NFL Green, the NFL's environmental and sustainability program, helps to restore Florida's Coral Reef in Tampa ahead of the Super Bowl as part of its annual Green Week. Force Blue
When we think of the Super Bowl — America's most popular sporting event, according to Arcadia Publishing — ocean conservation and military veterans usually aren't top of mind. But, for the last two years, a unique collaboration ahead of the annual game has placed coral restoration at the forefront of the world's attention.
<p>For almost 30 years, <a href="https://www.nfl.com/causes/nfl-green/" target="_blank">NFL Green</a>, the NFL's environmental and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/sustainability" target="_self">sustainability</a> program, has managed community greening initiatives for the sports league. Each season, these culminate with "Green Week" before the big event, with projects undertaken by the NFL and Super Bowl Host Committee benefitting each host community, explained NFL Green Associate Director Susan Groh.</p><p>"The goal of NFL Green is to reduce the environmental impact of our events and to go well beyond that to leave a positive green legacy," Groh told EcoWatch. Efforts include recovering food, recycling and waste management, donating used event and building materials and offsetting energy for events.</p><p>This green legacy has also included a touch of blue in the last two years, meaning conservation efforts focused on the waters of host cities Miami in 2020 and now Tampa in 2021. Miami Green Week activities for Super Bowl LIV entailed <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/super-bowl-2020-coral-reefs-2644988400.html?rebelltitem=1#rebelltitem1" target="_self">planting 100 endangered staghorn corals in Biscayne Bay</a> in honor of the NFL's 100th season, Groh said.</p><p>In the past year, the effort expanded to "100 Yards of Hope," a football field-sized coral restoration project. The end zones and center of the field-sized reef were placed in fall 2020, followed by divers planting thousands of staghorn and mountainous star corals from <a href="https://www.flaquarium.org/center-for-conservation-campus" target="_blank">The Florida Aquarium (FLAQ)</a>, the <a href="https://rescueareef.rsmas.miami.edu/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science</a> SECORE International and Frost Science, explained FLAQ Senior Vice President of Conservation Debborah Luke.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTU5NzIwNC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyNTI0NDg5MH0._YaN38xQABqu8Cvs7NWS62IY7VCWKTBEkiuZn9YIQcE/img.jpg?width=980" id="f5938" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="e9dc09dfb18cd23a4aa37794b0106c2e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="5760" data-height="3240" />
Military veterans and coral scientists team up to outplant endangered corals as part of the NFL's 100 Yards of Hope. Force Blue
<p>"This critically important project is helping to restore Florida's Coral Reef, the third-largest barrier reef in the world, which is in crisis," Luke told EcoWatch.</p><p><a href="https://floridadep.gov/rcp/rcp/content/floridas-coral-reefs" target="_blank">Florida's Coral Reef</a> provides key nursery areas that support the oceanic ecosystem and protect coastlines from storms and erosion, Luke said. It also provides significant economic benefits by pumping $3.4 billion annually into the U.S. economy through jobs, tourism, seafood and medicine, NFL's Groh added.</p><p>Unfortunately, global factors such as the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_self">climate crisis</a>, <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/ocean-warming-coral-reefs-2646932094.html" target="_self">ocean warming</a> and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/ocean-acidification" target="_self">acidification</a> remain threats, along with <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/florida-sunscreen-desantis-coral-2646322864.html" target="_self">regional pollutants</a> and a <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/coral-rescue-team-florida-2646064185.html" target="_self">mysterious coral disease</a>.</p><p>"Over 90 percent of [the reef's] corals have died... restoration of Florida's Coral Reef is imperative if we are to continue reaping [its] benefits," Luke said.</p>
<p>100 Yards of Hope intends to reverse this trajectory on a single showcase reef, explained Dalton Hesley, a senior research associate at the Rosenstiel School, whose team spearheaded restoration efforts. This is the first large-scale restoration project to combine thousands of sexual and asexual multi-species coral transplants, along with disease tracking and mitigation, urchin relocation and high-resolution mapping. These actions all increase coral cover, diversity and recovery, Hesley noted.</p><p>"100 Yards of Hope is a symbol. It is a symbol of what passionate, hopeful individuals can accomplish when working towards a shared vision," Hesley told EcoWatch. "What started as a celebration of the NFL's 100th season has transformed into a fight for the future of our coral reef."</p><p>Last week, 150 elkhorn corals, another threatened coral species, were added to the field. The Rosenstiel School provided 55 of the endangered corals, in celebration of Super Bowl 55, this past weekend. FLAQ provided the remaining corals. A final planting of massive brain and star corals in the spring will complete 100 Yards of Hope, Groh said.</p><p>Military combat veterans from <a href="https://forceblueteam.org/" target="_blank">Force Blue</a> assisted with the plantings. The nonprofit retrains and deploys former special operations veterans and military-trained combat divers to work alongside scientists and environmentalists on marine conservation work, explained Executive Director Jim Ritterhoff.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTU5NzIxNi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxODUwMjA4MH0.hxJyQcxyRSOcyfhOe8Mmf8OmQHdc3Gu6xOkU-Q9gVpI/img.jpg?width=980" id="97cdc" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="349400cd3e4316d081668b73c6549edc" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1920" data-height="1080" />
55 divers remove marine debris from Tampa Bay as part of the NFL's Green Week. Force Blue
<p>"If we can do something good for veterans by giving them a new mission to save the planet and provide a highly skilled workforce to the scientific community, all the better," Ritterhoff said. "But, maybe the [touchdown] of it all is how this effort uses Navy SEALS and the NFL, people you don't traditionally see talking about conservation, to reach an audience who wouldn't necessarily pay attention to coral reef scientists. People listen because these guys are their heroes."</p><p>Noting that this is more of a world project than a local Florida project, Ritterhoff added, "I think it's imperative that everyone be cognizant of these issues. The Florida Coral Reef is a national treasure, and it could be 100 percent gone in our lifetime. If we don't behave differently, it will be gone."</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTU5NzM3MC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMDUwOTMyM30.w7McuB-CHSM7yhemLu6Wq8WVNpmETnPESl4-5PSx0gU/img.jpg?width=980" id="4b45b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="2e635e3ee113af72b48d99bb13c86c75" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="5184" data-height="2920" />
NFL Green Week included planting the Reed Park community garden in Tampa Bay. Michael Farrant / Tampa Bay Super Bowl LV Host Committee
<p>In addition to the coral restoration efforts, NFL Green completed traditional community greening projects. These involved creating pollinator gardens, planting mangroves, restoring shoreline and adding sand dunes to prevent erosion and storm damage.</p><p>NFL Green also connected land and sea with an underwater cleanup called Dive 55 at the mouth of Tampa Bay. For this, Force Blue team leaders led 55 divers to retrieve more than 1.5 tons of waste, not limited to old fishing traps, rope, netting, plastics and beach debris, Groh said. Some of the recovered items will be used by local students to create art projects that will be displayed at FLAQ to increase marine debris awareness.</p><p>"It's all about leadership and legacy," Groh said. "Large events have an opportunity to not only offset the environmental impact of their events but to go well beyond that and leave the communities hosting events better than they found them. The world faces significant environmental challenges and it's going to take all of us to address them."</p>From Your Site Articles
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A photo illustration of Florida's COVID-19 Data and Surveillance Dashboard, created by Rebekah Jones, is displayed on a computer screen on May 19, 2020. Paul Hennessy / SOPA Images / LightRocket / Getty Images
Rebekah Jones, the Florida data scientist who said she was fired in May after refusing to manipulate data on a widely praised coronavirus dashboard that she designed, had an even more dramatic encounter with the state government Monday when the police raided her Tallahassee home.
