Since the early 1990s, the small blue Energy Star label has appeared on millions of household appliances, electronics and even buildings across the United States. But as the Trump administration considers terminating some or all of the program, it is worth a look at what exactly this government-backed label means, and why it has become one of the most recognizable environmental certifications in the country.

In February 2021, thousands of Nebraskans found themselves in the dark of rolling blackouts. A brutal polar vortex froze wind turbines, strained natural gas supplies and exposed serious weaknesses in our energy grid. However, even as multiple power sources failed, one remained steadfast — nuclear energy.

Each spring, some of Nebraska’s most anticipated visitors descend on the Platte River in droves, both by land and by air: the sandhill cranes and the people who come to look at them.

Hundreds of thousands of cranes embark on a long journey from their winter habitat in Texas and Mexico to their summer homes in Canada, straight through a line of U.S. states called the Central Flyway.