Water is life. Knowledge is power.
The news out of Flint, Michigan brought the issue of contaminated drinking water into sharp focus, as it was revealed that officials at every level—local, state and federal—knew about lead-poisoned water for months but did nothing to address the problem.
Under state-run systems like utilities and roads, poorer communities are the last to receive attention from government plagued by inefficiencies and corrupt politicians. Perhaps no group knows this better than … [more…]
RALEIGH, N.C. — Flooded rivers from Florence’s drenching rains have swamped coal ash dumps and low-lying hog farms, raising pollution concerns as the swollen waterways approach their crests Monday.
North Carolina environmental regulators say several open-air manure pits at hog farms have failed, spilling pollution. State officials also were monitoring the ongoing threat from the breach of a Duke Energy coal ash landfill near Wilmington.
Department of Environmental Quality Secretary … [more…]
April Cook Hawkins takes her seat on stage during the live filming of a special "All In With Chris Hayes," which aired Wednesday, Sept. 13, on MSNBC. (Kaiti Sullivan | The Flint Journal)
FLINT, MI — A former Genesee County Health Department secretary is dropping a Flint water crisis bombshell, claiming her boss told her to falsify blood lead test results from Flint during the city’s water crisis.
April Cook-Hawkins … [more…]
Energy companies in Pennsylvania declined to identify potentially harmful chemicals used for drilling and fracking for natural gas in more than half the wells developed between 2013 and 2017, according to a report released on Tuesday.
The report from the Partnership for Policy Integrity, a Massachusetts nonprofit that does research and advocacy on energy policy, … [more…]
Switching to a healthier diet can reduce an individual’s water footprint by as much as 55%.
According to new research, turning vegetarian has the biggest impact, but even cutting down on meat gives a saving of at least 10%.
Shifting to a healthy diet is a "win-win situation", say researchers.
Citizens will be healthier and their food can be produced using less of one of our most precious natural resources … [more…]