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https://www.plasticpollutioncoalition.org/blog/2015/8/26/plastic

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We know by now that plastic pollution is turning our oceans into a toxic "plastic soup," in which fish, mammals, sea birds and even zooplankton are literally choking to death. It's estimated that 80 percent of sea-borne pollution comes from terra firma, and as much as 90 percent of it is plastic. But what about the plastic trash that isn't washed out to or dumped in the ocean?

Entanglement, choking, ingestion that leads to poisoning and starvation-these plague land animals too. Here are just five ways, as reported by One Green Planet.

Photo: Harry Shuldman, Flickr

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Plastic Impacts Land Animals Too - Plastic Pollution Coalition

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We know by now that plastic pollution is turning our oceans into a toxic "plastic soup," in which fish, mammals, sea birds and even zooplankton are literally choking to death. It's estimated that 80 percent of sea-borne pollution comes from terra firma, and as much as 90 percent of it is plastic.

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https://www.texasdisposal.com/blog/the-real-cost-of-littering/

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Littering - or what littering means to us today - is actually a rather modern problem. It wasn't until roughly the 1950s that manufacturers began producing a higher volume of litter-generating products and packaging made of materials like plastic. You couldn't toss a styrofoam cup out of your window back then because there weren't many styrofoam cups in existence to throw away.

Still, the incidences of littering grew swiftly in those short few decades. Increases in littering and illegal dumping contribute to air pollution, land pollution and ocean pollution . For example, approximately 8 million tons of plastic waste finds its way into our oceans every year.

It can be difficult to fully comprehend the monumental effects throwing a cup out of a window or dropping food packaging on the ground can have. The following facts about littering aim to shed light on what littering is, why people litter, how litter affects the environment and what you can do to prevent littering and encourage others to do the same.

What is littering?

Littering is the improper disposal of waste products. While it can happen by mistake (as in an unsecured object flying out of the bed of a truck), littering continues to be largely a deliberate act.

Whether it happens intentionally or unintentionally, littering has environmental consequences.

What are the most common types of litter?

Cigarette butts

Fast food packaging (bags, cups, serving items)

Food packaging (wrappers, boxes, film, styrofoam/expanded polystyrene)

Alcoholic beverage containers (beer & single-serve wine)

Tire and vehicle debris

Plastic bags

Plastic bottles

Construction waste

The KAB study also found that, since the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an increased incidence of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), with an estimated 207 million PPE gloves and masks littering roadways and waterways.

Why do people litter?

Laziness or carelessness

Lack of access to trash receptacles

Lenient law enforcement

Presence of litter already in the area

People who litter out of laziness or carelessness often believe that someone else (a maintenance worker or park employee) will come along and pick up the litter and dispose of it properly. Others may not have been educated on the impact of littering and therefore litter because they don't know it causes harm, while still others may live in an area where littering is an accepted part of the culture. This type of littering behavior is often the hardest to combat.

Effects of littering on the environment

Even if you don't litter, have you ever stopped to ask yourself exactly why is littering bad? Other than just being unsightly, litter has serious consequences for the environment and your community. Keep these in mind the next time you see plastic bottles on the ground.

1. Litter is one of the causes of pollution

2. Litter can kill wildlife

3. Litter facilitates the spread of disease

Improperly discarded trash is a breeding ground for bacteria and diseases. Litter can spread diseases, viruses and parasites through two methods, direct and indirect contact.

Germs can be transmitted directly by physically coming into contact with litter. This can happen by picking up, touching or by accidentally injuring themselves on improperly disposed of trash.

Bacteria and parasites can also be transmitted to humans indirectly through an affected vector. Vectors are animals or insects that come in contact with contaminated litter and then transmit those contaminates to humans.

4. Litter is costly

Litter along the highway must be picked up and disposed of daily in order to keep drivers safe. This costs taxpayers money and diverts funds from other projects like road repair. For example, the Arkansas Department of Transportation reported that it spent on litter pickup in 2021; Texas paid an estimated in 2014 and Pennsylvania paid an estimated in 2019.

All of that adds up. Keep America Beautiful estimates that the US spends 11.5 billion annually in litter costs. Businesses pay $9.1 billion of those costs; states, cities and counties pay $1.3 billion; educational institutions pay $241 million.

There are hidden costs of litter, too. Surveys have shown that homeowners, realtors and business owners believe that litter significantly decreases a property's value and deters visitors. And since littered areas encourage more littering, the problem tends to compound quickly.

How to prevent littering: Solutions & ideas

To decrease littering in your community, it's important to educate the public on what littering is and how it affects our environment. Here are three ways we can fight back against litter today.

1. Become an environmental steward

Attend and set up organized cleanups: Working to clean up your community is not only beneficial to the environment, but will make your community beautiful. Check out these clean-up groups on Meetup to find an organized litter cleanup walk in your community.

Clean one littered area: If you can't regularly attend meetups, focus on one particular area. Remember: people tend to litter more in an area that already has large amounts of litter, so cleaning up litter in one specific area can have a positive impact.

Take up a new hobby: The Swedish practice of plogging, plalking, or pliking is a great way to clean up litter. Plogging is the act of picking up litter while out on a run while plalking and pliking are the walking or hiking alternatives to plogging. Just make sure whatever mode of movement you choose that you bring appropriate plogging supplies .

Adopt a highway: If you own or operate a business, consider adopting a highway ; adopted highways are more regularly cleaned. You can also often adopt areas around your community.

Make sure items in your garbage carts and vehicles are secured: Does the lid of your garbage bin regularly fly open in the wind? Do you frequently travel with unsecured items in the back of a truck? Securing your garbage carts and cargo can help you avoid unintentional littering.

Don't underestimate the small things: Even educating yourself on ways to prevent littering and reduce waste can have a big impact in the long run. For example, you can learn how to recycle electronics or research types of composting and apply what you know over time, then talk about what you learn with your friends and family.

2. Increase the number of public waste disposal cans

One of the reasons that people litter is due to a lack of public garbage cans, or overflowing cans that do not get emptied regularly. By increasing the number of available trash receptacles and the frequency they get cleaned, communities can help deter littering. To help increase the number of garbage cans in a certain area:

Reach out to local businesses or put an extra waste receptacle outside your own business if you have one.

Call the leasing office of your apartment complex if you notice there is not an adequate number of trash receptacles.

Speak up when your community is organizing an event to ensure that enough waste collection services will be provided.

Contact school districts and local governments and encourage them to invest in their community's health by reducing the likelihood of litter.

3. Impose stricter laws and regulations

An effective barrier to littering is strong anti-litter laws and regulations. Both individuals and businesses are more likely to follow litter laws when there are serious legal or financial consequences.

Texas Disposal Systems is committed to help end littering

As one of the largest independently owned solid waste collection, processing and disposal companies in the nation, TDS is committed to the safe and responsible disposal of waste.

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Littering: What It Is & How It Affects The Environment | TDS

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Learn the facts about littering including what it is, types of littering, how it affects the environment, why people litter and how to prevent it.

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https://www.britannica.com/explore/savingearth/plastic-bags-and-animals-making-the-wild-safe-for-wildlife

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Making the Wild Safe for Wildlife

by Gregory McNamee

The news comes with depressing regularity. A whale dies in an urban harbor and, on being autopsied, reveals a stomach full of plastic, the most abundant detritus of civilization. Remarks a British marine biologist, "We have recorded plastic bags in the Bay of Biscay [in western Europe] over 120 miles from shore in waters over 4,000 meters in depth. Beaked whale species in particular are highly susceptible to swallowing plastic bags as they are believed to strongly resemble their target prey, squid. Other species of large whales, which take large mouthfuls of water during feeding, also take in plastic bags by accident and hence are also at risk."

Elsewhere, a flamingo strangles itself on a bag, unable to twist its way out of the entangling plastic. A platypus suffers deep cuts from a plastic bag entwined around its body, while a pelican dies after consuming plastic bags while diving for fish. Calves, turtles, dolphins, seals-the list of victims goes on. Another scientist has recorded 170 kinds of land animals and birds injured by plastics washed up on British beaches, joining myriad aquatic species who suffer the effects of discarded bags in the environment.
The bad news continues. In November 2008 in Australia, a 10-foot-long crocodile tagged as part of a government wildlife-tracking program turned up dead, having consumed 25 plastic shopping and garbage bags. Whitey, as the crocodile was dubbed, had been relocated to a popular tourist destination called Magnetic Island, and authorities at first feared that he had died as a result of eating garbage left behind by visitors. Said Keith Williams of the group Australian Seabird Rescue, however, "Whitey probably was picking up plastic long before [being moved]."

Plastics take hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of years to break down in most environments, such that it is not a stretch to imagine a single bag killing more than one animal over a very long lifetime on land and sea. And while the statistics are incomplete, some conservationists estimate that at least 100,000 mammals and birds die from them each year, felled by the estimated 500 billion and more plastic bags that are produced and consumed around the world; the numbers of fish killed by them are unknown, but they are sure to number in the millions.

Word of that devastation is spreading, and countries around the world have taken measures to limit or ban the use of throwaway plastic bags. The first to do so was Bangladesh, which banned plastic bags in 2002; following a particularly damaging typhoon, authorities discovered that millions of bags were clogging the country's system of flood drains, contributing to the destruction.

In the same year, Ireland took another approach and instituted a steep tax on plastics. According to the country's Ministry of Environment, use fell by 90 percent as a result, and the tax money that was generated funded a greatly expanded recycling program throughout the country. In 2003 the government of Taiwan put in place a system by which bags were no longer made available in markets without charge, and carryout restaurants were even required to charge for plastic utensils.

Larger economies have joined the cause. Australia has called for a voluntary ban, and thus far consumption of the bags has fallen markedly as 90 percent of the country's retailers have signed on to the program. In 2005, French legislators imposed a ban on all nonbiodegradable plastic bags, to go into effect in 2010. Italy will also ban them that year, and China has already prohibited bags less than 0.025 millimeters thick. "Our country consumes a huge amount of plastic shopping bags each year," a spokesperson for China's State Council said on announcing the ban last May. "While plastic shopping bags provide convenience to consumers, this has caused a serious waste of energy and resources and environmental pollution because of excessive usage, inadequate recycling and other reasons."

In the United States, however, measures to ban or curtail the use of plastic bags have met with official resistance. With its powerful lobby, the plastics industry argues that jobs will disappear-and the industry employs some two million workers, at least in good times-if the trade in plastic bags is reduced. But these are not good times, bans or no, and critics point out that Americans alone throw out at least 100 billion bags a year, the equivalent of throwing away 12 million gallons of oil, which seems an intolerable waste.

Thus, even in the United States, the no-bags campaign is gaining ground. During its 2008 session, the New York State Legislature passed legislation requiring the "reduction, reuse, and recycling" of checkout bags. The previous year, the city of San Francisco banned plastic bags altogether, at least the flimsy ones of yore. National Public Radio reported a few months later that the ban had been a boon for local plastics manufacturers, who have been introducing heavy-duty, recyclable, and even compostable bags into the marketplace.

And New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has lately been talking of imposing a citywide tax of six cents for every plastic bag dispensed-one source of quick revenue in tight times, at least until consumers catch on and stop paying the surcharge by carrying their own shopping bags. Just so, speaking directly to our wallets, more and more grocery stores in the United States are offering small incentives to customers who do so. Trader Joe's, a popular California-based chain, offers such customers raffle tickets for free groceries, while Albertson's, another chain, gives a small cash credit.

Could the plastic grocery bag one day be a relic, like the eight-track tape and the Model A? Given current trends, it seems a very real possibility-and that is a most welcome development for wildlife around the world.

To Learn More

How Can I Help?

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Plastic Bags and Animals | Saving Earth | Encyclopedia Britannica

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by Gregory McNamee The news comes with depressing regularity. A whale dies in an urban harbor and, on being autopsied, reveals a stomach full of plastic, the most abundant detritus of civilization. Remarks a British marine biologist, "We have recorded plastic bags in the Bay of Biscay [in western Europe] over 120 miles from shore in waters over 4,000 meters in depth.

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https://www.greenmatters.com/p/how-many-animals-are-killed-by-plastic-pollution

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Plastic Pollution Kills Millions of Animals Every Year

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Plastic pollution has a negative impact on all living things on our planet, but the fruits of our petroleum-based labor are having the worst effect on wild animals.

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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2021/10/29/great-pacific-garbage-patch-ocean-cleanup-nets-63000-pounds-trash/6138815001/

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Why education is important to our society

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Why education is important to our society

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https://www.habitatbroward.org/benefits-of-education/#:~:text=It%20helps%20people%20become%20better,rights%2C%20laws%2C%20and%20regulations.

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10 Benefits Showing Why Education Is Important to Our Society | Habitat for Humanity

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Do you think attending school and doing projects for your college is a waste of time? Why is education important to society? Let’s take into account some reasons.

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10 Benefits Showing Why Education Is Important to Our Society

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https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/04/worlds-most-innovative-companies/

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These are 2021's most innovative companies

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The businesses that are recovering more quickly from the pandemic not only prioritize innovation, but ensure that the necessary systems, leadership and processes are in place.

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https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2020/5-out-of-20-fastest-growing-industries-from-2019-to-2029-are-in-healthcare-and-social-assistance.htm?view_full

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5 out of 20 fastest-growing industries from 2019 to 2029 are in healthcare and social assistance

Employment is projected to grow from 162.8 million to 168.8 million over the 2019-29 decade, an increase of 6.0 million jobs. This reflects an annual growth rate of 0.4 percent, slower than the 2009-19 annual growth rate of 1.3 percent.

Five out of the 20 industries projected to grow the fastest from 2019 to 2029 are in healthcare and social assistance, the fastest growing industry in the economy. Factors that are expected to contribute to the large increase include increased demand from caring for the aging baby-boom population, longer life expectancies, and continued growth in the number of patients with chronic conditions.

Manufacturing is projected to lose 444,800 jobs from 2019 to 2029, more than any other industry. Manufacturing contains 12 of the 20 industries projected to have the most rapid employment declines. Factors contributing to the loss of manufacturing jobs include the adoption of new productivity-enhancing technologies, such as robotics and international competition.

Healthcare occupations and those associated with healthcare (including mental health) account for most of the 20 fastest growing occupations from 2019 to 2029. Nurse practitioners, occupational therapy assistants, and physician assistants, are projected to increase by at least 30 percent over that period, as team-based healthcare models are increasingly used to deliver healthcare services.

Computer occupations, such as information security analysts, are expected to see fast job growth. This is due to new product development associated with the Internet of Things (IoT).

Technological changes facilitating automation and e-commerce are expected to result in declining employment for office and administrative support occupations, such as word processors and typists (−36.4 percent), data entry keyers (−24.6 percent), and legal secretaries and administrative assistants (−22.1 percent).

These data are from the BLS Employment Projections program. Additional information about these and many other occupations may be found in the Occupational Outlook Handbook or " Employment Projections - 2019-29."

OF INTEREST

Recent editions of Spotlight on Statistics

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5 out of 20 fastest-growing industries from 2019 to 2029 are in healthcare and social assistance : The Economics Daily: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

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Employment is projected to grow from 162.8 million to 168.8 million over the 2019-29 decade, an increase of 6.0 million jobs. This reflects an annual growth rate of 0.4 percent, slower than the 2009-19 annual growth rate of 1.3 percent.

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https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/top-growing-industries

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12 Fastest-Growing Industries in the U.S.

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Most job candidates are looking to find positions in stable and successful industries. Holding a job in a fast-growing industry can provide you with a higher salary, increased job stability and more career advancement opportunities. If you are hoping to find a job in an exciting field, you need to know which industries in the United States are experiencing the fastest growth rates.

