HEALTH EFFECTS OF PESTICIDES AND WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

Health effects of pesticidesPhoto by Gilmer Diaz Estela from Pexels I remember being taught about the importance and use of pesticides in my agricultural science class back in high school. I had no knowledge of the health effects of pesticides. I thought pesticides were good. I mean, they help get rid of pests and insects that could damage crops and make us sick, so why not? Just like me in high school, many people do not have the knowledge or a proper understanding of the impact pesticides have on our health. There’s so much talk about the positives of pesticides, but what’s the actual cost? The negatives of these substances far outweigh the positives. Let’s get into the details. But can we afford to ignore the fact that we are now filling the environment with chemicals that have the power to strike directly at the chromosomes, affecting them in the precise ways that could cause such conditions? Is this not too high a price to pay for a sproutless potato or a mosquitoless patio?- Rachel Carson: Silent Spring What are Pesticides? According to the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, a pesticide is: “any substance, or a mixture of substances, of chemical or biological ingredients intended for repelling, destroying, or controlling any pest, or regulating plant growth.”  Several types and classes of pesticides exist based on their use and chemical composition. As highlighted by the FAO, pesticides include all insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, rodenticides, molluscicides, wood preservatives, plant growth regulators, defoliants, and desiccants, among other substances. Each of these pesticides has a specific purpose: insecticides for insects, herbicides for plants, rodenticides for rodents, and so on. https://twitter.com/EnvirHealthNews/status/1586437948655796224 Organochlorines, organophosphates, pyrethrins, pyrethroids, and carbamates are pesticides classified based on their chemical composition. For instance, the very popular pesticide, dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT), belongs to the pesticide class organochlorines. Due to the chemicals contained in them, they have different modes of action in humans. Pesticides and Human Health https://twitter.com/EnvirHealthNews/status/1613949045013184512 There has been a rise in pesticide use, especially for agricultural purposes, which has led to their increasing concentration in the environment. Pesticides aren’t just made of random stuff. They contain harmful substances, which multiple studies have shown to have negative health effects. A number of these substances in pesticides are carcinogenic (causing cancer), mutagenic (causing mutation), and endocrine disrupting. Take the commonly used herbicide, Roundup, for example. Roundup is known to have glyphosate as its main ingredient. The World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) identified glyphosate as a probable human carcinogen (Group 2A) in 2015. This is just one of the numerous chemicals found in pesticides. Exposure and Health Effects of Pesticides Exposure to pesticides occurs through several means. Exposure routes are generally classified into…

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EARTH DAY 2022: INVEST IN OUR PLANET

Earth Day 2022: Invest In Our Planet Photo by Artem Podrez from Pexels While Earth Day is celebrated every year on April 22nd, the month of April is known as Earth Month, and the week preceding Earth Day is known as Earth Week. This year's theme is "Invest In Our Planet," which raises the question of how we can invest in our planet. There's a lot going on around here. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently released two new report (WG 2 and WG 3) that has everyone talking. The reports discussed the urgent need to reduce global emissions and halt new investments in fossil fuels. Rather than listening to the science, Governments are busy approving new oil fields because to them, it's business as usual. This is in the midst of a climate crisis, and only a few weeks after COP26. https://twitter.com/IPCC_CH/status/1511010357627789315?s=19 CLIMATE CHANGE – definition and causes EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON HUMAN Let's look at ways you and I can invest in our planet, in keeping with this year's theme. Accountability: Holding leaders and the so-called Oil Giants and Big Polluters accountable is one way you can play your part and invest. Let's go back to the year 2015. In the Paris Agreement of 2015, World leaders committed to reduce emissions and limit global warming to "ideally 1.5 degrees Celsius." We're still talking about it seven years later, with little to show for it from our leaders - except new oil fields, of course. We must hold them accountable. "Climate activists are sometimes depicted as dangerous radicals. But the truly dangerous radicals are the countries that are increasing the production of fossil fuels. Investing in new fossil fuels infrastructure is moral and economic madness." António Guterres, UN Secretary-General EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON THE ENVIRONMENT CLIMATE CHANGE AND FOOD SECURITY https://twitter.com/tessakhan/status/1491062082393210881?t=GnXOQ6hNxqW1Td_Z5ahsyw&s=19 Oil tycoons like Shell and BP released their report early this year, and these folks made a lot of money in 2021 while damaging the environment and fuelling the climate crisis (thanks to the backing of our leaders). https://twitter.com/PaidToPollute/status/1420274366655385603?t=BKhL0GpS0ks817tWbEvrzA&s=19 Big Polluters like Coca-Cola and Nestlé haven't left this group discussion. They are steadily contributing to the global problem of plastic pollution. Coca-Cola, for example, has remained among the world's top polluter for four years in a row. Legal action is one approach to hold governments and huge polluters accountable. Individuals and organizations have brought several legal actions against governments and corporations over the years. If necessary and possible, take on governments and big polluters. They must take responsibility for their inaction. It is critical to maintain a clean and healthy environment. Protests and Strikes: Protests and strikes are another way to invest in the environment. Protests and strikes are used to raise awareness and…

