17 chemicals commonly found in daily life now linked to breast cancer, 2014 study [link]
"Bay Area breast cancer clusters seen; Marin not only spot in area with higher rate of disease"
2012-11-27 by Victoria Colliver from "San Francisco Chronicle" [http://www.sfgate.com/health/article/Bay-Area-breast-cancer-clusters-seen-4068698.php]:
California Breast Cancer Mapping Project
To read the report, go here: [www.californiabreastcancermapping.org]
Breast cancer clusters in California may not be limited to Marin County.
New research released Tuesday identified four areas of the state that have rates of the disease 10 to 20 percent higher than the state average.
Relying on U.S. census tracts rather than county-level data, researchers for the Public Health Institute's California Breast Cancer Mapping Project in Oakland were able to identify northern and southern Bay Area counties as "areas of concern." The two other areas were located in Southern California.
In the North Bay, higher rates of breast cancer were detected in Marin County, which is already well known for its disproportionately high rates of the disease, as well as contiguous portions of Sonoma, Napa, Solano and Contra Costa counties. The South Bay sections included parts of San Mateo County, northern Santa Clara County and southern Alameda County.
An important tool -
The project didn't attempt to identify reasons for the high rates in those areas, but the study is an important tool for further research, said Janice Barlow, executive director of Zero Breast Cancer, a nonprofit advocacy group based in Marin County. She served on the project's advisory group.
"This opens up whole new areas to look at and explore," Barlow said. "It's an opportunity to advance our understanding of why there are such geographic variations in breast cancer incidence."
About 26,300 new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in women in California each year, leading to about 4,175 deaths annually.
Marin County has long been studied for its high rates of breast cancer, but many questions remain unanswered. Risk factors for the disease include having a family history of breast cancer, being white, hormone use after menopause, being an older mother or never having children, alcohol consumption, and having higher socioeconomic status. Still, many health experts say those factors don't explain the rate disparities along geographic lines.
"We can say definitively that breast cancer is caused by a combination of genetics, behavioral risk factors and the environment," said Dr. Eric Roberts, a research scientist at Public Health Institute and principal investigator of the California Breast Cancer Mapping Project. "The state of the science is that we really don't know what the mix is."
While the new study doesn't delve into the reasons behind the clusters, it offers a more specific geographic picture of the problem. Its authors suggest the results may be used by lawmakers and local health officials to redirect education, outreach and screening efforts.
U.S. census tracts -
The project relied on data from the California Cancer Registry involving all invasive breast cancer diagnoses from 2000 to 2008. It used U.S. census tracts, which meant the research differed from past efforts in that areas of study were smaller and often overlapped into adjacent counties.
In many cases, areas where higher breast cancer rates were noted shared some demographic similarities - for example, having a higher percentage of white women - than the state average, Roberts said. He dismissed the notion that greater access to health care leading to more diagnoses played a role, because the data included cancers detected after death.
In each of the four areas of concern, the rates of breast cancer varied from year to year, but remained well above the state average throughout the eight study years. For example, in 2008, the most recent year studied, the age-adjusted rate for women in the North Bay region was 17 percent higher than the state average. In the South Bay region, that figure exceeded 29 percent.
Roberts noted that the research is limited to where the women lived at the time of their diagnosis and did not include where they grew up and may have been exposed to elements earlier in life that contributed to their disease.
Breast cancer patient -
Marika Holmgren, 43, of Half Moon Bay was raised in an area outside Boston known to have relatively high rates of breast cancer. Diagnosed in 2007 with breast cancer at the age of 37, Holmgren learned from the study she lives in one of the newly identified regions with rates higher than the state average.
She said the mapping project offers important information.
"Looking into the causes is a really important factor in the cancer equation," Holmgren said. "A lot of time is spent on awareness and on cures, but not enough time is being spent on prevention and the reasons behind it all."
by Meda Freeman from "Sonoma County Gazette" [http://www.sonomacountygazette.com/cms/pages/sonoma-county-news-article-747.html]: The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors, acting concurrently as directors of the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District, on Tuesday approved a comprehensive master plan for creating a regional park and open space preserve on the Taylor Mountain properties in southeast Santa Rosa. Over two years in the making, this blueprint for the Taylor Mountain Regional Park and Open Space Preserve details how to provide hiking, camping and other recreation opportunities and protect the environmental and agricultural value of the 1,100-acre site. Completion of the master plan is a significant step toward the opening of the park and preserve. With the plan approved, the Open Space District is expected to transfer title of the land to Regional Parks this winter. Meanwhile, Regional Parks is exploring options for allowing public use of Taylor Mountain’s existing trails without the special permits currently required and is preparing to begin work on the park and preserve’s first phase along Petaluma Hill Road. “The master plan is a major accomplishment and represents an extensive, collaborative effort to bring the community into the planning process,” said Supervisor Shirlee Zane, whose 3rd District includes Taylor Mountain. “Taylor Mountain is an amazing resource in the middle of Santa Rosa and the park and preserve will give so many new park users a place to nourish their bodies and minds.” The Taylor Mountain preserve consists of five contiguous properties acquired by the Open Space District from 1995 to 2011 with funding from a voter-approved sales tax. The District and Regional Parks in 2010 began developing a park master plan that sought to balance recreation with preservation. The goal was to make appropriate areas of the park as accessible as possible but also to protect its natural beauty and diversity. Community input was a key part of the process, with about 500 people attending a series of public meetings and giving planners feedback on park amenities and conservation priorities. The result is the 246-page Taylor Mountain Regional Park and Open Space Preserve Master Plan approved Tuesday. The plan calls for 17 miles of mostly multi-use trails for hikers, cyclists and equestrians. Trailheads will be located off of Petaluma Hill and Kawana Springs roads, with limited access from Linwood Avenue and Panorama Drive. Campsites, picnic areas and a visitor center will be built on the edges of the property closer to urban areas. Cattle grazing will continue in some sections of the preserve. Regional Parks earlier this year was awarded a $750,000 state grant to design