#blessed

As we wrap up our time in India, we would like to say thanks to everyone who’s made it possible for us to come here. First, the Swanson School of Engineering and the Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation for providing us with funding and support through the whole process. SSOE and MSCI have given us […]

$U$T@!N@B!L!TY (SUSTAINABILITY?)

Anyone passing through Leh will notice that businesses have figured out how to appeal to the environmentally minded tourist. Most people come to Ladakh to go trekking, and since trekkers are into nature, they’re also usually pretty into protecting it. So, as a response, businesses loosely toss around the phrases “eco”, “organic”, “natural”, and “sustainable”. […]

On the Front Lines of Climate Change

Water scarcity, brought on by climate change, mismanagement of resources, pollution, and countless other factors, has become a reality in much of the world. It hits countries in the developing world especially hard, at a time when those who’ve contributed the least to climate change bear most of the impact. Issues surrounding water scarcity are […]

36 HOURS IN LEH

The town of Leh is often treated as a point of transience for tourists moving through Ladakh in search of the best trek, the highest lake, or the most authentic homestay. While the surrounding attractions justify traveling far and wide, Leh itself should not be overlooked. There’s a reason why Indians come all the way from Mumbai, […]

Artificial Glaciers and Butter Tea

After getting acclimatized to Ladakh and doing some preliminary research, we finally set out to investigate “Artificial Glaciers”, which are what brought us to India in the first place. Taylor and I wrote about artificial glaciers for a freshman year research paper that was discovered by a landscape architecture professor who invited us to do […]

Jullay!

Four days after leaving Pittsburgh, Naomi and I finally arrived in Leh and were greeted by the guards of what was once the highest-altitude airport in the world, Indian military officers equipped with machine guns. Leh is located in the Ladakh region of India’s northernmost state, Jammu & Kashmir. Ladakh, referred to as “Little Tibet,” […]