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WHY SPECIES BECOME ENDANGERED: ENDANGERED SPECIES DAY 2021

Photo by Elena Blessing from Pexels Some of your favorite species are currently facing threats of extinction. Every third Friday of May, Endangered Species Day is celebrated worldwide to spread more knowledge, raise awareness and take action to protect wildlife and endangered species. For Endangered Species Day 2021 which comes up this year on Friday, 21, 2021, here are 8 reasons why species become endangered and are placed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. Before then, just in case you’re wondering, what exactly is an Endangered Species and this IUCN Red list of a thing??? An Endangered species is any species – animal or plant – that is at the verge of extinction, globally or within a certain geographical location. The IUCN is the body in charge of listing these species among other agencies. Species that are facing threats are classified into: Critically Endangered (CR), Endangered (EN) and Vulnerable (VN) on the Red List. That’s out of the way now. Let’s get into the main. Deforestation Deforestation is every species’ worst nightmare. The forest is the primary home for millions of plant and animal species on earth and with deforestation becoming the new normal, these species don’t stand a chance at all. According to Greenpeace in its animated series “Countdown to Destruction” with Alice Braga, an area the size of a soccer field is destroyed every 5 seconds to make room for large scale agriculture. The agricultural sector is responsible for 80% of all global deforestation. This screams every thing bad for every species on Earth. WHY YOU SHOULD PLANT TREES HOW YOU CAN PLANT TREES WITHOUT PHYSICALLY PLANTING When deforestation happens, these species lose their home, some of which are killed in the process. With this happening at a fast rate, best believe, they become endangered and close to extinction. Species like the Black Spider Monkey, Tiger and Saola are currently on the IUCN Red List because of deforestation in the Amazon Rainforest. Climate Change Here comes another reason why species become endangered. Climate Change. In 2019, Defenders of Wildlife published a study in the journal Nature Climate Change, where they found out that 99.8% endangered animal species are affected by climate change. Bad right? With climate change comes a whole lot of danger. Photo by NastyaSensei from Pexels Ice caps are melting which is a threat to species like Polar Bears in the sea-ice environment. There are lots of forest fires happening here and there thanks to the heat that comes with climate change, destroying habitats. Take the Amazon Rainforest Fire for example, we've seen how devastating they are. In the ocean, coral reefs are bleaching due to high levels of CO2 acidifying the ocean and increasing temperature. Sum up all these things and they lead…

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GREENWASHING: WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

