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Discover the Taste & Health Benefits of Regenified Food Products!

on December 23, 2023December 24, 2023 By Our New Green Culture

Washington (GGM) Analysis | December 23, 2023 by Noreen Wise, Founder & CEO of Gallant Gold Media; Image Credit: AdobeStock

Do daily food choices impact global warming?

The short answer is… Yes! A very significant impact. Can this be reversed? Yes, much the same way that the dirty fossil fuels negative impact is being slashed by the clean energy transition.

According to Ember, an independent analysis firm that relies on “data-driven insights” to assess where countries stand in their transition to clean energy from fossil fuels, “half of the world is past a peak in fossil power,” and 78 of these economies “have displaced fossil power with clean energy.”

Across the globe, fossil fuel use, peaks and rates of decline are being monitored daily. In the United States, the increasing rise in clean energy projects is celebrated by communities and their leaders. “Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island will procure future wind energy projects together rather than separately as part of a joint agreement the states’ governors announced Wednesday — the first such multi-state agreement in the nation,” the AP reported on October 4, 2023. A quick Google search will show headline after headline of similar good news. “Coal-fired electricity is falling below solar in NC — but there’s more to the trend,” WFAE, Climate News, “Charlotte’s NPR News Source,” reported on July 21, 2023.

With so much focus, planning, funding, monitoring, and celebrating now being applied to the transition to clean energy, we can safely say that we’ve got this. Our cities are on the clean energy track, and the train isn’t going to stop until we’ve reached our destination of net zero emissios in energy production.

So, what’s next?

SOIL HEALTH, REGEN AG & OUR FOOD SYSTEM:
Does Cow Grazing Boost Carbon Drawdown? | Regen Ag
Is There a CSA Near You? | One Acre Farm
Let’s Fix Our Soil So It Can Store More Carbon

Our food system is what’s next! Our food system has become the new top priority that requires the same focus, planning, funding, monitoring and celebrating that switching to clean energy has received.

Every individual can make a difference. Our daily food choices have immediate positive and/or negative cascading impacts on the environment, on greenhouse gas levels, carbon drawdown, water, and our personal health. In fact, soil food and water quality, and human health are closely related, explains regenerative agriculture pioneer and change maker Gabe Brown through his tireless interviews, never ending public speaking engagements, webinars with Understanding Ag, appearances in documentary films, answering questions during a Congressional Hearing, and even spending time with people like me discussing regenerative agriculture. Brown is also a soil health expert and author of Dirt to Soil, Our Families Journey into Regenerative Agriculture. He’s deemed one of the top 25 most influential leaders in US agriculture.

According to Statista, based on 2022 data, the United States has 893.4 million acres of farmland. This is a land mass so large that it’s the size of Alaska, Texas, California, Montana, New Mexico, and Ohio combined. Unfortunately, a large percent of this farmland has degraded soil, a result of conventional farming practices that rely heavily on high inputs (pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides), monoculture crops, and tilling, which results in the nutrient density of the crops grown on conventional farmland being significantly reduced. A 2021 article in Yale’s Environment 360 warned that more than one-third of the US Corn Belt’s farmland, which is more than 100 million acres, is completely eroded and has lost the carbon in its topsoil.

Additionally, much of the US food supply is covered in a toxic residue that negatively affects our personal well-being. In February 2019, CNN reported that “Glyphosate, an herbicide that remains the world’s most ubiquitous weed killer, raises the cancer risk of those exposed to it by 41%.” As dangerous as conventional farming practices are to human health, with a direct correlation of pesticides/herbicides/fungicides being consumed by those who eat these products being linked to cancer, there is also a cascading negative indirect impact that further undermines human health. Reduced carbon drawdown in degraded soil exacerbates the climate crisis, resulting in a further rise in global temperatures. Oliver Milman reported in August 2023 for The Guardian that heat is the “silent killer“, and in the US, heat is the leading cause of weather-related deaths, surpassing those associated with hurricanes and tornadoes.

Gabe Brown brightened my spirits when he shared the good news (when speaking with him in June 2023) that there are now 30 million plus acres of regenerative farms and ranches and this number is growing, which means improved soil health on all these acres. Healthy soil can drawdown a significant amount of CO2, much easier and more economically than any innovative, high tech climate capture contraption. Healthy soil also improves water infiltration rates, which in turn replenishes the water tables deep beneath the surface. This is an example of a cascading positive impact. Further, our US soil, theoretically, could immediately end the climate crisis if we were able to instantly put back all the carbon that’s been removed since the colonization of North America.

With this in mind, it’s clear that a major pathway to slowing down global warming is restoring soil health. Thankfully, soil health experts, which include numerous farmers and ranchers like Gabe Brown, have been working passionately on this for decades. They’ve spent endless hours researching and testing methods of improving soil health and monitoring the carbon cycle. They’ve proven that the age-old regenerative agriculture principles, and the varying practices related to the varying contexts, work.

Regenerative agriculture is now a global movement committed to transforming farmland and landscapes across the US, as well as the rest of the world, from high input conventional ag to low-to-no-input regenerative ag, resulting in not only a Regenerative Revolution, as Josh Tickell referred to it on a Farm Green podcast, but also a Health Revolution.

Josh Tickell is one of the Producers and the Director of two Regen Ag documentaries: Kiss the Ground and Common Ground.

Kiss the Ground, released in September 2020, is a soil health documentary that explores the remarkable soil health restoration process and provides the 101 on regenerative agriculture. Kiss the Ground is streaming on every platform.

Common Ground is the sequel to Kiss the Ground, and was released on September 27, 2023. It’s being shown in theaters across the country through the end of 2023 and early 2024, and is expected to land on streaming platforms alongside Kiss the Ground sometime in 2024.

The most exciting recent news about the Regenerative Revolution is that the USDA has approved the Regenifiedproduct label that will soon bring these healthy, wholesome, carbon-reducing products to Whole Foods and various other super markets.

Regenified was founded by Gabe Brown and Dr. Allen Williams, who are both on the Board of Directors. The Understanding Ag website notes that Williams is a 6th generation family farmer, and a pioneer “of the early regenerative grazing protocols and forage finishing techniques” with a PhD in Livestock Genetics from LSU.

Regenified’s CEO Salar Shemirani was a recent guest on the Rick Clark Farm Green podcast where he explained to listeners that “Regenified is a land verification certification company for regenerative practices, and ultimately a product certification that helps the ingredients that come from these lands and farms be recognized and to be labeled and marketed as regenerative products.”

