Fracking Waste Ban: NIMBY!

June 18th, 2013


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Radioactive, toxic waste..coming your way…Fracking fluid from fracked gas wells is already pumped and very probably loaded on a truck, ready and waiting to be sent to your town or county for “treatment.” As we have discussed before at ClimateMama, there is NO safe way to treat fracking waste which can be toxic, radioactive and most definitely hazardous to your health. Treatment facilities have documented contaminants found in fracking waste to include: Barium, Strontium, Napthalene, and 1,2,4 Trimthylbenzene, as well as radioactive materials like Radium 226 and 228, to name a few….

As this waste falls within a federal government loophole and isn’t technically classified as “hazardous” it can be “treated” in your town’s water treatment facility, stored in your local landfill, in an open “pit” near your local community park, or home – even though we know it is a serious health hazard to you, your family, our local farms, animals, environment and a real and serious potential cost to our economy. While the federal government looks to “sort this out” and more and more time passes, state, county and local governments are regularly passing laws of their own to protect their citizens from these real and present health hazards.

If you live in any one of 33 states, Class II deep injection wells are also a possibility for fracking waste. Ohio, Texas, Oklahoma and California have been the locations of most fracking waste injections wells to date, but legally almost any state can have them. As we allow more and more fracking, which produces more and more waste, the pressure grows for ways to “treat this waste.” Out of sight out of mind seems to be the accepted practice, with caution, oversight and safety too often thrown to the wind.

Photo Center: Assembly Women Connie Wagner, one of the 2012 NJ Bill Sponsors

In 2012, the New Jersey Legislature passed a bi-partisan ban on the disposal and treatment of fracking waste in New Jersey. In September 2012, New Jersey Governor Christie vetoed this ban. In support of those legislators that are looking out for New Jersey residents and are calling for an override of the Governor’s veto, we at Climate Mama prepared the following comments for a New Jersey statewide press conference on June 17th:

Many New Jersey families are just realizing the “bullet” that was dodged last year when the legislature passed a ban on the treatment and disposal of radioactive and hazardous fracking waste in New Jersey is now heading directly for us and our families. It seems incredulous to all that this common sense protection needs to be re-confirmed. With New Jersey elections only a few months away, New Jersey families are expecting and demanding that our representatives, elected to look out for and protect our health and welfare, do their JOB. Our Garden State is NOT a dumping ground for hazardous, radioactive fracking waste.

The Governor was ill advised to veto this common sense bi-partisan ban. We are watching as counties in New York wisely pass legislation to protect their citizens and ban fracking waste within their borders. We ask our legislators to tell us: “Which New Jersey legislative district will be the first to accept radioactive fracking waste from Pennsylvania into their water or waste treatment facilities? Whose children will be the first to fish, swim or play in a river or stream or on a town recreation field where radioactive fracking waste has been “treated” nearby and then released – threatening our children’s immediate and long term health?

We are watching our legislators closely. We are calling for an over-ride of the Governor’s veto and demanding that our elected officials ensure the protection and safety of our children AND THEIRS by voting in favor of a fracking waste ban when it is called for a vote – again.

According to a 2012 article by ProPublica’s Abraham Justgarten:

There are now more than 150,000 Class 2 wells in 33 states, into which oil and gas drillers have injected at least 10 trillion gallons of fluid. The numbers have increased rapidly in recent years, driven by expanding use of hydraulic fracturing to reach previously inaccessible resources.

ProPublica analyzed records summarizing more than 220,000 well inspections conducted between late 2007 and late 2010, including more than 194,000 for Class 2 wells. We also reviewed federal audits of state oversight programs, interviewed dozens of experts and explored court documents, case files, and the evolution of underground disposal law over the past 30 years.
Our examination shows that, amid growing use of Class 2 wells, fundamental safeguards are sometimes being ignored or circumvented. State and federal regulators often do little to confirm what pollutants go into wells for drilling waste. They rely heavily on an honor system in which companies are supposed to report what they are pumping into the earth, whether their wells are structurally sound, and whether they have violated any rules.

More than 1,000 times in the three-year period examined, operators pumped waste into Class 2 wells at pressure levels they knew could fracture rock and lead to leaks. In at least 140 cases, companies injected waste illegally or without a permit.

Here’s our ClimateMama at a recent rally in her state legislative district, encouraging her legislator to ‘do the right thing,’ and protect his consituents; something we expect and demand that all our local and nationally elected representatives do.