<p>Jones said in a <a href="https://twitter.com/GeoRebekah/status/1336065787900145665" target="_blank">Twitter thread</a> that police entered her home at 8:30 a.m., confiscated all of her computer hardware and technology and pointed guns at both her and her children.</p><p>"This is what happens to scientists who do their job honestly," Jones <a href="https://twitter.com/GeoRebekah/status/1336066309482754049" target="_blank">tweeted</a>. "This is what happens to people who speak truth to power."</p><p>Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) Commissioner Rick Swearingen confirmed that the raid occurred in a statement reported by <a href="https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/police-raid-home-of-former-florida-data-scientist-rebekah-jones/2338530/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">NBC6 South Florida</a>. However, he denied that weapons were pointed at anyone during the incident. He said that agents knocked and called Jones, but that she hung up on them and refused to answer the door for 20 minutes.</p><p>In a video of the incident posted by Jones on Twitter, police officers appeared at the door with guns drawn and asked Jones who else was in the house, the <a href="https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2020/12/07/agents-raid-home-fired-florida-data-scientist-who-built-covid-19-dashboard-rebekah-jones/6482817002/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Tallahassee Democrat reported</a>. When she said her husband and children were inside, one agent entered the home with his gun still drawn and told her husband to come downstairs. At one point, an agent told Jones to calm down.</p><p>"He just pointed a gun at my children!" she responded.</p>
<div id="57a30" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a7e2c2d30b597bb9502b68ce3806f84f"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1336065787900145665" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">1/ There will be no update today. At 8:30 am this morning, state police came into my house and took all my hardwa… https://t.co/GXDz5hd6Wh</div> — Rebekah Jones (@Rebekah Jones)<a href="https://twitter.com/GeoRebekah/statuses/1336065787900145665">1607377881.0</a></blockquote></div><p>The FDLE said they went to Jones's home to carry out a search warrant based on a complaint from the Department of Health (DOH), Jones' former employer.<br></p><p>"FDLE began an investigation November 10, 2020, after receiving a complaint from the Department of Health (DOH) regarding unauthorized access to a Department of Health messaging system which is part of an emergency alert system, to be used for emergencies only," FDLE spokeswoman Gretl Plessinger said in a statement reported by the Tallahassee Democrat.</p><p>The case revolves around a message sent by an unidentified individual to the emergency alert system.</p>
<p>"It's time to speak up before another 17,000 people are dead," the message read. "You know this is wrong. You don't have to be a part of this. Be a hero. Speak out before it's too late."</p><p>AN FDLE investigator said he traced the message to an IP address linked to Jones' Comcast account. While an IP address shows where an internet connection was made, it does not prove Jones sent the message, tech experts told the Tallahassee Democrat.</p><p>Jones denied sending the message in an interview with <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/07/us/florida-search-warrant-raid-rebekah-jones-invs/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a>. She said she lost access to government accounts when she was fired and did not have the skills to hack into them. She also denied the phrasing and data in the message were hers.</p><p>"The number of deaths that the person used wasn't even right," Jones told CNN. "They were actually under by about 430 deaths. I would never round down 430 deaths."</p>
<p>Jones <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/florida-coronavirus-database-scientist-fired-2646052460.html" target="_self">helped to design</a> Florida's highly praised coronavirus database before being fired in May. She said her dismissal came because she had refused to alter data on the dashboard in order to bolster support for re-opening. The DOH claimed she was fired for insubordination.</p><p>After she was fired, she developed her own <a href="https://floridacovidaction.com/" target="_blank">website</a> that tracks Florida coronavirus data, according to CNN. It is operated by one of the computers seized Monday. Jones said the police also took flash drives that contained "proof that [state officials] were lying in January about things like internal reports and notices from the CDC" and "evidence of illegal activities by the state." She said she accessed the reports legally and received some from others after she left the DOH.</p> <a href="https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/96dd742462124fa0b38ddedb9b25e429" target="_blank">DOH data</a> shows that Florida has experienced a total of 1,065,785 coronavirus cases and 19,282 resident deaths. Jones' <a href="https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/bcfddbc51de6493e819db001274317e8/" target="_blank">website</a>, which was last updated Dec. 6, puts the totals at 1,153,415 cases and 19,423 deaths since March 1.
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Like many other plant-based foods and products, CBD oil is one dietary supplement where "organic" labels are very important to consumers. However, there are little to no regulations within the hemp industry when it comes to deeming a product as organic, which makes it increasingly difficult for shoppers to find the best CBD oil products available on the market.
<p>Here you can learn about the importance of organic hemp oil, why it's better for the environment, and which CBD companies actually make trustworthy products with sustainable farming processes. origins which weigh heavily on many consumers who want to buy a product that's produced in the best way possible for not only themselves to ingest, but for the environment as well through sustainable farming methods. </p><h2>What Is CBD Oil?</h2><p>First things first, CBD stands for cannabidiol, and it's a cannabinoid found within cannabis sativa plants. This plant compound is believed to have many potential benefits, and it is primarily derived from hemp plants via a CO2 extraction process. </p><p>Since CBD is extracted from industrial hemp, which contains only trace amounts of THC (the psychoactive component in cannabis plants), this means that CBD won't make you feel high like marijuana, which has much higher levels of THC that causes psychoactive effects. Instead, the effects of CBD are much more subtle and promote a general sense of calm and relaxation in most users.</p><h2>What Makes a CBD Oil Organic?</h2><p>In terms of organic labels, perhaps the most important (and prominent) certification comes from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). This government organization has been labeling foods as "organic" for many years, but what exactly does this certification entail? Essentially, a label indicating that a product is "USDA Organic" or "Certified Organic" means that at least 95% of the ingredients are obtained from organic sources.</p><p>For a crop to be considered organic by the USDA, it must be grown without the use of industrial solvents, irradiation, genetic engineering (GMOs), synthetic pesticides, or chemical fertilizer. Instead, farmers rely on natural substances and <a href="https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2012/03/22/organic-101-what-usda-organic-label-means" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">mechanical, physical, or biologically based farming</a> techniques to cultivate healthy and organic crops.</p><p>Before the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, no hemp-derived products could be dubbed as "certified organic" since the hemp plant and its extracts were still categorized as a Schedule I Controlled Substance. However, it's still difficult for CBD companies to obtain a USDA certified organic label for their products due to the legal grey area that still surrounds CBD extracts. </p><p>Because of these challenges, and due to the fact that industrial hemp has only recently become an agricultural crop, very few CBD oils are USDA certified organic. Rather, many CBD products contain hemp extracts from plants that were grown in organic conditions but may not be federally certified.</p><h2>What are the Best Organic CBD Oil Brands?</h2><p><em>Each product featured here has been independently selected by the writer. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.</em></p><em><br></em>
