing to Holiday House’s Books for a Better Earth collection! There’s lots of information out there about how bad things are, environmentally speaking. But there isn’t much about what people can do–and are doing–to make things better. Every single one of us can make a difference, and Books for a Better Earth highlights people’s efforts in books that are full of hope and inspiration. The books themselves are printed on sustainably sourced paper and printed in a way that minimizes waste when the books are assembled.

Want to learn more about these phenomenal books? Publisher’s Weekly has a great overview. And you can learn more here:

Surfing electrons create the northern lights

Alison — Mon, 14 Jun 2021 21:31:20 +0000

The flickering glow of the northern and southern lights is known around the world. They occur when electrons from the sun’s solar wind run into Earth’s magnetic field. But in order to build up enough energy to release light, those electrons had to speed up to a whopping 45 million miles per hour! Scientists just discovered how they do that–by surfing along waves in our atmosphere, just like a surfer rides waves in the ocean.

Did you know? Northern lights can only be seen near the Arctic circle. Southern Lights are only seen near the Antarctic Circle. Every now and then they stray closer to the equator, but not by far. source

Want to know more? Check out the different types of auroras, including arcs, bands, and rays here.

Listen to millions of monarchs

Alison — Thu, 09 May 2019 12:44:48 +0000

What sound does a butterfly make? With it’s delicate wings, not a whole lot–until you get millions of them together in one place. Most monarchs migrate to Mexico for the winter. There, they huddle in trees at night and flit about during the day. There are millions of them–enough that you can hear the sound of their wings when they take flight. Sounds kind of like water to me.

Did you know? It takes several generations of monarchs to fly north in the spring, but just one to return and overwinter. Winter monarchs live much longer than summer ones. source

Want to know more? We’re losing monarchs at a fast pace, but it’s easy to help them out, just by planting some milkweed. Find out more at the Monarch Butterfly siteMonarch Butterfly Site.

New outdoor classroom–now in!

Alison — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 22:50:42 +0000

Here it is, the culmination of something I have poured my heart and soul into for the past two years: the outdoor classroom is in! I applied for the main grant for this space two years ago. That school year, a group of curious kids helped investigate the school as part of the grant, and then we waited for district approval (these things take time). But after two years of preparation, it’s a reality. My kids’ school has a spectacular outdoor classroom. (Well, it will be spectacular, once it’s had a chance to grow.)

Kentucky coffee tree, catmint, goldenrod, yarrow, coral berry, and prairie dropseed.

Today, we had more than 50 adult volunteers overseeing planting by the entire student body–more than 500 students!

Dallas blues switchgrass (along fence), purple coneflower, goldenrod, catmint, blue star, New Jersey tea, blue false indigo.

Everyone, from kindergarteners to fifth graders, helped put in plants.

New Jersey tea, purple coneflower, goldenrod, viburnum, silky dogwood, black-eyed Susan.

Some kids were getting dirty for what may have been the first time. And they loved it. It was fabulous!

More of the same. So many plants!

Later this week, we’ll add the mulch. There are unplanted areas (off the path) where classes will be able to gather to investigate nature. Or take measurements for math. Or write poetry. Or read. It’s really a multi-purpose classroom.

Buttonbush (look it up, it’s gorgeous), coral berry, yarrow, prairie dropseed.

Okay, it doesn’t look like much–yet. But all of these plants will be huge next year. And blooming. And it will really be something. I can’t wait to see how it looks!

Big project underway!

Alison — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 02:52:40 +0000

It’s been a long, crazy few months, but I am very excited about a project I’ve been heading up: my kids’ school is getting a spectacular sustainable outdoor classroom.

The schools is one of 30 in Nebraska that is part of the Sustainable Schoolyards Partnership. The funding we got as part of the SSP is allowing us to convert what was a muddy, mucky walkway into a space planted with lots of native trees, shrubs, grasses, and perennials–a low-maintenance space where kids can get outside and learn about the nature that grows here naturally.

An army of volunteers started installing it on Saturday. Tomorrow, the entire school will help finish planting. Over 500 students and parent volunteers will put in around 300 plants. It’s going to be amazing!

Coral berry along the school building. These shrubs are native to the region and will fill in, creating habitat for birds. The berries stay on all winter, providing great color during a drab season.

Low-grow sumac. Those shrubs will spread 6-8 feet, filling in the space near the parking lot. The leaves turn brilliant red in the fall.

We have viburnum and a couple of Kentucky coffee trees that will shade the area in the future.

Poo-powered bus!

Alison — Mon, 30 Mar 2015 12:00:37 +0000

Turning waste into clean transportation.

GENeco’s waste-powered bus. Photo courtesy of Wessex Water.

Check it out: The world’s first poo-powered bus! Engineers believe the GENeco Bio-Bus offers a sustainable alternative to public transportation. That’s because it runs on biomethane captured from the breakdown of human sewage and food waste. (Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that can also be burned for fuel.) The bus not only burns waste that would otherwise wind up in a landfill, it also releases 97% fewer pollutants than standard diesel buses do. And by using human waste as a fuel source, it eliminates the need for fossil fuels (gas and oil), which contribute to climate change.

That makes it a sustainable alternative for passengers in Bristol, UK.

The annual waste (sewage and food) from one person provides enough biomethane to power the bus for a 55 kilometer (34 mile) trip. The compressed gas is stored in tanks on top of the bus (the part painted to look like a cloudy sky). One side of the side of the bus shows people using the loo. The other shows food waste (think apple cores and banana peels) being tossed into special receptacles. GENeco makes enough biomethane from both sources each year to provide gas to 8,300 homes in addition to powering the bus.

Did you know? Cows are gassy! They produce huge amounts of methane every day. In fact, cows housed in a German barn let out so much methane, a spark blew the roof clean off!

Want to know more? Check out GENeco’s pages on the Bio-Bus and Bio-Bug.