“Our entire aim is to bring recognition and reward to farmers and ranchers that practice regeneratively over time.” —Salar Shemirani, Regenified CEO, Farm Green Podcast with Host Rick Clark, 29 August 2023

Regenified’s complex metric is built on the 6-3-4 verification standard: the 6 Principles of Regenerative Agriculture, plus the 3 Rules of Adaptive Stewardship, that drive the 4 Ecosystem Processes.

Doug Peterson, Regenified’s Director of Standards & Protocols, is Regenified’s Chief Scientist. Peterson’s 32 year career as a Soil Health Specialist with USDA-NRCS, included such roles as Regional Soil Health Specialist (Midwest, US), State Soil Health Specialist (Missouri), State Grassland Conservationist (Missouri), and District Conservationist (Missouri). In Peterson’s bio on the Soil Health Academy website he explains, “Learning to work with natural ecosystems and not against them is, without a doubt, one of the biggest challenges.” He goes on to state, “I believe the best learning comes from doing. Growing up on a farms and then spending many years with the NRCS, evaluating farms and ranches across the Midwest, has allowed me to learn a tremendous amount about managing the land.”

6 Principles of Regenerative Agriculture

No till
Diverse cover crops
Little-to-no chemical inputs (pesticides, herbicides, fungicides)
Live roots in the ground for as long as possible
Cattle grazing and manure
Context

3 Rules of Adaptive Stewardship

Rule of Compounding
Rule of Diversity
Rule of Disruption

4 Ecosystem Processes

Energy Cycle
Nutrient Cycle
Water Cycle
Community Dynamics

Listening to numerous regenerative agriculture webinars and podcast, one quickly learns that regenerative agriculture is a long gradient with all regenerative farmers and ranchers falling somewhere along the wide range. The goal is to keep moving toward 100%. Shemirani explained on the Farm Green podcast that in order to become certified Regenified, once a farm or ranch reaches 20%, a significant milestone, it then has three years to increase another 20%, and three more to reach the next 20%, onward and upward to 100%.

Shemirani outlined the 5 Regenified tiers:

Tier 1: 0-20%
Tier 2: 20-40%
Tier 3: 40-60%
Tier 4: 60-80%
Tier 5: 80-100%

According to Shemirani, it’s at Tier 2 that products can receive the Regenefied certification. This certification is live as long as the farm/ranch keeps increasing 20% every three years.

Shemirani emphasized, “We don’t have a checklist, we have a comprehensive evaluation criteria that measures practices and outcomes and essentially placing into a paradigm of how far you are in that regenerative path. And bring that transparency and trust and highlight to the farmer so the consumers know where their products come from. And the commitment that that farmer is making to expand and increase, it helps more regenerative practices over time.”

The Regenified “mark of confidence” products are many: fruits, vegetables, grains, meats, dairy products, eggs, honey, chickpeas, lentils, coffee, flax, garlic, onions, soybeans, hemp and more. The list will keep growing as more and more farmers and ranchers become Regenified certified.

Because corporate greenwashing is rampant, especially in the US, consumer trust is of the utmost importance to Regenified. Shemirani took time during the Farm Green podcast to underscore this priority, “It is important for brands to recognize that consumers do care about authenticity, traceability, and transparency. They care about trusting that if a brand, or an outlet makes certain claims, or discloses some information about the product that the consumer is purchasing, that those claims or [that] information is accurate. And in order to do that, they may have to rely on services of certification, and again certifications that can provide that transparency, traceability and confidence, to be able to have the trust of consumers.”

So, the next time you’re in Whole Foods, be sure to look for the Regenified label. If you don’t see any products, stop at Customer Service and ask. Remember, choosing Regenified instead of conventional is a daily decision that has significant long term positive outcomes for both personal and planetary health.

The Following farms and ranches have already been Regenified certified:

Browns Ranch | Bismarck, ND
Carman Ranch | Wallowa, OR
Union Grove Farm | Chapel Hill, NC
Harborview Farm | Rock Hall, MD
Cedar Meadows | Holtwood, PA
Bella Vista Farm | Sacatepéquez, Guatemala
Lotus Flower Farm | Galien, MI
New Family Farms | Holton, KS
Axten Farms | Minton, SK

Alarming Findings | Are We Inhaling Nanoplastics & What About Our Food?

on February 3, 2022February 6, 2022 By Our New Green Culture

Washington (GGM) Analysis | January 31, 2022, by Noreen Wise, Founder & CEO of Gallant Gold Media, and author; Image Credit: AdobeStock

Nanoplastic is a recently discovered novel hazard that potentially undermines human health the same way it negatively impacts animal and wildlife health, resulting in infertility, inflammation and cancer. The possible nanoplastic toxicological threat for humans is quickly being propelled to the forefront of our minds, following targeted research on the alarming plastic crisis that has reached the farthest corners of the earth.

Nanoplastics are so tiny they’re invisible to the human eye, and can travel in the air more than a thousand miles. They are easily inhaled, especially in cities, which is of major concern to scientists. In the Greenland ice core, scientists were shocked to find nanoplastics that dated as far back as 1965; 25% of these nanoplastics were from automobile tires, which further underscores the harm to those living in cities.

In the Swiss Alps, scientists found nanoplastics that they determined traveled through the air from cities approximately 200 kilometers (124 miles) away. Of the more than 43 trillion nanoplastic particles that scientists calculated land in Switzerland each year, some came from as far away as the Atlantic Ocean 2000 km (1,240 miles) away.

The difference between nanoplastics and microplastics is significant and the two words should not be interchanged.

Microplastics – small plastic bits less than 5 mm (0.2 inches in diameter)
Nanoplastics – infinitesimal specs of plastic with diameters less than 0.001 mm

Recent findings by the American Chemical Society (ACS) identified plastic packaging as the main source of the microplastics found in our food, bottled water, soda, and salt. “However, a thorough discussion of this topic is not possible when the notions of both microplastics and nanoplastics are combined. To date, there are no methods available to analyze nanoplastics in food, and only the presence of microplastics has been demonstrated through the methods available,” asserted the authors of the report, Alexandra tee Halle and Jean Francois Ghiglione.