and construct the first phase of the park. This work will be concentrated off of Petaluma Hill Road and will include a driveway, parking lot, restrooms, picnic tables, play area, and trail connections. Work is expected to be finished by summer of 2014. Additional trails and park features will be developed over time as funding becomes available. “Taylor Mountain is unique because it is so close to an urban area, yet is home to so many amazing natural habitats that support wildlife such as mountain lion, deer, fox, and even the federally-protected California red-legged frog,” said Bill Keene, general manager of the Open Space District. “This project preserves a scenic natural area as open space forever and creates recreational opportunities for people from all walks of life.” The Taylor Mountain properties include grasslands, oak woodlands, meadows, wetlands and ridges. The land primarily has been used for ranching, although one section is the location of the historical Kawana Springs Resort. The preserve’s highest point is approximately 1,300 feet and offers sweeping views of the Santa Rosa Plain, Bennett Valley and the Coast Ranges. “We look forward to coming back to the Board to finalize the transfer of Taylor Mountain and opening a new county park,” said Caryl Hart, director of Regional Parks. “Taylor Mountain is the backdrop to Santa Rosa and a spectacular landscape, a place that generations to come will enjoy and appreciate.” The master plan can be viewed at [sonomaopenspace.org]
[www.greendimes.com] 2006-2011 greendimes.com All Rights Reserved. What is Green Dimes? Green Dimes is a website dedicated on educating and informing the public about the serious threat that is Junk Mail, Junkmail, admail (however you want to call it) is to the Environment. Every day, millions of people receive mail that they didn't want, didn't ask for and, mostly aren't interested in. Thousands of companies, large and small, rely on this unpopular method of advertisement to get to the general masses, regardless of the huge negative impact it has. But don't believe us, the US Environmental Protection Agency estimates that "44% of junk mail is discarded without beign opened or read, equaling 4 million tons of waste of paper per year, with just 32% recovered for recycling." Also the Ohio Office of Compliance has stated that "250,000 homes could be heated for a single day's junkmail." The CO2 emissions from 41 pounds of advertising mail received annually by the average US consumer is about 47.6 kilograms (105 Pounds). The loss of natural habitat potential from the 41 pounds of admail is estimated to be 36.6 square meters. Is estimated that 100 million trees are cut down each year to create the 4.5 million tons of junkmail in the US alone, and an estimated 28 billion gallons of water is also used on the production, annually. Some companies have started to use water-based or vegetable-based ink and laminates, and have increased the use of recycled paper, however, they are a minority in the industry. And regardless their newfound eco-friendly stance, they forget that Junk Mail... is... very... annoying. There are many organizations dedicated to eradicate the use of junkmail altogether. Also, there have been several successful initiatives, such as the red dot campaign in Canada, that has achieved tremendous amount of success in its attempts to stop admail. We here at Green Dimes, will tell you about effective ways you can help stop junk mail and will try to raise awareness on how serious issue such a trivial, everyday simple detail is in the big picture.
How it works? how to stop Junk Mail - We here at Green Dimes have done the research of several options there are available online for you to help stopping Junk Mail from cluttering your mailbox. Upon a first look online there are several organizations dedicated to help the environment, some offer interesting options that are worth a look. First off, it's ForestEthics. This environmental website has as an entire purpose to fight for our natural resources. Among its many initiatives it also has some interesting facts and suggestions for a real change in the marketing industry. Also they have a taken a page from Canada's Red dot Campaign and provide useful information for the average person to take into consideration, also they seek for companies to effectively take consideration on this serious issue. In their websites and awareness making ventures they have the option for you to send a letter (email), to the leading offenders demanding that they stop sending junk mail. Unfortunately in the US there isn't a campaign like Red dot in Canada, but there is growing concern and every day more americans are becoming aware of the problem. The newdream.org foundation provides some interesting alternatives. Another organization dedicated is 41pounds.org, they are a website that per a one time fee of $41, promises to stop at least 80-95% of unwanted admail. Plus they also donate to your favorite charity upon registry. Similar to this organization is catalogchoice.org, on which with a $20 donation they will provide their assitance on helping you stop the influx of junkmail. Visit our Section "Green Dimes: how do I stop Junk Mail" for our ideas and suggestions.
History of Junk Mail, as told by Green Dimes - Sears published the first ever catalog in the 1880's, thus earning the title of "founder of junk mail". It also helped shape the paper industry. To this date it is still one of the largest catalog producers in the world, yet it would not use recycled paper or any form of environmental friendly publishing, and their catalogs use paper sourced from vital ecosystems and endangered forests, including the Canadian Boreal. However, the first ever telegram sent to multiple recipients with advertisement purposes was sent on 1864 in London by Messrs Gabriel, a local dentists advising his near-by community of his business hours. The telegram was delivered by the post office at late hours, not surprisingly causing the many recipients to become furious to be disturbed by the telegram. "I have never had any dealings with Messrs Gabriel," thundered one of them, "and beg to know by what right do they disturb me by a telegram which is simply the medium of advertisement?" The junkmail industry or, as they would have themselves called, "direct marketing" was created by Aaron Montgomery who was the first producer of a mail sent catalog. In 1967 Lester Wunderman, fathered the idea of several loyalty marketing programs and wide spreading unrequested advertisement to the general public. Credit card solicitation was a concept first applied by Capital One in the early 1970's, currently they turn to deaf ears to the MANY requests and petitions from environmental advocates that urge them to reconsider their practice. Similar case happens with American Express. On a daily basis they fill america's mailboxes with tons of junk mail soliciting customers for their service. They do not follow any form of paper policy and has not yet shown any interest in adopting a recycle mentality. One of the worlds largest publisher of junk mail and catalogs was Victoria's Secret, sourced by Limited brands, inc. They were sourcing their material from endangered forests. After mediation from different activist groups and negotiations, Limited Brands is now one of the leading example companies that is a real model for corporate environmental advocacy. With the current tendency and the growing conscious to become eco-friendly by most americans, from organizations such as Green Dimes, many corporations are avoiding the use of this outdated and unpopular marketing tool, that is Junk mail.