All around the world, lots of people are now going green, living eco-friendly, and being eco-conscious. With this happening, brands and companies that are out to degrade and pollute the environment - and those who profit from environmental degradation - have asked themselves what can we do to lead these eco-conscious people astray? How can we take them out of the light? Well, the answer they came up with is Greenwashing. Now you ask, what is Greenwashing? Greenwashing is what these non-environmentally conscious brands and companies do in order to trick people into buying their products and services. It’s simply false advertising. Greenwashing has been around for a long time and with the increasing number of eco-conscious individuals and consumers’ determination to pay a higher price for eco-friendly goods and services, it’s now more common than ever. Let’s look at a few examples: A very common example of Greenwashing is oil companies - the so-called “oil giants”- talking about green gas, their investment in cleaner energy, joining the climate change and net-zero by 2050 - to name a few - with misleading ads and campaigns. One would think that with the IPCC report on climate change, there would be a change. Don’t get me started on the fast fashion brands where they go about releasing collection after collection and throwing in the usual terms – which you would read later on - when of course you, nothing about the collection or brand says environmentally friendly. It’s all Greenwashing. And there’s the switch by Coca-Cola, changing its Sprite bottle from the usual green plastic bottle to a transparent one, with the claim of “boost recycling.” This switch is a part of the company’s “World without waste” vision. It this isn’t greenwashing at its peak, then I don’t know. Photo from Coca-Cola So, the next big question…“How can I spot/not fall into the Greenwashing pit?” As previously pointed out, not because a brand sprinkles the environmentally tagged terms around their product and service means they’re actually in for environmental protection. You need to watch out and do your own research. Color: It’s no secret that green is the color used when it comes to things of the environment. “The brands” are aware of this and as such, they go around painting everything about them green to attract people. One might see this and go “oh green. Nice. They’re into the environment.” You need to watch out because not all that screams green actually is green. It might just be black in disguise – no shade to black color. I actually love black. False promises: There’s a lot of this going around now. False promises can be in the form of a brand promising to plant trees or donating to…

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SLOW DEATH BY RUBBER DUCK: BOOK REVIEW

One of my April reads was Slow Death by Rubber Duck: How the Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Life Affects our Health by Rick Smith and Bruce Lourie with Sarah Dopp. As clearly stated on the title, the book reveals how several chemicals which are present in some of the products we use in our everyday life affects our health. It also shows how the average citizen can force the government to regulate the use of toxic chemicals, protecting lives. “Toxic chemicals are now found at low levels in countless applications, in everything from personal-care products and cooking pots and pans to electronics, furniture, clothing, building materials and children’s toys.” These two set out to show how humans are unknowingly exposed to all forms of toxic chemicals by purposely exposing themselves to a good number of them. They carried out series of experiments which mimic real life situations in an attempt to expose the now so common sources of pollution. “From the moment we get up from a good night’s sleep under wrinkle-resistant sheets (which are treated with the known carcinogen formaldehyde) to the time we go to bed at night after a snack of microwave popcorn, pollution surrounds us.” For their experiment, experts were consulted and the series of laboratory tests carried out followed standard science protocols. Seven toxic chemicals were analyzed in this book. These chemicals were discussed in chapters in the first person. Chapter 2 – Rick carries out an experiment with phthalates which are found in personal-care products like shampoos, conditioners, soaps, lotions, and colognes, disguised as “fragrance” or “parfum” and in kids toys. Chapter 3 – Bruce talks about Perfluorochemicals (PFCs) like Teflon, “the nonstickies” which are common in fast food wrappers, pizza boxes and microwavable popcorn bags, as well as the legendary nonstick frying pan. Chapter 4 – Rick dives into Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDE) and brominated flame retardants. Chapter 5 – Bruce deals with the toxicity of mercury and exposes himself to mercury from eating fish. Chapter 6 – Rick talks on our obsession with germs and the chemical Triclosan which is found in products tagged “antibacterial” or “antimicrobial.” He also exposes himself to this chemical. Chapter 7 – Bruce targets the pesticides used in spraying our lawns and gardens. Chapter 8 – Rick experiments with plastics showing how Bisphenol A (BPA), a hormone disruptor linked to early onset of puberty, obesity, cancers and decreased sperm count, leaches from polycarbonate plastic when heated, especially in baby bottles. What stood out for me was the way the reports and researches by scientists were handled by individuals, organizations, agencies and governments. I kept wondering why despite all the science, it took a lot of time to regulate some of these toxic chemical -…