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https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2018/07/why-are-bees-important-and-how-you-can-help-them/

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Why are bees important? And how you can help them

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With its black and gold stripes, translucent wings and signature furry body, the bee is a common sight in woods and gardens around the world. But do you know how important this creature is to our planet, and the threats it is facing?

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https://www.earthday.org/wp-content/uploads/species/bees.pdf

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https://www.science.org.au/curious/earth-environment/we-need-bees-more-honey

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Bees play a major role in the pollination of plants and crops, and are extremely important commercially for farming practices worldwide. It is an essential service-without pollination, life on the planet would be very different and probably much less diverse.

It is estimated that about one-third of global food production requires animal pollination and that 80-90 per cent of this role is carried out by honeybees. In Australia, two-thirds of all horticultural and agricultural crops need honeybees for optimal pollination. Many fruits, such as apples, raspberries and peaches, are more productive, produce better, more attractive fruit and even store better and for longer when they are serviced by honeybees.

Lucerne, which is an important crop for feeding livestock such as cattle, is also much more productive when sufficient numbers of honeybees are available to promote pollination.

In Australia, two-thirds of all horticultural and agricultural crops need honeybees for optimal pollination

Almond blossoms rely completely on honeybees for pollination-so, no bees, no almonds. It has been estimated that the value of honeybee-reliant agriculture in Australia is $4-6 billion per year and rising.

A selection of crops that rely on honeybees for pollination

Australia's honeybees are among the most disease-free in the world and are therefore in considerable international demand for their pollination services, especially in those countries that have suffered from sudden colony losses. For example, the value of Australian exports of honeybees to the United States in 2010, mainly for the Californian almond-flowering season, was around $7.5 million.

The export of 'controlled queen bees'-to reduce swarming and help maintain hive productivity-is also a valuable exercise. However, this industry is now mainly restricted to the export of Tasmanian bees since mainland exports have been halted due to the presence of the Asian honey bee and problems such as the small hive beetle.

This article was adapted from Academy website content reviewed by the following expert: Professor Boris Baer Professor for Pollinator Health, Centre for Integrative Bee Research, Department of Entomology, University of California

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Bees play a major role in the pollination of plants and crops, and are extremely important commercially for farming practices worldwide. It is an essential service-without pollination, life on the planet would be very different and probably much less diverse.

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https://friendsoftheearth.uk/nature/why-do-we-need-bees

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The need for bees

We need bees. We may take them and other pollinators like butterflies and hoverflies for granted, but they're vital to stable, healthy food supplies and key to the varied, colourful and nutritious diets we need (and have come to expect).

Bees are perfectly adapted to pollinate, helping plants grow, breed and produce food. They do so by transferring pollen between flowering plants and therefore keeping the cycle of life turning.

The vast majority of plants we need for food rely on pollination, especially by bees: from almonds and vanilla to apples and squash. Bees also pollinate around 80% of wildflowers in Europe, so our countryside would be far less interesting and beautiful without them.

But bees are in trouble. There's growing public and political concern at bee decline across the world. This decline is caused by a combination of stresses - from loss of habitat and food sources to exposure to pesticides and the effects of climate breakdown.

More than ever before, we need to recognise the importance of bees to nature and to our lives. And we need to turn that into action to ensure they don't just survive but thrive.

Types of bee

Not all bees are the same. There are over 20,000 known species of bee globally. Around 270 species of bee have been recorded in the UK. Only 1 of these is the famous Honeybee.

Most Honeybees are kept by beekeepers in colonies of managed hives. The rest of our bees are wild, including 25 bumblebee species and more than 220 types of solitary bee.

Like Honeybees, the familiar Bumblebees live in social colonies - usually in holes in the ground or tree cavities.

Solitary bees tend to nest on their own, as the name suggests. Each female builds and provisions her own nest with food. Solitary bees include Mining bees which nest in the ground, as well as Mason bees and Leafcutter bees that nest in holes in dead wood, banks and walls.

Learn more with our bee identification guide.

Bees = perfect pollinators

Thanks to bees we can enjoy a range of foods from apples and pears to coffee and vanilla. And if you are wearing cotton, that's because the cotton plant your threads came from was pollinated.

"More than 90% of the leading global crop types are visited by bees."

Pollinators, Pollination and Food Production The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)

Bees gather pollen to stock their nests as food for their young. They have special features to collect it - like branched hairs called 'scopae' or combs of bristles called pollen baskets on their legs. As bees visit plants seeking food, pollen catches on their bodies and passes between plants, fertilising them - that's pollination.

Bees are not the world's only pollinators. Flies, wasps, moths, beetles and even some birds, bats and lizards all pollinate, but they only visit flowers enough to feed themselves. Because they gather pollen to stock their nests, bees are generally the most effective pollinators since they visit many more flowers and carry more pollen between them.

Some bee species are also specially developed to pollinate particular plants and without them those plants would be less well-pollinated.

Bees and farmers

Many bees have different characteristics that make them suited to pollinate certain plants. For example, the Early bumblebee's small size and agility allow it to enter plants with drooping flowers such as comfrey. Garden bumblebees are better at pollinating the deep flowers of honeysuckle and foxgloves than most other species because their longer tongue can reach deep inside them.

Many farmers rely on a diversity of bees to pollinate their produce. For example, commercial apple growers benefit from the free pollination services of the Red mason bee. This species can be 120 times more efficient at pollinating apple blossoms than honeybees.

There is evidence that natural pollination by the right type of bee improves the quality of the crop - from its nutritional value to its shelf life. For example, bumblebees and solitary bees feed from different parts of strawberry flowers. In combination they produce bigger, juicier and more evenly-shaped strawberries.

Some bee species have an affinity to particular plants, so need particular natural habitats. For example, in the UK the scabious bee, our largest mining bee, needs the pollen of field scabious or small scabious to provision its young. These plants grow on sandy or chalky open grassland, an important habitat for a variety of bees and wildflowers that is under threat from changing land use. The loss of particular habitats like this is the main driver of bee decline.

Bees are important for more than honey

In a world without bees we would probably survive. But our existence would be more precarious and our diets would be dull, poorer and less nutritious. And not just for want of honey.

Even some plants grown to feed to livestock for meat production, such as clover and alfalfa, depend at least partly on bee pollination.

"Loss of pollinators could lead to lower availability of crops and wild plants that provide essential micro-nutrients for human diets, impacting health and nutritional security and risking increased numbers of people suffering from vitamin A, iron and folate deficiency."

Pollinators, Pollination and Food Production The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)

Governments and food producers talk a lot about food security, yet without bees our food supply would be insecure. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) identified encouraging pollinators - particularly bees - as one of the best sustainable ways to boost food security and support sustainable farming.

All this natural crop pollination fills pockets as well as our bellies. The global market value linked to pollinators is between US$235bn and US$557bn each year. In the UK alone, the services of bees and other pollinators are worth £691m a year, in terms of the value of the crops they pollinate. It would cost the UK at least £1.8bn a year to employ people to do the work of these pollinators, yet bees do it for free.

Bees are important to a healthy environment

Bees are a fantastic symbol of nature. That they are in trouble is a sign that our natural environment is not in the good shape it should be.

By keeping the cycle of life turning, bees boost the colour and beauty of our countryside. Some 80% of European wildflowers require insect pollination. Many of them such as foxglove, clovers and vetches rely on bees.

Pollinators allow plants to fruit, set seed and breed. This in turn provides food and habitat for a range of other creatures. So the health of our natural ecosystems is fundamentally linked to the health of our bees and other pollinators.

Maintaining our native flora also depends on healthy pollinator populations. This includes wild flowers such as poppies, cornflowers and bluebells, as well as trees and shrubs. The close relationship between pollinators and the plants they pollinate is evident in the parallel declines seen across the UK and Europe: 76% of plants preferred by bumblebees have declined in recent decades, with 71% seeing contractions in their geographical range.

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Why do we need bees? | Friends of the Earth

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Bees are vital to a healthy environment and healthy economy. They're also simply beautiful and fascinating little insects. But what makes them so special?

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https://www.planetbee.org/why-we-need-bees#:~:text=Honey%20bees%20are%20clearly%20vital,been%20decreasing%20by%20the%20billions.

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THE IMPORTANCE OF POLLINATORS

The vast majority of plant species-- almost 90%, in fact-- rely on pollinators to reproduce. Pollination is the process by which pollinators help plants to produce fruit (technically anything with seeds on the inside, so that includes things we normally think of as vegetables, like cucumbers, green beans and tomatoes) by transporting pollen from one flower to another. There are approximately 200,000 different species of animals around the world that act as pollinators. Of these, about 1,000 are vertebrates, such as birds, bats, and small mammals, and the rest are invertebrates, including flies, beetles, butterflies, moths, and bees. Pollinators provide pollination services to over 180,000 different plant species.

Pollinators help plants survive, and plants:

Produce ⅓ of our food supply by giving us countless fruits, vegetables, and nuts

Provide ½ of the world's oils, fibers (such as the cotton used to make clothes), and other raw materials

Are used to create many medicines

Provide food and cover for wildlife

Keep waterways clean

Prevent soil erosion

Produce the oxygen we breathe

Absorb CO2, counteracting global climate change

Globally, pollinators are responsible for pollinating more than 1,200 crops. 87 of the leading 115 food crops, or about 75%, depend on pollinators. Every year, pollinators contribute more than $217 billion to the global economy, and $24 billion to the US economy. If we consider the indirect products of plants, such as milk and beef from cows fed on alfalfa, the value of pollinator services in the US would increase to an incredible $40 billion.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF HONEY BEES

Honey bees are among the most numerous and efficient pollinator species in the world. Considering that the average honey bee can visit more than 2,000 flowers in one day, these bees greatly increase the chances of a plant producing a fruit or vegetable.

Honey bees are the species most commonly used as commercial pollinators in the US. They are managed and used to pollinate over 100 crops grown in North America, and contribute $15 billion to the US economy every year. Many crops, such as almonds, which contribute $4.8 billion to the US industry each year, rely on honey bees for more than 90% of their pollination.

But honey bees don't only pollinate crops-- they also pollinate wild and native plants, thus contributing to all the environmental and societal benefits attributed to pollinators in general above.

HONEY BEE DECLINE

Honey bees are clearly vital parts of our ecosystem, acting as highly efficient pollinators of our food crops as well as for wild flora. We need bees to keep our crops and earth healthy, but in recent years their numbers have been decreasing by the billions. This decline has been linked to several factors, including parasites such as varroa mites, which bite bees and infect them with fatal viruses (read more about varroa mites here!), the use of pesticides which poison bees, and monoculture farming, which prevents them from having a varied diet.

Last year, in 2016, 44% of managed beehives in the US died. The number of managed honey bee colonies in the United States has declined steadily over the past 60 years, from 6 million colonies (beehives) in 1947 to 4 million in 1970, 3 million in 1990, and just 2.5 million today. Overwintering loss rates have increased from the historical rate of 10-15% to approximately 30%, and beekeepers have collectively lost approximately 10 million beehives.

THE ROLE OF NATIVE BEES

Did you know that there are 4,000 different bee species native to North America? These bees vary widely, from cuckoo bees to bumble bees. Some are smaller than an eighth of an inch, while others are more than an inch long. They range in color from metallic green or blue to dark brown or black to striped red or orange.

Native bees are often overlooked because they aren't domesticated, or because some of them don't look like "traditional" bees (fuzzy, black and yellow). But these bees are the original residents of North America, who quietly and industriously pollinate our crops side by side with the honey bee.

Native bees might not spend much time in the spotlight, but they make a huge contribution to our environment and our economy. In 2009, the crop benefits from native insect pollination in the United States were valued at more than $9 billion dollars.

Sadly, native bees are struggling just as much as honey bees. Many species are endangered (read more about their endangerment here), and a few have already gone extinct. The factors that harm managed honey bees also harm wild bees, such as parasites, pathogens, and poor nutrition due to monoculture farms. A study published by the National Academy of Sciences last year found that wild bees may be disappearing in California's Central Valley, the Midwest's corn belt, the Mississippi River Valley and other key farm regions. Between 2008 and 2013, modeled bee abundance declined across 23% of US land area.

Now more than ever we must find new and innovative ways to protect these national treasures and preserve the balance of our ecosystem.

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Bees and other pollinators are responsible for a third of our food and contribute over $217 billion to the global economy each year. They also pollinate almost 90% of the world's plants, keeping our environment healthy and providing habitats for countless other species. Let's show the bees some love

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https://www.cntraveller.com/gallery/sustainable-cities

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Attempting to judge what makes a city sustainable is fraught with complexity. Is a city sustainable if it provides cycle paths but doesn't have a renewable-energy policy? Many recent studies focus on economics and the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. And these kinds of metrics are important for setting global standards and objectives. But for us as travellers, sustainability is also about how visitors can tap into the changes, about how enjoyable or easy it is to engage with a city in an eco-conscious way, about initiatives that visitors can see and feel alongside engineering accomplishments and technical expertise. It's all very well rating a city on its water usage but if your experience is that you can't get public transport, recycle your rubbish or relax in a green space, then we've discounted it. Our (admittedly unscientific) criteria include destinations that are not ultra fast growing (rapid expansion and sustainability rarely go well together), have green travel schemes and places to stay, elements of circular economy in place and politics that integrate these initiatives across all sectors. We're looking for the places where you can hop on a bike, visit a market, stay in an eco hotel and embrace the sense of joy you find from getting under the bones of an urban destination while leaving a minimal footprint.

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10 of the most sustainable cities in the world

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Where to embrace the sense of joy you find from getting under the bones of an urban destination while leaving a minimal footprint - these are the sustainable cities to have on your radar

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https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/07/opinion/how-to-build-a-sustainable-city.html

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Turning Points

Credit... Eoin Ryan

This is an article from Turning Points, a magazine that explores what critical moments from this year might mean for the year ahead.
Turning Point: Countries pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Global warming, drought, migration and population growth have put our cities under heavy strain. What does the future hold for them - and all of us - in this scenario?

Cities have a very significant impact on climate change: It's estimated that urban areas are responsible for 75 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. Before the climate conference in Paris in December, developed and developing nations alike pledged to curb greenhouse-gas emissions in an effort to reach worldwide consensus. But does this consensus absorb the world's many different realities, cultures and levels of economic development? And is looking at the issue on a country scale the best one to take effective action?

If the majority of the world's population is living in cities, and urban dwellers' activities have such a large environmental impact, doesn't it stand to reason that it's in cities where solutions that will improve people's lives and our relationship with the planet must be sought and implemented?

I firmly believe that cities can help to provide the solutions to the challenges we are facing; that every city, regardless of its size and wealth, can significantly improve in two or three years; and that cities are our society's last refuge for solidarity.

As the list of megacities grows and as more and more people move into cities from rural areas, every city should prioritize three issues that have great impact on the quality of urban life, beginning to find answers that will sustain our society in the long term: mobility, sustainability and sociodiversity.

When planners are working on mobility issues, cities must take priority over cars; people must take priority over cars. Cars have been in production for a little more than a century, but the space they have seized and the amount of infrastructure investment they demand is extremely high. Cars are the cigarettes of the future.

Cars occupy much more space than any human does. An average parking space occupies 25 square meters. If you own a car, it occupies 25 square meters near your home; if you drive to work, it occupies another 25 square meters near your workplace, meaning that a total of 50 square meters are immobilized for parking purposes. In many places in the world, 50 square meters is the size of a family home, or of a workplace. Think of the incredible benefits if at least some of those areas were used to combine home and employment; were appropriated for small, community-building businesses like bakeries, coffee houses, bookshops, flower shops and offices - or for pocket parks.

