Day: January 6, 2021

PFAS

Toxic ‘forever chemicals’ found in pesticide used on millions of Mass. acres when spraying for mosquitoes

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Read the full story in the Boston Globe.

For two decades, state environmental officials have used a controversial pesticide to kill mosquitoes in Massachusetts, spraying millions of acres from the air and ground to reduce the spread of Eastern equine encephalitis.

Now, after years of criticism from environmental advocates who have long raised health concerns about the expensive treatment known as Anvil 10+10, the pesticide has been found to also contain an array of toxic compounds known as PFAS. The so-called “forever chemicals,” which are found in a range of commercial products and never fully degrade, have been linked to cancer, low infant birth weights, and a range of diseases.

Climate change

Youth environmental activists in Russia face down obstacles to spread their climate message

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Read the full story at Ensia.

Russia is warming 2.5 times faster than the planet as a whole, but young activists there say they have an uphill climb when it comes to drawing attention to climate change.

Emerging contaminants, Environmental health, Water

What happens when there’s no clean water left to drink?

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Read the full story at NC Policy Watch.

At least 1 million people living from Pittsboro to Wilmington in the Cape Fear River Basin could be exposed to high levels of toxic perfluorinated compounds.

However, that figure — equivalent to 10% of North Carolina’s population — is an undercount, because these compounds have been detected in groundwater and other river basins, including the Neuse.

Now two towns, Pittsboro and Fuquay-Varina, facing greater demand for water than they can supply, are considering tapping into another public utility for water: Sanford, where PFAS have also been detected in drinking water.

The towns’ quandaries illustrate the interconnectedness of communities and water supplies; they also raise questions about where utilities will get their water when the supplies are so widely contaminated.

Data science, Statistics/Data sets

Ohio state government unveils new data website

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Read the full story at Cleveland.com.

A new state website makes available data sets ranging from unemployment claims to COVID-19 rates in sewage, as part of a new transparency initiative announced on Monday.

DataOhio.gov, rolled out as part of the state’s ongoing InnovateOhio project, contains more than 200 data sets, Lt. Gov. Jon Husted said Monday. State officials envision legislators, state policy staff, think tanks, journalists and members of the public using the information to inform their research.

Citizen science, K-12

April is Citizen Science month

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April is Citizen Science Month. It offers thousands of opportunities for you to turn your curiosity into impact. There’s something for everyone, everywhere. Join a project or event from wherever you are to help scientists answer questions they cannot answer without you. 

In just a couple of years, Global Citizen Science Month (April) has grown from a single day of events, to a coordinated effort supported by SciStarter, the National Library of Medicine, Arizona State University, the Citizen Science Association, Science Friday, National Geographic, and many other collaborators from around the world. Global Citizen Science Month encompasses online events and opportunities to contribute to projects from home.

Air quality, Environmental health

How air pollution could be harming your brain

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Read the full story at Ensia.

According to one expert, “The risk of air pollution on the brain is a much broader risk factor than we’ve given it credit for.”

Sustainability

Doing More with Less – Lessons Learned in 2020

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Read the full story at Waste360.

2020 has been a year that feels like a decade, a time of challenge, change and crisis. Our lifestyles have changed over the past nine months as our mobility, social interactions and ability to engage in commerce were curtailed by the reality and restrictions of COVID-19. We’ve been compelled to do more with less.

Here’s the thing, though. That lessening effect has been a net positive for sustainability.

Food service and restaurants

Indoor dining restrictions aren’t helping Colorado’s recycling problem

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Read the full story in the Denver Post.

As exploding COVID-19 numbers close down indoor dining in more than two dozen Colorado counties, restaurants are once again turning to pickup and delivery orders as their lifeline to staying in business.

But with that surge in to-go eating comes yet another — if rarely mentioned — scourge of the COVID-19 pandemic: mounds and mounds of takeaway trash.

Citizen science, Smart phone apps, Wildlife

How eBird Changed Birding Forever

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Read the full story at Outside.

Over the past two decades, eBird has become the go-to online platform for scientists and hobbyists alike to upload and share bird observations. But it has also transformed the process and etiquette of birding.

Energy efficiency, Events

Webinar: Beyond Energy Savings: Quantifying the Additional Benefits from Energy Efficiency

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Tue, Jan 12, 2021 10-11 am CST
Register here.

Often, energy-saving projects can yield extra benefits beyond reduced energy use and costs. These benefits can include reduced maintenance, improved productivity, waste reduction, and more. Join this webinar to learn about a new methodology to quantify the non-energy savings and revenues from energy efficiency projects.

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