Month: May 2021

Climate Change and the Explosive Book: Environmental Hazards, Are You Exposed?

Washington (GGM) Analysis | May 28, 2021 by author and climate journalist Noreen Wise; Special Guest author Fred Siegel Environmental Hazards, Are You Exposed?

Today’s atmospheric carbon level is 419.53 ppm, up two points from just a week ago. Additionally, scientists announced today that within the next five years we are 90 percent likely to break yet another record for the hottest year in recorded history, which despite 197 countries joining the Paris Agreement, and working so hard to reduce global warming, shows that we’re tracking in the wrong direction. 

How is this possible?

Continue reading “Climate Change and the Explosive Book: Environmental Hazards, Are You Exposed?”

Vegan Junk Food Without Palm Oil?! | Vegan Scene

Washington (GGM) Analysis | May 27, 2021 by Sarah J. Kings

According to Lacey Bourassa, of Plant Proteins.co, there has been a 500% increase in consumers identifying as being vegan within the last six years. Whether people are switching up their eating habits for ethical, health, feminist, or ecological reasons- or a combination- it is clear that eliminating animal products from our plates is on the rise. 

Continue reading “Vegan Junk Food Without Palm Oil?! | Vegan Scene”

Leave No Trace — A Parents Guide

Washington (GGM) Analysis | May 26, 2020 by Sarah J. Kings

You are trying your best to head an eco-friendly family.  You are recycling and upcycling like a champ, you’re careful not to waste water or gas, and maybe you’ve even incorporated Meatless Mondays into your routine. With all the planet conscious talk around your house, your kids are probably starting to show a little love for Mother Nature too.

Continue reading “Leave No Trace — A Parents Guide”

Which Vegan Milk is Best For Planet? | Vegan Scene

Washington (GGM) Analysis | May 25, 2021 by Sarah J. Kings

According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), approximately 270 million dairy cows live on farms and factory farms across the globe. The dairy industry produces greenhouse gas emissions that negatively impact the environment and contribute to climate change. Additionally, “poor handling of manure and fertilizers can degrade local water resources. And unsustainable dairy farming and feed production can” also “lead to the loss of ecologically important areas, such as prairies, wetlands, and forests.”

Continue reading “Which Vegan Milk is Best For Planet? | Vegan Scene”

What’s the Wet-Bulb Temperature | Survivability Threshold

Washington (GGM) Analysis | May 18, 2021 by author and climate journalist Noreen Wise

According to a recent report published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the official wet-bulb temperature of 35˚C (95˚F)  is the maximum temperature the human body can successfully cool itself on its own to keep from overheating. Once we cross the survivability threshold into the danger zone, the combination of heat and humidity results in the skin’s inability to sweat fast enough to cool the body, and we can succumb to heatstroke within a few hours of being outside, which is potentially fatal.

Continue reading “What’s the Wet-Bulb Temperature | Survivability Threshold”

Composting | A Major Climate Solution

Washington (GGM) Analysis | May 19, 2021 by Catherine Zacuto, M. Ed.

Perspective is everything. Composting can seem like a daunting task or a simple way to make our soil healthy. The benefits of composting for the climate and the environment may persuade you to get on board, to learn something new, and to contribute to a growing movement to give back.

Continue reading “Composting | A Major Climate Solution”

Russian Roulette | Great Pacific Garbage Patch 2X Size of Texas Keeps Expanding

Washington (GGM) Analysis | May 17, 2021 by Attorney Michael Wells, PodcastLegal Fact and Fiction

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) floats, swirls, and grows in the North Pacific between Hawaii and the coast of North America. It is 1.6 million kilometers around (about 1 million miles), which is three times the size of France and two times the size of Texas. It weighs roughly 80,000 tons, and the only way to view the massive expanse is through photos from space. Discarded fishing lines, nets, and other fishing equipment comprise about half of the mass of the GPGP. Used plastics coming from land make up the vast bulk of the rest of the GPGP. According to the acclaimed documentary, Midway: Message from the Gyre, 136,000 seals, sea lions, and whales are killed each year from the GPGP. Beaches of islands in the vicinity of the GPGP are littered with dead bird carcasses, which are filled with plastics from the patch. If you think you are not affected by this, you are wrong because eventually these plastics will end up on your plate through a process known as bioaccumulation where the plastics pass to organisms and then to humans. And 84% of the plastics contain at least one toxic, cancer causing agent, which makes eating seafood like a game of Russain roulette.

Continue reading “Russian Roulette | Great Pacific Garbage Patch 2X Size of Texas Keeps Expanding”

Fairfax Student Reveals Native Shrub Carbon Storage Champions

Washington (GGM) Analysis | May 14, 2021 by author & climate journalist Noreen Wise

The planet will keep revolving around the sun, no matter how destructive and irresponsible humans are. But we humans won’t. Humans are mammals. Mammals rely on our habitat to survive. And mammals eventually become extinct when our habitat disappears. Eighty mammals have gone extinct in the past five centuries.

Continue reading “Fairfax Student Reveals Native Shrub Carbon Storage Champions”

Trees for Love | Planting Seedlings to Remember Those We Lost to Covid

Washington (GGM) Analysis | May 14, 2021 by author and climate journalist Noreen Wise

Back on October 24, 2020, when covid was ramping up for another major assault, both physical and economic, Gallant Gold Media hosted a free distribution of native redbud and button bush seedlings, at Parking Lot P at George Mason University in Fairfax Virginia. The campaign was called Trees for Love and the seedlings were being planted to remember those we lost to covid in our communities. Fairfax ReLeaf supplied the seedlings. The Fairfax Tree Commission was the essential liaison that made this all possible, enabling the free seedling distribution to come to fruition by connecting these various organizations. 

Continue reading “Trees for Love | Planting Seedlings to Remember Those We Lost to Covid”

Bruce, My Pet Worm | Build Back Better

Washington (GGM) Analysis | May 9, 2021 by Catherine Zacuto, M. Ed.; source expert contributions from Pamela Scaiff

Some people fall easily into the “dog people” category, some into the “cat people” one. If you are not either of those, you may be a “worm person.” Even if you love dogs and cats, you might be surprised to discover the advantages of worms for your lifestyle and your garden. Though not cuddly, worms make great pets. They don’t smell, they are clean, and they don’t have to be fed every day (or even every week). Worms don’t disturb the neighbours. They have a symbiotic relationship with insects. Worms don’t need pet sitters when you go away for a month. Even if you don’t need a new pet, the advantages of worms are worth investigating.

Continue reading “Bruce, My Pet Worm | Build Back Better”