2020, CDC, COVID-19, Innovation, National Security March 19, 2020April 27, 2020

Why Can’t We Use Lightweight Hazmat Suits? | Innovation

Washington (GGM) Analysis | March 19, 2020
by Noreen Wise

As an American, it’s impossible for me not to try and overcome a traumatic challenge. It’s been ingrained in me since birth, that in a free society, especially one founded on capitalism, that innovation is the next step when challenges loom large.

A certain segment of American society will immediately jump into overdrive to conjure up a list of possibilities and then field feedback. So please forgive me for wondering why we all don’t invest in lightweight modern day hazmat suits. That’s just the American way. Imagine the endless new inventions if we try and save the livelihoods of some of the 20%, by attempting to minimize the trauma the cataclysmic covid-19 horror has netted.

I dusted off the old Cold Era hazmat suit I bought during a terrorism warning one year. It’s military issued, from a pawn shop. It must be 40 years old, but it will certainly suffice in a pinch (considering I missed the window of opportunity to buy a face mask AND hand sanitizer and may have to run out for food, since I missed that “stock up” chance as well). So, I’ve been stressing. This is better than nothing at all.

But as I was scrubbing the gloves clean last night (not sure why they were covered in gritty dust, and too scared to find out), I began to imagine modern iterations.

The takeaway? Let’s begin IMAGINING clever, new innovations to help us ALL get through this better than we would otherwise, and hopefully save a lot of lives and livelihoods along the way.

COVID-19, DOD, Pentagon March 17, 2020April 27, 2020

One Day at a Time | Military, the Unexpected Heroes

Washington (GGM) Analysis | March 17, 2020
by Noreen Wise

The most important rule of thumb in a crisis, is one day at a time. Panic over the long term, when there are so many changing variables, leads to poor decision making in the short term, and then many regrets. This happens because we process the long term based on what we have in the present, and there’s a gap between what we have and what we need. We aren’t able to factor in what we’ll acquire along the way, as well as all the twists and turns we’ll make so we can reach our goals.

Further, there’s so much happening behind the scenes that we’re unaware of. The only thing we can master each day, is each line item on our task list.

make our beds
get dressed for work even though we’re staying home
try and keep same work schedule
same lunch time
same work habits
stay in home quarantine as requested
eat right
exercise
sleep right

The small things are the only things we have absolute control over. If we strive to perfect each one, and check each off our list once completed, we’ll feel empowered and stable, which will make us that much more confident about the long term.

Then one day, we’ll be startled by unexpected good news. Like today, the military announcing it will donate 5 million face masks. I learned this after stressing for two hours that I didn’t have a face mask but had to run to the store for a quick errand. I was resourceful and came up with an alternative, but still. At the time though, I had no idea that a team in the military was diligently working on this. Filled with frustration earlier in the day, I wasted so much of brain power on what should have been applied to work projects.

In fact, I’ve been amazed by how involved the military has been with COVID-19 challenges. Every day I learn of a new solution the military has delivered to the trenches in the nick of time. Our military leaders are revealing what clever strategists and long term thinkers they are. Unexpected heroes supporting thousands of front line troops, our medical professionals.

According to Defense One, the following is a list of what the United States military has provided in the way of COVID-19 support:

Military financed Canadian company Medicago has created covid-19 vaccine in record timing, and began human sample testing yesterday, March 16, 2020
More than 1,600 National Guard have been activated around the country to set up containment zones, and to build “Mash” style hospitals
Donated 5 million N95 face masks
Supplied 2,000 ventilators
USAF flew half million covid-19 test kits from Italy to Tennessee
And most importantly, decisive leadership, quickly moving into action to execute solutions

So, one day at a time, nailing all the small things, following the CDC guidelines, staying connected through social media, and taking the advice shared on all social media platforms.

We’ve got this. Believe it.

2020, Climate Action, Climate Change, Environment, Nature March 14, 2020April 27, 2020

Time to Plant Climate Gardens While We’re Stuck at Home

Washington (GGM) Analysis | March 14, 2020
by Noreen Wise

Backyard gardens are one of the easiest most inspiring ways to lower our carbon footprint. Adding multiple layers beneath trees and along fences, lining the front of homes. Shrubs, flowers, vines, ground cover. Ivy and creepers up and down walls, around mailboxes and lamplights. International cities like London and Paris have perfected this.

The best part about zeroing in on a giant burst of nature as the solution, is that it works immediately, especially if we all collectively execute ASAP, during these next few weeks while we’re stuck at home hoping tp stay clear of the coronavirus pandemic.

Imagine the positive impact.

In the nick of time, no less. We’re down to only nine years to save humanity from climatocalypse. So, the silver lining of being thrown into our current heart-wrenching calamity, with unexpected at-home time on our hands, is that we can pause and focus on the long term, and alter our destiny by conquering what otherwise would most likely be an improbable collective gardening effort.