<h2>Why Organic Hemp Oil Matters</h2><p>Hemp is a unique plant, not only for its rich cannabinoid content, but also for its ability to absorb a wide variety of components in soil. But this trait poses great risks when it comes to the creation of CBD products derived from hemp.</p><p>Because hemp has a high capacity for compound uptake, this means that the plants can retain <a href="https://www.remedyreview.com/industry/lab-test-results/" target="_blank">harmful chemicals like pesticides</a>, heavy metals, and other residual solvents. This is especially true when it comes to synthetic chemicals that are more toxic to humans, and difficult to remove once they have been absorbed by the hemp plant.</p><p>Organic farming practices help reduce the risk of hemp crops absorbing harsh chemicals that may later end up in CBD oil after extraction. When you're taking CBD as a wellness supplement to help alleviate your symptoms or improve your overall well-being, the last thing you want is to ingest compounds that might negatively outweigh the benefits of CBD. This is an important reason to look for third party lab test results when shopping for CBD products since these certificates of analysis can show the full cannabinoid and terpene profile of a hemp extract, as well as test results that search for the presence of any residual solvents.</p><p>In addition to creating a better end product, organic farming practices are also better for the environment. Sustainable and organic farming methods may <a href="https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-eating/organic-foods.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reduce pollution, conserve water, reduce soil erosion, increase soil fertility, and use less energy</a>. The use of natural pest deterrents as opposed to chemical pesticides is also better for nearby animal populations and ecosystems.</p><h3>Organic vs. Natural</h3><p>While there are only a select few companies offering certified organic ingredients in their products, almost every brand in the CBD market creates "natural" products. The term "all-natural" or "plant-based" does not mean that a product is organic, and since hemp oil is a natural derivative of hemp plants, these products are often referred to as all-natural. However, there are some synthetic CBD oils that should be avoided because they are chemically constructed and may produce unwanted side effects that are not caused by naturally derived CBD extracts.</p><h2>What are the Benefits of Organic CBD Oil?</h2><p>There's a long list of potential CBD oil health benefits, and some of the most common wellness advantages include:</p><ul class="ee-ul"><li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2503660/" target="_blank">Chronic pain relief</a></li><li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4604171/" target="_blank">Anti-anxiety effects</a></li><li>Better sleep</li><li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/inner-source/201901/cbd-oil-mental-health-should-you-take-it-too" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Improvements in mood</a></li><li>Internal balance and regulation</li></ul><p>When dealing with pain, inflammation, sleep issues, and mental health struggles, it can be hard to find sufficient treatment options. The use of certain prescriptions can cause unwanted side effects, yet they are often the only solution for patients with these medical conditions. In search of other therapies, people have started to flock towards CBD oil as an alternative remedy for a variety of conditions. However, it should be noted that CBD products are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and you should seek your doctor's advice before using CBD if you have a serious medical condition.</p><h2>Look at the Labels Before You Buy CBD Oil</h2><p>When you go online to buy CBD oil, you'll quickly realize there is an overwhelming number of brands that are saturating the market. It can be difficult to determine which products are truly as good as they make themselves out to be. Always look for up-to-date third-party lab tests so you know you are getting a great product, and don't hesitate to contact the brand if you have any additional questions. And if you're intent on purchasing 100% organic CBD oil, it's best to look for certified products or brands that are held to strict regulatory standards.</p><p><strong>Melena Gurganus </strong>is the Reviews Editor at EcoWatch. She is passionate health and wellness and her writing aims to help others find products they can trust. Her work has been featured in publications such as Health, Shape, Huffington Post, Cannabis Business Times, and Bustle.<br></p>
Spruce
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjI3OC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyOTM2NzgzOX0.axY0HjeqRctJsR_KmDLctzDpUBLBN-oNIdqaXDb4caQ/img.jpg?width=980" id="774be" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8379f35b1ca8a86d0e61b7d4bfc8b46e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="spruce organic cbd oil" data-width="710" data-height="959" /><p>As one of the best brands in the business, Spruce CBD is well-known for its potent CBD oils that feature many additional beneficial phytocannabinoids. This brand works with two family-owned, sustainably focused farms in the USA (one located in Kentucky and one in North Carolina) to create its organic, small product batches. The max potency Spruce CBD oil contains 2400mg of full-spectrum CBD extract, but the brand also offers a lower strength tincture with 750mg of CBD in total.</p>
$89
CBDistillery
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDcwMjkzNC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMTU4OTM4Nn0.ypRdeDSBcE87slYrFfVrRwtJ2qGIK6FD5jBB4pndTMo/img.jpg?width=980" id="b473b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9930b53c9d58cb49774640a61c3e3e75" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="cbdistillery cbd oil" data-width="1244" data-height="1244" /><p>All of the products from CBDistillery are <a href="https://ushempauthority.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">U.S. Hemp Authority Certified</a>, and for good reason. The company only uses non-GMO and pesticide-free industrial hemp that's grown organically on Colorado farms. Its hemp oils are some of the most affordable CBD products on the market, yet they still maintain a high standard of quality. CBDistillery has a wide variety of CBD potencies across its product line (ranging from 500mg to 5000mg per bottle) and offers both full-spectrum and broad-spectrum CBD oils to give customers a completely thc-free option.</p>
$35
FAB CBD
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjIyNS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2NDIwOTEyMn0.MlTjz096FJ0ev_-soK7_Z-FeQeJczWoeh9Qi9SSkHsY/img.jpg?width=980" id="04b26" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="76aa4862f44603242e318982acea6646" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="fab cbd oil" data-width="800" data-height="800" /><p>For an organic CBD oil that has it all, FAB CBD offers plenty of variety for any type of consumer. All of its products are made with zero pesticides and extracted from organically grown Colorado industrial hemp. FAB CBD oil comes in five all-natural flavors (mint, vanilla, berry, citrus, and natural) and is also available in four strengths (300, 600, 1200, and 2400mg per bottle).</p>
$39
NuLeaf Naturals
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjIxOS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NzExNTgyMX0.D6qMGYllKTsVhEkQ-L_GzpDHVu60a-tJKcio7M1Ssmc/img.jpg?width=980" id="94e4a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3609a52479675730893a45a82a03c71d" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="nuleaf naturals organic cbd oil" data-width="600" data-height="600" /><p>As an industry-leading brand, it comes as no surprise that NuLeaf Naturals sources its CBD extract from organic hemp plants grown on licensed farms in Colorado. The comany's CBD oils only contain two ingredients: USDA certified organic hemp seed oil and full spectrum hemp extract.</p><p>NuLeaf Naturals uses one proprietary CBD oil formula for all of its products, so you will get the same CBD potency in each tincture (60mg per mL), but can purchase different bottle sizes depending on how much you intend to use.</p>
$38.50
Charlotte's Web
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDcwMjk3NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MzQ0NjM4N30.SaQ85SK10-MWjN3PwHo2RqpiUBdjhD0IRnHKTqKaU7Q/img.jpg?width=980" id="84700" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a2174067dcc0c4094be25b3472ce08c8" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="charlottes web cbd oil" data-width="1244" data-height="1244" /><p>Perhaps one of the most well-known brands in the CBD landscape, Charlotte's Web has been growing sustainable hemp plants for several years. The company is currently in the process of achieving official USDA Organic Certification, but it already practices organic and sustainable cultivation techniques to enhance the overall health of the soil and the hemp plants themselves, which creates some of the highest quality CBD extracts. Charlotte's Web offers CBD oils in a range of different concentration options, and some even come in a few flavor options such as chocolate mint, orange blossom, and lemon twist.</p>
$60
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A large loggerhead with other injuries washed ashore during the latest cold-stunning event and was treated at New England Aquarium. New England Aquarium
Hundreds of endangered sea turtles were stranded on beaches after suffering "cold stunning" in the waters off Cape Cod, Mass. Local rescuers and wildlife rehabilitators stabilized the turtles at the New England Aquarium (NEAQ) and National Marine Life Center and began treatment. Many of the sea turtles were transported by land or air to partner facilities around the Eastern Seaboard for longer-term care to make room for more incoming, cold-stunned animals.
