“Pollinators are small but mighty parts of the natural mechanism that sustains us and our world…[w]ithout them, our forests, parks, meadows and shrub lands, and the abundant, vibrant life they support, cannot survive, and our crops require laborious, costly pollination by hand.” – The New York Times
President Obama reflects on his Administration’s clean energy legacy
“We have long known, on the basis of a massive scientific record, that the urgency of acting to mitigate climate change is real and cannot be ignored. In recent years, we have also seen that the economic case for action—and against inaction—is just as clear, the business case for clean energy is growing, and the trend toward a cleaner power sector can be sustained regardless of near-term federal policies.” –…
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How will changing legislation and diets affect superbugs?
“For more than a decade, the meat industry has faced mounting pressure from consumers and health groups to phase out the routine use of antibiotics in raising animals.” – The Guardian
Doctors in Philly are going door to door to help asthma patients living in poverty
“‘Poor housing is the elephant in the asthma room and must be addressed in a deliberate and intentional manner to truly eliminate disparities in outcomes among adult patients with asthma.’” – Philly News
New project maps how green major cities are
“Which cities have the greenest streets?…Rating a huge number of street corners for the relative greenery of their appearance, Treepedia … is one of the most detailed catalogs of urban greenery available.” – City Lab
Hawaiian pesticide discussions heat up in the new year
“’There’s still zero transparency for the long-term cumulative impacts on various communities around the islands for what [pesticides are] being sprayed and any impact it may be having over the long term…and that’s something that we have a clear obligation above anything else to dive into, because it is health and safety and people have a right to know.’” – West Hawaii Today
Landfills or incineration – how do we deal with our garbage problem?
“As the [waste-to-energy] debate intensifies, experts on either side of the aisle can at least agree on one thing: it’s this mindfulness that’s missing from our trash strategy.” – Salon
New research highlights links between human health and Earth’s health
“Rather than trying to eliminate ecologies, we should try to understand and protect them, and to understand that their health is of pressing concern to our own.” – Anthropocene Magazine
Expansion of Toxic Waste Site Raises Controversy in Detroit
“The message was loud and clear: ‘Don’t ignore the wishes of residents and their elected officials: Stop poisoning Detroit.’” – Detroit Metro Times
How do health and well-being connect to bodily processes?
EH co-director Laura Kubzansky attended a symposium on the science of health and happiness Friday, commenting “the ironic thing about modern health care is that it isn’t really about health at all” – Harvard Gazette