Did you Know? * 5.6 million tons of catalogs and other type of mail similar to this are thrown away every year in the U.S. * Must People believe that SPAM stands for Short, Pointless, and Annoying Messages * Spam was really based on a sketch from Monty Python's Flying Circus. * The average American household receives unsolicited junk mail equal to 1.5 trees every year * 44% of junk mail are thrown without unopening them
Impact of Junk Mail on the Enviroment - We here at Green Dimes agree with you, Junk Mail is annoying, is invasion to your privacy and is a concept that completely fails its purpose. For whatever reason you might have to be against it, we can all agree that it is a silly idea, that is no longer practical nor productive. Even the first recorded piece of mail sent to multiple recipients with advertisement purposes caused a negative reaction than a positive one, and that was in 1864! Clearly this is not a reasonable practice for the 21st Century. But beyond trivial facts as that, the real number can be very alarming. Every year, in the US alone 100,000,000,000 pieces of mail are accounted for as Junk Mail, around 30% of all the mail delivered in the world. American households receive a total of 104.7 billion pieces of junkmail or 848 of junkmail per household, requiring 6.5 million tons of paper. It take MORE that 100,000,000 trees to produce the total volume of admail that arrive each year. To put it in perspective, that's like saying of clear cutting the entire Rocky Mountain National Park every four months. That is why the importance that many organizations similar to ours have given to tree planting as well as seeking to stop admail. The Manufacture of junk mail releases more greenhouse gas emissions er year than the emissions released by 9,372,000 MILLION average passenger cars. The Canadian Boreal forms part of the greater Boreal Forest, which stores more carbon than any other terrestrial ecosystem on earth, is being logged at a rate of 2 acres a minute, 24 hours a day to produce junk mail and other paper products. Deforestation of Indonesia's tropical forests is responsible for 8% of global carbon emissions. This destructions is largely driven by demand for pulp and paper for end use, like junkmail. And, if that wasn't enough, the vast majority of admail sent is discarded, sometimes without even opening the envelope. And in many ways only a small percentage of that paper gets recycled. This is way Green Dimes seeks to raise critical awareness on the huge threat to the environment that Junk Mail is.
How do I stop junk mail? If you are interested in stopping or, at the very least, reducing the amount of Junk Mail you receive, Green Dimes tells you some useful tips. One easy way to save trees and energy is by getting off mailing lists and preventing unsolicited mail from coming to you. Here's a step-by-step guide for reducing junk mail: First, Cut the Credit Card Offers. The main consumer credit reporting agencies, TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax, maintain mailing lists that are often used by credit card and insurance companies to send out junk mail. The good news is that you can call a single number to get your name and address removed from the mailing lists circulated by all three agencies (as well as that of a fourth company, Innovis). Simply call: 1-888-5-OPTOUT (1-888-567-8688) The number works 24 hours a day. You will be prompted to give your full name, address, telephone number, and social security number. (People often ask about the necessity of giving their social security number. Your name will be removed from their junk mail lists for a period of two years. Second, Any time you order a product by mail, enter a contest, subscribe to a magazine, send in a warranty card, or otherwise give your name and address to a company or organization, you may be placed on a mailing list. The company or organization may then rent, sell, or trade the list with your name on it. To limit your exposure, write 'Please do not rent or sell my name' or 'No mailing lists' next to your name. (Also consider not sending in the warranty card for a new product--it's usually not required.) If you receive unwanted catalogs or other mail from specific sources, call the (often toll-free) customer service number of the organization or business. Request that your name be removed from their mailing list. Other options are to make your request via e-mail from the company's website, or via letter or postcard. Since the mailing label will help the company identify how you are listed in its files, have the label handy when you call, or tape it to the postcard if you make a written request. Sign and date your request. Finally, you can register online with the Direct Marketing Association's (DMA) Mail Preference Service to remove your name from national mailing lists. You will see that if you follow any of those instructions that the arrival of Junk Mail will reduce considerably.
Green Dimes: How to Stop Junk Mail in Canada - In Canada they have an interesting and effective way to stop Junk Mail, Green Dimes will tell you how. Statistically speaking admail, is a waste of resources, precious resources like trees, electricity, water and fossil fuels. And from all the junkmail sent annually there's only an estimated minuscule 2% response rate. That mean that a staggering 98% is wastefully produced. That percentage means millions of tons of admail. In Canada specifically, the amount of junk mail sent constantly to the population represented a large amount of the bulk of the postal transit.That is until the Red Dot Campaign. The Red Dot Campaign is a privately funded initiative dedicated on stopping junkmail altogether and forcing the advertisement and marketing industry take a more conscious stance and reconsider their strategies and completely stop junkmail. If you live in Canada, we here at Green Dimes recommend this method strongly. It mainly consists on marking you mail box with a "no admail" or a "no junk mail" sign. The Consumer Choice database is decremented for each person opting out, and advertisers reduce their print quantities accordingly. The Canada Post has a phone line you can call in case your sign is ignored 1-866-607-6301. It is also recommended that the people urge community newspapers, flyer distributors and phone book companies to announce their opt-out protocol, reduce their subscriber base accordingly and be more mindful of waste and overages in their distribution process. Another helpful way to avoid the income of junkmail is by signing up with the Canadian Marketing Association's Do Not Contact Registry. This will reduce the number of marketing offers received by mail, telephone and fax. And yet another way, also another option that we here at Green Dimes salute, is by signing up with the Canada Post e-post and you will help save even more paper by getting your bills online. This will effectively help stopping Junk Mail.