Please share your stories or stories of Climate Mamas and Papas in your neighborhood who are fighting for clean air and water in your community!

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Posted in Climate Mama Video Peek of the Week, Disasters, In The News, Politics, Take a Stand: Action & Advocacy, fracking and pipelines | No Comments »

Man of Steel: We Can Be Heroes Campaign

June 14th, 2013


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“Superman Fact” to share with the kids in your life: the symbol on Superman’s chest isn’t an “S” at all, but a Kryptonian symbol for universal hope!

Now ask them to close their eyes and imagine….

Humans have unwittingly unleashed powerful toxic agents that are altering the atmosphere. Air and sea currents are no longer stable, extreme weather events are occurring on every continent. Droughts, floods, massive storms, fires, dust storms and rising seas, are engulfing the planet. At the same time scientists warn of massive species extinction on a scale not seen on the earth since the time of the dinosaurs. Heat trapping gases are warming the arctic, melting glaciers and resulting in an ice free “top of the world” within a decade, an occurrence which hasn’t happened on Earth for 3 million years. Methane gas is already bubbling up from the no longer frozen tundra and in lakes that have been frozen for millennia. Human suffering and disasters abound, including a horrific drought in the Horn of Africa (which includes the countries of Eritrea, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Somalia) where arable land has turned into desert, displacing millions, causing civil war…famine has struck…250,000 people have died in the first 2 years of the crisis, half of them under the age of five. Who will save us…?

No, this isn’t the story line of the new Man of Steel movie, nor is it the outline of a science fiction disaster film. This is the very real life planetary emergency of our own making that we are living through NOW. Scientists tell us that we humans are the cause – primarily through our energy choices and abuse and misuse of our natural resources. Human created greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere have set in motion a first in our planet’s history: humans have now become the driving force of climate change; more powerful then volcanoes, natural cycles and solar flares.

While there are many causes and therefore are a wide range of tools we need to develop at multiple levels to deal with the climate crisis, one part of this disaster – the famine in the Horn of Africa – has a solution. “S” is for hope and for a real and achievable solution. We can ALL be heroes and create a positive and hopefully outcome for the people of the Horn of Africa, if we have the will to do so. As Jor-El, Superman father explains to Superman in Man of Steel, hope can be an important tool to inspire humans – bringing out the best in us – helping us join forces for planetary good. The crisis in the Horn of Africa is an incredibly important opportunity for us to do just that.

So, grab the your kids and let DC Entertainment and the Justice League, through their “We Can Be Heroes” campaign help you learn how. At the same time you can learn more about the organizations leading the charge and the heroes that do walk amongst us. Save the Children, International Rescue Committee and Mercy Corp are all “on the ground” in the Horn working to feed the people suffering from this crisis.

For those Superman and Justice league fans, here’s how DC Entertainment and Indiegogo can help you “get something good” and “do something great” at the same time through the We Can Be Heroes Campaign. Here’s an opportunity to acquire some unique memorabilia, and your purchase goes to support the We Can be Heroes campaign and the three partner organizations, Save the Children, International Rescue Committee and Mercy Corp who are all fighting to save lives in the Horn of Africa. The Indiegogo campaign ends on July 8th, but the We Can be Heroes campaign continues. Help your kids understand that even small acts can add up to or result in BIG change. While your at it, check out the Real Heroes project and encourage your kids to enter by uploading a video, or consider entering yourself. Let your kids recognize that YOU are a hero too.

I had the opportunity to meet Carolyn Miles, CEO of Save the Children, (photo middle) and a true hero, at a screening of Man of Steel. My 13 year old daughter accompanied me to the movie – which we both loved – and for the moment, she thinks that I am a “hero too!” I also got to connect with Onica, Jessica and Jennifer, fellow Global Team of 200 bloggers, part of a national network of Mom Bloggers for Social Good.

For those of you who are looking for more information about the crisis in the Horn of Africa, check in with Save the Children. But in a nutshell, the people most impacted in East Africa are those that have been living off the land. Subsistence, small-scale agriculture and herding has been their way of life for generations. In war torn poor countries with unstable governments, this creates a situation where these people are incredibly vulnerable to extreme weather events. In addition, water shortages, less predictable rainy seasons, and droughts all combine to create volatile conditions that erupt quickly, leaving no safety net for the most vulnerable populations. Scientists tell us that the probability of these droughts and the loss of a predictable rainy season is the new “normal” rather then the exception in this region, a direct result of climate change.

