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This may help explain why we are so sick. BUY NOW! The Shopping Conspiracy is a documentary on Netflix and YouTube and we encourage everyone to watch it -- just in time for the pollution season. The garbage we've been filtering through our bodies and ultimately dumping into our oceans and landfills is finally catching up with us. The question  Why Are We So Sick?  is not just a rhetorical one but a pressing health inquiry that demands our attention. Recent studies have raised alarming concerns about the prevalence of microplastics in our drinking water and human tissues, including our hearts, brains, and even reproductive organs. The implications are still unclear, leaving doctors and scientists grappling with the potential health threats lurking beneath the surface of our convenience-driven lifestyles. To find answers to why are health is worse than ever, we encourage everyone to watch,  " BUY NOW . . . The Shopping Conspiracy " , just added to  netflix  a...

Reprinted from World Economic Forum October 31, 2019 Right now, we are losing the fight against climate change, but this is what climate change could look like, if . . . . . . By 2030, your CO2 emissions will be greatly reduced. Meat on your dinner table will be a rare sight. Water and the air you breathe will be cleaner and nature will be in recovery. The money in your wallet will be spent on being with family and friends, not on buying goods. Saving the climate involves huge change, but it could make us much happier at the same time. Right now, we are losing the fight against climate change – but what would winning look like? What is life like in a green world? Here's one version of a “CO-topia” You walk out of your front door in the morning into a green and liveable city, where concrete has dwindled and green facades and parks are spreading. If you choose to call a car, an algorithm will calculate the smartest route for the vehicle and pick up a few other people on the way. Have...

Our insatiable desire for ease and luxury is driving a global crisis in food, water, and climate. We can't simply throw money at the problem and hope it goes away. It's time for us to take responsibility for our actions and make real changes in our daily lives. We must reduce our carbon footprint, use resources more responsibly, and prioritize sustainability. The cost of our comfort and convenience is too high to ignore any longer. In the United States, depending on where you live, everything is dropped in your lap. Food can be quickly acquired by shouting your order into a microphone and driving around a building, all without you having to leave your car. And if you live in a larger town or city, with the advent of services like GrubHub and DoorDash, the food delivered to your home is no longer the domain of pizza chains. You can have your choice of practically any restaurant in town brought right to your door within 45 minutes. But it isn’t just about food. Instacart offers p...

It is no secret that America is a wealthy nation, but it's alarming to learn that we rank dead last in healthcare among developed countries. Not only that, but we also have the highest rates of cancer, heart disease, obesity, alcohol and drug use. Prescription drug addiction is rampant, affecting millions of Americans.  To make matters worse, almost 49 million people in our country are living in poverty and struggling to put food on the table, yet we waste an astonishing $165 billion worth of food every year. Our food supply is also contaminated with pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, and toxic chemicals, which are spreading chaos worldwide and disrupting our immune systems. This is a wake-up call to action.  It's time for us to take responsibility for our health and the health of our planet. We must demand change from our government, our healthcare system, and our food industry to ensure a better future for ourselves and generations to come.

We often hear corporate politicians making grand statements about their efforts to end climate change. However, it is disheartening to see that most of it is just greenwashing. But let's not forget, they are not the only problem. We, the people, keep electing incompetent, self-serving, privileged bureaucrats and fail to hold them accountable. It's time to take responsibility for our role in causing climate change and demand action from our elected officials. We can't keep pointing fingers, it's time to hold ourselves accountable. It is a common claim among marketing companies and corporations that they are concerned about the environment. However, if this were truly the case, they would make it their priority to do everything they can to fulfil all their claims starting by eliminating all needless packaging and work with  every supermarket and big box store to  provide state-of-the-art recycling centers and make them as convenient to use as finding cases of disposabl...

It is no secret that politicians are often influenced by big businesses and their agendas. The sad truth is that they often prioritize their own interests over those of the people they represent. The media also plays a role in this corruption by pushing certain narratives and agendas that align with the interests of big businesses. As a result, the true issues facing our country are often overshadowed by irrelevant distractions. How about ALL MONEY out of politics Unfortunately, the recent political climate has only inflamed this issue. With the rise of politicians like Donald Trump, who prioritize sensationalism and lies over real issues, it has become even more difficult to have productive conversations about the problems our country faces. We must recognize the influence of big businesses on our political system and work to hold our leaders accountable for their actions. Only then can we hope to create a government that truly serves the needs of the people. It seems like everyone is...

