tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313541268562886592024-03-13T04:36:52.589-07:00The Grassroots BlogDoug and Patti Woodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17141096180941570111noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-931354126856288659.post-79741645220326748142017-11-22T09:17:00.001-08:002017-11-22T09:17:32.715-08:00What Do Styrofoam Packing Peanuts and Sweet Potato Fries Have in Common?<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Actually, not a lot.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">But wait, I’m trying to solve two very different, but very similar
problems. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Let’s start with packing peanuts.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">If every town, school district, business, and store contacted their
suppliers and told them they would not accept shipments packed in styrofoam
peanuts or other plastic packaging, manufacturers and distributors would have
to source biodegradable packaging materials to keep their business. (And, by the
way, packing peanuts made out of corn starch work just as well!)</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jlwEUG80Kn0/WhWwxtotPVI/AAAAAAAAAU0/l49cr8oZtSce6FbPJ3OehJ8wHcqys_ppACLcBGAs/s1600/PackingMaterial2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jlwEUG80Kn0/WhWwxtotPVI/AAAAAAAAAU0/l49cr8oZtSce6FbPJ3OehJ8wHcqys_ppACLcBGAs/s320/PackingMaterial2.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are plenty of good alternatives to packing peanuts!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don’t have a good transition line here, but let’s talk
about sweet potatoes vs French fries. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since French fried potatoes are a major
food group for kids and adults alike, and since they definitely contribute to
obesity and associated illnesses like diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart
disease, why not switch them out for baked sweet potato “fries”?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It could go like this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Next time your school sends out a RFP
(Request for Proposal) for a cafeteria food service company/supplier, they
cross off French fries and substitute baked sweet potato “fries.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the company wants their business, they’ll
find a supplier for the sweet potatoes! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Maybe it’s just the way my mind works, but if somebody wants
your business, you can <span style="font-size: 12pt;">actually make them help you save the planet (and your
children’s health!)</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Patti</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
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</style>Doug and Patti Woodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17141096180941570111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-931354126856288659.post-16779034473507729882016-09-16T11:59:00.000-07:002016-09-19T13:56:29.624-07:00Climate Change is Personal<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s been a record hot summer here in New York (and
elsewhere), with heat waves lasting way longer than usual. But at least I didn’t
have to worry about our house being in the path of an uncontrolled forest fire or
flooded by extreme rainfall.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, is this weather the new norm?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are we on a path for sustained high summer
temperatures and dangerous weather-related catastrophes?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People much smarter than me have been raising
warning flags for years and finally, most of our elected officials are realizing
that this is not just a possibility, a passing phenomenon…climate change is
real and it is here. The scientists were right.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wunIXURi9X4/V9xAtsjwyBI/AAAAAAAAASw/EjwOOydnshAg4bbOuaLsCWm2SzllOwmUgCLcB/s1600/Bridge%2Bin%2Bbad%2Bweather.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wunIXURi9X4/V9xAtsjwyBI/AAAAAAAAASw/EjwOOydnshAg4bbOuaLsCWm2SzllOwmUgCLcB/s320/Bridge%2Bin%2Bbad%2Bweather.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But is our government - any government - capable of actually
turning this around? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I'm afraid the
answer is no.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In large part, it will be
up to each of us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b><i>Climate change is
personal</i></b>. <br />
<br />
Preserving our planet and our way of life for the next generation depends on how
we, as individuals, heat, cool and power our homes, how we use transportation
and even what we choose to eat!</div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The idea that we can't develop enough renewable, sustainable
energy to power our lives was developed and is still being heavily promoted by
the fossil fuel industry and some of their elected shills. But it’s not true.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Solar energy is available everywhere, and offshore wind
farms can deliver a large percentage of our energy needs. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Geothermal uses the constant temperature of
the earth to heat and cool homes and businesses, and real conservation can make
up the balance. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Have you heard about
<a href="https://passipedia.org/basics/what_is_a_passive_house" target="_blank">PASSIV HOUSE</a>? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We also have to consider electric cars, or those with good
gas mileage, and of course, try to drive our cars fewer miles. And public
transportation, especially when it's electric, has to step up to the plate and
become an attractive alternative. Trains are incredibly energy efficient and
they need to be clean and comfortable, and move us to popular destinations all
over the country. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_XTKlLoxEq4/V9w9zSjB_sI/AAAAAAAAASo/mpGthhXOxkg-l0UPB-uwj_eXMp-5PHBAQCLcB/s1600/cow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_XTKlLoxEq4/V9w9zSjB_sI/AAAAAAAAASo/mpGthhXOxkg-l0UPB-uwj_eXMp-5PHBAQCLcB/s1600/cow.jpg" /></a>But it gets more personal than that. The fact is that
production of meat for human consumption is arguably the biggest source of
greenhouse gases in the world. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
More than one third of the fossil fuels used in the United
States are used for animal production. And if that's not bad enough, it also requires
enormous amounts of pesticides and pharmaceuticals (more on that problem later),
and animal waste is a major source of water pollution. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here is a good <a href="http://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/facts-on-animal-farming-and-the-environment/" target="_blank">link</a> to get the whole picture.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So let's skip the steak, vote <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">for </i>the wind farm, and make that call to the solar company. Every
one of us needs to do our part to save this magnificent earth for our children
and grandchildren. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
PJW<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
Doug and Patti Woodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17141096180941570111noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-931354126856288659.post-11241574876833229452014-10-17T07:36:00.000-07:002014-10-17T07:45:48.414-07:00This Corner of the Earth<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">We're making two new
films, both about fracking.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SCobE7eHnJk/VEEpQmBYYEI/AAAAAAAAAN4/_fOIM2pNJxg/s1600/This%2BCorner%2B-%2Btitle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SCobE7eHnJk/VEEpQmBYYEI/AAAAAAAAAN4/_fOIM2pNJxg/s1600/This%2BCorner%2B-%2Btitle.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">The first is a primer on
fracking itself - the geological history of the Marcellus Shale, the
development of fracking technology, and an overview of the thorny but
unresolved issues that fracking brings to the surface. Dr. Sandra Steingraber
is the host and narrator of our film. </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">The second film is about
New York State's burgeoning and celebrated agricultural industry, and how it is
threatened by the prospect of widespread fracking. We traveled upstate to meet
the principals of <b><a href="http://farmergroundflour.squarespace.com/" target="_blank">Farmer Ground</a></b>, a cooperative venture that links
farmers who grow grains to millers who grind them to <b><a href="http://wideawakebakery.com/" target="_blank">bakers</a></b> that turn
