Friday, December 19, 2014

I have moved on to a different blog.

Hello,

For those scant few readers of this blog, I would like to re-direct you to my newer blog at www.greenandreadallover.wordpress.com

I will be featuring talks/seminars/activities related to sustainability, wellness, and community building as well as featuring some headlines of the week.

Hope you can make it and thanks to those who have visited.

Thursday, August 07, 2014

Search of the day (August 7)

Vox (4 AUG 2014) A university president gave up $90,000 to give his minimum wage workers a raise

http://www.vox.com/2014/8/4/5967181/kentucky-state-university-president-minimum-wage?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=voxdotcom&utm_content=monday

Urbanful (7 JULY 2014) What is the true cost of free parking?
http://urbanful.org/2014/07/07/free-parking/?utm_source=Urbanful+Primary+List&utm_campaign=3cd233fffe-August_5_Primary_List_SGA&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fdf64fbc84-3cd233fffe-197309889

Climate Progress (5 AUG 2014) Six major shipping companies will slow down to protect whales
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/08/05/3467453/ships-slow-down-to-protect-whales/

Mother Jones (4 AUG 2014) 40 million people depend on the Colorado River.  Now it’s drying up
http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2014/08/southwests-water-crunch-even-worse-we-thought

Stephanie L. Castle, Brian F. Thomas, John T. Reager, Matthew Rodell, Sean C. Swenson, and James S. Famiglietti.  Groundwater depletion during drought threatens future water security of the Colorado River Basin. (2014) Geophysical Research Letters. 
DOI: 10.1002/2014GL061055
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2014GL061055/abstract

USA Today (10 JULY 2014) Water level in Nevada’s Lake Mead drops to all time low

National Geographic (30 JULY 2014) Groundwater depletion in Colorado River Basin poses big risk to water security

Journalist’s Resource (30 JULY 2014) The pen is mightier than the keyboard: Advantages of longhad over laptop note taking

Jouranlist’s Resource (24 JULY 2014) Health benefits of urban vegetation and green space: Research roundup

Journalist’s Resource (12 DEC 2011) Analysis of health, safety and greening vacant urban space
http://journalistsresource.org/studies/environment/cities/analysis-health-safety-greening-vacant-urban-space

National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis – Documenting the intangible effects of nature on human well-being
http://www.nceas.ucsb.edu/news/documenting-intangible-effects-nature-human-well-being

Global Policy (4 AUG 2014) As gap between rich and poor widens, global safety net in danger

NY Tmes (5 AUG 2014) A new report argues inequality is causing slower growth.  Here’s why it matters
http://nyti.ms/1ooz8SR

Standard and Poor Global Credit Portal (5 AUG 2014) How increasing income inequality is dampening US economic growth, and possible ways to change the tide. 
https://www.globalcreditportal.com/ratingsdirect/renderArticle.do?articleId=1351366&SctArtId=255732&from=CM&nsl_code=LIME&sourceObjectId=8741033&sourceRevId=1&fee_ind=N&exp_date=20240804-19:41:13

Blue and Green Tomorrow (3 AUG 2014) Science fiction could be influencing peoples view on climate change
http://blueandgreentomorrow.com/2014/08/03/science-fiction-could-be-influencing-peoples-view-on-climate-change/

Urbanful (5 AUG 2014) Air conditioning is cooking the planet
http://urbanful.org/2014/08/05/air-conditioning-cooking-planet/?utm_source=Urbanful+Newsletter+Subscribers&utm_campaign=c8f35b0000-August_6_Subscribers&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_8e001d386c-c8f35b0000-197436621





Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Do you smoke? Is second hand smoke bad for you?

Sometimes the discussion around smoking is sidetracked into a health issue.  Now the overwhelming research indicates that smoking can lead to cancer and that second hand smoke can cause many health issues.

However, studies indicate that second hand smoke does not lead to lung cancer:

Paolo Boffetta et al.  Multicenter case-control study of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke and lung cancer in Europe.   Journal of the National Cancer Institute Volume 90, Number 19 (October 7, 1998)
http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/content/90/19/1440.full.pdf

Judy Peres - No clear link between passive smoking and lung cancer
Journal of the National Cancer Institute 105(24): 1844-1846 (Published online 6 DEC 2013)
http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2013/12/05/jnci.djt365.extract

http://velvetgloveironfist.blogspot.ca/2013/12/new-study-finds-no-link-between.html


These studies indicate that second hand smoke is not associated with lung cancer but there are many other health issues that are associated with second hand smoke which should not be disregarded including, but not limited to: coronary heart disease, asthma, emphysema, respiratory infections, and childhood ear infections.


There are also issues surrounding tobacco and cigarettes.  These include deforestation, climate change, residential fires, soil depletion, cigarette butt litter, and cigarette butt poisoning of animals and children.