Petition To Stop Junk Mail for large Corporations - Join the Green Dimes crusade to stop Junk mail and the many harms it makes to Mother Earth. If you are sick and tired of having your mail cluttered and crammed with useless and annoying admail, tell the heads of the companies responsible your thoughts and let them know that you, like millions of Americans will not take this any more. Just copy paste the following letter, copy paste it to an email, sign it and send it to any or all of the list of people you will find at the bottom of this page. --- Subject: Stop Postal Junk Mail Once And For All, Cease and Desist Sending Your Admail. To whom it may concern, I would like to communicate, via this email, my serious concern and irritation caused by your company's constant harassment with the constant arrival of advertisement via the mail. Information that I have in no way requested, and, in no way interested in. Let me assure you that even though, I consider it to be a violation of my privacy, the most worrying and infuriating fact about it is the serious harm the Junk Mail industry causes on the environment. Like most Americans, I support initiatives that allow consumers to opt-out of receiving solicitations and other offers from companies like yours. More than 100,000 people, such as myself, through organizations like Green Dimes (www.greendimes.com), are demanding the creation of a clear and quick solution to our growing concern about privacy violations and environmental damage caused by unwanted mail. I urge you to work with any of the Environmental Organizations to assess risk, develop new paper and mailing policies, and strengthen your brand. Many of your competitors are adopting this new responsibility, I encourage and challenge you to do the same by: * reducing overall paper use, including the amount of paper waste coming into my home, * guaranteeing my individual choice and control over my personal identity and sensitive information, * maximizing use of environmentally-responsible paper, including high percentages of post-consumer recycled content (i.e. a measly 10% recycled doesn't cut it), * avoiding greenwash by discontinuing any use of phony eco-labels like the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI). I hope that you give my request a serious consideration as I am completely sure that I am not the only one. Sincerely, XXXXXXXXXXX --- You can copy paste this letter and send it to any of the CEOs of Sears, Dell, American Express, Bank of America, Capital One, Geico, Discover, and Chase. Join Green Dimes in our fight against the serious harm that Junk Mail presents to our precious natural resources.
Guide to the Private Paid Organizations that can help Stop Junk Mail and Admail. Another recommendation that we here at Green Dimes can tell you about. If you are considering on stopping Junk Mail in a faster, easier way there are a couple of ways that can be of your interest. There are certain organizations that, for a fee, promise to reduce the incoming of junk mail. 41pounds.org, is a nonprofit environmental organization based in Ferndale, Michigan established in 2006 to help reduce the amount of unsolicited junkmail delivered to homes throughout the United States and, with it, reductions in the use of natural resources. The name of the organization is taken from the estimated weight of admail each U.S. Citizen receives every year. For a fee of $41 (for five years) they'll contact the direct mail companies and get you get off their lists. They'll also send some pre-addressed postcards for you to send to the companies that require a signature to stop their service. They will also donate $15 to the charity of your choice. Another another corporation that works similar, catalogchoice.org, another nonprofit environmental organization, that promises to remove your personal information from third party marketing lists and personal search services. For an annual donation of $20 or more, they'll communicate and monitor your opt-outs to a list of key marketing companies. If you value targeted offers from direct marketers we recommend using their free title-specific opt-out service instead of this Unlisting Service. We at Green Dimes, recommend these services to avoid junk mail, however we encourage you to explore your options.
Propositions for Corporation Solutions to reduce Junk Mail and Admail - Green Dimes, invite, encourage and challenge corporations to consider these easy, conscious and responsible solutions to stop junk mail. These simple solutions not only they are economical, they are simple and they can really create a positive environmental impact. * reducing overall paper use, including the amount of paper waste used in unwanted admail, catalogs and any form of paper sent out, * guaranteeing the individual choice and control over the personal identity and sensitive information of the general public. Most american DO NOT WANT JUNKMAIL. * maximizing use of environmentally-responsible paper, including high percentages of post-consumer recycled content (i.e. a measly 10% recycled doesn't cut it), consider seriously making the switch to recycled paper * avoiding greenwash by discontinuing any use of phony eco-labels like the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI). Green Dimes, in its efforts, applaud and salute all the corporations that are adopting more eco-friendly actions on their doing. Not only that we consider that companies that take a serious consideration to the impact in the enviroment they might be making b their actions. We consider that companies who take actions in such a small detail like Junk Mail, are commited in a grand scale to the preserving the planet.
More information about Green Dimes - Even though we here at Green Dimes are a very focused on one front and specified to help conservationism by fighting and raising awareness against Junk Mail, we also support several initiatives that also help save the Planet. In this particular matter, there isn't any competition and we maintain an open stance to support any initiative that seeks to save Planet Earth. If you find the information we provide on this website useful to help you reduce junk mail, and somehow would like to take further steps on helping the environment, and want to learn more ways to make your surroundings and your life more eco-friendly, we encourage you to visit other pages related to the subject and get more information about on how to become "green". There are many organizations that deal with issues that might not get the proper exposure and need your help. No one person can do everything, but if everybody does ONE thing to help the environment we will be able to preserve it for our children's children. We here at Green Dimes, know that this very small task that anybody can do, to stop junk mail, in the big picture can cause positive impacts on Mother Earth.
The economic system of our region is dominated by products produced with chemcials toxic to living beings, but are placed into the market without concern for long-term effects on the ecology. Each of following archives document what the chemicals do, and who profits from their sale. * We are targets of marketplace chemical experimentation [link] * Endocrine Disruptors are used as ingredients for consumer items [link]
* Anti-depressants are causing a variety of birth defects [link] * Pesticides are harmful to the health and intelligence of children [link]
from "KTVU.com" television news [http://www.ktvu.com/news/news/local/humpback-whales-frolic-san-francisco-bay/nSQtF/]: SAN FRANCISCO — With temperatures soaring in the Bay Area Monday, a pod of three migrating humpback whales were among the many who sought relief in the San Francisco Bay. The whales were seen inside the Bay around 10:30 a.m. and swam around for about 30 minutes before going under the Golden Gate Bridge and continuing their journey in the Pacific. This time of year, the humpbacks – known as the acrobats of the seas – generally are traveling south to Mexico or to the Hawaii Islands. Both male and female humpback whales vocalize underwater, but only males produce the songs for which the species is famous. The Bay Area was home to one of the most famous humpback whale sightings in history. Humphrey swam into the Bay and up the Sacramento River to Rio Vista where it became trapped in 1985. Sausalito’s Marine Mammal Center rescued and tagged it but the wayward whale returned five years later and became stuck on a mudflat near Candlestick Point. Using a large cargo net, he was pulled free and again guided back to the ocean. Humphrey was last seen near the Farallon Islands in 1991.
