ecology

Flint, Michigan declares lead poisoning emergency

Posted on: Wed, 12/16/2015 - 00:05 By: Tom Swiss

In Flint, Mich., there’s so much lead in children’s blood that a state of emergency is declared (Washington Post)

The mayor — elected after her predecessor, Dayne Walling, experienced fallout from his administration’s handling of the water problems — said in the statement that she was seeking support from the federal government to deal with the “irreversible” effects of lead exposure on the city’s children. Weaver thinks that these health consequences will lead to a greater need for special education and mental health services, as well as developments in the juvenile justice system.

“Do we meet the criteria [for a disaster area]? I don’t know,” she told Michigan Live. But Weaver doesn’t think the city can receive the help it needs without alerting federal officials to the urgency of the matter.

...

screw the forest, we need another Walmart!

<headdesk>

Endangered Florida Forest Lands To Be Bulldozed For A Walmart (The Huffington Post)

In a move that’s enraging environmentalists, the University of Miami in early July sold 88 acres of endangered pine rockland in Miami-Dade County. The purchaser, Palm Beach County developer Ram Realty Services, will clear out much of the area and punch in a 158,000-square-foot Walmart, as well as an LA Fitness, Chik-fil-A, Chili’s and 900 apartments, the Miami Herald reports.

Preservationists worry the development will strip the land of its rare plants and harm its threatened and endangered animals, including two rare butterflies, the bald eagle, the indigo snake and the Florida bonneted bat, per the Herald.

Tom Swiss Tue, 07/22/2014 - 11:08
odd recyclables

Some interesting ways to recycle stuff, from old CDs to coffins.

20 Recyclable Objects That Might Surprise You (Mental Floss)

According to the EPA, Americans send 250 million tons of trash to the landfill each year. That’s 40 percent of the world’s waste. Here are a few things you may have been throwing out that, with a little effort, you can actually recycle....

Tom Swiss Tue, 04/01/2014 - 22:12
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