them into amazing and delicious bread. We met <b><a href="http://www.treleavenwines.com/" target="_blank">vintners</a></b> in the Finger
Lakes region who are making wines on a level that competes with the best in the
world. And we met chefs and restaurateurs who spoke passionately about the
importance of fresh, local, high-quality ingredients.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">It was inspiring to get to
know some of these men and women who are shaping this new enterprise in New
York State, to learn about their backgrounds and hear them extol the virtues of
a life with purpose. We were humbled by their knowledge, their relentless work
ethic and their optimism. So long as they continue to have clean air and clean
water, their future is bright. But fracking threatens that future. </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">It was impossible for us
not to draw comparisons between the people and landscapes of New York State and
those of Pennsylvania, where fracking has taken hold. The overwhelming gloom
and sense of resignation that pervades the communities where fracking is
already taking place is in stark contrast to the vibrant, upbeat spirit of the
people we met in upstate New York. The deteriorating, truck-filled,
industrial two-lane back roads of Pennsylvania remind us of how the bucolic
back roads we traveled upstate might look if Governor Cuomo decides to give
fracking the green light.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">The growth and success of New
York's agricultural and food production community bodes well for the future
prosperity of our upstate regions. We try not to think about the incredible
loss of food, jobs and sustainable future that would result from the massive
industrialization of this corner of the earth. </span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Doug and Patti Woodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17141096180941570111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-931354126856288659.post-75219236268196232092014-03-31T08:10:00.000-07:002014-03-31T08:10:30.386-07:00Public Opinion
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I mentioned to a friend the
other day that we were going to make another short documentary film about
fracking, a kind of "FRACKING 101" for people who had heard about
fracking but didn't really understand it. "Great," he said,
"That's exactly what I need!"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BuWZE6GTPOY/UzmD74Y7okI/AAAAAAAAAMw/HDX_4gmFQzg/s1600/Cuomo+sign+II.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BuWZE6GTPOY/UzmD74Y7okI/AAAAAAAAAMw/HDX_4gmFQzg/s1600/Cuomo+sign+II.tiff" height="240" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial;">Apparently, he's not the
only one. Almost half of the people in New York say they don't actually know
what "fracking" means.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even
some people who have watched our two latest films, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><a href="https://vimeo.com/85735267" target="_blank">No Second Chance</a></u></i><u> </u>and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><a href="https://vimeo.com/58828810" target="_blank">On Faith and Fracking</a></u></i> are left with questions about this new
technology. So this summer we'll be on the road again, shooting, interviewing
and editing, to help more people understand what "fracking" means,
and why the issue is so important. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The gas companies sure
aren't going to do this for us. It's not by accident that their ads promoting
"clean, natural gas" on TV don't mention the word "fracking."<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They know the word has a negative
connotation, and they steer away from it whenever they can. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I'm certain that many people who watch the
ads and believe the gas company's fairy tale would probably oppose fracking in
New York if they knew more about it. (See my previous blog below about the
word "natural.")<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>In politics, the only thing
more powerful than money is public opinion. And make no mistake, the battle
over fracking is all about politics.</b> Ultimately, Governor Cuomo's decision
about whether or not to allow fracking in New York will be driven exclusively
by public opinion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Patti came up
with a brilliant idea for a slogan the other day: "<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">You Want The Vote; We Want The Promise.</i>" Watch for the signs
this fall!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">If we expect to win the
battle over fracking in New York, we're going to need to win the public opinion
battle. This means talking to your neighbor, your family and your co-workers. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ask your priest or rabbi or minister to
watch <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><a href="https://vimeo.com/58828810" target="_blank">On Faith and Fracking</a> </u></i>and
share it with your congregation. Ask your local town or county officials to
watch <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><a href="https://vimeo.com/85735267" target="_blank">No Second Chance</a></u></i>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">None of us wants to look
back in a few years and say, “We should have done more.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Doug and Patti Woodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17141096180941570111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-931354126856288659.post-32885121724888741632014-03-18T11:22:00.001-07:002014-03-18T11:22:01.792-07:00There's Nothing Natural About "Natural" Gas
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">You have to hand it to the
marketing folks at the energy companies. They really understand the power of
words, and how to manipulate public opinion by attaching positive-sounding
adjectives to dirty old industries. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The phrase "Clean
Coal" comes to mind. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">How did coal
get clean?</i> you might ask.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Well, it didn't. There is no new technology, no magical discovery that
has made coal a clean fuel. Someone at an ad agency just wrote those words down
on a yellow pad during a meeting one day, and before long, it became the mantra
of the beleaguered (and still dirty) coal industry. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IuWOqt06KqU/UyiOWaxygmI/AAAAAAAAAMg/7z5MqITooXs/s1600/Blue+Flame+OK.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IuWOqt06KqU/UyiOWaxygmI/AAAAAAAAAMg/7z5MqITooXs/s1600/Blue+Flame+OK.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">"Natural Gas" is
another one. The gas coming up out of the ground today is no more natural than
oil or coal. It just sounds better than plain old "gas." And much
better than "methane," which is what it really is, technically. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The word "natural"
conjures up images of wheat fields swaying in the wind, bucolic mountain
streams and clear blue skies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
taps into the subconscious, encouraging us to think of this gas as special
- and therefore <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">better</i> than other
types of fuel. Nothing could be further from the truth. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Let's be honest about it:
the extraction of natural gas is a dirty, polluting, dangerous,
climate-changing but enormously profitable enterprise that is making a few
people very rich while it wreaks havoc on our environment and the health of our
citizens. It is poisoning our air and water, leaving a toxic, radioactive<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>legacy that will burden hundreds of future
generations. How is any of that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">natural</i>?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br />
America's gas boom has nothing to do with energy independence. It has nothing
to do with addressing climate change or lowering energy costs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has everything to do with Wall
Street, with speculators, with political payoffs and with profits for gas
companies, who are hoping to cash in quick before the public wakes up and
understands that something very unnatural is going on. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Doug and Patti Woodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17141096180941570111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-931354126856288659.post-15246597032041879192014-02-05T08:36:00.000-08:002014-02-05T08:36:11.533-08:00Why Can't We Talk About Food?