Our priority in fostering urban mobility should be to provide comfortable, safe, reliable, affordable and easy-to-use public transportation. Every mode (train, subway, bus, tram, taxi, bike) has to operate optimally and be integrated into a transit network. Car shares and bike shares like Paris' Autolib' or Vélib' also have their role.

But it's my belief that the future of public transportation is in systems like bus rapid transit, which some think of as a "surface subway." BRT systems make use of existing infrastructure - changes often involve designating dedicated lanes, making adjustments to right-of-way rules, and targeted technological upgrades to eliminate the delays associated with urban buses. Because of their good performance, cost effectiveness (it's cheaper than building a subway) and flexibility in implementation, BRT systems, which started in the Brazilian city of Curitiba in 1974, are now in place in almost 200 cities worldwide including Bogotá, Seoul, Istanbul, Beijing and Rio de Janeiro, and many more could follow. I see the BRT as evolving to one day become a system of light electric vehicles with rubber tires running on exclusive tracks, re-charging at each stop.

Jaime Lerner Credit... Daniel Katz

When addressing sustainability problems, the key is to avoid wasting energy, time and resources. Some simple ways to get started are within everyone's reach: Use your car less; live closer to work; recycle and compost. Although more efficient and energy-saving construction techniques and materials are important, it is a city's layout that can make the biggest difference to the effort to create a more sustainable urban environment. The layout is the city's structure of organization and growth.

A healthy city is an integrated structure of life, work and movement. It requires urban design that respects the land and the area's ecosystem: the topography, bodies of water and vegetation. This design guides investments made by the public and private sectors and must involve the intelligent use of density, compactness and a mixture of uses and income levels.

As the urban economy has shifted toward service, retail and knowledge-based industries, more jobs are now closer to people's homes, and with the help of new technologies, many people can work from anywhere at any time. The shorter the commute between home and work, the more time and energy we save. Cultural amenities and quality public spaces that can be reached by public transit or on foot are also a part of this equation.

On the other hand, fragmenting cities into areas with specialized functions such as suburbs, central business districts and downtown areas condemns these spaces and their infrastructure to be idle during long periods of the day or night. A more compact city that supports a diversity of activities leaves more land for conservation, water catchment and farming.

When you're working on issues arising from diversity, it's important to remember that cities have long been seen as "melting pots" that absorb new dwellers. Much of the New World was built according to this recipe, and we cannot forget the lessons of our past. But now, both the New and Old worlds are fearful of the waves of people who challenge the status quo. Our society is facing problems of identity posed by increasing sociodiversity, and the recent migration crisis brings the need for coexistence front and center.

Cities must offer hope, not desperation. A sense of shared identity, the feeling of recognition and of belonging to a specific place, improves quality of life. A city must provide reference points to which people can relate and connect - rivers, parks, public buildings. Such spaces tell stories and protect memories, much like a diary or a family portrait.

At the same time that a city's identity is preserved, sociodiversity must be fostered. A city cannot condone ghettos, be they intended solely for the rich or the poor, or for people from specific ethnic backgrounds or certain age groups. Walls and fences are illusory protective barriers: Safety and security are a function of the respect and civility that derive from integration and coexistence.

Economic prosperity brings peace and stability. But instead of seeking solutions to generate economic growth mostly through fiscal mechanisms, we should invest in quality of life. Imagine the number of jobs - and therefore income - that could have been generated all over the world if at least part of the billions of dollars that were poured into the banking system and automotive industry had been invested in education, health, culture, good infrastructure.

A useful tool to stimulate rapid change and to help consolidate long-term initiatives is what I call "urban acupuncture." These precise, quick touches can enhance the performance of a whole urban system, or quickly bring new life to degraded and obsolete areas. Curitiba repurposed an abandoned quarry that was depressing the surrounding neighborhoods, in its place creating an urban park devoted to promoting environmental education and discussion. Now known as the Open University of the Environment, or Unilivre, it's an example of urban acupuncture that achieved these three goals at once - one of the city's most cherished picture-postcard spots. The possibilities in every city are endless: Obsolete industrial and harbor areas, degraded waterfronts, underutilized transportation hubs and dilapidated historical buildings are not eyesores, but spaces begging for new uses.

A city's design must be a collective construct, a shared dream, so that a feeling of co-responsibility informs our efforts. That does not mean that consensus must be reached every step of the way: The search for absolute consensus can lead to a state of paralysis. Democracy is not consensus but a permanent conflict that society must arbitrate with great sensitivity. Long-term policies should be adjusted through constant feedback from the people.

The crises we are experiencing should fuel efforts to start building better cities now. A more cohesive and sustainable society arises from its public spaces and landmarks, good streets, squares, parks, memorials, theaters and museums. These are a city's "living rooms," where urbanity happens. A human construct by definition, a city is a setting for people to meet. We must shape its future.

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Opinion | How to Build a Sustainable City (Published 2015)

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Turning Points This is an article from Turning Points , a magazine that explores what critical moments from this year might mean for the year ahead. Turning Point: Countries pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Global warming, drought, migration and population growth have put our cities under heavy strain.

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https://www.southampton.ac.uk/news/2017/07/how-to-build-a-sustainable-city.page

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How to build a sustainable city | University of Southampton

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Professor Ian Williams from the Centre for Environmental Science at the University of Southampton outlines five steps for building sustainable cities worldwide

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https://www.fao.org/fao-stories/article/en/c/1260457/

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Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

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Five ways to make cities healthier and more sustainable

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Cities are growing – and so is the opportunity to make them sustainable

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The Devastating Effects of Animal Poaching

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The Devastating Effects of Animal Poaching

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Create a new document and edit with others at the same time -- from your computer, phone or tablet. Get stuff done with or without an internet connection. Use Docs to edit Word files. Free from Google.

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https://www.vox.com/down-to-earth/22723289/3d-printed-rhino-horn-wildlife-conservation-poaching

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This story is part of a group of stories called

The biodiversity crisis, explained

Several years ago, a Seattle-based tech startup called Pembient turned heads when it announced a plan to 3D-print rhinoceros horns to help combat illegal poaching.

The idea sounded simple: Hunters are killing rhinos for their valuable horns, so flooding the market with synthetic but otherwise identical horns could undermine demand for the real thing. It's a creative approach to the plight of rhinos, a problem that conservation groups have longstruggled to solve. "Can we save the rhino from poachers with a 3D printer?" read one headline in 2015.

Fast-forward to today and neither Pembient nor any other tech firm has disrupted the market for rhino horn. The startup is out of money and far from developing a commercial product. A few other similar efforts have popped up here and there - most recently in 2019, when scientists said they could make synthetichorns out of horsehair - but these products have yet to catch on.

At the same time, companies like Pembient have stoked a debate among scientists over the value and ethics of synthetic animal parts in the campaignagainst poaching. Some researchers argue that selling fake horns could disrupt the market and help save rhinos, while a more vocalgroup of organizations says doing so could subvert law enforcement and prop up illegal trade.

The debate also raises questions about the role of tech in wildlife conservation. Though often perceived as a scientific problem, the biodiversity crisis is equally a social, political, and economic issue. Experts told Vox that high-tech approaches sometimes overlook the roots of the crisis, from the economic drivers of poaching to the political underpinnings of habitat loss. Cutting-edge tools canhelp, they say, but only if they're developed to address the whole picture of biodiversity - and in partnership with those who are directly involved in conservation.

The big idea: Flood the market with fake rhino horns

Earth is home to five rhino species, three in Asia and two in Africa, and most of them are threatened with extinction. The number of Africa's critically endangered black rhinos, for example, is down more than 90 percent, from around 70,000 in 1970 to roughly 5,500 today. (That's up from an all-time low of about 2,400 rhinos in the 1990s.)

Poaching is a major force behind these declines. Hunters kill rhinos and saw off their horns, which are incredibly valuablein the underground market, selling for roughly $4,000 to $8,000 per pound, raw, according to one 2019 report. Many horns, which can weigh several pounds each, are sold in China, Vietnam, and other East Asian countries. Some people consume rhino horn powder as a salve for various ailments, such as hangovers and cancer, or carve them into valuable trinkets that tend to signify wealth, according to Michael 't Sas-Rolfes, an economist and wildlife trade expert at the University of Oxford.

For decades, environmental groups have sought to fight poaching with law enforcement and campaigns to change consumer behavior around rhino horn in East Asia. Some of these efforts have helped - poaching rates are down from their peak in the mid-2000s - but rhinos, which play a key role in the ecosystem and help maintain African grasslands, continue to perish.

Pembient sought to tackle the problem head-on when it launched in 2015. "By creating an unlimited supply of horns at one-eighth of the current market price, there should be far less incentive for poachers to risk their lives or government officials to accept bribes," Matthew Markus, Pembient's founder, wrote on Reddit not long after the company launched.

The company originally focused on developing synthetic rhino horn powder - the substance that some consume for its perceived medicinal properties - but it eventually pivoted to developing physical synthetic horns with 3D printing techniques. Solid rhino horns are much harder to replicate than powder, Markus told Vox, and people looking to buy carvings are less likely to care whetherthey're sourced from the real thing.

A handful of other companies with similar ideas have sprung up over the years, including US-based firms Rhinoceros Horn LLC and Ceratotech. None seem to have infiltrated the market in a serious way.

Huyen Hoang, the co-founder of Rhinoceros Horn LLC, which set out in 2012 to make a synthetic horn powder, told Vox his company "pioneered" the concept of synthetic horn and actually got its product into stores. He declined to say how much of it the company sold or whether it's still on the market. The company has no online presence. Hoang suggested that Rhinoceros Horn LLC clashed with conservation groups, which saw the poaching crisis differently. "Too much politics for me and my co-founder," he said.

The founder of Ceratotech, Garrett Vygantas, said his company still plans to grow rhino horns from scratch in a lab, but it needs more money to develop the product. "A viable prototype will require a sizable investment, which is where I'm held up," he told Vox.

Meanwhile, in 2019, researchers at Oxford and Fudan University in Shanghai published a paper showing thatsynthetic rhino horns can be made by bundling together tail hairs from a horse. "We leave it to others to develop this technology further with the aim to confuse the trade, depress prices and thus support rhino conservation," Fritz Vollrath, a professor at Oxford and a study author, said in a statement.

Would synthetic horns curb poaching?

There's not a ton of research into this question, but two studies suggest that identical fakes could, in fact, lower the cost and undercut the supply of authentic horns.

"Economic principles tell us that the availability of synthetic horns can reduce the supply of wild horns - and even drive out wild horn sellers completely from the horn market," Frederick Chen, an economist at Wake Forest University, wrote in one of the studies, published in the journal Ecological Economicsin2017. (Chen is also a co-author on the other study, along with 't Sas-Rolfes, which similarly suggests that synthetic horns could reduce poaching under certain conditions. It was published earlier this year.)

According to Markus, trust among consumers would erode if they learned the market was full of fakes, which in turn would reduce the value of authentic horns. For example, if a would-be buyer thinks there's a 50 percent chance that a horn product might be fake, they might pay 50 percent less for it. "They are going to be much more hesitant to transact," Markus said - and that could ultimately limit the incentive to kill rhinos.

But many conservation and animal welfare groups aren't convinced. They say the situation on the ground is far more complicated than what economic models can tell us - and that making fake horns, let alone with 3D printers, is simply a bad idea.

One of the most compelling arguments against the technology is that it could stymielaw enforcement and possibly even provide a legal cover for illicit trade.

Under a global treaty called CITES, which regulates the trade of thousands of plants and animals, transporting rhino horns internationally is illegal. It's not clear whether the treaty would apply to synthetic horns, if they're indistinguishable from the real thing. And if it doesn't, enforcement officers would need a way to tell real horns from fake ones in order to determine what is and isn't illicit. Poachers trying to transport wild horns could otherwise claim that their haul is fake.

"It gives a cover to poachers," said Jonathan Kolby, a wildlife trade consultant and former wildlife inspector at the US Fish and Wildlife Service. "Their alibi can be, 'Oh, it's a fake and therefore not a crime.'

One possible way around that issue, according to Markus, is to insert a biomarker, or hidden signature, into fake horns that customs officials can detect. But, as he acknowledges, that opens up an avenue for consumers to tell them apart, too. Research suggests that those consumers are willing to pay more for wild horns.

Major conservation groups like the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) also worry that even fake horns could fuel the market for wild animal products and thus fuel poaching. "Creation of a synthetic rhino horn still props up the demand of rhino horn," Colby Loucks, vice president of WWF's wildlife conservation program, told Vox. In other words, it's hard to say if more fake horns would truly shrink the market for the real stuff.

According to the conservationists and scientists who spoke to Vox, so-called high-tech solutions often neglect the intricate web of social and political forces that they exist in.

When tech does and doesn't work

Over her 20-year tenure at the nonprofit Save the Rhino, Cathy Dean, the group's CEO, has reviewed a number of ideas proposed by tech companies to stop poaching. From making rhino powder to building secret cameras to hide in horns, these products are often disconnected from the reality on the ground, and from the needs of people who manage rhino populations, Dean said.

"I have a rather cynical belief," she said,"that the rhino poaching crisis has created a commercial market for companies to try to come up with solutions that desperate and possibly gullible rhino site owners feel compelled to try, because they hope it might be the solution to all of their problems."

In one case, she explained, a company contactedSave the Rhino with an idea for a tracking device that would be inserted into rhino horns. Dean asked the company for some additional information on their product - how big was the device, how long did its battery last, etc. - that she said would help determine whether something like it could really work. In response, Dean went on, the company simply pointed her to a rendering of the device. "It was literally a computer drawing of a doughnut," she said, with no measurements or sense of scale. "I use it in lectures as an example of how science needs to be better informed by people on the ground."

The good thing is that tools developed in collaboration with local communities, law enforcement, and park rangers - that is, people who actually face the challenges of conservation directly - can help limit poaching.

Take, for example, WWF's work in Kenya's Masai Mara National Reserve. Originally, the group had planned to use small surveillance drones to help park rangers prevent poaching. After spending a few nights with rangers in the reserve, however, Eric Becker, a conservation engineer at WWF, realized that drones wouldn't be that helpful after all. What the rangers needed instead was simple night vision, said Becker, as poachers tend to operate under the cover of darkness.

WWF provided the thermal imaging equipment - and it worked. "Parachuting into a place with a solution and trying to fit it around their problem," he said, "doesn't ever work." Broadly speaking, drone technology has largely failed to deliver on the promise to help curb poaching, WWF's Loucks added.

Groups hoping to help should also consider that poaching, like other drivers of biodiversity loss, is a social issue, not a matter of science or technology, according to 't Sas-Rolfes. If people consume wild rhino horn because they believe it has medicinal properties, then a synthetic version may not be an adequate replacement.

Patronizing those who consume rhino horn based on their beliefs - as Western media sometimes does - is probably not helping either, 't Sas-Rolfes added, noting that negative attitudes toward using rhino horn can provoke a backlash. "You've seen some consumption that's almost conspicuous," he said. Trying to transform the views of people who believe in traditional medical systems, such as traditional Chinese medicine, is not only challenging but risks "charges of insensitivity, cultural imperialism, or even racism," Hubert Cheung, a researcher at the University of Queensland in Australia, wrote in a 2020 paper. Conservation would be more effective if scientists had a stronger understanding of traditional Chinese medicine and engaged with people who practice it, he wrote, "to ensure that interventions are culturally appropriate and socially compatible."

At least for now, the prospect of flooding the market with synthetic horns remains a hypothetical scenario. Pembient doesn't have enough money to invest in the next stage of development, Markus said, and so far it hasn't seen "great results" in the lab. That's to say nothing of the controversy surrounding these products and the regulatory hurdles they'd have to clear. "It doesn't leave us in a very good position," Markus said. "But, you know, we've yet to call it quits."

