pollution
Local Green Band | Cloud Cult
Commingling the Environment & Health Care
Healthcare workers are a hidden, next generation treasure of environmentalists. This group includes, but is not limited to, doctors, such as those specializing in infectious disease, nurses of all disciplines in heath care, respiratory therapists, occupational therapists, nutritionists, dietitians, pharmacists, and emergency rescue response workers.
Has Our Environment Become Toxic?
What ever happened to stepping outside for a “breath of fresh air?” It is often said that the air inside a home could be more toxic than outside. However, it seems our environment is becoming contaminated, and scientists continually are finding links to the impact on human health. Air quality is not the only concern; the water we drink, food we eat, grass or gardens we cultivate, even the furniture on which we rest can affect our health.
50 Ways To Love Your River
More and more, people forget the impact they have every day on their rivers. Most clean water regulations focus on reducing pollution from big sources such as factories and sewage treatment plants. Although industry needs to be cleaned up further, it’s time we turned our attention to forestry, agriculture and the behavior of each resident of the watershed.
Rain, Rain, Where Do You Go?
Don’t Burn Your Garbage
Many people in rural areas in Minnesota still use on-site disposal methods like backyard burning to dispose of their household wastes. From burning waste in fire pits and woodstoves to the traditional burn barrel, 45% of rural Minnesota’s municipal solid waste (MSW) is still managed in this way. Did you know that burning garbage contributes to nearly half of all wildfires in Minnesota each year, contributes to food contamination on farms, and creates a potent carcinogen?
Healthy Schools Projects
Three Minnesota schools reduce pollution and save energy and money. Houston Public Schools in southeastern Minnesota, Pine Point Elementary on the White Earth Reservation, and Hutchinson High School took part in a recently finished pilot project to develop a healthier, more sustainable work and study environment in schools. These schools were part of a grant to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency called the Healthy Schools project.
Life in a Watershed
Minnesota, land of 10,000 lakes, birthplace of the Mississippi and many other rivers - all of which are fed by the dozens of overlapping watersheds in our communities.
Air Quality in Minnesota
No city in Minnesota can compete with Los Angeles or Houston on air pollution levels. Minnesotans are unfamiliar with "ozone alerts." An ozone alert is declared by the government when pollution (ozone) in the air reaches a level that poses health risks to sensitive populations (elderly, children or anyone with compromised health). Typically, sensitive individuals are advised to stay in air-conditioned spaces.
My Car Convinced Me to Take the Bus
- Reduced air emissions
- Emit less carbon dioxide - a factor in global warming - by burning fewer gallons of gas
- Reduce traffic congestion, have more time to read, remove yourself from the isolation box of your personal vehicle and interact more directly with the community.
