Protect bees from the pesticide Clothianidin
There is evidence that use of Clothianidin is a major factor in Colony Collapse Disorder. Take this opportunity to ban the pesticide and save our bees.
There is evidence that use of Clothianidin is a major factor in Colony Collapse Disorder. Take this opportunity to ban the pesticide and save our bees.
What is the Menstrual Cup? Originally developed in 1937, the menstrual cup is worn inside the vagina during menstruation to collect menstrual fluid directly. It is a cost-saving and eco-friendly alternative to menstrual pads or sanitary towels. Made of latex, silicone or TPE, the cup is reusable and designed to last for up to 10 years. How to use the Menstrual Cup Wash your hands well Insert the clean and folded cup ...more »
What is the Menstrual Cup?
Originally developed in 1937, the menstrual cup is worn inside the vagina during menstruation to collect menstrual fluid directly. It is a cost-saving and eco-friendly alternative to menstrual pads or sanitary towels. Made of latex, silicone or TPE, the cup is reusable and designed to last for up to 10 years.
How to use the Menstrual Cup
Wash your hands well
Insert the clean and folded cup into the vagina
Empty your Cup every 4-12 hours: wash your hands and remove the cup pulling it down
Empty it, rinse it with water and reinsert it
At the end of your menstruation place the cup in boiling water for a few minutes and store it in the storage bag.
Why use a Menstrual Cup?
• Avoid vaginal irritation and allergy
Made of medical-grade silicone or TPE, a non-friendly environment for bacteria, the menstrual cup is perfect for women with a sensitve mucous.
• Avoid dryness and vaginal yeast infection
While tampons absorb menstrual fluid, the Cup collects it. This means that it does not interfere with your healthy vaginal environment.
• Menstrual Cups have - in contrast to tampons - never been connected to the toxic shock syndrome
TSS is a potentially fatal illness caused by a bacterial toxin in wounds or the vaginal mucosa.
• The Menstrual Cup does not contain any absorbency gels, additives or perfumes.
• The Menstrual Cup allows women to feel clean and secure
Using the Menstrual Cup, no odour is released because the menstrual flow is not exposed to air.
• Invisible and save protection
Live without interruptions. The Cup can be worn continuously for up to 12 hours during any activity, including swimming, sports, and sleeping.
• Recommended for women from the first period
Menstrual Cups are available in several sizes, colors and designs.
• Requires less changing
The Menstrual Cup’s capacity to collect menstrual fluid is larger than the capacity of conventional products.
• Perfect for travelling
Save suitcase space and never get caught short.
• Protects the environment
In a ten year span, a woman will use 3,250 tampons or sanitary pads - or just one menstrual cup.
• The Menstrual Cup is a cost saving alternative to conventional menstrual products.
In a ten year span, a woman will spend 300 dollars using conventional menstrual products.
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I work at EPA as the Assistant Administrator for the Office of International and Tribal Affairs. Part of the mission of our office is to work directly with tribal governments to protect human health and the environment in Indian country. (Read more about our work with tribes here: www.epa.gov/tribal) With diminishing fiscal resources, it is even more important to strengthen our tribal partnerships to achieve our goals. ...more »
I work at EPA as the Assistant Administrator for the Office of International and Tribal Affairs. Part of the mission of our office is to work directly with tribal governments to protect human health and the environment in Indian country. (Read more about our work with tribes here: www.epa.gov/tribal) With diminishing fiscal resources, it is even more important to strengthen our tribal partnerships to achieve our goals. This past year, we've developed a strong partnership with Tribal Colleges and Universities, and in the near future, we’ll be focusing more on data needs and innovative technology to help us better help the tribes.
What ideas do you have to strengthen our environmental partnerships with tribal governments?
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Please add "I am already doing this" along with "I agree" and "I disagree" because most of the ideas are already submitted.
➢ Give and Take Days are a great way to reuse items that are too good to throw away but you just don’t have a use for them anymore – just bring along any reusable items between 11am and 1pm, then take away anything you want from 1pm to 4pm – it’s free! (you don’t have to bring something to take something). ➢ Example of what you can bring: household goods, pots/pans, books, CDs, DVDs, toys, bric-a-brac, bikes, plants, ...more »
➢ Give and Take Days are a great way to reuse items that are too good to throw away but you just don’t have a use for them anymore – just bring along any reusable items between 11am and 1pm, then take away anything you want from 1pm to 4pm – it’s free! (you don’t have to bring something to take something).
➢ Example of what you can bring: household goods, pots/pans, books, CDs, DVDs, toys, bric-a-brac, bikes, plants, kitchenware, garden tools, furniture (must be in good shape to be accepted), gently used clothes, etc.