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Fake rhino horns were supposed to foil poachers. What went wrong?

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The biodiversity crisis, explained Several years ago, a Seattle-based tech startup called Pembient turned heads when it announced a plan to 3D-print rhinoceros horns to help combat illegal poaching. The idea sounded simple: Hunters are killing rhinos for their valuable horns, so flooding the market with synthetic but otherwise identical horns could undermine demand for the real thing.

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https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/poaching-animals

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Wild animals are being poached on a massive scale, with millions of individual animals of thousands of species worldwide killed or captured from their native habitats. Poaching poses a growing threat to elephants, rhinos, and other charismatic animals, as well as to smaller and more obscure creatures, like certain lizards and monkeys.

Poachers sometimes kill or capture animals to sell them locally or for the global trade in wildlife. Wildlife trading is a major black market that has increased alongside rising wealth in Asia-a major consumer of wildlife-and the advent of e-commerce and social media websites.

Some animals, such as birds, reptiles, and primates, are captured live so that they can be kept or sold as exotic pets. Slaughtered animals,

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Wild animals are being poached on a massive scale, with millions of individual animals of thousands of species worldwide killed or captured from their native habitats. Poaching poses a growing threat to elephants, rhinos, and other charismatic animals, as well as to smaller and more obscure creatures, like certain lizards and monkeys.

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https://www.worldwildlife.org/threats/illegal-wildlife-trade

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How it is driving animals to extinction.

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On a recent afternoon at an early childhood education and preschool center in Hemet, California, naptime was just wrapping up in the toddler classroom.

"We need to wash hands and then you need to go potty," said VIP Tots teacher Lauren Thomas, as she guided a 2-year-old with bedhead hair toward the classroom sink. Thomas helped the toddler lather up with soap and gently scrubbed his hands while counting out loud to 10.

Thomas was hired here at VIP Tots as a teacher in March and is just the kind of caregiver many parents want for their children. She recently earned an associate's degree in early childhood education, has two kids of her own and really loves caring for young children.

"I love spending time with the toddlers," Thomas said. "I love being around them. They just make me happy every day."

But it's hard work, and the pandemic has made the job even harder: There's additional sanitation of toys and surfaces, trying to keep masks on children who might still be in diapers, escorting kids from parking lots instead of allowing parents inside for classroom dropoffs.

Those are some of the reasons why child care centers nationwide struggle to attract staff and teachers, but low wages might be an even bigger factor.

Most early childhood caregivers and teachers don't earn a living wage. Up to 98% of all occupations pay more than early childhood education jobs - they're on par with dog walkers and fast food workers, according to analyses by the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment, at the University of California, Berkeley.

Lauren Thomas said she knows there are better-paying jobs out there.

"There is, but I rather would be here," she said. "I'm here to teach the children - be with them and educate them."

There are two teachers for seven toddlers in Thomas' classroom. Early childhood experts say small class sizes are necessary, and one reason day care can cost more than $17,000 a year.

The cost makes sense, said Caitlin McLean with the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment.

"We shouldn't be trying to make this a cheap service," McLean said, pointing out that between 0 and 5 years of age are an important time for child development, and you want teachers who are trained and certified.

That's one reason she said it's hard to square the fact that early childhood care and education costs parents so much, while the job of caregiving and teaching young children is one of the worst-paid jobs that you can have in America.

Meanwhile, hourly wages in other sectors, like hospitality, warehouse work and retail are going up.

"And that's just really hard to compete with," said Jared Dobbins, the executive director of VIP Tots. He's been trying to recruit new teachers for months and even paid a staffing service to help. His teachers earn between $15 and $20 an hour, depending on their background and certifications. He's had some applicants, but not enough; plus, some don't take his offers.

Most of VIP Tot's funding comes from fixed government subsidies, so there's no wiggle room in his budget to increase wages.

"You are kind of hamstrung, just in terms of the ability to do significant increases to pay," Dobbins said.

Staffing and compensation have long been a challenge for child care centers. A recent national survey showed 80% of them are short-staffed. But if the child care system was barely holding together before, it completely fell apart during the pandemic.

"It finally showed that our child care system is unworkable as it currently exists. And as it's currently funded," said Averi Pakulis with the advocacy group First Focus on Children. "Parents literally cannot work unless they have safe, healthy, high-quality places to bring their children."

But not all parents have perfect or affordable options - and they still have to work.

The Biden administration dedicated $39 billion to stabilize child care in the American Rescue Plan. The emergency federal grants are designed to help parents and child care centers to raise teacher pay, buy cleaning supplies or attract new staff. But they're not a long-term solution.

"The purpose of that money is really to stop the bleeding of the last year and a half," Pakulis said.

And these grants have been slow to reach some day care centers. Only about half of all states have a way for child care centers to apply for and get the funding, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.

Congressional Democrats have bigger goals and a bigger plan for bolstering early childhood education, including financial help for parents and child care centers, increased wages for teachers and care providers, and universal pre-kindergarten for 3- and 4-year-olds. That proposal is still under debate, however, and its future is uncertain.

Meanwhile, Jared Dobbins said he's short 13 teachers at VIP Tots right now. That creates more work and pressure on the teachers he does have - and that weighs on him.

"You see the tiredness that some of your teachers go home with every day," he said.

So if or when his child care center gets a federal grant, Dobbins said he'll use it for bonuses to thank the teachers who have stuck with him.

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Day care providers struggle to compete with rising wages - Marketplace

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On a recent afternoon at an early childhood education and preschool center in Hemet, California, naptime was just wrapping up in the toddler classroom. "We need to wash hands and then you need to go potty," said VIP Tots teacher Lauren Thomas, as she guided a 2-year-old with bedhead hair toward the classroom sink.

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Climate change is causing problems for puffins

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Maine’s Atlantic puffins took a big hit this year. Chicks’ survival rate plummeted after a record-setting “marine heatwave” disrupted food supplies.

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Mount Mansfield still has not seen a hard freeze. This is a major new record. Previously, October 6, 2011 was the latest first freeze on record. Average first freeze is September 14. Today is October 13 and it remains very mild; the coldest night so far is 37° on September 30.

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Mount Mansfield still has not seen a hard freeze. This is a major new record. Previously, October 6, 2011 was the latest first freeze on record. Average first freeze is September 14. Today is October 13 and it remains very mild; the coldest night so far is 37° on September 30. https://t.co/TvRIEuLcWm

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Mount Mansfield still has not seen a hard freeze. This is a major new record. Previously, October 6, 2011 was the latest first freeze on record. Average first freeze is September 14. Today is October 13 and it remains very mild; the coldest night so far is 37° on September 30. pic.twitter.com/TvRIEuLcWm
— Tyler Jankoski NBC5 📺 (@TylerJankoski) October 13, 2021

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Mount Mansfield still has not seen a hard freeze. This is a major new record. Previously, October 6, 2011 was the latest first freeze on record. Average first freeze is September 14. Today is October 13 and it remains very mild; the coldest night so far is 37° on September 30. https://t.co/TvRIEuLcWm

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Mount Mansfield still has not seen a hard freeze. This is a major new record. Previously, October 6, 2011 was the latest first freeze on record. Average first freeze is September 14. Today is October 13 and it remains very mild; the coldest night so far is 37° on September 30. https://t.co/TvRIEuLcWm

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Mount Mansfield still has not seen a hard freeze. This is a major new record. Previously, October 6, 2011 was the latest first freeze on record. Average first freeze is September 14. Today is October 13 and it remains very mild; the coldest night so far is 37° on September 30.

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By Clarence Edwards

Race continues to influence how people of African descent in the United States are treated by law enforcement. Racism has been a systematic feature of American society and all of its institutions since this nation's inception. Acknowledgement of the role implicit and overt biases have historically played in creating disparate law enforcement practices and the resulting frictions between African Americans and the police is a reality that should be immediately addressed.

The assignment of Caucasian, Hispanic, Asian and even African American police officers to police poor, predominantly black neighborhoods who have had little or no social contact with members of this group or specific training in how to effectively interact in such environments is an ongoing recipe for disaster. Police officers from each of the aforementioned groups sometimes bring negative attitudes and or stereotypes to these communities that can adversely affect their decisions and the fairness of their enforcement actions.

Some police forces in this nation have historically played critical roles in maintaining positional power for whites. This has created a very difficult chasm to overcome when police departments attempt to implement community policing initiatives.

Negative minority community perceptions of police in America have a historical basis in fact and should not be ignored by elected officials, the police or the media. The war on drugs, with its primary focus in black and other minority neighborhoods where stop-and-frisk police protocols routinely subjected hundreds of thousands of innocent minorities to such searches, exacerbated feelings of marginalization and frictions with the police.

African Americans across this nation are aware and concerned about the ongoing existence of race-based profiling of this segment of the population by members of some police departments.

Cooperation with the police is predicated in large part in minority communities on how minorities perceive the fairness of their treatment by the police. Disparate treatment of minorities is counter-productive to the provision of efficient and effective public safety services.

Personal prejudices or partiality on the part of police officers that interfere with their professional judgment and is counter to departmental policy and training has no legal place in law enforcement.

The U.S. Department of Justice suggests that racial reconciliation is a process through which both criminal justice system practitioners and communities can acknowledge past and present harms and together move beyond them.

The willingness of society to honestly examine this issue must be the first step in changing these disparities. Police chiefs determine the organizational culture of their departments and should be held strictly accountable for ensuring that all segments of the public are treated fairly.

America's changing demographics require a careful evaluation by both elected and law enforcement officials if the nation is to diminish the likelihood of widespread future civil disturbances. Society sometimes has an opportunity to choose between two options: the one that is right and the one that is wrong.

The historic minimalist inclusion of minorities in public safety decisions impacting their neighborhoods is an example of a missed opportunity to reduce frictions between the police and minority communities.

The following conditions can and frequently do create an environment where negative police/minority community interactions are likely to exist:

A police department with a history of using questionable excessive and at times deadly force against minorities.

A police department that investigates allegations of officer misconduct using opaque protocols.

Zero tolerance-policing tactics that focus on minorities and minority neighborhoods.

The presence of media outlets that daily highlight crimes allegedly committed by minorities.

K-12 public schools where police school resource officers are used as student disciplinarians in non-violent situations.

Disparate black and other minority student suspension and expulsion rates as a result of actions by police school resource officers.

The absence of a holistic police/community approach in attempting to solve frictions between these two groups.

Police recruit screening protocols that fail to adequately evaluate applicant implicit biases during the hiring process.

Police recruit and in-service training programs that fail to adequately train police officers how to effectively and impartially function in non-white communities.

Law enforcement recruit and in-service training that fails to place adequate emphasis on departmental policies prohibiting racial, ethnic, religious and sexual orientation non-bias policing.

Evidence of reluctance by top police officials to adequately document or investigate allegations of the existence of a hostile work environment by minorities as vigorously as crimes are investigated.

Lackadaisical first line supervision of patrol, investigative and other specialized unit operations.

Top law enforcement officials who tolerate insensitive comments and jokes about racial, ethnic and religious minorities and members of the LGBT community in police facilities.

The presence of a police culture that negatively impacts non-white personnel and the provision of law enforcement services to minorities.

A community that has selected the police to be the primary responder to social ills such as homelessness, alcohol and illegal drug abuse and mental illness.

Zero tolerance policing tactics is not a new phenomenon in the black community. The advent of cell phones with cameras and recording capabilities now permits witnesses to police/citizen confrontations to quickly capture and disseminate unedited depictions of such incidents via social media. This has prompted major media outlets to broadcast questionable police actions and behavior that otherwise may have gone unreported. In the not too distant past, some American police forces were tasked with enforcing both de jure and de facto racial apartheid laws and customs when they were directed to by elected officials, which has not been forgotten by African Americans and other racial minorities. This past history contributes to the current distrust of police by members of these groups.

In conclusion, law enforcement officers should be civil and respectful and abstain from authoritarian or dictatorial language in their interactions with all members of the public unless an emergency situation requires them to use such language to gain compliance with a lawful order. Police officers should never forget the admonition provided by William Lloyd Garrison which states simply:

"That which is not just is not law," during their interactions with fellow human beings.
Clarence Edwards has more than 38 years of extensive experience directing critical law enforcement, security and contingency management operations for agencies at the county, state, and federal level. He currently is an independent law enforcement and security consultant. He was Assistant Commissioner of the Federal Protective Service, then within the United States General Services Administration (GSA). Edwards began his law enforcement career with the United States Park Police and retired from that force in 1984 holding the rank of major. He subsequently served as commander of the Maryland-National Capital Park Police from 1985 until 1991 when he was appointed chief of police for Montgomery County, Maryland. He was Maryland's first African American county police chief and served in this capacity until 1994.

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Race and the Police | National Police Foundation

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By Clarence Edwards Race continues to influence how people of African descent in the United States are treated by law enforcement. Racism has been a systematic feature of American society and all of its institutions since this nation's inception. Acknowledgement of the role implicit and overt biases have historically played in creating disparate law enforcement [...]

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Teaching About Race, Racism and Police Violence

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In 2014, the deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Eric Garner in New York City, Tamir Rice in Cleveland and too many others caused waves of nationwide protest and appeals for stronger protections against police brutality. These events—along with the lack of accountability for the police officers wh…

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White House Chief of Staff John Kelly stirred up controversy on Monday night when, appearing on the Fox News program "The Ingraham Angle," he said "the lack of an ability to compromise led to the Civil War."

As many historians have already noted, historically speaking, it's hard to imagine what further compromise was available by the time the war broke out, other than the South deciding not to secede or attack Ft. Sumter-and accepting the eventual abolition of slavery. It's not as if Congress didn't try. Earlier decades had seen multiple compromise efforts, including most famously the Missouri Compromise of 1820.

Morally speaking, Kelly's comments could be taken to imply that the North should have compromised with the South over slavery-a repellent view that one would hope Kelly would disclaim.

Yet the controversy also raises legitimate questions relating to the Republic itself. Without a compromise over slavery, there would've been no U.S. Constitution. What were the framers thinking? And was their compromise justifiable?

Southern states would not have ratified an abolitionist Constitution. Nor did Northerners-including those who personally opposed slavery -call for national emancipation during the 1787 Philadelphia convention.
VIDEO: What was the Missouri Compromise?
The famed "three-fifth compromise," which proposed counting each slave as a fraction of a citizen for the purposes of taxation and representation, offered one. Fugitive slave clauses, which promised a return of slaves who had escaped to the North, offered another. Such concessions are a painful historical fact. And there have always been those, like abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison, who believed they made the Constitution a pact with the devil.

The basis for the Framers' compromise was the hopeful-and mistaken-assumption that slavery would eventually be abolished voluntarily by the Southern states as it had been by many of the Northern ones.

James Madison and his colleagues had reason to believe that slavery would die a natural death. Before the invention of the cotton gin-a machine patented in 1794 that sped the laborious process of cleaning cotton of its seeds-slavery seemed increasingly unprofitable. Indeed, Madison, Thomas Jefferson and George Washington never made substantial profits from their plantations.

Technology changed the economics of slavery-for the worse. The cotton gin vastly increased plantation owners' potential profits, creating the incentive for more slavery characterized by ever greater brutality toward the enslaved. By the time Abraham Lincoln was elected in 1860, the Southern commitment to slavery was grounded not only in pseudo-scientific racism and religion, but also in the continuing economic self-interest of slaveholders.

The only compromise that could have headed off war by then was for the Southern states to forgo secession and agree to abolition. Conceivably Lincoln would have agreed to gradual abolition to avoid war; he certainly believed before the war began that he lacked the constitutional authority to emancipate the slaves unilaterally.

