Clean, renewable energy is essential for sustainability. The main problems with getting to 100% renewable energy are that solar and wind energy spend on weather and time of day, and this makes some sort of storage important. Improved and less expensive batteries are often touted as the solution to the intermittency of truly renewable energy. Unfortunately, the demand for … [Read more...] about Clean energy, batteries, & mining
Environment & Ecology
Building Demolition
Those concerned about the dust that will be released by the upcoming implosion have good reason for concern. According to studies, including Nuruddeen Usman's 'An Evaluation of Buildings Destruction Technique and Its Menace', published in the EU, this method of demolition creates many serious health risks that can take years to show up. [PDF] It goes on to say that modern … [Read more...] about Building Demolition
FYI: News you won’t find in mainstream media
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
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
Peter’s blog: ‘What could we be learning from others?’
A recent article by Janice Lee ('What Humanity Can Learn From Plants'), raises this question. It's well worth reading! Lee asks why we value 'scientific' knowledge over all other ways of knowing and points out some other limitations of our ways, such as rendering non-human living beings as 'it', as if they were inanimate objects. She suggests we could learn a lot from trees … [Read more...] about Peter’s blog: ‘What could we be learning from others?’
My summer internship: Sustainability Impact Assessment
As an intern for Alliance, I was able to meet and hear the concerns of local officials and important community stakeholders. We discussed issues and gathered advice from a diverse array of people like city councilmen, NGO leaders, and company executives. I learned of the extensive detail and nuance that is necessary to create an effective sustainability assessment. It was a … [Read more...] about My summer internship: Sustainability Impact Assessment
Peter’s blog: ‘Development can be sustainable — or destructive’
Some municipalities require impact assessments for proposed projects, but they often are inadequate or focus primarily on economic considerations. An integrated and comprehensive sustainability impact assessment is essential to understanding the range of inter-related impacts a project will have on climate change, community, health, environment, and economy. This summer, a … [Read more...] about Peter’s blog: ‘Development can be sustainable — or destructive’
Peter’s blog: ‘Cheyenne River Sioux statement on Keystone XL spill’
Note: The figure of 210,000 gallons came from the pipeline operator; I suspect it will prove to be 2 or 3 times the initial figure. EAGLE BUTTE, SOUTH DAKOTA, 18 November 2017 —American Indian tribes have opposed the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline since it was announced. The tribes have longed fear the danger of oil leaks which are inevitable. After the existing Keystone … [Read more...] about Peter’s blog: ‘Cheyenne River Sioux statement on Keystone XL spill’
Synthetic Turf update [August 2017]
Tug McGraw. John Vukovich. Johnny Oates. And now Darren Daulton—that's 4 Phillies who have succumbed to brain cancer that may be connected to playing on artificial turf at Veterans Stadium. Phillies Unnerved by Possible Brain Cancer Pattern After Darren Daulton Death | Rolling Stone The Brain Cancer That Keeps Killing Baseball Players | New York Times Four Phils and brain … [Read more...] about Synthetic Turf update [August 2017]
Peter’s blog: “Standing Rock: attacks by ‘law enforcement’ are shameful”
Law enforcement officers swear an oath to uphold the law, which includes the Constitution, aka 'the Supreme Law of the Land'. Why then are they so willing to break the law by attacking people exercising their Constitutional rights? According to a report in Truthout, on Thursday, the so-called law enforcement officers attacked the water protectors at Standing Rock, who were … [Read more...] about Peter’s blog: “Standing Rock: attacks by ‘law enforcement’ are shameful”