Latest news with #MomsCleanAirForce
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
This free film in Shepherdstown could change how you see plastic
A free screening of the environmental documentary "Single-Use Planet" is set for 7 p.m. June 5 at the Shepherdstown Opera House, according to an announcement. The film, narrated by Peter Coyote, explores the connections between public health, plastics production and industry influence on government policy. It features animation and musical interludes to help convey its message. "Single-Use Planet" investigates why single-use plastic debris continues to enter the planet's waters despite recycling efforts. The film takes viewers to Pennsylvania, where raw plastic is produced amidst the remnants of the steel industry. The screening will be followed by a presentation and audience discussion. The event is sponsored by Moms Clean Air Force. 'We thought it was important to help bring 'Single-Use Planet' to the Eastern Panhandle,' Candi Hurst, West Virginia field organizer for Moms Clean Air Force, said in the announcement. 'This film, which was created with the help of a Science Advisory Board, tells the story about how most of the plastic that we place into recycling bins is actually not being recycled — it either goes to landfills, is incinerated (resulting in toxic air emissions), or is shipped overseas.' While admission is free, donations will be accepted at the door to benefit the local environmental nonprofit Town Run Watershed. Seating is limited, so advance reservations are encouraged. The Shepherdstown Opera House is at 131 W. German St. For more information and to make reservations, go to This story was created by Janis Reeser, jreeser@ with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at or share your thoughts at with our News Automation and AI team. The Herald-Mail is growing its local news: Send your news to us This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Shepherdstown Opera House to host free film on plastic pollution
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
State scores major win for clean air after battling polluting industry: 'A huge achievement'
Colorado just scored a big victory for clean air — and communities that have been facing the consequences of industrial pollution. As reported in the Environmental Defense Fund's Vital Signs newsletter, state regulators finalized a plan in February 2025 to reduce harmful air pollution from oil and gas operations. After local groups started raising concerns about oil and gas operations near homes, Colorado adopted new standards that will require companies to replace outdated equipment that intentionally vents harmful pollutants in the air. Once this is fully implemented by 2029, it's expected to reduce methane pollution, a planet-warming gas that can be harmful to human health, by 10% in the state. The new standards will also improve air pollution monitoring. Companies will be required to keep a more detailed account of the pollutants they're releasing, such as toxic gases like benzene and xylene. This is a big deal for local residents, especially those living near oil and gas facilities. Public health is on the line, with locals having higher rates of respiratory illnesses, gastrointestinal diseases, and even leukemia. The EDF's Vital Signs newsletter is a great source of inspiring climate solutions, policy wins, and actions we can take to support a healthier planet for all. Colorado joins other states making progress toward a healthier environment, like New York's plan to electrify buses and Illinois' investment in clean energy. While the current administration has been working to roll back some federal environmental protections, this move by Colorado shows how progress can still be made on a state level. "These Colorado safeguards are a huge achievement," said Nini Gu, an EDF policy expert for the Western region, per Vital Signs. "And Colorado did all this with consensus across the board from environmental groups, industry trade groups and state regulators. It's really an example for other states can follow." "If you can accomplish this in Colorado, you can do it in other places, too," said Laurie Anderson, an advocate with Moms Clean Air Force, according to Vital Signs. Do you worry about air pollution in and around your home? Yes — always Yes — often Yes — sometimes No — never Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Researchers make disturbing discovery about invisible particles invading our bodies: 'These things get into your body ... without your knowledge'
Tiny plastic particles are a big problem. Experts and scientists gathered for a conference that was hosted by Moms Clean Air Force to discuss plastics. We've known about microplastics and their impact on our health for a while, but several studies are showing it's worse than we thought. Global plastic production is increasing with no signs of slowing down. According to Our World in Data, "Plastic production has more than doubled in the last two decades." Unfortunately, very little of this plastic is recycled, due to cost and inadequate recycling systems. Instead, millions of tons of plastic enter landfills and waterways and eventually break down into harmful microplastics. Microplastics are inside us — a participant in this medical study found about half a teaspoon of plastic in her blood. While the full effect of microplastics on the body is still being researched, findings so far have suggested DNA damage, infertility, organ system disruption, and even neurological disorders. Shanna Swan, an epidemiologist, emphasized how increasingly difficult microplastics are to avoid. Whether they're ingested, inhaled, or absorbed through your skin, "these things get into your body, every day, 24-7, without your knowledge," Swan