“[Our] viewpoint highlights the complex environmental behavior and fate of nanoplastics that are distinct from microplastic particles. We advocate that the environmental fate and behavior of different plastic particle sizes are so unique, they should not be described together but researched and described independently.”
American Chemical Society

Researchers have determined that we eat approximately 100 bits of microplastic with every meal, which amounts to 1 credit card per week and 52 credit cards a year. Considering the reality that plastic contains toxic chemicals, it’s natural to instinctively choose to avoid food packaged in plastic in the likelihood microplastics and nanoplastics are proven conclusively to be toxic.

From the UNEP Published Scientific Assessment of Plastic Pollution:

“As plastics break down they transfer microplastics, synthetic and cellulosic microfibres, toxic chemicals, metals and micropollutants into waters, sediments, and eventually marine food chains. For humans, this can lead to hormonal changes, developmental disorders, reproductive abnormalities and cancer. Whenever marine species are people’s main source of food, serious threats are posted by human uptake of microplastics via seafood. Plastics are also ingested through drinks and even common salt; they penetrate the skin and are inhaled when suspended in the air. Mental health may be affected by the knowledge that sea turtles, whales, dolphins and many seabirds – which have cultural importance for various communities – are at risk.”

At the ACS Fall 2020 Virtual Meeting & Expo during Covid, there were several graduate student presenters from the lab of Rolf Halden, PhD, at Arizona State University. Their names are Charles Rolsky and Varun Kelkar.

“You can find plastics contaminating the environment at virtually every location on the globe, and in a few short decades, we’ve gone from seeing plastic as a wonderful benefit to considering it a threat…There’s evidence that plastic is making its way into our bodies, but very few studies have looked for it there.”
Charles Rolsky, August 17, 2020

Research into whether or not nanoplastics undermines the health and well-being of animal and wildlife found that nanoplastic exposure resulted in cancer, inflammation and infertility in the species tested. At the time of the presentation to the American Chemical Society, Rolsky and Kelkar had discovered that nonoplastics do travel through our human GI tracks. They then speculated about whether nanoplastics accumulated in our organs.

To study this, Rolsky and Kelkar collaborated with Diego Mastroeni, PhD. They examined 47 samples from the four organs most likely to be exposed to infinitesimal plastic particles— lungs, kidney, spleen and liver — and created a testing procedure with Raman spectrometry, as well as an online computer program using a standardized format so that researchers everywhere could report their results. Dr. Halden remarked that “this shared resource will help build a plastic exposure database so that we can compare exposures in organs and groups of people over time and geographic space.”

These new findings about nanoplastic toxins in the air are of particular importance with global warming now at 1.2ºC. Rain bombs, flooding, hurricanes, and tornadoes are consistently spreading the dangerous chemicals found in lawn fertilizers, hazardous waste sites, chemical plants, and superfund sites. In the heat, these chemicals vaporize and we inhale them regularly. And now we learn that we have invisible nanoplastics to worry about, too.

Let’s take these new warnings very seriously. I plan to wear my face mask outdoors all the time from now on, especially in cities.

“This is not about saving our planet, it’s about saving ourselves…The truth is, with or without us, the natural world will rebuild.”
—Sir David Attenborough, *A Life On Our Planet*
“WE MUST REWILD THE WORLD!”

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Beyond Meat, Being Vegan & Our Long Term Health

on October 28, 2021December 9, 2021 By Our New Green Culture 3 Comments

Washington (GGM) Analysis | October 28, 2021 by author and climate journalist Noreen Wise

Overhauling our food system is a primary focus for nations across the globe as the world quickly moves forward with mapping out urgent and effective mitigation strategies to lower global warming in an effort to stay below 1.5ºC. Additionally, the goal for all G-20 nations heading to COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, is to implement clean energy, zero waste, carbon neutral solutions so we can transition to a sustainable culture aligned with biodiversity in nature.

Conventional farming, (those farms where farmers plow the soil, releasing all the stored carbon, and who use strong microbe-destroying pesticides that contain glyphosate), along with the notorious animal feed lots, have been identified as the chief villains in our global food system which generates extraordinarily high levels of methane and CO2 emissions. Many climate activists around the world are insisting that we all become 100 percent vegan so we can win this particular battle in our fight to cut carbon emissions.

We only have until 2030 to cut carbon emissions by 50%. Half the battle is knowing what to do first. Reach out so we can help you figure out the best path forward.

I was all in on becoming vegetarian 16 years ago, and more recently trying diligently to become 100 percent vegan. This mission of mine was for health reasons, though, after surviving Stage 3 invasive cancer at a relatively young age. Once the 7 surgeries, 3 months of chemo, and 2 months of radiation were completed, my plan had been to stay away from the toxins found in our food supply. I had learned more about these hazardous chemicals while sitting in a chemo chair, researching, trying to keep myself busy during treatment. I simply could not figure out how I got cancer. I ate a healthy diet, and exercised regularly. I didn’t know anyone who had cancer, no family or friends. I became convinced that if I could uncover how it happened, I’d be able to prevent a recurrence.

I wasn’t eating organic before being diagnosed with cancer. I also knew nothing about the glyphosate that was covering the fresh broccoli and other fresh fruits and vegetables that I consumed daily. After all, it was 2005. But, in 2006, following the conclusion of my my cancer treatments at the end of 2005, I was determined to rebuild my immune system and had the good fortune of meeting with a life-changing doctor associated with what was to become Duke’s new holistic wellness Integrative Medicine Center, which sent me down a bright new path in life. This wonderful wellness doctor offered several natural remedies. One was the daily regimen of pressing a garlic clove into broth and heating to boost my immune system. (I now add the pressed garlic clove to a quarter cup of water instead of broth and heat in microwave for 35 seconds, then chug.) This is super cheap and easy. As is the fresh ginger added to tea.

My cancer doctor at UNC wasn’t expecting any miracles, and had explained when my treatment was completed that I only had a 34% chance to live longer than 2 – 4 years if I didn’t take Tamoxifen. But, I didn’t want Tamoxifen side effects. There had to be another way. I was determined to prove that rebuilding my immune system by establishing strong daily wellness habits based on natural and holistic principles that incorporated medicinal plants in my diet would work. I’d done everything else my doctor had recommended, but I couldn’t take Tamoxifen. Natural remedies had kept humans alive for thousands of years. There simply had to be some truth behind the belief that it was beneficial, and I was determined to prove it. My initial cancer doctor was not happy with me, at all.

