Author Archives: hmerrillwoodward

 American healthcare is distinctly different from most other western nations. Employer based healthcare makes healthcare unattainable to many and a constant expense to almost all Americans. How did we come to make healthcare and employment a package deal? In the early 1920’s the first iterations of health insurance came to be as hospitals and doctors formed groups to provide insurance. These insurances are still around today, they are Blue Cross and Blue Shield. These plans were made to make healthcare more accessible as hospitals began turning larger profits, however, these plans were almost exclusively purchased on an individuals personal basis. Continue reading How did we get here? Healthcare in America→

As most Puget Sound students are well aware universities, ours included, have been struggling post pandemic. Enrollment rates are down across the country, and so in turn many universities are struggling to make ends meet. Though undergraduate learning was declining pre pandemic, online learning has accelerated this decline. Nationwide undergraduate enrollment fell by 9.4% between 2020 and 2022. Financially, a little over 60% of colleges saw tuition revenue decline, though these losses are often associated with smaller schools, the big-name Ivy’s saw the same drops in tuition revenue. Colleges rely on tuition as their main source of funding, so these Continue reading A Brief Discussion about UPS and Other Colleges in Post-Pandemic Society→

In my past posts, I have discussed the important crossover between economic and climate issues. My posts have focused primarily on the problems of climate change and not on the movement to a solution. Economics is very intertwined with climate mitigation as it is expensive and impactful on every aspect of human life. To measure climate mitigation it is necessary to put climate costs in numeric values, one of the most important measurements is the social cost of carbon. The social cost of carbon is “an estimate of the cost, in dollars of the damage done by each additional ton Continue reading The Fluctuating Social Cost of Carbon→

Climate inequality is one of the many harms that will come with climate change. Climate inequality is the phenomenon that climate change will disproportionately harm low and middle-income countries. Countries in the Global South are at a geographical disadvantage when it comes to climate change, these countries are often closer to sea level and warmer. This subjects the Global South to harsher effects of increased temperature and rising sea level, as well as the onslaught of natural disasters that is to come. The Global South is not well equipped for these effects. The infrastructure and economies of many of these Continue reading Climate Inequality→

In my last post, I discussed how harmful the fast fashion industry is to the environment, even though it is very affordable. When looking for more environmentally friendly options I found that sustainable brands and thrifting are the most popular alternatives to fast fashion. Sustainable clothing brands are great alternatives to shopping fast fashion because they use environmentally friendly methods of production. This means that the actual material the clothing is made out of is environmentally friendly, the labor is humane, and the packing methods are sustainable. Shopping for sustainable brands is a great option for those who can afford Continue reading Alternatives to Fast Fashion→

Fast fashion has become popular in recent years and has become a topic of moral debate. Fast fashion can be identified as “inexpensive clothing produced rapidly by mass-market in retailers in response to the latest trends” (Oxford Dictionary). Due to their inexpensiveness price tags and quick turnover, these brands are often popular. Fast fashion gives consumers an affordable option to get in on current fashion trends. However, their affordability and quick turnover to keep up with trends come at a high price. Fast fashion companies are known to exploit their workers and release high amounts of pollutants from production. Clothing Continue reading Fast Fashion: Affordability at a Cost→