The following is from the introduction to the October newsletter from SEHN [Science & environmental Health Network] Other content from the newsletter is linked below. It’s midnight and the doves are in tears.* In the introduction to the New York Times’ opinion series, At the Brink, which addresses the threat of nuclear weapons in an unstable … [Read more...] about The Damage of False Solutions
health
What do Three Mile Island, the Julian Assange case, and the US role with Israel have common?
I think they all show the government's willingness to protect itself (and corporations) even when it harms the people, violating its fundamental responsibility to act in the best interests of the people. They also demonstrate the willingness to keep government actions secret (even while reducing individual privacy). Here are four stories that shed some light on this: … [Read more...] about What do Three Mile Island, the Julian Assange case, and the US role with Israel have common?
Sustainable Food Systems – New Report
There are a number of excellent systems that encourage small farmers, organic agriculture, and systems that serve a specific region. Unlike industrial-scale farms and mono-cropping, regenerative organic agriculture produces healthy food, reduces toxic pollution of the air, soil and water; it also makes a major contribution to reducing global warming and climate … [Read more...] about Sustainable Food Systems – New Report
Synthetic Turf – Hazardous to Your Health
It was good to read that Cedar Crest College is trying to improve their athletic fields — but sad and disappointing to see that a school with such a strong health focus would install synthetic turf (sometimes called artificial turf). It's especially odd to see this at a time when professional athletes are refusing to play on synthetic turf. It's also disappointing that … [Read more...] about Synthetic Turf – Hazardous to Your Health
Plastic’s Impacts on Our Health
In March, a new study found that microplastics measurably increased people’s risk of heart attack, stroke, and death. With each new study published, plastics’ negative impacts on human health are becoming clearer and more widespread. So what does this mean for you? Please join Beyond Plastics and Dr. Phil Landrigan via Zoom on Thursday, May 2 from 7-8PM ET to discuss … [Read more...] about Plastic’s Impacts on Our Health
Sustainable Lehigh Valley 2024 is here!
The 2024 issue of Sustainable Lehigh Valley is available now! It is full of thought-provoking and enjoyable work — essays, art, poems, and stories — by Rebecca Canright, Dani Dollenger, David Fadem, Faramarz Farbod, Lillie Gensel, Samuel Griffith, Regine Henry, Gene Hunter, Hannah Kraybill-Greggo, Orly Kvitka, Ema Miele, Corena Munroe*, Felix Murch, Ericka Nimbley*, … [Read more...] about Sustainable Lehigh Valley 2024 is here!
What’s so bad about natural gas?
Here are four very serious problems with natural gas: (1) drilling & fracking cause major emissions that harm the health of people and animals within a mile or so of the site; (2) indoor uses of natural gas (including in gas stoves) produce nitrous oxides that endanger people's health; (3) fracking wastewater is toxic and often highly radioactive; and (4) natural gas is a … [Read more...] about What’s so bad about natural gas?
Week Three: Rethinking the Food System, One Meeting at a Time
Now that we're in the third week of our "Rethinking the Food System" project, the focus of our work is coming into view. We're realizing that our biggest obstacle will be to encourage schools to change, but we hope to at least rock the boat with our sample wellness policy. Luckily, we had great meetings this week that gave us more than enough inspiration going forward. Our … [Read more...] about Week Three: Rethinking the Food System, One Meeting at a Time
Beyond Plastics / Back-to-school Guide
BeyondPlastics provides a Plastic-Free Back To School Guide and a variety of other resources, including guides for eliminating single-use plastics in cafés and restaurants and by dry cleaners. For more information, see the BeyondPlastics site — and our own resources on Climate Action Planning and Implementing Bethlehem’s Climate Action Plan, both of which include information … [Read more...] about Beyond Plastics / Back-to-school Guide
Notes from the Editor
Global capitalism’s race to the bottom (and for the bottom line) is not only generating runaway economic inequalities, social unrest, and political dysfunctionality, but also a race off the ecological cliff in the near future. A study that looked at average temperature and precipitation changes only, excluding the most extreme impacts, found that At least 85% of the world’s … [Read more...] about Notes from the Editor