How can this happen? The documentary will explain and hopefully open your eyes. Have you ever wondered if those stories about conspiracies between junk-food manufacturers and pharmaceutical behemoths were true? Executive producer Joaquin Phoenix and the creators of the award-winning documentary Cowspiracy found out the answers. And they are blowing the lid off “the collusion and corruption in government and big business that is costing us trillions of healthcare dollars, and keeping us sick.” Despite having interviews abruptly cut short and doors slammed in their faces, the filmmakers are presenting what they found in their new documentary, What the Health, available today on Netflix.

BY  DEENA ROBINSON While the climate crisis has many factors that play a role in the exacerbation of the environment, there are some that warrant more attention than others. Here are some of the biggest environmental problems of our lifetime, from deforestation and biodiversity loss to food waste and fast fashion. CLICK HERE Global Warming From Fossil Fuels Poor Governance Food Waste Biodiversity Loss Plastic Pollution Deforestation Air Pollution Melting Ice Caps and Sea Level Rise Ocean Acidification Agriculture Food and Water Insecurity Fast Fashion and Textile Waste Overfishing More Than 600 Fossil Fuel Lobbyists Join COP27  While Report Predicts Record Emissions in 2022

Social media has undoubtedly revolutionized the way we communicate and share information, but it has also had a crippling effect on our actions towards climate change. People are frozen in place, unsure of what the truth is anymore and reluctant to speak out or get involved for fear of offending someone or their peer group.  This inaction has led to a dangerous mindset that the climate crisis is "someone else's problem." However, the truth is that the water and food crisis is already upon us, toxic green algae is poisoning our lakes and streams, and our oceans are becoming plastic dumping grounds. If we, as individuals, don't start taking simple steps such as driving less, biking/walking more, and using reusable water bottles and shopping bags, we will continue to be pawns of mainstream media, big corporations, and corrupt politicians. It's time to take action and make a positive impact on our planet. Are you tired of wasting your time watching mindless commercial...

A flurry of climate pledges from financial institutions in recent years has not been followed by meaningful action This story was originally published by  Grist   and is reproduced here as part of the  Climate Desk   collaboration. A flurry of  climate pledges from financial institutions in recent years has not been followed by meaningful action, according to a  report from the corporate accountability nonprofit InfluenceMap  published on Friday.  Of the 30 largest financial institutions in the world, none has instituted fossil fuel finance policies that are in line with science-based guidance for stabilizing the climate at a safe temperature. Meanwhile, all of them retain membership in industry associations that routinely lobby against climate finance policies and regulations. READ >> In 2020 and 2021, banks lent or underwrote $697 billion for oil and gas projects and $42 billion for coal.  

  Medical schools across the country are increasingly reckoning with the need to teach the intersection of climate change and health. This coverage is made possible through a partnership with Grist and WABE , Atlanta’s NPR station It’s the culmination of several years of student-led efforts to ensure Emory’s future doctors learn about the growing health impacts of a warming planet, because climate change doesn’t just bring hotter weather and more extreme storms. It also makes many health issues worse – issues doctors need to recognize and treat. Read full article from GRIST

If manufacturing businesses and the politicians were really serious about reversing the effect of climate change and the environment in general there would be a state-of-the-art recycling center in every supermarket, and retail location that produces mass waste. Better yet if corporations and politicians were really serious about climate change and the environment they would not be spending billions lobbying one another to continue manufacturing unnecessary packaging and trashing the planet with plastic bags, disposable water bottles, and all the other so-called convenience containers.  They would also quit lying to the public about reaching zero-waste --  decades from now. It's called GREENWASHING. And the sooner we learn to separate the bullshit from reality, the better off we will be. But we have a long way to go because about 90% of what we hear, read and see from all media sources is complete bullshit!  They have created a charade that serves their own interests but ...

