Water Protectors Arrested in Minnesota After Chaining Themselves Inside Enbridge Line 3 Pipe
15 January
Energy
Environmental activist Winona LaDuke (C) and water protectors stand in front of the construction site for the Line 3 oil pipeline near Palisade, Minnesota, on Jan. 9, 2021. Kerem Yucel / AFP via Getty Images
By Jessica Corbett
Water protectors were arrested Thursday after halting construction at a Minnesota worksite for Enbridge's Line 3 project by locking themselves together inside a pipe segment.
<p>"After moving to Minnesota to attend college and study environmental science, I was excited to be in a place where people valued protecting the Earth and finding a viable future. What I found, however, was a state that had formed 'ambitious' climate goals yet endorsed one of the dirtiest fossil fuels, tar sands oil," water protector Abby Hornberger said in a statement. "I realized that Indigenous ways of knowing and practicing harmony with the environment are continuously ignored."</p><p>KFGO <a href="https://kfgo.com/2021/01/14/2-arrested-during-latest-line-3-protest/" target="_blank">reports</a> that Cass County Sheriff Tom Burch said two protesters who were taken into custody on Thursday now face charges of trespassing and obstructing.</p>
<p>Hornberger explained that "the Line 3 pipeline far outweighs all clean energy initiatives and progress being made in renewable energies. Line 3 will destroy Minnesota's essential clean water resources for future generations and will ultimately drive us into climate doom. Education and spreading awareness is no longer enough to create meaningful change for me."</p><p>"Enbridge's last-ditch effort to build fossil fuel infrastructure is killing people and the planet. I refuse to be complicit in settler colonialist practices, and feel that I have to put my body on the line to protect Indigenous communities' sovereignty and all of our futures," Hornberger added. "This is not just an issue relevant to some, it affects each of us on a deeper level that goes beyond our daily lives. It determines if we will have a livable future."</p>
<div id="5204b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="4238296ced019235c5ebedb5c4188673"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1349769464896745473" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Water Protectors Lock Down Inside Line 3 Pipeline to #StopLine3
(Backus, MN) Thursday morn… https://t.co/NWH4lBcyJY</div> — giniw collective (@giniw collective)<a href="https://twitter.com/GiniwCollective/statuses/1349769464896745473">1610645092.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Indigenous and environmental activists have long opposed the Canadian company's efforts to <a href="https://www.enbridge.com/projects-and-infrastructure/public-awareness/minnesota-projects/line-3-replacement-project" target="_blank">replace</a> an aging oil pipeline with a larger one running from Alberta, through North Dakota and Minnesota, to Wisconsin — noting Enbridge's <a href="https://www.stopline3.org/resources" target="_blank">track record on spills</a> and that cultural maps <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2021/01/14/water-protectors-lock-down-inside-line-3-pipeline?cd-origin=rss" target="_blank">indicate</a> "numerous sacred and significant sites lie in the path of the Line 3 project."</p><p>Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/11/12/nightmarish-indigenous-and-climate-leaders-outraged-over-minnesota-permits-line-3" target="_blank">has come under fire</a> from Indigenous and climate leaders in recent months as the state has approved key permits that Enbridge needs to complete the new Line 3, especially given the Democratic governor <a href="https://twitter.com/govtimwalz/status/1095374006071504896?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">said publicly</a> in February of 2019 that projects like this one "don't just need a building permit to go forward, they also need a social permit."</p><p>As some water protectors on Thursday protested inside a pipe segment a few miles from a man camp in Backus, "dozens more held space," <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2021/01/14/water-protectors-lock-down-inside-line-3-pipeline?cd-origin=rss" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">according to</a> the Giniw Collective. The group also pointed out that "Enbridge is working 24 hours per day at several worksites, as a pending injunction to halt work while tribally led lawsuits are heard has yet to be decided."</p>
<p>Water protector Andrew Lee said that he participated in the action against Line 3 on Thursday "to protect the treaties that my ancestors failed to uphold."</p><p>"I've learned over the course of this year that Tim Walz isn't going to protect us, the government of Minnesota isn't going to protect us, and the federal government isn't going to protect us," Lee continued. "I believe it is my duty, as a colonizer and as a person with the privilege, to do so, to put my body on the line to stop the Enbridge Corporation from building this pipeline."</p><p>"It breaks my heart and enrages me to see how these people are desecrating the Earth and the lengths they will go to leech every last dollar they can from its surface," they said. "But for as much as I'm here in anger and fear, I'm also here in love."</p>
<p>Thursday's action came after eight people were arrested on Saturday, when <a href="https://www.stopline3.org/news/january092021" target="_blank">scores</a> of water protectors and Anishinaabe jingle dress dancers gathered at the Mississippi River, then walked onto a Line 3 worksite. <a href="https://www.stopline3.org/news/january092021" target="_blank">According to</a> a statement from organizers:</p><blockquote>After praying and sharing a healing jingle dance, water protectors went to Haypoint, Minnesota, where Enbridge is actively boring under Highway 169 on its way to the Willow and Mississippi Rivers.<br>Construction stopped as water protectors held space and documented <a href="https://fb.watch/2YA1x0szE0/" target="_blank">irregularities</a> in the pipe being put into the ground. Nearly 30 police squad cars from multiple counties and the Department of Natural Resources were onsite.</blockquote>
<p>The statement, which confirmed the eight arrests, also said that "one arresting officer in a Cass County uniform without a badge refused to put on a face mask and grinned at the crowd as he held a zip-tied water protector. Enbridge's worksites and man camps have quickly become hotspots for Covid-19 in Aitkin County."</p><p>While critics of Line 3 and similar projects have long raised health and safety concerns — including about the <a href="https://indiancountrytoday.com/archive/native-american-and-women-s-organizations-request-un-help-on-sexual-violence-_srxHIWjqEmyrmz9OPMmZw" target="_blank">well-documented connection</a> between man camps and the epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women — the pandemic, which has hit Indigenous communities hard, has further fueled opposition.</p><p>"We saw Minnesota's police officers protecting a Canadian tar sands pipeline being built by mostly out-of-state workers, for sale on foreign market," said Tara Houska, founder of Giniw Collective. "We need good-paying jobs up north that don't require us to destroy our environment. Where is the investment in the north land? Where is the upholding of treaty rights? Where is the Walz administration on this pandemic pipeline?"</p>
<div id="94ce5" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="384e44bc9a6701e11c25627380232d6f"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1347984613700984833" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">We are here to protect the water. Hundreds of us today at the Rally for the Rivers and more every day. We will… https://t.co/ww5HOuF6ZI</div> — MN350 (@MN350)<a href="https://twitter.com/MN_350/statuses/1347984613700984833">1610219550.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Activists are <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/12/15/biden-urged-stand-against-line-3-water-protectors-battle-dirty-tar-sands-pipeline" target="_blank">calling on</a> President-elect Joe Biden to stand up for those "on the frontlines of fossil fuel racism and the climate crisis" by stopping Line 3. On Thursday, more than 75 Indigenous women leaders <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/01/14/over-75-indigenous-women-urge-biden-stop-climate-wrecking-pipelines-and-respect" target="_blank">wrote</a> to the next president, urging him to block Line 3 and two other projects that "pose grave threats to Indigenous rights, cultural survival, sacred water and land, the global climate, and the public health crises within our communities, which have been greatly exacerbated by Covid-19."</p><p>As Houska, Couchiching First Nation Anishinaabe and a signatory to the letter, put it: "The Biden administration can uphold their climate justice claims by acting to stop Line 3, stop Keystone XL, and stop Dakota Access Pipeline, now."</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/01/14/arrests-minnesota-after-water-protectors-chain-themselves-inside-pipe-section-halt" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em><br/></p>From Your Site Articles
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Former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder Among Officials to Be Charged in Flint Water Crisis
13 January
Politics
Former Michigan Governor Rick Snyder is seen testifying on Flint, Michigan's tainted water scandal on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, March 17, 2016. Saul Loeb / AFP / Getty Images
Former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and other state officials face new charges over the Flint water crisis, The Associated Press reported on Tuesday.
<p>Snyder governed Michigan in 2014, when a state-appointed special manager of Flint, Michigan, switched the majority Black city's water supply to the Flint River. The river's highly corrosive water was not treated, enabling it to leach <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/lead" target="_self">lead</a> from aging pipes that contaminated the water system. Bacteria in the water was also blamed for an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease that sickened at least 90 and killed 12.</p><p>"The very fact that people are being held accountable is an amazing feat," LeeAnne Walters, a Flint mother of four who is credited with exposing the contamination, told The Associated Press. "But when people's lives have been lost and children have been severely hurt, it doesn't seem like enough."</p><p>Walters wanted more details about the charges, which are so far unclear. The Associated Press learned from two people with knowledge of the investigation that the state attorney general's office had informed defense lawyers about pending charges and court appointments.</p><p>A source told <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2021/01/12/flint-water-probe-snyder-charges/6642737002/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Detroit News</a> Tuesday that Snyder, top aide Rich Baird and former health director Nick Lyon would face criminal charges. Former Flint public works director Howard Croft will likely be charged as well, his lawyer confirmed. Indictments of up to 10 people could be announced as soon as Thursday. But the attorney general's office has said it is not ready to release more information.</p>
<p>"It's an ongoing investigation," Courtney Covington, the attorney general's office spokeswoman, told The Detroit News. "The team is working diligently, though and we do hope to have an announcement on the status of that investigation soon."</p><p>The new charges would be part of an investigation into the Flint water crisis instigated by prosecutors working for Attorney General Dana Nessel. A previous investigation launched by former Republican Attorney General Bill Schuette had already charged Lyon, among others, but Nessel's office <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/flint-water-crisis-criminal-charges-2638815965.html" target="_self">decided to drop</a> all previous charges in 2019 and start over, arguing that there were major problems with the initial investigation.</p><p>Snyder's lawyer spoke out against any potential charges, arguing they were politically motivated.</p><p>"It is outrageous to think any criminal charges would be filed against Gov. Snyder. Any charges would be meritless," attorney Brian Lennon said in a written statement reported by <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/13/us/michigan-former-governor-snyder-flint-water-charges/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a>. "Rather than following the evidence to find the truth, the Office of Special Counsel appears to be targeting former Gov. Snyder in a political escapade."</p>
<p>However, there is already some evidence Snyder knew more about the crisis than he claimed. In mid-January 2016, he told reporters he had just learned about the Legionnaires' outbreak, The Associated Press reported. But his urban affairs adviser Harvey Hollins later told a judge that Snyder had been informed on Christmas Eve 2015.</p><p>Flint politicians and activists spoke out in favor of Snyder's conviction.</p><p>"It's just wonderful. It's finally here. It's hitting me right now," former Flint Mayor Karen Weaver told The Detroit News. "It's about time. All evidence pointed to him that he knew, that he knew what was going on. It was a cover-up for 18 long months that something was going on with Flint and the water."</p><p>The criminal investigation is separate from a <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/flint-michigan-water-crisis-settlement-2647038028.html" target="_self">$600 million settlement</a> that the state of Michigan reached with victims in August 2020.</p><p>In the meantime, Flint is still repairing its infrastructure. Current Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley told the<a href="https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2021/01/12/former-michigan-governor-charges-flint-water-crisis/6644125002/https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2021/01/12/former-michigan-governor-charges-flint-water-crisis/6644125002/" target="_blank"> Detroit Free Press </a>that a project to replace all lead home service lines was almost finished, with less than 500 left to be excavated.</p><p>"Our community has been through a tragedy it never should have faced, but Flint is strong and we will continue moving forward," Neeley told the Detroit Free Press.</p>
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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
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$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
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$60
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Drought-Stricken Colorado River Basin Could See Additional 20% Drop in Water Flow by 2050
12 January
Climate
The Lake Mead area of the Colorado River basin on Aug. 19, 2019. Udo S / Flickr
By Jan Ellen Spiegel
Colorado is no stranger to drought. The current one is closing in on 20 years, and a rainy or snowy season here and there won't change the trajectory.