by Deb Self of the "Bay Keepers" From the October 2012 edition of Bay Crossings [http://baykeeper.org/news/column/home-and-garden-projects-protect-san-francisco-bay]: Every drop of rain in the Bay Area eventually flows to San Francisco Bay. Throughout history, that hasn’t been a problem. Most rain soaked into the ground and made its way gradually into creeks that emptied into the Bay. But with so many roads, driveways, sidewalks and roofs in our urban area, rain rushes across hard surfaces, picking up trash, oil, pesticides and other pollutants. In most Bay Area communities, the contaminated rainwater zooms down a storm drain into a concrete culvert that dumps it—unfiltered and untreated—into creeks or the Bay itself. Storm water pollution is one of the largest sources of contamination in the Bay. Moreover, it is difficult to control, because it comes from many places and picks up many different pollutants. That’s why we built a permeable backyard patio at our house. Our patio soaks up rain that falls on our roof and flows across our small lot, keeping the rainwater from running off into the street. Our roof drainpipe connects underground to a large hole beneath the patio. The hole contains coarse gravel with plenty of air space to hold rainwater, which filters slowly into the surrounding soil. The patio’s fine granite gravel surface also absorbs rain. A rain-absorbing patio is one way to keep rainwater from leaving your property and picking up pollution on its way to the Bay. Here are more:
Rain gardens work similarly to my patio. Areas landscaped with wildflowers and other native vegetation soak up rain that flows off a roof, driveway or other impermeable surface. In a storm, the rain garden fills with a few inches of water that slowly filters into the ground. Rain gardens absorb 30 percent more water than the same area of lawn.
Sidewalks and driveways can be paved with surfaces that keep rain from running off into the gutter. A special kind of concrete called pervious concrete allows rain to pass through into the soil below. Another option is interlocking concrete pavers separated by joints filled with small stones.
Rain barrels are easy, low-cost ways to collect and use rain water to irrigate a garden. Rain runs from roof gutters to a pipe that empties into a barrel. A screen keeps leaves, debris, and mosquitoes out of the barrel. A hose is attached near the bottom for irrigation. Indeed, roofs are an amazing source of water. In an average rainfall year, a 1,000 square-foot roof in San Rafael can collect up to 20,000 gallons of rain. Rain barrels typically hold 50 to 100 gallons; you can install more than one. Larger storage tanks, called cisterns, can be installed above or below ground.
Graywater systems are a way to go beyond capturing rainwater and irrigate a garden with used water from washing machines, showers and sinks (but not toilets). Graywater systems vary, but most have a valve that can be switched to direct the graywater into a garden or back to the sewage system. Using biodegradable soaps—without bleach, boron, dye or salts—keeps graywater safe and fertilizes plants. Graywater can be used to water fruit trees and other edible plants, as long as it doesn’t come into contact with the edible parts.
Harvesting graywater keeps relatively clean water out of sewage treatment plants, so less treated water is released into the Bay. A home with a graywater system also needs less piped water. "Using graywater is a small and powerful change we can make that can have a big effect. One household can save tens of thousands of gallons of water a year," said Laura Allen, co-founder of the Bay Area nonprofit Greywater Action.
Capturing water from one roof or re-using water from one washing machine are small steps—but with seven million people living in the Bay Area, small steps add up. Bay-friendly home and garden projects are easy, low-cost ways to help conserve water, prevent flooding, and reduce pollution in San Francisco Bay. Resources
Greywater Action, www.greywateraction.org Information on systems for using water from washing machines, showers, and sinks to irrigate plants. Classes for do-it-yourselfers and listings of professional installers.
Berkeley EcoHouse, www.ecologycenter.org/ecohouse A demonstration home and garden with a graywater system, rainwater cistern, plus many more ecological features. Classes and tours.
Urban Farmer Store, www.urbanfarmerstore.com Rainwater harvesting equipment and training workshops at stores in San Francisco, Richmond, and Mill Valley. Richmond store has discounted rain barrels for Oakland residents.
California is having an election to decide on regulating Genetically Modified Food like any other product for human consumption. More information about it is here: [carighttoknow.org] A one-hour documentary about scientists whose research raised concerns about genetically engineered food and, as a result, they were fired, denied tenure, and/or silenced. One of the scientists featured, Dr. Ignacio Chapela, a UC Berkeley microbiologist, will answer questions following the film. Hosted by: Napa Valley College Campus Greens Date/Time: Tuesday October 9th from 7:00-9:00 PM Location: Napa Valley College Community Room next to the McCarthy Library (Parking will be waived) Cost: Free (Donations to support the “Yes” on Proposition 37 campaign to label genetically engineered food will be accepted) Co-sponsored by: Napa County Green Party, Preserving the Integrity of Napa’s Agriculture, Carolyn Parr Nature Center, Slow Food Napa Valley, Napa-Sonoma Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), and the Napa County Democratic Party Any questions? Please email preservenapasag@sbcglobal.net 2012-09-19 "Study Finds Tumors in Rats Fed Monsanto GM Corn; Controversial data prompt's EU agricultural vice-chairman Bove to call for Euro wide suspension of GMOs" from Common Dreams"
[http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/09/19-4]
A new study released Wednesday by a team of scientists in France claims to have discovered a noticeable increase in tumors and kidney disease in lab rats that have been fed GMO foods produced by big ag corporation Monsanto [http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/19/gmcrops-safety-idUSL5E8KJC1220120919].
The controversial study, which quickly came under fire from several GMO experts around the world, prompted France's Jose Bove, vice-chairman of the European Parliament's commission for agriculture and GMO opponent, to claim [http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/19/gmcrops-safety-idUSL5E8KJC1220120919] "the study finally shows we are right and that it is urgent to quickly review all GMO evaluation processes."