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">In the national debate over
health care, we don't hear much about food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We hear about prescription drugs, co-pays, pre-existing
conditions, doctor networks, diagnostic tests and so on, but no one talks about
food. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Which is really an amazing
thing, considering the indisputable fact that food is the most important factor
in determining your overall health. Your body makes everything - your muscles,
your bones, your hair, your skin - everything, out of the raw materials you put
in. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Quite literally, you are
what you had for dinner last night and what you had for breakfast this morning.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Now I know food is a very
personal issue, and people tend to get really upset if you tell them what they
should and should not eat, but honestly, folks, we're at the tipping point
here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Somebody has to teach the
obese teenager making his way up to the fast food counter to order another
double cheeseburger with fries and a giant soft drink that his choices are
going to spell a lifetime of trouble for him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Sure, there may be some
nutrients in the pickle or the potato.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There might be some protein in the meat. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">But look at the rest of the
meal: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>the
gigantic amounts of sugar and fat<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>the
GMO ingredients in the soda, the cheese, ketchup, the bread<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>the
antibiotics in the meat<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>the
pesticides in the lettuce<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">How does that help a growing
body? What happens after years of eating that kind of food? Who is going to say
something. And when?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">One of our doctor friends
says that taking your child to a fast food restaurant on a regular basis should
be considered child abuse. I agree. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Kids whose parents are
letting them eat junk food deserve better. These kids deserve a better chance -
a better future - one without physical pain, doctors, waiting rooms, diagnostics,
medications, co-pays, pre-existing conditions. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">We should teach our kids how
to eat. It may not be politically correct, and it may not be popular, but it's
the right thing to do. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Doug and Patti Woodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17141096180941570111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-931354126856288659.post-73102288169903202832013-10-28T18:14:00.001-07:002013-10-28T18:14:25.469-07:00Working with - and for - the DEC!<br />
<br />
<div style="font: 10.0px Cambria; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-N76j1y67hhc/Um2PDI9xTDI/AAAAAAAAALw/C9gObeZYzrY/s1600/training+class+sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="172" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-N76j1y67hhc/Um2PDI9xTDI/AAAAAAAAALw/C9gObeZYzrY/s320/training+class+sm.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">For almost ten years, we've been training landscapers and turf managers in the science of non-toxic lawn care. So it was nice to be selected by New York's Department of Environmental Conservation ("DEC") to </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">develop and present a series of DEC-sponsored natural turf management training programs for school personnel and private contractors this fall. </span></span></div>
<div style="font: 10.0px Cambria; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="font: 10.0px Cambria; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The training programs are in support of the landmark <b><i>Child Safe Playing Fields Act,</i></b> passed in 2010, which prohibits the use of most pesticides on playing fields and playgrounds of all schools and day care centers in New York State. </span></span></div>
<div style="font: 10.0px Cambria; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 12.0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font: 10.0px Cambria; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">And so, in September and October, under the watchful eye of the DEC, Grassroots presented six, one-day courses at locations all across the state, and also produced a 3-hour webinar for those who were unable to attend any of the trainings in person. The instructor for all of the courses was nationally-recognized natural turf expert Charles ("Chip") Osborne.</span></span></div>
<div style="font: 10.0px Cambria; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="font: 10.0px Cambria; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The programs covered all of the basics of natural turf management, including practical hands-on tips for turf managers, and won rave reviews from more than 200 attendees, including personnel from the DEC who attended as observers at each of the programs. </span></span></div>
<div style="font: 10.0px Cambria; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="font: 10.0px Cambria; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">We are glad to see our state government enthusiastically endorsing natural turf management, and proud to work alongside the DEC to help train personnel. We hope this collaboration will continue in the future. </span></span></div>
<br />Doug and Patti Woodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17141096180941570111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-931354126856288659.post-84686726472626006392012-11-11T03:12:00.001-08:002012-11-11T03:12:32.870-08:00The Radioactive Genie in the Fracking Bottle
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Last week in Albany, we released a <a href="http://www.grassrootsinfo.org/pdf/whitereport.pdf" target="_blank">report</a>
that finds that horizontal hydrofracking in New York State is likely to produce
significantly higher amounts of radioactive waste than previously believed, and
that the NYS DEC has not demonstrated the ability to properly analyze the
potential impact of radiation exposure or take adequate steps to protect the
public.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NUG-CQXnnLM/UJ-HnhdMc7I/AAAAAAAAAKI/NHDwuUpsPeU/s1600/600px-radiation.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NUG-CQXnnLM/UJ-HnhdMc7I/AAAAAAAAAKI/NHDwuUpsPeU/s200/600px-radiation.png" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Once radioactive material comes up out of the
ground along with the gas, the problem is what to do with it. The radioactivity
lasts for tens of thousands of years, and it is virtually impossible to eliminate or
mitigate. Sooner or later, it's going to end up in our environment and
eventually our food chain. It's a problem with no good solution.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">According to the EPA, exposure to radium
increases the risk of cancer. Radium also decays into radon, which is the
second leading cause of lung cancer. The EPA has been extremely critical of New York State's plans for dealing with the radiation from fracking, but no one seems to be paying much attention. So we commissioned the report. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">The report, <i><a href="http://www.grassrootsinfo.org/pdf/whitereport.pdf" target="_blank">Consideration of Radiation in Hazardous Waste Produced from Horizontal Hydrofracking</a></i>, was authored by Ivan White, a career scientist with
the Congressionally-chartered National Council on Radiation Protection. There
he helped develop computer programs for radiation risk assessment and assisted
in the formulation of national policies on radiation protection for civilian
and military personnel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">"Radioactive materials and chemical wastes
do not just go away when they are released into the environment. They remain
active and potentially lethal, and can show up years later in unexpected
places," writes White. " They bio-accumulate in the food chain,
eventually reaching humans. Under the proposal for horizontal hydrofracking in
New York State, there are insufficient precautions for monitoring potential
pathways or to even know what is being released into the environment."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">See our new <a href="http://www.grassrootsinfo.org/pdf/radioactivewaste.pdf" target="_blank">flyer</a> on radioactive waste. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Doug and Patti Woodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17141096180941570111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-931354126856288659.post-79298180223005100762012-10-24T07:20:00.000-07:002012-10-24T07:20:21.109-07:00Growing Up With Nature Part I
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zfG6OC3hFok/UIf4BPOSb9I/AAAAAAAAAJ4/32eCkXJGk94/s1600/kids_in_brook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zfG6OC3hFok/UIf4BPOSb9I/AAAAAAAAAJ4/32eCkXJGk94/s320/kids_in_brook.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial;">When I was a child I lived
in a neighborhood with a brook!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Every house that backed up on that brook had a little bridge that
crossed over the brook and into the woods.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We spent our summers launching stick boats and racing from bridge to
bridge to watch them magically appear from under the overhangs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On really hot days, we just sat down in
the cool, clean water and buried our toes in the sandy bottom.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Memories of a childhood that
seamlessly interwove the natural environment into<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>everyday lives are sadly, not that common today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Our children growing up in suburbia
tend to spend their leisure or play time inside of houses, cars and malls,
attached by their fingertips to electronic devices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The feel of plastic keys for them is normal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They drown out the sound of rustling
leaves in the wind and birds singing with the ear buds attached to ipods.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If they play sports, more
and more of them are playing on artificial turf surfaces - toxic rubber pellets
packed into green dyed and lead filled plastic grass carpets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">So what is this doing to our
children?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Some call the phenomenon "Nature
Deficit Disorder". <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I say it
is robbing our children of their birthright…of the essence of being alive on
this planet.</span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Doug and Patti Woodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17141096180941570111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-931354126856288659.post-63332590822751188162012-10-08T12:37:00.002-07:002012-10-08T12:54:17.434-07:00The Truth About Breast Cancer<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pxI_FnSzXqY/UHLVurEPV-I/AAAAAAAAAJo/QJBUSiYiFDA/s1600/green+ribbon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pxI_FnSzXqY/UHLVurEPV-I/AAAAAAAAAJo/QJBUSiYiFDA/s200/green+ribbon.jpg" width="125" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 6px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 6px; color: #1d1d1d; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; font-size: 15px;">
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</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">• Seventy
percent of women with breast cancer have no family history and no other risk
factors .</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">• Mammograms
do not protect against breast cancer, and actually deliver ionizing radiation
directly to breast tissue. </span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">• Anyone
can print a pink ribbon on a product label and say they're donating to the
fight against breast cancer.</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">• Many
of the corporate sponsors of the Pink Ribbon Campaign manufacture products with
ingredients linked to breast cancer. </span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #554a0c; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">* * * </span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"> Many
women will tell you that breast cancer runs in their family. But researchers
estimate that less than 10% of breast cancer cases are related to
genetics. The truth is that breast cancer may run in families because
families share their environment - the air they breathe, the water they drink,
the food they eat and the products they use. </span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">For
years, women have walked for the cure, urged their mothers and sisters and
friends to get their mammograms, and purchased pink ribbon products that claim
that a percentage of their sales will be donated to breast cancer research.</span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Times; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">But
with all that walking, urging and purchasing, the incidence of breast cancer
has increased. The American Cancer Society predicts that more than 230,000 new
cases will be diagnosed this year. More than 40,000 will die. A woman's chance
of developing breast cancer in 1940 was 1 in 22. Today it's 1 in 7. </span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Times; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">The
fact is, women are getting the <b><i>wrong</i></b> message about breast cancer.