<p>This is what climate change has brought.</p><p>"Aridification" is what Bradley Udall formally calls the situation in the western U.S. But perhaps more accurately, he calls it hot drought – heat-induced lack of water due to climate change. That was the core of research released in 2017 by Udall, a senior climate and water scientist at Colorado State University's Colorado Water Center, and Jonathan Overpeck at the University of Michigan.</p>
<p>Their revelation was that the heat from climate change was propelling drought. "Previous comparable droughts were caused by a lack of precipitation, not high temperatures," the study said. And all the factors at play were having compounding effects on each other that made the situation even worse. Those impacts were being felt most acutely on the biggest water system in the West – the Colorado River Basin.</p><p>Without a dramatic and fast reversal in greenhouse gas emissions to slow climate change, Udall and Overpeck said, the additional loss of flow in the basin could be more than 20% by mid-century and 35% at the century's end – worse than currently assumed.</p>
<p>"I always say climate change is water change," says Udall, whose father was Arizona congressman Morris (Mo) Udall, an iconic environmental activist. "It means too much water, not enough water, water at the wrong time. It means reduced water quality. You get all of these things together as the earth warms up."</p><p>In Colorado it's all pretty much coming true. The drought is the second worst 20-year period in the past 1,200 years, according to Udall. This summer/fall alone had some of the hottest spells on record and the worst wildfire season ever. On the other hand, 2013 brought catastrophic floods to the Front Range. "I got 17 inches of water in my house here in four days. It's all part of the same change," Udall says.</p>
<p>It's forced Colorado to start facing the reality that its perpetual struggle for water can no longer be written off as cyclical weather that will all balance-out over short periods of time. It's climate change at work, and it requires long-term planning and likely fundamental changes to the paradigm of how the state gets, uses, and preserves its water.</p><p>The state and individual municipalities are beginning to address their new reality with policies that range from the obvious – conservation, just using less water, to the more innovative – considering using beaver dams to restore mountain wetlands and generally remediating the landscape to better handle water.</p><p>But all those actions and more must face the political reality of the longstanding way water-sharing is handled in the basin. It pits state against state, rural against urban, agriculture against, well, everyone.</p>
<h4>The Colorado River Compact</h4><p>The Colorado River Basin provides water to a massive swath of the Rocky Mountain and western states. The Compact that rules it dates to 1922, with California, Nevada and Arizona – the lower basin states – essentially getting first dibs on water that flows from upper basin states – Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, and Utah – with secondary access to the water, so they generally absorb the brunt of water losses.</p><p>Colorado is a headwaters state – where the river flows down from the continental divide. It relies on whatever falls out of the sky: It does not have the luxury of access to whatever water may flow in farther downstream.</p><p>A process to re-evaluate aspects of the Compact is underway with a 2026 deadline. No one expects the basic structure to change, though other contingencies are likely to be layered on, as has happened a number of times in the intervening years.</p><p>River levels are off some 20% since the Compact was initiated, compounding the water crunch while the region's population has grown dramatically, especially in Colorado. That combination of factors have many water experts and administrators convinced any new strategy has to do more than divvy-up the water differently.</p><p>That's because it's climate change and not cyclical weather causing the problems, Udall says emphatically: "Yup. Yup. Yup." He notes that scientists already see impacts they hadn't expected to see until 2050.</p>
<p>"I think some of the predictions about reduced flows in the Colorado River based on global warming are so dire it's difficult to wrap your brain around them. We have no operating rules for that kind of reduction in supply," says Anne Castle, a senior fellow at the Getches-Wilkinson Center for Natural Resources at the University of Colorado. "Even with these discussions that will be taking place over the next five years for the Colorado River system, I'm not sure that they will be able to get to an agreement about what would happen if flow is reduced by 50%."</p><p>The critical climate change impacts seem to act in a loop: heat causes more evaporation of surface water. The resulting lower water level means water will warm more easily, and in turn evaporates more readily.</p>
<p>Global warming is also changing the dynamics of snowpacks. They melt faster and earlier and don't regularly continue to slowly dissipate, creating a gradual runoff that is more beneficial and sustaining to the water supply. Udall notes that on April 1, 2020, there was 100% of normal snowpack above Lake Powell, which with Lake Mead are the two enormous reservoirs in the system. In a normal year that would provide 90-110% of runoff. But it provided only 52% in 2020 as a result of dry warm weather through fall.</p><p>Sustainable water supplies are also threatened as weather events occur more often as extremes: major rains in a short period of time sandwiched by extended dry periods. Torrential rains that follow a long drought may help the soil, but runoff may never make it to the water supply.</p><p>Wildfires, in recent years larger and longer, complicate matters by dumping ash and crud into water bodies, which results in less water and contamination that can render unusable what water there is. And if difficult climate conditions keep trees from growing back after fires, the resulting ecosystem changes could further damage water supplies.</p>
<h4>Big Ideas in Place</h4><p>"This is not your average variability," says Andy Mueller, general manager of the Colorado River Water Conservation District, which covers most of the water used by the state. "Cooperative management of water resources can really help in these hot dry summers," he says.</p><p>Mueller says the district tried releasing additional water from a reservoir that also creates hydropower. The extra water helps cool the river it flows into – slowing evaporation and allowing fishing and other activities often stopped when the water gets too warm and low to resume. That same water was also used for other hydropower plants downstream. Some then continued to other river areas. And some was diverted for crop irrigation, important given that farming and ranching are the biggest consumers of water in the state.</p><p>Basic conservation – just using less water – is always the first step, but even Colorado Water Conservation Board senior climate specialist Megan Holcomb admits: "We're definitely beyond that conversation."</p><p>The Board is considering systems that employ the technique of demand management: finding ways to use minimal water to allow for storage for dry years. So far, the thinking involves a voluntary program.</p><p>Already in place is an online tool called the Future Avoided Cost Explorer or <a href="https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/4e653ffb2b654ebe95848c9ba8ff316e" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">FACE: Hazards</a>. It helps quantify impacts of drought and wildfires on sectors of the Colorado economy.</p><p>"We know these hazards are going to continue to impact our economy, but we have no numbers to even say how much we should invest now so that we don't have financial impacts in the future," Holcomb says.</p><p>Castle talks about ideas such as consideration of water footprints on new developments and re-developments; integrating land use planning with water planning including things such as landscaping codes; and use of technology at various levels of water monitoring.</p>
<h4>In Search of More Equitable Sharing of Water</h4><p>She notes also a drought contingency plan adopted in 2019 by the Compact states calling for reductions in deliveries to the lower basin. It's pointed in the right direction, she says. "At the same time pretty much everyone involved in those discussions and that agreement also agreed that it was not sufficient," Castle says.</p><p>Many experts have called for more equitable sharing of water reductions. But ideas on what is fair differ from state-to-state and also among different groups within a region where some interests are pitted against agriculture, which accounts for 80% of the water usage in the basin.</p><p>"I think people look at that huge volume of water being used in irrigated agriculture as a place where there's flexibility. And when you get to the politics of working through that in an equitable way, it gets really complicated," says Jennifer Pitt, Colorado River program director for the National Audubon Society.</p><p>The suggestions have included crop switching or alternative transfer mechanisms that call on farmers to periodically grow less water-intensive crops, or pay them not to grow, as a way to make water available for municipal use or storage.</p><p>"From a pure economic perspective, it may seem like you pay them and they're whole," Udall says. "There are actually a lot of things where they don't get whole. They potentially lose a market that they've established over years and a great relationship with a buyer. And if that goes away for a year, that buyer may not come back."</p><p>In the end, experts say people in the Southwest should definitely not count on more precipitation arriving to bail them out. "I would disabuse people of the idea that you're going to get more water," Udall says. "I think it's pretty clear you're going to have less water." So for folks who think building more reservoirs is a solution, Udall says: "It's not at all clear to me that that works."</p><p>But less conventional strategies just might.</p>
<h4>Beaver Dams to the Rescue?</h4><p>Beaver dams are a water management technique that has worked in nature for eons – at least for beavers. Sometimes for people? Not so much.</p><p>But the thinking is they could help slow water loss from high-elevation wetlands. That includes the real deals built by beavers or human-constructed beaver dam alternatives.</p><p>"We think there's a possible synergy there that helps to improve water supply for water users and helps to improve habitat conditions for species – birds in particular – that depend on that kind of wetlands being around," Pitt says.</p><p>The goal would be to protect remaining ones, help establish new ones, and do the same for high-elevation meadows.</p><p>A lot of research is still needed, Pitt says. "There's all kinds of instrumentation that has to go into place to understand the groundwater, the surface water, evaporation, the water balance, what it does to your river downstream," she says. There are water law considerations. And then the inevitable pilot projects.</p><p>Overall, she says, this type of holistic approach to water through natural ecosystem restoration could become a component of water-sharing agreements as have already been done with Mexico. In exchange for getting river areas restored to better flow, Mexico agreed to a sharing agreement it might not otherwise have.</p>
<h4>More People, Less Water, and a Touch of Johnny Appleseed</h4><p>More people and less water has forced Denver Water to work with uncertainties not previously considered. "Variability is the name of the game in Colorado," says lead climate scientist Laurna Kaatz. "And that variability's going to increase over time. That makes it incredibly challenging to continuously provide high-quality drinking water when you're not sure what's coming around the corner."</p><p>The situation calls for adaptive capacity, she says, to provide technical and legal flexibility to adjust for changing circumstances.</p><p>Kaatz pointed to the <a href="https://denverwatertap.org/2018/07/25/how-much-water-will-we-need-in-the-future-just-one-water/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">One Water</a> project that pairs water with usage. For instance, treated wastewater could be used to water a golf course, saving the purest water for drinking.</p><p>Another project is called <a href="https://www.denverwater.org/your-water/water-supply-and-planning/watershed-protection-and-management" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">From Forests to Faucets</a>, which works on watersheds as natural infrastructure to optimize water flow. It has already proved successful at keeping a wildfire in 2018 from encroaching on a reservoir. In April, Denver Water plans to expand its Airborne Snow Observatory, which uses technology developed by NASA to track snow availability, but now it can be deployed above an altitude of 8,000 feet.</p><p>Together the efforts seem to be working – since the 2002 drought, Denver Water has maintained a 22% per-person reduction in water usage from pre-drought levels.</p><p>Steamboat Springs is opting for tree-planting. The idea is that trees will help cool down the Yampa River, which is part of the Colorado River Basin. Hot, dry seasons had been pushing stream temperatures so high that part of the river wound up on EPA's impaired waterbody list.</p><p>"That was a call to action," says Kelly Romero-Heaney, Steamboat Springs' water resources manager.</p>
<p>The timing also dovetailed with the 2015 release of a <a href="https://www.colorado.gov/cowaterplan" target="_blank">Colorado Water Plan</a> that included goals for stream management. Steamboat Springs did a streamflow management plan – released in 2018. In it was the idea of shading the Yampa.</p><p>"What we learned was that flow alone cannot overcome the thermal load for the solar radiation, as strength of that radiation increases over time," she says. "The more that we can prepare the river for that, the better it will buffer against the impacts of climate change."</p><p>They joined forces with the Yampa Valley Sustainability Council's <a href="http://www.yvsc.org/programs/retree-steamboat/" target="_blank">ReTree program</a> that began in 2010 as a reforestation effort to counteract trees killed by pine beetle infestations. It morphed into a three-year Yampa River restoration.</p><p>"That work also increases resilience to future changes," says Michelle Stewart, the council's executive director. "We're really learning the important role soil moisture plays in resilience."</p><p>ReTree planted 200 narrow leaf cottonwoods in 2019 and another 350 this past October. This coming October, its plans are for 450 cottonwoods and 150 mountain alders. All were raised at the Colorado State Forest Nursery from Yampa Valley clippings. "We're using local trees that are already kind of adapting to big swings in temperature and probably have a little bit more of that hardiness that we need and drought readiness," she says.</p><p>It's too early to know how the shading is working but there are plans for citizen help to monitor that and to implement a soil moisture monitoring network in the Yampa Basin.</p><p>"This is a Johnny Appleseed project," says Romero-Heaney. "We plant today and hopefully my children will get to enjoy it."</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2021/01/drought-stricken-colorado-river-basin-could-see-additional-20-drop-in-water-flow-by-2050/" target="_blank">Yale Climate Connections</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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An aerial view of the National Wild and Scenic Little Miami River in Maineville, Ohio, on Dec. 3, 2020. Joe Timmerman
By Joe Timmerman
Few leaves are still falling off trees and down the ever-running water of the National Wild and Scenic Little Miami River, where they float through five counties and 111 miles of Southwest Ohio, into the Ohio River and toward the Mississippi before eventually finding their way into the Gulf of Mexico. Today, these 111 miles of Little Miami River are the cleanest that they have been in the last 40 years, and as the world may seem largely disconnected due to the coronavirus pandemic, a connection between people over time is helping to create the river's lasting sustainability.