Once the Confederate states seceded and troops fired on Fort Sumter, the only solution possible was complete Southern surrender. And as the war continued, and slavery became an explicit justification for the conflict, emancipation became central to a resolution.

The upshot is that the Constitutional compromise of 1787 was based on a mistaken calculation-namely that slavery would be abandoned because of its economic inefficiency as well as its moral contemptibility. The compromise bought the continued existence of the United States as a country for nearly 75 years.

The morality of the compromise was and remains legitimately open to question. But without it, there would likely have been no Union to defend in the Civil War.
Noah Feldman is a professor of law at Harvard and the author of the new book 'The Three Lives of James Madison: Genius, Partisan, President.'

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Could Compromise Have Prevented the Civil War?

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White House Chief of Staff John Kelly stirred up controversy on Monday night when, appearing on the Fox News program "The Ingraham Angle," he said "the lack of an ability to compromise led to the Civil War."

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There is no uniformly accepted definition of "puppy mill," but one that encompasses the central features common to most definitions would be "any breeding facility in which puppies are produced primarily for profit and which keeps so many dogs that the physical and psychological needs of the breeding dogs and puppies are not met sufficiently to provide a reasonably decent quality of life for all of the animals."

Conditions in puppy mills vary widely in quality, ranging from squalid and extremely detrimental to the animals' health and well-being to shiny and clean. The breeding dogs in these facilities are routinely housed for their entire reproductive lives in cages or runs, and provided with minimal to no positive human interaction or other forms of environmental enrichment. The puppy mill environment exposes the breeding dogs and their puppies to two major potential causes of psychological harm: inadequate socialization (to people and objects) and psychological trauma. Both can result in similar psychological and behavioral challenges when the breeding dogs (adopted through rescue groups and shelters) and their puppies (sold through pet stores and over the internet) are taken into human households. No currently written laws at the federal or state level are adequate to protect dogs against the psychological harm that occurs from living in a puppy mill.

It had been observed for decades that after removal from puppy mills many of the former breeding dogs displayed persistent behavioral and psychological abnormalities when compared with the general pet dog population. We undertook a study to determine if this anecdotal evidence could be scientifically confirmed. Looking at 1,169 former puppy mill breeding dogs that had been adopted into private homes, we obtained comprehensive profiles to compare their psychological and behavioral characteristics with those of typical pet dogs.

The findings were more dramatic than we had expected. When compared with a large group of pet dogs, former puppy mill breeding dogs were reported as showing significantly higher rates of physical health problems. With respect to behavior, ex-breeder puppy mill dogs displayed significantly higher rates of fear (to unfamiliar people, to other dogs, and to noises and motions in their surroundings), house-soiling, and staring blankly into space ("dazed," "zoned out," "spaced out"), and significantly lower rates of trainability and energy. They also showed about one-half the level of aggression that typical pet dogs do toward unfamiliar people, other dogs, and to their owner. While this might be seen as a good thing, it appears to be due to the overwhelmingly high levels of fear in the dogs, which then suppresses normal aggressive behavior. So it seems to be a good thing, but only because of very bad reasons.

Overall, the results of the study show that dogs kept in puppy mills develop extreme and persistent fears and phobias, altered mental functioning, compulsive behaviors such as circling and pacing, and often show difficulty in coping successfully with normal existence-or, in general terms, extensive and long-lasting psychological scars-this study provides the first scientific evidence that the conditions within puppy mills are injurious to the mental health and welfare of dogs.

We recently completed a similar study on the behavioral and psychological characteristics of dogs purchased as puppies from pet stores and found abnormalities similar, though not identical, to the parent (breeder) dogs who remain back at the puppy mill. This report will be published next year in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association.

We are now engaged in a similar study of dogs rescued from hoarding situations. If you have adopted one of these dogs we would love to hear from you and enter the dog in our study. Participation in the study involves nothing more than filling out an online questionnaire about your dog. The email to reach me at is: dr.frank@bestfriends.org.

- Franklin D. McMillan, DVM

Reference:
McMillan FD, Duffy DL, Serpell JA. Mental health of dogs formerly used as 'breeding stock' in commercial breeding establishments.Applied Animal Behaviour Science 2011; 135: 86-94.

About the author:

Dr. Frank McMillan has been the director of well-being studies at Best Friends Animal Society since October 2007. The focus of Dr. McMillan's studies is the mental health and emotional well-being of animals who have endured hardship, adversity, and psychological trauma. He edited and co-authored the text Mental Health and Well-Being in Animals, and co-authored Unlocking the Animal Mind: How Your Pet's Feelings Hold the Key to His Health and Happiness.

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Puppy Mills: The Scientific Evidence of Harm They Cause To Dogs

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There is no uniformly accepted definition of "puppy mill," but one that encompasses the central features common to most definitions would be "any breeding facility in which puppies are produced primarily for profit and which keeps so many dogs that the physical and psychological needs of the breeding dogs and puppies are not met sufficiently to provide a reasonably decent quality of life for all of the animals."

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About 160 million children ages 5 to 17 around the world are engaged in child labor, working in jobs that deprive them of their childhood, interfere with schooling, or harm their mental, physical, or social development. Nearly half of them - 79 million children - work under hazardous conditions, such as carrying heavy loads on construction sites or digging in open-pit mines. By definition, child labor is a violation of both child protection and child rights.

Poverty is the primary reason children are sent to work. Sadly, child labor keeps children from getting the education they need to break the cycle of poverty. According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), a U.N. agency, about 70% of child laborers work in agriculture. Others work long hours in factories, domestic service, or forced labor, such as child soldiers and children exploited in the commercial sex trade.

From 2000 - when the ILO began monitoring child labor - to 2016, the number of children exploited fell by 94 million, a dramatic global reduction. However, the decline slowed between 2012 and 2016, and global progress was stagnant between 2016 and 2020 - the most recent reporting period. Also, due to rising poverty as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, an estimated 8.9 million additional children are at risk of being pushed into child labor by the end of 2022. A strong global effort will be required to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal of eliminating all forms of child labor worldwide by 2025.

June 12 is the United Nations-sanctioned World Day Against Child Labor, a time to remember the young workers who have been robbed of their childhood, education, and the future they deserve.

FAQS: What you need to know about child labor

Get child labor facts, and learn how you can help end it.

Fast facts: Child labor

At the beginning of 2020, 63 million girls and 97 million boys were in child labor, accounting for about one in 10 children worldwide.

Across all age groups, boys are more likely to work than girls.

One in three children in child labor are out of school.

BACK TO QUESTIONS
What is child labor?

Child labor is the exploitation of children who are deprived of their childhood by work that prevents them from attending school or causes physical, mental, or social harm. Children are especially vulnerable to injuries in their early developmental years, even though physical and mental health problems may not be evident for years. Worldwide, the ILO estimates that 22,000 child laborers are killed at work each year.
BACK TO QUESTIONS
Where is it a problem?

Child labor is concentrated in the world's poorest countries. It is also common in fragile contexts where there is insecurity or armed conflict. Sub-Saharan Africa has 86.6 million child laborers, more than anywhere else.

Family poverty and poor schools are two major reasons children in low-income countries are in the labor force. However, child labor is not confined to low-income countries. About 93.4 million children, 58.4% of child laborers, live in middle-income countries, and 1.6 million child laborers live in high-income countries.
BACK TO QUESTIONS
What are the worst forms of child labor?

The ILO's Convention No. 182 defines hazardous and morally damaging forms of labor and calls for their immediate and total elimination. As defined by the convention, the worst forms of child labor include:

Slavery or similar practices

Child trafficking

Forced recruitment into armed conflict

Prostitution and pornography

Drug production and trafficking or other illegal acts

Debt bondage

Hazardous work that can cause injury or moral corruption

BACK TO QUESTIONS
How can I help end child labor?

Pray for children trapped in work that puts them in danger or prevents them from attending school. Ask God to protect them from further exploitation so that they may enjoy the physical, mental, and spiritual nurture they need to live life to the full.

Give to support World Vision's work around the world to protect children from labor and other forms of exploitation, abuse, and violence.

Sponsor a child. By investing in a child's life, you'll help them stay in school. You'll also help build up their community so that there'll be more job opportunities for them to pursue as adults.

BACK TO QUESTIONS
What is World Vision doing to end child labor?

World Vision places children at the center of all our work to transform communities for good. We empower children to know their rights and work toward their own well-being. And we work with their parents and communities to see that kids are protected and that their futures are not stolen by labor exploitation.

By taking initiative in these areas, we help create a protective environment that cares for and supports all children:

Providing educational services to enhance instruction quality and improve the learning environment

Providing support for parents to improve their incomes and food security so that children don't need to work

Encouraging support for national child labor laws and their enforcement

Promoting social accountability for communities, governments, and businesses

Equipping communities - faith leaders, parents, and community groups - to monitor vulnerable children to keep them out of hazardous work and help their families survive without their child's income

Promoting decent work for youth who are above the minimum working age through training, life skills, and entrepreneurship, as well as savings and credit services

Here are some examples of World Vision's work to end child labor.

In Honduras, a five-year U.S. Department of Labor-funded project, Futuros Brillantes, is helping change the culture that prioritizes labor over education for adolescents. World Vision-organized child labor committees are helping dropouts return to school and supporting their educational development through job training and internships.

In three regions of Ethiopia, World Vision helped to preserve traditional weaving techniques while enabling children to return to school and train for other livelihoods. Youth and business owners learned about work safety and health. More than 20,000 children were supported to continue their education, and their families received support to replace the lost income.

Millions of children in Bangladesh are engaged in child labor, with many working under hazardous conditions in industrial jobs. World Vision programs help children in urban and rural areas to leave dangerous, exploitative jobs and return to school.
BACK TO QUESTIONS
History of child labor

Children have always contributed to the economic upkeep of their families through farm labor and handicrafts. However, the growth of manufacturing and farm mechanization during the Industrial Revolution in Europe and the United States in the 18th and 19th centuries led to many children working under dangerous conditions in factories and farms. This in turn prompted child labor laws that not only regulated conditions but also mandated education. Here are some highlights of child labor history:

1938 - The U.S. Fair Labor Standards Act restricts hours and types of jobs for children under age 16.

1973 - The Minimum Age Convention, ratified by 172 countries, sets the minimum age for employment but allows some exceptions.

1989 - The U.N. enacts the Convention on the Rights of the Child to guarantee the protection of children's rights to grow and thrive.

1992 - The International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor (IPEC) is founded to promote the global elimination of child labor and support countries in their efforts.

1999 - The Worst Forms of Child Labor Convention, ratified by 186 countries, requires ending practices like slavery, child trafficking, debt bondage, forced labor in armed conflict, prostitution, pornography, drug trafficking, and other illicit activities.

2021 - The U.N. General Assembly declares this to be the Year for the Elimination of Child Labor.

2025 - All forms of child labor are to end this year under Target 8.7 of the U.N.'s Sustainable Development Goals.
BACK TO QUESTIONS Sevil Omer of World Vision's U.S. staff contributed to this article.
You can help protect every child from child labor.

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Child labor: Facts, FAQs, and how to help end it | World Vision

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About 160 million children ages 5 to 17 around the world are engaged in child labor, working in jobs that deprive them of their childhood, interfere with schooling, or harm their mental, physical, or social development. Nearly half of them - 79 million children - work under hazardous conditions, such as carrying heavy loads on construction sites or digging in open-pit mines.

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From dog walkers to board members, from those who help with events to those who clean kennels, each and every one of our volunteers is a valuable part of our shelter community. We've all come together to benefit animals' lives.

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From dog walkers to board members, from those who help with events to those who clean kennels, each and every one of our volunteers is a valuable part of our shelter community. We've all come together to benefit animals' lives.

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Thirty miles off the coast of Queensland, Australia, a small piece of history was made last summer: Scientists transplanted hundreds of nursery-grown coral fragments onto the beleaguered Great Barrier Reef.

The process itself is not new-coral transplants have been used to help restore damaged reefs for decades. What's new is that it's happening on the world's largest reef, an icon of marine life that has been dubbed one of the seven wonders of the natural world.

The Australian authority that manages the Great Barrier Reef has traditionally resisted intervening in the reef's ecology, preferring to let it recover naturally. But the bruising reality of climate change is forcing a more hands-on approach.

A report released on November 28 by the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NAS) comes to the same conclusion: Human intervention is needed to ensure the persistence of the world's coral reefs, which are of incalculable value to "human well-being, national economies, and future wonder."

"The coral report is a pragmatic list of tools for helping reefs survive climate," says Stanford University biologist Stephen Palumbi, who chaired the NAS committee (and who is also a member of the National Geographic Society's executive committee). "Kind of like what always happens when the panic of a crisis ebbs and you have to get down to solutions."

On the Great Barrier Reef, that process has begun.

Almost a third dead

In 2016 and 2017, the Great Barrier Reef experienced back-to-back "marine heat waves "-periods of elevated sea temperatures that resulted in the death of almost a third of all the reef's corals.

For reasons that still aren't entirely clear, coral polyps respond to elevated heat by expelling the symbiotic, photosynthesizing algae that nourish them; the loss of colorful algae "bleaches" corals and can ultimately lead to their death. Coral cover in the northern section of the Great Barrier Reef-which stretches 1,400 miles (2,300 km), roughly the length of Florida's coastline-is now at its lowest point on record.

Parts of Opal Reef, a popular dive tourism site and one of more than 2,900 individual reefs that make up the Great Barrier Reef system, suffered catastrophic mortality during the recent bleaching. It was here, in late August, that the coral transplantation took place.

David Suggett, a marine biologist who leads the Future Reefs Progam of the University of Technology Sydney, worked with a team of researchers and a local reef-tour company to take fragments of coral that had survived the bleaching and grow them on mesh platforms in a sandy lagoon adjacent to the reef. Twelve species were chosen, covering a range of coral forms from branching to plate-shaped to globular.

After a few months of growth and stabilization, these fragments were planted out using a novel type of clip that enables quick-and-easy attachment to the reef matrix.

The question the research is trying to answer, says Suggett, is whether propagation and outplanting of stress-surviving corals can speed up reef recovery, rather than having to rely on the slower natural process of coral reproduction to replace the individuals that died.

"The success of the project won't be known until we have another marine heat wave," says Suggett. That's likely to be sooner rather than later.

The hammer and the vise

Large-scale coral bleaching events used to occur every 27 years, notes Australia's independent climate-communication organization the Climate Council in a report on the reef published in July. The current rate is once every six years. If climate change is not curtailed, the report advises, by the 2030s the Great Barrier Reef could experience mass coral bleaching every two years.

By 2050, says the National Academies report, most of the world's reefs will be exposed to bleaching conditions annually.

Corals can recover from bleaching, but not at that frequency. Hence the search for ways to boost coral abundance, such as the transplant technique Suggett is testing. Another Australian team is currently testing a different approach: They are seeding damaged patches of Great Barrier Reef with more than a million lab-raised coral larvae.

"Recovery is the key to having reefs in the future," says Suggett.

But so is resilience. Reefs these days are not only suffering the hammer-blows of catastrophic bleaching events. They're also being subjected to a slow, vise-like squeezing, as our carbon emissions steadily increase the background temperature and acidity of the water around them to levels that most corals haven't encountered before.

Worldwide, a search is on for corals that have seen such conditions-hotspots of resilience where corals have already adapted to the extremes of heat and acidity that are likely to prevail on most reefs in the coming century. The idea is that such corals-or some of their critical genes, or the symbiotic algae that nourish them-can be transplanted to more vulnerable reefs, bolstering their chances of survival.

At some volcanic vents and submarine springs, for example, where CO2 bubbles naturally from the seafloor, corals form viable calcium-carbonate skeletons in water that's acidic enough to be lethal to corals elsewhere. In American Samoa and in Palau, Stanford's Palumbi and his colleagues have identified shallow-water corals with exceptional tolerance for heat, and they've also identified some of the genes that are responsible.

