Urban Gardens Are Your Civic Duty

If my previous post The Bees' Knees got you interested in urban farming, here is an article about a couple of Brits who are trying to make it easier for you. I especially love the Beehaus.
They have inspired me so much that I think I am going to suggest to my parents that they begin to keep an Eglu in their backyard. What? Chickens thrive in the suburbs.
The article touches upon the rise in interest in gardening. It is a cheaper, healthier way to eat. You don't have to use pesticides and you know exactly what is going in to your soil. In some ways the renewed gardening campaigns remind me of the victory garden campaigns used during WWI and WWII. The reasoning behind victory gardens is somewhat different than an urban garden but it promotes personal gardens nonetheless. Victory gardens were advocated during the wars to relieve pressure on the public food supply. Eleanor Roosevelt had one at the White House (not so original, Mrs. Obama).

Health Care Reform for Dummies

Are you confused about health reform? I don't blame you it's quite a conundrum. This post is going to appeal more to our public health readers rather than our environmental ones. But, I think it is an important issue to discuss.
I will try my best to make as much clear as possible.
Let's start with this premise: our healthcare system is broken. I don't think that is debatable. Something has to change so that 45-50 million people are not uninsured. These people don't receive primary care and tend to use the Emergency Room as their doctor's office. You, the taxpayer pay for that. Wouldn't you rather not? Isn't everyone entitled to health care?
Here are some links that help to explain the new proposals.
Let's start with the government's website. It gives an overview of the new system and you can also share your personal story (which I of course already did).
Here is one from the Washington Post that explains the difference between single payer system and socialized medicine. Basically, there is a difference between them. Socialized medicine is where the government provides health services. Health care providers are essentially employees of the federal government. A single payer system is where the government PAYS for the health care but does not own the system.
Another issue that needs to be cleared up is the fake Death Panels. Sarah Palin and her cronies are saying that Obama and his plan are promoting euthanasia and are going to have death panels that decide whose life is more worthy of being saved. This is just plum not true. There is no such thing. Here is an article that dispels these myths and sets the record straight. What is really going on is that there are proposals in the legislation that would provide coverage for consultations for end of life care.
My favorite part of this debate is watching very ill informed people complain that they don't want the government meddling with their health care. My favorite video is that of the woman who had cancer and claimed to love the health care she received while sick. She is now getting divorced and is unemployed, and hence has no health insurance. But she is adamant about the government not telling her what kind of health care she should have. What this woman fails to understand is that no health insurance is going to take the risk of insuring her because she is unemployed and a cancer survivor. She is exactly the person who would benefit from the public option. Watch her rant. (Please disregard the very rude representative in the beginning)

Here is another favorite video of mine proving the lack of knowledge of these protesters.

And just in case you live under a rock and haven't seen the Barney Frank video. Here it is.

Last time I checked Nazis were not looking to provide health care for all German citizens.
The public option will be an ALTERNATIVE to the private options. Many people misunderstand and think that the government is going to require them to be on public insurance. They are afraid that the government is going to take away their right to choose. But many of these same people have no problem taking away a woman's right to choose.
I do not claim to know everything about health care reform and if you have any questions or comments please free to send them along.

Hug a Tree, Then Save a Whale

I really do not go to the movies very often. At $12.50 a pop I usually wait for it to come out on DVD. However, if something really catches my interest, I make an exception. I made an exception for The Cove. I had read very little about this movie, besides that it was about a small Japanese town that slaughters thousands of dolphins. Immediately, I was interested because I have a soft spot for animals.
I think a lot of environmentalists get a bad rap because a lot of people just assume we all want to save the whales. "Saving the whales" and "hugging trees" have become slurs used to poke fun at people who are dedicated to environmental causes. But, saving the whales is a very important environmental concern that has both public health and ecosystem ramifications.

SPOILER ALERT: I am going to discuss the film in some detail, so if you are planning to see it, stop reading here and come back and read this post after.
The movie is directed by Louie Psihoyos, who is one of the main characters in the film. Louie teamed up with Ric O'Barry, the former trainer of all the Flipper dolphins. Ric O'Barry feels personally responsible for the capture and commercialization of dolphins around the world and is now an advocate to end these practices. His main focus is the town of Taiji, Japan. Every year the fishermen of Taiji round up dolphins by banging on poles to disorient the dolphins by messing with their sonar. They corral them into the bay and allow dolphin trainers to choose the choice dolphins that would make the best entertainers. They then take the rest of the dolphins into the cove (hence, the title) and ruthlessly slaughter them in a very non-humane way. The dolphins are butchered for their meat which is sold as other types of meat. Psihoyos, O'Barry and a team of secret ops capture the gruesome slaughter on film and believe me, it is very hard to watch.