<p>Since the end of the last Ice Age before this land was known as America, humans have lived along the Little Miami River and enjoyed the resources it provides — drinking the water alongside its banks while hunting for fish within, using the clay to build pottery or structures, and floating on the surface in kayaks or canoes like the leaves still do today. In that time, the river has seen many seasons of change, from shifts in human culture alongside its banks through community development to biological diversities in its rich, natural environment, <a href="http://littlemiami.com/LITTLE%20MIAMI%20RIVER%20ECOLOGY%20AND%20HISTORY.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">according to the Little Miami Ecology and History report</a>.</p>
<p>When the Little Miami was designated as Ohio's first State Scenic River and included in the National Wild and Scenic River System in 1973, <a href="https://ohiodnr.gov/wps/portal/gov/odnr/discover-and-learn/land-water/rivers-streams-wetlands/scenic-rivers-program" target="_blank">according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources</a>, locals had already been active in its <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/conservation">conservation</a> and return to sustainability for more than half a decade. <a href="https://www.littlemiami.org/" target="_blank">The Little Miami Conservancy</a> (LMC), a non-profit organization fueled by passion for the protection of the river, led the effort in Washington to recognize the importance of protecting the Little Miami River as not only a local hidden gem, but as a national treasure.</p><p>The lower section of the river runs right through the heart of Loveland, Ohio, where LMC and its current executive director, Eric Partee, is based. Partee's passion roots from the original director of the conservancy, Glenn Thompson, who in 1967 embodied the idea that their effort isn't about one single person, but rather about everyone coming together to save the river.</p><p>"Someday, a corridor of green will stretch from one end of the river to the other. Individuals and families will enjoy peace and quiet and restoration of spirit that comes with clean water, birds, and trees," a quote from Glenn Thompson that Partee believes the conservancy has lived up to.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTEyODY5MC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2NTA1Nzk3N30.piiwThj3X1lBU9GHp_ErDiDIWD6SrXBqE25ezB_ACAI/img.jpg?width=980" id="1c9ab" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="951d1a86103962255d1fb94e12581eb5" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1667" data-height="2500" />
A ripple in the water caused by a fish moves below fall trees as the sun rises in Loveland, Ohio, on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2020. The Little Miami River flows through 5 counties and 111 miles of Southwest Ohio, including Clermont County and Hamilton County where Loveland lies between. Joe Timmerman
<p>Since its origin, the conservancy has worked with agencies like the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA), who records the condition of the Little Miami River every 10 years by sampling fish life. In the 1980s, only 4% of the Little Miami River was in full attainment of water quality health, but in recent years, the chart has flipped, and as of 2007, the river is at 96% attainment of health, <a href="https://epa.ohio.gov/portals/35/tmdl/Lower%20LMR_TMDL%20Report_FINAL_FINAL_Nov11.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">according to OEPA research</a>.</p><p><span>"As early as the turn of the century, this river was very well polluted. (There were) a lot of deformed fish, it was not anything close to exceptional," Partee said in an interview. "It took a lot of discussion, a little bit of arm twisting, and some local funding to fund improvements to the sewage treatment plants to ratchet down on phosphorus, which was the main culprit … when we got the treatment plants to ratchet down on that, biology basically turned around on a dime — from terrible to exceptional."</span></p><p>To make sure the river stays healthy, LMC introduced a set of equipment called YSI Water Quality Sondes, which monitor dissolved oxygen in nine locations throughout the length of the entire Little Miami, according to Partee. Each system monitors oxygen every 15 minutes, allowing for constant awareness of river health to prevent a reversion of quality. The conservancy also takes pride in its work on forest restoration through buying riverfront properties, planting trees, removing invasive species, and working collectively to clean up trash in the effort to grow closer to the initial goal of a corridor of green along the riverbank.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTEyODY5Ny9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxNTQxNDMyNn0.aBjqleHZxtgsyzFrgXX3zcmpBjXsYaVVhWOEkGc6J00/img.jpg?width=980" id="198a3" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="20b53c79caa02a5f0bbb9fe3d68a24e3" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1667" data-height="2500" />
Eric Partee, executive director of the Little Miami Conservancy, holds one of nine water quality sondes that are found all along the length of the river, this one in Milford, Ohio, on Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2020. A water quality sonde uses sensors to measure dissolved oxygen in the river, which is recorded every 15 minutes in 3-month spans and is checked once a week by Partee and volunteers of the conservancy. "Ninety-six percent of the river is in full attainment with exceptional habitat quality, it's just in fantastic condition. The challenge is to keep it that way," Partee said. Joe Timmerman
<p>A short walk from the doors of the conservancy is the Loveland Canoe and Kayak Livery, owned by Mark and Robyn Bersani, which is just one of the many businesses along the Little Miami River that rely on its health as their main resource for income. The Bersanis work closely with the conservancy each year by offering and volunteering for cleanups as well as generous donations. This year, along with two other liveries including Rivers Edge and Scenic River, their combined donation to the Little Miami Conservancy's effort was $56,000, according to Bersani.</p><p>"We're involved from a grassroots portion, to actually helping with cleanups, to keeping an eye on the river, as well as donating and continuing to fund the good work that they do," Bersani said in an interview. "It comes down to the people that live along the river, people that visit the river, the people in the community, if the river is going to stay clean. This river is very natural, it looks like it did 300 years ago … it is vital that the citizens all realize they have a role in this."</p><p>Up the road at Loveland High School, Amy Aspenwall, an AP environmental science teacher teaches teenagers the importance of environmental awareness through hands-on experiences in places like the Little Miami River.</p><p>In an interview over Zoom, Aspenwall talked about the importance of students getting out into nature to actually see how humans fit in the environment, because "if you don't see it, it's really not your problem," Aspenwall said. From understanding <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/food-waste">food waste</a> to the water drinking system to sewer treatment facilities, her goal is to allow students the opportunity to realize a sense of civic responsibility.</p><p>"It's important for students to start to think of themselves as a bigger picture rather than just someone following teacher instructions," Aspenwall said. "I want them to start thinking on their own and realize how powerful they are as a consumer."</p><p>Although the Little Miami River is of "exceptional quality," <a href="https://epa.ohio.gov/dsw/tmdl/LittleMiamiRiver#118215922-monitoring" target="_blank">according to a 2010 water quality monitoring report by the OEPA</a>, "the tributaries were generally of a lower quality."</p><p>Michelle Waller, an environmental specialist in the Division of Surface Water at OEPA, discussed the difficulties the river has faced through poor nutrients entering the river due to excess phosphorus from treatment plants and still faces through agricultural runoff from farms, in an interview over Zoom.<br></p><p>Waller said that placing phosphorus limits on the main stem's water treatment plants in recent years proved to show major improvements in river nutrients after the OEPA performed sampling, but other negative sources are out of their reach. "We do not have authority over agriculture the way we do with what we call point sources, the treatment plants," Waller said. "We try to work with local Soil and Water Conservation Districts, they try to get the word out about good farming practices … but there is no real regulatory authority which is a really big problem."</p><p>The majority of land along the Little Miami River is agricultural, unlike other major rivers in Ohio that have industry running alongside their waters. And just like the branches of community that have come together to help preserve the river, many tributary streams and creeks branch out from the Little Miami, though those tributaries can be overlooked.</p><p>As most organizations, including the OEPA and LMC, focus their efforts on upholding the exceptional quality of the main stem of the Little Miami River, there is still work to be done in the tributaries. Partee talked about how there just isn't enough time for LMC to visit every tributary and talk to every landowner. However, near Beaver Creek in Greene County, there is an organization called the Beaver Creek Wetlands Association, which has adopted that very issue. "I think that's probably the best future for the watershed, to have local citizens dealing with multiple tributaries and try to restore or protect it," said Partee.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTEyODY4OC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0OTE5MTEwNn0.uyayiXufa8-kE_LzSnK2cvmu1AOTKpIMUR46fFiu1Lw/img.jpg?width=980" id="0fbaf" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="e46ec59055d4f4d5b303022f14a9015c" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="2500" data-height="1667" />
People bike on a section of the Loveland Bike Trail alongside the Little Miami River in Loveland, Ohio, on Monday, Nov. 8, 2020. Joe Timmerman
<p>Between the shared relationships of the Little Miami Conservancy, OEPA, local government officials, developers, landowners, non-profits, teachers, and local business owners, a community has come together and worked toward the common effort to make a positive, sustainable change in the health of the river.<br></p><p>The timelessness of the Little Miami River will carry on as long as its water continues to run. And as it always has been, it's still up to the people alongside the riverbank to make sure that the water runs clean for generations to come. As the late author Nelson Henderson said, and Eric Partee paraphrased when we talked together, "The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit."</p><p><em>Note: The next OEPA Little Miami River Watershed TMDL Report will be produced and published by 2022, according to the last OEPA TMDL report. </em></p><p><em><a href="https://www.josephmtimmerman.com/" target="_blank">Joe Timmerman</a> is a sophomore journalism and photojournalism student at E.W. Scripps School of Journalism and the School of Visual Communications at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. Joe is passionate about finding natural connections between people and sharing those stories he finds.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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Joe Biden and Donald Trump at the final presidential debate at Belmont University on Oct. 22, 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee. Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
By Brett Wilkins
A report published Tuesday by the eco-advocacy group Environment America urges President-elect Joe Biden to immediately restore critical environmental protections gutted by Trump administration regulatory rollbacks.
