Trump Pushes For Plastic Straws As He Declares Paper Ones ‘Don’t Work’
"President Donald Trump is moving to reverse a federal push away from plastic straws, declaring that paper straws “don’t work” and don’t last very long."
Source: AP, 02/11/2025
Food
"Study Finds Microplastic Contamination In 99% Of Seafood Samples"
"Microplastics contamination is widespread in seafood sampled in a recent study, adding to growing evidence of the dangerous substances’ ubiquity in the nation’s food system, and a growing threat to human health." "The peer-reviewed study detected microplastics in 180 of 182 samples comprising five types of fish and pink shrimp".
Source: Guardian, 02/10/2025
"‘Lifesaving’ Climate Programs Are On Hold As Musk Targets USAID"
"As the Trump administration moves to shutter international humanitarian aid efforts, a host of environmental and climate programs have also been impacted."
Source: Washington Post, 02/07/2025
"FDA Must Set Limits On PFAS In Food, Lawsuit Says"
"US regulators are failing to address concerns about toxic PFAS chemicals in foods despite having the scientific tools to do so, according to a lawsuit filed by an environmental group in Tucson, Arizona."
Source: The New Lede, 02/05/2025
The Bounty of the Gift Economy
Bestselling Indigenous botanist Robin Wall Kimmerer, in her new book, exalts a simple berry that helps sustain the life around it, and in doing so exemplifies the economic power of giving. “The Serviceberry” explores the traditions of the gift economy and its potential to be nurtured alongside the market economy. The latest BookShelf from contributor Jenny Weeks.
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134M Poultry And Counting: Charts Show Counties Hardest-Hit By Bird Flu
"The latest data from the CDC and USDA show the continued devastating effects of bird flu outbreaks across the United States – with Iowa, the nation's leading egg producer, suffering substantial losses."
Source: Investigate Midwest, 01/27/2025
Telling the Stories of the Silent Sentinels
To many, plants are a merely green backdrop, indistinguishable and inconsequential. But, freelancer Karen Mockler says that such “plant blindness” belies an urgent need for our notice. More than a third of the world’s trees and thousands of other plant species face extinction. Their plight — and their many blessings — offer perceptive journalists a wealth of reporting and storytelling opportunities. Mockler on why to write about plants.
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"FDA Bans Red Dye No. 3 From Foods"
"U.S. regulators on Wednesday banned the dye called Red 3 from the nation’s food supply, nearly 35 years after it was barred from cosmetics because of potential cancer risk."
Source: AP, 01/16/2025
"In a First, the E.P.A. Warns of ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Sludge Fertilizer"
"For the first time, the Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday warned that “forever chemicals” present in sewage sludge that is used as fertilizer can pose human health risks."
Source: NYTimes, 01/15/2025
"D.C. Area On Alert After Bird Flu Detected In Poultry In Maryland, Delaware"
"Bird flu outbreaks have been detected at three poultry operations in Maryland and Delaware, impacting more than 500,000 chickens and leading to heightened alert among officials in the Washington region."
Source: Washington Post, 01/13/2025
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