For sustained heat extremes, few marine environments match the Persian Gulf, where summer sea-surface temperatures peak at more than 95 degrees F (35 C). Yet more than 55 species of coral live there, with bleaching threshholds several degrees higher than those for most corals. Some of them incorporate heat-tolerant symbiotic algae which, if they could be introduced to other corals, might increase their bleaching resistance.

There's a tradeoff to be weighed, however. Research has shown that one thermally tolerant symbiotic alga, while reducing bleaching mortality by 30 percent, also reduces coral growth rates by more than 50 percent. Corals on a vulnerable reef that received such algae as a transplant might be more likely to survive a bleaching event-but they would contribute less to the reef's recovery or to its diversity.

Solutions from the mangroves

Suggett's team has been looking for resilient corals in a different extreme environment: near mangroves. Twenty miles closer to the mainland from Opal Reef, off Port Douglas, lie the Low Isles, a coral platform bearing a pair of small islands-one a sandy cay that's popular with snorkellers, and the other a mangrove swamp.

The shallow, sheltered waters in which mangroves grow are typically hotter than those flowing over an open reef, and the trees make them more acidic. Yet corals thrive here among the mangroves as well as offshore.

Suggett and his team have been studying the mangrove corals to find out what physiological and behavioral adaptations enable them to survive. They have transplanted corals from near mangroves to the reef further offshore-and vice versa.

Most coral polyps are nourished primarily by the photosynthesis of the symbiotic algae that reside in their tissues. The polyps typically remain retracted inside their skeletons during the day, emerging only at night to supplement their diet by using their tentacles to catch plankton and other organic particles in the water.

"At night there is more plankton in the water and less risk from visual predators, so it's a logical time for polyps to be feeding," says Suggett. "And of course photosynthesis doesn't happen after dark."

By contrast, the scientists often see the polyps of the mangrove corals extended during the day. The metabolic demands of living in that harsh environment may be driving increased feeding activity. "Presumably the benefit of boosting energy intake outweighs the risk of visibility to predators," says Suggett. As the environment on open reefs gets harsher, active feeding may become a more necessary option for corals there too.

The coming climate onslaught

Climate pressures are intensifying and the time frames are short. Coral reefs are confronting not just rising heat and acidity but also declining oxygen levels, increasingly intense storms, and predators such as the infamous crown of thorns starfish, which remains a threat on the Great Barrier Reef.

Nevertheless, Suggett describes himself as a "pragmatic optimist" about the future. The great wild card, he points out, is the extent to which corals themselves are capable of adapting to the changes coming at them.

"Everywhere I go in the world, I see corals surviving where you would not expect them to," Suggett says. "This gives me hope that there are coral communities that can cope with the stresses we're throwing at reefs. Perhaps corals have been given less credit than they deserve in terms of their ability to tolerate and adapt to stress."

One of the surprises at Low Isles, he says, was what happened when his team transplanted corals from the offshore reef into the mangrove lagoons-that is, from relatively benign conditions into hot, acidic ones. "We expected those corals to die," Suggett says. "But after four months in the mangroves they have all done very well."

That jibes with an observation by Palumbi's team. The Stanford researchers found that the heat-tolerance genes they identified in corals in American Samoa are also present in corals in the cooler waters of the Cook Islands, 800 miles southeast. Researcher Rachael Bray, now at the University of California at Davis, found that these genes are rare in the Cook Islands today, but could spread as the waters warm.

At the rate humankind is emitting carbon, the researchers calculate, that spread probably won't happen fast enough to ensure the survival of the reef. A slower emissions rate would help-but transplanting a few heat-tolerant corals from warmer climes could also speed the process along.

"What we're trying to do with this work is understand what would happen in a situation where we had to rely on human intervention in order to keep reefs viable," Suggett says. "That's not what we want, of course. Plan A is to reduce emissions, solve climate change and take away the threat to reefs. But we have to prepare for the possibility of Plan F-dealing with global reef meltdown.

"Everyone's wary about intervention, and rightly so, because the larger the scale of reef restoration the larger the ecological ripple effects. Let's hope we don't need to go there, but let's understand the science in case we do."

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New science could save dying coral reefs, in the Great Barrier Reef and beyond

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Thirty miles off the coast of Queensland, Australia, a small piece of history was made last summer: Scientists transplanted hundreds of nursery-grown coral fragments onto the beleaguered Great Barrier Reef. The process itself is not new-coral transplants have been used to help restore damaged reefs for decades.

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Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission

The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC) is the United Nations body responsible for supporting global ocean science and services. The IOC enables its 150 Member States to work together to protect the health of our shared ocean by coordinating programmes in areas such as ocean observations, tsunami warnings and marine spatial planning.

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The Ocean We Need for the Future We Want

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Ocean Science for Sustainable Development

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Eighty percent of pollution to the marine environment comes from the land. One of the biggest sources is called nonpoint source pollution, which occurs as a result of runoff. Nonpoint source pollution includes many small sources, like septic tanks, cars, trucks, and boats, plus larger sources, such as farms, ranches, and forest areas. Millions of motor vehicle engines drop small amounts of oil each day onto roads and parking lots. Much of this, too, makes its way to the sea.

Some water pollution actually starts as air pollution, which settles into waterways and oceans. Dirt can be a pollutant. Top soil or silt from fields or construction sites can run off into waterways, harming fish and wildlife habitats.

Nonpoint source pollution can make river and ocean water unsafe for humans and wildlife. In some areas, this pollution is so bad that it causes beaches to be closed after rainstorms.

More than one-third of the shellfish-growing waters of the United States are adversely affected by coastal pollution.

Correcting the harmful effects of nonpoint source pollution is costly. Each year, millions of dollars are spent to restore and protect areas damaged or endangered by nonpoint source pollutants. NOAA works with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Agriculture, and other federal and state agencies to develop ways to control nonpoint source pollution. These agencies work together to monitor, assess, and limit nonpoint source pollution that may result naturally and by human actions.

NOAA's Coastal Zone Management Program is helping to create special nonpoint source pollution control plans for each coastal state participating in the program. When nonpoint source pollution does cause problems, NOAA scientists help track down the exact causes and find solutions.

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national oceanic and atmospheric administration

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What is the biggest source of pollution in the ocean?

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Eighty percent of pollution to the marine environment comes from the land. One of the biggest sources is called 'runoff' pollution.contaminants in the environment, all working towards healthy coasts and healthy economies.

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What is the current state of the plastic pollution crisis?

About 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic has been produced since the 1950s - the weight of roughly a billion elephants or 47 million blue whales. [1]

Only about 9% of this plastic has been recycled, 12% has been burned and the remaining 79% has ended up in landfills or the environment.[2]

Up to 12.7 million tonnes of plastic enters the oceans every year.[3]

The equivalent of a truckload of plastic enters the oceans every minute.[4]

There are five trillion pieces of plastic in our oceans[5] - enough to circle the Earth over 400 times.[6]

Countries like Canada, the U.S., and the UK export plastic waste to various countries in Asia and Africa[7,8,9], offloading their trash problem to other communities.

Who is most impacted by plastic pollution?

Scientists have documented 700 marine species affected by ocean plastic.[10]

Up to 9 of 10 seabirds[11], 1 in 3 sea turtles[12] and more than half of whale and dolphin species have ingested plastic.[13]

In the Canadian Arctic, 87% of birds have ingested plastics of some sort.[14]

Crustaceans tested at the ocean's deepest point, Mariana Trench, had ingested plastic.[15]

People living along rivers and coastlines in China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam are the most impacted by plastic pollution.[16]

Low-income communities face more health impacts near plastic production sites, have greater exposure to toxins and waste, and bear the brunt of the impacts of improper plastic disposal and incineration.[17]

Henderson Island in the South Pacific is the most plastic polluted of any island recorded to date.[18]

Who is to blame for the plastic pollution problem?

Annual plastic production has skyrocketed since the early 1950s, reaching 322 million tons in 2015. This does not include synthetic fibers used in clothing, rope and other products which accounted for 61 million tonnes in 2016. It is expected that plastic production will continue to increase, likely doubling by 2025.[19]

Drink companies alone, such as Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Nestlé, produce over 500 billion single-use plastic bottles annually.[20]

Well known coffee company Starbucks produces 4 billion coffee cups each year.[21]

Tens of billions of bags of chips are sold each year by companies like Pepsi Co.[22]

What are real solutions to plastic pollution?

Government bans and restrictions for unnecessary and damaging plastic products or activities. Legislative reuse targets.

Mandated Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations and strategies to make producers and companies responsible for the damage plastic causes to our environment, make them accountable for the entire lifecycle and true costs of their products.

Government and corporate investment in reuse models and new ways to deliver products using less or no packaging.

Corporate phase-out of production and use of single-use plastic products and throwaway product models.

A shift in dominant public mindsets away from our throwaway culture focused on convenience being equal to disposal, toward a vision of healthy, sustainable and more connected communities.

What are false solutions to plastic pollution?

Bioplastics are not as green as they seem, approach with caution. Though companies often market them under the same umbrella, a product is not necessarily biodegradable and may require very specific conditions to break down. They also do not solve the litter or throwaway culture problem.[23]

Incineration creates other pollution and does not address the overproduction problem.[24]

Recycling or disposal. Focusing on end of life like recycling or disposal - we can't recycle our way out of this crisis.[25]

Clean up. While clean up efforts help reduce litter problems, they do not address the source of the problem and ignore the unseen plastic pollution - microplastics.[26]

Throwaway alternatives. Replacing one single-use item with another does not necessarily solve the problem or help to address our throwaway culture.

Who is championing real solutions?

Around the world, various cities, countries, and regions are banning or proposing bans on different single-use plastics like Morocco's bag ban[27] and the City of Vancouver, Canada's proposed coffee cup and styrofoam container ban.[28]

More than 30 countries have either regional or country-wide bans on plastic bags, and dozens more have levied fees or taxes on disposable bags.[29]

UK retailer Iceland committed to going plastic free for all of its own brand products.[30]

Zero waste supermarkets are popping up in various cities in countries including the UK, Germany, Canada, the United States, Mexico, South Africa and more.

Endnotes

[1] http://www.fao.org/3/a-‐i7677e.pdf

[2] http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/3/7/e1700782.full

[3] http://science.sciencemag.org/content/347/6223/768

[4] http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_The_New_Plastics_Economy.pdf

[5] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/dec/10/full-scale-plastic-worlds-oceans-revealed-first-time-pollution

[6] http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0111913

[7] Statistics Canada, Canadian International Merchandise Trade Database. Accessed September 2017.

[8] https://www.recyclinginternational.com/recycling-news/8574/plastic-and-rubber/united-states/us-plastic-scrap-exports-jump-higher-2014

[9] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jan/02/rubbish-already-building-up-at-uk-recycling-plants-due-to-china-import-ban

[10] Gall and Thompson, 2015; Kühn et al., 2015

[11] http://www.pnas.org/content/112/38/11899.full.pdf

[12] http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2016/03/17/turtles-marine-plastic_n_9455496.html

[13] S. Baulch, C. Perry / Marine Pollution Bulletin 80 (2014) 210-221

[14] http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/seabirds-in-high-arctic-ingesting-more-plastic-researcher-says-1.2661580

[15] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-016-0051

[16] https://www.iswa.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Calendar_2011_03_AMERICANA/Science-2015-Jambeck-768-71__2_.pdf

[17] http://www.fao.org/3/a-i7677e.pdf

[18] https://www.livescience.com/59110-remote-henderson-island-most-polluted.html

[19] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/dec/26/180bn-investment-in-plastic-factories-feeds-global-packaging-binge

[20] http://pmmi.files.cms-plus.com/AnnualMeeting/2015/Margulies.pdf

[21] https://globalassets.starbucks.com/assets/9265e80751db48398b88bdf09821cc56.pdf

[22] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potato_chip

[23] https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5522e85be4b0b65a7c78ac96/t/5a99d29d41920278291296a4/1520030386318/5Gyres+BAN+List+2018.pdf

[24] http://www.no-burn.org/burning-plastic-incineration-causes-air-pollution-dioxin-emissions-cost-overruns/

[25] http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/3/7/e1700782

[26] https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/411978/Assessing_the_impact_of_exposure_to_microplastics_in_fish_summary.pdf

[27] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/07/green-morocco-bans-plastic-bags-160701141919913.html

[28] http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/vancouver-considering-ban-on-disposable-coffee-cups-plastic-bags-1.3436086

[29] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phase-out_of_lightweight_plastic_bags#Morocco

[30] http://about.iceland.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Iceland-aims-to-be-plastic-free-across-own-label-range-by-2023-16.1.18.pdf

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What is the current state of the plastic pollution crisis? About 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic has been produced since the 1950s - the weight of roughly a billion elephants or 47 million blue whales. [1] Only about 9% of this plastic has been recycled, 12% has been burned and the remaining 79% has ended ...

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Much of the planet is swimming in discarded plastic, which is harming animal and possibly human health. Can it be cleaned up?

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At the Core of Climate Change | PBS LearningMedia

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In this lesson with accompanying video from Clue into Climate, produced by KQED, students will learn about the greenhouse effect and find out how scientists use data collected from ice cores to study climate change. Increasing greenhouse gases are contributing to global warming, which is changing our climate.

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The fashion industry is one of the most wasteful industries in the world. We produce way more clothes than we need and we discard them after a couple of wears. And the worst part is, the majority of our clothes goes to landfill, even though we could easily reuse or recycle them.

How much waste does the fashion industry actually produce? An average consumer throws away 70 pounds (31.75 kilograms) of clothing per year. Globally we produce 13 million tons of textile waste each year 95% of which could be reused or recycled.

In addition to all this, the fashion industry is one of the most polluting industries in the world. It is a major contributor to water pollution, plastic pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions.

This is why what we wear matters!

Textile Waste in the Fashion Industry

In the 90s' with the rise of fast fashion, there was a major shift in how we buy our clothes. We have an abundance of clothing to choose from for a very low price. Clothes became extremely cheap so we don't care for them anymore as much as earlier generations used to.

When your T-shirt costs less than your coffee you don't expect it to last longer than your coffee.

According to Elizabeth L. Cline, the author of Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion, we only wear our clothes 7 times on average before discarding them.

I know it's fun to always buy new stuff, it brings some variety into our lives, but sadly, this mentality has a huge effect on our planet.

It is something we don't think about enough in our everyday lives, mainly because it's all hidden, and everything is marketed with happy, gorgeous-looking people to manipulate us.

But the reality is that one garbage truck of textiles is dumped to landfills or burned each second!

People in the UK have $46.7 billion worth of clothing in their closets that is unworn.

Meanwhile, companies (e.g. Burberry and H&M) are burning their unsold clothes in secret, and 15% of their textiles end up on the cutting room floor without recycling them.

Less than 30% of our clothes are donated, but the world is still swimming in second-hand clothes. The US only exports more than a billion pounds (453.6 million kilograms) of used clothing each year.

This speed of producing new clothes and discarding them is just unhealthy for the planet.

Clothes dumped on landfills take decades to degrade while they are emitting greenhouse gases. They could be reused or recycled.

And we should never forget that landfill is not a magical place where everything just disappears. It is something that's growing with time and in order to be able to throw away more, we have to take away more from nature, destroy forests and natural habitats of animals.

In order to save the planet from all this textile waste, fast fashion needs to slow down and we all need to become more responsible consumers!

Other Ways Fashion is Killing the Planet

Beyond the textile waste, the fashion industry is one of the biggest polluters in the world and it is responsible for more environmental destruction than you would think of!