I relished the opportunity to test different plants and vitamins and combinations of plants and vitamins, as well as sleep 8 hours a day and exercise vigorously. I quickly found myself involved in endless days, weeks, and months of testing, altering various amounts of plants, vitamins, sleep and exercise, and after approximately 9 months, ended with a powerful formula that made me feel happy, healthy, and fit, much more so than I’d felt before cancer. My bloodwork even returned to normal with a boost.

All my curiosity and effort paid off. At the two year mark, my pet-scan showed 100% cancer free. I continued maintaining the same rigorous health routine, and 16 years later feel extremely grateful for the guidance I received in 2006 at Duke, that set me on a successful path and taught me so much about health, wellness, and a strong immune system.

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But to become 100 percent vegan for climate, I had to somehow find, or create, the right “complete protein” formula. I learned back in 2006, that for me, powders and supplements weren’t the same as medicinal plants. They seemed the same in theory, but they didn’t feel the same when I used them. I had learned the hard way that too much of a good thing isn’t good. IE, B6. Why so many vitamins have 1000 percent daily recommended amount of B6, is something I’ll never understand. High doses of B6 negatively alter my mood and make me very emotional. I can’t have more than the simple 100 percent B6 and thus have to take children’s chewable vitamins. Another example is garlic. I’ve found, that one clove fresh garlic everyday is different than a garlic supplement. This might just be me, though.

Morning Star products have been around for awhile and they typically have 9g protein, versus Beyond Meat’s Beyond Sausage’s 16g. None of my lentil, chickpea, black bean or kidney bean formulas were working perfectly, so I had to eat a small piece of antibiotic-free turkey everyday. But 16 months ago, a vegan friend told me about Beyond Meat and how amazing it was, and the effectiveness of the protein. When I spotted it in the grocery store, I grabbed a package of plant-based Beyond Sausage Hot Italian. It tasted great with organic black bean spaghetti and organic marinara sauce. An ideal plant-based product with the perfect protein level. Finally! I was 100% vegan which felt like a big win. But:

I never connected my sudden vision deterioration to Beyond Sausage (suddenly not being able to read a text when out in the city without my reading glasses was a problem).
Nor could I figure out why every time the water that the sausage was cooking in bubbled over the top of the pan, it started a fire on the stove (with real flames).
It also changed my mood, although I didn’t pick up on Beyond Sausage being the cause at the time. I simply wondered why my serotonin rich sunflower seeds, dark chocolate squares and running 5k every day didn’t make me happy any more. That magic “happiness” formula had worked for 15 years, then it abruptly ended after I began eating Beyond Sausage.
And I was astonished and very frustrated that changing one thing in my diet could make me gain 10 pounds.

I began to fret, still not piecing together that these issues were connected to Beyond Sausage, but rather I attributed them to staying home during covid. Covid stay home side effects.

As a soil health advocate and believer in regenerative agriculture, I’m also a big fan of Gabe Brown and Understanding Ag and watch their webinars. It was in June 2021, that I viewed Regenerating Human Health: The Soil and Human Microbiomes with Sara Keough that I learned that those of us who eat these high protein, plant-based meat alternatives should be careful, that recent studies had shown that faux meats aren’t as healthy as they appear to be.

I love to follow the advice of those I trust, and I trust Gabe Brown’s advice implicitly (as well as those connected with Gabe Brown). Thus, I stopped eating Beyond Sausage after Sara Keough’s webinar. In less than 4 weeks, my vision was back to normal, as was my happiness level. And after 2 months, the 10 pounds was gone as well.

I haven’t been able to find much information on the Beyond Meat side effects of vision, mood, and flammability that I experienced, so maybe my symptoms are a one-off. But I did discover one article that mentioned weight gain.

I’ll now begin researching more about these other concerns, but wanted to document my anecdotal experiences at this time, a few days prior to COP26, since veganism and meat alternatives will be a big discussion at COP26 and the months that follow. These types of health conditions — vision, mood and weight gain — are tough for medical professionals to properly diagnose when the cause is something as innocuous as plant-based meat. How would a doctor possibly determine that a patient’s health condition might be related to a meat alternative. Is that even a question that doctors ask patients?

I’m currently hypothesizing that the side effects might have something to do with the pea protein.

With any new product like Beyond Meat, and now a whole line of competing brands, (that climate activists have been hoping will become one of the many silver bullets that lower atmospheric CO2 levels), it’s vitally important that we have assurance that each solution is healthy and safe. With so many forever chemicals hiding in plain sight all around us, any one new drop of an extra chemical added to a daily diet can be the final straw that pushes our health into the danger zone.

I’ve returned to eating a little bit of meat each week and it feels like the ideal balance for my overall health and wellness. I’m back to being happy, healthy and fit, while still maintaining a very low carbon footprint.

Beyond Sausage Ingredients:

Water
Pea Protein Isolate
Refined Coconut Oil
Sunflower Oil
Natural Flavor
Contains 2% or less of: Rice Protein, Faba Bean Protein, Potato Starch, Salt, Fruit Juice (for color), Vegetable Juice (for color), Apple Fiber, Methylcellulose, Citrus Extract (to protect quality), Calcium Alginate Casing.

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Golf Courses and the “Good Life” May Kill You

on August 24, 2021September 14, 2021 By Our New Green Culture

Washington (GGM) Analysis | August 24, 2021 by Michael Wells

You do not need to be a character in a Lifetime movie to be poisoned by arsenic. Same goes for some other deadly chemical. Just spend time on a golf course or near one. Contrary to what golf affocinadios claim, golf courses are not good for the environment even though many of the courses look like a cross between Xanadu and Shangri La. Pesticides, herbicides, rodenticides and other chemicals abound on golf courses, according to Fred Siegel’s book Environmental Hazards: Are you Exposed?, and they seep into the soil and run off onto property nearby.

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Heart of the matter. In reality, golf courses are not any different than nuclear sites, chemical dumps, and most any other place where toxic chemicals are dumped, buried, or deposited. What makes them more troubling, perhaps, is they masquerade as environmental improvements.

For example, on Long Island, 52 golf courses applied 192 different pesticides containing 50 different active ingredients, Siegel writes, and it was later found that these courses averaged 7 pounds of pesticides per acre when the national average was 1.5 pounds per acre.

