“I can’t breathe” were the last words spoken by Eric Garner (July 17, 2014), Javier Ambler (March 28, 2019), Elijah McClain (August 30, 2019), Manuel Ellis (March 3, 2020), and George Floyd (May 25, 2020). These were all African American men who died at the hands of police in the United States. Recently, police brutality has gained critical and overdue attention as one clear manifestation of systemic racism. However, historical…
New Article: Perceptions of green space usage, abundance, and quality of green space were associated with better mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic among residents of Denver
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted both physical and mental health. This study aimed to understand whether exposure to green space buffered against stress and distress during the COVID-19 pandemic while taking into account significant stressors of the pandemic. We leveraged a cross-sectional survey on green space exposure and mental health among residents of Denver, CO that ran from November 2019 through January 2021. We measured objective green space as the…
New Article: Perceptions of green space usage, abundance, and quality of green space were associated with better mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic among residents of Denver
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted both physical and mental health. This study aimed to understand whether exposure to green space buffered against stress and distress during the COVID-19 pandemic while taking into account significant stressors of the pandemic. Learn more about JPB Fellow Colleen Reid’s research.
Exposure to great outdoors reduced risk of depression, anxiety during pandemic
People exposed to more green space during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic reported significantly less depression and anxiety, according to new University of Colorado Boulder research published March 2 in the journal PLOS One. The study also found that, at a time when mental health problems soared due to financial woes, supply shortages and nonstop news coverage of the virus, people sought solace in the great outdoors, with one-third spending more…
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Interactive web series explores environmental racism
When it comes to exposures to environmental hazards, people of color and low-income groups tend to get the short end of the stick. They are more likely than other groups to live close to highways or power plants; to live in housing with lead, pest, or other problems; and to be exposed to hazardous chemicals in personal care products. A new series of web resources titled Environmental Racism in Greater Boston, produced by experts at…
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Study: Thousands of Californians may lack access to safe drinking water
Nearly 370,000 Californians use drinking water that might be contaminated with harmful chemicals, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of California, Berkeley. Scientists looked at more than 1,500 water systems statewide and nine years of data on chemicals in drinking water and groundwater and estimated that about 370,000 people in California — particularly in underserved communities — are…
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Heat, housing and the horrific Bronx fire
By JPB Fellow Diana Hernandez The fire that killed 17 New Yorkers in the Bronx on Jan. 9 was utterly heart-wrenching. Based on what we know now, three discrete factors contributed to this tragedy: a continuously running space heater that malfunctioned, two doors that did not self-close, and smoke detectors that seem to have gone off so frequently that residents learned to ignore the false alarms. Focusing on these issues alone belies the larger problem:…
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Nearly 400,000 Californians May Lack Access to Safe Drinking Water, Study Finds
An estimated 370,000 Californians rely on drinking water that may contain high levels of the chemical contaminants arsenic, nitrate or hexavalent chromium, and contaminated drinking water disproportionately impacts communities of color in the state, finds a new analysis led by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of California, Los Angeles. “Because this study is limited to three common contaminants, the results likely underestimate the actual number…
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UM’s School of Public Health ups the ante on Native land acknowledgements
When D’Shane Barnett first heard a land acknowledgement about four years ago, he thought the statement recognizing that Missoula is on land traditionally occupied by Indigenous people was powerful. But Barnett, the director and health officer of the Missoula City-County Health Department, said the statements have since lost some of their impact. “It’s like the first time that you tell someone you love them,” said Barnett, who is from the…
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Making the board: participatory game design for environmental action
The US state of Arizona is historically known as a rich source of helium-bearing gas, and market pressures have renewed interest in extracting helium throughout the state’s Holbrook Basin. In response, a group of concerned residents emerged to educate the public and engage with regulators. However, the obscurities of the helium industry and regulatory frameworks complicated the group’s efforts. This paper details a participatory action research project called Helium Futures, a…
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