Climate Change is on the rise
so shouldn’t too be our Climate Action in response?
🌎
We all want to live a long and healthy life on this planet don’t we? I know I do.. and I’d certainly like to see you do the same. As you know, I care very much about the environment and that’s what today’s focus topic is about. And interestingly enough, it’s been quite a chaotic and stressful climate season of late… 😓
Just look at major cities like Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington and others in the Pacific Northwest have been reporting record breaking temperature highs like never before.
Article from The New York Times
And just a few short weeks ago, the heat was spread across the western states more broadly. And we all remember the crazy ice and snow that unsuspecting Texas faced earlier this year as well. It’s getting crazy out there folks, and some scientists believe it’s only going to get worse. ☀️
And I’m not one to fear monger or frustrate the masses, because “what can we do to combat this at all? We’re all subject to the elements.” - and that’s exactly right. Rather than blame consumers for their single use straws or the fact that consumers waste on average 30% of food that enters their home.. I think larger scale reform and public policy action with a properly informed, educated, and enlightened population would lead to larger scale commercial and industrial-sized changes as well.
I don’t want to be negative, but there are plenty of companies profiting while their poor environmental sustainment or frank disregard for the planet and its soils at all go on by untouched and uncared for, greenwashing and letting the great mass of bottom-of-the-chain consumers suffer - specifically even more so - BIPOC communities.
And as you know, we’re all connected and interconnected and we suffer when we live in disconnection (future book on this topic down the road probs.. js 🤷♂️ ).
We shouldn’t feel like this is the end of the rope or the end of the line. I firmly believe we can all play a proactive part in conserving the environment and supporting a more sustainable future for all of us.
I’ve always been interested in conserving the natural environment around us ever since I can remember. And even after graduating with my master’s in nutrition, I pursued further education and certification n environmental medicine, because you know.. I just don’t think most people know enough about how all of biology interacts with all of biology. 🌱
I’ve learned a lot … like a lot a lot… from household chemicals to employee wellness initiatives in schools, hospitals, factories, and industrial pollutants, to surprising ingredients used within health and beauty products, the hazardous working conditions in major industries and how we can all embrace a cleaner, more sustainable household and honestly so much more.
My hope going forward is that we can all acknowledge the reality, be faced with the facts, the feelings, and the frustrations for persistent challenges facing all of human life and biological life and communal prosperity together.
“If you’re not part of the solution, then you’re just part of the problem.”
I Just Want You to Know.
Self-awareness is the goal for me as a health educator, helping someone learn and attain a level of self-awareness and empowering them to know what and how to navigate their body and environment to live their best lives. 😏
In a complicated, confusing, world of information, disinformation with muddled and corrupted industries, lobbyists, and research murkier than the nasty waters foaming up from farmland runoffs… I can understand why the common person feels a bit overwhelmed and helpless taking on “how the heck do I live a healthy life?”
My goal with this newsletter and with every message I put out in the world, is to help us all strive for living the best lives possible, including helping us connect the dots between how my life effects you and your life effects me when needed.
I get it, it’s difficult to connect the dots of health in today’s world with all the distractions and marketing ploys to keep us as consumers… yet get us to destroy our own biology.
Not Kidding. You were duped IYDK! 💯 😳
For example, do you use weed killer like RoundUp on your lawn? 🌱 ⚔️ 🧪
Do you pour hazardous chemicals down your drains to ‘clean’ them? 💥 🚽
Do you use artificial ingredients in your home, perfumes and fragrances, air fresheners, or how about those ‘smell good’ trash bags or plug ins? 👃
Do you use single-use plastics?
Do you REDUCE, REUSE, and then.. recycle, in that order? ♻️ 🗑
Do you reduce your use (dependence) of petroleum? ⛽️ 💥
Wanna drink some chemical foam anyone..? 🙄😷💧
This is the kind of crap that frustrates me so much… we are so quick to insult our biology, complain about our poor health while we consistently degrade our soils and think we have to spray this and add that without any frame of consequence.
👎
This is just a small sample of what I walk by after a heavy rain here in Indiana - a chemical trail runoff from a nearby field with literal foaming puddles lining the sides of the road.. it is disgusting and honestly heartbreaking.
This is not natural folks and shouldn’t be accepted as such.
🌱 👨🔬
Where does this come from, you ask?
Most notably the nitrate added as a chemical fertilizer - which just so happens to end up in our drinking water of course - and just so happens to be linked to increased risks of Cancer - yay us. High levels of nitrates in water can even cause oxygen deprivation in infants as another little nugget of wisdom for ya.
😳
It sucks, like I don’t know how else to say it but it just honestly sucks to care so much for this planet, its creatures and the active biological soils that surround us while I see Big Ag and Big Pharma and Big Chem continue to destroy and manipulate the natural biology of the planet.