The study, published by the peer-reviewed journal Food and Chemical Toxicology and conducted by scientists at the University of Caen, said rats fed on a diet containing NK603, a seed variety made tolerant to Monsanto's Roundup weedkiller, or given water with Roundup at levels permitted in the United States, died earlier than those on a standard diet.
According to the data, rats on the GM diet developed mammary tumors, as well as severe liver and kidney damage.
A scientific community has come out fighting against the study in defense of GMO products, saying the data is not trustworthy, and the scientists who conducted the study went on a "statistical fishing trip," to prove their case.
However, those already skeptical of the safety of genetically modified products, took the data as one more reason to be weary of GMO's.
California Right to Know, the group fighting for California’s Prop. 37 to require labeling of GMO foods, immediately released a statement [http://www.carighttoknow.org/new_study]:
[begin excerpt]
The results of this study are worrying. They underscore the importance of giving California families the right to know whether our food is genetically engineered, and to decide for ourselves whether we want to gamble with our health by eating GMO foods that have not been adequately studied and have not been proven safe.
[end excerpt]
Genetically modified food production, a process which has been around for 15 years, has not been extensively tested for long term effects on consumer health, as well as for effects on top soil and overall effects on the environment.
On Sunday, France's Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault had announced that France will continue its ban on Monsanto's corn, the only GMO currently allowed in Europe [https://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/09/16].
Following the release of the study on Wednesday, France's agricultural vice-chairman Bove called for an immediate suspension of all EU cultivation and import authorizations of GM crops. "National and European food security agencies must carry out new studies financed by public funding to guarantee healthy food for European consumers," he said in his statement.
Just Label It GMO ! - Pt. 2 - Pamm Larry [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_Lm21C1Yeg]:
Pamm Larry, Founder and Director of "LabelGMOs.org", talks about California's ground-breaking Prop. 37 Initiative on the CA. NOV. 6 BALLOT at Marin County's Label GMO Symposium, July 25, 2012. Sponsors included Good Earth Natural Foods, GMO Free Marin, Community Media Center of Marin.
Posted by "Ecological Options Network" [http://www.youtube.com/user/eon3]
Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) are a disaster of ecological pollution.
Many
people dread the idea of artificial evolution directed by the profit
motive of the Plutocracy, with life itself subject to copyright
infringement.
The information
companies of the Plutocrats creates propaganda which neither mentions
GMOs or the risks to Natural Law, Civil Law & the Common Law of the
People, as shown in the following article produced by a information
company co-owned by companies producing GMO lifeforms...
2012-06-28 "Tomato breakthrough at UC Davis could aid industry" by Stacy Finz from "Hearst Communications Inc."
[http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Gene-discovery-could-lead-to-better-tomatoes-3671094.php]
A
new finding by scientists could make more tomatoes taste like
heirlooms, varieties that have been passed down through multiple
generations because their flavor and texture is seen by many consumers
as unequaled.
The discovery, made by an international research
team headed by UC Davis, could have broad benefits to California's
tomato industry - a $1.3 billion business. California is the leading
producer of all tomatoes in the nation, accounting for 96 percent of the
processing tomato output and one-third of the fresh market, according
to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Ann Powell, a biochemist at
UC Davis' department of plant sciences and one of the lead authors of
the study, said they made the find by accident. The scientists started
studying the ripening process and how tomatoes get their color 10 years
ago. After working on it for three or four years they quit because they
didn't have any money to continue the research.
But with some
funding from the UC's Discovery program, the USDA, the National Science
Foundation and a few other groups, the team started up again about 18
months ago. This time the university partnered with researchers from
Cornell University who were mapping regions of the tomato genome in
Spain.
That's when it happened.
By looking at a collection
of mutant and wild tomatoes at UC Davis collected in the 1950s by the
late Professor Charles Rick, the researchers learned that dark green
wild and traditional varieties that naturally held the gene GLK2
produced fruit with higher levels of sugars, otherwise known as soluble
solids.
"Sugars and lycopenes contribute to tomatoes tasting better," Powell said, but warned, "This is not the full picture."
There are a lot of factors that contribute to making a tomato taste good, she said.
"This
won't solve the problems of why supermarket tomatoes taste the way they
do," Powell said, adding that growing fruit on a large scale can
contribute to bland flavor. "And taste is also subjective."
But this discovery may go a long way to giving consumers more choices at the cash register, she said.
"Now
that we know that some of the qualities that people value in heirloom
tomatoes can be made available in other types of tomatoes, farmers can
have access to more varieties of tomatoes that produce well and also
have desirable color and flavor traits."
Michael Jarvis, an Agricultural Market Service spokesman for the USDA, said the discovery is certainly a boon to shoppers.
"There
has been a big resurgence in all heirloom fruits and vegetables over
the years," he said. "Now you can find them in conventional stores as
well as farmers' markets. Consumers are clamoring for variety. The U.S.
produces a slew of different fruits and vegetables and consumers keep
demanding more."
But it may be even more advantageous to farmers,
especially those who grow tomatoes to be processed into such products as
tomato paste and canned tomatoes.
"The higher the solids (sugar
levels) the more tomato paste," said Don Cameron, who on his Terranova
Ranch in Helm (Fresno County) grows 1,700 acres of both organic and
conventional processing tomatoes.
"Some canneries even provide contracts that will pay growers more for tomatoes with higher sugar levels."
But
Cameron, who will begin harvesting in about two weeks, said the
discovery is not something that will change the industry overnight.
"It
will probably take years to get that gene into a commercial variety,"
he said. "It's a slow process. There are other things that go into the
breeding of processing tomatoes besides solids, including disease and
pest resistance."
But there's no question, he said, that the discovery could prove to be extremely important to growers throughout the country.
"Any time we can improve quality it's not only beneficial to the grower but to the processor and consumer," he said.
But
for some, including Peggy Kass of Kassenhoff Growers, a plant nursery
in Oakland, the scientists' finding seems anticlimactic.
"I
don't think it's really necessary," she said. "We grow about 90
varieties. There are so many different, good flavors we grow, I'm
worried that by making all the tomatoes sweet, you're going to lose a
lot of the subtlety in the flavors that already exist."