<p><br/></p>
<p>The report, <a href="https://uspirgedfund.org/sites/pirg/files/reports/First%20Things%20to%20Fix%20Design%20Final_0.pdf" target="_blank"><em>First Things to Fix</em></a>, notes that President Donald Trump has overseen the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/climate/trump-environment-rollbacks-list.html" target="_blank">reversal or weakening </a>of around 100 environmental regulations during his nearly four years in office.</p><p>"His administration has steadily loosened oversight of polluting industries, eroded protections for endangered wildlife, and stymied efforts to address our most daunting environmental threat: climate change," the report states. "These rollbacks have and will continue to significantly increase greenhouse gas emissions and lead to thousands of premature deaths due to poor air quality every year."</p><p>"By undoing the Trump administration's rollbacks of environmental protections, the Biden administration will be able to protect our natural landscapes and give Americans cleaner air, cleaner water, and a more livable climate," the report continues.</p>
<div id="e7035" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="5da1fd4251ba813b9a67acbfbb8f32f0"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1343951158826725376" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Here’s our recommendations for the first actions President-elect Biden can take to protect the environment. 5 thing… https://t.co/yRSojPMrJh</div> — Environment America (@Environment America)<a href="https://twitter.com/EnvAm/statuses/1343951158826725376">1609257900.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>"Many of the rollbacks have been carried out by the Environmental Protection Agency," the report notes. "Others by the departments of Transportation, Energy, and Interior. A lot of them can be undone through swift administrative action in the early days of a Biden administration."</p><p>The report says that Biden's actions could and should include:</p><ul><li>Rejoining the <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2020/04/28/epas-dirty-water-new-rule-discards-science-ignores-importance-wetlands-and" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Paris climate agreement</a>;</li><li>Repealing the so-called "<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2020/04/28/epas-dirty-water-new-rule-discards-science-ignores-importance-wetlands-and" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Dirty Water Rule</a>";</li><li>Raising <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/03/30/trump-kneecap-obama-era-fuel-efficiency-standards-hurtling-nation-toward-more" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">federal fuel economy and emissions standards</a> for vehicles and reaffirming <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/09/24/days-after-attacking-californias-efforts-reduce-emissions-trump-epa-threatens-states" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">California's authority</a> to set stronger vehicle emissions standards;</li><li>Withdrawing the Trump <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2018/01/06/trumps-offshore-drilling-plan-flouts-law-ignoring-governors-wishes" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">draft five-year plan</a> on offshore drilling; and</li><li>Restoring smart <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2020/08/10/groups-will-sue-unless-doe-updates-26-overdue-energy-efficiency-standards" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">energy efficiency</a> policies.</li></ul>
<p>Additionally, the report recommends 15 policies and actions the incoming administration should consider during its first 100 days, including ending oil and gas drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, protecting endangered species, and reducing methane emissions.</p><p>Earlier this year, nine other environmental groups <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-worst-president-environment-2645034831.html?rebelltitem=4#rebelltitem4" target="_self">declared</a> Trump "the worst president for our environment in history," citing his administration's "unprecedented assault on our environment and the health of our communities" and policies that "threaten our climate, air, water, public lands, wildlife, and oceans."</p><p>Matt Casale, lead author of the new report and environmental campaigns director for the U.S. Public Interest Resource Group Education Fund, said that "air pollution has been on the rise and many of our bodies of water are at risk of pollution."</p>
<p>"As greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, so have the impacts of global warming — from increased wildfires and hurricanes to heat-related illness," he noted.</p><p>"There's a lot to do," added Casale, "but so much of the policy damage from the past four years can quickly be fixed through swift administrative action in the early days of the Biden administration."</p><p>"Biden has the opportunity to use the first 100 days to put us on a path toward a cleaner, healthier future for ourselves, our children, and grandchildren," said Casale. "He cannot pass up that opportunity. We don't have any time to waste."</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/12/29/report-urges-biden-reverse-trump-environmental-rollbacks-and-set-us-path-cleaner" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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person in blue denim jacket holding stainless steel bottle
Photo by Bluewater Globe on Unsplash
Water is essential for life… but what if the stuff coming out of your tap contains more than just H2O? Drinking water can be contaminated with foreign substances that impede your health, but by investing in one of the best water filters on the market, you can ensure you're drinking clean, purified water.
<p>Indeed, there are plenty of ways you can filter your drinking water, and make sure you're not drinking anything you don't intend to. But does <em>everyone </em>need a home water filtration system? And, if so, which kind is best?</p><h2>Environmental Hazards: Why Water Filtration is So Important</h2><p>First, let's consider why it's important to get the best water filter possible.</p><p>For as much as we'd all prefer to believe that our tap water is crystal-clear and perfectly clean, that's simply not the reality. Remember that your water has to travel through <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/plastic-pipes-pollute-water-2649491435.html" target="_blank">miles of pipe</a> just to make it to your home. Along the way, it picks up <a data-linked-post="2214500702" href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tap-water-safe-to-drink-2214500702.html" target="_blank">contaminants or debris</a> from the pipe itself.</p><p>And this is to say nothing of different treatments used on residential drinking water, such as chlorine… some of which can be helpful, but many of which are not.</p><p>It may shock you to know that the <a href="https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">average home's drinking water</a> contains more than 300 contaminants. And if you'd rather whittle that number down to something close to zero, your best bet is with a water filtration system.</p><h2>Different Types of Water Filter</h2><p>So which type of water filter is recommended?</p><p>There are a number of options, and the most convenient tend to be fridge units, faucet units, and pitchers. The best water filter for you will depend on your preference.</p><ul class="ee-ul"><li>A fridge filter will come built into your kitchen appliance and will help filter out any water that's dispensed from the fridge or used to make ice. If you happen to have a fridge with a built-in filter, that's great! However, by their very definition, these filters will leave other home water sources (including bathroom taps) unfiltered.</li><li>Faucet units help you to filter water from these other areas of your home, though again, you may need to invest in multiple units to ensure <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/us-drinking-water-regulation-2647868651.html" target="_blank">clean drinking water</a> throughout your house.</li><li>Another option is to invest in a pitcher that filters water for you, making sure you always have some clean, pure drinking water handy.</li></ul><h2>Reusable Water Vessels: An Eco-Friendly Option</h2><p>Of course, one way in which you can avoid drinking contaminated water is to purchase bottles of water that have already been purified. The problem here is single-use plastic. </p><p>If you do prefer to purchase water rather than use your tap, it's best to buy in large quantities. You can get a large reusable jug and fill it up at a water refill station, such as at a grocery store. Then, you can use a cup or <a data-linked-post="2649345802" href="https://www.ecowatch.com/eco-friendly-water-bottles-2649345802.html" target="_blank">eco-friendly water bottle</a> to carry around throughout the day.</p><p>By having a way to purify your own water before adding it to a reusable container, you can consume healthy drinking water <em>and </em>exercise greater environmental stewardship.<br></p><h2>Choosing the Right Water Filter</h2><p>As you look for the best home water filters, certification is a foremost concern. Specifically, be on the lookout for water filters that rise to the level of <a href="https://www.nsf.org/knowledge-library/what-is-nsf-certification" target="_blank">National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) certification</a>. NSF has rigorous, nationalized standards for clean and contaminant-free municipal drinking water, and the best water filters receive certification after undergoing a testing process.</p><p>There are several third-party and independent labs that test water filters and make sure they're up to NSF standards. Some examples include the <a href="https://www.csagroup.org/" target="_blank">CSA Group</a>, <a href="https://www.ul.com/about" target="_blank">Underwriters Laboratories</a> (UL), and the <a href="https://wqa.org/" target="_blank">Water Quality Association</a> (WQA). If you see any of these certifications on a water filter, that's a good sign that the product has been thoroughly vetted and found to be effective.</p><h2>Do You Need a Water Filter?</h2><p>Most homeowners can benefit from a water filter; this is true whether you're drinking treated city water or water from a well, which can come with its own ground contaminants.</p><p>Some of the most common warning signs that you need a home water filter include:</p><ul class="ee-ul"><li>Your water tastes bad or stale (usually a sign of contaminants).</li><li>Your home predates 1986 (in which case, there could be <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/pittsburgh-lead-drinking-water-pipes-2645610468.html" target="_blank">lead pipes bringing your drinking water</a>).</li><li>You get your water from a well.</li><li>You wash your clothes and they come out looking dingy or dirty.</li><li>You have a constant build-up of scum in your sink or shower.</li></ul><p>If you notice any of these issues, it probably means you have bad water… and, that it may be time to improve your water quality with a new filter.</p><h2>The Best Home Water Filters</h2><p>As for the best water filters on the market, we've tested several and are happy to recommend the following.</p><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>
PUR Advanced Water Filter
<div class="rm-shortcode amazon-assets-widget" data-rm-shortcode-id="2498bfa3ba1f77ac1504f11c69bd81cc" contenteditable="false"> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009CEKY6?tag=ecowatch-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1" target="_blank"> <img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41uXWzk+wfL.jpg" class="amazon-assets-widget__image widget__image"> </a> </div> <p>For a faucet-mounted filter, try <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009CEKY6?tag=ecowatch-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1" target="_blank">PUR</a>, one of the longest-running and most popular brands. This is an inexpensive way to skim out more than 70 of the most <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/forever-chemicals-drinking-water-2644897405.html" target="_blank">common water contaminants</a>, leading to notably improved water taste and clarity.</p>
$36
Brita On Tap Water Filter
<div class="rm-shortcode amazon-assets-widget" data-rm-shortcode-id="5d164de87dc7bc19f047ab1dec07d955" contenteditable="false"> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00006IV0P?tag=ecowatch-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1" target="_blank"> <img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/31qXIern43L.jpg" class="amazon-assets-widget__image widget__image"> </a> </div> <p>An alternative to PUR is Brita. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00006IV0P?tag=ecowatch-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1" target="_blank">Brita's on-tap filter</a> promises improved water purity and major savings, as you won't have to spend nearly as much buying your water by the bottle. It can remove more than 99 percent of lead, chlorine, and other common contaminants.</p>
$26
Brita Pitcher
<div class="rm-shortcode amazon-assets-widget" data-rm-shortcode-id="e44274deb70b46b7b969a33f40497dfd" contenteditable="false"> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LY5FX4E?tag=ecowatch-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1" target="_blank"> <img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/413xXeEmHjL.jpg" class="amazon-assets-widget__image widget__image"> </a> </div> <p>If you prefer your water filtration in a pitcher form, consider <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Brita-Small-Filter-Pitcher-Standard/dp/B015SY3W7K/" target="_blank">this option from Brita</a>. It holds five cups of water, enough to fill two 24-ounce reusable water bottles.</p>
$25
Waterdrop Under Sink Filtration System
<div class="rm-shortcode amazon-assets-widget" data-rm-shortcode-id="c08e403697f45ceb694ddc2f338ee5a1" contenteditable="false"> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089CVMPGR?tag=ecowatch-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1" target="_blank"> <img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/31HhYy9ssTL.jpg" class="amazon-assets-widget__image widget__image"> </a> </div> <p>As for under-sink filters, we recommend this one from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089CVMPGR?tag=ecowatch-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1" target="_blank">Waterdrop</a>, a high-capacity filter that uses a four-stage process to ensure your drinking water is as clean as can be.</p>
$89
Culligan Whole House Water Filter
<div class="rm-shortcode amazon-assets-widget" data-rm-shortcode-id="50ed146df3e2d2d286fc56f3266b1087" contenteditable="false"> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01JIRLRXY?tag=ecowatch-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1" target="_blank"> <img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41K9TnTysqL.jpg" class="amazon-assets-widget__image widget__image"> </a> </div> <p>Whole-house filters are a little tougher to install, and require that the filter cartridge be changed regularly. In the long run, however, they can be one of the more convenient options, guaranteeing clean water from <em>all </em>of your taps. We like the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01JIRLRXY?tag=ecowatch-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1" target="_blank">Culligan model</a> best of all, and it's priced very reasonably.</p>
$59
Get Clean, Fresh Drinking Water
<p>Everyone wants clean, fresh, healthy water… and with the best water filters, you can get it. Start with these recommendations as you look for ways to ensure that it's only good stuff coming out of your home tap.</p><p><em><strong>Josh Hurst</strong> is a journalist, critic, copywriter, and essayist. He lives in Knoxville, TN, with his wife and three sons. As a writer </em><em>an independent reviewer of health products, Josh has written for Health, Shape, and Remedy Review.</em></p><em><br></em>
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From Alaska to Florida, Harmful PFAS Compounds Pollute Water at Multiple Sites in Every State
21 December 2020
Health + Wellness
More than 200 million Americans may be drinking PFAS-contaminated water, research suggests. vitapix / Getty Images
By Lynne Peeples
Editor's note: This story is part of a nine-month investigation of drinking water contamination across the U.S. The series is supported by funding from the Park Foundation and Water Foundation. Read the launch story, “Thirsting for Solutions," here.