The message they need to hear it that we <b><i>can</i></b> take steps to reduce
our risk of breast and other cancers, that we have <b><i>choices</i></b> for
different (less risky) screening techniques, that we need to <b><i>protect our
young pre-teen daughters</i></b> when they are most vulnerable, and that <b><i>our
voices together can make a difference</i></b> in this fight.</span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment--></span></div>
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<!--EndFragment--></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 6px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 6px;">
<!--EndFragment--></span></span>Doug and Patti Woodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17141096180941570111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-931354126856288659.post-22542451200344170342012-09-26T09:55:00.000-07:002012-09-26T09:55:05.945-07:00Lying to the EPA<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 25px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7OKttCuB0RY/UGMyE8XSzeI/AAAAAAAAAJY/3ouNjp7J2oc/s1600/birdfeeder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7OKttCuB0RY/UGMyE8XSzeI/AAAAAAAAAJY/3ouNjp7J2oc/s320/birdfeeder.jpg" width="296" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #262626;"><b>The Scotts Miracle-Gro company has agreed to pay millions of dollars in criminal fines for misleading the public, lying to the EPA and knowingly contaminating their bird seed products with pesticides known to be toxic to birds.</b> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #262626;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Professional applicators and homeowners using pesticides
are more aware than ever about the potentially serious health effects of
pesticides, in humans, pets and wildlife. Because of this, many more people are
reading warning labels on pesticide products and trying to use them
responsibly. When a product manufacturer lies about such inherently dangerous
products, it is truly a criminal act.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Last week, <b>Scotts Miracle-Gro</b> pleaded guilty to
<a href="http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2012/September/12-enrd-1088.html">eleven criminal violations</a> of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and
Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). The $12.5 million dollar fine was the largest criminal
penalty under FIFRA to date. Scotts admitted falsifying pesticide registration
documents, selling pesticides with misleading and unapproved labels and
distributing unregistered pesticides, in addition to applying toxic and
potentially lethal insecticides to its wild bird food products. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Although everyone should avoid pesticide exposures,
children, pregnant women and the chronically ill are particularly vulnerable.
Children take in more pesticides relative to their body weight than adults and
have immature organ systems that are more vulnerable and less able to detoxify
the chemicals contained in pesticides. They are also disproportionately exposed
because of their behavior, playing in the grass and on floors and engaging in
typical hand- to -mouth behavior. Childhood malignancies associated with living
in households where pesticides are used include neuroblastoma, Wilm's tumor,
Ewing's sarcoma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and cancers of the brain, colorectum
and testes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Along with other environmental health groups, we work
very hard to educate the public about the links between common environmental
toxins and human health and encourage non-toxic solutions to pest problems
whenever possible. If someone decides to use a pesticide, the label should
clearly indicate proper handling as well as the potential short term and long
term health effects of the product even when used according to the label. It is
highly irresponsible for a manufacturer of these poisons to ignore or even
intentionally challenge federal laws intended to protect the public.</span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Doug and Patti Woodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17141096180941570111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-931354126856288659.post-33356499526434377522012-09-10T05:35:00.002-07:002012-09-10T05:35:30.391-07:00Pennsylvania
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uD81tiymY24/UE3daJURZQI/AAAAAAAAAJA/MxdIScMGgxo/s1600/frackingtruck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uD81tiymY24/UE3daJURZQI/AAAAAAAAAJA/MxdIScMGgxo/s1600/frackingtruck.jpg" /></a>Until you see it for yourself, you can't fully appreciate
what fracking does to a community. As Patti and I drove deep into the hills of
Pennsylvania just south of the New York border, the first thing we noticed was
the trucks on the road. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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It's not just that they're really big. It's that there are
so many of them. One after another, they race along tiny back roads, gears
grinding, exhaust stacks belching and engines roaring as they head to or from
fracking sites carrying steel tubes, diesel engines, silica sand, fracking
chemicals, fresh water or toxic waste - destined for who knows where?<br />
<br />
White pickup trucks dart around the countryside like large beetles carrying men
in hard hats with grim expressions. (White, signifying purity, seems to be the
color of choice for oil and gas companies and their ubiquitous security teams
that keep onlookers and other undesirables - like us - far away from actual
fracking sites.) </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RlmR38DJ3E8/UE3doXRz9lI/AAAAAAAAAJI/iMsLADZYDOQ/s1600/pipelines.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RlmR38DJ3E8/UE3doXRz9lI/AAAAAAAAAJI/iMsLADZYDOQ/s200/pipelines.jpg" width="187" /></a>All over Susquehanna County, large swaths of forest and
pastures are being hacked out and excavated to make way for giant pipelines
used to connect the gas wells with sprawling compressor sites miles away. These
gashes in the landscape serve as an apt metaphor for what's going on inside the
community, as fracking - and the money it might bring to some - has divided
families, neighbors and towns in a battle over the right of some to endanger
the environment for all.</div>
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<br /></div>
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We met some truly amazing individuals on our visit <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to Susquehanna County - brave, inspiring
individuals who are standing up for what's right, refusing to back down in the
face of almost inconceivable odds. We were humbled to be in their presence and
witness their strength of character. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We're creating some radio spots featuring the voices of the
people we met in Pennsylvania. We hope their stories can inform the debate on
fracking in New York. </div>
<!--EndFragment-->Doug and Patti Woodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17141096180941570111noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-931354126856288659.post-67043348372195924122012-07-25T03:44:00.000-07:002012-07-25T03:44:03.356-07:00Creating Science<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MDAqTmDvQmw/UA_MDhaIENI/AAAAAAAAAIg/C4vbkRG9bW4/s1600/digest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MDAqTmDvQmw/UA_MDhaIENI/AAAAAAAAAIg/C4vbkRG9bW4/s320/digest.jpg" width="320" /></a>In his recent mini-documentary "<a href="http://vimeo.com/44367635">Is the Sky Pink?</a>,"
filmmaker Josh Fox touches on one of the key reasons why government is so often
stymied in its efforts to protect public health.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So long as there is a "debate" over something,
regulation and legislation can be postponed until the science becomes
"clear."<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And so long as
there are scientists and academic institutions ready to abandon ethics when
money comes along, "debates" can be manufactured to suit the
circumstances, and efforts to protect public health can be delayed indefinitely. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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A recent article in <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-07-23/frackers-fund-university-research-that-proves-their-case.html">Bloomberg News</a> illustrates how oil and
gas companies engaged in fracking have paid research scientists and even state
universities to literally <i>create</i> science that supports fracking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The practice gives new meaning to the
term "creationism." </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Last week, Grassroots compiled and delivered to NY Governor
Cuomo a <a href="http://www.grassrootsinfo.org/pdf/pr712.pdf">Digest of Independent Science on Fracking</a>. By "independent,"
we mean just that - <a href="http://www.grassrootsinfo.org/frackingdigest.html">studies and reports</a> that were conducted by scientists for
whom the word <i>integrity</i> still has meaning, and who respect the role of honest science in helping to inform - rather than obfuscate - the public discourse. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We salute their work, and sincerely hope
that the Governor will take the time to read through the Digest we delivered to
him. If he does, he'll know exactly what to do about fracking in New York. </div>