"The clear meaning of the expression is that it doesn't cost anyone to say something, and the real difficulty is in doing it. It is another way of saying that something is easier said than done and that plenty of people will talk a big game, but few are willing to back it up." And when it comes to the environment or climate change there has been plenty of big talk and very little action. Actually, things have even gotten worse over the past year. In 2021, companies vowing to reduce waste, recycle more, and achieve net-zero emissions (sometime this century), giving us a warm and fuzzy feeling that they're actually going to do something. It's simply GREENWASHING providing a timeline so they can have time to come up with another set of bullshit promises. The worst part is we're buying into it Here's a shortlist of what really happened just last year. Greenhouse gas emissions increased by 6% Single-use plastics increased by over 30% The fossil fuel industry pl...

  Trash never dies. Sometimes it’s not even trash LA TIMES, December 9, 2021 That’s the notion behind a state law that on Jan. 1 will require Californians to separate organic material from their other garbage. It’s a landmark reform that aims to transform the state’s throwaway culture — not just to ease pressure on landfills but to reduce the climate-warming fallout of our trashy norm. 1/3 of the food we buy we throw away. $165 Billion Dollars a year Senate Bill 1383 mandates that Californians toss unused food, coffee grounds, egg shells, banana peels and other leftovers into bins they use for other “green” waste, such as garden trimmings, lawn clippings and leaves. Waste haulers will divert the organic material away from traditional landfills to facilities that will turn the biological mishmash in to products such as compost, mulch and natural gas. READ >>

Back in 1995, this article by Peter Vanderwicken appeared in the Harvard Business Review. Not much has changed since. Today news is nothing more than tabloid gossip . . . . and the talk show political pundits are even worse.   The news media and the government are entwined in a vicious circle of mutual manipulation, mythmaking, and self-interest. It's what has divided the country, families and friends. READ >> ACCOUNTABILITY Holding the News Media Accountable Reasons Why Every News is Not True and What is the Solution Should we all stop watching the news?? No…. But whenever we watch or read anything, we can at least try to see whether it is backed up by any evidence, fact or not. And whatever we hear, we should not blindly trust whatever they say. Always try to do self-analysis and then frame perception. Alternately, what regulatory bodies can do is at least make it compulsory for all media to disclose their stakeholder’s names and openly establish their leanings, allow...

  A record number of calves have been recorded in the Salish Sea this season, marking a significant rebound for a species that was endangered just 25 years ago. Whale watchers and researchers off the coasts of Washington and British Columbia near Vancouver, documented 21 calves, according to the Pacific Whale Watch Association (PWWA). According to Mark Malleson of Center for Whale Research, that is the highest annual number on record so far for the region, and is nearly twice as many as were reported last year, when 11 calves were documented.   READ >>

  Food production has a massive impact on the environment. In fact, how we produce and consume food is the biggest threat to our planet today. But because more than 1/3 of food is wasted, more than 1/3 of this damage is completely unnecessary. From farm to fork, food is wasted at every step of the journey - up to 1.3 billion tons every year. And an astonishing amount of this waste happens on purpose. See Save the 1/3

  The actor Woody Harrelson narrates the documentary “ Kiss the Ground ,” a frenetic but ultimately persuasive and optimistic plan to counter the climate crisis. Streaming on Netflix , the film makes a case for the healing power of the soil, arguing that its capacity to sequester carbon could be the key to reversing the effects of climate change. Directed by Joshua Tickell and Rebecca Harrell Tickell, whose credits include other socially conscious documentaries such as “The Big Fix” and “Pump,” “Kiss the Ground” takes a wide-ranging approach. The film begins by examining how tilling and the use of pesticides has led to soil erosion, and then traces the damage done to our ecology, health, and climate. The filmmakers find a solution in regenerative farming, an ethical practice designed to restore degraded lands and facilitate carbon drawdown. See the entire film on YouTube. Click below.

BUT FIRST, MY TAKE Dennis Ketterman I've read a lot of articles lately about how bicycling can save the planet and other related topics about the importance of cycling for the environment. If this is possible, and I have to agree that it could, why haven't we embraced cycling, shouted from the rooftops, gone crazy in the media, and made it the number one priority everywhere? If the simple bicycle can actually save the world, according to a lot of experts, you would think this would take precedence over everything.  Even politics. Well, one reason why we are not embracing it and saving the planet is that we are having too much fun destroying it. And there is a lot more money in doing that than there is in bicycling. The big bucks are still in oil and a bike burns none of that. Another reason is that we're just too freakin' lazy. We drive an $80,000 gas guzzler to the gym, down the block, to ride a stationary bike.  Anyway check it out, post your comments. Buy a bike. How...