<p>"Cold stunning" is a hypothermic reaction that occurs when sea turtles are exposed to cold water for a prolonged time, explained Connie Merigo, NEAQ's Director of the Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Department. The dangerous condition typically develops in sea turtles when water temperatures reach 50 degrees F and cause the animals to stop eating and swimming, she said. They float, unable to eat or dive, exposed constantly to wind and waves. When winds shift onshore after storms, they work with surface currents and high tides to push stunned turtles onto the shore, where beach walkers find and rescue them.</p><p>"Sea turtles are ectothermic, meaning they take on the temperature of the water or air around them," Bette Zirkelbach told EcoWatch. "They are not able to regulate their body temperature, so cold water temperatures become dangerous for these turtles. A lower body temperature slows the turtles' heart rate and circulation, lowering oxygen levels and leading to severe lethargy. If left untreated, cold-stunning can progress to shock, pneumonia and even death."</p><p>Zirkelbach is the manager at <a href="https://www.turtlehospital.org/" target="_blank">The Turtle Hospital</a> in Marathon, Florida, a facility that received 40 critically endangered Kemp's ridley sea turtles last week from NEAQ for longer-term care.</p><p>"When turtles are cold-stunned, they appear dead. There is no movement and very little reflex," Merigo told EcoWatch. "Sometimes we need a Doppler and an ultrasound to even detect a heartbeat because a turtle's heart slows so much when it is cold-stunned. It can slow to just three beats a minute even, but you can usually still save that turtle."</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDg2NzIyOC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1MTk2NTkxM30.uPQ4mM8LmDGvoiUdYSTwmJQVKL35MUGjLJoI1N3Uabg/img.jpg?width=980" id="a364f" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="952b9deffdc016a498dc630a2ba3029a" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1200" data-height="675" />
Rehabilitators at The Turtle Hospital in the Florida Keys assess critically endangered, cold-stunned Kemp's ridley sea turtles flown in after rescue in New England. The Turtle Hospital
<p>NEAQ and local rescuers begin seeing turtles every fall when water temperatures drop to that 50 degrees F threshold, and typically expect to find them into early January. After that, <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/sea-turtle-cape-cod-weather-2621527394.html" target="_self">temperatures are so cold that any animals found are usually no longer alive</a>.</p><p>Merigo estimated that this year's cold season "looks very busy" and noted that local rescue efforts had already surpassed 400 turtles.</p><p>"It is a lot of animals. They're still coming in," she told EcoWatch as she surveyed 39 rescued turtles that day and 20 the day prior. "So far, this is a huge year."</p><p>At NEAQ, the turtles are gradually warmed up about five to 10 degrees F a day. More aggressive warming can cause serious damage and the turtle might not survive, Merigo said. Emergency treatments also include providing replacement fluids, balancing electrolytes and addressing pneumonia. Assessments take place for other serious problems too, such as shell or limb fractures, frostbite, emaciation and eye damage.<span></span></p><p>As local aquariums don't have the capacity to care for all the injured turtles, a group of private pilots called <a href="https://www.turtlesflytoo.org/" target="_blank">"Turtles Fly Too"</a> donated planes, fuel and time to transport some to various partner facilities around the country. Other turtles were driven to closer care facilities.</p><p>"We have a huge network of really great partners working with us, so if we can spread out the care, we can give better care to all the animals," Merigo said.</p><p>The 40 Kemp's ridley sea turtles recovering in The Turtle Hospital will continue to be treated and rehabilitated anywhere from 30 days to a year, depending on the severity of injuries, Zirkelbach said.</p><p>The turtle expert noted that while she's treated cold-stunned turtles from the north before, the newest arrivals were the most cold-stunned Kemp's ridleys ever received at one time.</p><p>Kemp's ridleys are the most endangered species of sea turtle in the world, Zirkelbach and Merigo confirmed. They are also the smallest species of sea turtle, according to <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/kemps-ridley-turtle" target="_blank">NOAA</a>.</p><p>The majority of cold-stunned animals are juvenile Kemp's ridley sea turtles, estimated to be between one and five years old, Zirkelbach said. Merigo hypothesized that their smaller size contributes to cold-stunning sooner than other species, and are also washing up on beaches earlier.</p><p>Merigo noted that sea turtles are really resilient, making the entire rescue and rehabilitation program worth it. Once warm, fully rehabilitated and healthy, the turtles recovering at The Turtle Hospital will go to another part of Florida where juvenile Kemp's ridley sea turtles will return to the ocean, Zirkelbach said.</p><p>"Sea turtles have a built-in GPS, so <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/sea-turtles-navigation-science-2646450308.html" target="_self">they will get back on track</a>," she assured.</p><p>Both experts noted a potential connection with the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_self">climate crisis</a>, and a 2019 <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0211503" target="_blank">study</a> found that warming seas increase cold-stunning events for Kemp's ridley sea turtles in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean. Warmer global temperatures do not cause the cold-stunning, but could explain why the turtles are in the area in the first place.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDg2NzIzMy9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY3NDg5MTg1OH0.qIGYpM3tAp8-Gx8SnIjL3FMRfttYLhCgZvjAtUXwZUk/img.jpg?width=980" id="2c3c9" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="02cad25916148ea692ea1914462dad64" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1200" data-height="675" />
<p><br/></p>After rescue, cold-stunned sea turtles received immediate emergency care and assessments at the New England Aquarium. Caitlin Cunningham / New England Aquarium
<p>In the past decade, the Gulf of Maine, which spans from Cape Cod to Nova Scotia, has warmed 99 percent faster than the rest of the ocean, Zirkelbach said. The warm water encourages turtles that migrate north along the Gulf Stream in warmer months to stay in the bay longer.</p><p>"Turtles that fail to migrate south get stuck in the unique horseshoe-shaped topography of the Cape Cod peninsula, and when temperatures drop, the bay becomes a death trap," she added.</p><p>Before ocean temperatures warmed, the waters of Maine were too cold for many of these sea turtles, Merigo echoed. Now, with warming sea surface temperatures, Maine can reach the high 70s to low 80s, which is "perfect turtle temperature," she said. The potential for more turtles getting trapped in the bay and then cold-stunned is nerve-racking for Merigo.</p><p>In addition to shifting habitats as waters warm, warming global temperatures also disrupt natural gender balance in sea turtles, Merigo warned. Gender is determined by the temperature of eggs in nests, and as the planet warms, it will result in all females at some point, she said.</p><p>"The turtles we work with are all endangered and threatened," Merigo said. "For sea turtles in general, the future is a little grim. Climate change is real; it does impact them."</p>From Your Site Articles
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Florida National Guard / Flickr / CC BY 2.0
From broken buildings to uprooted trees, extreme weather can leave behind a lot of visible damage. But there is invisible damage, too. Many survivors face mental health struggles after a storm.
<p>"They've experienced traumatic loss, fear, displacement. It's very traumatizing, and that's an abnormal feeling," says social worker Darcy Abbott. "And people need reassurance that it's normal to feel that way — an abnormal event has occurred — and that there's resources and support there … and that they will be resilient and they will get through this."</p>
<iframe style="border: none" src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/16549436/height/45/theme/standard/thumbnail/yes/direction/backward/" height="45" width="100%" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe>
<p>Abbott became the mental health coordinator for disaster recovery at the Florida Division of Emergency Management last year.</p><p>After an event such as a hurricane, her job is to work with state agencies, relief organizations, and private counselors to coordinate services so that the state can respond to residents' needs during the recovery process.</p><p>Abbott says that her position is unique. Other states have mental health coordinators, but Florida is the first to connect the role with emergency management.</p><p>And in a state vulnerable to hurricanes and rising seas, the role will be crucial as the climate changes.</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2020/11/florida-hires-mental-health-coordinator-to-help-people-recover-from-disasters/" target="_blank">Yale Climate Connections</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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Men remain trapped on a flooded street in Honduras on November 6, 2020; across Central America, scores of people have died as a result of Hurricane Eta. Orlando Sierra /AFP / Getty Images
A restrengthening Tropical Storm Eta hit the Florida Keys Sunday night.
