If you’ve been wondering what fracking is and whether it’s good or bad, you’re not alone. It’s a complicated, high tech process whose advocates say it produces abundant clean energy. As an environmentalist as well as a consumer, though, I’m concerned about the impacts fracking is having on drinking water, clean air, and farmland.

To try to chip away at my confusion, I electronically interviewed expert Maya van Rossum. Maya is the Delaware Riverkeeper, the spokesperson for and leader of the Delaware Riverkeeper Network (DRN), a nonprofit environmental organization working to preserve, protect and restore the Delaware River Watershed, an area that extends into four states: New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. Here’s what she had to say.

Maya, in a nutshell, can you explain what fracking is and why it worries you?

Fracking is the process of discharging massive volumes of water under high pressure into a drilled well in order to fracture the shale found under ground.

The fracking process requires 5 to 9 million gallons of water for each well frack. Often this water comes from aquifers, streams and rivers. To that fresh water has been added toxic chemicals.

Water that stays underground after the fracking has occurred is highly toxic, but the water that comes back to the surface is even more toxic.

The toxified fluid trapped underground can make its way to our freshwater aquifers, threatening drinking water supplies. Toxified water that gets back to the surface of the earth is often stored in open pits or transported to other sites by truck or piping. In all of these activities, failures happen, contaminating streams, farmlands, our air and our communities.

 I’ve heard that toxic methane gas is released during fracking. How serious is that?

Fracking increases the presence of methane gas underground, contaminating drinking water and homes (the photo above, from the excellent film Gasland, shows how water coming out of the faucet in a fracked community contained so much methane, it caught on fire).

In some cases, families have experienced explosions in their homes as a result. Methane is also a dangerous greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming and climate change. In fact, in a 20-year time frame, methane is 72 times more potent than carbon dioxide at causing waring.

According to increasing research, so much methane is lost from the drilling process, and so much pollution is released from trucks, compressors, loss of trees, and chemical use, that shale gas is a greater contributor to climate change than coal.

How extensive is the fracking problem?

It’s massive. We’re not talking about a well here, and a well there. We’re talking about a proliferation of wells throughout our communities. In just the 8,700 square miles of the upper portions of the Delaware River watershed that lie partly in Pennsylvania and partly in New York, we are talking about 32,000 to 64,000 wells. That means 160 billion to 320 billion gallons of water and 800 million to 3.2 bilion gallons of toxic chemical additives. It means 128 million to 256 million truck trips through our towns, and thousands of miles of pipelines and compressors.

It means devastating quality of life, ecotourism, recreation, and the hundreds of thousands of jobs and tens of millions of dollars that depend upon a healthy Delaware River, not to mention putting at risk the drinking water supply of over 17 million people in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware.

What about the waste fracking generates – if any?

It’s toxic, and radioactive. UItimately it ends up in our waterways or being injected into underground caverns that are increasing earthquakes in our communities.

It’s simply not worth it.

Back to the energy question, as horrible as these impacts sound, don’t we need to frack for gas to obtain energy independence and increase our national security?

No. Contrary to the folk tales the gas companies spin, shale gas development is not about energy independence, increased jobs, or protection from climate change. It’s about profits for the gas companies regardless of the harm or costs to the US and us citizens. Many fracking companies plan to export the gas they recover because they can sell it abroad for as much as 3 times the price they can get in the U.S.

I don’t live in Delaware. How can I find out if companies are considering fracking in my part of the country?

It’s pretty easy to find out if you are in an area subject to potential fracking and drilling. Just search “fracking + name of your state/town/community.” I guarantee you’ll find more information on what is happening in your area than you care to read!

What can I do to protect my community from the pollution fracking causes?

The only way is to stop the industry in its tracks. Politicans are receiving a lot of money from the drillers, pipeline companies, LNG facilities and others who are profiting from this polluting industry. We need to ensure that those politicans understand that if they take that money and act on behalf of the drillers and frackers, they will be voted out of office.

We also need to demand increased investment in sustainable energy, and get our politicans to pass stronger environmental laws that wipe out the special exemptions that the natural gas industry enjoys.

Finally, you can help spread the word by talking with your friends and neighbors. A good way to open people’s eyes is to hold a house party and show them the movie Gasland, then have a follow-up part and show the recently released Gasland II (available on demand, on HBO, and for sale).

 Once everyone is educated and energized, write letters, attend events, support local organizations working on this issue, and vote!

GET MORE INFO HERE:

Maya hosts a Shale Truth River Series on YouTube. Take a look.

Fracking: A Clear and Present Danger

What the Heck is Fracking? And Why Don’t You Want It Anywhere Near Your Water?

The post What’s so bad about fracking? Here’s what you need to know. appeared first on Big Green Purse.

