There’s a Toxic Weed Killer on the Menu in K-12 Schools Across the US – Glyphosate has been found in over 70 percent of oat-based breakfast cereals served in US schools. Creative Communities Are Addressing Social Isolation – Social connections are not just nice to have—they can significantly affect our health and well-being. Inspired by creative approaches abroad, … [Read more...] about FYI: News you won’t find in mainstream media
Ag policy is health policy
Long a strong advocate for healthier food and small growers, Health Care Without Harm points out in a recent fact sheet what should be obvious: ag policy is also health policy (& climate policy). By supporting agribusiness and unsustainable crops, the US government makes a choice to undermine small growers that follow true organic principles, thus rebuilding the … [Read more...] about Ag policy is health policy
FYI: Fracking chemicals still showing up in PA freshwater mussels
Environmental Health News, 10 September 2018—Chemicals from fracking wastewater dumped into Pennsylvania's Allegheny River before 2011 are still accumulating in the bodies of freshwater mussels downstream, according to a new study. The study, published Wednesday in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Science & Technology, is among the first to show bioaccumulation—the … [Read more...] about FYI: Fracking chemicals still showing up in PA freshwater mussels
FYI: Weekend reading from AFSC
Just came across this interesting newsletter from the American Friends Service Committee [AFSC]. Thank you to everyone who signed our petition to stop Congress from expanding deadly immigrant detention (if you haven’t signed, you can still add your name here). We’ll keep you posted on ways to take action to defund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the weeks … [Read more...] about FYI: Weekend reading from AFSC
Do you buy chocolate produced by slaves?
Those who buy chocolate (or coffee or tea or bananas or …) that does not follow international FairTrade standards are saving money by buying the products of exploitation. Demand that shops carry FairTrade and eliminate products based on exploiting others! Here's an update on the cacao/chocolate business. Hershey, Nestle, & M&M Mars are all part of the problem, … [Read more...] about Do you buy chocolate produced by slaves?
Peter’s blog: ‘Slavery & Prisons today’
Thanks to the 13th Amendment, a person convicted of a crime can be forced to work as punishment. And thanks to widespread racism in society, law enforcement, the courts, and the prison system, Black people are vastly more likely to wind up in prison. (See the two highly-recommended films listed at the bottom of this post.) In addition to working in the laundry or serving … [Read more...] about Peter’s blog: ‘Slavery & Prisons today’
Decolonizing America for a Sustainable Future
by Maison Allen What if Europeans never settled in North America? Would the land in this country have remained unharmed? Would the environment be in better condition than it is today? Unlike colonists, the Native people did not treat the Earth as a consumable good. While there is no way to answer these questions, taking a look at the way Indigenous people lived suggests that … [Read more...] about Decolonizing America for a Sustainable Future
Call to Action: Stop the FirstEnergy Bailout
Please send the following letter to protest the bailout requested by FirstEnergy: DATE President Donald J. Trump 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington, DC 37188 Honorable Rick Perry, Secretary Department of Energy 1000 Independence Ave. SW Washington, DC 20585 Dear President Trump/Secretary Perry I purchase electricity through the PJM Interconnection. I am writing to ask … [Read more...] about Call to Action: Stop the FirstEnergy Bailout
Voices of the Valley 2018
As we wait for copies of the 2018 Sustainable Lehigh Valley booklet (now being printed), we invite you to check out the many great ideas in the Voices of the Valley section. Essays from the 2018 edition of Sustainable Lehigh Valley: Is There Hope for the Future?, by Alex Fischer The Paradox of “Nature”, by Andrew Goldman The Cycle of Discarding, by Briana VanBuskirk … [Read more...] about Voices of the Valley 2018
Interdisciplinary Teaching on Climate & Calculating Your School’s GHG Emissions
by Megan Arnold and Peter Crownfield Climate change is in the news, and we’ve seen a huge marches for science and for climate action. In many schools, though, global warming and climate change have been largely ignored, except for brief discussions in some science classes. And, despite the push for more STEM education, the U.S. government is now downplaying science and has … [Read more...] about Interdisciplinary Teaching on Climate & Calculating Your School’s GHG Emissions