Island Water Protection

Just wanted to share these resources from the Nantucket Land Council for Nantucket Island residents that educates about the link between their sandy soil, their water quality and pesticides/fertilizers.  I hope there might be interest at Sandy Island in promoting awareness of the ecology of Sandy's water-well field and sewer system.

I especially like the information on Nantucket Island's Watersheds and Water Protection http://www.nantucketlandcouncil.org/WaterProt.html

"The Nantucket Land Council has mapped all the watersheds on Nantucket. You can find out which body of water, for example Madaket Harbor or Hummock Pond, the water under your house is flowing toward. Call us for a watershed map & brochure, or see it online at www.nantucketlandcouncil.org."  She the
Watershed Map: http://www.nantucketlandcouncil.org/WtrShedMap.html

Brochure
http://www.nantucketlandcouncil.org/Reports/ORGANIC%20GARDENING-2010.pdf

Your Lawn, Our Water
When rain falls, or when you irrigate your garden, excess fertilizers and pesticides will leach down into our sandy soils, eventually flowing into the ocean, a harbor, a pond or a drinking water well. The direction of the water flow on your property determines which “watershed” area you live in.

Improving Children's Health Through Nature

Improving Children's Health Through Nature  

NEEF's Children and Nature Initiative educates health professionals on health benefits for children who participate in outdoor activities and connect with nature. In partnership with the National Audubon Society and the US Fish and Wildlife Service, NEEF encourages pediatric health care professionals to "prescribe" nature to their patients in order to create and encourage opportunities for outdoor play in the natural environment. The initiative was presented at the Children and Nature Network's 2009 Grassroots Gathering in September. The initiative and related materials were also exhibited at the CDC's National Environmental Public Health Conference in Atlanta in October. The initiative was featured in Nickelodeon's Playbook for World Wide Day of Play. Our article titled "Building on Partnerships: Reconnecting Kids with Nature for Health Benefits" highlights our Children and Nature Initiative. It has been accepted for publication in Health Promotion Practice and the abstract is currently available on PubMed.

Australian town set for ‘world-first’ bottled water ban

An Australian town was set to ban bottled water on Wednesday over concerns about its environmental impact, in what is believed to be a world first. Read more.

Children & Nature Network March 2009

Children & Nature Network

Click to view this message in a browser

News from the Children & Nature Network March 2009 Forward this to a friend This special update from the Children & Nature Network provides a behind-the-scenes look at what we're doing, where we've been, and what we have planned for the months ahead. Second Annual Children & Nature Awareness Month Nature Clubs for Families Tool Kit Greeted with Enthusiasm and Praise C&NN signs request asking for Obama's support for Great Outdoors Month Natural Leaders Coordinator, Juan Martinez, Introduces Salazar at PowerShift '09 C&NN BOD member Brother Yusuf is Honored by Albanyâ& #128;& #153;s Commission on Human Rights Charles, Louv, LeBlanc, and Chawla Venture North To Help Get Canadians Outside From Richard Louv: Orion Article and His Newest BLOG The Chicago Zoological Society brings Louv to Illinois on March 18th

Ocean Trash

Awash in junk. A volunteer army takes on oceans of trash by Jonathan Hiskes

Take Action: Start a Sea Change

Reconnecting Children and Nature

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http://www.childrenandnature.org/
The Children & Nature Network (C&NN) was created to encourage and support the people and organizations working to reconnect children with nature. C&NN provides access to the latest news and research in the field and a peer-to-peer network of researchers and individuals, educators and organizations dedicated to children's health and well-being.

NH Children In Nature Coalition

The New Hampshire Children In Nature Coalition is dedicated to fostering experiences in nature that:

1. Improve physical and emotional health and well-being
2. Increase understanding of and care for the natural world
3. Promote stronger connections to community and landscape

...and to providing a forum for continued collaboration.

New! N.H. Children and Nature Initiative Receives

Two Major Grants: The New Hampshire Children in Nature Coalition has received a $50,000 grant from the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation and a $10,000 donation from The Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation in support of statewide efforts to reconnect children and families with nature. Click here for press release.

Founding Documents Developed: Over the past year, Coalition partners and working groups have established the Coalition's structure and drafted founding documents that detail timelines, strategies and goals for the effort, including the following:

• New Hampshire Children in Nature Coalition - Communication Plan - DRAFT (pdf): Many New Hampshire organizations, individuals, and agencies are already working on issues related to children in nature; the Coalition seeks to connect them with each other and help them bring their work into communities where children and families will directly benefit. Coalition partners have committed time and resources to the effort, and have expressed a desire to work together, build the network, and make use of any tools and opportunities the coalition can offer. This plan outlines the first steps in creating those tools and facilitating needed connections. Click here to view the draft plan.
  
