If you heard last week’s Green Divas myEARTH360 report, you may have wondered why I brought up the tainted dog treats (i.e., what in the world does that have to do with the environment?). You’ll understand when you listen to this week’s segment. Plus learn how factory dairy farming can cause some serious environmental hazards if there’s a cow poop spill (yikes!) and how Pope Francis is stepping up and asking us all to help protect God’s creation. Plus lots more… tune in!
WTF
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to allow four Chinese facilities to process poultry raised and slaughtered in the United States, Canada or Chile…
Then export the cooked poultry products back into the United States for human consumption.
China has an unusually troubling record when it comes to food safety. Specific instances include: dangerously high levels of mercury found in Chinese baby formula; more than 16,000 diseased pig carcasses dumped in a river to rot; more than $1 million worth of rat and other small mammal meat sold to Chinese consumers as lamb; and more than 300,000 Chinese children sickened, with several dying, from melamine-tainted milk powder.
Last year, according to news reports, a Chinese poultry supplier provided Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants in China with chicken fattened by large quantities of illegal drugs. And in the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently warned pet owners not to feed their pets jerky treats from China. Since 2007, approximately 600 dogs and cats in the United States have mysteriously died, and 3,600 have been sickened from eating Chinese pet treats, including those containing chicken or duck. Read more…
How Factory Farms are Polluting America’s Dairyland
The slogan on Wisconsin’s license plate—“America’s Dairyland”—celebrates the state’s number one agricultural activity and iconic status as a milk and cheese producer.
What it doesn’t reveal is how dramatically the dairy industry in Wisconsin and in other parts of the U.S. has been changing, or the environmental concerns those changes pose.
The USDA estimates that the manure from 200 milking cows produces as much nitrogen as sewage from a community of 5,000 to 10,000 people. Read more…
Trillions of plastic pieces may be trapped in Arctic ice.
Humans produced nearly 300 million tons of plastic in 2012, but where does it end up? A new study has found plastic debris in a surprising location: trapped in Arctic sea ice. As the ice melts, it could release a flood of floating plastic onto the world.
Scientists already knew that microplastics—polymer beads, fibers, or fragments less than 5 millimeters long—can wind up in the ocean, near coastlines, or in swirling eddies such as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. But Rachel Obbard, a materials scientist at Dartmouth College, was shocked to find that currents had carried the stuff to the Arctic. Read more…
‘Man-Eating Super Wolves’ Episode Prompts Public Outcry Against Animal Planet
Wolves have been facing a barrage of undue negative publicity lately, from being stripped of federal protection to being prized in glorified wolf-hunting derbies to being victims of state bills that fund widespread killing of wolves under the guise of “management.”
In the latest affront to these creatures, Animal Planet featured a segment called “Man-Eating Super Wolves” during their Monster Week line up, prompting sharp public criticism. Defenders of Wildlife and other concerned citizens called on the television station to immediately remove the program from the air. Read more…
Encouraging News…
Pope: Destroying the Earth is a sin.
Pope Francis made the biblical case for mitigating the effects of climate change, speaking to a massive crowd in Rome.
In his brief speech, Francis issued a dire warning about the effects of climate change.
“Safeguard Creation,” he said, according to Think Progress, “because if we destroy Creation, Creation will destroy us! Never forget this!”
“Creation is not a property, which we can rule over at will; or, even less, is the property of only a few: Creation is a gift, it is a wonderful gift that God has given us, so that we care for it and we use it for the benefit of all, always with great respect and gratitude,” Francis said. Read more…
How oceans can solve our freshwater crisis
It’s been a cruel irony for ancient mariners and any thirsty person who has ever gazed upon a sparkling blue ocean: Water, water everywhere, and not a drop to drink.
But imagine a coastal city of the future, say in 2035. Along with basic infrastructure such as a port, roads, sewer lines and an electrical grid, it’s increasingly likely this city by the sea will contain a newer feature.
A desalination plant. Thanks to improved technology, turning ocean water into freshwater is becoming more economically feasible. Read more…
3 Ways to Combat Climate Change With Your Garden
It’s estimated that over one third of the world’s carbon emissions is caused by agriculture—that includes moving food to the grocery shelves and ultimately, from the store to our homes. Since many organic products come from all over the world, that can negate the healthful value. Read more…
Take Action X 3!
1. Don’t let polluters poison our water
We shouldn’t have to worry if the water sources we rely on for drinking, fishing, and swimming are polluted. But for 117 million Americans, a legal loophole has undermined the Clean Water Act safeguards that are supposed to prevent big polluters from dumping unsafe amounts of dangerous pollutants in our waters.
The Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers are ready to make important changes to close this loophole—and you can step up to support these changes.
Protect clean water. Click here to tell the EPA and the Corps you support restoring Clean Water Act safeguards for critical streams and wetlands.
2. You have a right to know what’s in your food!
We can all agree that we should be able to know what’s in the food that we’re eating. Unfortunately, because we don’t have labeling for foods with genetically engineered ingredients, you don’t know if the food you are eating has ingredients that have been altered in ways that could never happen in nature.
Click here to sign the petition below to ask your elected officials to require labeling for all genetically engineered foods.
3. Toxic chemicals don’t belong in pads and tampons. Period.
Watch the hilarious parody music video here.
Then click here to tell the makers of Tampax and Always to detox the box: list all ingredients and remove harmful chemicals.
Images via shutterstock.
Bonus!
A lot of reason to listen to this whole Green Divas Radio Show from our feature with Michael Green, executive Director of the Center for Environmental Health, who talked about his work to help protect us from toxins in our environment, including BPA. Among our regular segments, Green Dude, Green Divas myEARTH360, we also introduced our first Green Divas Eco-Style segment featuring Bianca Alexander of Conscious Living TV.
