Epic Spring Flooding Destroyed Habitat and Miles of Recreation Areas

If you value getting outside and running, biking, walking, fishing and bird watching you know the value of the Island Line Recreation path that connects Colchester with South Hero, Vermont. Unfortunately the highest lake water since they began keeping records in 1827 wiped out much of the 100 year old rail bed, that was used for wildlife habitat and human recreation. If you haven’t seen the devastation up close check it out right now in this one minute slide show.Then make a plan to help LocalMotion.org the folks who are trying to raise volunteers and money to make the path useable again. Thank you!

Image: NRC

Vermonters Are Getting Fatter! Vermonters Live Longer Than City Slickers!

Nuclear Plant Owners Sue Vermont After The State Pulled Their Plug!

Vermont Has Second Highest Per Captita Number of Golf Courses!

Thirty Wineries in Vermont? Let’s Drink to That! Join the Vermont Mountain Bike Festival July 16-17th

Top 10 Summer Events in Vermont (not including the Doobie Brothers, Lynard Skynard and Lady Antebellum!)

My grand daddy was a farmer and I grew up at a  time when there were tens of thousands of farms in my home state of Vermont. Many hours were spent in pastures dodging cow pies, in the barn jumping on hay bales and mucking around in the barn. Nowadays as huge farms and hormone-addicted cows have taken over the dairy industry, and the “whole herd buyout” and suburban development have annihilated the farming landscape,  it is nice to see some pockets of ‘real Vermont’ tucked away to see how it was a hundred years ago.

See anything you like? Be sure to check out our Vermont Pictures Photo Gallery and a sampling of our prints! All of our published photos are available in 5 x7 or 8 x 10 matted high-resolution prints. Send inquiries to buy our prints here: Contact@LoveEarthAlways.com.  We support cold and hungry people.

The Link Between Climate Change and Extreme Weather

Recently we have written at length about 30 years of climate models from NOAA and NASA that predict extreme weather as a consequence of climate change. All over the world people are starting to notice that our normal weather is starting to look not that normal, even when considering the natural fluctuations that happen over time. Check out this new video that depicts some of what has been happening recently. What do you think?

If you live in Vermont you are well aware to the monumental flooding in Lake Champlain, April and May wettest months-on-record, flash-flooding due to freak storms, fish die-offs, and millions of dollars in property damage. This is on top of the hottest summer on record, record snowfalls, droughts in the UK and Australia, melting polar ice through the winter and 25 feet of snow in Yellowstone Park right now on Memorial Day weekend! You might not realize that this is just the beginning of what the experts say we can expect in the years to come.

If you are like me you want your information from the people who know the most about their subject. NASA and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have been predicting that climate change will alter the weather for the past 30 years.

Here are the main points  that they make on their NOAA and NASA web sites:

1. Global temperature has increased over the past 50 years, primarily due to human behaviors that release heat-trapping gases, like carbon dioxide.

2. As the global climate warms, the weather in your area is expected to be more extreme, including oppressive heat, freakish winter weather, record-breaking storms, precipitation, drought, rising sea levels, floods and other environmental disasters.

3. Ocean acidification kills many species of plants and animals leading to imbalances in the ocean ecosystems.

4. Ocean warming which leads to more and greater storms over land areas.

5. Release of enormous methane deposits under the ocean floor and permafrost into the air. Methane is up to 40 times more potent than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas.

6. Faster-than-predicted polar and glacier ice melting will lead to accelerated global heating since ice reflects and absorbs more heat than water.

According to NOAA: “Changes are happening in the United States, and elsewhere, but the impacts vary from region to region. These changes are affecting sectors of our society that cross regional boundaries. Already impacted are things that we depend upon; water, energy, transportation, agriculture, ecosystems, and human health. Agriculture is considered adaptable to changes in climate. However, changes, like increased temperatures, water stress, diseases, and weather extremes will create new challenges for food producers, upon which our society depends. Human health is likely to be affected by climate change. A changing environment will likely cause more heat stress, an increase in waterborne diseases, poor air quality, extreme weather events, and diseases transmitted by insects and rodents. Higher sea levels and storm surges will cause U.S. coastal areas to be at a greater risk of erosion and flooding.”

Let me finish by saying this is not my data, but the data of climate scientists who have no bias or interest in promoting climate change. Second, no one wants climate change to happen. It will lead to shortages of food, water, energy, and all kinds of human hardship we cannot even imagine. But climate change is upon us and it is here to stay. I say it is time we act to do everything we can to slow it down. What can you do?

The fact is that we are addicted to oil, from the fertilizers on our food to the pharmaceuticals we eat, everything comes from fossil fuels. Every time we burn fossil fuels, or anything that was once living, we produce the greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide and water. But research shows that even though we may act responsibly to live greener, the impact of residential and individual change agents is puny compared to the enormous impact of industry. To really have an impact on our car bon footprint it will take bold action to change output from industrial polluters. So far, the US House of Representatives and Senate have not had the will to stand up to heavy-duty polluter lobbies and enact climate legislation that has any measurable impact.

Pesticides Kill and Stunt Growth!