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EARTH DAY 2021: 9 THINGS YOU CAN DO FOR THE PLANET

Earth Day 2021Photo by Markus Spiske from Pexels Earth Day is a day set aside to promote all-round protection of the planet, from conservation to sustainability to creating awareness. The first Earth Day was celebrated on April 22, 1970, in the United States and has since become a global movement, celebrated every April 22, to remind us of the need to protect the planet. The theme for this year's Earth Day is "Restore Our Earth." We're two days away from Earth Day 2021, here are 9 things you can do for Earth Day 2021. Disclaimer: Some links on this post are affiliate links which means if you make a purchase using the said link, I earn a small commission at no extra cost on your end. 1. Plant trees The importance of trees cannot be stressed. We need to plant trees now more than ever because of climate change. Habitat destruction. Loss of biodiversity. Air pollution. Just in case you’re wondering why plant trees, you can find your answer here. Photo by Akil Mazumder from Pexels Thanks to Ecosia, Treedom, and so many tree-planting organizations, you don’t have to plant trees yourself. You can now plant trees without physically planting. Learn more about how you can plant trees without physically planting one here. 2. Go for clean-ups A very common thing in our world today is littering. There are people out there who have made it their life's mission to litter. There’s a lot of waste here and there, in beaches, parks, and other places which requires clean-up. For Earth Day, you could participate in a clean-up activity or even start one. This little act of just putting someone else’s trash in the bin would really go a long way in helping the planet. Photo by Lucien Wanda from Pexels 3. Join, start or support an environmental organization There are a lot of environmental organizations out there, all with the aim of environmental protection, be it conserving biodiversity, fighting climate change, conserving the ocean, and many more. You could join/support an environmental organization of your choice to help the fight and lend your voice, or you could even start one in your community. 4. Reduce, reuse, recycle The 3Rs! There’s a reason why they always go together. Reduce? Reducing can be in the form of you reducing your waste by buying less, reducing your carbon footprint, and how you consume…to name a few. When it comes to reusing, you have to use, use, use whatever thing you have over and over again. You don’t just use and discard. No one-time thing here. Recycling is a bit similar. Here, you transform a thing into a new thing to fit another purpose, rather than throwing it away. Photo by ready made from Pexels 5. Plant-based diet Do you know what won’t…

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CLIMATE CHANGE AND FOOD SECURITY

Photo by Vo Thuy Tien from Pexels Climate change and food security? Well, it's no news that the climate is changing. Climate change is not a new thing. It's already happening and has affected us on so many levels. With all the increasing temperatures, change in rainfall patterns, increasing carbon dioxide concentration, and many more, there's bound to be a change in our food system, access to food, and food quality.Let's look at it on different fronts. Plants/food crops: - Just like you and I, plants can only tolerate heat to a certain level. With warming, there's more heat. This heat drives ozone production which impairs plant growth and damage leaves.- The warm temperatures also prolong the season in which pests are active and enable their spread to higher elevations. With this happening, our food crops don't stand a chance. Photo by Egor Kamelev from Pexels - Weeds aren't left out either. The increasing temperature also favors their growth and distribution and new species are rising.- On another side, there's flooding and drought happening and our food crops don't stand a chance either way. With drought, there's no water to grow crops and with flooding the water is in excess- In areas experiencing drought, the soil becomes more dry making it difficult to till and grow crops. Less water is available for irrigation.- With more carbon dioxide being pumped into the atmosphere, research has shown that exposure to increasing levels of carbon dioxide can decrease the nutrient content of staple crops. More people will be faced with zinc and protein deficiency. CLIMATE CHANGE – definition and causes EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON THE ENVIRONMENT EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON HUMAN Animals/livestock: - Animals are faced with severe heat waves. This has caused heat stress which reduces their overall productivity.- With drought, there's a shortage of food for livestock and there's no water to grow grains and forage crops.- Increasing temperatures also favors the growth and spread of animal pests and diseases. THE ENVIRONMENT AND YOU: WHY YOU SHOULD CARE CARBON OFFSETTING 27 TIPS ON HOW TO REDUCE YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT Fishery: - The ocean is acidifying due to the absorption of carbon dioxide in large concentrations. With this, the water becomes un-livable for fish and other sea creatures. Some migrate, and some die off. This leads to a reduction in population.Now have it at the back of your mind that the fish population is already declining due to overfishing and death from oil spills and toxic chemicals. Climate change is now added to the list.- The acidity has also led to the bleaching of reefs. Coral reefs are habitats for fish. They provide habitat to about 25% of all marine life. With their habitats gone, there's trouble for everyone. Photo by Francesco Ungaro from Pexels ECO-FRIENDLY…

