By Molly Matthews Multedo
Not much rain falls in the desert city of Tucson, Arizona. And as the climate warms, it's getting even drier. So when it does rain, it pays — literally — to make the most of it.
The city of Tucson pays residents up to $2,000 to help cover the cost of a storage tank that collects rainwater. The idea is to get people watering their plants and gardens with harvested rainwater. That helps conserve the municipal water supply.
But some residents are concerned about contamination in harvested rainwater, especially in communities near sources of pollution. So before residents use rainwater in vegetable gardens, they want to know that it's safe.
Imelda Cortez visits families, bringing materials to test their water.
She works with an initiative called Project Harvest. The program helps residents test the rainwater they collect for E. coli and other contaminants so they know if their water is safe.
Researchers also track the data so they can help communities develop guidelines on using harvested rainwater safely.
It's a way to empower people with the knowledge they need to keep their families safe and prepare for a water-scarce future.
Reposted with permission from Yale Climate Connections.
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Pollution From Air Force Keeps Causing Cancer in Tucson, Residents Say
Twenty-seven years ago, 1,600 residents of Tucson, Arizona's south side settled an $84.5 million dollar lawsuit with Hughes Aircraft (now Raytheon Missile Systems Co.), claiming the Air Force contractor had been dumping the industrial solvent trichloroethylene (TCE) into the water table for 29 years since 1952, causing cancers and other ailments.
Now, more South Tucson residents are coming forward to claim that justice still hasn't been served.
Within the last year, more than 1,350 South Tucsonans have filed claims with the Air Force saying they continue to suffer from illnesses caused by the drinking-water pollution its contractors used to dump into the ground surrounding the Tucson International Airport, the Associated Press reported Sunday.
The Arizona Daily Star, which reported on the story last week, did not yet know the details of the majority of cases, but spoke to residents who blame the pollution for cancers, heart disease and autoimmune disorders such as lupus, which has been linked to TCE.
Air Force spokesperson Mark Kinkade told the Star that the Air Force had not yet made a decision about any of the claims and had not yet set a timeline for doing so.
South Tucson resident and activist Linda Robles, who is organizing the filing of the claims, said that the current claims were from people who either hadn't known about the first round of lawsuits or hadn't been sick at the time, the Star reported.
Robles has personally experienced the devastation wrought by contaminated drinking water. She lost one daughter to lupus, and two of her other children also have the disease. Her ex-husband had a kidney tumor removed in 2016, and her granddaughter was diagnosed with kidney nephritis in 2013. The illness of her year-old granddaughter was what motivated her to say "no more" and start researching water pollution issues, she told the Star in an April 2017 article about the new round of claims.
Another claimant profiled in the most recent Star article, Carmen "Roxie" Castillo, was also motivated by the death of a friend. While she has suffered from lupus, kidney disease, migraines, chronic pain and other conditions since 1992, she finally decided to take action when her 48-year-old friend Michelle Gutierrez died of brain cancer in 2016, she told the Star.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) confirmed unsafe levels of TCE in South Tucson wells in 1981. The contaminated wells were closed in the 1980s, and the city began treating the affected water in 1994. In addition to TCE, the current round of claims also focuses on 1,4-dioxane, another solvent which was discovered in Tucson's water in 2002, the Star reported.
However, Tony Roisman, a lawyer who represented Tucson residents in the earlier round of suits, said that if the current claims develop into a lawsuit, the residents might have a harder time proving their illnesses are a result of the pollution. Since more time has passed, illness could be attributed to age, he told the Star.
While the dioxane was found in the water much more recently, Roisman said in the April 2017 Star article that it is harder to link to cancers than TCE, since the former has only been found to cause cancer in animals and is listed by the federal government as a "probable carcinogen." TCE is listed as a known carcinogen and has been linked to cancer in human studies as well.