<!--EndFragment-->Doug and Patti Woodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17141096180941570111noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-931354126856288659.post-70689167144499130052012-01-06T09:46:00.000-08:002012-01-06T15:00:13.117-08:00What Does the DOH Know About Fracking?<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3p25YEz6WWs/Twc1oQZs-iI/AAAAAAAAAGk/fCHPacTYJOs/s1600/DOH%2Blogo.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3p25YEz6WWs/Twc1oQZs-iI/AAAAAAAAAGk/fCHPacTYJOs/s320/DOH%2Blogo.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694579219547093538" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:100%;"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Helvetica;">On April 25, 2011 Grassroots filed a Freedom of Information Law request with the NYS DOH, asking for all communications between the DOH and the DEC on the issue of human health effects related to fracking. We were hoping to receive this information during the DEC's public comment period, since health issues have dominated much of the public discussion.</span> (The comment period ends January 11th). </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;">The DOH failed four times over the past eight months to meet their own response deadlines, most recently on December 23rd. <span> </span>The delay now stands at 256 days.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;">We believe the DOH is engaged in effective denial of our request in violation of the law. Given that DEC Commissioner Martens has testified that the DOH was "intensely involved" with the DEC on the issue of fracking, and given the high degree of public interest over human health issues related to fracking, this decision by the DOH to withhold information vital to the public interest is deeply troubling.</span></p></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:100%;">We are appealing the DOH action, but it will take time to go through the legal process required before court action can be initiated. In the meantime we encourage all of those who share our concerns to call Dr. Nirav Shah, the Commissioner of the DOH at (518) 474-2011 and demand release of the information.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:100%;"> <!--EndFragment--> <o:p></o:p></span></p><div><span style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;"><br /></span></div></span>Doug and Patti Woodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17141096180941570111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-931354126856288659.post-35906537857991161182011-12-15T10:24:00.000-08:002011-12-15T10:27:07.146-08:00The Case Against Fracking<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:documentproperties> <o:template>Normal.dotm</o:Template> <o:revision>0</o:Revision> <o:totaltime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:pages>1</o:Pages> <o:words>630</o:Words> <o:characters>3596</o:Characters> <o:company>Omnimusic</o:Company> <o:lines>29</o:Lines> <o:paragraphs>7</o:Paragraphs> <o:characterswithspaces>4416</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:version>12.0</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:drawinggridhorizontalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:drawinggridverticalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:displayhorizontaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:displayverticaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:dontautofitconstrainedtables/> <w:dontvertalignintxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial">Recent Op-Ed pieces in prominent newspapers have suggested that with proper regulatory oversight, hydraulic fracturing or "fracking" can be accomplished safely in New York, reducing our dependence on foreign oil and bringing much needed economic benefits to hard-hit areas of the state. If the issue was that simple, and if the statements were true, surely everyone would be in favor. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; ">But the facts don't support these statements, and the issue is not as simple as the TV ads would have citizens believe. Fracking is an inherently dangerous and destructive extreme form of energy extraction that brings with it a myriad of serious environmental and economic problems. Now that we have the opportunity to see how fracking has actually impacted citizens in Pennsylvania and other states, we can more easily distinguish fact from fantasy and make smarter choices for New York.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; "> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial">It's an undisputed fact - although seldom acknowledged by those who make their fortunes by selling energy - that we have the ability to reduce our dependence on foreign oil anytime we want. Dollar for dollar, watt for watt, when it comes to looking for new sources of energy, nothing comes even remotely close to the energy reserves available to us through conservation. No cost, no pollution, no need for government oversight or environmental concern. All that is required is better planning and smarter thinking. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; ">But what about the economic benefits of fracking? Scholarly studies have come down on both sides. Those not sponsored by the gas industry tend to highlight the temporary nature and low-skill level of jobs associated with fracking, and the fleeting economic benefits communities may experience. After all, this highly technical and dangerous work requires highly trained workers who generally come from out of state to work on the rigs, then move on. Local folks may be needed to pour the coffee or flip the burgers, but once the frackers are done, so are those jobs.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial">What few politicians will admit is that the real economic benefits of fracking accrue to them personally, in the form of large campaign contributions from oil and gas interests. A recent study by Common Cause revealed that </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:Georgia">gas industry has spent $20 million on the campaigns of current members of Congress. New York politicians have received hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions, according to public sources.<br /><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:Georgia">And let's not overlook the real and measurable impacts fracking wreaks on the environment. Contaminated air, for example, is an absolute certainty with fracking, not the potential result of some future accident. The exhaust from thousands of diesel trucks, added to that of generators, pumps and support equipment significantly pollutes the air quality not only in the immediate surrounding area but for hundreds of miles downwind. Exposure to diesel exhaust is a proven cause of both asthma and lung cancer. In areas of Wyoming near fracking operations, air pollution has been measured at levels higher than in downtown Los Angeles.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; ">Environmental concerns also include potential contamination of public water supplies (as has already happened in Dimock, Pennsylvania), the dumping of toxic fracking sludge in remote wooded areas (as happened last week in Pennsylvania) and the transportation of radioactive wastewater to Long Island for processing in local water treatment plants, as contemplated by New York's Department of Environmental Conservation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; ">Despite the calm assurances of the oil and gas industry and their supporters, we've seen what can happen when industry promises that inherently dangerous activities will be made safe by rigorous oversight.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial">Exxon promised to carefully transport oil through Prudhoe Bay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>BP promised that they would drill safely in the Gulf of Mexico. The engineers at Fukushima promised their safety systems would protect the public. In each case, government regulations were in place to protect us. In each case, they failed.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial">So here we go again. Money is flowing to politicians, and the airwaves are filled with happy talk about our newfound energy wealth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Will we learn this time, or will we repeat the mistakes of the past? Will New York become a center for green energy and a source of true economic growth, or will we mortgage our children's future so that a few people can make a killing in a dying industry?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Doug and Patti Woodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17141096180941570111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-931354126856288659.post-83194528687024657322011-11-05T04:27:00.000-07:002011-11-05T04:31:48.081-07:00How Green Is My Town?<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OddGKNUcApQ/TrUd0q8u8xI/AAAAAAAAAGE/wZ3e_I8EM6o/s1600/hgimtblog%2Bpix.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 209px; height: 216px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OddGKNUcApQ/TrUd0q8u8xI/AAAAAAAAAGE/wZ3e_I8EM6o/s320/hgimtblog%2Bpix.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5671472096462435090" /></a><br /> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:documentproperties> <o:template>Normal.dotm</o:Template> <o:revision>0</o:Revision> <o:totaltime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:pages>1</o:Pages> <o:words>148</o:Words> <o:characters>847</o:Characters> <o:company>Omnimusic</o:Company> <o:lines>7</o:Lines> <o:paragraphs>1</o:Paragraphs> <o:characterswithspaces>1040</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:version>12.0</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:drawinggridhorizontalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:drawinggridverticalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:displayhorizontaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:displayverticaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:dontautofitconstrainedtables/> <w:dontvertalignintxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:100%;">We're really excited to re-introduce <b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">How Green Is My Town?