said, per The New Lede. Scientists, politicians, and others gathered in April for an annual summit to address the growing plastic problem. In attendance was Pennsylvania representative Summer Lee, who "announced the launch of an environmental justice caucus in Congress that will aim to address harms caused by plastics manufacturing and pursue solutions," per The New Lede. Do you worry about the longevity of EV batteries? For sure Not really Not at all I've never thought about it Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Researchers are working tirelessly to find ways to recycle plastic and create new, sustainable alternatives. From wax worms that eat plastic to hydrothermal liquefaction, there's still time to change the way we deal with plastic waste. As they work to fix plastic pollution at the government level, there's an easy way you can avoid extra exposure to microplastics — use less plastic. Opt for a reusable, stainless steel water bottle instead of plastic bottles. Use reusable fabric or paper grocery bags, rather than store-provided plastic ones. Ditch single-use health and beauty products in favor of sustainable packaging and eco-friendly ingredients. Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Forbes
23-04-2025
- Health
- Forbes
More Americans Exposed To Unhealthy Air Pollution Levels, Study Finds
NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 7: People cross 34th Street in Herald Square as heavy smoke fills the air on ... More June 7, 2023, in New York City. (Photo by) Almost half of Americans are being exposed to unhealthy levels of air pollution, according to a new analysis. The American Lung Association's 2025 State of the Air report claims 156 million Americans are living in areas with poor ozone or particulate pollution (often referred to as PM2.5) levels, 25 million more than last year's report. The report examines air quality data from 2021 to 2023 and the latest report found 77.2 million people live in counties which have experienced unhealthy spikes in particle pollution. And it claims more than 125 million people lived in an area with unhealthy ozone pollution levels. The Californian city of Bakersfield was judged to be the most polluted by short-term and year-round particle pollution, while Los Angeles was named as the most polluted city for ozone pollution. The study also warns extreme heat and wildfires have contributed to the increase in ozone levels for many parts of the country, including central states from Minnesota to Texas. The association's national senior director for policy and report author Katherine Pruitt said air pollution controls based on the Clean Air Act had led to pollution levels coming down for several decades, but over the last 10 years that trend started to reverse in an interview. Pruitt added ozone levels took a real turn for the worse this year after several years of improvement in many parts of the country and the report highlights the link between ozone and wildfire smoke in an interview. The report states scientists found a clear link between the fires and the extreme levels of ozone pollution hundreds of miles downwind. Pruitt said this is in large part why central states were hit hard this year by 'unprecedented levels of ozone' despite being far away from the wildfires themselves. 'This report is a credible record of all the successful effort, which has gone into air pollution control,' she added. 'The current air pollution control laws and policies are based on science and based in the law. As the population and economy grew, the air got cleaner. 'However, we are now seeing the reversal of that trend and there is a concern that if we start to roll back protections, we could end up in the situation where we were at the beginning, if not worse.' Elizabeth Bechard, the public health manager at Moms Clean Air Force said the EPA's job is to protect communities from air and climate pollution in an email. Bechard added it is deeply concerning to see the agency trying to roll back so many of the clean air and climate protections meant to help keep people safe. 'As the Los Angelees wildfires underlined in harrowing detail earlier this year, human-caused global warming is increasing the risk and severity of wildfires,' said Bechard. 'We know that wildfires are eroding decades of progress on cleaning up particle pollution in the U.S, making it all the more essential to address the sources of pollution that we can control, like industrial emissions. 'We also know that the extreme temperatures so many communities are experiencing because of global warming make ground-level ozone worse,' she added. In March, monitoring company IQAir published a global analysis, which found just seven countries, including Australia, Iceland and New Zealand met World Health Organisation annual guidelines around PM2.5 particle pollution in 2024. IQAir's air quality science manager, Dr. Christi Chester-Schroeder said air quality in the U.S. is generally better than in many developing countries, but wildfires in particular can still have a large impact closer to home, in an interview. Dr. Chester-Schroeder said IQAir's recently global study showed there had been some 'major improvements' in terms of PM2.5 pollution in North America last year, which was due to a lack of major wildfires, which had sent levels rising in 2023. Last month's study found Los Angeles to be the most polluted major city in the U.S. last year, while Seattle, Washington was deemed to be the cleanest. 'In 2024, there were not any major air quality events that drastically affected really large regions across the country,' said Dr. Chester-Schroeder. 'The PM2.5 levels we saw in 2024 were really more reflective of local air quality issues, not the sweeping wildfires which affected large parts of the country.'