EPA Blocks Clean Water Rule to Replace With 'Industry-Friendly' Alternative https://t.co/18AtfOJAlU #EPA… https://t.co/l0sYbblvmy— EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)1517513679.0
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The bright patterns and recognizable designs of Waterlust's activewear aren't just for show. In fact, they're meant to promote the conversation around sustainability and give back to the ocean science and conservation community.
Each design is paired with a research lab, nonprofit, or education organization that has high intellectual merit and the potential to move the needle in its respective field. For each product sold, Waterlust donates 10% of profits to these conservation partners.
Eye-Catching Designs Made from Recycled Plastic Bottles
waterlust.com / @abamabam
The company sells a range of eco-friendly items like leggings, rash guards, and board shorts that are made using recycled post-consumer plastic bottles. There are currently 16 causes represented by distinct marine-life patterns, from whale shark research and invasive lionfish removal to sockeye salmon monitoring and abalone restoration.
One such organization is Get Inspired, a nonprofit that specializes in ocean restoration and environmental education. Get Inspired founder, marine biologist Nancy Caruso, says supporting on-the-ground efforts is one thing that sets Waterlust apart, like their apparel line that supports Get Inspired abalone restoration programs.
"All of us [conservation partners] are doing something," Caruso said. "We're not putting up exhibits and talking about it — although that is important — we're in the field."
Waterlust not only helps its conservation partners financially so they can continue their important work. It also helps them get the word out about what they're doing, whether that's through social media spotlights, photo and video projects, or the informative note card that comes with each piece of apparel.
"They're doing their part for sure, pushing the information out across all of their channels, and I think that's what makes them so interesting," Caruso said.
And then there are the clothes, which speak for themselves.
Advocate Apparel to Start Conversations About Conservation
waterlust.com / @oceanraysphotography
Waterlust's concept of "advocate apparel" encourages people to see getting dressed every day as an opportunity to not only express their individuality and style, but also to advance the conversation around marine science. By infusing science into clothing, people can visually represent species and ecosystems in need of advocacy — something that, more often than not, leads to a teaching moment.
"When people wear Waterlust gear, it's just a matter of time before somebody asks them about the bright, funky designs," said Waterlust's CEO, Patrick Rynne. "That moment is incredibly special, because it creates an intimate opportunity for the wearer to share what they've learned with another."
The idea for the company came to Rynne when he was a Ph.D. student in marine science.
"I was surrounded by incredible people that were discovering fascinating things but noticed that often their work wasn't reaching the general public in creative and engaging ways," he said. "That seemed like a missed opportunity with big implications."
Waterlust initially focused on conventional media, like film and photography, to promote ocean science, but the team quickly realized engagement on social media didn't translate to action or even knowledge sharing offscreen.
Rynne also saw the "in one ear, out the other" issue in the classroom — if students didn't repeatedly engage with the topics they learned, they'd quickly forget them.
"We decided that if we truly wanted to achieve our goal of bringing science into people's lives and have it stick, it would need to be through a process that is frequently repeated, fun, and functional," Rynne said. "That's when we thought about clothing."
Support Marine Research and Sustainability in Style
To date, Waterlust has sold tens of thousands of pieces of apparel in over 100 countries, and the interactions its products have sparked have had clear implications for furthering science communication.
For Caruso alone, it's led to opportunities to share her abalone restoration methods with communities far and wide.
"It moves my small little world of what I'm doing here in Orange County, California, across the entire globe," she said. "That's one of the beautiful things about our partnership."
Check out all of the different eco-conscious apparel options available from Waterlust to help promote ocean conservation.
Melissa Smith is an avid writer, scuba diver, backpacker, and all-around outdoor enthusiast. She graduated from the University of Florida with degrees in journalism and sustainable studies. Before joining EcoWatch, Melissa worked as the managing editor of Scuba Diving magazine and the communications manager of The Ocean Agency, a non-profit that's featured in the Emmy award-winning documentary Chasing Coral.