</i></b>, a simple checklist for towns across America to measure their progress on issues related to climate change, sustainability and environmental health. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:100%;">It's much more than just a checklist of course. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">How Green Is My Town?</i></b> is a blueprint for action and a gateway to hundreds of good ideas from all over the country.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:100%;">For instance, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>does your town have a comprehensive environmental policy, or is it a patchwork of initiatives divided among various departments? If it's the latter, chances are good that your town is missing an opportunity (or is it responsibility?) to be part of the solution.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:100%;">But not to worry. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">How Green Is My Town?</i></b> has a simple policy any town can adopt right now, plus links to governmental agencies and non-profit organizations that are ready to help your town get started.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:100%;">Sixty four questions. Sixty four solutions. All in one place.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:100%;">So, how is your town doing in it's effort to be green? Now you can find out. Visit <b><i><a href="http://www.grassrootsinfo.org/hgimtindex.html">How Green Is My Town?</a></i></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"> </span></o:p></p> <!--EndFragment-->Doug and Patti Woodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17141096180941570111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-931354126856288659.post-6135726380069160062011-08-16T09:34:00.000-07:002011-08-24T10:59:38.883-07:00It's A Wireless World, But Is It Safe?<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hvziie5hYjA/TkqeAq7xSmI/AAAAAAAAAFE/IMdfIMgfoao/s1600/cell%2Btower.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 229px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hvziie5hYjA/TkqeAq7xSmI/AAAAAAAAAFE/IMdfIMgfoao/s320/cell%2Btower.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5641495217597139554" /></span></a><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">The mad rush to integrate wireless technology into every aspect of our lives is racing ahead, fueled by a powerful and relentless telecommunications industry. Speculators hoping to cash in on the boom, and political leaders (and consumers) are woefully unaware of emerging science linking wireless exposure to negative health effects. But the voices of caution are beginning to make themselves heard, and it may be just in time.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Our guest a few weeks ago on our <u>Green Street radio show</u>, Deborah Kopald, was eloquent in her description of the problems inherent in wireless technology, and what may be in store for us in the future unless we act quickly.<span> </span>Among other things, she alerted us to the actions of the FCC, which is supporting the dismantling of the current national wired infrastructure. This action will result in the eventual but unavoidable adoption of wireless technology for virtually all communications.
<br />
<br />While the opponents of wireless don't yet have enough research to conclusively prove the link between chronic low-level exposure to non-ionizing radiation and cancer and other health effects, there is mounting evidence pointing in that direction. As a result, other countries (where governments may be less prone to industry pressure) are acting to protect their citizens by limiting the use of wireless technologies, and in some cases, removing<span> </span>existing wireless installations.
<br />
<br />At the very least, we need to protect our most vulnerable populations - children and pregnant women - from needless exposure to wireless radiation. <span> </span>Schools should be "wireless-free" zones, and women who are expecting should learn to un-plug wireless tranmitters at home when not in use, especially wireless baby monitors.
<br />
<br />It's frustrating that the burden of protecting the health of the citizens in this country is being borne increasingly by individuals and non-profits, instead of the government which has both the resources and the responsibility. </span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Doug and Patti Woodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17141096180941570111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-931354126856288659.post-28406765567468211292011-08-08T04:57:00.000-07:002011-08-08T09:45:47.531-07:00The "Kill" Switch<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-it1st1hoK4o/Tj_TUHUTu0I/AAAAAAAAAEo/7PtT67DD98s/s1600/energy%2Bswitch.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 241px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-it1st1hoK4o/Tj_TUHUTu0I/AAAAAAAAAEo/7PtT67DD98s/s320/energy%2Bswitch.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638457601006222146" /></a>
<br /><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:documentproperties> <o:template>Normal.dotm</o:Template> <o:revision>0</o:Revision> <o:totaltime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:pages>1</o:Pages> <o:words>284</o:Words> <o:characters>1620</o:Characters> <o:company>Omnimusic</o:Company> <o:lines>13</o:Lines> <o:paragraphs>3</o:Paragraphs> <o:characterswithspaces>1989</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:version>12.0</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:drawinggridhorizontalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:drawinggridverticalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:displayhorizontaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:displayverticaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:dontautofitconstrainedtables/> <w:dontvertalignintxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:100%;">For a few years after college, our daughter Maggie, a trained architect and green designer, had a small business helping clients make their homes and apartments healthy and energy-efficient places to live. Many of her clients had small children, and one of the things Maggie always recommended was a "kill switch" in the child's bedroom that would shut off all the power in the room to eliminate electro-magnetic fields, as well as save energy. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:100%;">The political uproar over fracking in New York reminds me once again how companies with money and political connections can force us to have the wrong conversations about energy - conversations which are divisive, unnecessary, and which successfully divert our attention from the obvious truths right under our collective noses.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;">Hands down, the cleanest, cheapest and most abundant energy resource in America today - and one we can utilize tomorrow without building infrastructure or power plants - is conservation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;">The potential of conservation dwarfs the alleged potential of fracking, or even nuclear energy. According to a study from the German Aersoapce Centre, a 47% reduction in worldwide energy demand is possible in the future if we get serious about it. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:100%;">Which brings me back to Maggie and the Kill Switch. Shouldn't every home, apartment and business be required to have an "Energy Kill Switch" just inside the front door that would automatically adjust the thermostats and shut off power to every non-essential outlet? Keep power to the refrigerator, the freezer and the alarm system, but kill the lights, the computer, the cable box and all our other appliances that are plugged in and draining small - but measurable - amounts of energy every minute?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:100%;">We could generate tens of thousands of jobs, reduce greenhouse gases and save billions of dollars while we reduce our energy requirements and finally achieve true energy independence. As a side benefit, we could tell the fracking companies to go home. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">