<p>Officials warn it could strengthen into a hurricane and dump six to 12 inches of rain across an already saturated South Florida as it <a href="https://newsletter.climatenexus.org/e2t/tc/VWgdWm7Tqpz_W7JK8pk8RTcNXW37H_hZ4jb1btN4qMxLG5nxHXV3Zsc37CgBfFW7v-nMw13SXwwW5sJFT52WbTZPW1Xv28l8NfMQwW4GxL7K89TkNmW3rCHby96PMsnN1chv1DF8YMjW2ZgQG1213t76VqffBc4DsnqVW5Q54TS8c_6-nW1wFWW07xL2TDW5bMRW71DKHYtW2wXWVr1zrYGjW2Y728T1SlgDyW4rWvcV5vqhD-VTxGBs5J8N-yVt7xZG6pxCNFW60H_n371xfdCW3j2yYf54NvH7W610N_Y70GJrCW5gdfqv6d_z3SW8YcksT4gRs_nN92XZl0fF9HvW2gYF6l8RnBgqN5lQ0gN6vPQVN77d-LGBx3MYW85Qwd74GhZQcW7nxLCL61FCt_VsP1H72JhB3fMfFrkPwKC0zW74NTgM2LDGFpW7HhjMd5dJgwMN2r-9vzBwF8HW8t2D1h2rsfQ_W8W9b7y8hfTR9W7gRZxG6XSkldW8SyV9g5mjKKLW6clGrG8R1mD7W4GWB6K8CCdLCW9lQnby7lR7jTN8x91kngdGF7W5c8-v79jJybJW33BM-36BNDRwW2QFLkV1P4srlW21XvR02vjVWF3mzL1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">meanders</a> around the southeastern Gulf of Mexico for days.</p><p>Eta's Florida landfall comes as its human toll in Central America is revealed. At least 100 people were killed in the mountain village of Queja, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala. For an expanded summary of coverage, including local outlets, see <a href="https://newsletter.climatenexus.org/e2t/tc/VWgdWm7Tqpz_W7JK8pk8RTcNXW37H_hZ4jb1btN4qMxLG3p_9LV1-WJV7CgWMvVn-Nzw25QgzzVYS4Rq4md0KDN3s5rH1819nbW44jJ3t46sxN_W8P_s724VjVpLN87CSw8yXm1TW1dLLyy7XzfGHW6htccV4Gb2yTW6r7hwc5_vtf-W4QK6Dz1ws3qHW5c1pJQ15jGXlW2GR-DH5v5FYfVlyYwS24q9SnW7xvXGT5jBr1SW6B2Nm65DjbN7W8B9NTC3PkdxsVL9J_Q1Q0WnnW7S5qLK2spdl5N8vLHtqkyTZ1W8T9gKL195-lBW4yVjSH2fyfcnN4vQwjWbnxvZW7kFj_v2zYwz_W5RXpwq3Xk7c1W31D7Zl7T4z3WW6xqkLq5mSxRmN4FB9v_DnykDN813S6LB3JNr3kHR1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Nexus Media News</a>.</p>
<p><strong>For a deeper dive:</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/broadcast-networks/three-years-corporate-broadcast-news-hurricane-coverage-failed-mention-specific" target="_blank">Nexus Media News</a><br/></p><p><em>For more </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/climate-change-news/" target="_blank"><em>climate change</em></a><em> and </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/business/renewables/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>clean energy</em></a><em> news, you can follow Climate Nexus on </em><a href="https://twitter.com/ClimateNexus" target="_blank"><em>Twitter</em></a><em> and </em><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ClimateNexus/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Facebook</em></a><em>, and sign up for daily </em><a href="http://climatenexus.us4.list-manage1.com/subscribe?u=d1f5797e59060083034310930&id=7c84c08aaa" target="_blank"><em>Hot News</em></a><em>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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A flying squirrel in Florida. Despite their name, flying squirrels do not actually fly, but rather glide between trees. Danita Delimont / Gallo Images / Getty Images Plus
In January of 2019, a concerned citizen in Marion County, Florida noticed something strange: Someone was trapping flying squirrels.
<p>The anonymous tipster notified the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), launching a 19-month investigation that uncovered an elaborate flying-squirrel trafficking operation in which up to 3,600 of the protected <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/animals/" target="_self">animals</a> were captured and sold as part of the international <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/illegal-wildlife-trade" target="_self">illegal wildlife trade</a>.</p><p>"<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/wildlife" target="_self">Wildlife</a> <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/conservation" target="_self">conservation</a> laws protect Florida's precious natural resources from abuse," the investigation's section leader Maj. Grant Burton said in an <a href="https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/FLFFWCC/bulletins/2a6945a" target="_blank">FWC press release Monday</a>. "The concerned citizen who initially reported this activity started an investigation that uncovered a major smuggling operation. These <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/poaching" target="_self">poachers</a> could have severely damaged Florida's wildlife populations."</p>
<p>The investigation has so far uncovered seven suspects. Together, the group has racked up 25 felony charges including racketeering, money laundering and scheming to defraud.</p><p>"With the exception of one individual, all those involved have been arrested, so we felt it was the right time to highlight this case," FWC spokeswoman Shannon Knowles told the <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/news/state/florida/article246561948.html" target="_blank">Miami Herald</a>.</p><p>The arrests took place between April and August of this year and include four men from Florida and two men from Georgia. In addition to targeting flying squirrels, the Florida suspects also caught and sold protected freshwater turtles and alligators, FWC said.</p><p>All told, the poachers set at least 10,000 squirrel traps throughout central Florida over a three year period.</p>
<p>The operation worked roughly like this:</p><ol><li>Poachers set traps for squirrels in several Florida counties.</li><li>The captured squirrels were sold to a wildlife dealer in Bushnell, Florida who laundered the wild squirrels through a licensed business that claimed they were bred in captivity.</li><li>South Korean buyers would buy the squirrels from Bushnell and have them driven to Chicago.</li><li>In Chicago, the squirrels' true origin was further concealed, and a wildlife exporter would send them to Asia without knowing they had been obtained illegally.</li><li>When the operation grew larger, drivers from Georgia would help transport the squirrels from Florida to Chicago in rental cars.</li></ol>
<p>The Bushnell wildlife dealer earned at least $213,800 in illegal proceeds, and the international retail value of the stolen squirrels will probably surpass $1 million, FWC estimated.</p><p>Despite their name, flying squirrels do not actually fly, the Miami Herald pointed out. Instead, they glide between trees. They are one of many small, exotic mammals that have become popular pets in South Korea and other parts of East Asia, University of Florida in Gainesville wildlife ecology and conservation associate professor Steve Johnson told <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/19/us/squirrel-trafficking-ring-florida.html" target="_blank">The New York Times</a>. They are also sometimes featured in cafes where patrons can interact with cute animals.</p><p>However, Johnson pointed out that flying squirrels were not well-suited to domestication.</p><p>"I don't see the point at having a gnawing, nocturnal rodent as a pet," he said.</p><p>In their natural habitat, however, they are an important meal for owls and rat snakes. Johnson thought their absence could have an impact on their predators, but also noted that they reproduced quickly and that their population would likely rebound now that the poachers have been apprehended.</p>
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'A Jurassic Park Experiment': Watchdog Groups Condemn Decision to Release Genetically Modified Mosquitoes in Florida
20 August 2020
Health + Wellness
While chemical mosquito population control measures have been used with some degree of success, they are toxic to other insect populations and to the health of humans. A different angle of defense has emerged, which is genetic modification of the mosquito itself, making it transgenic. CDC
By Lisa Newcomb
Food safety and environmental groups Wednesday condemned a decision by officials in Florida to approve the release of 750 million genetically modified mosquitoes, a pilot project aimed at reducing the spread of mosquito-borne diseases.