 That was the message loud and clear at the climate rally held yesterday in Washington, D.C., delivered by the 40,000 or more people who congregated around the Washington Monument before marching to the White House in the largest climate-focused rally in history.

Though the weather was absolutely frigid, the crowd could not have been more fired up. Parents and kids, students and seniors, people of all races and religions came together to demonstrate their love for the environment, their concern for their families and their communities, and their commitment to a cleaner, greener world.

The biggest focus was on President Obama, who made climate change a top priority in his recent State of the Union Address and who must decide whether or not to greenlight the controversial Keystone Pipeline, which would carry oil from Canada, across the U.S. to the Gulf of Mexico. Former White House green jobs advisor Van Jones told the audience from the state, “This will define your legacy, Mr. President.” Indeed, it will.

 I marched with the Alaska Wilderness League, a terrific organization that’s been leading the fight to keep oil drilling out of America’s Arctic Wildlife Refuge for more than 15 years. AWL staffers dressed like polar bears carried signs reading Save the Arctic as we chanted, “What do we want? Polar Bears! What do they need? Ice!”

Moms and dads brought their children to the rally to demonstrate the impact that climate change is having on our families. In many parts of the world, poison ivy has gotten much worse because hotter than normal temperatures have created such ideal growing conditions for this noxious plant. Moms Clean Air Force was there, too, reminding us that the same fossil fuels that cause climate change are polluting our air, a big reason why so many more kids are suffering from asthma these days.

Speaking of kids, they were everywhere at the rally: on their dad’s shoulders, getting their pictures taken with the polar bears, clapping their hands in time to the music. It was great to see so many college students, too. In fact, they’re the ones who led the “Yes, We Can!” chant when one of the stage speakers asked, “Can we stop climate change?”

Thousands of people traveled from far and wide to lend their voices to the rally crowd. When I boarded my local subway to get down to the event, the car was brimming with folks from as far away as Texas and Oklahoma, two states that are directly in the path of the Keystone Pipeline. At the Washington Monument, a woman from my home state of Michigan sported a big cut-out poster to remind us that an oil leak into an important river in the northern part of that state still had not been cleaned up. Meanwhile, rallies were happening in many other cities in the U.S., too. Mary Clare Hunt was among the 2,000 or more who turned up in Los Angeles to say “not” to climate change. You can read her report here.

After rousing speeches at the Monument and much cheering, the massive crowd headed toward the White House. The point of this, afterall, was to persuade President Obama to make good on his pledge to bring climate change to a halt.

But I couldn’t help but feel like a bigger point had been made, too. We live in a democracy, and we have the right to exercise our free speech, assemble for peaceful protest, and determine our own future. That future, and the future of our children, grand children, and great-grandchildren, is very much at stake as we determine not just whether, but how to stop climate change. Peaceful rallies like this one show elected officials, corporations, and other citizens that we take our right to democracy seriously — and so should they.

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Finally, powerfully, decisively – the movement to stop climate change has come together.

Protesters Call On Obama To Reject Keystone XL Pipeline – NPR

Keystone XL protesters pressure Obama on climate change promise

The post We Can Stop Climate Change. Yes, We Can! appeared first on Big Green Purse.

I asked Maggie Fox, the Executive Director of the Climate Reality Project, an old friend, and a colleague from my days when we both worked for the Sierra Club, to explain why we all need to make climate change a personal and public policy priority.

* Maggie, when you and I met, you were working to
protect public lands in the Western U.S. for the Sierra Club. Why did you shift
your focus to climate change?

In my mind, the two are
one and the same: protecting our planet from climate change also means
protecting some of our most precious natural wonders. I have spent a happy
portion of my lifetime in the outdoors: mountaineering, leading expeditions,
and exploring some of the most beautiful and wildest places in the world. A few
years ago, I flew over Glacier National Park, a place where I have hiked and
climbed, and I could not believe the change I had seen. Where once there had
been deep, vast glaciers, the glaciers are now largely gone with only a few
small snowfields left. And this is both incomprehensible and frightening to me.
Despite all our technological advances, we are still deeply connected to the
natural world. Climate change affects our natural landscape, the ecosystems
around us, and ultimately all of humanity in profound ways. That makes it one
of the most pressing crises we face as a species and a planet. It is the
challenge that brings us all together to solve.

* I’m fascinated by the description of this
project as the Climate REALITY Project. What is that about? Do you think people
don’t take climate change seriously, or don’t consider it a real threat?

 Unfortunately, while the
science has long been settled on the fact that climate change is real,
happening now, and caused by human activities, there is still a loud and too powerful
denier industry out there. The Dirty Energy industry has spent hundreds of
millions to foment denial and doubt about whether climate change is even
happening. It’s the same playbook the tobacco industry used for years to hide
the health impacts of cigarettes. Our goal is to break through the fog and
shine a light on the reality of climate change and the available solutions.