➢ Examples of things that will not be accepted: electronics, TV’s, computer monitors, tires, HHW, etc. Note: In our community: Township residents can take electronics to the Township Recycling Center at no charge.
➢ You must provide your own vehicle for transporting items. There will be volunteers assisting and reviewing the items being dropped off.
Watch video:
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Hello My name is Dean Carroll.I am a normal workimg 24 year old living in Australia. I care for the environment and worry about global warming.I believe people especially young people are not educated enough on these major issues facing humanity.I recently watched two very good documentaries called Surviving Progress and the 11th Hour.These programs are show on TV but not enough.Al Gore also has a good documentary ...more »
Hello
My name is Dean Carroll.I am a normal workimg 24 year old living in Australia.
I care for the environment and worry about global warming.I believe people especially young people are not educated enough on these major issues facing humanity.I recently watched two very good documentaries called Surviving Progress and the 11th Hour.These programs are show on TV but not enough.Al Gore also has a good documentary called An Inconveniant Truth.These three documentaries and others like them should be subsidised by government so the can be aired on national TV stations more often so most people can watch them and get people talking about this very real issue.
Also a big step to changing attitude is to show these types of documentaries to the youth of society while they are in high school classes.It will promote recycling, encourage the reusing of items and objects.Hopefully curb and discourage the greedy capitalist and wasteful societies that we have become.This school program scheme is a very good way of raising awareness amongst the young masses.
Another simple advert or program that could be shown on TV or in schools is about turning off the tap as one brushes ones teeth,simply topic but one that wastes millions of water each year.
Thank you for your time and I hope as an influential department you can try put these schemes or similar into motion.
Dean Carroll
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Raise the deposit on bottles and cans to 25 cents and expand the items subject to the deposit to include containers like wine and liquor bottles and cans from prepared foods such as pet food, soup and tomato sauce.
If domestic, urban municipalities are responsible for the largest share of contaminated water discharge in both brownfields and waterways, furthermore having population concentrations that are expected to increase from 50% now to 70% in 2050, then we need to consider some alternatives to the current cost and infrastructure of handling storm run-off in coastal cities and human waste around the country. I wrote a Sustainable ...more »
If domestic, urban municipalities are responsible for the largest share of contaminated water discharge in both brownfields and waterways, furthermore having population concentrations that are expected to increase from 50% now to 70% in 2050, then we need to consider some alternatives to the current cost and infrastructure of handling storm run-off in coastal cities and human waste around the country. I wrote a Sustainable Business Marketing Proposal for a class I took in the Shoreline Community College Clean Energy Technology program. This proposal outlines my idea for using networks of redundant and costly roadways in neighborhoods for creating water protection buffer zones, short rotation coppicing for biomass, new areas for gardening and new economic opportunities for low income/high pollution neighborhoods. I can email it as an attachment. My email is: trezmagistos@yahoo.com I think the EPA does amazing work, when I get out of school I hope to get the opportunity to work with both individuals and agency of this caliber and office. Thank you.
Dawn Hardin
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Because deforestation has greately contributed to atmospheric warming, humanity needs to insist that everyone involved in timber removal is properly taxed, to insure that reforestation and revegetation efforts are taking place. Also, all solar projects need to receive the best tax incentives and funding possible, because converting solar energy into electricity helps to cool the planet by reducing the solar thermal contribution ...more »
Because deforestation has greately contributed to atmospheric warming, humanity needs to insist that everyone involved in timber removal is properly taxed, to insure that reforestation and revegetation efforts are taking place. Also, all solar projects need to receive the best tax incentives and funding possible, because converting solar energy into electricity helps to cool the planet by reducing the solar thermal contribution to the degree of the surface area of the panels. And the greater the supply of available electricity, the cheaper it will become. Helping to reduce the overhead of our small businesses and workforce. Making them more competative.
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Do you feel it is important to have universal acceptance of scientific terms for consistency in written communications and writing? I believe it is vital that science writing be clear and consistent! As an example, "Groundwater" is defined simply as water located beneath the earth's surface in soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations. The term "groundwater" has evolved and there is still an alternate ...more »
Do you feel it is important to have universal acceptance of scientific terms for consistency in written communications and writing? I believe
it is vital that science writing be clear and consistent! As an example, "Groundwater" is defined simply as water located beneath the earth's surface in soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations. The term "groundwater" has evolved and there is still an alternate version of the term, "ground water", in use. This causes confusion and uncertainty by readers and it is time for all of us to adapt to the rapid changes in English. The public is familiar with new terms such as "Blog" and new terms using older words such as "Twitter". If scientists are working to protect America's waters, the use of the same term, "groundwater" in all writing would be logical.