<p><br/></p>
<p>"With all the urgent crises facing our nation and the State of Florida—the Covid-19 pandemic, racial injustice, climate change—the administration has used tax dollars and government resources for a Jurassic Park experiment," Jaydee Hanson, policy director for the International Center for Technology Assessment and Center for Food Safety, <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2020/08/19/750-million-genetically-engineered-mosquitoes-approved-release-florida-keys" target="_blank">said</a> in a press release Wednesday, following a local mosquito abatement board's approval of the project. </p>
<div id="6f0ea" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="0114cc499b274e531924962475ef432e"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1296120251105660930" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">#GMO mosquito trials have shown traces of mutated insects in natural insects -- yet @FLKeysMosquito just pushed thr… https://t.co/JrBjIwT1cZ</div> — Friends of the Earth (@Friends of the Earth)<a href="https://twitter.com/foe_us/statuses/1296120251105660930">1597854123.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>The Florida Keys Mosquito Control Board on Tuesday approved the trial release, slated for 2021, <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2015/01/25/new-study-pokes-hole-gmo-mosquito-plan" target="_blank">following</a> a years-long debate.</p><p>This would be the first U.S. trial of a genetically modified Aedes aegypti mosquito, which can transmit diseases like Zika and dengue, <em>WUSF Public Media</em> <a href="https://wusfnews.wusf.usf.edu/post/keys-mosquito-control-board-approves-first-us-trial-genetically-modified-mosquitoes" target="_blank">reported</a> Wednesday. The exact location of the release—in the Florida Keys island chain—has not yet been chosen, according to <em>WUSF</em>.</p><p><a href="https://wusfnews.wusf.usf.edu/post/keys-mosquito-control-board-approves-first-us-trial-genetically-modified-mosquitoes" target="_blank">According</a> to <em>WUSF</em>, "The genetic modification means only male mosquitoes—which do not bite—survive. The released male mosquitoes breed with wild females, passing along that self-limiting gene."</p>
<p>But watchdog groups warn that the experiment could produce "hybrid wild mosquitoes" potentially more resistant to insecticides and worsen the spread of mosquito-borne disease. These organizations also worry that the abatement board is putting profit margins of Oxitec, the company that produces the genetically modified insects, ahead of public health.</p><p>"The release of genetically engineered mosquitoes will needlessly put Floridians, the environment, and endangered species at risk in the midst of a pandemic," <a href="https://foe.org/news/750-million-genetically-engineered-mosquitoes-approved-for-release-in-florida-keys/" target="_blank">said</a> Dana Perls, food and technology program manager at Friends of the Earth. "This approval is about maximizing Oxitec's profits, not about the pressing need to address mosquito-borne diseases."</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/08/19/jurassic-park-experiment-watchdog-groups-denounce-decision-release-genetically?cd-origin=rss" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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U.S. Coronavirus Death Toll Tops 150,000 as Country Struggles to Contain Virus
30 July 2020
Health + Wellness
A gravedigger at a Staten Island, New York cemetery where coronavirus victims are buried. Tayfun Coskun / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
The U.S. death toll from the new coronavirus passed 150,000 Wednesday, in a grim marker of the country's struggle to control the disease.
<p>The U.S. has now reported more than 4.4 million confirmed cases and 150,713 deaths, according to Thursday morning figures from <a href="https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html" target="_blank">Johns Hopkins University</a>. That number means the U.S. outbreak is by far the deadliest in absolute numbers. While it only holds about 5 percent of the world's population, <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/07/29/896491060/more-than-150-000-people-have-died-from-coronavirus-in-the-u-s" target="_blank">according to NPR</a>, it has accounted for almost a quarter of the world's 667,218 coronavirus deaths.</p><p>"Basically, none of this should have happened," commercial pilot Rob Koreman of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, who has to keep abreast of the numbers because of his work, told <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa/u-s-coronavirus-deaths-top-150000-among-highest-in-deaths-per-capita-globally-idUSKCN24U2HX" target="_blank">Reuters</a>. "We needed state coordination, if not flat-out a federal mandate."</p>
<div id="25b52" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="4f7ab33bd4d2168a055251210ae33a9c"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1288572281128734728" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Confirmed coronavirus deaths in the US have passed 150,000, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.… https://t.co/y4M8Xa8UiL</div> — BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeed News)<a href="https://twitter.com/BuzzFeedNews/statuses/1288572281128734728">1596054546.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>The U.S. reported its first coronavirus death Feb. 29, <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/29/health/us-coronavirus-wednesday/index.html" target="_blank">CNN reported</a>. It took 54 days for that number to rise to 50,000 on April 23, 34 days for it to climb to 100,000 May 27 and another 63 days to reach 150,000. Around 33,000 of the nation's deaths were in <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/new-york" target="_self">New York</a> and almost 16,000 were in New Jersey, NPR reported. Those states were early epicenters of the outbreak, and the nation's daily death toll is still well below the highs of April and early May.</p><p>However, the national death toll has begun to climb following a surge of cases in the South and West. The daily average of deaths for the week ending Tuesday rose above 1,000 for the first time since June 2, CNN reported. In 29 states, the average number of deaths per day was at least 10 percent higher compared to the previous week, and some states are reporting their highest daily death tolls to date. <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/california" target="_self">California</a> broke its record for most deaths reported in a single day with 197 on Wednesday, while <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/florida" target="_self">Florida</a> broke its record two days in a row, with 186 deaths on Tuesday and 216 on Wednesday, according to NPR.</p>
<div id="eed95" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="fbb1747ccadca911e3ebf0237b87099e"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1288571796594147328" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">The U.S. has now surpassed 150,000 coronavirus deaths.
The daily death total continues to climb and is now more t… https://t.co/Se9wDWLeMD</div> — Mike Baker (@Mike Baker)<a href="https://twitter.com/ByMikeBaker/statuses/1288571796594147328">1596054431.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>While the number of new cases is now beginning to fall slightly, <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/public-health" target="_self">public health</a> experts expect deaths to continue to rise since mortality tends to lag behind infections, according to CNN.</p><p>"We have to do better in terms of limiting transmission," T.H. Chan School of Public Health at Harvard chair of immunology and infectious diseases Dr. Sarah Fortune told <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/29/us/coronavirus-deaths-150000.html" target="_blank">The New York Times</a>. "We have this terrible death toll because we have done a lousy job at limiting transmission."</p><p>The death toll has risen much higher than initial predictions, The New York Times pointed out.</p><p>In April, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci said he hoped the toll would not rise above 60,000 and a respected research center predicted a little more than 70,000 deaths by early August.</p><p>"The aspect which is really impossible to predict is human behavior," Yale epidemiology professor Virginia Pitzer told The New York Times of the models. "To what extent are people going to socially distance themselves? To what extent are politics going to influence whether you wear a mask? All of these factors are impossible to factor in."</p>
<p>In <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/coronavirus-death-projection-us-document-2645922038.html" target="_self">early May</a>, the University of Washington's <a href="http://www.healthdata.org/" target="_blank">Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation</a> (IHME) model raised its projected death toll from around 60,000 to more than 134,000 by early August due to increased movement and the easing of social distancing measures. It now predicts around 220,000 deaths by November.</p><p>"I think the fact that we as a country have not been able to get our arms around this, have not prioritized preventing those deaths is all that much more maddening. And so, for me it's frustration, it's sadness. And a resolve to try to figure out how we prevent the next 150,000," Harvard Global Health Institute Director Dr. Ashish Jha, told CNN's Wolf Blitzer. "I think we can, but we're really going to have to work for it."</p><p>Researchers at Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security issued a <a href="https://www.centerforhealthsecurity.org/our-work/publications/resetting-our-response-changes-needed-in-the-us-approach-to-covid-19" target="_blank">report Wednesday</a> calling for a "reset" of the U.S. federal, state and local response to the pandemic in order to do just that.</p>
<p>Its recommendations included requiring masks across the board, increasing testing and reinstating stay-at-home orders for places where cases and hospitalizations are surging, according to CNN.</p><p>"Unlike many countries in the world, the United States is not currently on course to get control of this epidemic," the report authors wrote. "It is time to reset."</p>
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The Florida National Guard collects specimens for coronavirus testing at a nursing home on May 1, 2020. Sgt. Michael Baltz / Florida National Guard
Florida has now confirmed more coronavirus cases than New York, the early epicenter of the U.S. outbreak, in another sign that the U.S. as a whole is struggling to control the deadly disease.