In fact, these are
exactly our goals for 24 Hours of
Reality: The Dirty Weather Report, a worldwide, online live event on
November 14 and 15. We’re convening many of the world’s most powerful voices from
science, government, business, foreign policy, and culture, in a timely
dialogue about how climate change impacts all of us. You can learn more about
the event on our website, climaterealityproject.org.

* You and I both, along with many other
scientists, environmentalists, and citizens, have been trying to raise
awareness about climate change for decades. At this point, what are the biggest
obstacles that still prevent the public from embracing solutions to our climate
problems?

Climate change has been
a big, slow-moving problem. Its impacts at first seemed diffuse, far away in
time and place, and hard to pin down. But we’re seeing greater and greater
evidence of our warming planet and changing climate on a day to day basis, as
Dirty Weather — extreme heat, floods, storms, droughts, and fires — become more
intense, more destructive, and more local. In New York City, where I am this
week for 24 Hours of Reality, Superstorm
Sandy brought climate change into reality in particularly devastating ways —
affecting people’s lives, homes, and incomes.

This new reality requires
our communities and elected leaders to step up to take action on climate
change. That’s why during our event, we are inviting all our viewers to take the
Climate Reality pledge:

 “I pledge my name in support of a better
tomorrow, one powered by clean energy. I demand action from our leaders to work
on solutions to the climate crisis. I pledge to get involved. I pledge to share
this global promise. By uniting my voice with a million others, we have the
power to change the world.”

* What specific solutions does The Climate
Reality Project support for reducing climate disruptions? A carbon tax? More
investments in renewable energy? A more vegetarian diet?

There is no silver
bullet for solving the climate crisis. Instead, there are a broad array of
solutions, from individual choices we make every day that reduce energy
consumption, to broad, sweeping legislative changes that require serious action
at the state, national, and international levels. Every action at every level
that combats climate change is one we support. During 24 Hours of Reality: The Dirty Weather Report, we will be
dedicating a portion of nearly every hour to discussing the solutions people
all over the world are implementing right now, from the comprehensive climate
legislation passed in Australia and South Korea, to the groundbreaking program
to limit carbon pollution in California. These are some of the places that are
showing us the way forward.

* Do you have a particular message on climate
change that will resonate with women, who are the primary readers of my blog?

 Unfortunately, and
unfairly, women are particularly hit hard by the impacts of climate change. Not
everyone may realize this, but women make up a majority of the world’s poor. In
developing countries, they are most often the ones responsible for growing and
cooking food. And they depend on the farmland, forests, and sources of water
that are easily damaged by extreme weather and sea level rise.

But women are not just
impacted by climate change; they are critical agents of change. To quote
Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on
Climate Change: “We are 50% of the population around the world and we
represent more than 50% of the solution.”

Around the world and across the
United States, women are standing up for their livelihoods, their communities
and their families. We are using our voices to call on the leaders of the world
to confront and solve this crisis. And we will be heard.”

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As Climate Change Heats Up, Poison Ivy Gets Worse

The post Tune in to the Climate Reality Project’s “Dirty Weather Report” appeared first on Big Green Purse.

Why We Care About Climate Change

Karen warns at Best of Mother Earth that “we can look forward to extreme temperatures, super infectious diseases spread by insects that thrive on warmer temperatures, poor air quality and more. This is frightening!”

Sounds stupid, right? That’s what Beth at My Plastic Free Life thinks, especially after reviewing the film “The Age of Stupid.” “Set in the year 2055, after the effects of global climate change have basically wiped out most of humans and other animals on earth, a lone archivist records a message, illustrating it with a handful of the billions of stories he’s collected in a massive database he calls the Global Archive, before transmitting the entire collection into outer space as a cautionary tale to future civilizations,” reports Beth. “The big question: Why didn’t we save ourselves when we had the chance?”

Lisa of Retro Housewife Goes Green is wondering the same thing, especially since she lives in Oklahoma’s Tornado Alley, that part of the country that has seen a significant uptick in tornadoes and other extreme weather events over the last few years. “Oklahoma was a poster child for extreme weather last year, we had a record drought, broke the state record for most snow to fall in 24 hours, broke the record for coldest day, had the warmest July on record for the whole U.S., record windspeed, record wildfires, the largest earthquake reported in the state, and more.” Writing while facing another possible tornado just a few days ago, Lisa says, “This all hits home with me as I listen to the thunderstorm outside that has rocked the state and even dropped some damaging tornadoes. And I also think back to last year and all of the extreme weather, including the horrible drought that hurt the state so very much and caused me some sleepless nights worrying about the wildfires my dad, a volunteer firefighter, was out fighting.”

On the Big Green Purse blog, I highlight impacts that directly affect my kids – like worsening poison ivy. Most people don’t realize that poison ivy and its nasty cousins poison oak and sumac, are all getting much more dangerous because the plants are growing faster and bigger, and the toxic oil in their leaves is becoming more intense, thanks to hotter global temperatures. I offer some ways to avoid poison ivy and to deal with it once you get it, since in the short-term we’ll have to contend with it showing up more often in our yards and parks.