<p>Tom Kennedy learned about the long-term contamination of his family's drinking water about two months after he was told that his breast cancer had metastasized to his brain and was terminal.</p><p>The troubles tainting his tap: per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a broad category of chemicals invented in the mid-1900s to add desirable properties such as stain-proofing and anti-sticking to shoes, cookware and other everyday objects. Manufacturers in Fayetteville, North Carolina had been discharging them into the Cape Fear River — a regional drinking water source — <a href="https://governor.nc.gov/news/memo-water-quality-state-action-items" target="_blank">for decades</a>.</p><p>"I was furious," says Kennedy, who lives in nearby Wilmington. "I made the connection pretty quickly that PFAS likely contributed to my condition. Although it's nothing that I can prove."</p><p>The double whammy of bad news came more than three years ago. Kennedy, who has outlived his prognosis, is now an active advocate for stiffer regulation of PFAS.</p><p>"PFAS is everywhere," he says. "It's really hard to get any change."</p><p>Indeed, various forms of PFAS are still used in a spectrum of industrial and consumer products — from nonstick frying pans and stain-resistant carpets to food wrappers and firefighting foam — and have become ubiquitous. The compounds enter the environment anywhere they are made, spilled, discharged or used. Rain can flush them into surface sources of drinking water such as lakes, or PFAS may gradually migrate through the soil to reach the groundwater — another key source of public water systems and private wells.</p><p>For the same reasons the chemicals are prized by manufacturers — they resist heat, oil and water — PFAS also persist in the soil, the water and our bodies.</p><p>More than 200 million Americans may be drinking PFAS-contaminated water, <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.estlett.0c00713" target="_blank">research</a> suggests. As studies continue to link exposures to a lengthening list of potential health consequences — including links to Covid-19 susceptibility — scientists and advocates are calling for urgent action from both regulators and industry to curtail PFAS use and to take steps to ensure the compounds already in the environment stay out of drinking water.</p>
Thousands of Chemicals
<p>PFAS dates back to the 1930s and 1940s, when Dupont and Manhattan Project scientists each accidentally discovered the compounds. The Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, now 3M, soon began manufacturing PFAS as a key ingredient in Scotchgard and other non-stick, waterproof and stain-resistant products.<br></p><p>Thousands of different PFAS chemicals emerged over the following decades, including the two most-studied versions: PFOS and PFOA. Oral-B began using PFAS in dental floss. Gore-Tex used it to make waterproof fabrics. Hush Puppies used it waterproof leather for shoes. And DuPont, along with its spin-off company Chemours, used the compounds to make its popular Teflon coatings.</p><p>Science suggests links between PFAS exposure and a range of health consequences, including possible <a href="https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/pfas/health-effects/index.html" target="_blank">increased risks</a> of <a href="https://dceg.cancer.gov/research/what-we-study/pfas" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">cancer</a>, <a href="http://www.ijthyroid.org/journal/view.html?doi=10.11106/ijt.2020.13.1.19" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">thyroid disease</a>, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412019305094#:~:text=PFAS%20may%20disrupt%20lipid%20regulation.&text=We%20examined%20PFAS-lipid%20relationship%20in%20prediabetic%20adults%20over%2015%20years.&text=Plasma%20PFAS%20concentrations%20had%20positive,associations%20with%20total%20cholesterol%20level.&text=Risk%20of%20dyslipidemia%20was%20elevated%20in%20relation%20to%20baseline%20PFAS%20levels." target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">high cholesterol</a>, <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30823334/#:~:text=Exposures%20to%20perfluoroalkyl%20substances%20(PFAS,fatty%20liver%20disease%20(NAFLD)." target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">liver damage</a>, <a href="https://cjasn.asnjournals.org/content/13/10/1479" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">kidney disease</a>, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41390-019-0720-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">low birth-weight babies</a>, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/pr2015213.pdf?origin=ppub" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">immune suppression</a>, <a href="https://academic.oup.com/ecco-jcc/article/14/Supplement_1/S138/5705603" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ulcerative colitis</a> and <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30626391/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">pregnancy-induced hypertension</a>.</p><p>"PFAS really seem to interact with the full range of biological functions in our body," says David Andrews, a senior scientist with <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.estlett.0c00713" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the nonprofit Environmental Working Group</a> (EWG, a collaborator on this reporting project). "Even at the levels that the average person has in this country, these chemicals are likely having an impact."</p><p>The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has even issued a warning that exposure to high levels of PFAS might raise the risk of infection with Covid-19 and noted evidence from human and animal studies that PFAS could lower vaccine efficacy. A PFAS known as PFBA is raising particular concern with respect to the global pandemic. Philippe Grandjean, a professor of environmental medicine at the University of Southern Denmark and at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and colleagues recently found a positive correlation between severity of Covid-19 symptoms and the presence of PFBA in individuals' blood, <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.10.22.20217562v1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">according to their non-peer-reviewed preprint paper</a> published in October.</p><p>"There is a whole range of potential adverse effects. To me, the interference with the immune system is the most important," Grandjean says. "According to our data, the immune system is affected at the lowest exposure levels."</p>Water Woes
<p>Once PFAS gets into the environment, the compounds are likely to stick around a long time because they are not easily broken down by sunlight or other natural processes.</p><p>Legacy and ongoing PFAS contamination is present across the U.S., especially at or near sites associated with <a href="https://www.nccoast.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/ITRC-PFAS-Transport-Fact-Sheet.pdf" target="_blank">fire training, industry, landfills and wastewater treatment</a>. Near Parkersburg, West Virginia, PFAS seeped into drinking water supplies from a Dupont plant. In <a href="https://pfasproject.com/decatur-alabama/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Decatur, Alabama</a>, a 3M manufacturing facility is suspected of discharging PFAS, polluting residents' drinking water. In <a href="https://pfasproject.com/hyannis-massachusetts/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Hyannis, Massachusetts</a>, firefighting foam from a firefighter training academy is the likely source of well-water contamination, <a href="http://eeaonline.eea.state.ma.us/EEA/fileviewer/Rtn.aspx?rtn=4-0026179" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">according to the state</a>. Use of PFAS-containing materials such as firefighting foam at hundreds of military sites around the country, including one on <a href="https://pfasproject.com/whidbey-island-washington/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Whidbey Island</a> in Washington State, has also contaminated many drinking water supplies.</p><p>"It works great for fires. It's just that it's toxic," says Donald (Matt) Reeves, an associate professor of hydrogeology at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo who studies how PFAS moves around, and sticks around, in the environment.</p><p>It can be a near-endless loop, Reeves explains. Industry might discharge the compounds into a waste stream that ends up at a wastewater treatment plant. If that facility is not outfitted with filters that can trap PFAS, the chemicals may go directly into a drinking water source. Or a wastewater treatment facility might produce PFAS-laced sludge that is applied to land or put into a landfill. Either way, PFAS could leach out and find its way back in a wastewater treatment plant, repeating the cycle. The compounds can be released into the air as well, resulting in some cases in PFAS getting deposited on land where it can seep back into drinking water supplies.</p><p>His research in Michigan, he says, echoes a broader trend across the U.S.: "The more you test, the more you find."</p><p>In fact, a <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.estlett.0c00713" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">study by scientists from EWG</a>, published in October 2020, used state testing data to estimate that more than 200 million Americans could have PFAS in their drinking water at concentrations of 1 part per trillion (ppt) or higher. That is the recommended safe limit, <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1048291115590506" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">according to some scientists and health advocates</a>, and is equivalent to <a href="https://www.secnav.navy.mil/eie/Pages/DrinkingWaterConcentrations.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">one drop in 500,000 barrels of water</a>.</p><p>"This really highlights the extent that these contaminants are in the drinking water across the country," says EWG's Andrews, who co-authored the paper. "And, in some ways, it's not a huge surprise. It's nearly impossible to escape contamination of drinking water." He references research from the CDC that found the chemicals in the blood of <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2072821/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">98% of Americans surveyed</a>.</p>Inconsistent Regulation
<p>U.S. chemical makers have voluntarily phased out their use and emission of PFOS and PFOA, and industry efforts are underway to reduce ongoing contamination and clean up past contamination — even if the companies do not always agree with scientists on the associated health risks.<br></p><p>"The weight of scientific evidence from decades of research does not show that PFOS or PFOA causes harm in people at current or historical levels," states Sean Lynch, a spokesperson for 3M. Still, he notes that his company has invested more than US$200 million globally to clean up the compounds: "As our scientific and technological capabilities advance, we will continue to invest in cutting-edge cleanup and control technology and work with communities to identify where this technology can make a difference."</p><p>Thom Sueta, a company spokesperson for Chemours, notes similar efforts to address historic and current emissions and discharges. The company's Fayetteville plant has dumped large quantities of the PFAS compound GenX, contaminating the drinking water used by Kennedy and some 250,000 of his neighbors.</p><p>"We continue to decrease PFAS loading to the Cape Fear River and began operation this fall of a capture and treatment system of a significant groundwater source at the site," Sueta stated in an email.</p><p>A big part of the challenge is that PFAS is considered an emerging contaminant and is, therefore, not regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). But most of the ongoing PFOS and PFOA contamination appear to come from previous uses cycling back into the environment and into people, notes Andrews.</p><p>A big part of the challenge is that PFAS is considered an emerging contaminant and is, therefore, not regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In 2016, the EPA set a <a href="https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/drinking-water-health-advisories-pfoa-and-pfos" target="_blank">non-binding health advisory</a> limit of 70 ppt for PFOA and PFOS in drinking water. The agency proposed developing federal regulations for the contaminants in February 2020 and is currently reviewing comments with plans to issue a final decision this winter.</p><p>Several U.S. states have set drinking water limits for PFAS, including California, Minnesota and New York. Michigan's regulations, which cover seven different PFAS compounds, are <a href="https://www.natlawreview.com/article/michigan-adopts-drinking-water-criteria-7-pfas-compounds" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">some of the most stringent</a>. Western Michigan University's Reeves says that the 2014 lead contamination crisis in Flint elevated the state's focus on safe drinking water.</p><p>Still, the inconsistency across the country has created confusion. "The regulation of PFAS remains varied. States are all having different ideas, and that's not necessarily a good thing," says David Sedlak, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. "People are uncertain what to do."</p><p>The Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council, or ITRC, a coalition of states that promotes the use of novel technologies and processes for environmental remediation, is working to pull together evidence-based recommendations for PFAS regulation in the absence of federal action.</p><p>University of Southern Denmark and Harvard professor Grandjean suggests a safe level of PFAS in drinking water is probably about 1 ppt or below. The European Union's latest risk assessment, which Grandjean says corresponds to a recommended limit of about 2 ppt for four common PFAS compounds, is "probably close," he says. "It's not a precautionary limit, but it's certainly a lot closer than EPA's."</p><p>GenX, introduced in 2009 by DuPont to replace PFOA, is among a newer generation of short-chain PFAS designed to have fewer carbon molecules than the original long-chain PFAS. These were initially believed to be less toxic and more quickly excreted from the body. But some evidence is proving otherwise: <a href="https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/doi/full/10.1289/EHP6233" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Studies suggest</a> that these relatives may pose many of the same risks as their predecessors.</p><p>"The family of PFAS chemicals being used in commerce is a lot broader than the small set of compounds that the EPA is considering regulating," says Sedlak. "Up until now, the focus of discussion related to regulation has centered around PFOS and PFOA with some discussion of GenX. But the deeper we dig, the more we see lots and lots of PFAS out there."</p><p>Andrews notes that the ongoing pattern of replacing one toxic chemical with another is a problem that the federal government urgently needs to fix. "This entire family of chemicals shares many of the same characteristics," he says.</p><p>"When these chemicals stop being produced, especially in significant volumes across the country, the levels go down," Andrews says, referring to a corresponding drop in PFOS and PFOA concentrations in Americans' blood after the phaseout of the compounds. "But it raises that concern of what's coming next? Or what are we really being exposed to that we're not testing for?"</p><p>Andrews and his co-author Olga Naidenko, also a scientist with EWG, further urge governments to consider one relatively low-hanging fruit: non-essential uses of PFAS. "Even if somebody would make an argument that, for serious fires, we need to use the best foam, I think we can all agree that there's no reason to spray PFAS just to train," says Naidenko. "You can spray water."</p><p>Environmental health advocates express hope that 2021 will bring greater progress on PFAS regulation. President-elect Joe Biden <a href="https://joebiden.com/environmental-justice-plan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">has pledged to set</a> enforceable limits for PFAS in drinking water and to designate PFAS as a hazardous substance — which would accelerate the cleanup of contaminated sites under the EPA's <a href="https://ensia.com/features/superfund/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Superfund program</a>.</p>Breaking the Chain
<p>Meanwhile, the million-dollar (or realistically much, much more) question is: How do we get PFAS out of drinking water? The bond between carbon and fluorine atoms is one of the strongest in nature. As a result, PFAS degrades extremely slowly in nature. "People have called them 'forever chemicals' for good reason," says Sedlak. "These carbon-fluorine bonds want to stay put."</p><p>Because PFAS resists degradation, filtration is the primary strategy for removing it from drinking water. <a href="https://www.epa.gov/sciencematters/reducing-pfas-drinking-water-treatment-technologies" target="_blank">Granulated activated carbon</a> filters can absorb PFAS and other contaminants, although they must be replaced when all of the available surface area becomes occupied by chemicals. The filters also tend to work less well for short-chain compared to long-chain PFAS. Another removal method is the use of ion exchange resins, which can attract and hold negatively charged contaminants such as PFAS. Perhaps the most effective technology to date is reverse osmosis. This approach can filter out a wide range PFAS. At the same time, it carries a high price tag, notes Heather Stapleton, a professor of environmental science and policy at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.</p><p>Stapleton has researched the various filters and finds that all of them can work well. She installed an at-home filter after discovering PFAS in her own drinking water. But that cost can be a significant barrier for many people, she notes, making it an "environmental justice issue."</p><p>The diversity of PFAS compounds also poses a challenge. Community water systems may spend significant resources to install systems for water treatment only to find that while the method might work well at removing one set of PFAS, it can fail to filter another set, says Naidenko.</p><p>Scientists are investigating further chemical and biological treatment methods. Sedlak is among researchers looking into ways to treat PFAS while it is still in the ground, such as via in situ oxidation coupled with microbes to break down chemicals.</p><p>"What we know for sure is we were exposed. What we don't know is what sort of lasting health impact that has on us as a community" – Emily DonovanJoel Ducoste, a professor of civil, construction and environmental engineering at NC State University in Raleigh, North Carolina, laments that currently employed treatment processes still fall short of removing PFAS and providing safe drinking water to Americans. "This has been problematic in our state and is becoming a national problem," he says.</p><p>More definitive science surrounding PFAS — optimal treatment methods, truly safe alternatives and potential health effects — can't come soon enough for those dealing daily with legacy PFAS contamination in Wilmington.</p><p>"What we know for sure is we were exposed. What we don't know is what sort of lasting health impact that has on us as a community," says Emily Donovan, co-founder of Clean Cape Fear, a grassroots group advocating for clean water in the region. Part of their effort, she says, is seeking better medical monitoring of people exposed to PFAS.</p><p>Due to the long latency between exposure and disease — often decades — it is difficult to link any PFAS with specific cancers. Kennedy notes no history of breast cancer in his family and no genetic predisposition to the disease. "Those factors made me believe even more that it was PFAS responsible for this," he says.</p><p>"It seems like that's not the right way to test chemical safety — the big underlying concern here — to expose the population widely. And yet, that seems to be what we're doing now," says Andrews.</p>From Your Site Articles
- How Will the Biden Administration Tackle 'Forever Chemicals ... ›
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After the 2018 Camp Fire (pictured), chemicals were found in buried water distribution networks, some at levels comparable to hazardous waste. Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
By Andrew J. Whelton, Amisha Shah and Kristofer P. Isaacson
When wildfires swept through the hills near Santa Cruz, California, in 2020, they released toxic chemicals into the water supplies of at least two communities. One sample found benzene, a carcinogen, at 40 times the state's drinking water standard.