So, while we can and must deal with the immediate needs, the long-term outlook for this part of Africa will remain difficult. More effort needs to go into supporting and helping to manage and adapt existing agriculture practices to deal with changing conditions, while at the same time new avenues and opportunities for these populations need to be defined. We also need to get to the root of the problem and that is a burden the whole world shares. How do we change our energy sources, use less energy, and transform our economies so that they operate on clean renewable energy that will help safe guard current and future generations, at the same time as we heal our planet?

To all our Climate Mamas and Papas, you are our real HEROES in our search for answers to these difficult questions and you are what gives us hope!

Yours,

Climate Mama

Women holding Child Photo Credit: Save the Children

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Posted in Art, Fashion, Entertainment, Climate Mama News, Global Team of 200, In The News, Lifestyle & Fun, Take a Stand: Action & Advocacy | No Comments »

Myth Busters: Organic vs Conventional

June 13th, 2013


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MYTH BUSTERS: ORGANIC VS CONVENTIONAL, Guest Post by Michelle Aboodi

Have you ever gone to the supermarket, been confronted with a variety of brands and options and just froze from indecisiveness?! What milk or snacks should you buy for your family, what will be the most nutritious and beneficial, yet at the same time fit within your budget? Do the descriptions and nutritional facts seem overwhelming or simply null and void because you do not understand what each word means or what is inherently healthy and what is unhealthy?

With the influx of information, different types of labeling and certifying, and the many, many brands to choose from, we often walk around like “zombie” shoppers. One reason for this confusion that I have found – the excessive use of the word “organic.”

The USDA National Organic Program (NOP) defines organic as:


Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations. Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation. Before a product can be labeled “organic,” a Government-approved certifier inspects the farm where the food is grown to make sure the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meet USDA organic standards. Companies that handle or process organic food before it gets to your local supermarket or restaurant must be certified, too.

When you think of the word organic what comes to mind…nature, vegetables, and fruits? But in fact, we see “organic” everywhere. We are conditioned to think that organic is the healthier choice because advertisements make organic synonymous with words like “green”, “natural”, “nature”, “pure.” But it’s important to cut through the “words” on products, as these are just words, an advertisement, in most instances created by an ad company. Our trouble arises because we but too much trust in these terms. Their purpose is to entice us and get us to notice them.

The only formally recognized organic certified program in US, is USDA organic. USDA organic labeling is a difficult designation for a product to receive. Buying local, from farmers you get to know or trust can also provide you a similar level of safety. We trust the USDA label, as we should, but there is always some doubt that there could be an erosion of standards and manipulation of regulations.

What is more important than the stamp, is understanding the nutritional value of a product. We need more studies to show how great the difference is or is not between regular or conventional items and organic items. Organic is held to a higher standard.

Take apples for example. Typically, conventional foods are sprayed with pesticides to prevent insects from ruining them, or they may also be genetically modified, without us knowing….

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIH) defines pesticides as, “A pesticide is any substance used to kill, repel, or control certain forms of plant or animal life that are considered to be pests.” It takes powerful chemicals to do this, and we have yet to uncover all the repercussions to either human’s health or human surroundings. In the case of apples, according to the Environmental Working Group, one apple can have up to 48 different pesticides on it. Neither our children nor we want to be consuming pesticides when we bite into an apple.

As an example, the widely used herbicide Paraquat has been linked to liver, kidney, lung, and heart failure. Long-term exposure to this herbicide in farmers and farm workers has resulted in lung and eye damage. The NIH did a study that uncovered a link between Parkinsons in farm workers and Paraquat. These are just the “tip of the iceberg” and only one example of the harm pesticides and herbicides can cause, what about the other 47 on your apple? What length should we go to, to alter fruits and vegetables just so they can be kept on shelves for longer or sold for a cheaper price? Is our long-term health or that of our children an adequate trade off?

4 things you can do to be a “Myth Buster” and to Take a Stand:

1. As consumers and citizens, it is our right and our responsibility to lobby our government officials (at all levels) to require stricter labeling of products so that even items like bags of grapes have information on whether or not pesticides have been used.
2. We can ask for our tax dollars to go towards scientific research into the value of organic food in comparison to conventional food.
3. We can commit to purchasing brands we know practice moral and healthful farming.
4. We can make a healthy change, but at the same time it’s up to us to choose to DEMAND better understanding and healthy quality for all consumers.