Lori at Groovy Green Livin’ sounds the alarm on an impact I care about almost as much as poison ivy: the availability of chocolate!

Chocolate is a heat-sensitive crop, Lori’s research shows. Even a small increase in temperature will affect the crops. A report Lori cites shows why there are big problems to come for the cacao tree:

…an expected temperature rise of more than two degrees Celsius by 2050 will render many of the region’s cocoa-producing areas too hot for the plants that bear the fruit from which chocolate is made, says a new study from the Colombia-based International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT).

“Warming temperatures and changes in the precipitation pattern will mean rapid declines in growing conditions over the coming decades. Not good news for the cacao tree and in turn bad news for chocolate suppliers and lovers on a global level.”

Abbie at Farmer’s Daughter reports on the impact climate change is having on another beloved food: maple syrup. “In my lifetime alone, the maple sugaring season has moved from March to February. Maple sap runs when it’s below freezing at night and warms up during the day. If we wait to tap trees until March we will have missed our chance. It is clear that spring has moved to earlier in the year and we have to adjust, tap early, or risk not being able to make maple syrup for a whole year…It’s a New England tradition, my family’s tradition, and yet I worry that some day we may lose it entirely.” Abbie is especially concerned about projections that indicate we could lose maple trees and maple syrup entirely by 2100.

Chocolate and maple sugar are two foods we may not be able to produce any more if climate change worsens. But what about the impact producing some foods has on making climate change worse? Katy of Non-Toxic Kids and Moms Clean Air Force identifies three significant ways factory farming contributes to global warming and suggests some very simple yet highly effective choices you have that can make a real difference.

Tiffany at Nature Moms loves traveling but worries that climate change could destroy some of our most beloved national parks before her family has a chance to visit them. “Climate change is melting the glaciers that make an appearance in some (national parks), which not only affects the beauty of these areas, it also means less water is making its way down to lower areas. Plants and animal life that rely on this water start to become endangered or extinct. Water sources that hikers need to survive start to dry up, making the area inhospitable. Scenic waterfalls dry up earlier and earlier and may eventually be gone for good. Can you even imagine Yosemite without its grand waterfalls???”

Do you have pets? Ronnie at Moms Clean Air Force does, and she thinks climate change is making them sick. “I’m worried that my pets (two dogs and one cat) are gravely suffering because our planet is getting too warm for them.” Ronnie reviews some of the available scientific research, but her own observations are most convincing. Her dogs are thirstier, hotter, and getting ticks much earlier than usual. She’s pretty sure her cat has contracted feline asthma as a result of the increased air pollution associated with climate change.

Stephanie at Good Girl Gone Green bemoans the impact climate change has on much bigger animals: polar bears. “When I think of polar bears, I picture a piece of ice with one stranded on top,” she writes. “Some might say it is a depressing way to think of them, but what is even more heartbreaking is that polar bears may not be around in 50 years. Extinct. Poof. Gone.”

What can we do?

Given the reluctance of some people to accept that climate change is actually happening, it’s important to be able to explain why it occurs. Dominique Browning’s Moms Clean Air Force interview with climate scientist Dr. Heidi Cullen provides a clear explanation and offers suggestions on how you can deal with so-called climate “deniers.”

Harriet of Climate Mama works with the Climate Reality Project to raise awareness. For Climate Impacts Day, she’s organized family and friends to visit the proposed site of a natural gas pipeline that would carry gas derived through hydraulic fracking through a state park. She and her colleagues are also holding a “teach in” on fracking to raise awareness between this controversial practice and links to earthquakes and water pollution as well as climate change.

Anna at Green Talk admits that in her household, wasting food is one way her family contributes to climate change. She’s not alone. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “The amount of food waste generated in the US is huge. It is the third largest waste stream after paper and yard waste. In 2008, about 12.7 percent of the total municipal solid waste (MSW) generated in America was food scraps. Less than three percent of that 32 million tons was recovered and recycled. The rest – 31 million tons – was thrown away into landfills or incinerators.” Why does it matter? “The decomposition of food and other organic waste materials under anaerobic (without oxygen) conditions in landfills produces methane, a greenhouse gas (GHG) 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Landfills are the largest human-related source of methane in the United States, accounting for 34 percent of all methane emissions.” Her solution? Only buy what you intend to eat. And compost!!

For more ways to reduce food waste, check out the suggestions in this guest post from Aviva at The Scramble. Making a list and labeling left-overs are two simple steps that can lead to big savings and far fewer throw-aways.