Non-Smoker's Rights Association (JUNE 2010) The tobacco industry's negative impact on the environment
http://www.nsra-adnf.ca/cms/file/files/pdf/factsheet.pdf

Action on Smoking and Health (August 2009) Tobacco and the environment
http://www.ash.org.uk/files/documents/ASH_127.pdf



Monday, July 28, 2014

Search of the day (July 28)

NY Times (21 JULY 2014) Probiotic Logic vs. Gut Feelings

Grist (28 JULY 2014) What is climate change doing to our mental health?

ecoAmerica (JUNE 2014) – Beyond Storms and Droughts: The Psychological Impacts of Climate Change

ecoAmerica (17 JULY 2014) Using storytelling to motivate new audiences

The Chronicle of Philanthropy (16 JULY 2014) Reaching new audiences through storytelling
How to motivate your audience

Working Narratives – Storytelling and Social Change, A strategy guide for grantmakers

ecoAmerica (18 JULY 2014) When climate change becomes heart-wrenching

NY Times (15 JULY 2014) Anna North – When climate change floods your heart

Sojourners (AUG 2013) Katharine M. Preston – Mourning for the earth

Sojourners (AUG 2014) Julie Polter – The rich get richer
ECONOMIC INEQUALITY ISN'T NEW. But this spring it became trendy, especially after Pope Francis dropped the tweet heard ’round the world in April: “Inequality is the root of social evil.”Around the same time, Capital in the Twenty-First Century—a just-short-of-700-page book by French economist Thomas Piketty—became a best seller. Piketty, while not quite as concise as the pope, also sees wealth inequality as a problem—he focuses on its damaging effects on democratic institutions. Using extensive data, Piketty makes the case that escalating wealth inequality is built into
capitalism.

Grist (25 JULY 2014) Gimme 8 percent of your lunch!.  You’re not going to eat it anyway.

The Atlantic (25 JULY 2014) We eat 92 percent of the food on our plates

Grist (25 JULY 2014) Out-of-touch dads still want gas-guzzling SUVs

SFU Public Square – RISE Ideas Competition
Recent reports predict the ocean that surrounds our Metro Vancouver communities will rise by 1-metre by 2100(1), putting housing, transportation and ecosystems at major risk while causing significant economic losses(2).

This September, SFU Public Square will launch an open ideas competition to address sea level rise in Metro Vancouver as part of their 2014 Community Summit.

RISE will provide the platform for people in Metro Vancouver communities to develop innovative ideas that ensure we adapt and thrive – faster than the waters that surround us.

Vancouver Sun (25 JULY 2014) Rising sea levels in Metro Vancouver spark open competition
Innovative solutions sought as one-metre rise around Vancouver predicted by 2100

Vancouver Sun (25 JULY 2014) Metro worried BC’s water is becoming a hot commodity

World Wildlife Fund (25 JULY 2014) US communities and wildlife would be affected by Arctic Oil Spill

Globe and Mail (2014-07-28) We can’t stomach the real cost of food

Globe and Mail (27 JULY 2014) Monday Morning Manager – Hey you: Stop multitasking and focus

Tyee (28 JULY 2014) To combat weak social ties, a new way to create

Tyee (24 JULY 2014) Steam injection fracking caused major Alberta bitumen leak

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Search of the day (July 23)



The Independent (22 JULY 2014) How much independence should children have?

Global Policy (21 JULY 2014) The uneven ‘open data’ revolution: Policy considerations for cities

Global Policy – 3D Printing: New economic paradigms and strategic shifts

Global Policy (21 JULY 2014) Strategies in long negotiations: What we can learn from climate change

Dale W. Jamieson and Marcello Di Paola. Climate change and global justice: New problem, old paradigm. (24 FEB 2014) Global Policy Volume 5, Issue 1 – pages 105-111.

Blue and Green Tomorrow (23 JULY 2014) The Guide to Sustainable Energy 2014

Grist (23 JULY 2014) Even rural America can have good public transportation

Global Policy (23 JULY 2014) The commons as a growing global movement

Mother Jones (22 JULY 2014) Study finds kids prefer healthier lunches.  School food lobby refuses to believe it.

Lindsey Turner and Frank J. Chaloupka.  Perceived reactions of elementary school students to change in school lunches after implementation of the United States Department of Agriculture’s New Meals Standards: Minimal backlas, but rural and socioeconomic disparities exist.  (2014) Childhood Obesity Volume 10, Number 4

U.S. Government Accountability Office (28 JAN 2014) School Lunch: Implementing nutrition changes was challenging and clarification of oversight requirements is needed.

American Enterprise Institute (23 JULY 2014) Why big box retailes are good for worker wages

National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper 20313 (July 2014)
Do large modern retailers pay premium wages?

