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The Environmental Working Group has released the first-ever study of chemicals in the cord blood of minority newborns. The ten babies in the study were born in 2007 and 2008 in California, Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, Wisconsin. While the Centers for Disease Control and the Environmental Working Group  have both looked at newborn exposure before, the new EWG study, in partnership with Rachel’s Network, was the first to specifically look at African-America, Hispanic and Asian babies, who may be more likely to be exposed to industrial and agricultural chemicals due to social and economic situations. For example, in many areas of the country, agricultural laborers are predominantly Hispanic, exposing Hispanic women to more pesticides, herbicides and synthetic fertilizers before and during pregnancy.

The EWG study of cord blood contaminants in minority newborns is the first reported detection of nearly two dozen chemicals in newborns of any background, including the first neonatal detection of Bisphenol-A, which was found in 9 of the 10 babies. Because of the expense of testing, only 10 babies were included in the study. Up to 232 chemicals total were found in the ten infants - certain tests looked for two or more chemicals at once, and a positive reading could mean one or more of the contaminants were present in the sample. Several chemicals were found in all ten babies: (continue reading…)

Photo Credit: Gary Stolz/ US Fish and Wildlife Service

Although garter snakes as a group are the most common reptile in the U.S., a few of the 13 recognized subspecies of garter snakes are endangered and require conservation plans to manage their populations. The most common pressure threatening garter snake populations is habitat loss. Snakes will live in close proximity to humans, but they need suitable habitat for their semi-aquatic lifestyle, which requires a sunny area for basking and a year-round wet area like a pond, marsh or stream edge. They also need prey, and some subspecies are more picky about dinner than others.

Living in close proximity to humans presents other survival dangers for threatened garter snake subspecies. Roads that warm up before the surrounding ground make good basking areas, until the snake becomes roadkill. Living in suburban yards puts snakes at risk of being run over by lawnmowers. Conversion of snake habitat to agricultural purposes may expose the snakes to agricultural chemicals or alter the surrounding wetlands to reduce prey. Rare garter snakes living in vacant urban lots are susceptible to trapping to be kept as pets, either by the person catching them or for sale on the illicit pet market. Trade in threatened and endangered snakes is for the most part prohibited, but collectors may flout the rules to acquire a rare specimen. While being kept as a pet may actually extend the individual snake’s lifespan, it removes the animal from the breeding population. The one snake may live, but at the expense of producing dozens of offspring. Particularly for these endangered garter snakes, keeping a diverse breeding population in a safe habitat is essential for their subspecies survival. (continue reading…)

©iStockphoto.com - Patryk Galka

We all want to make a difference, and to encourage our children to help others who are less fortunate. These days, though, it’s hard to feel like we can. Often we’re overwhelmed by the magnitude of destruction caused by earthquakes, or we worry that charity is only a short-term help. And as far as kids go, many places won’t let them volunteer because of insurance reasons. A concept called microlending, however, lets you make a direct difference in someone’s life, for a small amount of money - small enough that your kids can even do it themselves with saved-up allowance money.

Microlending is the private lending of small loans to poor people with valid business ideas. Often these people do not have the personal worth to be served by a bank or apply for credit. Bypassing the banking system and lending them money directly allows poor people with entrepreneurial drive or unused skills to make a step out of poverty. The loans can be for as low as $20, and can go towards things ranging from the buying of livestock to purchasing raw materials for crafts and manufacturing. (continue reading…)

Photo Credit: Gary Stolz/ US Fish and Wildlife Service

In March, Wildlife Wednesday takes a look at snakes.

If you’ve seen one wild snake, chances are it’s a garter snake, the most common reptile in North America, Their prevalence is largely because they aren’t picky about what they eat or where they live. As a rule, if a garter snake can catch and swallow it, a garter snake will eat it. They live in fields, roadsides, yards, vacant lots and ditches as far north as Alaska. If there’s a place to bask in the sun to absorb solar heat, a garter snake probably lives there. (continue reading…)

©iStockphoto.com - AndreasWeber

Buying a home is probably one of the biggest decisions and purchases you’ll ever make. A lot of work is involved, from picking your target location to figuring out what size and style home you want – and of course, determining what you can afford! But, buying a home also has an impact on the planet. Wonder how to “green up” the home buying process and make it better for the environment? The following tips can help in your search for the perfect home. (continue reading…)

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons User R6MaY89

Last week, Wildlife Wednesday took an up-close look at the benefits groundhogs can have in a yard, both for their ecological impact and the fun of watching wildlife. As with any non-disease-carrying wildlife in the yard, if a groundhog isn’t causing a problem, the best strategy is to live and let live.

As a rule, in any battle between humans and wildlife, the animals will win; they simply have more time to devote to the fight. However, not all groundhogs are quite as trouble-free as mine, especially if they get into the backyard garden. Groundhogs start fattening up for their winter hibernation right around the time most garden produce is at its peak, and woodchucks, like most foraging animals, look at a garden as a convenient source of high-quality food. Groundhog burrows under a home, deck or outbuilding can also cause structural damage and undermine a building’s foundations. Those 700 pounds of dirt that the woodchuck chucks out of its burrow don’t hold anything up when they’re piled on the grass. When a groundhog starts causing problems, it’s time for action. (continue reading…)

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In the movie Food, Inc., there is a scene of a family going through a fast-food drive-thru, spending somewhere around $12 for a meal for the four of them. The family laments that, even though they know that the food they get through the car window is causing major health problems, the fast food is cheap, and, well, fast. It’s what they can afford, and what they have time for. The family is busy and doesn’t have time to cook.

The next scene shows the family shopping in a supermarket, demonstrating just how high the costs of fresh produce are, to prove that families are priced out of healthy eating. But how cheap is this fast food, really? Setting aside the related costs of the health problems that come from eating a diet heavy on fast food, purely in dollars, how much does it really save to eat through the drive-thru? (continue reading…)