Here are the major issues highlighted in this film. Killing and capturing thousands of dolphins every year upsets the ocean's ecosystems. The depletion of dolphins upsets the food chain and it is extremely difficult to restore.
There are public health implications as well because dolphin meat is very high in mercury. The higher up on the food chain an animal is the higher the concentration of mercury in their meat. In Taiji the meat is a whopping 2000 ppm (parts per million) and the acceptable level is .04 ppm. That's quite a difference. Mercury poisoning from fish can lead to severe neurological disorders in developing fetuses and young children. See Minamata Disease. Dolphin meat was being consumed in Taiji schools and many people fear a repeat of Minamata.
I am somewhat familiar with the International Whaling Commission from watching Whale Wars. It doesn't seem like their rules and regulations are enforced too strongly. The IWC limits how many whales and other cetaceans can be killed in a year. The Japanese Whaling Commission justifies their many killings by calling it research and also using the lamest excuse ever- the dolphins and whales are eating the fish supply that the Japanese people depend on.
All of my ramblings are just a way to tell you to go see the movie and help save the world's dolphins!

The Scoop on Pig Poop

Can you tell that I am very passionate about factory farming issues? As a final paper in school I profiled Smithfield Foods and their hog operations in North Carolina. Iowa is the largest hog producing state followed closely by North Carolina. However, there are factory farms distributed throughout the country (even NY!) Check out this map to see the distribution of farms.
There are many environmental issues that arise from factory farming. These farms produce massive amounts of manure, which isn't usually only manure. Many things can be found in the "manure", such as antibiotics and dead pigs. It is stored in lagoons that are now required to have polyethylene liners. However, these lagoons leak and become flooded during storms. To lower the lagoon levels, many farmers will spray the manure on adjacent fields as "fertilizer". I am no farmer, but I am pretty sure raw sewage does not a fertilizer make. It needs to be treated and manufactured into a usable fertilizer. Additionally, the adjacent fields are usually fallow, so they just become manure fields. As a result of these poor practices, many of the local groundwater supplies and rivers become contaminated by the toxic runoff. In 1991, ONE BILLION fish were killed in the Neuse River in North Carolina, by pfiesteria, an organism that feeds off nitrogen and phosphorous found in manure.

Apparently, manure spraying is not the only crop and water contaminant. Ethicurean has run a short story about the use of untreated wastewater from fruit and vegetable processing. Who knew?

Your Handy Dandy Guide to Environmental Acronyms

Us science nerds are very fond of acronyms. It saves time when writing intricate science documents but it creates a problem for laymen who want to brush up on the latest environmental issues. I have created a handy little list to help you navigate a typical environmental science document. (props to me because I didn't have to look any of these up!) If you have any you would like to add please feel free to share them!



BPA= Bisphenol A
PAH= Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
PCB= Polychlorinate Biphenyls
CEQ= Council on Environmental Quality
EPA= Environmental Protection Agency
NEPA= National Environmental Policy Act
EIS= Environmental Impact Statement
CERCLA= Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (Superfund)
RCRA= Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
CAA= Clean Air Act
SDWA= Safe Drinking Water Act
FIFRA= Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act
NAAQS= National Ambient Air Quality Standards
NRDC= Natural Resources Defense Council
EDF= Environmental Defense Fund
EJ= Environmental Justice
MCL= Maximum Contaminant Levels
DBP= Disinfectant By-products
CDC= Centers for Disease Control
FDA= Food and Drug Administration
WHO= World Health Organization
PM10/PM2.5= Particulate Matter 10(micrometers)/ Particulate Matter 2.5(micrometers)
Nox= Nitrous Oxides
Sox= Sulfur Oxides
GHG= Greenhouse Gases
VOC= Volatile Organic Compounds
RfD= Reference Dose
GMO= genetically modified organism
CO= Carbon monoxide

What obesity is costing Americans - new report from CDC

A study released last week from the CDC finds that the annual medical costs of obesity now reach $147 billion!!! Not only do these costs represent over 9 percent of total US medical costs, but this share has been rapidly increasing. The study shows that obese people, on average, spent 42 percent more for medical care than people within a healthy weight category. And these are just the medical costs - not captured in the study are potential losses in quality of life and productivity attributable to obesity. Numerous studies have identified income as a key risk factor for obesity, especially among children, and the costs outlined in this report emphasize the ways in which poverty and obesity may be locked in a cycle of negative synergy. 

CDC has recommended community strategies to prevent obesity in a separate MMRW report also released in late July. Highlighted strategies include availability of nutritious foods and building walkability in urban design, particularly for school-age children. Programs at the NYC Dept. of Health and PlaNYC have us on the right track, but clearly the impacts of this epidemic are widespread and the disparities it exacerbates will have myriad consequences.

For more analysis, see an interview with former FDA Commissioner David Kessler on the CDC report and his book "The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite," which looks at the food industry's manipulation of eating habits and desires through both advertising and chemistry.

More statistics and national trends of obesity and overweight from CDC highlight research, data and prevention programs. 

Burning Questions

I know many of you have sat around on a Sunday afternoon with nothing to do. You flip through your tv channels and nothing catches your interest. You try to read the paper again, but it's the same stories as the morning. Here is the answer to your Sunday doldrums.
The EPA homepage features a fun little quiz called EnviroQ. According to the website it "highlights important environmental issues and helpful information that everyone can use."
So, get cracking and learn how scrap tires can save the environment.