First, we have published some really healthy potato recipes here before and recommend that you use organic potatoes because they are healthier, tastier, safer and better for the environment.  We have also highlighted research that shows children are more vulnerable to pesticides.

Potatoes are one of the “dirty dozen” fruits and vegetables that have the most pesticides and are potentially hazardous to your health. Recently, this little girl, Elise did a video named “My Potato Project” that shows her research on growing organic and non-organic sweet potatoes and highlights the use of one chemical in particular, chlorpropham. I guarantee once you watch “My Potato Project”  you will be searching out organic fuits and veggies! Go ahead, watch it, I dare ya!

Sen. Bernie Sanders introduced a bi-partisan bill that would lower the cost of solar power and put the United States on track to install solar systems on 10 million homes and businesses by 2020. The bill would provide grants to communities to help them make their solar energy permitting process less costly and more efficient. Estimates are that it could decrease the cost of residential solar installations by several thousand dollars.

“As we lower the cost of solar energy and increase our use of solar, we can create hundreds of thousands of good-paying manufacturing and installation jobs in this country,” said Bernie, who chairs the Senate Green Jobs and New Economy Subcommittee. “This bill also sets strong targets for American solar energy production to ensure we compete vigorously with China and Europe for solar energy jobs.”

The legislation is co-sponsored by the top Republican on the Senate Green Jobs and New Economy Subcommittee, Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., and by Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., who chairs the Senate Energy Committee. Read more here. Read the bill.

This article from the office of Bernard Sanders.

Image: NOAA.gov

The monster tornadoes that recently tore through the South Midwest did more than destroy property. As they shredded homes and other buildings they also released deadly environmental hazards. The most common of these are lead paint and asbestos.

Asbestos is a mineral that easily breaks into small fibers that can linger in the air. When breathed, asbestos fibers can settle in the lungs and do a lot of damage, including cause the deadly lung cancer mesothelioma. And any ingestion of lead can cause lead poisoning.

Decades ago, before their health risks were understood, builders prized asbestos for its fire-retardant properties and lead paint for its durability. Homes built before 1940 almost certainly contain some of both. But don’t assume that not-so-old homes are hazard-free.

Asbestos shingles and tiles were popular home building materials long after use of asbestos insulation was discontinued. Asbestos also was widely used in drywall, paint and patching compounds, and spray-on soundproofing materials throughout the 1960s and most of the 1970s.

In the U.S., most manufacturing if asbestos building materials stopped in 1978, but builders continued to use up their old inventory well into the 1980s. And homes built as recently as 1995 may contain vermiculite insulation that is contaminated with asbestos.

Asbestos is not hazardous as long as it is contained behind walls or encased in something solid. But when asbestos is released, it becomes deadly. The recent tornadoes ripped insulation out of walls and furnace ducts and crumbled shingles and drywall. The question is not whether asbestos was released, but how much.

What about lead paint? Homes built after 1978 probably are lead paint-free. Before that — well, the older the home, the more likely it contains lead paint, often buried under layers of more recent paint. When old walls crumble, lead particles can be released into the air or settle in soil or water. Lead is toxic when ingested and is especially damaging to children.

If there is tornado damage in your community, what should you do? First, keep children away. They may want to explore the debris or help in the cleanup, but toxins in the air could ruin their health.

Don’t make the mistake of assuming that the air is safe because nobody breathing it feels sick. Sometimes the effects take months and even decades to develop. There are people in mesothelioma treatment today because they were exposed to asbestos 40 years ago.

Adults working around lead dust or asbestos should be wearing a proper respirator. If possible, keep the debris wet to prevent dust and fibers from flying around in the air. Don’t forget that toxic dust might be on your clothes and skin, so when you are done go straight home, shower thoroughly, and wash your clothes. And when the debris is cleaned up, have the topsoil tested to be sure it is toxin free.

Barbara O’Brien of Mahablog

Vermont Pictures

Springtime is as good a time as any to explore the light spilling across the landscape and farmland offers some of the best views for Vermont pictures. This photo shoot started out as a walk on one of the few remaining farms in Chittenden County. Chittenden County nowadays is packed with suburban sprawl so it is a real treat to see a thousand acres or so that is still open and in service.

There is something about three or four days of rain that brings out the best in flower gardens.

Vermont is a place with many hills, valleys and mountains that yield wonderful views.

A freshly planted field can be a work of science and art at the same time.

Pollen, water vapor and light conspire to create a magical scene as the day draws to a close.

Dairy farms are a vanishing breed in Vermont but these cows make milk the old fashioned way- without hormones!

Somehow this Dodge holds my interest longer than a junked car of today.

All good things come to an end. This is a place I will return often.

See anything you like? Be sure to check out our Vermont Pictures Photo Gallery and a sampling of our prints! All of our published photos are available in 5 x7 or 8 x 10 matted high-resolution prints. Inquiries for prints here: Contact@LoveEarthAlways.com.  We support cold and hungry people.

Sign the petition to close Vermont Yankee Nuclear Plant

Since our last article on Vermont Yankee Nuclear Plant, Entergy Corporation has sued the state of Vermont to try to keep the plant open after the current license expires nest year!

Please sign a petition to close Vermont Yankee and clean up the site NOW. Sign the petition here.