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<p>Our testing has now confirmed a source of these chemicals, and it's clear that wildfires aren't the only blazes that put drinking water systems at risk.</p><p>In a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1039/D0EW00836B" target="_blank">new study</a>, we heated plastic water pipes commonly used in buildings and water systems to test how they would respond to nearby fires.</p><p>The results, released Dec. 14, show how easily wildfires could trigger widespread drinking water contamination. They also show the risks when only part of a building catches fire and the rest remains in use. In some of our tests, heat exposure caused more than 100 chemicals to leach from the damaged plastics.</p><p>As <a href="https://engineering.purdue.edu/CE/People/ptProfile?resource_id=110359" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">environmental</a> <a href="https://engineering.purdue.edu/EEE/People/ptProfile?resource_id=108577" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">engineers</a>, we advise communities on drinking water safety and disaster recovery. The western U.S.'s <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-year-the-west-was-burning-how-the-2020-wildfire-season-got-so-extreme-148804" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">extreme wildfire seasons</a> are putting more communities at risk in ways they might not realize. Just this year, more than <a href="https://www.nifc.gov/fireInfo/nfn.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">52,000 fires</a> destroyed more than <a href="https://headwaterseconomics.org/natural-hazards/structures-destroyed-by-wildfire/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">17,000 structures</a> – many of them homes connected to water systems. Heat-damaged plastic pipes can continue to leach chemicals into water over time, and ridding a water system of the contamination can take months and <a href="https://www.circleofblue.org/2020/wef/western-wildfires-damage-contaminate-drinking-water-systems/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">millions of dollars</a>.</p>
<h2>A Baffling Source of Contamination</h2><p>The cause of drinking water contamination after wildfires has baffled authorities since it was discovered in 2017.</p><p>After the 2017 Tubbs Fire and 2018 Camp Fire, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/aws2.1183" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">chemicals were found</a> in buried water distribution networks, some at levels comparable to hazardous waste. Contamination was not in the water treatment plants or drinking water sources. Some homeowners found drinking water contamination in their plumbing.</p><p>Tests revealed volatile <a href="https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/tp.asp?id=40&tid=14" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">organic compounds</a> had reached levels that posed immediate health risks in some areas, including benzene levels that exceeded the EPA <a href="https://theconversation.com/wildfires-can-leave-toxic-drinking-water-behind-heres-how-to-protect-the-public-146160" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">hazardous</a> waste threshold of <a href="https://19january2017snapshot.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-06/documents/tclp.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">500 parts per billion</a>. Benzene was found at a level 8,000 times the federal drinking water limit and 200 times the level that causes immediate health effects. Those effects can include dizziness, headaches, skin and throat irritation and even unconsciousness, among <a href="https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2016-09/documents/benzene.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">other risks</a>.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDk2MTM4Ni9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyODYwMDM1OH0.o3KWGD21O5-opynmG-hp-lESoIDh7SuTAIGYk0-aPCI/img.jpg?width=980" id="71394" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="d8b3f598fa33b3f0595d2a869eb3dd92" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="600" data-height="717" />
Plastic water pipes don't have to burn to be a problem. Andrew Whelton / Purdue University, CC BY-ND
<p><br>This year, wildfires triggered <a href="https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2016-09/documents/benzene.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">drinking water contamination</a> in at least <a href="https://www.kazu.org/post/santa-cruz-county-drinking-water-takes-hit-after-wildfire#stream/0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">two more</a> <a href="https://www.santacruzsentinel.com/2020/10/30/its-gone-to-the-ground-big-basin-water-co-struggles-to-recover-from-fire/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">California</a> drinking water systems, and testing is still underway in other communities.</p><h2>The Problem With Plastics</h2><p>Plastics are ubiquitous in drinking water systems. They are often less expensive to install than metal alternatives, which hold up against high heat but are <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-coronavirus-pandemic-might-make-buildings-sick-too-136373" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">vulnerable to corrosion</a>.</p><p>Today, water pipes under the street and those that deliver water to customers' water meters are increasingly made of <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/10/climate/water-pipes-plastic-lead.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">plastic</a>. Pipes that transport the drinking water from the meter to the building are often plastic. Water meters also sometimes contain plastics. Private wells can have plastic well casings as well as buried plastic pipes that deliver well water to plastic storage tanks and buildings.</p><p>Pipes inside buildings that carry hot and cold water to faucets can also be plastic, as can faucet connectors, water heater dip tubes, refrigerator and ice maker tubing.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDk2MTM5Mi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY3MzQ1NjA5Mn0.itHByqLykpSkFCi1Y5ImlXx6-0cPCBUSeq-AgoMIR4Q/img.jpg?width=980" id="20de0" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="367dae486895f3170f6034583b0a8dfe" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="600" data-height="375" />
Some common types of drinking water pipes: Black plastic is HDPE; white is PVC; yellow is CPVC; red, maroon, orange, and blue are PEX; green is PP; and gray is polybutylene. The metal pipes are lead, iron and copper. Andrew Whelton / Purdue University, CC BY-ND
<p>To determine if plastic pipes could be responsible for drinking water contamination after wildfires, we exposed commonly available plastic pipes to heat. The temperatures were similar to the heat from a wildfire that radiates toward buildings but isn't enough to cause the pipes to catch fire.</p><p>We tested several popular plastic drinking water pipes, including high-density polyethylene (HDPE), crosslinked polyethylene (PEX), polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and chlorinated polyvinylchloride (CPVC).</p><p>Benzene and other chemicals were generated inside the plastic pipes just by heating. After the plastics cooled, these chemicals then leached into the water. It happened at temperatures as low as 392 degrees Fahrenheit. Fires can exceed 1,400 degrees.</p><p>While researchers previously discovered that plastics could release benzene and other chemicals into the air during heating, this new study shows heat-damaged plastics can directly leach dozens of toxic chemicals into water.</p><h2>What to Do About Contamination</h2><p>A community can stop water contamination from spreading if damaged pipes can be quickly isolated. Without isolation, the contaminated water may move to other parts of the water system, across town or within a building, causing further contamination. </p><p>During the CZU Lightning Complex Fire near Santa Cruz, <a href="https://www.slvwd.com/" target="_blank">one water utility</a> had water distribution system valves that seemed to have contained the benzene-contaminated water.</p><p>Rinsing heat-damaged pipes won't always remove the contamination. While helping Paradise, California, recover from the 2018 Camp Fire disaster, we and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimated that some plastic pipes would have required more than <a href="https://engineering.purdue.edu/PlumbingSafety/opinions/Final-HDPE-Service-Line-Decontamination-2019-03-18.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">100 days</a> of nonstop water rinsing to be safe for use. Instead, officials decided to replace the pipes.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDk2MTQwMy9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzMzA3Njg5MX0.gPt0tingFrBw2U3NrReEsU0nsp1f2wq4bAWFJaNQuLU/img.jpg?width=980" id="b185d" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="f9941a5b5fe526b045e9fb12e65d517f" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="600" data-height="800" />
Different types of pipes respond to heating in different ways. Andrew Whelton / Purdue University, CC BY-ND
<p>Even if a home is undamaged, we recommend testing the water in private wells and service lines if fire was on the property. If contamination is found, we recommend finding and removing the heat-damaged plastic contamination sources. Some plastics can <a href="http://doi.org/10.1061/%28ASCE%29EE.1943-7870.0001542" target="_blank">slowly leach chemicals</a> like benzene over time, and this could go on for months to years, depending on the scale of contamination and water use. <a href="https://www.oregon.gov/oha/PH/HEALTHYENVIRONMENTS/DRINKINGWATER/MONITORING/Documents/health/benzene.pdf" target="_blank">Boiling the water</a> doesn't help and can release benzene into the air.</p><h2>Avoiding Widespread Contamination</h2><p>Communities can take steps to avoid contaminated drinking water in the event of a fire. Water companies can install network isolation valves and backflow prevention devices, to prevent contaminated water moving from a damaged building into the utility pipe network.</p><p>Insurance companies can use pricing to encourage property owners and cities to install fire-resistant metal pipes instead of plastic. Rules for keeping vegetation away from meter boxes and buildings can also lessen the chance heat reaches plastic water system components.</p><p>Homeowners and communities rebuilding after fires now have more information about the risks as they consider whether to use plastic pipes. Some, like the town of Paradise, have chosen to rebuild with plastic and accept the risks. In 2020, the city had another wildfire scare and residents were <a href="https://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2020/09/28/paradise-evacuation-warning-north-complex-fire/" target="_blank">forced to evacuate again</a>.<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/150923/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation"></p>
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<em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/andrew-j-whelton-1031851">Andrew J. Whelton</a> is an Associate Professor of Civil, Environmental & Ecological Engineering, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/purdue-university-1827">Purdue University</a>.<span></span>
</em></p><p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/amisha-shah-1181872" target="_blank"><em>Amisha Shah</em></a><em> is an Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering and Environmental and Ecological Engineering, </em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/purdue-university-1827" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Purdue University</em></a><em>.</em><br/></p><p>
<em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/kristofer-p-isaacson-1184063">Kristofer P. Isaacson</a> is a Ph.D. Student, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/purdue-university-1827">Purdue University</a>.</em><br/>
</p><p><em>Disclosure statement: </em><em>Andrew J. Whelton received funding from the Paradise Irrigation District and Paradise Rotary Foundation. He also participated in the California Governor's Operations of Emergency Services Camp Fire Water Task Force from January, 2019 to May, 2019. </em><em>Amisha Shah received funding from the Paradise Irrigation District. </em><em>Kristofer P. Isaacson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</em></p><p><em><span></span>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/plastic-pipes-are-polluting-drinking-water-systems-after-wildfires-its-a-risk-in-urban-fires-too-150923" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.</em>
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Microplastics Weathered by Water Are More Likely to Infiltrate an Animal’s Cells
14 December 2020
Animals
A new study finds microplastic particles exposed to freshwater or saltwater environments are more likely to be taken up into an animal's cells. Tunatura / Getty Images
By Kasra Zarei
Microplastic particles exposed to freshwater or saltwater environments are more likely than original, non-exposed particles to be taken up into an animal's cells, according to new research.