<p>Florida became the second state after California to overtake New York's case count Sunday. It had 423,855 total cases to New York's 411,736, according to Sunday afternoon figures from Johns Hopkins University <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/07/26/895596931/florida-case-count-surpasses-that-of-new-york-the-countrys-original-epicenter" target="_blank">reported by NPR</a>. California, the U.S.'s most populous state, remained in the lead with 450,242 cases, while Texas was in fourth place with 391,000, according to a <a href="https://uk.mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUKKCN24R0IH" target="_blank">Reuters tally</a>.</p><p>"What we have right now are essentially three New Yorks," White House coronavirus task force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx said of Florida, Texas and California on Friday, as the <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/e7a2d746-35f9-4669-a56b-d8e256889343" target="_blank">Financial Times reported</a>. "That's why you hear us calling for masks and increased social distancing, to really stop the spread of this epidemic."</p>
<div id="d7a78" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="b85676cae18d963e7a34c5ee8d75a0fa"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1287434140573405191" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">BREAKING: Florida has passed New York for 2nd in total COVID-19 cases. The top 5 states by total cases:
1) Califor… https://t.co/szC6VLGFFt</div> — Florida Coronavirus Tracker (@Florida Coronavirus Tracker)<a href="https://twitter.com/FloridaCovid/statuses/1287434140573405191">1595783193.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>New York continues to hold the lead for coronavirus fatalities with more than 32,000, according to Reuters. Florida has the eighth most with nearly 6,000.</p><p>However, deaths are rising in Florida and across the nation. California, Texas and Florida all reported record increases in deaths this week, according to the Financial Times. Florida reported 970 deaths and 3,452 hospitalizations for the week ending Sunday, up from 758 deaths and 3,021 hospitalizations the week before, the <a href="https://www.tampabay.com/news/health/2020/07/26/florida-reports-9344-coronavirus-infections-sunday-78-deaths/" target="_blank">Tampa Bay Times reported</a>. COVID-19 is by far the deadliest infectious disease in the state this year. It is currently killing three times as many people as AIDS, viral hepatitis, the flu and pneumonia combined.</p><p>Nationwide, the death toll rose by more than 1,000 for a fifth day in a row Saturday, the Financial Times reported. Deaths averaged 876 a day for the week ending Saturday, the highest daily average since early June.</p>
<p>The mortality increase follows a surge in cases that brought the U.S. total to <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/us-coronavirus-cases-2646792890.html" target="_self">over four million</a> last week.</p><p>However, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and state health officials thought new infections were beginning to plateau in the state, according to the Tampa Bay Times.</p><p>Birx also told NBC news there was evidence of plateauing in Florida, Texas, California and Arizona, another hard-hit state, as <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/coronavirus-deaths-us-covid-trump-cdc-guidelines-states-reopening-a9638066.html" target="_blank">The Independent reported</a>.</p><p>It is hard to tell which state really leads in cases since the pandemic began, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/26/world/coronavirus-live-updates.html?smtyp=cur&smid=fb-nytimes&fbclid=IwAR1-zmI6vuqH6_4xhLXVU414qXV-L6RDeOa3tibhDhucRJljqRbSRdnIwrs#link-7666357" target="_blank">The New York Times pointed out</a>. That's because New York and California both experienced outbreaks early, when testing was still limited. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/coronavirus-infections-reported-cases-antibodies-2646449259.html" target="_self">published this month</a> calculated that the number of coronavirus infections could be two to 13 times higher than the official case count.</p>
<p>While they are neck and neck for confirmed cases, New York and Florida represent very different approaches to controlling the pandemic, according to NPR.</p><p>New York decreased infections and deaths by late spring, just as infections began to rise in Western and Southern states.</p><p>New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo lifted lockdown measures gradually and has required masks in public since April. Florida's DeSantis, meanwhile, has declined to mandate masks or impose new restrictions since most businesses were allowed to reopen in May.</p>
<p><em>Correction: An earlier version of this story said that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said state health experts thought cases were beginning to plateau in the state. The story has been updated to note that both DeSantis and state health officials said this.</em><br/></p>From Your Site Articles
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Trending
Green Banana will be explored using the same techniques developed for the Amberjack Hole, seen here from a diver's view in 2019. Mote Marine Laboratory
Scientists are rushing to Florida's Gulf Coast to explore a mysterious blue hole located 425 feet deep on the ocean floor.
<p>The mysterious hole, called the Green Banana by scientists, is 155 feet below the surface of the water and is similar to a sink hole on land, according to scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), as <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/scientists-investigate-blue-oceanic-mystery-off-florida-coast/story?id=71919756" target="_blank">ABC News</a> reported.</p><p><a href="https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/20blue-holes/welcome.html" target="_blank">In a statement</a>, NOAA explained why blue holes are both perplexing and important:</p><p>"Little is known about blue holes due to their lack of accessibility and unknown distribution and abundance. The opening of a blue hole can be several hundred feet underwater, and for many holes, the opening is too small for an automated submersible. In fact, the first reports of blue holes did not come from scientists or researchers, but actually came from fishermen and recreational divers."</p>
<p>This sinkhole, which extends nearly 300 feet, is giving researchers from NOAA a chance to explore what purpose these holes serve and what effect they have on the ecosystem, according to <a href="https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a33382170/green-banana-blue-hole-sink-hole/" target="_blank">Popular Mechanics</a>.</p><p>NOAA said that there are many underwater sinkholes, springs and caverns scattered across Florida's Gulf continental shelf, but they have no idea how many there are or where to find them, as <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/blue-hole-florida-coast-search-signs-of-life/" target="_blank">CBS News</a> reported. Every hole differs in size, shape and depth, and scientists believe that most host a diverse range of plants and animals.</p><p>The year-long expedition of Green Banana will start in August, NOAA said. The team will include scientists from Mote Marine Laboratory, Florida Atlantic University, Georgia Institute of Technology and the U.S. Geological Society, as <a href="https://phys.org/news/2020-07-mysterious-foot-blue-hole-florida.html" target="_blank">Phys.org</a> reported.</p>
<p>According to researchers at Mote Marine Laboratory, the holes likely formed roughly 8,000 to 12,000 years ago, when the Florida coastline was about 100 miles further offshore from where it is now due to lower sea levels, as <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/blue-hole-florida-coast-search-signs-of-life/" target="_blank">CBS News</a> reported. While there is no clear discovery date, local fishermen and divers have wondered about the mysterious holes for decades.</p><p>"It was more like word of mouth ... these divers would go out and try to find it, and they had plenty of days where they didn't find anything and other days where, 'Eureka! There's a hole!'" researcher Emily Hall, a staff scientist and program manager at Mote Marine Laboratory, told CBS News.</p>
<p>The holes appear to host diverse biological communities full of <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/marine-life" target="_self">marine life</a>, including corals, sponges, mollusks, sea turtles and sharks. They also discovered two dead but intact smalltooth sawfish, an endangered species, at the bottom of the hole, according to NOAA. So far, NOAA scientists have collected 17 water samples from the area surrounding the hole along with four sediment samples, according to ABC News.</p><p>The researchers are hoping to see if the blue hole is secreting nutrients or harbors microenvironments or new species of microbes. They will also examine whether or not the blue holes are related to Florida's groundwater, or if the two affect each other in any way, and how the blue holes affect the global carbon cycle, according to CBS News.</p><p>Planning for the August expedition is remarkably complicated. Green Banana is 20 percent deeper than previously explored blue holes. "The configuration of the hole is somewhat hourglass shaped, creating new challenges for the lander deployment and water sampling," NOAA said, as Popular Mechanics reported.</p>
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Florida Breaks U.S. Daily Record With Over 15,000 New Coronavirus Cases
13 July 2020
Health + Wellness
People visit Jacksonville Beach on July 4, 2020 in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. Public health experts have attributed Florida's growing coronavirus caseload to people gathering in crowds. Sam Greenwood / Getty Images
Florida broke the national record for the most new coronavirus cases reported in a single day on Sunday, with a total of 15,299.