Michelle Aboodi, a summer intern with ClimateMama, is a current student at New York University. Michelle’s role models include Bill McKibben, Martin Luther King Jr., and Erin Brockovich. When she is not working to preserve and help the environment, she enjoys writing, reading, yoga, dance, hiking, and cooking. We are excited to share Michelle’s perspective, ideas and youthful passion for making the world a better place with our Climate Mamas and Papas. We hope that you will share Michelle’s ideas and perspectives with the kids in your life too!
________________

Thanks Michelle for a great article and for getting us “thinking.” Farming practices and what and how we raise our crops and our livestock can have a significant positive or negative impact on climate change. Stay tuned and check back as we look into this “more in depth” this summer. In the meantime, you may want to check out the Environmental Working Group’s Shoppers Guide to Pesticides in Produce as well as some of their other consumer guides!

Yours,

Climate Mama

Grocery store photo credit: Fruitnet.com via photopin cc

USDA photo credit: Tim Psych via photopin

Farmer photo credit: USDAgov via ccphotopin cc

Apple photo credit: Thomas Hawk via photopin cc

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Posted in Climate Mama News, Earth Day is Every Day, Food, Health & Fitness, Product Reviews | No Comments »

Radon Gas in Your Kitchen? Fracking & Climate Change, Connecting the Dots

June 7th, 2013


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“City and state leaders have failed to think through the consequences of promoting radon-laced natural gas, and they failed to heed clear warning signs that gas from Pennsylvania represents a major threat to the public health of New Yorkers,” said Albert Appleton, former commission of the NYC Dept. of Environmental Protection and senior fellow at the Cooper Union Institute of Sustainable Design. Now Governor Cuomo and Mayor Bloomberg need to do what they should have done months ago—conduct adequate studies to assess all the risks to public health before proceeding further down the shale gas path.”
May 14th, 2013, Cooper Union New York

Oil and gas companies are pushing hard to expand the use of hydraulic fracturing for shale gas extraction to New York state, but citizen groups have been keeping this process at bay. Pennsylvania, meanwhile, has been specked out for over 100,000 well sites, with 5,000-7,000 wells already operating. A wide range of health hazards are coming to light related to water and air contamination and require much more careful scrutiny and study.

Our own Climate Mama, Harriet, is joining forces with Angela Monti Fox of The Mother’s Project and Natalie Cronin of Tinker Tree Play/Care to help educate New York City parents about the inherent dangers from extreme energy extraction and fracked gas including the potential for radon exposure and the real and present dangers we face from climate change. Let us help you Connect the Dots! (“Toxic Baby” Filmaker and mom Penelope Jagessar Chaffer, pictured here as well, was part of our first playdate!)

If you find yourself in New York City THIS SUNDAY, June 9th, join us at 10:30am at the Museum of Motherhood and LEARN MORE. Please share this with your friends. Space is limited, so register for this free event today!

At our Great Green Playdate For a Healthy Home, Natalie, a gifted early childhood educator, keeps the children delightfully engaged through stories, songs, and hands on artwork while teaching lessons in protecting the earth and each other. Parents engage with moms like Harriet and Angela who convey the importance of learning about what may happen in our kitchens as the city begins its program of converting apartment buildings to “natural gas.” Scientists tell us, depending on where the gas is coming from, it could be highly radioactive and filled with high levels of radon.

The real question for our policy makers is why are they focusing on (and supporting) the expansion of an oil and gas infrastructure with emphasis on shale gas, when energy from the sun, wind and water is waiting to be harnessed? We need to stand strong and demand a clean, renewable energy future if we hope to slow down climate change and ensure a livable future for our children!

Yours,

Climate Mama

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Posted in Climate Mama News, Climate Mamas & Papas, Games & Toys, Lifestyle & Fun, Take a Stand: Action & Advocacy, fracking and pipelines | No Comments »

Trash, Treasures and Climate Change

June 6th, 2013


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The official start to summer is only a few weeks way, yet here at ClimateMama we feel like New Years Eve was just yesterday…Time seems to pass too quickly but the rhythm of our kid lives keeps us on top of the seasons and moving forward. Spring brings baseball, lacrosse, school plays, final exams and graduations. It also reminds us to get ready for camp, summer vacations, beach time and picnics as well as just a more relaxed at home schedule. As summer approaches it is also a good opportunity for some “spring/summer” cleaning – garage sales seem to be popping up everywhere as do extra full trash cans – as many of us look to ‘declutter’ for the summer.