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ECO-FRIENDLY NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION

Eco-friendly New Year's ResolutionPhoto by Anna Tarazevich from Pexels Well well well, look how far we’ve come. We’re just days away from the New Year! The year may have been good for some of us and tough for others but at last, here we are. So, congratulations everyone!!! Some of us will be saying “out with the old, in with the new,” trying to kick off some habits that aren’t eco-friendly. If you're one of those saying this, I’ll be giving you 10 eco-friendly New Year’s resolution for the New Year. Buying Less This has to be the first on my list because we literally can’t do without buying. Whether we need it or not, all we do is buy. We’re all guilty of this. So here’s what we’re going to do in the New Year. We’re playing pretend. That's right. When you see a thing that screams “buy me,” you’re going to pretend you didn’t hear or see it. That’s it. Photo by Kaboompics .com from Pexels Before you buy anything ask yourself if you really need it, if you can improvise or substitute for a version you already have. Buying less will not only help the environment but save you money. So let’s save money and the environment this New Year. Less Plastic, More Reusable You should already know by now that plastic is causing serious damage to the environment. If you don’t already know, well now you know. There’s a really loud call to beat plastic pollution and you can answer that call this New Year as part of your eco-friendly New Year’s resolution. Photo by alleksana from Pexels How can you use less plastic? For a start, there are lots of reusables out there from cutlery to straw to bags. Get yourself one. When going shopping, bring your own bag. Go with your own alternatives to plastic. Reducing Your Carbon Footprint We’re at that stage of Climate Emergency so reducing your carbon footprint is another great eco-friendly New Year’s resolution. Carbon footprint is the amount of greenhouse gases you emit for every activity. You can start by shopping locally, less transportation, reducing your food waste, and even the basic thing like turning off your light when you're not using it. 27 TIPS ON HOW TO REDUCE YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT Sustainable Fashion From carbon dioxide emission to generation of waste, fast fashion is literally killing the planet. Saying no to fast fashion can also be one of your eco-friendly New Year’s resolution. Re-think what you wear, thrift more, buy from eco-friendly and sustainable brands, even the smallest thing as repeating your clothes to avoid buying new ones will go a long way. Photo by Kai Pilger from Pexels DIY I love me some DIYs! You know some of the things you buy, you can make them…

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ECO-FRIENDLY GIFT PACKAGING IDEAS