Mary at In Women We Trust acknowledges that, in the face of overcoming a challenge as daunting as stopping climate change, it’s easy to feel like you’ve hit a “great green wall.” Mary is inspired by people in eleven nations in Africa who are working together to stop the Sahara Desert from creeping further south and turning all of Africa into an arid wasteland. “They aren’t doing it to lower Green House Gases,” acknowledges Mary. “They are doing it to survive, but at the same time, it is helping to lower GHG levels. Even the most die-hard denier can’t argue with the saving of a continent – especially when it’s producing such quickly appreciated results.”

At Big Green Purse, I’ve focused on the many ways consumers can use less energy as an important way to generate less carbon dioxide. They range from smart energy-saving driving tips to the top ten ways to save energy and money at home.

Never let it be said that, despite the seriousness of the challenges we face from climate change, we don’t keep our sense of humor! Deanna at The Crunchy Chicken offers a tongue-in-cheek run-down on the top five benefits of climate change. My favorite? #3: “Tropical weather without vacation prices.” Says Deanna wryly, thanks to climate change, we’ll have tropical weather all year long wherever we live – no need to tough out ten months of dreary winter or spend a fortune on a Caribbean vacation in January!”

Finally, thanks to Moms Clean Air Force for this cartoon and reminding us that the carbon emissions from our vehicles contribute significantly to climate change. In case you can’t commute in a toddler-mobile, here are some other ways you can burn less gas!

What impacts worry you? What solutions do you have? Please take a minute to let us know. Thanks!

The post Climate Change Impacts on Our Health, Our Homes, Our Families and Our Future appeared first on Big Green Purse.

What’s the connection? Climate change is occurring because burning oil, coal and other fossil fuels releases gases like carbon dioxide (CO2). CO2 builds up in the atmosphere, trapping heat that causes temperatures on the ground to rise, creating a “greenhouse” effect on the earth.  Poison ivy, and its equally annoying “cousins,” poison oak and poison sumac, are all growing bigger, spreading faster, and becoming more toxic in response to this “greenhouse effect.” Climate change makes poison ivy worse, and we’re more miserable because of it.

You may have already noticed that there’s more poison ivy in your yard or in the parks where your kids play. Dr. Lewis Ziska, a plant physiologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, told National Public Radio last year that “the poison ivy plant of, say, 1901, can grow up to 50 to 60 percent larger as of 2010” because there’s more CO2 in the atmosphere today than there was a hundred years ago.

“As a result of that change,” says Dr. Ziska, “we see not only more growth but also a more virulent form of the oil within poison ivy. The oil is called urushiol, and it’s that oil that causes that rash to occur on your skin when you come into contact with it.”

Because greenhouse gases are on the rise, poison ivy is likely to get worse in the coming years. It’s just one more reason why it’s so important to do everything we can to use less energy and switch to renewable energy sources that don’t emit carbon dioxide.

HOW TO AVOID POISON IVY

1) Learn to recognize the plant, and where it grows. It prefers shady, wooded areas and open forests. (I usually get some poison ivy every year in the shadier parts of my yard.) You might recognize the leaf, but do you know what it looks like as a bush? Remember that the plants can change color during the season, varying from green to bright red. Poison ivy and oak have leaflets of three petals, while poison sumac has leaflets of seven to thirteen. Sometimes the plants have clumps of berries visible, and sometimes they do not. These pictures will help you identify poison ivy, oak and sumac.

2) Dig it up. If you see it in your yard, use a long-handled shovel to dig it up. Make sure to wear a long-sleeved shirt, gloves, pants and boots to avoid any skin exposure. Dispose of the dug-up ivy in a large paper bag (like a paper shopping bag or leaf bag); don’t put poison ivy in your compost pile!

3) If you’re walking in the woods, stay on maintained trails. Chances are, if you or your kids go bushwhacking through an untamed woods, you’ll run into poison ivy somewhere along the way.

4) Wash your clothes as well as your skin. Urushiol, the toxic oil in poison ivy, can stay on clothes and rub off on your skin. You should wear protective clothing when dealing with this plant, then remove the clothes carefull and wash in hot water.

5) Keep your pets leashed when in the woods. Your dog won’t actually get poison ivy, but the urushiol oil can rub off on its fur, then transfer to you when you pet it. Keep your dog leashed when walking in woods where poison ivy could be lurking.

HOW TO TREAT POISON IVY

1) As quickly as possible after exposure, wash the exposed area with soap and water. You have only eight to ten minutes before the oil will be absorbed through your skin and into your system. Wash your pet, too. Wear gloves, use a grease-cutting soap, and don’t forget the paws!

2) Try Tecnu. I keep a bottle of this in my car as well as in my medicine chest at home. I have found it to be very effective at neutralizing poison ivy, but using it as soon after exposure as possible is key. You can find Tecnu in most CVS stores, or order it now from the Big Green Purse store here.