Water

We are often aware of our use of freshwater when talking about the water used in the household (for showers for example). But actually, the amount of water we use extends way beyond that.

Did you know that the fashion industry produces 20% of the world's water waste? The water usage of our clothing is huge during the whole production process.

Growing crops to make materials is very water-intensive, especially when we make so much textile we don't even use most of it, and when we could recycle 95% of our textile waste.

But consumers produce a lot of water waste as well when we wash our clothes more often than necessary.

Plastic

We talk about plastic all over the media these days. We all know that single-use plastic like plastic straws and bottles are bad for the environment, but we shouldn't forget about our clothes.

The most popular clothing material is polyester (which is a textile made of plastic). Polyester clothes are very uncomfortable due to the fact that they don't breathe. They also look cheap and are of very low quality. Polyester takes much more time to decompose compared to natural fibers and it is one of the main causes of microplastic.

By washing our polyester clothes, we eject half a billion tons of microfibers each year which is equivalent to more than 50 million plastic bottles!

Greenhouse Gases

The fashion industry has its fair share of greenhouse gas emissions as well as its contribution to climate change. 10% of the world's greenhouse gas emission comes from the fashion industry.

It is not so surprising due to the fact that the supply chain goes through so many countries and it requires transportation.

Toxic Chemicals

Toxic chemicals are used in the dying of textiles which is the biggest contributor to water pollution. Factories release chemicals into rivers in developing countries. Denim factories color the nearby rivers blue and pretty much kill the environment alongside the river. This is where the documentary River Blue got its title from.

Apart from denim, the other chemical-intensive process is leather tanning. People often have to work with these chemicals without any protection which can cause severe skin diseases.

How to Reduce Your Fashion Footprint

Learning all this information about fashion's dirty secrets might make you a little hopeless. If you're a true environmentalist, you know that you need to do something about this.

It is easy to blame companies who contribute so much to the destruction of the environment. However, we shouldn't forget that we, the consumers, are just as responsible because if we didn't buy this many clothes, companies wouldn't produce this much either. If we cared more about quality instead of quantity, companies would need to produce more durable, better quality clothing.

This is our fault, but it's also an opportunity to change. We don't have to wait for brands to become more eco-friendly. We can start the change by buying less and buying better, and the fashion industry will produce less and produce better!

Think Long Term

We only wear our items 7 times before throwing them away. It is very alarming, isn't it? Cline also mentions in her book that if we extended the life of our clothes by only 7 months we could cut waste by half.

When buying new clothes ask yourself whether you're going to wear that item at least 30 times. If not, don't buy it!

Buy better quality clothes that will last longer and support local designers or sustainable brands. If you're new to sustainable fashion check out these 30 sustainable brands you should know of!

Upcycle

It is okay if you don't want to keep all your clothes forever, but you should never throw them away! Is there a way you could reuse/upcycle them for something else? Pinterest is full of creative ideas and who doesn't like to be crafty from time to time?

Sell or Donate

You can also find someone who would be happy to wear your old clothes! A sister, a friend, or maybe someone you don't even know. You can make some extra cash by reselling your used clothing, or you can donate them to a charity shop.

When you donate clothes, make sure they are clean and that they're in the best condition possible. Only 10% of donated clothing can find a new owner the rest is sorted and shipped to other countries.

Recycle

If you're lucky, your city has textile collecting bins where you can dump the clothes you don't wear anymore. Usually, you can throw out clothes in any condition because they sort through them. The ones that are in good condition go to charity shops, and the damaged ones are being recycled.

95% of clothing can be recycled, however, recycled fabrics are usually worse quality than the original. As a result, recycled textiles are usually used to make rags and insulation.

DON'T bring your clothes to H&M recycling bins! H&M has a program that claims to recycle used clothes. Never, ever donate clothes for this program! Firstly because we have no idea what H&M is actually doing with those clothes. Secondly, because it is only another way how H&M tries to trick you into buying more clothes from them which is completely contradicts the purpose of being more sustainable!

Related Questions

What impact does fashion waste have on the environment? The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of all greenhouse gas emissions. Clothes dumped to landfills take decades to decompose while they're emitting methane and pollute the soil and waters with plastic and chemicals.

Is fashion the second most polluting industry? Fashion is NOT the second most polluting industry. The first two are oil and animal agriculture, fashion is only the 3rd.

Sources:

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How Much Waste Does the Fashion Industry Produce?

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The fashion industry is one of the most wasteful industries in the world. We produce way more clothes than we need and we discard them after a couple of wears. And the worst part is, the majority of our clothes goes to landfill, even though we could easily reuse or recycle them.

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Misinformation regarding the spread of the coronavirus has led to a rise in xenophobic and racist aggressions towards people of Asian descent. While this is happening on a national level, our UW students are experiencing these physical and verbal assaults (macroaggressions), as well as subtle, harmful comments or actions (microaggressions), too.

Feeling the immense pressure of a pandemic, instructors may be tempted, when seeing or experiencing blatant racism or subtle aggressions, to just "drop it." Yet ignoring macro or microaggressions does further harm to the students who are targeted (Sue, Lin, Torino, Capodilupo, Rivera, 2009).

Anticipate the ways that bias is likely to arise in your online learning environment and consider the most equitable and educational ways to address it. The information and strategies here encourage instructors to address microaggressions before they happen, as well as when.

What are microaggressions?

Strategies for dealing with microaggressions in your online, hybrid, or face-to-face classroom

Research on microaggressions

1. Ladson-Billings, G. (1996). Silences as weapons: challenges of a Black professor teaching White students. Theory into Practice, 35(2), 79-85.

2. Patterson, K., Grenny, J., McMillan, R., Switzler, A.(2002). Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High. New York: McGraw-Hill.

3. Sue, D. W., Capodilupo, C. M., Torino, G. C., Bucceri, J. M., Holder, A. M., Nadal, K. L., et al. (2007). Racial microaggressions in everyday life: Implications for clinical practice. American Psychologist, 62, 271-286.

4. Sue, D. W., Lin, A. I., Torino, G. C., Capodilupo, C. M., & Rivera, D. P. (2009). Racial microaggressions and difficult dialogues on race in the classroom. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 15(2), 183-190.

5. Young, G. (2003). Dealing with difficult classroom dialogues. In P. Bronstein & K. Quina (Eds.), Teaching gender and multicultural awareness (pp. 337-360). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

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Addressing microaggressions in the classroom

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Misinformation regarding the spread of the coronavirus has led to a rise in xenophobic and racist aggressions towards people of Asian descent. While this is happening on a national level, our UW students are experiencing these physical and verbal assaults (macroaggressions), as well as subtle, harmful comments or actions (microaggressions), too.

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US cities are being shaken by protests over police treatment of black people. The protests, at times violent, came after a black man was killed by rough treatment by the police, something that seems to be a long-term pattern in the US.

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The first step in stopping racism is understanding what it actually is. But that's not always easy. If you're not sure what racism is and what it looks like, that's okay. We've put together this handy guide to help you.

What is racism?

Have you ever wondered why a black person can say the n-word, or why Asian people can make jokes about their own race, but as soon as a white person joins in, it's seen as racist?

Well, the reason why some things are considered racist and others aren't comes down to three important ideas: history, institutions and power.

Why is history important in understanding racism?

History gives us an explanation for why some races face discrimination and disadvantages. For example, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have to deal with a number of barriers that other Australians don't face. They are less likely to be selected for jobs, which leads to a lower standard of living and less access to health care, leading to a shorter average life expectancy and higher suicide rates. The reasons for these disadvantages go all the way back to Australia's colonial past, when Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were widely seen as inferior.

'But the First Fleet was so long ago,' you might say. 'Can't Aboriginal Australians just get over it?' The short answer is 'no'. The long answer is that you can't just 'get over' a racist history. Not to mention that Australia's colonial history of hundreds of years is quite a short time, when compared to the thousands of years of Indigenous history and culture that existed before this.

Why are institutions important in understanding racism?

Institutions play an important role in perpetuating racism. They include schools, the court system, the media, and organisations.

Institutions and history work together to give certain groups of people more of a say in how their country is built. The history of British colonisation in Australia means that our laws, schools and other bodies were shaped by the dominant group, while Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were excluded from this process.

This meant that racist government policies such as the White Australia policy and The Stolen Generations happened without much resistance from the dominant, white group. The high rates of Aboriginal deaths in police custody and of imprisonment of Aboriginal young people are just two modern examples of how institutionalised racism can shape racist policies that have long-lasting effects.

Power and racism

We've taken a look at how history and institutions add to racial disadvantages. But the most important way these two things work together is by creating an imbalance of power based on race. This is why a black person can use the n-word, or why Asian people can make jokes about their own race. There is no imbalance of power in that exchange. But when a dominant race uses certain language or makes stereotypical jokes about another race that lacks the same historical and institutional power, this is called 'racism'.

Remember that it's not just language that can be racist. Racist stereotypes can have a big impact on other aspects of a person's life. Certain races and cultures are the targets of stereotypes that paint them as lazy, dirty or untrustworthy. This can have a pretty big impact on things like their job or housing opportunities.

It's also important to remember that racism can occur among minority groups. Everyone, including minority groups, who lives on Australian land also benefits from the systemic racism against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

What does racism look like?

The first step in tackling racism is recognising what the different types of racism look like, and identifying appropriate ways to handle them.

Casual or indirect racism

Subtle or 'casual' racism can also appear in the form of a 'microaggression'. This is an intentional or unintentional offensive message that targets a person based entirely on their being a member of a minority group. Any form of racism is unacceptable, even a comment or an action that is subtle or occurs in a casual environment. It's just not on.

Examples of casual racism include:

intentionally choosing not to sit next to a person because you feel uncomfortable about the colour of their skin

telling a person of a different race who was born and raised in Australia that they speak 'good English'

making fun of someone's background, even if it's disguised as a joke.

Direct racism

This type of racism is conscious and intentional - for example, someone writing a negative Instagram post about a particular ethnic group.

Systemic racism

This type of racism occurs when organisations in our society such as the government, media companies, police, hospitals and schools discriminate against certain groups of people. This stems from institutions and power throughout history, as we've discussed above. For example, the Black Lives Matter global movement is a direct response to police brutality against black people, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Why is racism a problem?

For anyone, experiencing abuse or comments that make you feel uncomfortable can have an impact on your wellbeing. It can impact your mood and if it happens often enough, this can negatively affect your self-esteem and confidence. Racism can also often make you feel unsafe or put you in physical danger.

Racism can make people of different ethnic groups feel unwelcome and isolated, and may even affect their opportunities to study, work and socialise. This can later affect their quality of life, access to health care and life expectancy.

What can you do about racism?

So, you've had a read about what racism is and what it can look like in day-to-day life - what can you do now? What's important is that there's always something you can do, whether it's learning more or exploring how you can support people from different cultural backgrounds. If you've still got some questions, check out some videos to help you further understand racism.

Want to chat with a peer worker who can listen to you and support you? You can ask questions and chat about your thoughts in a non-judgmental space. Book a free, text-based session with ReachOut PeerChat.

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The first step in stopping racism is understanding what it actually is. But that's not always easy. If you're not sure what racism is and what it looks like, that's okay. We've put together this handy guide to help you.

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Newsela | Opinion: Why black culture thrives alongside rampant racism

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Mainstream recognition of black pride through art is growing despite racism. This might seem odd but it is actually a modern twist on the Harlem Renaissance of the early-20th century.

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About 160 million children ages 5 to 17 around the world are engaged in child labor, working in jobs that deprive them of their childhood, interfere with schooling, or harm their mental, physical, or social development. Nearly half of them - 79 million children - work under hazardous conditions, such as carrying heavy loads on construction sites or digging in open-pit mines. By definition, child labor is a violation of both child protection and child rights.

Poverty is the primary reason children are sent to work. Sadly, child labor keeps children from getting the education they need to break the cycle of poverty. According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), a U.N. agency, about 70% of child laborers work in agriculture. Others work long hours in factories, domestic service, or forced labor, such as child soldiers and children exploited in the commercial sex trade.

From 2000 - when the ILO began monitoring child labor - to 2016, the number of children exploited fell by 94 million, a dramatic global reduction. However, the decline slowed between 2012 and 2016, and global progress was stagnant between 2016 and 2020 - the most recent reporting period. Also, due to rising poverty as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, an estimated 8.9 million additional children are at risk of being pushed into child labor by the end of 2022. A strong global effort will be required to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal of eliminating all forms of child labor worldwide by 2025.

June 12 is the United Nations-sanctioned World Day Against Child Labor, a time to remember the young workers who have been robbed of their childhood, education, and the future they deserve.

FAQS: What you need to know about child labor

Get child labor facts, and learn how you can help end it.

Fast facts: Child labor

At the beginning of 2020, 63 million girls and 97 million boys were in child labor, accounting for about one in 10 children worldwide.

Across all age groups, boys are more likely to work than girls.

One in three children in child labor are out of school.

BACK TO QUESTIONS
What is child labor?

Child labor is the exploitation of children who are deprived of their childhood by work that prevents them from attending school or causes physical, mental, or social harm. Children are especially vulnerable to injuries in their early developmental years, even though physical and mental health problems may not be evident for years. Worldwide, the ILO estimates that 22,000 child laborers are killed at work each year.
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Where is it a problem?

Child labor is concentrated in the world's poorest countries. It is also common in fragile contexts where there is insecurity or armed conflict. Sub-Saharan Africa has 86.6 million child laborers, more than anywhere else.

Family poverty and poor schools are two major reasons children in low-income countries are in the labor force. However, child labor is not confined to low-income countries. About 93.4 million children, 58.4% of child laborers, live in middle-income countries, and 1.6 million child laborers live in high-income countries.
BACK TO QUESTIONS
What are the worst forms of child labor?

The ILO's Convention No. 182 defines hazardous and morally damaging forms of labor and calls for their immediate and total elimination. As defined by the convention, the worst forms of child labor include:

Slavery or similar practices

Child trafficking

Forced recruitment into armed conflict

Prostitution and pornography

Drug production and trafficking or other illegal acts

Debt bondage

Hazardous work that can cause injury or moral corruption

BACK TO QUESTIONS
How can I help end child labor?

Pray for children trapped in work that puts them in danger or prevents them from attending school. Ask God to protect them from further exploitation so that they may enjoy the physical, mental, and spiritual nurture they need to live life to the full.

Give to support World Vision's work around the world to protect children from labor and other forms of exploitation, abuse, and violence.

Sponsor a child. By investing in a child's life, you'll help them stay in school. You'll also help build up their community so that there'll be more job opportunities for them to pursue as adults.

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What is World Vision doing to end child labor?

World Vision places children at the center of all our work to transform communities for good. We empower children to know their rights and work toward their own well-being. And we work with their parents and communities to see that kids are protected and that their futures are not stolen by labor exploitation.

By taking initiative in these areas, we help create a protective environment that cares for and supports all children:

Providing educational services to enhance instruction quality and improve the learning environment

Providing support for parents to improve their incomes and food security so that children don't need to work

Encouraging support for national child labor laws and their enforcement

Promoting social accountability for communities, governments, and businesses

Equipping communities - faith leaders, parents, and community groups - to monitor vulnerable children to keep them out of hazardous work and help their families survive without their child's income

Promoting decent work for youth who are above the minimum working age through training, life skills, and entrepreneurship, as well as savings and credit services

Here are some examples of World Vision's work to end child labor.

In Honduras, a five-year U.S. Department of Labor-funded project, Futuros Brillantes, is helping change the culture that prioritizes labor over education for adolescents. World Vision-organized child labor committees are helping dropouts return to school and supporting their educational development through job training and internships.