Live in an apartment or condo? Balcony, patio and rooftop gardens or plantings on every available flat surface is a life-and-planet-saving difference. With a success rate as significant as this will be, at a minimal cost, we can all jump in first thing in the morning.

Bringing back nature, will not only be a giant leap forward in our progress at lowering our atmospheric carbon level back down to 350 PPM, but has multiple other valuable benefits.

Nature improves mental health, not only an emotional positive boost, but a sensory one as well. Sunlight provides the much needed daily dose of vitamin D that will keep our outlook positive and optimistic. Additionally, nature’s scent has an array of therapeutic properties. Some species are calming and supportive, while others keep us alert and energized. There’s also the tangible, yet little understood, sentient characteristics of nature that indicate plants and trees can problem solve, even connect with other plants and animals, as well as communicate with each other, and some believe communicate with humans, in addition to nurturing humans, .

Considering how many alarming societal threats we face — climate, suicides, drug addiction, physical and mental health — the fact that nature can aid in improving every single one of these, is a very compelling reason to quickly sow our climate gardens during this unexpected period of being stuck at home (at least it’s spring, the planting season). In fact, there’s no better way to keep our minds off this extended emergency, than to dig into a powerful solution that will not only bring back nature, but will keep us calm in a crisis.

Once nature is back, the wildlife that goes along with it will also return. Our planet will be healthy again, which will make humankind that much healthier too. It all begins right now, during these mandated weeks of social distancing.

Let’s GO!

clean water, Environment, Nature March 8, 2020April 27, 2020

Protecting Our Water Supply this Spring | Beware of Lawn Fertilizer

Washington (GGM) Analysis | March 8, 2020
by Noreen Wise

After Trump’s recent roll back of Obama’s Clean Water Act, we have to be more mindful than ever of what we can do as individual citizens to be the stewards of our community water supply in the hopes that we can minimize the negative fallout now that these life-saving federal regulations have been repealed.

I feel traumatized by the horrible news that 60% of our waters will again be unprotected. Climate change has created a seemingly apocalyptic ripple effect from the fallout of the flooding and run off that occurs from the now regular rain bombs, as well as the threat of the new Category 6 hurricanes (not that the National Hurricane Center has officially added Category 6 to the Saffir-Simpson Scale, but recent Hurricane Dorian with winds of 185 mph that flattened the Bahamas, was so far off the charts there’s certainly been a fewa discussions about the need to do so).

Factor in the flooding of superfund sights alone, during this age of climate change, and the frightening consequences for future generations in the calamitous way that water pollutants cause birth defects. This reality is already rattling nerves and alarming homeowners close to these toxic sights. The unseen leaking of life-threatening pollutants into ground water from buried storage tanks is certainly of grave concern, but all the more troubling is seeing the vacant wastelands flood and the damaging toxic waters flow through town drains as well as the surrounding nearby community property.

Farmland with pesticides and fertilizer is equally as concerning. Weather bombs know no borders. Heavy rains will spread these toxins for miles. They’re usually invisible, but the damage they cause humans is very tangible and physical.

So with these significant issues now plaguing American communities this spring 2020, and some states stepping in to protect its waters and passing much needed state regulations, we have to do our part too, after all, we’re the ones with the most to lose.

We love beautiful lawns, or course. And we likely use fertilizer to make sure our yards have the right nutrients to nurture our favorite flowers, shrubs and trees. However the ammonium nitrate found in most sterilizers, amongst other hazardous nutrients, are the very pollutants that may cause birth defects after running down the town drains during heavy spring rains.

Birth defects caused by the nitrates found in fertilizer:

spina bifida
cleft palate
missing limbs

Rules of thumb to avoid contaminating the town water supply?

home composting from food scraps that can be added to garden and yard soil
many town farmer’s markets now offer free compost
organic alternatives that are not water soluble like ammonium nitrate
don’t fertilize in the spring, wait until fall when there’s much less rain.

So let’s be more aware, and make a commitment to finding an alternative to fertilizing with heavy nutrients in the spring. We can do this!🌱

2020, National Security, White House February 27, 2020April 27, 2020

Boycotting Future Dem Candidate Debates | Election 2020

Washington (GGM) Analysis | February 27, 2020
by Noreen Wise

Analyzing the second Democratic debate and the commentary that followed is almost too mystifying to process. Our country is on the brink of a global pandemic that we’re woefully unprepared for, which feels traumatizing if I stop and think about it, so I obviously won’t. Further, Attorney General William Barr simply must resign after leveling our rule of law for the benefit of our corrupt president, but we’re all so preoccupied with these other concerns that we’re not storming the streets, demanding Barr be removed from office. A patriot from the justice department insisted we have a human uprising to remove this enemy of justice. We simply must.