3) Try an oatmeal bath. When I was pregnant with my first child, I got a horrible case of poison ivy. My baby wasn’t in any danger, but I was really miserable. My doctor recommended I create a poultice out of oatmeal, or take an oatmeal bath. The bath was somewhat soothing; it was certainly more effective on my skin than calomine lotion, which is what many people typically use for poison ivy relief. You can probably find oatmeal baths at your local drugstore; they’re also easily available in our store.

Please share any other ways you’ve treated poison ivy. Thanks.

RELATED POSTS:

Top Ten Ways to Save Energy and Money at Home

For more impacts, don’t miss this month’s Green Moms Carnival: Climate Change Affects Our Health, Our Homes, Our Families and Our Future

(Note: When you purchase any product from our store, we earn a small commission that helps us continue to provide you with free information about products and services. Our recommendations are unbiased and based on our research and impartial product reviews. Thanks.)

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The state of New Jersey is the only  state to ban fracking in the U.S., though the process is underway in 36 states.

Public opposition to fracking is growing as more people become aware of the environmental and human health problems it cause. That’s one of many reasons why it doesn’t make sense that New York state is set to make it easier to frack there, even though the state currently has some of the safest, cleanest drinking water in America.

Find out what fracking is doing to your state here.

On Capitol Hill, the FRAC Act would force natural gas fracking operations to at least comply with the Safe Drinking Water Act, which they’re under no obligation to do now. You can sign a petition here to ask your Senators to support the FRAC Act.

The post France BANS Fracking. But New York is about to allow it. Huh? appeared first on Big Green Purse.

Lori of Groovy Green Livin’ asks “What the heck is fracking?” You won’t like her answer anymore than she did. It’s like a “mini-bomb or earthquake exploding underneath the ground” that leaves behind extremely toxic waste water. “The quantities of fracking fluids used in a single well contain so much benzene and other toxic chemicals that they could potentially contaminate more than the amount of water New York State consumes in a day.  Water is so contaminated with methane and other chemicals from fracking that it can become discolored, bubble and could actually catch on fire at the kitchen tap….The chemicals from fracking can cause chronic illness, loss of sense of smell and taste, animals hair to fall out, severe headaches and cancer.”

Betsy of Eco Novice writes, “the big kicker for me in all of this is that fracking was exempted from the Safe Drinking Water Act in the 2005 energy bill, which means that the entire process is happening with minimal regulation. So a process that potentially threatens drinking water is not subject to the regulation that is supposed to. . . protect our drinking water.”

Lisa of Retro Housewife Goes Green wonders if the increased number of EARTHQUAKES where she lives in Oklahoma are connected to the increasing amount of fracking going on there. What? Earthquakes? Think about that one for a minute. She also wonders whether the value of natural gas is being greenwashed. Sure, it’s an alternative to coal. But is it really any better? Fracking, plus nat gas’ own carbon footprint, make you wonder.

Karen of Best of Mother Earth got educated when she watched the Oscar-nominated film “Gasland,” which tracks the impact that fracking has had on people’s lives and the environment all over the U.S. “I found myself horrified, REALLY angry, and of course immediately frustrated…Once they frack, there is no going back,” she says. “The damage and destruction is done.”

There is some good news in the fracking debate. As Harriet at Climate Mama reports, the New Jersey legislature has banned fracking anywhere and everywhere in the state. Can you get your state to do the same?

Yes, you can! Over at Big Green Purse, you can find links to updates on what’s happening in your state, and sign a petition to get Senators to sign the FRAC Act.

And for more links to great resources and legislative updates, see Jennifer’s post at Care2.

Please. Take action today.

The post Fracking: A Clear and Present Danger appeared first on Big Green Purse.

But it’s not. Fracking is short for “hydraulic fracturing,” explains Chris Bolgiano in this Bay Journal article. “It involves drilling a hole a mile down, then thousands of feet horizontally, and pumping down millions of gallons of water laced with sand, salt and chemicals to crack the shale. Gas is forced up, along with roughly 25 percent of the contaminated wastewater, often hot with radioactivity.”

Chris adds, “Fracking chemicals include formaldehyde, benzene, and others known to be carcinogenic at a few parts per million. Municipal plants can’t handle fracking wastewater, and it’s stored in open pits until trucked elsewhere. If enough fresh water can’t be sucked from streams on site, trucks haul it in.

“Eighteen-wheelers rolling 24/7 pulverize country roads and cause accidents, like the one that spilled 8,000 gallons of toxic materials into a Pennsylvania creek last year. And they emit enough carbon to seriously shrink the greenhouse gas advantage of fracked gas.”

Fracking is rampant up and down the Eastern Seabord right now, as the natural gas industry tries to tap the gas that’s trapped under a massive underground rock formation called the Marcellus Shale. But it’s also occurring in the Midwest and southwest, 36 states in all. The industry claims that it’s doing the public and the environment a service, since the U.S. has abundant natural gas reserves and natural gas emits half the carbon emissions of coal and oil. Plus, says the industry, fracking creates local (though temporary) jobs.