  
• Organizational Development and Statewide Program Coordination Work Plan - DRAFT (pdf) - Large numbers of individuals in New Hampshire have expressed interest in developing the NHCINC to promote and coordinate activity around increasing the amount of outdoor free and creative play in the natural environment, to help to reduce childhood obesity and to increase children’s use of all their senses. A work plan charts out a timeline for working toward these goals and objectives. Click to view.
  
  
• New Hampshire Children in Nature Coalition - Mission, Goals, Objectives and Activities - DRAFT (pdf): Dozens of suggested activities for communities, educators and others.

New Shower Curtain Smell is Gross

It may not be news to regular Enviroblog readers, but it's official: new shower curtain smell is caused by toxic chemicals.

A study commissioned by the Center for Health, Environment, and Justice looked at the chemical composition of PVC shower curtains bought at a variety of retailers (from Sears to Bed Bath & Beyond).

They found, unsurprisingly, that shower curtains contain high levels of phthalates. They also found high levels of organotins, and the single shower curtain tested for off-gassing released 108 different volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Click to continue reading.

Needless Waste

EcoAlert from American P.I.E. 5/28/08

"...untreated materials go directly into nearby ecosystems, harming wildlife, plant life and drinking water."


Household hazardous wastes, while toxic in nature, are not regulated under federal or state laws. In the average home fifteen pounds of toxic waste are generated each year. Included are such items as pesticides, auto batteries, gasoline, kerosene, metal polish with solvent, paint brush cleaners with solvent, solvent-based glue, paint, paint thinner, paint stripper, varnish, turpentine, wood preservative, adhesives, flea powder, rat poison, mothballs, photography chemicals, drain cleaners, floor and furniture polish containing nitrobenzene, pool chemicals, mercury batteries, lighter fluid, fluorescent lamps, and more.

In the outdoor environment, toxic materials can be harmful. When we throw them in the trash, they end up in the public landfill or incinerator. Buried in the landfill, toxic substances pollute the soil and eventually find their way into the water supply. Burned, they immediately pollute the air. When poured down the drain, any residual materials that cannot be broken down by water treatment plants will end up in nearby lakes, streams and rivers.

Homes using septic systems rather than public sewers similarly risk soil and water resources. Storm drains are perhaps the most dangerous dumping site of all; untreated materials go directly into nearby ecosystems, harming wildlife, plant life and drinking water.

When you must buy a hazardous substance for a specific purpose, buy only the amount you need, so that you can use it up. And if you have any left over, dispose of it properly. The most ecological way to approach toxins is to avoid them in the first place. Repeated or excessive contact with toxic household material can lead to lung, brain and nerve damage, and, in some cases, can even prove to be deadly, e.g., methylene chloride, an ingredient found in some aerosols, can cause nerve damage and cancer.

To avoid the dangers of hazardous substances, buy safe, effective alternatives whenever you can. Here are some examples: applications of boric acid can provide substantial control of cockroaches and fleas; vinegar cuts through mildew, stains and wax; baking soda cleans, deodorizes, polishes, removes stains and softens fabrics; borax disinfects, deodorizes, removes stains and softens water. There are also new, as well as time-proven, environmentally sound products on the market.

Procedures for the collection of hazardous wastes vary widely across the country. Some communities have special pick-up days; others have designated areas at recycling centers where wastes must be transported by the homeowner; others, unfortunately, have no systematic procedures. Call your local public works department to determine the operative procedures in your community. Best of all, avoid needless waste.

Act today on this EcoAlert, and thank you for your environmental responsibility.

American P.I.E., Public Information on the Environment, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, P.O. Box 676, Northfield, MN 55057-0676 Telephone: 1-800-320-APIE(2743); fax 507-645-5724
E-mail: Info@AmericanPIE.org

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Think Before You Pink

Yoplait's fall campaign, Save Lids to Save Lives, continues to urge consumers to buy pink-lidded cups of Yoplait yogurt. For each pink lid mailed back to the company by December 31, Yoplait donates ten cents to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, up to $1.5 million. Sadly, a woman would have to eat three containers of Yoplait every day during the four-month campaign to raise $36 for the cause--and the yogurt is made from cows treated with rBGH (recombinant bovine growth hormone). Recent studies show that rBGH dairy products may be linked with an increased risk of breast, colon, and prostate cancer.