What do you think?
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Home-scale anaerobic digesters produce more energy than solar panels anytime day or night, rain or shine while generating high-quality fertilizer for local food security and diverting organic waste from landfills. Biogas is the same as fossil natural gas only instead of taking 65 million years to make, we can make it every day in our own backyards, enjoying energy independence and security while improving the environment. ...more »
Home-scale anaerobic digesters produce more energy than solar panels anytime day or night, rain or shine while generating high-quality fertilizer for local food security and diverting organic waste from landfills. Biogas is the same as fossil natural gas only instead of taking 65 million years to make, we can make it every day in our own backyards, enjoying energy independence and security while improving the environment. The carbon in biogas is biogenic carbon and not considered an excessive greenhouse gas---we exhale biogenic carbon every few seconds. There are 50 million households in China using biogas, it's time for the US to catch up!
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Use regular silverware or the new, lightweight (easy to carry) bamboo utensils. Takes less than a minute to clean your utensils and saves so much for the planet.
During 1960s, the chemical fertilizers were introduced to the fields in the name of green revolution which created immense imbalance in soil chemistry, the soil biota. As a result of which the natural balance was totally disrupted. This green revolution created hundreds of environmental problems during last 5 decades. In the same way, in modern era the genetic engineering tools are made in practice to disrupt the natural ...more »
During 1960s, the chemical fertilizers were introduced to the fields in the name of green revolution which created immense imbalance in soil chemistry, the soil biota. As a result of which the natural balance was totally disrupted. This green revolution created hundreds of environmental problems during last 5 decades.
In the same way, in modern era the genetic engineering tools are made in practice to disrupt the natural genetic mechanism of species in the name of efficient organisms. I m pretty sure, the world will look into the matter very seriously after the appearance of severe consequences in coming future. The regular introduction of new genes in organism can lead to a antagonism where the products of different genes may cause antagonism to each other, as a result of which, lethal metabolites can come to the surface. Such state of the genetic erosion will force scientists to think deeply into the matter but it may be very unfortunate when the geniune species be totally replaced by such engineered species.The resultant products of different species will further disrupt the natural balance of environment irreversibly. So pls stop the genetic change of species
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In the Bakken Oil Fields, Oil companies are setting the stage by using nature to clean nature instead of using synthetic chemicals to clean up an organic matter (oil). When we look to nature for solutions to things that happen when we interrupt nature, we find the best case scenarios. The oil companies in the Bakken Oil fields should be commended for using innovative and sustainable means such as biotic soil amendments ...more »
In the Bakken Oil Fields, Oil companies are setting the stage by using nature to clean nature instead of using synthetic chemicals to clean up an organic matter (oil). When we look to nature for solutions to things that happen when we interrupt nature, we find the best case scenarios. The oil companies in the Bakken Oil fields should be commended for using innovative and sustainable means such as biotic soil amendments to clean up spills. This should be a mandated practice for every rig in America. http://www.scribd.com/doc/86267574/PerMaMatrix-Oil-Clean-Up
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The public needs to be made aware of the dangers of Spray Foam Insulation. My family is in a situation in which bad spray foam was applied in our home. After air quality testing and foam sample testing we are stunned at the number of harmful chemicals found in this product. We have ongoing health issues and have vacated our home until this can be properly removed. We are not alone, a simple search on the web of bad spray ...more »
The public needs to be made aware of the dangers of Spray Foam Insulation. My family is in a situation in which bad spray foam was applied in our home. After air quality testing and foam sample testing we are stunned at the number of harmful chemicals found in this product. We have ongoing health issues and have vacated our home until this can be properly removed. We are not alone, a simple search on the web of bad spray foam jobs, or spray foam dangers will shed some light on how widespread the problem is and how devastating it can be. There are currently no safe remediation techniques other than removal of all surfaces that the chemicals come into contact with. We desperately need help in finding ways to fix this problem.
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The Annual Quality Report and water Conservation guide has been a required report since 1996. In many jurisdictions a whole booklet is mailed to all water meter owners for specific utilities. My recommendation is that instead of the entire report being mailed, why not mail a card directing the meter owners to a web site with the information, or offering to send copies to those who need hard copies. Millions of dollars ...more »
The Annual Quality Report and water Conservation guide has been a required report since 1996. In many jurisdictions a whole booklet is mailed to all water meter owners for specific utilities. My recommendation is that instead of the entire report being mailed, why not mail a card directing the meter owners to a web site with the information, or offering to send copies to those who need hard copies. Millions of dollars could be saved in mailing, printing and production costs. Additionally, significant natural resources would be saved in paper usage reductions.