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In Virginia, the Battlefield Golf Club was built out of 1.5 million tons of toxic coal ash, and its owners sued Dominion Resources for selling them the coal ash laden dirt used to build the golf course. The course is situated in a planned community, and the EPA deemed the water underneath the course contaminated. A contractor hired by Dominion found more than double the acceptable limits of arsenic as well as high amounts of chromium, lead, beryllium, magnesea, and zinc. One of the developers sued Dominion for contracting kidney cancer, and 383 residents sued for over $1 billion in damages. URS Corporation, the company Dominion hired to test the course, found the course was basically an “open dump”. The groundwater under the course threatened the aquifer supplying water to all the residents.

In Cape Cod , the Conservation Law Foundation sued Willowbend Country Club for dumping toxic nitrogen pollution into the water.

These are but a few examples, but this is happening everywhere. And very few people living near golf courses are ever asked (or told) about it. Most troubling is that children are the most vulnerable. But, for whatever reason, golf is associated with the “good life,” but sometimes the “good life” will kill you. Talk about a farce.

How this impacts you personally. Maybe you do not golf or think you live near a golf course, but golf courses are everywhere and often near bodies of water. Their chemicals spread through the water and the air like so many other toxic sites in America. They may look pretty, but they are heavily polluted and pose risks to those far beyond their borders.

If you live in North America, you live near a golf course more than likely.

What you can do. There are a few things you can do. Never play golf, or, if you have, stop playing. Refuse to live on or near a golf course. Show up at zoning meetings open to the public, and say you do not want developers building golf courses in your town. It may not work, but, if enough people speak up, perhaps it will slow their growth.

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Next Steps

Golf is tied to the chemical industry, so fighting golf course development is really about stopping chemical companies such as Dow Chemicals from polluting. To that end, people can:

Contact their local, state, and federal officials and complain about golf course development, which is really golf course pollution;
Find out which chemical companies manufacture chemicals used on golf courses and protest these companies as well as boycott them;
Google golf course lawsuits, and read more about them. If you do, you will realize these cases are no different than coal ash in North Carolina or the Hanford superfund site.

Golf courses are the same as any other environmental problem, but they are not as obvious until you learn all about the toxic chemicals necessary to keep them looking pristine. And people should not have to be poisoned, get cancer, and die just because looks can be (and are) deceiving. You shouldn’t have to die for a cliche to be true.

No rose without thorns. —French Proverb. Groundbreaking YA book series for all ages. Not only a gripping modern day nail-biter with Machiavellian villains, but also one that opens our eyes to the brutal war going on beneath our feet that controls our destiny, despite our obliviousness to this potentially civilization-destroying threat.

Top Tips for Staying Alive While Working In the Heat

on August 19, 2021September 7, 2021 By Our New Green Culture

Washington (GGM) Analysis | August 19, 2021 by author and climate journalist Noreen Wise

Heat can hurt, warned UCLA Assistant Professor of Public Policy Dr. R. Jisung Park in a Twitter thread last month. “In unexpected ways, even indoors,” Park emphasized along with images highlighting the data that supported his assertions. Millions of Americans suffered through a scorching heat wave that punished the Pacific Northwest from late June to mid July, 2021. The staggering temperature highs jolted mayors and governors across five states. “Hotter temperature increases workplace injuries significantly,” Park stated point blank in one tweet.

With so many enduring the negative impact of the heat, and with the IPCC Report confirming last week that we are now above 1ºC and will remain there for at least 20-30 years, (although scientists are very concerned temperatures will climb even higher, possibly at an exponential rate if we don’t act now to lower carbon emissions), the public must demand that OSHA rush to establish national Heat Index Standards to protect employees from the dangers while on the job.

The federal Occupational Safety and Hazards Administration (OSHA) was created on April 28, 1971 after 100 years of workers demanding protection from the torturous conditions endured during the boom in factory jobs that arose during Reconstruction, following the Civil War and beyond. Massachusetts was the first state to pass factory inspection laws in 1877. By 1890, the number rose to 9 states with factory inspection laws. Does this sound familiar? We’ve been experiencing this kind of grueling, slow motion response with curbing carbon emissions for decades. Millions of citizens protest and demand action, but legislative follow through is dangerously slow.

With temperatures rising, and multiple employees dying at work in the unprecedented heatwaves of 2021, there’s no time for delay. We must call our local, state, and federal representatives and demand that OSHA act now.

According to OSHA, the heat index is the combination of air temperature combined with humidity to create a value that is usually significantly higher than the actual air temperature. The AccuWeather app refers to this as RealFeel.

OSHA has never had specific heat index standards that cover employees working in hot environments. They do have strong messaging about “water, rest, shade” on their web page: Using the Heat Index: a Guide of Employers, but it’s not required and there’s no legal liability if employers do not provide these three essentials.

On July 8, 2021, Oregon’s OSHA established temporary agency standards that applied to both indoor and outdoor work environments where the temperature in the work area was 80ºF or higher. These emergency standards went even further if temperatures exceeded 90ºF. The temporary heat index standards will stay in effect until permanent heat index standards are passed. California and Washington have also adopted heat standards. But there are approximately 30 million Americans who work outdoors in the heat, and we have 47 states that do no have any employer requirements when the temperature skyrockets.

Buying an Eco Green Tee helps educate the public about what we must all do to lower global warming and restore our children’s future.

Under Oregon OSHA’s Temporary Heat Standard, employers must:

Provide shade area that meets certain specifications
Provide 32 oz of dinking water every hour
Provide training for all employees, in whatever language they speak, to educate on: environmental and personal risk factors for heat illness, as well as employee rights and obligations under the heat standard, acclimatization, common signs and symptoms, factors affecting tolerance of heat stress, and how to quickly report.
In high heat, with temperatures above 90ºF, employers must create a communication channel between an employee working alone and a supervisor; a mandatory buddy system for others; one designated employee per worksite who’s authorized to call for emergency medical services; ten minutes in the shade every two hours; and implementation of acclimatization practices.
Establish an Emergency Medical Plan
Review work sites to determine how these new rules will apply to their sites

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We know that heat is here to stay and will only be getting worse. Our inability to move quickly will cost lives. There’s already so much at stake with climate change. Let’s learn from our past mistakes of inaction, to create a safer tomorrow as we all face, and try to manage, a very oppressive enemy—high heat.

