Winter Newton 2015

by Ellie Goldberg

Did your roof cave in?

Did your gutters droop or fall?

Did the melt come inside?

And drizzle down the wall?

Did your pipes freeze and flood?

Did your driveway heave and crack?

Did your heating system fail?

Did shoveling break your back?

Did the sidewalks fill with snow?

Did branches bend or break?

Did power lines go down?

Did potholes spoil your day?

Do you love this new normal?

The extremes of heat and cold?

Do you have a back up plan

or a better place to go?

Support divestment now

to stop burning fossil fuel.

Then invest in cleaner power

for safer water, air and food.

Let's choose the wisest way

to tax carbon, risk and waste.

Trust efficiency, wind and solar

to conserve the human race.

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Poison Control and Pesticide Information Organizations Collaborate to Strengthen Pesticide Safety and Education

On February 23, 2015, the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC), which supports the work of the nation’s 55 poison control centers, and the National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC), a cooperative agreement between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Oregon State University, announced that they have teamed up to focus on pesticide safety and education.

The two organizations will bring their collective expertise and experience to developing bilingual health and safety educational materials for the general public related to pesticides such as antimicrobials, herbicides, and insecticides.

 Newton Committee for Alternatives to Pesticides

To read the joint press release in full, see http://www.aapcc.org/press/41/

Information about Poison Prevention Week 2015, March 15-21, 2015 http://www.poisonprevention.org/poison.htm

Rachel Carson’s warnings about global warming

Rachel Carson was born in 1907 and she died in 1964.  She was one of the first scientists to alert the world to the importance of caring for the environment.  

Larry J. Schweiger, the author of Last Chance:  Preserving Life on Earth, wrote this on the 100th anniversary of Carson’s birth.  He wrote,

“Forever listening to birds and watching the movements of fish, Rachel discovered that they were shifting from their historic ranges all over the world and moving quite strikingly and consistently toward the poles. In her second and wildly successful book published in 1951 entitled, The Sea Around Us, Rachel wrote a chapter entitled: ‘The Global Thermostat’ detailing the many range shifts and glacial changes seen in nature in the preceding decades concluding with, ‘now in our own lifetime we are witnessing a startling alteration of climate…’Because Rachel was listening, she was able to faithfully record fish and bird migratory changes and melting glaciers and rightfully associated them with a warming climate.

Read whole article: Doug Craig, Climate of Change
http://dcraig.blogs.redding.com/2015/02/rachel-carsons-warnings-about-global-warming/ 

Introducing Our New Compliance Website

02/09/2015 

By Marion Herz. As chief of staff for EPA’s Office of Compliance, job #1 for me is protecting people’s health and their communities.

The Power of One Voice

A 50-Year Perspective on the Life of Rachel Carson is a groundbreaking documentary examining the life of Rachel Carson and the profound implications of her environmental work. Perfect for classrooms and community events, this 51-minute film features interviews with Rachel Carson’s adopted son, Roger Christie, her biographer, Linda Lear, and other notable writers, scientists and advocates. By highlighting the power of Carson’s voice, we hope to inspire others to add their voices to this essential conversation. ~Mark Dixon (Director/Producer) and Patricia DeMarco (Executive Producer)
http://powerofonevoicefilm.com/

Premiere in ‪#‎Pittsburgh‬! January 29, 2015, at 7:00 P.M. at the National Aviary! 
 
Remarks by Ellie Goldberg, May 2007: The Legacy of Rachel Carson (May 27, 1907 – April 14, 1964)   VIDEO (2:50 min)
 

Dr. Stephanie Seneff presentation on harmful effects of glyphosate

 

 

Published on Oct 24, 2013

In her presentation entitled "Roundup: The Elephant in the Room," Dr. Seneff outlines adverse health and environmental effects caused by chemicals that are being applied directly to foods we eat.

Beyond Pesticides honors Theo Colborn
http://www.beyondpesticides.org/dailynewsblog/?p=14672

In Remembrance: Theo Colborn, 1927-2014 

Beyond Pesticides is sad to say goodbye to a dear friend and colleague, Theo Colborn, who at the age of 87, passed away on Sunday, December 14 at home surrounded by her family. www.beyondpesticides.org

"Photo: Theo Colborn receives the Dragonfly Award from author and scientist Sandra Steingraber at Beyond Pesticides’ 25th Gala in Washington, DC in 2006."  "Upon accepting the award, she said to those who chose her as the recipient that she would do her best not to let them down, and she hasn’t.

CHEJ has donated many of its publications, documents and files generated over the past 30 years to Tufts University in Medford, MA. 

These historical records are now accessible through the Tufts University Digital Library, the home to CHEJ’s archival records dating back to 1981 when the organization was founded. Included are CHEJ publications such Everyone’s Backyard, Environmental Health Monthly, Action Line and numerous guidebooks and fact-packs; community newsletters; newspaper clippings; general office files; files from our Grassroots Conventions; special projects files; mini-grant files; and the personal files of Lois Gibbs, CHEJ executive Director and Stephen Lester, CHEJ’s Science Director. Many issues of Everyone’s Backyard are available online already here.

Also included in the archives are the personal files and documents related to Lois’ work at Love Canal in Niagara Falls, NY, including files maintained by the Love Canal Homeowners Association. 

At some time all of Lois’ and Stephen’s files and documents related to their work at Love Canal will be donated to these archives.

These files and documents provide a historical view of CHEJ’s pioneering work to organize grassroots communities in their fight for Environmental Justice. The research guide for CHEJ's records can be found here.