It’s no secret we affect the world around us in both positive and negative ways. One thing a lot of people don’t think about is soil erosion — the tendency of soil to wash away or eroded by water. How do human activities contribute to soil erosion and what can we do to reduce our impact?
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We know. Global warming is daunting. So here’s a place to start: 17 often-asked questions with some straightforward answers.
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The primatologist, the subject of a new documentary, gets angry that humanity has killed off thousands of orangutans. She’s frustrated that we, in our quest to grow and conquer, have changed the planet forever.
“Goodness, if we could spend the same money learning about the world that we spend on wars…. We’re so stupid aren’t we?” she told HuffPost in a recent interview. “We seem to have lost the connection between our clever brains and our hearts.”
But Goodall, just a few weeks shy of her 84th birthday, still has faith.
“People desperately want hope. When you lose hope, what’s left in life?” she said. “We truly have harmed the world, but I still think there’s a window of time for us to try and turn things around. It can never get back to the way it was … but we have to try.”
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Women who regularly used household or industrial cleaning products for 20 years had as much lung damage as if they’d smoked a pack a day over the same period, a new European study finds.
Scientists at Norway’s University of Bergen tracked 6,000 people’s use of cleaning products for over two decades.
Women who used who frequently used cleaning products had a significant difference in lung function from women who did not. The difference was less significant in men. It’s unclear why.
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Environmentally friendly mattresses offer potential health benefits and reduced environmental impact. They may have an above average lifespan as well, as natural products tend to last longer than synthetic materials. It’s a good idea to consider a green mattress when you’re choosing your next mattress.
Of course, it’s important to know the difference between a truly green mattress and one that’s greenwashed. A truly environmentally friendly mattress will have environmental certifications to support their claims, while greenwashed ones typically have buzzwords but no real proof that their beds have any advantage for the environment.
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Looking at the world around us, you are likely to be shocked by how much waste is created by modern living. Over 185 million pounds of plastic are thrown away by the average American per year. This equates to well over 14 billion pounds during the average American’s life. Clearly, serious problems exist with waste in the United States. However, this is not the extent of our wasteful culture and certainly not the most relevant for the average person.
In our modern world, it can be difficult for people to resist the urge of buying new products. The constant upgrades to technology, and relatively universal nature of large-scale shopping centers and malls encourage people to abandon their possessions at the first sign of a fault and simply buy another.
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Some environmentalists call the move a step in the right direction. Others are concerned about how many acres of rain forest might need to be cleared for sugar plantations.
“You’ll find haters, but it’s way better than petroleum,” Stephen Mayfield, a molecular biologist at UC San Diego, told Mashable.
Switching from oil-based to plant-based plastics cuts the carbon footprint of a product by around 70 percent, Mayfield said.
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It’s no surprise states across the nation are starting to ban single-use plastic bags in large retail locations. Considering even the most obvious drawbacks to these types of containers and materials, it’s relieving to know states and countries around the world are stepping in.
Starting with California in 2016, several states have banned single-use plastic bags based on voter determination. More recently, Michigan became the seventh. Here are just three of the countless benefits a ban on plastic shopping bags can give us.
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“‘Nevertheless, She Persisted’ is really about every woman who really had to use her tenacity and courage to accomplish whatever she set out to accomplish. It’s universal,” said Molly Murphy MacGregor, executive director and co-founder of the National Women’s History Project. “You think about our mothers and grandmothers — they’ve been persisting for a very long time.”
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In 1987, the National Women’s History Project (NWHP) helped lead a campaign to launch Women’s History Month, a time designated for recognizing accomplishments made by women throughout history. In honor of the month-long celebration, seven inspiring facts about women today.
The National Women’s History Project helped to launch a month-long celebration of women’s history in 1987. Above, Actress Natalie Portman is pictured attending the Women’s March on January 20, 2018 in Los Angeles, California.
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