Gordon Plaza EPA Failures | Environmental & Climate Injustice

on August 6, 2021September 6, 2021 By Our New Green Culture

Washington (GGM) Analysis | August 6, 2021 byNoreen Wise, author, climate journalist, Act Now community builder

“Responsibility is accepting that you are the cause and the solution of the matter.”
—Anonymous

Following an article written on June 7, 2021 outlining the many decades of suffering that the families of the New Orleans subdivision, Gordon Plaza, have endured as a result of the galling indifference of federal, state and local leaders, and their refusal to take responsibility for the traumatic plight of the Gordon Plaza residents, I sent an email to EPA’s Environmental Justice Division, requesting answers to a few questions:

∙What new measures is the EPA implementing to protect residents of Gordon Plaza (who are already dealing with environment hazards) from the climate change impact on these environmental hazards?

∙What is the EPA doing to address the safety of Gordon Plaza residents from the threat of the wet bulb temperature (Gordon Plaza used to be called Danté’s Inferno because of the fires caused from spontaneous combustion), thus it seems possible that this particular land could potentially explode? I cited the recent explosion of Chemtool outside of Chicago that is currently being investigated. I even mentioned that potentially the entire subdivision could explode and everyone could potentially be killed.

∙The residents are seeking a fully funded relocation which is very reasonable. Why is this being denied?

Tragically, two days ago on August 4, 2021, in Ellisville, Mississippi, 112 miles north of New Orleans, 35 year old James Keyes was tragically killed by explosion while at work at Jarrell Recycling scrapyard. Mississippi State Fire Marshal’s Office, Mississippi Office of DHS, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were on hand to investigate the explosion and determined it was caused by an ordinance. No mention of whether the extreme heat of 95ºF triggered the ordinance that had found its way into the scrap heap.

The EPA Press Office replied as follows:

“Both the Gordon Plaza Apartments and the Gordon Plaza subdivison were included in the residential property clean up that EPA completed in 2001. Lead was the primary contaminant addressed by the cleanup. The cleanup of the Gordon Plaza residential properties included excavating the top 24 inches of lead-contaminated soil and transporting it off-site for disposal; placing a filter fabric on the subgrade; then covering the residential properties with 24 inches of clean fill. Following this cleanup, EPA determined that no additional cleanup actions were necessary to protect human health and the environment at the Agriculture Street Landfill Superfund site.

“EPA conducts a review of Superfund site cleanups at least every five years. These Five Year Reviews (FYR) include a protectiveness statement to communicate EPA’s most recent evaluation of a cleanup’s protectiveness. The fourth FYR of EPA’s cleanup (also called the remedy) at the Agriculture Street Landfill Superfund site was completed on September 7, 2018. The FYR determined the remedy for the residential properties, including the Gordon Plaza apartments and subdivison, is protective of human health and the environment.”

First, the 2001 clean up mentioned in the EPA’s reply, was washed away during Hurricane Katrina. Residents repeatedly asked for the clean fill to be replaced. I could not uncover any documentation that stated that the clean fill had been replaced, nor does the above email reply indicate it was replaced. The most logical conclusion that can be drawn, is that the health and well-being of Gordon Plaza residents have been at grave risk since 2005. The 2019 Louisiana Tumor Registry listed Gordon Plaza as the second highest tumor rate in the entire state of Louisiana. If these alarming facts aren’t of concern to the EPA’s Environmental Justice Division, there doesn’t appear to be many issues that will enable the EPA to meet the public’s expectations of such an important and noble mission as environmental justice.

Second, the FYR on September 7, 2018 was during the Trump Administration which was very vocal in their opposition to regulations. Under Trump, the EPA implemented an aggressive campaign to delete superfund sites from the National Priorities List (NPL). The EPA eliminated a staggering 82 sites. There does not appear to be any plans for the current EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan to review the 82 sites deleted from the NPL to make sure these Trump Administration FYRs were thorough.

Gallant Gold Media will continue to follow the Gordon Plaza environmental & climate injustice story. Gordon Plaza lives matter, too. It’s demeaning for the public to see fellow American families treated with such indifference. It must feel dehumanizing for Gordon Plaza residents to experience so many slammed doors, and the blatant contempt of moral integrity.

Concrete Kills: Burdens Outweigh the Benefits

on August 3, 2021October 7, 2021 By Our New Green Culture 3 Comments

Washington (GGM) Analysis | June 25, 2021 by Michael Wells

After water, concrete is the most widely used substance in the world. But this does not mean it is safe. Concrete is responsible for 8% of global CO2 emissions. It outweighs the combined mass of every tree, bush, and shrub on Earth, and it hardens and degrades slowly. Joni Mitchell once wrote a song about paving paradise to put up a parking lot, and that has already happened.

Companies and governments have stripped mountains, ripped sand out of beaches, and taken lake and ocean water to feed the massive demand for concrete, the substance that produces buildings for the modern world. Concrete takes so much from the environment, and, in return, the manufacturing of concrete belches CO2 into the atmosphere and spreads harmful particles in the air that causes cancer and respiratory ailments. And it exacerbates the carnage of hurricanes like Katrina and Harvey. It did so by preventing water from being absorbed into the concrete covered ground. In short, concrete is a menace that we all live and work in, on, around, and near.

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Heart of the matter. No material has made the building of the modern world more possible from the construction of the Pantheon in ancient Rome to the Empire State Building. None of it would have been possible without concrete. But that has come at a huge price to the environment, animals, and people.

“Unfortunately, a cement plant makes for a horrible neighbor,” writes Fred Siegel in his book, Environmental Hazards: Are you Exposed? It is one of the least regulated industries on the planet, and it is largely run by organized crime. What a scheme: perhaps the world’s greatest polluter run by the worst criminals, which makes dead bodies entombed in concrete foundations seem almost quaint by comparison. From thousands of concrete plants that are everywhere it produces mercury, cement kiln dust, burns toxic waste (while lying about it), produces cancer causing particulate matter, and uses toxic gases and metals.

Time to face the music. In order to succeed at carbon drawdown, we have to return to the Garden of Eden. Very exciting! #ActNow Take a listen.

How this impacts you personally. Concrete is in your backyard, and under your feet as you read this article. You drive on it, play on it, and your house, office, and apartment sit on it. You cannot escape it. The problem is two-fold: the production of the concrete is extremely harmful, and the concrete itself is harmful. As the saying goes, they get you coming and going, they being the industry with a bottomless need for production that has the ear(s) of most politicians.

Take Harris County where Houston, Texas sits: it has 188 concrete plants due to there being no zoning laws in Texas. In 2015, 5,200 premature deaths were caused by particulate matter from concrete according to a study done by Rice University. The study states concrete production is one of the deadliest forms of air pollution because it produces massive amounts of CO2 and other harmful chemicals, and the dust it produces causes cancer, bronchitis, COPD, and other breathing issues.