<p>Florida's Sunday caseload was more than any European country reported during the height of the outbreak there, <a href="https://uk.mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUKKCN24D0I3" target="_blank">Reuters reported</a>.</p><p>"If Florida were a country, it would rank fourth in the world for the most new cases in a day behind the United States, Brazil and India," Reuters wrote.</p>
<div id="95919" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="6609e6cc487787d5a8cd3e218c318409"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1282344989419278336" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">MAY 20: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantisFL) brags coronavirus outbreak “hasn’t happened.”
JULY 12: Florida… https://t.co/PPHEMo2twh</div> — Keith Boykin (@Keith Boykin)<a href="https://twitter.com/keithboykin/statuses/1282344989419278336">1594569844.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>It also reported more new cases than did New York when it was the epicenter of the U.S. outbreak. Sources are divided on the previous U.S. record. <a href="https://apnews.com/798f9aab3bb2e5fbf733413a99476d7c" target="_blank">The Associated Press reported</a> that California held the previous record with 11,694 new cases on Wednesday, while before the record went to New York with 11,571 on April 15. Reuters, meanwhile, gave the previous record to New York with 12,847 new cases on April 10; <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/12/us/florida-coronavirus-covid-cases.html" target="_blank">The New York Times</a> also reported it was held by New York, but with 12,274 new cases April 4. But in any case, the record is an alarming milestone for the Sunshine State with real consequences for its hospitals.</p><p>"It has just been horrifically busy," University of South Florida infectious disease professor John Toney told The New York Times. "It's reminiscent of what everyone dealt with in New York. It's certainly putting a strain on a lot of the systems, even though hospitals are trying to accommodate."</p>
<p>Florida's record comes amidst a surge in cases nationwide and globally. Almost 40 states are seeing cases increase, and the U.S. broke world records by reporting around 60,000 new cases a day for the last four days, Reuters reported. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization reported a record of more than 230,000 new cases total Sunday, according to a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/12/world/coronavirus-updates.html" target="_blank">New York Times update</a>. The previous global record was set Friday, with more than 228,000 new cases.</p><p>Public health experts have attributed Florida's growing caseload to people gathering in crowds and moving around once the state began reopening.</p><p>"Bottom line is, more people are mobile and they're not necessarily taking the precautions we think would help," Dr. Marissa Levine, a professor at the University of South Florida College of Public Health, told The New York Times.</p>
<p>University of Florida epidemiologist Dr. Cindy Prins also attributed the spread to people gathering in crowds, gyms and some restaurants, as well as reports of illegal raves and clubs in South Florida.</p><p>"I really do think we could control this, and it's the human element that is so critical. It should be an effort of our country. We should be pulling together when we're in a crisis, and we're definitely not doing it," she told The Associated Press. "I know people want to live their lives. There have been a lot of other times, people have made those sacrifices in order to benefit our society. It's almost like a war effort. That's what we need right now."</p><p>Instead, the state is largely persisting with reopening efforts, which began in early May, <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/07/12/890216415/florida-smashes-u-s-state-record-of-daily-new-cases-more-than-15-200?utm_term=nprnews&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=npr&utm_medium=social" target="_blank">according to NPR</a>. Two of Disney World's parks reopened Saturday, and the other two are scheduled to reopen Wednesday. Schools have also been ordered to reopen for in-person classes in August.</p><p>"We know there are huge, huge costs for not providing the availability of in-person schooling," Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said, according to The Associated Press. "The risk of corona, fortunately, for students is incredibly low."</p>
<p>The outbreak in Florida is in some ways easier to manage than the outbreak in New York in April, The New York Times pointed out. Some of the increase in caseload is down to increased testing, and hospitals are better supplied and prepared to treat the disease. The state's death rate is also well below New York's at the outbreak's peak there.</p><p>However, daily death totals began rising in the state last week, The Associated Press reported. Health experts predicted this would be the case, since death rates tend to lag behind infection rates by two to four weeks. Florida reported 514 fatalities for this week, an average of 73 per day. It averaged 30 per day three weeks ago.</p><p>The U.S. as a whole reported a seven-day death average of 700 Saturday, up from 471 July 5, but still below the more than 2,200 daily deaths it averaged in mid-April, according to The New York Times.</p><p>Overall, the new coronavirus has sickened 269,811 people in Florida and killed 4,242, the state health department reported.</p>
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Naegleria fowleri (commonly referred to as the "brain-eating amoeba") is a free-living microscopic amoeba (single-celled living organism). Centers for Disease Control
As if the surging cases of coronavirus weren't enough for Floridians to handle, now the state's Department of Health (DOH) has confirmed that a person in the Tampa area tested positive for a rare brain-eating amoeba, according to CBS News. The Florida DOH posted a warning to residents to remind them of the dangers of the rare single-celled amoeba that attacks brain tissue.
<p>The amoeba is known, scientifically, as <em>Naegleria fowleri</em>. Only four people have survived <em>Naegleria fowleri</em> in the U.S. between 1962 and 2016, out of 143 who contracted the disease, as <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/florida-brain-eating-amoeba-warning-naegleria-fowleri-a9603026.html" target="_blank">The Independent</a> reported. There have been only 37 cases reported in Florida since 1962, which makes up nearly 26 percent of all instances in the U.S.</p><p><em>Naegleria fowleri</em> is typically found in warm freshwater such as lakes, rivers and ponds. The Florida DOH has cautioned people who swim in those freshwater sources to be aware of the amoeba's possible presence, particularly when the water is warm, according to CNN.</p><p>The DOH did not disclose where in Hillsborough County the patient had contracted the amoeba, nor the patient's condition, according to The Independent.</p>
<p>The amoeba's deadly effects happen when it causes a rare infection of the brain called primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), which destroys brain tissue and is usually fatal, according to <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/health/brain-eating-amoeba-infection-florida-rare-hillsborough-county-health" target="_blank">Fox News</a>.</p><p>"Infections can happen when contaminated water enters the body through the nose," the DOH said in its letter.</p><p>After the amoeba enters the nose through contaminated water, it then travels to the brain where it causes PAM, according to health officials.</p>
<p>"Infections usually occur when temperatures increase for prolonged periods of time, which results in higher water temperatures and lower water levels," health officials stated in their letter.</p><p>Health officials recommend using a nose plug, pinching your nose or keeping your head above water to avoid the amoeba. They also recommend avoiding water where conditions are ripe for the amoeba to thrive, such as warm freshwater around power plants and shallow fresh water during periods of high water temperature.</p><p>"Adverse health effects on humans can be prevented by avoiding nasal contact with the waters, since the amoeba enters through nasal passages," the DOH said, as CNN reported.</p>
<p>As CNN pointed out, the ancient tradition of treating congested sinuses with a neti pot can also increase the risk of infection.</p><p>"Use only boiled and cooled, distilled, or sterile water for making sinus rinse solutions for neti pots or performing ritual ablutions," the DOH said.</p><p>It is also possible to contract the amoeba in swimming pools that are not properly chlorinated. Since it's only contracted through the nose, there is no chance of developing PAM from drinking it, according to CBS News.</p><p>As CBS News noted, the typical symptoms of a <em>Naegleria fowleri</em> infection include severe frontal headache, fever, nausea and vomiting. Later symptoms include stiff neck, seizures, altered mental status, hallucinations and coma.</p>
<p>Signs of infection typically start a few days after swimming or other nasal exposure to contaminated water. People usually die within 1 to 18 days after symptoms begin.</p><p>"It is essential to seek medical attention right away, as the disease progresses rapidly after the start of symptoms," the health department said.</p><p>The DOH added that "this disease is rare and effective prevention strategies can allow for a safe and relaxing summer swim season," as The Independent reported.</p>
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