🌎
Following the EWG’s guidelines for 0.14 ppm of Nitrate in drinking water, my local municipality seems to maintain levels around 1.31 ppm instead (nearly 10x recommended safe levels) - and though the legal limit is 10ppm, my local report of 1.31 is still above national and state avg of around 0.92-0.93 and still….
😳
Let’s wake up people!
We must beg to ask the question… if we know this to be toxic.. why would we allow for ANY at all?
Do we just want to keep allowing these monopolized industries destroy our planet and our biology…? 🌎
What you can do….
Login to your local municipality data reporting network, or call them if you don’t receive annual reports already. Read the report, get to know the water that you drink and the potential hazards or exposures you and your family might be facing.
Next, take steps to consider an appropriate water filtration system for your home, your shower, your drinking and cooking water and even for your pets as well.
🐕 🐩
Lastly, consider reading more about water quality and safe drinking water via EWG online for your continued pursuits in health and happiness.
Wishing you a good, clean, fun filled summer my friends. ☀️ 💙 💦
Advocate for healthy soils around the world. Educate yourself, open dialogue in your household, your family, and your community. Speak to your leaders, write letters, and gather conversations like I’m doing here today, but take action in your own local arenas.
Be a freaking awesome soil advocate. Yes, I believe in you, I believe we need this united future for healthy soils because we freaking share the same grand o’l planet despite what we think. We can’t act like we don’t folks. What you do affects me and what I do affects you. I’m striving each day to be the best steward I can, though I’m certainly not perfect I believe we can all start somewhere.
So, where do you think you might start?
In other dialogues: FOOD
Summer is Upon Us! ☀️
So is Colorful Produce! 🌈 🍎 🍏
Subtle Reminders for Clean Shopping 🌱 🛒 🙌
Have you heard of the Dirty Dozen? What about the Clean 15?
Dirty Dozen = most chemical residues left from agriculture for the consumer shopper = more dangerous, best to purchase organic when you can (and still rinsing / washing).
Clean 15 = least chemical residues left from agriculture for the consumer shopper = safer and less worried about pesticides, herbicides, etc. and probably safe to consume non-organic varieties (and still rinsing / washing).
The EWG publishes this updated list every year. Check it out for yourself to prioritizing your shopping sprees (if you’re not using an organic CSA (community shared agriculture) or visiting your local Farmer’s Market.
The idea here is to prioritize your organic purchases for the Dirty Dozen, and to hopefully save some of your worries and your dollars with greater trust for the Clean 15.
Additional Strategies and Tips around Washing / Rinsing off pesticides, chemical residues, "germs," 🦠 🤣 and more...
Here's some help on simple strategies for cleaning produce with cheap and easy items you already have at home (nothing toxic or expensive!) Clean and Wash Produce Safely
Typically I recommend Sea Salt, Baking Soda, Vinegar as natural easy use options for cleaning produce.
Here's to your good health this week in wellness :)
Next Up, a commonly overlooked additive:
If you're also interested to avoid damaging emulsifiers, fillers, additives to increase "palatability" but can have harmful effects in the gut..
This is just ONE ☝️ such item called Carrageenan
- commonly found in yogurts, milks, plant-based milks, ice creams, etc...
"New Studies Reinforce Link to Inflammation, Cancer and Diabetes" - read more here
🥛 So what about dairy in general?
It’s likely you already know my stance on this. Let’s just say Big Milk has Big Pockets. 💰 💰 💰
Would love for you to read more about Switch4Good here. Olympians taking the Leap against Big Dairy.
Some folks and I have been discussing some deets on social media and it’s a deeper convo than we can have here today, but I welcome your thoughts and opinions and experiences to be brought to the group. Feel free to chime into my ongoing discussion on this topic. Or, feel free to comment below.
The End 🔥
but not quite
Well, I don’t think I could fit anything else into this newsletter even if I tried.
Who knew we would have so much to discuss?
Again, here’s your weekly dose of wellness and information sharing for your own personal education and empowerment for you to know how to live your best life and to encourage others to do the same. I believe we all deserve the chance.. don’t you?
Tell me, what is just one step you believe you plan to take this summer for a healthier you or a healthier household as a whole?
If you’d like further support in designing a cleaner home, a healthier community or have any questions at all, feel free to reach out. I do believe you too can be part of the solution for a healthier planet and healthier future.
Because of this email,... I will up my ante when it comes to being aware. I remember the reading stories of the chemical runoff blocking the sunlight in the rivers and changing the delicate bacterial balance creating dead zones in the Caribbean,... the size of New Jersey. I could be wrong, but it all starts with the run off ... to grow the grain... to feed the animals in the factory farms, and is protected by businesses, lobbyists, and state legislators...sadly. It's money over safety. Their main argument is simple...deny deny deny, write ghost articles creating doubt,...it's very sad. Thank you for your stellar effort.....