<br /></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Doug and Patti Woodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17141096180941570111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-931354126856288659.post-39448025267275546732011-07-15T08:13:00.000-07:002011-07-15T08:24:59.245-07:00The Health Risks of Fracking<!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">"Fracking." It even sounds like something you're not supposed to do. No wonder the industry was hoping that it's own phrase "hydraulic fracturing" would take root in the public vernacular. But alas, no. The word fracking seems to be here to stay, spit out like an expletive by its opponents as the battle over this particular form of extreme energy extraction rages across New York State.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">A few weeks ago Patti was in Albany to attend the New York State Assembly hearing on health affects associated with fracking. Scientist and author Sandra Steingraber was there, explaining to legislators how fracking works, what it does, and why it opens up so many possibilities for environmental havoc.</span></span></p> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/QRNRHdVwRFI?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> </span><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">From the irreversible contamination of drinking water to the pollution of the air from the tens of thousands of diesel trucks lumbering across the state transporting toxic chemicals, few other endeavors offer as much in the way of potential disaster as fracking.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Of course, it's the future generations of New Yorkers - the ones who are very young, or not yet born - who will bear the brunt of this assault on our environment. Not only are children more heavily impacted by environmental insults than adults, but over their lifetimes they will be exposed to much more of the toxins associated with fracking than the grownups who will be making the decision to allow, or prohibit, this extreme form of energy extraction in New York State.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">BTW There are two more videos on our </span></span><a href="http://grassrootsinfo.org/fracking.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">fracking</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> page.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"> </span></span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"> </span></span></o:p></p> <!--EndFragment-->Doug and Patti Woodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17141096180941570111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-931354126856288659.post-51802140406289184902011-05-18T11:52:00.000-07:002011-05-18T12:03:48.097-07:00Thank You, New York!<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KMSjfrlNwco/TdQW0hZfnqI/AAAAAAAAAEU/BdQbMXD8ecA/s1600/Patti%2Band%2BLegs.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 285px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KMSjfrlNwco/TdQW0hZfnqI/AAAAAAAAAEU/BdQbMXD8ecA/s320/Patti%2Band%2BLegs.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608132527557418658" /></a><br />Today is a historic and fantastic day for the kids of New York, although chances are few of them know it. Today, the Child Safe Playing Fields Act goes into effect in the state, prohibiting the use of pesticides on school grounds at all schools, public and private, up to grade 12, and including daycare centers. <div><br /></div><div>To celebrate the occasion, Patti and I visited legislators in Albany yesterday to thank them for their hard work on this issue, and congratulate them for doing such a great job. The New York legislation is a model for all states. As the song says, "If we can do it here, we can do it anywhere." </div><div><br /></div><div>Here's Patti talking with the two prime sponsors of the bill, Assemblymen Steve Englebright and Robert Sweeney. The poster in Sweeney's hand is the "Thank You, New York" poster we created, which was signed by almost every environmental and health organization in the state. You can see the full-resolution poster <a href="http://www.grassrootsinfo.org/pdf/tyny_poster.pdf">here</a>. </div>Doug and Patti Woodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17141096180941570111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-931354126856288659.post-26986268148959284402011-04-12T07:04:00.000-07:002011-04-12T07:12:06.820-07:00The Organic Lawn Mindset<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8bCILC4l8oU/TaRdqXLydQI/AAAAAAAAAEM/CZ0zq_bjUFs/s1600/lawnmower.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8bCILC4l8oU/TaRdqXLydQI/AAAAAAAAAEM/CZ0zq_bjUFs/s320/lawnmower.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594699619460347138" /></a><br /><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;">Several years ago we started our award-winning “Grassroots Healthy Lawn Program,” designed to increase both the demand for organic lawn services and the supply of trained professionals who can deliver those services. Over the past few years, hundreds of landscapers and turf managers in New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts have gone through our two-day intensive course. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;">So naturally, we’re delighted that the demand for organic lawn care has skyrocketed as the public has become increasingly aware of the dangers posed by typical lawn chemicals, especially for children, pets and pregnant women. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;">But there’s also bad news: some of the landscapers offering organic lawn care services don’t really “get it.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Worse, some of them don’t even believe it! <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;">Organic lawn care is based on the principle that if we create the best possible environment for grass to grow, nature’s own systems will take care of most of the problems that plague chemically-maintained lawns.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">What’s the best defense against weeds?</i> A thick, healthy lawn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">How do you discourage crabgrass?</i> Adjust your soil pH to 6.8.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Got a yard full of broadleaf plantain?</i> You need to aerate your soil. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;">So if you’re a landscaper who has spent his entire career believing that lawn care is a battle between you and pests, and that your primary job is to kill them, then you’ll probably never succeed in organic lawn care. Unfortunately, most university turf and agricultural research programs are heavily funded by chemical companies whose products are primarily designed to kill pests. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;">If you’re looking for an organic landscaper, find one who has been through the Grassroots Healthy Lawn program, the Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA) 5-day Course, or the course offered by the Nature Lyceum. At least you can be sure they’ve studied with people who get it. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Doug and Patti Woodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17141096180941570111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-931354126856288659.post-77050730186423131702011-03-21T14:50:00.000-07:002011-04-08T13:07:04.492-07:00Unwelcome Signs of Spring<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v43GuKX7FGA/TYfIfRq9p5I/AAAAAAAAAEE/w_P4d56K9NM/s1600/Pesticide%2Bsign.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 243px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v43GuKX7FGA/TYfIfRq9p5I/AAAAAAAAAEE/w_P4d56K9NM/s320/Pesticide%2Bsign.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586654302421493650" /></a><br /><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal">As the crocuses and daffodils bravely make their way out of the ground to signal the start of a new season, we know that other, less welcome signs of spring are probably not far behind. Those bright yellow pesticide application flags that spring up on neighborhood lawns and playing fields this time of year are sober reminders that emerging science linking pesticides with serious health problems for humans and pets (not to mention water contamination and environmental destruction) has not yet fully reached the public consciousness </p> <p class="MsoNormal">There’s no longer much dispute among environmental toxicologists or medical experts about the potential impact of pesticides on human development. Asthma, certain types of cancers, birth defects, reproductive and neuro-developmental problems (all of which are on the rise) have all been associated with exposure to these chemicals. Children and women who are pregnant are particularly vulnerable.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;tab-stops:28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">Pesticides are also potentially harmful to pets, who roll in the grass and groom themselves by licking their paws and fur. A National Cancer Institute study showed that dogs whose owners treated their lawns with 2,4-D herbicide (usually the “weed” part of those popular “weed-and-feed” products) <span style="mso-fareast-Times New Roman"font-family:";">were twice as likely to contract canine lymphoma.<br /><br />"Natural" or "organic" lawn care is the fastest growing segment of the green industry, and we're proud of the role Grassroots has played in helping to make that happen through our professional education seminars, our informational videos, our consumer flyers and our ever-popular "green lawn cards." But obviously we've got a long way to go. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;tab-stops:28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">Happy Spring to all our Grassroots friends!</p> <!--EndFragment-->Doug and Patti Woodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17141096180941570111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-931354126856288659.post-38567801301056663202011-01-17T14:18:00.000-08:002011-01-17T14:24:28.688-08:00Magical Thinking on Fluoride<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YvMj8iJ3MoY/TTTBYR6AakI/AAAAAAAAAD4/6U3_N5d4Irw/s1600/drink%2Bwater.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 212px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YvMj8iJ3MoY/TTTBYR6AakI/AAAAAAAAAD4/6U3_N5d4Irw/s320/drink%2Bwater.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563284062577125954" /></a><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:10.0pt;margin-bottom: 12.0pt;margin-left:0in;line-height:14.