A round-up of this week’s environmental, green and ecofriendly news and updates.
Delicious honey may be safe for us to eat, but honey from all over the world is contaminated with neonicotinoids, a pesticide that harms bees, a new study says.
And what’s bad for pollinators is ultimately bad for people, too. The levels of the pesticide are very low, but neocotinoids are far more toxic than DDT. North American honey had the highest contamination rate, followed by honey from Asia, Europe and South America.
Surprisingly, the residue even showed up in honey from remote places such as oceanic islands and a forest surrounded by organic farms, showing that pesticides spread far and wide. Bee losses are a major threat to human food security and ecosystem stability.
When we think about hurricanes, we tend to focus on the humans affected by them – and that’s fair enough.
But what about the environment?
How is the planet impacted by severe weather?
It’s really interesting – and you can find out in this great guest post.
We all need laundry done. So, green it!
Don’t use laundry detergent. Most contain nasty chemicals that get into our water and harm wildlife. Plus, they’re sold in plastic bottles that mostly end up in landfills. What can you use instead? Ecofriendly laundry balls are one option. They last a long time (at least a year), so you don’t have all those plastic bottles – and no detergent. Plus they’re light to transport so you reduce your carbon emissions. Make sure you choose balls made from recyclable non-PVC plastic, and the contents (ceramic pellets made from clay) should be biodegradeable. They should be hypoallergenic. There should be no fragrance – if you like a smell, add a few drops of essential oil to the ball before washing. Just be aware that most laundry balls will remove most stains, but if you aren’t satisfied, just add some vinegar to your wash. Here are some examples of laundry balls.
What about drying? You’ll appreciate the excellent tips in this article that will save you loads of energy and money when using a clothes drier. Don’t use drier sheets – they’re single-use disposables and most are full of chemicals. Instead, choose reusable drier balls – preferably organic and fair trade. Here are some examples.
Ditch the chemicals, save money – and the planet – and green your laundry!
Do you remember the American cosmologist Carl Sagan? I thought he was wonderful.
He organized a photo taken by NASA which changed the way many people looked at the Earth.
Watch this video clip and see what you think – I interpreted it differently to many. Do you?
Global Green News:
Hurricane Ophelia became the first hurricane ever seen of Category 3 strength or greater in the eastern Atlantic when it hit Ireland last week, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without electricity.
Ophelia’s high winds also worsened wildfires already raging in Spain and Portugal and caused many deaths – see this incredible photo here.
The sky turned yellow and the sun blazed red in London last week. It was caused by debris from forest fires in Spain and Portugal, and winds from (former) Hurricane Ophelia mixing the smoke and debris with sand from the Sahara. Luckily, the health risks were low and the skies soon returned to normal.
US Green News:
Oxfam is an international humanitarian organization. For the first time ever, it is helping a developed country – US citizens in Puerto Rico. Oxfam describe the situation there as “completely inexcusable”. They say there is a clear blueprint for getting safe water to people after a disaster, and the US has the resources to do so.
The damage caused by Hurricane Maria to Puerto Rico is one of the worst humanitarian disasters in U.S. history. Even now, one month later, over 1 million people don’t have access to clean water – and many are turning in desperation to water from highly toxic “Superfund” sites and contaminated rivers. Most of the island is still without power, and about 2 million people are missing meals each day due to food shortages.
This is the situation that the White House describes as “going well”. Trump rates his own response to the crisis as a “10 out of 10,”
Just when we need weather forecasts more than ever, budget cuts are likely to jeopardize forecasting tools – because according to the current Administration, why would we need them, when climate change isn’t real?
You’d think, with all the recent disasters, it would be accepted that we need to protect people’s lives and livelihoods.
What do you think? Let me know in the comments below.
Please spread the Green word and share this info.
And if you’re on Twitter, get a daily green tip by following me – @EcoExpert1 . See you there!
