I write for curious kids and adults, focusing on solutions to environmental problems, social justice, amazing creatures, and interesting science. I’ve also published how-to books for adults on water conservation, reuse and ecological sanitation.
My article, “For a better brick, just add poop,” won the 2023 Gold Award in Children’s Science News from the AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Awards.
Here is a selection of my work.
Water, Water, Water, and Toilets
- Bottled water hosts many thousands of nano-sized plastic bits (Science News Explores 3/6/24)
- For greener toilets and air conditioning, consider saltwater (Science News Explores 6/27/23)
- For a better brick, just add poop (Science News Explores 1/26/2023)
- Leaky sewer pipes pollute urban streams and bays with drugs (Science News Explores 11/24/21)
- Terrifying Toilets of Ancient Rome (Cricket magazine 10/1/22)
- Welcome, Greywater, to the Garden (for adults in Pacific Horticulture, Summer 2022)
- 8 Part Special Series on Water for Young Zine, an organization that educates kids about climate change and solutions. Part 1: Water in Our Daily Lives, Part 2: The Problem with Water, Part 3: Reusing Greywater, Part 4: Harvesting Rainwater, Part 5: Recycling Blackwater, Part 6: Saving Stormwater, Part 7: Recycling Wastewater, Part 8: Surprising Sources of Water
- From Laundry to Landscape: Tap into Greywater (for adults in Mother Earth News, 8/2011)
Climate Change & Solutions
- Chemists make device to destroy planet-warming methane pollution (Science News Explores 1/22/24)
- New device can harvest clean energy from humid air anywhere (Science News Explores 8/18/23)
- High-tech solar ‘leaves’ create green fuels from the sun (Science News Explores 8/14/23)
- Eight ways you can cut your carbon footprint (Science News Explores 2/9/23)
- Gas stoves can spew lots of pollution, even when they’re turned off (Science News Explores 1/30/23)
- Green energy is cheaper than fossil fuels, a new study finds (Science News Explores 1/20/23)
- Explainer: What is decarbonization? (Science News Explores 1/20/23)
- This sun-powered system delivers energy as it pulls water from the air (Science News Explores 5/2/22)
Social Justice and Human Rights
- Common high-school textbooks promote unscientific views on gender (Science News Explores 6/5/24)
- How to help transgender and nonbinary teens bloom during puberty (Science News Explores 5/31/24)
- Supportive spaces help LGBTQ+ youth thrive in school and beyond (Science News Explores 6/2/23)
Animals and Cool Science
- Smartphones can now bring Ice Age animals back to ‘life’ (Science News Explores 5/6/22)
- Mosquitoes see red, which may be why they find us so appealing (Science News Explores 4/2/22)
- Bees and butterflies struggle to find flowers in polluted air (Science News Explores 2/23/22)
- DNA in air can help ID unseen animals nearby (Science News Explores 1/28/22)
- Several plant-like algae can morph into animal-like predators (Science News Explores 4/23/21)
Books
Greywater, Green Landscape: How to Install Simple Water-Saving Irrigation Systems in Your Yard (By Laura Allen, Storey Press, 2017)
Save thousands of gallons of water annually and have a beautiful yard no matter the weather by capturing and reusing water from sinks, showers, and washing machines. This empowering and easy-to-use manual offers practical, long-term strategies for water management, with easy, do-it-yourself instructions and step-by-step photography to guide you through constructing and installing a variety of systems throughout your house and garden. No matter which system you decide to build, you’ll have the information to construct it yourself or move forward with confidence to hire a professional. Available for purchase here.
The Water-Wise Home: How to Conserve, Capture, and Reuse Water in Your Home and Landscape (By Laura Allen, Storey Press, 2015)
Even as severe droughts become more common and the water crisis heats up worldwide, you can radically reduce water use in your own home. Laura Allen is your expert guide to building systems that conserve and reuse water while saving money and meeting the needs of your home and garden. These practical, low tech solutions are an essential part of our new water future.
Learn how to: Install a greywater system. Construct a rainwater catchment system. Design a rain garden. Build waterless composting toilet
Available here.