Photo by Lucie Liz from Pexels When it comes to eco-friendly packaging, it's mainly just you reusing and recycling the things around you rather than getting a new one. As a follow-up from the previous post Eco-friendly Gift Wrapping Ideas, I'll be giving you 9 eco-friendly gift packaging ideas that you can use this season. They're mostly things around you. What are these things? OLD BOOKS Books are really common stuff and we all have lots of them lying here and there, some of which we don't have need for. The not having need for is the major point here. Instead of them lying around taking up space let's turn them to something cool. Wrapping paper! With your old books, you could take out a sheet or two to make wrapping papers out of them. Use them to wrap your gifts. By doing this, you're reusing, creating a new thing out of it. In this case, a wrapping paper. Photo by Ian Panelo from Pexels What happens if I don't have old books? Well if you don't have old books, you can ask around. Think the bookstore near you, your friends, neighbors...they may have a book or two they planned on throwing away. By doing this, it doesn't end up being waste. SHEET MUSIC Are you a music person? Do you have a family member or friend that is into music? Well, how about sheet music for packaging? Photo by Ylanite Koppens from Pexels Old sheet music can also be an eco-friendly packaging. If you have one around you, it'll be a great choice to use them. If you don't use them now, they might end up as trash and there goes your wrapper. You wouldn't want that happening. All you need to do is wrap it around your gift and secure with a tape, rope or ribbon. CEREAL BOX Your cereal box is passing as one of the eco-friendly gift packaging ideas. You see cereal, I see eco-friendly wrapper. I mean, if they package your cereals then why can't they package your gifts? Think eco! Photo by C Technical from Pexels Convert your cereal boxes to gift wrappers. Take out the cereal, put your gift in and seal up. You can also open the box up completely and wrap inside out. If you happen to receive a gift wrapped in a cereal box, no it isn't embarrassing. It's simply reusing and recycling to reduce waste which is good for the environment. You should try it sometime! GLASS JARS Glass jars make good alternatives to plastic for storing stuff and can also pass as an eco-friendly packaging. If your gifts are glass jar worthy or can fit into them, then take out your jars and package away. Photo by Brett Sayles from Pexels MAPS If you happen to have old maps in…

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ECO-FRIENDLY GIFT WRAPPING IDEAS

Photo by freestocks.org from Pexels Gifting is a common thing for Christmas so how about some eco-friendly gift-wrapping ideas? Let’s not have that regular “open gift, put the wrapper in the trash” scene on Christmas morning this year. Let’s do the green wrapping. For your green wrapping this green Christmas, I'll be giving you 6 eco-friendly gift wrapping ideas you could use as alternatives to your regular gift wrapper. Shall we? NEWSPAPER: If you're one of those people that happen to store newspapers, well now is a great time to bring them out. Wrapping your Christmas gifts in old newspapers are great eco-friendly move this season. Instead of using your regular store-bought wrapper, dig out these old newspapers from their hiding and re-use them. Photo by Digital Buggu from Pexels BOXES: You know those cardboard boxes that your products or other stuff come in? You can use them too. If your gift is one that needs a box, take out these boxes and re-use them. Re-using these boxes instead of getting new ones will prevent them from being thrown out as trash, where they'll end up in landfills. Photo by cottonbro from Pexels If you don't have these boxes, you could get them from your local stores or friends who may want to throw them out. By doing this, you save the boxes, the planet, and yourself some cash. BAGS: Those bags from your shopping can also serve as a good eco-friendly wrapping idea. It may be the brown ones or the colored ones. If you have them, all you need to do is take out the handles and open up the bottom and there you have yourself a good wrapper. With your newfound wrapper, put your gift in and secure it with tape. Photo by freestocks.org from Pexels OLD CLOTHES/FABRICS: Instead of throwing out your old clothes and fabrics, you can do amazing things with them like turning them to wrappers for Christmas. If you have one or two old clothes and fabrics, put them to use this season. Wrap your gifts the Furoshiki way! OLD WRAPPER: If you have old wrappers from last year's gifts or maybe you got a wrapped gift sometime this year and you've been keeping the wrapper for one reason or another, you can re-use them to wrap your gifts this season. Photo from Pexels OLD CALENDARS: Every year, we get new calendars to replace that of the old year. If you happen to have old calendars lying around in your home from previous years, they can be great eco-friendly wrapping alternatives this season. All you need to do is take them out, put your gift in and secure it using tape. Really easy. Photo by 戴 宇扬 from Pexels With these eco-friendly wrapping ideas, you can give gifts to your friends and family while doing little harm…

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