Knowledge of Cross-Over Diseases from Plants, Soils and Insects by Agraquest, Universities, Federal and State Agencies is found below. On 12/11/2009, ten years after David Bell had to have the first of his four major sinus surgeries because of infections from his exposure to fungi and bacteria at Agraquest; and over 2 years after his workers' compensation ‘trial', what had been discovered was the website for the University of California - Riverside's November 2006 workshop titled, "Microbial Biopesticides and Transgenic Insecticides - Enhancing Regulatory Communication". This workshop was held in Washington DC, at the University of California Center on Regulatory Communication and was sponsored by the University of California-Riverside, the USDA and the EPA. Federal Agencies and their representatives, as well as universities from around the country, moderated the three day workshop and/or gave presentations over a period of three days. [ALL VIDEO PRESENTATIONS] Who Attended the November 2006 workshop titled, "Microbial Biopesticides and Transgenic Insecticides - Enhancing Regulatory Communication" workshop? There was only one ‘private biotech company' who gave a presentation at this workshop; Pam Marrone of Marrone Organic Innovations - Davis, CA. Pam Marrone is the founder of Agraquest, her 2nd research and development biotech company, which she also started in Davis, CA. The first location of Agraquest, where David Bell became so ill, was located at 1105 Kennedy Place, Suite B, in an Office Park. No Excuse for Government (State and Federal) Agencies, Universities and Agraquest to not know there are some plant diseases which can also infect humans & some of these are being used for biological control on crops and used for insect control. During this workshop, it was made clear to everyone the fact there are some plant diseases which can also infect humans, when Doctor Anne K. Vidaver gave her presentation on "Cross-infective microbes: from plants to humans". Therefore, IF Pam Marrone and the federal and state agencies who were also at the workshop, didn't know of this prior to that time, they had no excuse not to have learned if then. After watching Doctor Vidaver's presentation on the internet, "Cross-infective microbes: from plants to humans" [http://biopesticide.ucr.edu/video/assets/MOV00F_Vidaver.wmv] and viewing her credentials, Doctor Vidaver was contacted via email on December 12, 2009 at 09:25 p.m-PST. Doctor Vidaver replied; by email on December 15, 2009 [BELOW]
Shortly thereafter; what was received (via US mail) was a complimentary copy, "With Dr. Vadaver's Compliments" the "more detailed book chapter" (which Professor Vidaver spoke of in her e-mail); BIOLOGICAL SAFETY - Principles and Practices; LABORATORY, GROWTH CHAMBER AND GREENHOUSE MICROBIAL SAFETY: PLANT PATHOGENS AND PLANT-ASSOCIATED MICROORGANISMS OF SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMAN HEALTH by ANNE K VIDAVER, SUE A. TOLIN, AND PATRICIA LAMBRECHT - 4th ed. editors D. O. Fleming and D. L. Hunt, eds.) ASM Press, Washington, D.C. (Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data). [http://biotechawareness.com/images/VIDAVER.pdf] Received from Doctor Vidaver on December 23, 2009 was an email suggestioning the reading of Molecular mechanisms of pathogenicity: how do Pathogenic microorganisms develop cross-kingdom host jumps? FEMS Microbiol. Rev. 32:239-277. [http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1574-6976.2007.00065.x/full] Doctor Vidaver additionally wrote, "as a reference (heavy reading) for your doctors. This is not a journal they would ordinarily read, but it is a very reputable one. Table 1 is reasonably accessible." and "These goes beyond my chapter." In watching and transcribing Doctor Vidaver's 2006 presentation of Cross-Infective Microorganisms during the Microbial Biopesticides and Transgenic Insecticides - Enhancing Regulatory Communication workshop [http://biotechawareness.com/images/VIDAVER.2006presentationPARTIAL.pdf]; as well as reading the her third chapter in the 2006 Biological Safety - Principals and Practices, LABORATORY, GROWTH CHAMBER AND GREENHOUSE MICROBIAL SAFETY: PLANT PATHOGENS AND PLANT-ASSOCIATED MICROORGANISMS OF SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMAN HEALTH; coupled with reading "Molecular mechanisms of pathogenicity: how do Pathogenic microorganisms develop cross-kingdom host jumps?" [http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1574-6976.2007.00065.x/full] it is very clear indeed to understand the exposure David Bell had to the many bacteria and fungus in a research and development biotechnology company, Agraquest Inc.; not only because these microorganisms were no doubt in their culture collection, but the microorganisms were used in the many experiments which would have had to be conducted at the company to 'test' their product candidates before submission/s to the EPA. The fungi, bacteria, insect's etc. that cause human health problems; as is found in Doctor Vidaver's 2006 presentation; the 2006 Biological Safety - Principals and Practices, LABORATORY, GROWTH CHAMBER AND GREENHOUSE MICROBIAL SAFETY: PLANT PATHOGENS AND PLANT-ASSOCIATED MICROORGANISMS OF SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMAN HEALTH; and Molecular mechanisms of pathogenicity: how do Pathogenic microorganisms develop cross-kingdom host jumps? are (but not limited to) species of the following microbials, MANY of these microorganisms are the "active ingredient" in bio-control products; These are indicated by a √ and listed below. BIO-CONTROL aka MICROBIAL PRODUCTS INCLUDING - BUT NOT LIMITED TO Pesticides, Fungicides, Insecticides, Insecticides, Nematicides, Miticides ADDITIONAL USES Formulations, Manufacturing, Biological Fertilizers, Treatment of soils, Plant Growth Regulators, Fumigant READ PLANT / INSECT / SOIL PATHOGENS CROSSING OVER TO HUMANS [http://biotechawareness.com/index~option~com_content~view~article~id~227~Itemid~1.php] [Showing the diseases and illnesses caused by the above pathogenic microoganisms, the host for these microorganisms with links to biocontrol products. [this is being updated regularly] Additionally shown is the links to David Bell and his medical conditions as a result of working for Agraquest, Inc. in Davis, California