But here’s the very significant downside:

EXPLOSIONS

Fracking causes explosions similar to the oil blowup that occurred in the Gulf of Mexico last year. One explosion in Pennsylvania last June spewed flammable gas and polluted water 75 feet into the air for sixteen hours. A blast in West Virginia injured 7 people while flames shot 40 feet into the air.

TAP WATER ON FIRE

Over 1,000 cases of water contamination have been reported near fracking sites, reports Food and Water Watch. Fracking operations in Pennsylvania alone are expected to create 19 milion gallons of wastewater. The Oscar-nominated documentary GasLand captured this tap water catching on fire because it contained so much methane as a result of drinking water contamination from nearby fracking operations.

WORSE FOR CLIMATE CHANGE

About that methane: According to the Environmental Protection Agency, methane is 21 times more damaging a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Similarly, a study released by researchers at Duke University in April found methane levels in shallow drinking water wells near active gas drilling sites at a level 17 times higher than those near inactive ones.

AND — WHO’S SURPRISED? — CANCER

Scientists at the Endocrine Disruption Exchange who tested fracking fluids found that 25 percent can cause cancer; 37 percent can disrupt our endocrine system; and 40 to 50 percent can affect our nervous, immune and cardiovascular systems.

HERE’S WHAT YOU CAN DO

Citizen, public health and environmental groups cheered yesterday when New Jersey’s state legislature became the first in the nation to unanimously ban fracking. Said Senator Bob Gordon (D-Bergen), “Any benefits of gas production simply do not justify the many potential dangers associated with fracking such as pollution of our lakes, streams and drinking water supplies and the release of airborne pollutants. We should not wait until our natural resources are threatened or destroyed to act. The time to ban fracking in New Jersey is now.”

New Jersey is a good start, but remember: Fracking is currently underway in 36 states. Here’s what you can do to stop it in your state.

On Capitol Hill, the FRAC Act, a bill that has been in the Senate since 2009, would force the natural gas industry frackers to comply fully with the Safe Drinking Water Act and protect our drinking water. You can easily sign a petition here to ask your Senators to support the FRAC act.

Do it today.

Want to Read More?

Fracking in Maryland: Chesapeake Bay Foundation Petitions White House

Regulation Lax as Gas Wells’ Tainted Water Hits Rivers

Marcellus Shale Protest: What’s the Big Deal…?

The post What the Heck is Fracking? And Why Don’t You Want It Anywhere Near Your Water? appeared first on Big Green Purse.

The nuclear meltdown in Japan and the recent oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico may seem unrelated, but they’re not. Both catastrophes occurred because we’ve made three fundamental mistakes in the way we generate energy.

1) We have relied on centralized power plants that use dangerous fuels to meet energy demand. Most countries that can afford it build large power plants so they can centralize energy production. Big centralized power plants are easier to regulate than a bunch of smaller, dispersed facilities. And because they generate a lot of energy at once, big plants appear to streamline power production. But in addition to being outrageously expensive, centralized generating facilities require massive amounts of dangerous fuels to operate consistently. If that fuel is oil or coal, recovering it usually wrecks the physical environment (we saw that in spades during last year’s Gulf Oil disaster); burning it causes global warming and sickening air pollution. If the fuel is uranium, using it generates radioactive nuclear waste that must be stored for thousands of years.

Ironically, a significant percent of the energy these kinds of plants generate is lost because it’s distributed over old, inefficient powerlines that transport the energy far from the original generator, which means that the plants actually need to consume more fuel to meet demand. Centralized power stations are also highly susceptible to terrorism, human error, and natural disasters, like the Japanese tsunami that overwhelmed that country’s nuclear reactors. As long as we continue to rely on large centralized power generation stoked by fossil fuels or uranium, we should expect disasters like the current meltdown in Japan.

2) We depend on fuels whose devastating environmental and health impacts are overlooked because they generate so much money for the industries that control them.

Right now, oil costs almost $100 a barrel. Solar energy is free. And there’s the rub. Industries based on selling coal, oil, and uranium, the fuel that powers nuclear power plants, earn billions of dollars every year just selling the fuel, let alone the power it generates. They use the profits from those sales to lobby legislators and make huge campaign contributions that keep law makers beholden to the status quo rather than emboldened to support safer alternatives.

I’m not suggesting we figure out a way to charge for the sun’s rays. I’m suggesting we realize that, every time we use oil or coal or energy from a nuclear power plant, some portion of our dollars is being used to insure that we KEEP using oil and coal and nuclear energy, instead of cleaner, healthier options.