These life and democracy-threatening events are flagrant reminders of just how important it is to remove the 45th president of the United States with swift conviction during the 2020 election. So what happened on Tuesday night February 26, 2020? How can so many of us watch the debate and walk away with completely different impressions?

All I can deduce, is that the majority in the country following the debates, haven’t analyzed what it will take to defeat Trump in the 2020 election following his acquital, and what traits are an absolute must.

In actuality, if truth be told, we really shouldn’t have to. The vast majority of us don’t have the necessary security clearance to obtain all the information required to properly understand what a monster threat Russia is. Having enough money to defend our elections is a significant liability.

The Democratic leadership should be playing a much bigger role in narrowing down the Dem field to two. Right now, having to decide on the best candidate makes me feel the way I did when my parents were getting divorced. My brother, sisters and I loved both parents. When they began screaming at each other, I remember trying to fall asleep at night in tears, wondering why they couldn’t stop. Then we siblings were soon in conflict because a few were closer to Mom, and the others to Dad. This sustained nightmare scarred me for life.

And that’s exactly how I feel right now. Traumatized. Scared. Mad that several Dems can’t read their fate on the walls?

I refuse to watch another debate. The field needs to be narrowed down to two candidates before Tuesday, a moderate and an ultra liberal. The national poll shows Bernie & Mike as top two. I accept this.🇺🇸

Climate Action, Climate Change, Environment, Nature February 24, 2020January 13, 2021

Powerful Impact of Meadows on Carbon Sink

Washington (GGM) Analysis | February 24, 2020 by Noreen Wise

Thousands of innovators across the globe are aggressively working to manufacture machines that will pull carbon out of the air and store it, or transform it into something useful. Recent news about Amazon committing $10B to combat climate change has created hope that some of these funds will be used to create innovative solutions such as carbon sequestration machines.

But we’re not there yet, so we have to maximize what’s currently at our disposal — nature.

Planting trees is our number one priority. But, equally as important are meadows. Expansive landscapes of open fields that contain a variety of plants enable the funneling of carbon into their roots and trapping it in the soil where it will be safely stashed even when the roots die.

According to the Scientific American on sustainability, “Carbon Off-Set Cowboys Let Their Grass Grow”:

“The best way to maximize the amount of carbon that gets trapped underground is to maximize grass growth.”

Screen Shot 2020-02-24 at 2.24.22 PM.png

The fact that so many different types of botanic species grow in a meadow, and their roots all intertwine underground, appears to be why meadows store more carbon than tall and bushy shrubs, although they take up a lot more land. Once carbon is trapped underground, fungi feed off it, and according to the Scientific American, fungi are often consumed by microbes and worms which stabilizes the carbon.

Screen Shot 2020-02-24 at 2.28.47 PM.png

The western half of the country, with it’s massive open terrain, has a huge opportunity to maximize this option and help the United States take giant steps forward in cutting carbon. Apparently, a cap & trade program that reward ranchers and land owners is already underway. According to Civil Eats, Indigo Ag, a Boston-based agtech company, has raised $600 million from investors to help farmers sink one trillion tons of carbon on their property. Farmers are paid $15 per metric ton of stored carbon.

It’s exciting to see that the economy that led to our stratospheric carbon emissions rate, can be used to turn the catastrophe around and inspire land owners to reach for an opportunity to reduce carbon just as quickly and significantly.🌱

2020, Oceans, sustainability February 18, 2020April 27, 2020

How Cool Is This? | Loop Shopping for Zero-Waste

Washington (GGM) Analysis | February 18, 2020
by Noreen Wise

The vast majority of plastic waste is product packaging. If our goal is to have a sustainable circular economy, and rid the environment of as much plastic waste as possible, we have to find a series of solutions to overhaul the way we package consumer products.

So why hasn’t Loop become a familiar buzzword and pathway for all of us to take advantage of for waste free weekly shopping? It’s quite brilliant.

No membership is required
We just pay a small one-time fee at the start for the returnable durable Loop Tote
We’ll use the Loop Tote with each shipment delivery which will eliminate the cardboard waste
All the products are delivered in reusable containers that are returned when we’re through
Most containers are stainless steel, while others are glass
Loop will sanitize each container and reuse

Loop has even managed to solve the toothpaste crisis, which has always seemed too tricky for a feasible alternative. Many of our favorite name brands are Loop partners. But most importantly, Loop is an excellent fix for personal care products that we use everyday and create the bulk of plastic waste.

Innovative creativity is so exciting.I’m IN… can’t wait to check it out!

2020, Climate Action, Climate Change, National Security February 14, 2020April 27, 2020

Why is the Sunshine State so Far Behind with Solar?

Washington (GGM) Analysis | February 14, 2020
by Noreen Wise

One would think that with all that sunshine Florida would be way out in front on solar power, but no such luck. How can this be with such dire warning threatening the state? Some scientists believe that Miami will be the first US metropolis to become uninhabitable as a result of climate change.