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The world is a strange place. Take fluoride, for example. In this country, the handling and disposal of </span></span><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">hydrofluorosilicic acid - an industrial by-product from the phosphate fertilizer industry - is closely monitored and regulated by the EPA. That is, until it is sold as a product. Then, as if by magic, this highly toxic substance no longer requires oversight by the EPA. It is transported freely across the country and is added to public drinking water supplies, so that everyone who drinks the water also drinks some of the toxic chemical. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:10.0pt;margin-bottom: 12.0pt;margin-left:0in;line-height:14.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Unlike the fluoride used in toothpaste, hydrofluorosilicic acid is not pharmaceutical-grade quality. It is a corrosive acid, usually unpurified. Exposure to fluoride has been associated with developmental problems in infants and increased levels of lead in children’s blood. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:10.0pt;margin-bottom: 12.0pt;margin-left:0in;line-height:14.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Now, anyone who grew up watching television knows that fluoride helps prevent tooth decay (or so we've been told), so you might think that adding the chemical to drinking water might help reduce tooth decay, but there is actually no scientific evidence to support this theory. The only measurable benefit scientists can document comes from the topical application of fluoride, not from systemic ingestion. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:10.0pt;margin-bottom: 12.0pt;margin-left:0in;line-height:14.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The practice of adding </span></span><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">fluoride to drinking water has been banned in most European countries, but here in the United States it is still widely accepted, with government agencies and industrial producers stubbornly clinging to the notion that exposing the entire population to this chemical, without their consent, is wise and just. We strongly disagree.<br /><br />If you live in an area where fluoride isn't added to your water supply, consider yourself lucky. If not, you might want to think about getting your family a good quality </span><a href="http://www.grassrootsinfo.org/water.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">water filter</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:10.0pt;margin-bottom: 12.0pt;margin-left:0in;line-height:14.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">- Doug</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:10.0pt;margin-bottom: 12.0pt;margin-left:0in;line-height:14.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">P. S. We had Dr. Paul Connett on our Green Street radio show last year. To hear the show, click </span><b><u><a href="http://www.greenstreetradio.com/030210.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">here</span></a></u></b><a href="http://www.greenstreetradio.com/030210.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">.</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Doug and Patti Woodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17141096180941570111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-931354126856288659.post-36626113666805375852011-01-07T13:41:00.000-08:002011-01-10T13:50:07.600-08:00New York State: Guardians of the Public Health<!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">A few years ago a title like this would have seemed highly unlikely. And given last year's political spectacle in Albany, you might think nothing much could possibly have been accomplished.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Nevertheless, we think 2010 is going to go down in history as the year New York got serious about the public's environmental health.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Consider the evidence:</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:31.5pt"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">• In May, the State passed truly historic legislation prohibiting the use of pesticides on playing fields at all public and private schools in the state, grades K-12, as well as day care centers. This is the most comprehensive law of its kind anywhere in the country. </span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:31.5pt"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:31.5pt"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">• In October, the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation announced "Be Green Organic Yards, NY" - a groundbreaking program to train and certify private landscapers in natural (non-pesticide) turf management. No other state offers such a program. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:31.5pt"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:31.5pt"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">• Just last month, the </span></span><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Interagency Committee on Sustainability and Green Procurement announced a list of "Chemicals for Consideration," containing scores of known or suspected carcinogens, endocrine disruptors and other bio-accumulative toxins. The list will be used by all State agencies making purchasing decisions. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">As a member of the Governor's Advisory Council on Sustainability and Green Procurement, I can tell you it was exciting and gratifying to see all our hard work and persistence pay off. For once, I felt we had really moved the ball forward in a significant way. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">All three of these initiatives embrace the Precautionary Principle - the idea that the government can and should take action to protect the public's health even when absolute proof of cause and effect has not yet been established. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Now the fight to protect the public's health moves to other states across the country, but with New York leading by example, we hope other state governments will find it easier to move forward on these extremely important issues. We are proud to have been able to play a role in New York's actions this year. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">-<i> Patti</i></span></span><span style="font-family:Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Doug and Patti Woodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17141096180941570111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-931354126856288659.post-35459858393084366982010-12-13T13:23:00.000-08:002011-01-05T07:32:03.912-08:00Autism and the Environment<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YvMj8iJ3MoY/TQaPVkd0E2I/AAAAAAAAADs/qRkEYcJsDt0/s1600/liam.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 297px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YvMj8iJ3MoY/TQaPVkd0E2I/AAAAAAAAADs/qRkEYcJsDt0/s320/liam.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550281191509463906" /></a><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Last week our </span></span><a href="http://www.greenstreetradio.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Green Street</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> radio show was about autism, We talked with a leading researcher about possible environmental links and we talked with the VP of a non-profit organization about the things being done to help parents of autistic kids. It was both inspiring and frightening. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">As we watch our grandson grow up, we are reminded of just how much work it is to raise a child, and how invested parents become in the health and welfare of their children. The possibility that your three-year-old child begin to regress and withdraw as the symptoms of autism appear is something we all have to live with.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The link to vaccinations seems to have been mostly dispelled by the research, although doubt lingers among many parents of autistic children because of the significant anecdotal evidence noting the proximity of vaccinations to the first signs of autism. But there are other factors coming to light.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Prenatal exposures are getting particular scrutiny, including viruses and ultra-sound procedures. And of course, chemical exposures from airborne toxins, nutritional deficiencies, personal care products and food are always on the list of suspects.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"I don't think that any case is due to a single exposure or a single gene," Dr. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Irva Hertz-Picciotto of the University of California at Davis told us. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"Every [autistic] child has probably been affected by several genes and several environmental factors."</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi- mso-bidi-font-weight:boldfont-family:Arial;"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi- mso-bidi-font-weight:boldfont-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">You can hear the whole show at </span><a href="http://www.greenstreetradio.com/thisweek.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">http://www.greenstreetradio.com/thisweek.html</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. </span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-Baskerville Semibold"font-family:";font-size:10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Doug and Patti Woodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17141096180941570111noreply@blogger.com0