Unfortunately, concrete plants are located disproportionately in poor neighborhoods and communities of color. Another disturbing fact is ⅓ of concrete batch plants are a short walk from a school or a daycare.

As if all of these facts were not disturbing enough, there is a company in Scotland that wants to sell you concrete made of toxic ash. No, this is not an Onion article. Given the prevalence of coal ash in the United States, this type of business could easily take off because the EPA does very little to regulate the concrete industry. And why is that? Because it is everywhere, and it contributes to most people who are in Congress. Therefore, nothing is done about it.

What you can do. Be loud. Be vocal in your opposition to using concrete. Tell everyone you can, we need to regulate this industry and do all that we can to find other viable building materials. Surely this dinosaur (no offense to dinosaurs) of a building material can be replaced by something more ecological. Besides, was that building in Miami that recently collapsed built of concrete in a city that is sinking?

Do you want more of that?

Next Steps

Call your government representatives at the local, state, and federal levels, and let them know you want something done about concrete;
Do research on the internet; and
Boycott companies that pollute when they make concrete.

Concrete is everywhere, and it comprises most buildings in one way or another. It does not always have to be that way though. Concrete may dry quickly and take forever to diminish, but that does not mean the future is already set in stone or concrete, rather. Things can change if we want them to change.

Big Cities Banning Cars Downtown | Cutting Carbon Direct Action

on July 28, 2021September 13, 2021 By Our New Green Culture

Washington (GGM) Analysis | July 28, 2021 by author and climate journalist Noreen Wise

Extreme heat waves. Heat Islands. Environmental Justice. Nothing is accomplished quickly in getting climate policy passed, so we have to shift into direct action and nail low hanging fruit wherever it exists if we’re going to put a dent in carbon emissions quickly and efficiently. A recent example is the14th Street car ban in NYC. Not only does it cut carbon, it subsequently improves the overall downtown “experience,” making street and sidewalks safer and more enjoyable for pedestrians, cutting air pollution, as well as dramatically reducing the amount of time it takes to get from point A to B. According to Curbed, the travel time for buses to cross lower Manhattan on 14th, has now been cut in half.

Mashable has confirmed that following the immediate success of the 14th Street car ban, other US cities took notice:

San Francisco banned cars on jammed Market Street
Seattle closed congested 3rd Street back in 2018
Ultimately, however, the US is way behind our foreign partners, just as we are on most climate action initiatives. Wikipedia has a staggering list of cities across the globe who’ve implemented the ingenious car ban to cut carbon and air pollution, improve commuting time, and enhance quality of life downtown.

How about other bustling East Coast cities though? Boston, Philadelphia, Washington DC and Atlanta immediately spring to mind. All have major public transportation systems that can easily accommodate the transition. Additionally, these cities are major tourist destinations that would benefit from having significantly fewer cars on the street. Even small cities like Chapel Hill, North Carolina with it’s major artery, Franklin Street, would be significantly advantaged.

Passing state and federal carbon taxes and regulations takes an extremely long time, which is slowing much needed progress. So, while we’re busy persisting… and being patient, the short term solution with an amazing longterm positive impact is to quickly ban cars from major thoroughfares in our many cities as soon as possible. With so much data available to municipalities, it’s seemingly unconscionable not to act quickly.~

Climate Change and the Explosive Book: Environmental Hazards, Are You Exposed?

on July 23, 2021September 6, 2021 By Our New Green Culture 1 Comment

Washington (GGM) Analysis | May 28, 2021 by author and climate journalist Noreen Wise; Special Guest author Fred Siegel Environmental Hazards, Are You Exposed?

Today’s atmospheric carbon level is 419.53 ppm, up two points from just a week ago. Additionally, scientists announced today that within the next five years we are 90 percent likely to break yet another record for the hottest year in recorded history, which despite 197 countries joining the Paris Agreement, and working so hard to reduce global warming, shows that we’re tracking in the wrong direction.

How is this possible?

The United States is at the very bottom of the Climate Action Tracker (CAT), tier 6, “Critically Insufficient.” The CAT monitors how countries are progressing toward “the globally agreed aim” of 1.5ºC. / 2.7ºF. A major factor in the rise in temperature, despite all the effort, has a lot to do with our insufficient progress in carbon drawdown as a result of soil degradation and deforestation. This most difficult challenge has been further complicated by the rising temperature fueling massive wildfires on three continents which resulted in the scorching of billions of trees in 2020 alone, as well as the continued degradation of soil through the long dry months of drought, which has undermined our aggressive effort to drawdown excess carbon and store it in the soil.

It’s time to face the music. #ActNow on climate by restoring our habitat. Let’s return to the Garden of Eden.

All of our eyes should be on the soil. The life-changing documentary Kiss the Ground was released in October 2020 and gave many of us hope that we could still win this war against global warming, despite the huge obstacles. Once soil health became the core objective, we quickly learned that agricultural chemicals have resulted in much of the world’s soil degradation. The word “chemicals” naturally results in some of us casting our gaze on a few other types of chemicals, hazardous waste chemicals, the types that seep into the soil in our communities and undermine soil health everywhere, as well as personal health, preventing the much needed carbon drawdown. The total impact is 22 million acres affected.

In short, there are:

1,344 federal superfund sites
1,571 nonfederal National Priorities List (NPL) sites
450,000 brownfield sites

These staggering numbers don’t include the lesser known hazards such as golf courses and dry cleaners that are hidden in plain sight in many of our towns. If we lump all this land together, it’s much easier to see why carbon drawdown has been so slow, and what we need to be more aware of in the age of the climate crisis.

Heart of the matter. Against this dire backdrop comes the alarming warning from Hazardous Waste expert Fred Siegel, who outlined in his recently published book, Environmental Hazards, Are You Exposed?, the likely risk we face with the 49 top toxic hazards, outlined in his essential reference guide, impacting our well-being, several of which are in the majority of U.S. communities.

Absorbing the magnitude of these threats, and factoring in the influence of weather events such as rain bombs, hurricanes and chronic flooding, and the increase these will have on our likely exposure to the toxins, I feel compelled to shine a spotlight on Fred’s work. Many of these chemicals are carcinogens and spread far and wide during storms as we saw back in February 2021, when an Indonesian dye factory flooded and red dye was soon swirling for miles along the newly formed rivers that filled city streets. According to the Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, 60 percent of the NPL sites may be impacted by flooding.