Florida should be sprinting to cut carbon. When homes, towns, and businesses overproduce solar power they can either store the excess in their home batteries or send it back to the grid and get paid (net metering). Why don’t Florida residents want to take advantage of one of their most valuable assets. They can earn an income from their overabundance of this vital natural resource.

Florida has the third largest population in the US:

California – 39.7million
Texas – 29.1
Florida – 21.6

Yet, according to vivant.Solar, Florida is ranked #10 in solar power:

California – 21,074 MW
North Carolina – 4,308 MW
Arizona – 3,400 MW
Nevada – 2,595 MW
New Jersey – 2,595 MW
Massachusetts – 2,011 MW
Texas – 1,874 MW
Utah – 1,599 MW
Georgia – 1,566 MW
Florida – 1,430 MW

It’s time to act. Florida’s carbon footprint is ranked #3 in country at 4.5 PPM. Residents have the ability to move the needle by taking advantage of natural resources. There are many state and federal incentives to assist with the transition. Let’s DO THIS!~

Climate Action, Climate Change, Environment, National Security February 13, 2020April 27, 2020

Overhauling the Packaging of Consumer Brands | Circular Economy

Washington (GGM) Analysis | February 13, 2020
by Noreen Wise

With the advent of the global circular economy movement, it soon becomes clear just how many everyday items can’t be recycled. It’s quite alarming. We’ll never reach zero waste unless we find innovative solutions to meet this imperative.

Take plastic, for example. The following plastic packaging/ additional items cannot be recycled:

plastic single use shopping bags
straws
plastic film wrap
frozen food bags (nearly all vegetables are sold in non-recyclable bags)
cereal box liner
chip bags
granola bar, candy bar and nearly all snack items wrappers
six-pack rings
plastic hangers
any plastic containers that can’t be cleaned, ie toothpaste tubes

Back before I was aware that these particular pieces couldn’t be recycled, it was exciting to end the month with an empty kitchen garbage bin. But now that I’m in the know, and I see the waste stack up, I feel maximum frustration. We have to stop, focus and fix.

Thankfully, innovative sustainability companies have done just that. According to Healthy Human, the following are the top sustainable packaging innovations of 2019:

Loop, Returnity and Share Pack – companies that enable consumers to conveniently return packaging either by dropping off at targeted locations, or sending back in company provided totes
Plant based packaging – plastics made from plants
Edible packaging – typically this is seaweed, hopefully they’ll soon find additional alternatives
Plantable packaging – contains seeds so the packaging can be planted after use
Compostable plastic alternatives
Minimal packaging design
Upcycled or recycled packaging

Sustainable packaging solutions are here. All we need now is to grow demand which will come from our consumer decision making. We simply must be motivated to seek these sustainably packaged products out and use our wallets to influence corporations to switch. If we all refuse to buy particular brands because of the packaging, corporations will soon wise up.

We can DO THIS!~

2020, Climate Action, Climate Change, Oceans February 10, 2020April 27, 2020

Are You Ever Confused About What Can Be Recycled? | Check Out This Link

Washington (GGM) Analysis | February 10, 2020
by Noreen Wise

Recycling has the world’s undivided attention as we strive to reach our lofty goal of zero waste. Proper recycling is of the utmost importance in the new circular economy era. As we attempt to deposit each item into the correct bin, it’s become more clear that the packaging industry has to be overhauled.

Paper labels stickered to a glass container is a very big problem. When glass is pure, it’s 100% recyclable. When paper stickers are added to the mix, it changes everything.
How about the bubble wrap mailing envelopes? Paper on the outside, plastic inside. These can’y be recycled, which is unacceptable.
Toothpaste has to have a package redesign as well. It’s impossible to recycle toothpaste tubes because they can’t be cleaned.
Plastic bags can’t be recycled. This includes bread bags, frozen fruit and vegetables, Saran wrap, sandwich bags, etc.
If we can’t reuse or recycle, we must refuse.

On the subject of cleaning, any plastic container that’s dirty cannot be recycled. Plastic packaging with skinny necks, and there are many, are a very serious problem. The hair conditioner I use, is nearly impossible to clean. I have to work so hard at it, I become aggravated at the selfish business practices of the manufacturer. My time is very valuable. Being forced to be clever and resourceful after a long day of work, so that the manufacturer’s job is easier, isn’t right.

Here’s an exceptional link that makes recycling super easy. Just enter the name of the item you want to recycle, and it will tell you how to take care of it.

By the way, plastic shopping bags cannot be recycled either. ZeroWaste.gov recommends that these be recycled by returning them to the store where they came from. Excellent idea! Better yet, invest in reusable bags to make your life easier, and the world a better place.~