Yahoo
04-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Fighting Climate Change for Our Kids' Future Just Got Harder — Here's What Parents Need to Know (and Do!)
President Trump's executive orders, 45 so far, are wide-ranging. Aimed like powerful firehoses at entire swaths of our government, communities, and culture, they are — by design — creating chaos, disruption, and destruction. Trump's environmental orders, more than a dozen to date, include these whoppers: freezing funds to states for infrastructure spending and investments in jobs in the cleaner energy sectors; repealing tailpipe pollution regulations from cars and trucks, protections that help cut deadly particulate aka soot pollution; and declaring a National Energy Emergency to make it even easier for oil and gas companies to drill, baby, drill, as Trump likes to say. Never mind the legality of any of the above, some of which are drilling holes in our Constitution. Lawyers and judges are scrambling to keep up. To be honest, so are we. At Moms Clean Air Force, the organization that I co-founded to mobilize moms to fight climate pollution, our mission — regardless of who is in the White House — is to protect our children's health from pollution and global warming. We know that children are uniquely vulnerable to the dangers of dirty air, exposure to toxic chemicals in plastic, and extreme weather. The bodies of babies, toddlers, and teenagers are still developing. Their hormone systems are still unfolding. Their little lungs and hearts work harder than those of adults — they breathe in more air and spend more time outside. Extreme heat, infectious diseases, and endocrine disrupters are more dangerous to them. No surprise that we at Moms are attuned to changes in policy like the more than a dozen recent executive orders that will mean more pollution and more toxic chemicals in our air and in our everyday things. More from SheKnows Spencer Pratt & Heidi Montag Are Leading This Intense Lawsuit Over Palisades Fire Fallout One of the Trump Executive Orders — one of the most dangerous ones, with potentially the most lasting impacts — commands the EPA to report within weeks on whether or not it is appropriate or viable for the agency to regulate greenhouse gases, the dangerous emissions that come from oil and gas production among other industries. The Supreme Court decided years ago that greenhouse gases, such as carbon and methane, endanger us by trapping the sun's radiation in our atmosphere, warming the planet: these are called the 'endangerment findings.' Global warming is extremely harmful to all living creatures. It puts our weather on steroids, intensifying heat waves and wildfires and floods and droughts; it disrupts agriculture through changing weather patterns; it accelerates the spread of infectious diseases borne by insects that prosper in hot temps. The people crafting these executive orders know exactly what they are doing. They're like car mechanics who get under the hood to find that one tiny wire that sparks everything. For EPA to lose the ability to fight climate emissions would be devastating; the only benefit is even more profit for the super-wealthy fossil fuel companies. But the dangers of a warming planet affect everyone. It will ultimately be more expensive to do business, more expensive to raise food, more expensive to insure homes, more expensive to get adequate healthcare, more expensive to raise families. Without the ability to regulate emissions pollution, the U.S. has no national path forward on cutting carbon and methane pollution. That matters. We know from the history of life before the Clean Air Act that industries don't voluntarily control their pollution. Some of the biggest polluters aren't even American-owned companies; they could care less about the cascades of cancers they are triggering in communities around their toxic plants. The 85-mile stretch of Louisiana along the Mississippi River, home to more than 200 petrochemical plants, has for decades been known as cancer alley. Childhood leukemia is off the charts. It's all terrifying, but we haven't lost hope, and neither should you. We like to tell Washington: Listen to your mothers. Here are six things you can do right now: 1. Don't Get Overwhelmed. The point of the Firehose Method of (Un)Governing is to push people so hard that we are flattened. Pick a focus. Pick your battles. You can't do everything, but that doesn't mean you can't do anything. 2. Don't Get Quiet. Speaking up and out really matters. Call your Senator, your Congressperson, your Governor. Every time they do something outrageous and destructive, every time they wimp out, phone their office and voice your displeasure. And say thank you when they show leadership too. Sign petitions. Show up to testify when it is possible. 3. Remember That Small Efforts Count. One phone call. One a month. One a week. One letter. One post on your social media feed exclaiming outrage. One light shining on one outrage. All those 'ones' add up to a bright light. 4. Stay Informed. Find the organizations and media feeds you trust. Make sure they are reliable. Read. Share. Absorb. Connect the dots. 5. Mobilize Your Community. Whether that's your church group, your musical group, your book group, your tribe of friends, being in it together helps amplify everyone's power. 6. Stay healthy. Stay safe. Stay Strong. Your children need you. Your families need you. Your friends need you. And we need you. 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