VOX (22 JULY 2014) Does going on vacation make you more creative when you get back?

Jessica de Bloom, Simone Ritter, Jana Kuhnel, Jennifer Reinders, Sabine Geurts.  Vacation from work: A ‘ticket to creativity’? – The effects of recreational travel on cognitive flexibility and originality.  (2014) Tourism Management Volume 44 – Pages 164-171.

Globe and Mail (22 JULY 2014) How to make benefit plans healthier

Globe and Mail (22 JULY 2014) Nothing archived by province in 10 years, BC Commissioner says

GreenBiz (21 JULY 2014) 4 ways to take green cities to the next level

Brian Stone Jr., Jason Vargo, Peng Liu, Dana Habeeb, Anthony DeLucia, Marcus Trail, Yongtao Hu, Armistead Russell.  Avoided heat related mortality through climate adaptation strategies in three U.S. cities. (25 JUNE 2014) PLOS One

GreenBiz (23 JULY 2014) DuPont and GM’s lessons for closing in on zero waste

YouTube (6 JAN 2012) DuPont Building Innovations achieves zero landfill goal

Emory News Center (1 JUNE 2014) Mental health is public health
http://news.emory.edu/stories/2014/06/hspub_mental_health_at_rollins/campus.html

Monday, July 21, 2014

Search of the day (July 21)

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Grist (18 JULY 2014) Hospital food geets a locavore makeover

Grist (18 JULY 2014) Making school lunch healthy is hard.  Getting kids to love it is harder.  This lady did both.

Grist (21 JULY 2014) California’s next oil rush might be surprisingly delicious

KTVU (21 JULY 2014) San Francisco bus provides showers for the homeless

ABC News (20 JULY 2014) Bus becomes shower for homeless in San Francisco

Climate Progress (20 JULY 2014) California couple tries to conserve water, ends up facing $500 find for brown lawn

Climate Progress (21 JULY 2014) Multiple wildfires burn through Washington, leaving one dead and destroying 150 homes

Pew Research (21 JUNE 2013) Sesame Street reaches out to 2.7 million American children with an incarcerated parent

Sesame Street – Little Children, Big Challenges: Incarceration

Pew Research (17 JULY 2014) In post-recession era, young adults drive continuing rise n multi-generational living

Brookings (21 JULY 2014) The Great Income Divide

NY Times (18 JULY 2014) Arthur C. Brooks – Love People, Not Pleasure

Thursday, July 17, 2014

Search of the day (July 17)



Regina Leader Post (17 JULY 2014) The Price of Progress

CBC News (16 JULY 2014) Report says civil servant sick leave costs minimal for taxpayers

Globe and Mail (17 JULY 2014) Public servants’ sick days immaterial to Ottawa’s bottom line

Globe and Mail (17 JULY 2014) We’re getting hysterical about child safety

Globe and Mail (16 JULY 2014) Goodbye lawns?  Gardeners adapt to changing climate

Daily Digest News (16 JULY 2014) Changes in pill color and shape may disrupt use, researchers say

NY Times (14 JULY 2014) Jane E. Brody – we are our bacteria
Maintaining microbiome diversity

Canada.com (16 JULY 2014) Record drought scorches California farmers with billions in losses

R&D Mag (2 JULY 2014) Reseasrch could lead to dramatic data farm energy savings
Washington State University has developed a wireless network on a computer chip that could reduce energy consumption at huge data farms by as much as 20%.

Amory Lovins, Rocky Mountain Institute – The storage necessity myth: how to choreograph high-renewables electricity systems

Centers for Disease Control (18 JULY 2014) Pedestrian traffic deaths among residents, visitors, and homeless persons – Clark County, Nevada, 2008-2011
www.cdc.gov/mmwr/prhttp://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6328a1.htm?s_cid=mm6328a1_eeview/mmwrhtml/mm6328a1.htm?s_cid=mm6328a1_e

Collaborative Consumption (14 JULY 2014) Pioneer interview with Ed Kushins of HomeExchange

Grist (16 JULY 2014) Houston’s one-bin-to-rule-them-all recycling plan smells a little like racism

Grist (16 JULY 2014) Lay off the almond milk, you ignorant hipsters

Mother Jones (24 FEB 2014) It takes how much water to grow an almond?

Grist (17 JULY 2014) Four things you should know about Detroit’s water crisis

CBC News (11 JULY 2011) Water meters may be on tap for Vancouver

Metro Vancouver (2010) Water consumption statistic report

Stanford Social Innovation Review (Summer 2014) The Upside of CSR

Stanford Social Innovation Review (10 JULY 2014) Three transformative business sustainability trends

Climate Progress (17 JULY 2014) The one metric that’s hiding the true cost of climate change