Fred Siegel and Tony Quagletta have been conducting environmental site assessments for over 30 years (toxictom.com). Fred’s passion and motivation were initially ignited by learning that he and his wife Vicki had purchased their first home atop a toxic landfill in Woodbridge, New Jersey and never knowing it until after they relocated. The flames of activism have been burning strong ever since. In fact, Fred’s eager to explain why he has twice been arrested.

Environmental Activist Fred Siegel being arrested for protesting environmental hazards.

Environmental Hazards, Are You Exposed? is rich with concise summations of compelling facts, data and first hand insights, that quickly turn readers into “woke” believers. An example that highlights how shocking these facts are, is the beautiful golf course that dots thousands of communities across the country. A study conducted in New York, entitled Toxic Fairways, found that the golf fairways are maintained with extremely high volumes of pesticides, 7 to 8 times higher than the volume used on farms if compared pounds per acre. Many golf courses use pesticides that contain chlorpyrifos which in 2015 the EPA deemed so toxic that there is no safe exposure to it. The soil beneath these fairways is not healthy soil with high water infiltration rates, so during heavy downpours, most of the toxins wash away into our streets and down our public drains. Golf course toxins are just the tip of the iceberg.

I asked Fred to comment on hazardous chemicals, fire and heat. He remarked, “Depending on the temperature of the fire the materials at the waste site would burn and send chemicals into the air. It would be similar to a chemical factory fire only worse. Wide areas would need to be evacuated and the residue from the fire could potentially create a superfund site 10 times the size or worse.” This is particularly worrisome considering that the higher temperatures associated with global warming have the potential to impact hazardous waste and cause combustion that results in an explosion.

Adding composting worms to our home composting bins and/or directly to the soil in our yards will dramatically improve the amount of carbon we can store in the soil. Climate solutions are much easier than we realize. Act today! CLICK here.

Fred Siegel’s book Environment Hazards, Are You Exposed? is an absolute necessity for every household in America. It’s the ideal reference guide as we all face the climate crisis together. Many of the health threats related to toxic chemicals are preventable if we know what to look out for and what to avoid. As well-intended as our elected representatives might be, we’ve all seen that there are many barriers to keeping us safe from all the potential threats.

When I asked Fred what his focus was in writing such a complete guide to hazardous waste in America, he said, “I hope people realize the government will not protect them. They need to protect themselves with knowledge.”

Gallant Gold Media’s Hill Report will help facilitate Fred’s plan by passing along a small bit of Fred Siegel’s knowledge and insights each week. Our goal is to feature an environmental hazard piece every Friday, touching on each one of Fred’s 49 chapters.

Next Steps

Fred’s book is available in paperback or ebook and is free if you have Kindle Unlimited
Refer to the chart at the back of the book that provides an important Distance from Hazard Chart
Check out Fred’s website toxictom.com
Join Gallant Gold Media’s newly opened online Act Now for the Earth Cafe community that Fred often frequents and posts insightful comments
Follow Fred on Twitter and stay updated on his insights on current events

Russian Roulette | Great Pacific Garbage Patch 2X Size of Texas Keeps Expanding

on June 16, 2021September 10, 2021 By Our New Green Culture

Washington (GGM) Analysis | June 16, 2021 by Michael Wells

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) floats, swirls, and grows in the North Pacific between Hawaii and the coast of North America. It is 1.6 million kilometers around (about 1 million miles), which is three times the size of France and two times the size of Texas. It weighs roughly 80,000 tons, and the only way to view the massive expanse is through photos from space. Discarded fishing lines, nets, and other fishing equipment comprise about half of the mass of the GPGP. Used plastics coming from land make up the vast bulk of the rest of the GPGP. According to the acclaimed documentary, Midway: Message from the Gyre, 136,000 seals, sea lions, and whales are killed each year from the GPGP. Beaches of islands in the vicinity of the GPGP are littered with dead bird carcasses, which are filled with plastics from the patch. If you think you are not affected by this, you are wrong because eventually these plastics will end up on your plate through a process known as bioaccumulation where the plastics pass to organisms and then to humans. And 84% of the plastics contain at least one toxic, cancer causing agent, which makes eating seafood like a game of Russain roulette.

Heart of the matter. The GPGP is a giant succubus due to its two gyres that constantly move and suck plastic into it, most of which comes from land (Note: when this article was written 6 years ago, it was believed 80% of plastics came from land. That number is probably somewhere in the 55% range because the amount of nets, fishing line, and other debris dumped by fishermen was, perhaps, underestimated.). And it has formed since the 1970s. Think of it as a blackhole on Earth that sucks in millions of tons of plastic and then spits it out killing animals, destroying the ecosystem, and killing humans.

By 2050, production of plastics is expected to quadruple. By the way, it takes plastic 100,000 years to decompose. In other words, this thing is a long term monster, which is why since 2013 an effort known as The Ocean Cleanup has been underway.

How this impacts you personally. You are already ingesting this stuff if you eat seafood, or at least you will be, so it is affecting you. And this is based solely on what you eat. This does not even begin to examine the problem of the toxins in these plastics, damage to the oceans, and greenhouse gasses released. This beast hits from all directions.

Sadly, it is only one part of a problem that keeps compounding and joining with other environmental disasters such as nuclear spills, toxic water, forest fires, and any other myriad problems we hear about and likely dismiss daily. A great discussion of all these problems can be found in the book Environmental Hazards: Are you Exposed? by Fred Siegel.

What you can do. The easiest thing people can do is reduce the amount of plastics they use. This includes plastic bottles, straws, bags, toothbrushes, and other inorganic materials. It is about consumption, the less people consume the better off everything will be. It is that simple and that difficult.

The easiest thing people can do is reduce the amount of plastics they use. This includes plastic bottles, straws, bags, toothbrushes, and other inorganic materials. It is about consumption, the less people consume the better off everything will be. It is that simple and that difficult.

Next Steps

Stop using plastic bottles, straw, bags, and toothbrushes;
Start your own local environmental group;
Research the GPGP and consider donating to the cleanup. You can follow the Ocean Cleanup on Twitter; and
Contact your local, state, and federal officials and let them know you care about this topic.

All of these stories are bleak, but that does not mean people should fail to act. The problems persist because people do not modify their behavior. A few small, deliberate acts can make all the difference and begin the process of lessening the environmental blight human beings inflict upon the Earth.