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In Colorado there are 3.6M+ acres of beetle-kill pine. We are in a sever to extreme drought and it is only getting worse every day. Current USDA Forest Service policy and budget allow for the protection of human life and residential structures. Forest firest are not prevented from occurring (using thinning of deadwood and other management practices), as learned from the Yellowstone fire. This beetle-kill is primarily ...more »
In Colorado there are 3.6M+ acres of beetle-kill pine. We are in a sever to extreme drought and it is only getting worse every day.
Current USDA Forest Service policy and budget allow for the protection of human life and residential structures. Forest firest are not prevented from occurring (using thinning of deadwood and other management practices), as learned from the Yellowstone fire.
This beetle-kill is primarily in large contiguous bands, as can be seen in maps provided through Colorado State University. These bands may have over a thousand square miles of explosively flammable beetle kill pine all together.
seems like a perfect storm.
1. Identify critical habitat of endangered species and give their protection, priority. Thin out deadwood in their critical area, as the Yellowstone lesson does not apply to habitat of endangered plant and animal species.
Surround their critical habitat with fire control lines.
2. Break up the contiguous zones into manageable blocks with fire control lines. In this way, fires can be allowed to start naturally, but then their SCOPE is managed. Instead of having hundreds of square miles of precious resource squandered in one superfire, the fire will burn until it reaches the preemptive fire control lines, and run out of fuel.
This all needs to be done quickly, as this summer is looking like the season of superfires.
Note that this issue is even more pronounced in Idaho, Montana, and British Columbia, where their beetle-kill problem is 10x that of Colorado.
Besides loss of habitat and squandering of a precious resource, there are numerous other ramifications. Consider the impact to tourism, for example. Consider water and air quality from such an event. Consider the potential loss of life, and loss of quality of life for the citizens of the affected states.
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As discussed under air quality, based on admittedly limited (self-funded) layman testing and research...the background radiation levels over a significant swatch geographical swath (about 250 miles of road) appear to be elevated over historical levels. Roughly, the readings are about 2x over historical levels. Is this enough of a change to cause issues with some species? In general, mammals are considered to be the ...more »
As discussed under air quality, based on admittedly limited (self-funded) layman testing and research...the background radiation levels over a significant swatch geographical swath (about 250 miles of road) appear to be elevated over historical levels. Roughly, the readings are about 2x over historical levels. Is this enough of a change to cause issues with some species?
In general, mammals are considered to be the most sensitive to radiation changes and insects the least. Yet, one of the very isotopes of Cesium expelled from Fukushima is used industrially to sterilize mosquitos.
The sterile mosquitos are used for biological control of mosquito populations (they are released in the wild and mate with wild mosquitos, tying up their reproductive cycle and producing non-viable offspring).
Last year, I visited a marshy lake in the mountains in mid-summer and there were ZERO mosquitos there. Normally would have had unbearable swarms, that is what got me looking into this.
Also, is it possible that increases could be impacting honey bees? Wondering if EPA can or has done some research along this line?
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Solar panels on my house produce more than enough energy for my car and my household electric needs. Compared to the cost of gas, I'm saving money. See how much: http://youtu.be/iba5a6zZGC0
These take forever to degrade - like almost never. What if we had enclosed areas on the ocean where they are floating on the water - in a net so that ocean life and birds can't eat them, but they reflect back the heat that the ocean normally absorbs. We could put these on land as well. As long as they are contained by a net, they will help reduce climate change. Even a little helps when everyone's ideas are adopted.
Most owners and managers of apartments and rental houses will continue to ignore lead-based paint until inspections are mandatory. EPA's Renovation Repair and Painting (RRP) regulation puts good contractors between the rock of charging far more and the hard place of losing business to numerous competitors who are ignoring lead, while putting nor responsibilty when it belongs, on the owner. It is time to require that ...more »
Most owners and managers of apartments and rental houses will continue to ignore lead-based paint until inspections are mandatory. EPA's Renovation Repair and Painting (RRP) regulation puts good contractors between the rock of charging far more and the hard place of losing business to numerous competitors who are ignoring lead, while putting nor responsibilty when it belongs, on the owner.