Photo Credit: Shutterstock

We know that all our Climate Mamas and Papas are familiar with the adage: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. In the developed world we all generate a lot of trash and collect a lot of “stuff.” If we hope to get a handle on managing, adapting to and slowing down climate change, an easy place to start is by doing a better job of managing our waste.

We recently shared suggestions for reducing our “foodprint.” Here are a few facts and ideas about landfill waste and ways you and your family can reduce it. According to our friends at DoSomething.org:

1. The average person generates over 4 pounds of trash every day and about 1.5 tons of solid waste per year.
2. In 2009, Americans produced enough trash to circle the Earth 24 times.
3. Over 75% of waste is recyclable, but in the USA we only recycle about 30% of it.

Photo Credit: Shutterstock

As it relates to climate change, landfill gas is the natural by-product of the decomposition of solid waste in landfills. This gas consists mostly of CO2 (carbon dioxide) and CH4 (methane) – two of the most potent forms of greenhouse gases, which in their human made state are the primary drivers of climate change. And according to the US Environmental Protection Agency, landfills are the third largest source of methane emissions in the United States.

Grab the kids in your life and ask them their suggestions for reducing waste at your home while keeping things you no longer want out of landfills. Remind them that one person’s trash is another person’s treasures.

Three ideas for you to share with your kids:

1. Music Magpie is a great company that we have recently been introduced to which helps people “declutter” while getting paid for it. Do you have trouble getting your kids to clean out their rooms and get rid of thing they no longer use? Tell them about Music Magpie and let them know there is “money to be made” in cleaning out their stuff! Clothes for cash. Cash for CD’s Games, and Electronics, definitely should get the attention of your teens and ‘tweens. With branches in the UK and the US, Music Magpie helps people on both sides of the Atlantic get rid of things like clothing, CDs, video games, DVDs and more. So “Music Magpie” today and keep usable stuff out of landfills, do your part to slow down climate change and get rewarded at the same time.

2. Do you Yerdle? Another great way to get rid of things you no longer want is to give them away to your “Friends!” Yerdle is a new tool that uses Facebook to help you give away items you no longer want but that friends, or friends of friends might be interested in having. Check out Yerdle today.

3. Garage Sales are certainly more “old school” then our first two suggestions, but we think there is something really fun about organizing your family to collect, tag and sell all those things you no longer want but someone else might “treasure.”

How does your family plan to reduce waste and slow down climate change this summer? Let us know!

Yours,

Climate Mama

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Posted in Climate Mama News, Lifestyle & Fun, Recycling | No Comments »

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Welcome to Climate Mama

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You are a mother, a father, a grandparent, an uncle, an aunt, a teacher or a child at heart. When you hear the Native American saying, “We don’t inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children”, it makes you stop for a moment and think. You love nature, travel, adventure and believing in a world that is special and unique. Climate change and global warming are words that alarm you, that often seem too big to get your arms around. You care about what’s happening to the world and notice small changes in your own life that seem to point in the direction of a threatened environment. But you wonder if these changes are real, and if they are you can’t imagine what you can do to help change what is happening.

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Climate Mamas and Papas

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Climate Change so often seems too big to get our hands around. We wonder where we can start and how we can actually make a difference. Each one of us has a different path that we will follow. Some of us cut a wider swath than others, but each of us has a role to play. We would like to introduce you to some amazing individuals, Climate Mamas and Papas who are making a difference, who are, through their daily lives, affecting the lives of all of us. They inspire us, empower us, and challenge us to reach for the stars, to strive to do the best we can to help change the crash course we are currently on with our environment. Lets meet some of these amazing people and find out what inspires them. Meet our featured Climate Mama, Desiree Di Mauro today!

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The Climate Reality Project is one of the world’s leading organizations dedicated to mobilizing action around climate change. With a global movement that is more than 2 million strong and a grassroots network of trained Climate Leaders, Climate Reality is "spreading the truth and unleashing the cultural momentum to solve the climate crisis."

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