<p>The study offers new evidence that certain microplastics have more potential to infiltrate animals' bodies than previously thought – and this could be of particular concern for aquatic animals.</p><p>Microplastics, or tiny pieces of plastic, are everywhere, including <a href="https://www.ehn.org/plastic-pollution-mount-everest-2648990943.html" target="_blank">Mount Everest</a>. Over time, plastics discarded by humans break down into small pieces and spread across the environment, especially marine and freshwater ecosystems, and are consumed by organisms including <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18678044/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">mussels</a> and <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.est.6b00183?casa_token=tfRj5tB4tZMAAAAA:_gvjll0GmT_DD0IqEO1t9bCcqha--I2aEeo2oFP3jEKC2u3MIkzVsacT4uZqstweQ-bVdQJ37bDZc8U" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">zebrafish</a>.</p><p>But so much about microplastics has not been studied, including whether particles can enter the cells of different animals and organisms and cause health risks, or affect the environment.</p><p>"There are plenty of knowledge gaps," Christian Laforsch, professor of animal ecology at the University of Bayreuth and senior author of the study, told EHN. "For instance, microplastics go from the digestive tract into the tissue [of certain aquatic organisms], but no one knows exactly why."</p><p>In the new study, Laforsch and colleagues found that microplastics exposed to freshwater or saltwater for several weeks are around 10 times more likely to enter the cells of mice compared to pristine particles. While the study was only done using mice cells, it's possible that a similar relationship could be observed in aquatic animals that encounter such non-pristine microplastics on a regular basis, which could also have further unknown implications for their predators (including humans).</p>
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<p>These microplastic particles develop a coating of other molecules and microorganisms – acting somewhat like a "Trojan horse": other cells are more likely to engulf the coated microplastic particles (compared to pristine, uncoated particles), which can then potentially infiltrate an organism's circulatory system.</p><p>However, the results don't necessarily suggest that microplastics exposed to freshwater or saltwater pose a greater health risk to human or other organisms – that still needs to be studied further.</p><p>"We can't make direct conclusions about the health effects [of the microplastics studied]," Holger Kress, a professor of biological physics at the University of Bayreuth who was also involved in the study, told EHN.</p><p>While there is research about the <a href="https://www3.epa.gov/region1/airquality/pm-human-health.html#:~:text=Health%20studies%20have%20shown%20a,as%20asthma%20attacks%20and%20bronchitis." target="_blank">health risks of inhaling particulate matter</a>, little is known about the health effects of microplastics. Still, the new research adds one piece to a big puzzle.</p>
<p>Many physical and biological properties – for instance, the texture, charge, or size – of a particle may be responsible for the environmental and health effects of microplastics. And understanding which properties are responsible is a step-by-step scientific process.</p><p>"It [the field of microplastics] is such a complex topic, but you have to start somewhere," Laforsch said. "If we know what plastic properties might be toxic, we can design properties that might not harm the environment."</p><p>Furthermore, pristine particles have been primarily used in microplastic-related toxicological studies to date. But plastic particles in nature are often far from pristine.</p><p>"A lot of plastics spend time spiraling through the environment, and the watershed is an active vector to transport them to an aquatic environment," Janice Brahney, an assistant professor of watershed sciences at Utah State University who was not involved in the study, told EHN.</p>
<p>Brahney, who recently <a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/368/6496/1257" target="_blank">published a study</a> showing how many microplastic particles accumulate in isolated areas of the United States, notes that the microplastics she has observed through her previous work have in fact not been pristine.</p><p>She adds that because the plastics are so long-lived, "it's very plausible that most environmental plastics will have some aquatic lifetime."</p><p>Pristine microplastics are not very representative of those found in the environment, both in terms of physical properties and how likely they are to get absorbed by an organism. And this may cause scientists to reconsider how they study microplastics in the laboratory going forward.</p><p>"The laboratory studies that only use pristine particles may strongly underestimate the strength of interaction between an organism's cells and the particles," Kress said.</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.ehn.org/microplastics-in-water-2649475744.html" target="_blank">EHN</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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Hydration is key but how you hydrate might be even more important. After all, are you aware of just how many plastic water bottles are dumped into landfills each year?
<p>According to the <a href="http://www.container-recycling.org/index.php/issues/bottled-water" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Container Recycling Institute</a>, a non-profit organization with the goal of ending plastic pollution and promoting recycling, Americans bought more than 70 billion plastic water bottles that were less than one gallon (in other words, single-use). </p><p>Of those, three out of four—or 52.5 billion bottles—ended up in a landfill or incinerator. And that's not even taking into account the many, many bottles that end up littering our parks, roads, and oceans. </p><p>Here's why it matters. According to the <a href="http://utahrecycles.org/get-the-facts/the-facts-plastic/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Recycling Coalition of Utah</a>, it takes up to 1,000 years for plastic to degrade in a landfill. Additionally, the <a href="http://www.container-recycling.org/index.php/issues/.../275-down-the-drain#:~:text=The%20Earth%20Policy%20Institute%20estimates,100%2C000%20cars%20for%20a%20year." rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">CRI</a> says the production of plastic water bottles takes more water to create them than the bottle contains, and the process requires more than 15 million barrels of oil. For reference, that's enough oil to fuel 100,000 cars for an entire year. </p><p>All this is to say, it's time we do our part to improve upon our plastic consumption and, as a result, our individual carbon footprints. </p><p>Fortunately, doing so is easier than ever before. That's because, with eco-conscious wellness on the rise, companies all over the world are launching eco-friendly water bottles that can be used over and over again. </p><p>Since there are so many on the market, we decided to round up our five favorites for your consumption consideration. Ahead, you'll discover a handful of bottles that are all worthy of making room for in your kitchen and routine.</p><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>
<p><em><strong>Rebecca R. Norris</strong> is a full-time freelance writer living in the DC metro area. She writes for a variety of publications, covering everything from beauty and wellness to style and news. She is a graduate of George Mason University. There, she earned her B.A. in Media: Production, Consumption, and Critique, along with a minor in Electronic Journalism. The Virginia native is a lover of lists, Stevie Nicks, dark chocolate Sprinkles cupcakes, and the Oxford comma.</em></p>
Takeya
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDk0MTQ4OC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMDUzOTAzNX0.ESmjK3NxuN6K-sppHcTFpHtDutbmZlxiylk2yQsOnvw/img.jpg?width=980" id="f42c2" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="1456ca411ba93dc35e4cd57506609fb1" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="Takeya Water Bottle" data-width="1000" data-height="1000" /><p>Takeya water bottles are unlike any others on the market. That's because, in addition to being dedicated to keeping drinks as cold as can be, they also work to make consumption as convenient as possible. Their water bottles are available in 14-, 16-, 18-, 24-, 32-, and 40-ounce options, all of which are equipped with hinged handles to make carrying them less of a hassle. </p><p>Additionally, each bottle comes with a built-in rubberized coaster that prevents condensation rings and can be removed for easy cleaning. </p><p>What's more, shoppers have the choice between an open-spout lid or one equipped with a straw. In other words, it's no wonder Takeya is a powerhouse in the eco-friendly water bottle market. So much so, in fact, that they met their consumer's needs and released insulated travel mugs (perfect for iced coffee) and tumblers, as well. </p>
$25
bkr
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDg5OTc2MS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2NDI4OTUzMn0.ccZH-OM7sk3MoZkpJ5hV1Jnw0f-lm9P4a1yOnLvcHWs/img.jpg?width=980" id="2d4ce" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="276d00fc28489666508496bfb17736f2" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="bkr Water Bottle" data-width="1500" data-height="1500" /><p>If keeping your water ice cold isn't your priority, bkr might just be the bottle for you. The cult-favorite glass water bottle is available in 250 and 500 milliliter options, as well as a one liter option. Each bottle comes with a screw-on plastic top and the option to add a silicone sleeve. It's the sleeves that help bkr really stand apart, for consumers can dress their bottle to match their mood. The founders of bkr didn't stop there though. In 2018, they released a lid with a built-in vegan lip balm pod that instantly sold out on the site.</p>
$37
Hydro Flask
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDg5OTg2MC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0Mzc1MzgyOX0.U-dbfd3iKlMzqwT_qVRy5CjpJ3BuXoleICD-gmjbzoY/img.jpg?width=980" id="6b00f" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="14638e4ff4a042fa76b7945099b19807" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="Hydro Flask Water Bottle" data-width="1200" data-height="1200" /><p>Hydro Flask is quite possibly the most popular eco-friendly water bottle amongst Gen Z. The trendy reusable is renowned for its bold colors and simple design. With bottle options ranging from 12- to 64-ounce options, it's safe to say that there's a perfect pick for everyone in the family. </p><p>Like Takeya, <a href="https://www.hydroflask.com/bottles" target="_blank">Hydro Flask</a> lets shoppers decide between multiple lids, including standard, wide, and straw options. Each bottle is made with stainless steel accompanied by TempShield technology, which keeps cold beverages cold and hot beverages hot. </p><p>Beyond the bottle, Hydro Flask created a charitable program, Parks For All, that benefits public green spaces and promotes outdoor adventure amongst its shoppers. For every purchase made, a portion is dedicated to the program. As a result, Hydro Flask has donated more than $1.5 million to over 92 eco-friendly non-profits. </p>
$50
LARQ
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDg5OTgzMS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxMjU1NzMzN30.MQZjHe7PHyFDH6dBzocx0jpVwOLv4elpHkkpMuD2prc/img.jpg?width=980" id="e8a91" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="93e403075f1de3b2692f7c5200bcc6c3" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="LARQ Water Bottle" data-width="1200" data-height="1200" />LARQ
<p>If high-tech gadgets are your thing, you'll fall head over heels for this best-selling reusable water bottle. The minimalist design is accompanied by UV-C LED technology that automatically activates every two hours to fully purify the contents of your water bottle. </p><p>As such, the innovative design is able to eliminate harmful bacteria and viruses from your beverage so that you don't accidentally give yourself something if you're one to use your bottle for days without washing it. </p><p>Beyond its sanitizing capabilities, the LARQ bottles offer insulation of cold beverages up to 24 hours and hot beverages up to 12. The original bottle is available in 17- and 25-ounce options, as well as five colors, while the movement bottle is sold in 24- and 32-ounce options, and eight colorways.</p>
$78
S'well
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDk0MTUwNS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2NTg2OTkzNH0.85RSvJI5G5jF7qGwB9FWt3lJbtcAenCiUtO5DHmpj9E/img.jpg?width=980" id="9b434" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="e83d4f3000ecafc68d32c1c7cd2f15ce" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="S'well Water Bottle" data-width="1000" data-height="1000" /><p>Since the debut of its very first water bottle—the beloved 17-ouncer—S'well has been a household name among eco-conscious consumers. The bottles—which are now available in nine-, 17-, and 20-ounce options—are made with a triple-insulated silhouette that keeps cold beverages cold for up to 36 hours and hot beverages hot for up to 18. Once they realized the demand for such an item, they delved into food containers as well in an effort to offer consumers yet another way to cut back on their single-use plastic consumption. Now, S'well shoppers can choose from a variety of colors and designs, as well as artist collabs that are sure to turn heads. </p>
$45
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There's no shortage of CBD products on the market today, especially when it comes to CBD oils. These tinctures are the most popular way to take CBD, but there is so much variety amongst CBD oils it can be hard to know which one is the right choice for you. Among the different flavor options, CBD strengths, and types of hemp extracts (like full-spectrum CBD oil vs CBD isolate), there is another potential differentiator when it comes to CBD oil: water solubility.