3) We have refused to embrace energy efficiency and renewable energy sources like solar and wind. Many people give “alternative energy” positive lip service. Most people think sun power sounds like a good idea. Just as many will acknowledge that they want to do more to save energy. Yet the majority who talk the talk don’t walk the walk. Municipal codes still allow homes and buildings to be built that leak energy like a sieve. Consumers are still buying far more gas-guzzling vehicles and appliances than their energy-efficient counterparts. As a nation, we subsidize the fossil fuel and nuclear industries by giving them substantial tax breaks, yet scrimp on providing essential research and development money to renewable alternatives. Each of us could probably reduce the amount of energy we consume by half while taking advantage of any programs our utilties offer to let us buy power that’s safely generated. Until we do, and governments and businesses follow suit, the situation won’t change.

There aren’t enough words to describe what’s happened in Japan. Horrible. Catastrophic. Terrible. Unimaginable.

But there are also words we shouldn’t use to describe what’s transpired: Unique. Isolated. Rare. Freak accident.

Let’s not kid ourselves. Disasters like the Japanese nuclear meltdown and the Gulf oil spill are going to become increasingly common unless we make a concerted global effort to change the way we all get and use energy.

The post Nuclear disaster in Japan, oil disaster in the Gulf. What’s next? appeared first on Big Green Purse.

Can a simple stove help solve something as complex as climate change?

The United Nations Foundation and its partners at the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and other institutions and organizations think so – at least, in part, which is why they’ve launched the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves. This new partnership between government agencies, non-profit organizations, international aid groups and corporations aims to replace 100 million dirty stoves in developing countries with cleaner versions by 2020.

How can a lowly cookstove play such an important role in the climate debate?

REDUCE BLACK CARBON: The traditional cookstoves used in Asia, Africa and parts of Latin America rely on “biomass” like wood, cow dung, and coal. When any of these fuels is burned, they produce soot, also known as “black carbon.” Biomass cooking accounts for 20 percent of the world’s emissions of black carbon, which some scientists believe is the second largest contributor to climate change after carbon dioxide.

Black carbon is so powerful because it is extremely effective at absorbing sunlight — 1 million times more effective than carbon dioxide (CO2), in fact. Black carbon warms the atmosphere and creates a “greenhouse effect” by absorbing thermal infrared radiation from the ground and within clouds. Plus, because it directly heats surfaces on which it falls and reduces the amount of sunlight surfaces reflect back into the atmosphere, black carbon accelerates the melting of Arctic sea and land ice, glaciers, and seasonal snow cover.

REDUCE POLLUTION: Another important reason to improve cookstoves is because existing stove designs release toxic smoke that make people sick. That’s especially true for women and young children, who spend a larger share of their time indoors in the poorly ventilated spaces where the stoves are used. Cookstove smoke contributes to a range of chronic illnesses and acute health impacts such as early childhood pneumonia, emphysema, cataracts, lung cancer, bronchitis, cardiovascular disease, and low birth weight. The World Health Organization estimates harmful cookstove smoke to be the fourth worst overall health risk factor in developing countries.

KEEP WOMEN AND CHILDREN SAFE: Cleaner cookstoves would keep women and children safer, too. Because women and children are primarily responsible for gathering fuel, they often have to walk great distances in dangerous, barren and conflict-ridden areas to scrape together the minimal amounts of fuel available. Cleaner cookstoves would reduce the demand for fuel and how often women would need to search it out, lessening the likelihood that they would become victims of rape and robbery.

STOP DEFORESTATION: Forests would benefit, as well, since less wood would be harvested as more and more people switched to more fuel-efficient stoves.

Though the Alliance’s initial goal is to provide stoves to 100 million homes, the broader aim is to establish a sustainable market for clean cookstoves and cleaner fuel that would provide new economic opportunities that help build sustainable communities. So not only would cleaner cookstoves reduce climate change, improve public health, and safeguard women and children; they would also create local jobs as people learn to design, manufacture, and distribute the stoves in their communities.

As simple as it might sound to replace dirty stoves with clean ones, challenges abound. Not only do millions of new stoves need to be made and distributed, but people will need to overcome cultural barriers before they decide to use them. In some cases, women will need to learn how to cook somewhat differently; their husbands may need to learn to like different-tasting foods; and women used to spending their time looking for fuel may need to find other occupations.

Hopefully, through effective social marketing, engineering, appropriate technology, and creative collaboration among local groups and national and international institutions, the goal of “100 million by 2020” will be reached.

DONATE NOW!

The Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves needs your support. You can help women and kids get cleaner cookstoves by donating today.

For more information on how climate change affects women, read this important report by the United Nations Population Fund and the Women’s Environment and Development Organization, titled “Climate Change Connections: Gender and Population.”

Here’s a list of “Top Ten Reasons To Take Climate Change Seriously.”

Here are ways you can reduce your own climate change impact.

The post One Way to Solve Climate Change: Clean Cookstoves appeared first on Big Green Purse.