2012-08-23 "PLANT / INSECT / SOIL PATHOGENS CROSS-OVER TO HUMANS; MANY USED IN BIO-CONTROL PRODUCTS" [http://biotechawareness.com/index~option~com_content~view~article~id~231~Itemid~1.php]: The administrator of this website is currently compiling the needed information to complete this article. Microorganisms, which are NATURALLY found, in plant disease, insect diseases and soils CROSS-OVER to humans. Many are being (or have been) used in bio-control products on agricultural crops, ornamentals and used for insect control. Some are also being as plant growth stimulators and seed treatments. Dr. Anne K. Vidaver gave a presentation; "Cross-infective microbes: from plants to humans" during the 2006 "Microbial Biopesticides and Transgenic Insecticides - Enhancing Regulatory Communication" workshop in Washington DC at the University of California Center on Regulatory Communication in 2006, before representatives from numerous Federal and State agencies and Universities. It is more than evident she was desperately trying to get everyone to pay attention to the human health hazards of exposure to plant pathogens but also that many of these plant pathogens are being used as biocontrol products. Her talk SEEMS TO HAVE FALLEN ON DEAF EARS. Some of what she had to say is listed below: * "So, you might want to know why do we have this topic for this workshop. Well, because there are some organisms that are used as microbial pesticides or prospective microbial pesticides, and in my experience, plant pathologist don't know about some of these microbes and the medical community conversely does not. And it's unfortunate that with all the people ... regulatory agencies, we're missing a few internationally; hopefully learn from what I plan to say, mainly the Food and Drug Administration nationally needs help." * "I'm going to talk about some illustrations of plants; plant/human cross infections and use those as examples, and then I'll talk about what this actually could mean, both to the scientific community and to the regulated community and challenges for regulators as well ... so." * "More and more bacteria by the way are being reported to be the cause of some chronic diseases." * "The prospective virtue of fungi; which I'll talk more about later, is that in some ways they are more desirable as microbial control agents; but I'll say more about why that is." * "Now, the majority of the diseases that I'm going to talk about in humans are rare; but, there will be a few that are not so rare; and I'll try to point those out when we come to those. And obviously, for anybody in the regulatory arena, this causes at least a plausible thought, but I'll indicate what some of the challenges are with this." * "OK, so first of all, what am I talking about? The terms are not yet agreed upon what this means. You can talk about organisms that are cross infected; mainly go to from plants to humans. You can also call them cross-over pathogens and you can also call them Cross, or inter-kingdom pathogens, and Dr. Tauxe from the CDC invented the term as far as I know. Phytoses to force on with zoo-onoces, that is organisms that go from animals to people. What they are not; is they're not overlapped pathogens in the select agent list with the FDA and AMA." * "One of the important questions for people in ... the more we know in the way; the less we know is actually do we classify organisms? I mean this is a human endeavor but we have to do this in order to communicate." * "One place I think that there's something missing, and it is not perhaps straight forward to talk about, is that we could have an interdisciplinary program across agencies, there's certainly interagency programs already in many areas, but we do not have any, as far as I know, that incorporate USDA and NIH [inaudible], certainly in this area of cross-infective microorganisms." * " I dare say the medical community has no idea that some of these are really a problem in plants and the plant community has no idea that these are problems in medicine." * " Actually, the question really for the medical community and even for the plant community is, are we talking about the same organism? In many cases, that's still very much the question." * "And so, then how we do this is still a very fluid field, and this is good; but it's a very challenging area then for anyone who is in the regulatory arena. " * " This is also then true in terms of nanoclature. What are you going to name an organism? How are you going to identify it, and then how are you going to characterize any group of individuals [inaudible] by rank?" * " And then for species; at least for the present time, for bacteria you have a species being defined with at least 70% related misbind DNA." "Homology: Well, some microbial geneticists believe that this is, in again, inappropriate maybe with what we know, but no one has yet come up with something that is actually being received well as an alternative, so this is still a challenge." * "What is the species? And I'm not sure even for the fungi that there is agreement on what is the species; and I don't know about some of the other organisms as well." * "And then for defining a strain that you would actually use and that you would worry about stability, we're talking about the descendants of a single isolation, your culture." * "Then there's the question of what do you do about the host responses. How do you measure the population; even of plants or people or animals as the case may be, because we are not in a scattered population in any of those categories." * " We need to know a lot more about induced and innate immunity; simply to be able to combat all these challenging organisms that are multiplying and changing at a faster rate than we are. " * "A DNA shuffling is going on often ; that is the rearrangement of genomes and how will this be actually seen by regulatory agencies is not clear. It could be [inaudible] that may come out in this workshop." * "Our model system analysis appropriate; it can all be complex depending on what you're looking at it and many people that are on both sides of the fence, but in any case this is a challenge; both for the regulated community and the regulatory system."
Although NUMEROUS biocontrol agents are on the market presently (or were on the market and have since been cancelled) there remains the question as to how many agricultural workers and those employed in biotechnology research and development laboratories around the world have no idea just what they have been exposed to that have made them ill and/or sustained terrible diseases because of occupational exposure/s to the bacteria and fungi on the following list? This does not take into account the question as well as to how many family members have medical problems because their loved one carried home microscopic bacteria and fungi on their clothes, their shoes and anything that was brought home from the workplace environment?
NOTE: Following you will find a list of the bacteria and/or fungi that Dr. Anne K. Vidaver was speaking of when she was giving her above mentioned presentation in 2006 - as well as bacteria and fungi that is listed in the scientific publication, "Molecular mechanisms of pathogenicity: "How do Pathogenic microorganisms develop cross-kingdom host jumps?" which was suggested by Dr. Vidaver that the administrator of this website read. Additionally found below are the bacteria and fungi that are listed in Dr. Anne K. Vidaver's chapter in the 4th edition of BIOLOGICAL SAFETY - Principles and Practices titled, "LABORATORY, GROWTH CHAMBER AND GREENHOUSE MICROBIAL SAFETY: PLANT PATHOGENS AND PLANT-ASSOCIATED MICROORGANISMS OF SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMAN HEALTH" which was sent via United States mail to the administrator of this website.