<h2>What is Water Soluble CBD?</h2><p>Cannabidiol (CBD for short) is a well-known cannabinoid found within cannabis plants that is widely used as a wellness supplement in oil form.</p><p>Water soluble CBD is an up-and-coming product that exists primarily to simplify the process of adding CBD oil to beverages since it mixes easily with liquids. Traditional CBD oil tinctures don't blend as well into liquid drinks because the oil is less dense than water and separates easily. However, water soluble CBD oil may also provide other advantages through its potential enhancement of bioavailability.</p><p>You see in order to make water soluble CBD oil, the Cannabidiol molecules must be transformed into "nanoparticles." These tiny CBD particles are "nano-emulsified" and might be easier for the body to absorb due to their smaller size. This is a common process that has been used in pharmaceutical medicine for years, and the technology may prove to be beneficial in the CBD industry as well.</p><p>However, water soluble CBD can be harder to come by since it involves a more intense production process in order to create these nanoparticles of CBD. Fortunately I've had the benefit of trying hundreds of CBD oil products, some of which are water soluble, and below are my top three recommendations based on several factors including price, hemp source, customer service and reviews, as well as my own experience after trying these products.</p><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><h2>Best Water Soluble CBD Products</h2>
<h2>Is Water Soluble CBD Better Than CBD Oil?</h2><p>Due to the ease of absorption for nano CBD, the effects of water soluble CBD oil may be much more effective than regular CBD hemp oil. Because of this, water soluble CBD is making headway as the next big thing in the hemp market, but not everyone is convinced of its efficacy.</p><h2>Risks and Benefits of Water Soluble CBD</h2><p>While plenty of brands tout the enhanced effects of water soluble CBD, it's unclear how exactly how these nanoparticles react within the body. Additionally, it's also unknown whether there is any advantages to using nano CBD (or water soluble CBD oil) when compared to traditional CBD oils.</p><p>With that being said, water soluble CBD is likely to have many of the same benefits as CBD oil, including anxiety reduction, pain relief, and improvements in sleep. Water soluble CBD may also prove to be more cost effective if its bioavailability is truly greater than traditional CBD tinctures, although more research is needed to validate this assumption.</p><h2>Is Water Soluble CBD Right for You?</h2><p>Water soluble CBD oils and powders are great options for people who prefer to get their daily dose of CBD without taking an oily dropper sublingually (below their tongue), or eat an infused CBD edible that tastes like earthy hemp. These water soluble products can easily be added into any food or beverage for a discreet and easy way to ingest CBD. Not to mention, they present little to no side effects, and are considered generally safe to consume.</p>
HOLISTIK Stress
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDg2NzE3Mi9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1OTg5OTkxM30.SsHX2Wj9Gg2cbit_rghGcy4jBQil-Zi-8ud4GU6KI7s/img.png?width=980" id="555ac" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8717dccb7529d642bc22c48215e93f49" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="960" data-height="960" /><p>HOLISTIK is a member of the <a href="https://www.holistikwellness.com/blogs/news/making-a-positive-impact-together-with-impact-collective" target="_blank">IMPACT COLLECTIVE</a>, a group of forward-thinking brands committed to making an immediate and positive environmental impact. For every HOLISTIK STIK sold, the brand will pull one plastic bottle out of the ocean. We like supporting a brand that thinks about their place in the world. </p><p>We also like their CBD products. A standout is their stress relief STIK. They are blended with lemon balm extract to promote relaxation and focus. You mix them in your drink of choice, feel better, and do a tiny bit to help the sea. </p>
$39.99
Liweli Super Lemon 20-Pack
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDg2NzIzOS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxMzY3MDcwN30.Zdryzz73N3ViVXJCMZPt9c-ZaIQatZtsOIb_T-_jt2g/img.jpg?width=980" id="5b343" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="552717389a75940908a2efc4b569d692" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="3000" data-height="2000" /><p>Liweli water soluble CBD packets make getting a regular dose of CBD simple and convenient. You can keep these lemon-flavored pouches in your purse or backpack and add them to your drink of choice. They dissolve well, which is key for a product like this, and taste nice. Liweli is a best bet for anyone on-the-go. </p>
$49.99
CBDistillery CBDelicious Powder
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDg2NzIwOC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxNDY0Mzg1OH0.HYq74_mRfh-WzVZOazd3kghZcz2IwDYpOIbYOgIeR4k/img.jpg?width=980" id="69852" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a2883e054f8e6af6467e48463d26d2b7" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1280" data-height="1280" /><p>If you're not an "oil" person, there's always the option of a CBD powder. CBDistillery has several different options to choose from, including isolate, broad spectrum, and full spectrum water soluble CBD powders that can easily be added into foods or drinks to help you get a dose of CBD at anytime.</p>
$28
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Scaling up offshore renewable energy is one of the ways that governments can improve ocean sustainability efforts. BerndBrueggemann / Getty Images
On Wednesday, governments responsible for 40 percent of the world's coastlines and 20 percent of global fisheries announced a series of new commitments that comprise the world's biggest ocean sustainability initiative.
<p>The <a href="https://newsletter.climatenexus.org/e2t/tc/VW_ypy3S_jgNN9byR2ys4BzfW824bMN4k7sNjN1YBnv93p_8SV1-WJV7CgNTvW9lfXJd8Fkx0GW5DDTkJ49SyXxW1dVD6l3GPhxqW3pj49q59Yv1YN7nnMSZvnSpjW7HfmFt5wwRTrW6mC5VB1wCPgyW6qF3Pg2sCSF-W8z9Mzy5hzzCDVJHN8W53qh_6VdPWX39c5V7wW5tGWbp13HrrCW9kjgt71hRg7MW1blDfF4_LL4bW2Jh8Pw2Jhmx0W1yBYXL3yTLnMV6KD3l8Kq5FrW8_TXGL79rTMpN2K08B9YP9qDW20s99V5wybyfW349WdH7brMdpW8p2dkf4zJQJl35S_1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">fourteen countries</a>, which combined control an ocean area the size of Africa, committed to sustainably manage their national waters by 2025 and encouraged all other nations to join them by 2030. </p><p>In practice, this means that these governments will pursue a range of strategies, including reducing shipping emissions, reducing marine pollution, scaling up offshore renewable energy, and taking a precautionary approach to deep sea mining. </p><p>"You can't just prosper, prosper, prosper—fish more, drill more," Jane Lubchenco, an environmental scientist, former NOAA administrator, and one of the panel's expert co-chairs, told Fast Company.</p>
<p>"You have to do it in a way that minimizes the impacts on the ecosystem and maximizes the equitable benefit." </p><p>The new sustainable ocean agenda, if achieved worldwide, would dramatically increase food and renewable energy production, and contribute a fifth of the greenhouse gas pollution reductions required to stay within 1.5°C of global warming.</p>
<p><strong>For a deeper dive:</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/dec/02/global-sustainable-fishing-initiative-agreed-by-14-countries?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=101740057&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_UWMXguHF4B8mDRgLMPfsNbTEZWLXr2iO9m1C_OOJ5RXJqUEZCuHm1ZpfkTqtz_kbAuLwIQ2qcG8bXRzcCvZLRun3B0wqw6Hd67TBFFD-5WjQihwk&utm_content=101740057&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">The Guardian</a>, <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90581007/14-countries-launch-a-new-plan-to-achieve-a-sustainable-ocean-economy?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=101740057&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8eHPkod09Lrg8Olfh8Rc8t1dqwdt7DkRJG7ZSBgLdxj50vaR-bmOaOyn7aogHUlftEA3W064mZFANV2PKwax17ZFL0VJx7s51jFvDRHE90ulz_Hfk&utm_content=101740057&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Fast Company</a>, <a href="https://www.nature.com/immersive/d42859-020-00084-7/index.html?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=101740057&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8aHFAlO_LqaMAAZlXr_dLoOJIoDZOdIrB_yIyCdJUXBS5vynN4PGaVhtwUokL1XYzT7o6MN57Re1x1hQfO6Aq9KzPyiSXNyDRmPsPiKk5ij5morsg&utm_content=101740057&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Nature,</a> <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/oceans-key-to-solving-climate-crisis-say-world-leaders/a-55789573?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=101740057&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_ascIVyKdy3ucnvJQIbAyxCLhXw2y5t8dkt02FOqfFYZiMl_aOCDpD86z33ei5xjwhXkL-c-DV2vJTWBkZkcFfeieRg77HaIPcPaY77lqwv-1hbc4&utm_content=101740057&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Deutsche Welle</a>, <a href="https://soundcloud.com/oceanpanel/bbc-world-service-with-pm-solberg-of-norway?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=101740057&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_WkSVHR0EtEthuS5HEYKxTL0MThvp12bEdGOc3BBtkP4BBK_SHhza8_CkpYOg3FRTp1zHD1GAwkxCcuUdu_RvrDWgB7uhS3cJT4pZLGO3hC4zKy0k&utm_content=101740057&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">BBC Radio</a>, <a href="https://www.undercurrentnews.com/2020/12/02/14-nations-commit-to-manage-sustainably-their-waters-by-2025/?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=101740057&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_JundZm7dqs79UkBXFXwOYFOHNuKpGM7ttOVH7QyH3zCxjiibJhyhhi_imQLbWeuRks4_zUEswZjN20kdG03AP6wxEXEqY4HW8jHOFWnNHSZXLdLg&utm_content=101740057&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Undercurrent News</a>, <a href="https://www.seafoodsource.com/news/environment-sustainability/world-s-biggest-ocean-sustainability-initiative-signed-by-14-countries?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=101740057&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9lnymFpaQ5SYT7ihvf-KB6OHlRD1h2YmBE2vUI0KGEZjL5JNKaM-trcJpO03T7NxoRmu2KnKeR4PP6N2sjhiDc8GIW_KLgayzH9yciuIYmSPpu214&utm_content=101740057&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Seafood Source</a>, <a href="https://blog.nationalgeographic.org/2020/12/02/key-fishing-nations-endorse-the-protection-of-30-of-the-ocean/?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=101740057&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--koAEW4Ll_dwV60oqQazyGoxxnw-t1kwDqzskZXHjGG_aJGf9XnyTBlwgRAGfPlEFzRb8bl6A37uGxREfm6sQJEMVamLsel0o2C76_YbURgvBRPuo&utm_content=101740057&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">National Geographic</a>; Commentary: <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-03303-3?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=101740057&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--STJt6CIUuKWYBNapAcJj35oaKn8XqMcBhePyf8rXh3bENLGMVinUwsVuJxIqw2EVfiSAp9kUd6ZcVbgkOJkg1Bya52Iy3sgeep0dfL1WyB6Y6Sp4&utm_content=101740057&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Nature, Jane Lubchenco, Peter Haugan, Mari Elka Pangestu comment</a>, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-03302-4?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=101740057&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8T5OTZHQQTzZYnSOW3cS-bSiqCGwcH2PBruHmvxGwH16S4Ku_1BPQekFufmWHoYo7vtcC97aA-VPxrCompd7j-gtGrSfP8GM3_mAiHboxPY1q7ABw&utm_content=101740057&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Nature, Erna Solberg op-ed</a></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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