It is time to require that all apartments built before 1978 be inspected by the end of 2015, and that houses built before 1978 be inspected when sold, or before major renovation work. The inspections should have to be performed by an experienced consultant using an XRF machine. They are inexpensive, and provide the information needed to focus on lead-based paint only where it exists, rather than pretending it is everywhere. We've found that about half the rsidential buildings built 1960 to 1978 have no lead-basd paint, and the other half just a little. Some in the 1950s have little or none, some have a fair amount. The 1940s and older buildings have more, and the most in what were originally the fanciest neighborhoods.
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If I read right “Future of Enhanced Geothermal Systems” MIT School of Engineering did for federal government 2007 (http://geothermal.inel.gov), CO2 is better than H2O as hydraulic/heat-transfer fluid for Enhanced Geothermal Systems. Also, 70 years output from 500 MW coal-fired plant would fill 1 of 15 hot-rock reservoirs needed to replace 100MW coal-fired plant sustainably, assuming 100MW EGS would need 0.5km3 pore space ...more »
If I read right “Future of Enhanced Geothermal Systems” MIT School of Engineering did for federal government 2007 (http://geothermal.inel.gov), CO2 is better than H2O as hydraulic/heat-transfer fluid for Enhanced Geothermal Systems. Also, 70 years output from 500 MW coal-fired plant would fill 1 of 15 hot-rock reservoirs needed to replace 100MW coal-fired plant sustainably, assuming 100MW EGS would need 0.5km3 pore space approx. 0.1 of 5 km3 total volume of hot rock reservoir. Thus 500MW/100MW x 70 years x 15 reservoirs = 5250 CO2 output could be used in Enhanced Geothermal System to replace 100MW coal-fired electric generating capacity, which is over 26 times as much as CO2 produced over remaining 200 years of coal reserves for 100MW plant’s share of coal. Chapter 9 discusses economics with section 10 describing a sample EGS well field with 1 injector well and 3 producer wells for each stack of 3 reservoirs and a total of 30-40 wells implying 10 stacks each producing 5 MW for a total of 50 MW for field with need to tap a new reservoir in each stack every 6 years over a 90 year cycle. We also ought to replace petroleum and natural gas with sustainable energy before we run out. We will need as electricity about 2/3 of the same total energy as now. Even allowing for sequestering CO2 from other fossil fuels and even if we are able to use artificial trees that look like naked billboards to pull enough CO2 from air to reduce present almost 400 ppm to 300 ppm of CO2 normal for warm spells between ice ages, EGSs can still make good use of more CO2 than will be available. Thus, there is a technological fix for global warming if we will use it.
They estimate a cost of about $1 billion (2004 prices) for the R&D involved in developing the technology over five years and losing close to $1 billion over another five years getting from pilot project to competitive assuming a price on CO2 emissions of $35/ton (2004 prices) to make fossil fuel more expensive and thus sustainable energy more competitive. Considering how expensive failing to mitigate global warming and thus having to rely entirely on adaptation is likely to be, Enhanced Geothermal Systems are likely to be more valuable as a way to sequester CO2 from burning fossil fuel than as competition to coal in producing base load electric power. It might help to have the administration and the 100 largest firms incorporated in the United States exchange itemized lists of cost of present non-tariff regulatory burden on pollution including greenhouse gases, of a system of user fees and rebates to control pollution, and of business as usual. Property and casualty insurance firms already fear global warming and might be willing to chip in something towards mitigating it, even if only by investing part of their reserves in federal government bonds dedicated to controlling greenhouse gases. Large commercial farms are likely to be hurt by heat waves and drought brought by global warming and should chip in towards its mitigation as part of insurance against crop failure they already buy. Fossil fuel firms should pay for much of it because it is largely their mess to be cleaned up. Coal mine owners should pay for Enhanced Geothermal Systems as eventual replacement for coal. If everyone agrees on user fees to cover the cost of pollution with rebates for money spent on controlling pollution and/or developing replacements for products causing pollution and/or federal green bonds to help finance the needed investments, Exxon Mobil could get rebates for R&D on bio-diesel from algae, Peabody Energy Systems could pay its user fees towards Enhanced Geothermal Systems what the coal they replace is worth, natural gas firms could invest in either solar power to replace gas or methane from organic wastes. Maybe it would be possible to manage with contracts between the federal government and the various firms involved with the threat of the Commerce Department giving a hard time to any outsider trying to butt in without paying the pollution user fees.
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Monsanto and its GMO program is BAD for all of us and needs to be STOPPED NOW!
From building codes to greenhouse gas emissions standards, elected officials can make a huge difference in how much carbon is in the atmosphere. Get out and vote for candidates who make green a priority. Every vote counts.
At EPA we have a program that helps people learn how they can take simple steps to make a difference. Join us today! Learn more about Pick 5 for the Environment:
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