In three regions of Ethiopia, World Vision helped to preserve traditional weaving techniques while enabling children to return to school and train for other livelihoods. Youth and business owners learned about work safety and health. More than 20,000 children were supported to continue their education, and their families received support to replace the lost income.

Millions of children in Bangladesh are engaged in child labor, with many working under hazardous conditions in industrial jobs. World Vision programs help children in urban and rural areas to leave dangerous, exploitative jobs and return to school.
BACK TO QUESTIONS
History of child labor

Children have always contributed to the economic upkeep of their families through farm labor and handicrafts. However, the growth of manufacturing and farm mechanization during the Industrial Revolution in Europe and the United States in the 18th and 19th centuries led to many children working under dangerous conditions in factories and farms. This in turn prompted child labor laws that not only regulated conditions but also mandated education. Here are some highlights of child labor history:

1938 - The U.S. Fair Labor Standards Act restricts hours and types of jobs for children under age 16.

1973 - The Minimum Age Convention, ratified by 172 countries, sets the minimum age for employment but allows some exceptions.

1989 - The U.N. enacts the Convention on the Rights of the Child to guarantee the protection of children's rights to grow and thrive.

1992 - The International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor (IPEC) is founded to promote the global elimination of child labor and support countries in their efforts.

1999 - The Worst Forms of Child Labor Convention, ratified by 186 countries, requires ending practices like slavery, child trafficking, debt bondage, forced labor in armed conflict, prostitution, pornography, drug trafficking, and other illicit activities.

2021 - The U.N. General Assembly declares this to be the Year for the Elimination of Child Labor.

2025 - All forms of child labor are to end this year under Target 8.7 of the U.N.'s Sustainable Development Goals.
BACK TO QUESTIONS Sevil Omer of World Vision's U.S. staff contributed to this article.
You can help protect every child from child labor.

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Child labor: Facts, FAQs, and how to help end it | World Vision

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About 160 million children ages 5 to 17 around the world are engaged in child labor, working in jobs that deprive them of their childhood, interfere with schooling, or harm their mental, physical, or social development. Nearly half of them - 79 million children - work under hazardous conditions, such as carrying heavy loads on construction sites or digging in open-pit mines.

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united nations conference on sustainable development

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Goal 8 .:. Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform

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Sustained and inclusive economic growth is necessary for achieving sustainable development. The global annual growth rate of real GDP per capita increased by 1.3 per cent in 2014, a significant slowdown compared to 2010 (2.8 per cent growth) and 2000 (3.0 per cent growth).

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Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth - The Global Goals

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Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.

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In the world's poorest countries, slightly more than 1 in 5 children are engaged in child labour

Children around the world are routinely engaged in paid and unpaid forms of work that are not harmful to them. However, they are classified as child labourers when they are either too young to work or are involved in hazardous activities that may compromise their physical, mental, social or educational development. In the least developed countries, slightly more than one in four children (ages 5 to 17) are engaged in labour that is considered detrimental to their health and development.

The issue of child labour is guided by three main international conventions: the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention No. 138 concerning minimum age for admission to employment and Recommendation No. 146 (1973); ILO Convention No. 182 concerning the prohibition and immediate action for the elimination of the worst forms of child labour and Recommendation No. 190 (1999); and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. These conventions frame the concept of child labour and form the basis for child labour legislation enacted by countries that are signatories.

Prevalence of child labour

In sub-Saharan Africa, slightly more than 1 in 4 children aged 5 to 17 years are engaged in child labour.

Gender disparities

In all regions, boys and girls are equally likely to be involved in child labour. However, gender disparities are often observed in the types of activities carried out, with girls far more likely to be involved in unpaid household services.

Notes on the data

Data sources

The main sources of data on child labour include the UNICEF-supported Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) and the ILO-supported Statistical Information and Monitoring Programme on Child Labour (SIMPOC) surveys. The Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) have adopted the MICS module on child labour in its questionnaires. Many countries also produce national labour estimates and reports that often include data on child labour and/or employment among children.

Data on child labour have been collected in MICS since 2000 in more than 50 surveys through a standard module questionnaire. A standard definition of child labour was also used to calculate the prevalence of child labour across countries. In 2010, following consultations with ILO, the standard MICS questionnaire underwent a careful revision to make it consistent with currently available international standards.

The MICS module covers children 5 to 17 years old and includes questions on the type of work a child does and the number of hours he or she is engaged in it. Data are collected on both economic activities (paid or unpaid work for someone who is not a member of the household, work for a family farm or business) and domestic work (household chores such as cooking, cleaning or caring for children). The MICS child labour module also collects information on hazardous working conditions.

SIMPOC questionnaires have been developed to be used in a variety of data collection methods, including in stand-alone, household-based, child labour surveys and as a separate module in other household-based surveys. No specific operational definition of child labour is used in SIMPOC surveys across countries, but estimates are calculated on the basis of the definition used in the national legislation of individual countries. As a result, the definition of child labour that is used to calculate child labour estimates differs markedly among countries, as do the resulting estimates.

In December 2008, the International Conference of Labour Statisticians (ICLS) adopted the Resolution concerning the measurement of working time. The resolution sets standards for the collection and analysis of data on child labour and calls upon all countries to develop a system of child labour statistics. The resolution also confirms that any type of work undertaken by children should be considered in the measurement of child labour, in addition to economic activities. The target populations for the resolution are children aged 5 to 17 years who, during a specified time period, were engaged in one or more of the following categories of activities: worst forms of child labour,[2] employment below the minimum age, and unpaid household services.

Main indicators

The Resolution concerning the measurement of working time sets the threshold for economic activities at 14 or more hours per week for children aged 12 to 14 years, but does not specify precise thresholds for unpaid household services due to a lack of evidence that would support such a threshold. Since then, UNICEF and ILO have both conducted data analyses to support the establishment of a threshold for the inclusion of unpaid household services in the measurement of child labour. The results of these analyses were presented at the 19th ICLS, which took place in Geneva in October 2013.[3]

UNICEF's standard indicator for child labour includes the following:

Age 5 to 11 years: At least 1 hour of economic work or 21 hours of unpaid household services per week.

Age 12 to 14 years: At least 14 hours of economic work or 21 hours of unpaid household services per week.

Age 15 to 17 years: At least 43 hours of economic work per week.

MICS module on child labour

MICS surveys has a standardized module on child labour
Download the MICS module on child labour (PDF)

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Children around the world are routinely engaged in paid and unpaid forms of work that are not harmful to them. However, they are classified as child labourers when they are either too young to work or are involved in hazardous activities that may compromise their physical, mental, social or educational development.

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EDF Renewables Contact | EDF North American HQ | Asset Optimization

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EDF Renewables Contact Form | Where is EDF RE located | North American EDF Renewables Headquarters in San Diego Califoria | info@edf-re.com - 888-903-6926

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Community Solar Arrays are available for local homeowners to support the generation of clean, safe, renewable energy throughout Vermont and New York.

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Below is a list of resources for solar, biomass, hydroelectric, and wind energy.

Solar

Publications

Vermonter's Guide to Residential Solar (2018)
There are many ways to build and finance a solar PV system, and navigating these options can be challenging. This guide (revised since the original 2016 version) aims to help homeowners decide whether it makes sense for them to go solar, and if so, how. The guide, "A Vermonter's Guide to Residential Solar," was written by the Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA) for the Vermont Department of Public Service. It is divided into sections so that readers can refer to relevant information at different points in the decision-making and installation process.

Guidance for Third-Party Solar Projects: Developed by the Vermont Attorney General's Office in partnership with the Department of Public Service, this guidance clarifies the statements that a solar provider may make about the renewable nature of solar projects in which the Renewable Energy Certificates are retained and sold by the solar provider.

A Consumer's Guide to Buying a Solar Electric System: Developed by the U.S. Department of Energy, September 1999.

Template for Group Net Metering Agreements for Vermont Municipal and School District Solar Projects: Developed in partnership with the Vermont League of Cities and Towns, the Vermont School Boards Association, the Vermont Superintendents Association-School Energy Management Program, the Vermont Natural Resources Council, and supporting attorneys, April 2015.

How to Size A Grid-Connected Solar Electric System: Published by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, August 2002.

How to Install Solar in Vermont: Published by the Northeast Vermont Development Association.

A Guide to Community Solar: Utility, Private, and Nonprofit Project Development: Published by the U.S. Department of Energy.

The Solarize Guidebook: A Community Guide to Collective Purchasing of Residential PV Systems: Published by the U.S. Department of Energy.

Photovoltaics as a Line Extension Alternative: For people who need electric power in a remote location, where a utility line extension may be cost prohibitive and photovoltaic (PV) may be a preferable alternative, one possible option before investing in a line extension is an off-the-grid PV power system. For purposes of comparison, it is helpful to understand the life-cycle costs, lifestyle impacts, and expansion possibilities of a PV system.

The Solar Electric Option (Instead of a Power Line Extension) (PDF 1 MB): An overview of how PV technology works, how PV systems are designed, safety issues, three examples of remote applications, and a glossary of terms. Sixteen pages. Published jointly by the Arizona Corporation Commission and the Arizona Department of Commerce Energy Office.

Staff Guidelines on Photovoltaics versus Line Extensions (PDF 219 KB): An explanation of three guidelines one utility used to determine whether a PV system would be cheaper than a line extension over thirty years (overhead single phase, underground single phase, three phase underground). Seven pages. Published by the Arizona Corporation Commission's Utility Division.

Photovoltaics versus Line Extensions: Creating Informed Customer Choices (PDF 822 KB): Discusses implications for service quality and compares the economics of PV vs. line extensions. Twenty-eight pages. By David Berry and Robert Gray, Utilities Division, Arizona Corporation Commission.

Websites

Vermont Energy and Climate Action Network (VECAN) Community Solar Toolbox: This page helps communities and community members understand common models and approaches to community solar in Vermont and provides helpful best practices, case studies, and resources.

The Leasing Municipal and Private Property for Solar fact sheet from the Solar Foundation contains information that may be useful to Vermonters considering leasing their land for solar development.

Vermont Solar Consumer Guide from Renewable Energy Vermont and the Residential Consumer Guide to Solar Power from the Solar Energy Industries Association.

PVWatts Calculator: PVWatts Calculator was developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to help individuals estimate the energy production and cost of energy of grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) energy systems at their home or business. Homeowners, businesses, and researchers use the PVWatts Calculator to develop quick estimates of renewable energy production at locations throughout the U.S. The PVWatts Calculator uses a map-based interface to allow you to choose the exact location of your PV array. Based on your location, system size, and other variables, the PVWatts Calculator estimates the electricity production you can expect from your system.

Tracking the Sun: This is Berkeley Lab's annual report that summarizes installed prices and other trends among grid-connected, distributed solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in the United States. While not a direct substitute for the U.S. Department of Energy's Open PV Project, which was discontinued in 2019, it does contain much of the same data from a variety of sources including utilities, installers, and the general public.

DOE's Solar America Communities program is committed to developing a sustainable solar infrastructure that removes market barriers and encourages the adoption of solar energy by residents and businesses in local communities. The objective is to develop comprehensive approaches that lay the foundation for a viable solar market and provide a model for communities throughout the United States. The National Community Solar Partnership will bring the lessons learned and best practices from the Solar America Cities partnerships to communities across the United States.

Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE) provides comprehensive information on state, local, utility, and federal incentives and policies that promote solar energy. Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy's Solar Energy Technologies Program, DSIRE provides solar-specific policy information to consumers, policy-makers, businesses, utilities, researchers and other stakeholders.

Biomass

Publications

Websites

Hydropower

Vermont Small Hydropower Assistance Program

The draft screening criteria, combined stakeholder comments, and summary of comments with reply comments are also available.

Publications

Websites

Wind

Publications

Estimating the Hypothetical Wind Power Potential on Public Lands in Vermont. Prepared for the Department of Public Service by Vermont Environmental Research Associates, Inc. in December 2003.

Commission on Wind Energy Regulatory Policy Final Report & Attachments

Utility-Scale Wind Energy Planning Resources: This is the product of the Wind Siting Consensus Building Project sponsored by the Department of Public Service to build consensus on the appropriate siting of utility-scale wind energy in Vermont, published in 2002.

Small Wind Electric Systems: This is a consumer guide by the U.S. Department of Energy on small, residential-scale wind systems (published in 2002).

Residential Wind Siting Handbook: This is a guide to siting residential wind turbines published by the Vermont Public Utility Commission.

Small Wind: Is it Right for You?: This is a fact sheet which provides information about the planning and permitting process for small-scale wind turbines.

Wind Energy and Vermont's Scenic Landscape: This is landscape architect Jean Vissering's discussion paper based on the Wind Siting Consensus Building Project.

2011 Wind Technologies Market Report: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory publishes an update to this report about trends in wind turbine technology, policy, and pricing every year.

A Visual Assessment Process for Wind Energy Projects: Landscape architect Jean Vissering wrote this generalized visual assessment methodology for Clean Energy States Alliance in 2011. She looks at effective state and local policies, practices, and methodologies to evaluate the visual impacts associated with wind development projects.

Land-Based Wind Energy Guidelines: Published by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2012, these voluntary guidelines are designed to help wind energy project developers avoid and minimize impacts of land-based wind projects on wildlife and their habitats.

Eastern Wind Integration and Transmission Study (revised): This 2011 National Renewable Energy Laboratory study examines the operational impact of up to 20-30% energy penetration of wind on the power system in the Eastern Interconnect of the United States and sets out to answer questions that utilities, regional transmission operators, and planning organizations have about wind energy and transmission development in the east.

Websites

DOE Wind Powering America Program: Wind Powering America is a nationwide initiative designed to increase the use of wind energy across the United States by working with regional stakeholders. State-by-state breakdowns of wind resource potential, success stories, installed wind capacity, news, events, and other resources are updated regularly.

Small Wind Certification Council (SWCC): The SWCC, an independent organization, assesses and issues certificates and consumer labels for the performance and safety of small wind turbines in accordance with criteria established in the AWEA Standard. The website describes the process and includes sortable listings for certified turbines and pending applications. The website was designed to give consumers, applicants and stakeholders a more robust set of resources to aid in the development of the small wind market.

Wind Energy Maps and Data: From the U.S. Department of Energy WINDExchange page.

Governors' Wind Energy Coalition - a bipartisan group of the nation's governors who are dedicated to the development of the nation's wind energy resources to meet America's domestic energy demands in an environmentally responsible manner, while reducing the nation's dependence on imported energy sources and stimulating state and national economic development.

The land-based portion of the Northeast Wind Resource Center (NWRC) builds on two previous projects, the New England Wind Forum (NEWF) and the New England Wind Energy Education Project (NEWEEP). Materials from these projects are archived on this webpage.

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Below is a list of resources for solar, biomass, hydroelectric, and wind energy. Publications Vermonter's Guide to Residential Solar (2018) There are many ways to build and finance a solar PV system, and navigating these options can be challenging.

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ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain - ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain

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ECHO is the premiere science and nature museum on Lake Champlain. ECHO's mission is to inspire and engage families in the joy of scientific discovery, wonder of nature, and care of Lake Champlain. Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., visit us at: 1 College St., Burlington, VT 05401

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2021 State of the Lake Report Released

NOTE: The 2021 State of the Lake and Ecosystem Indicators report is now posted on-line: www.lcbp.org/sol2021 Grand Isle, VT -...

Share your appreciation and knowledge of Lake Champlain and its watershed! Help visitors explore and protect the Lake Champlain Basin's...

State of the Lake Report Released * LCBP Grants * Flooding 10th Anniversary * LCBP Science Blog * Round Goby...

The Lake Champlain Basin Program seeks proposals for projects that improve water quality and ecosystems in the Lake Champlain watershed....

LCBP Launches Science Blog

The LCBP has launched a new science blog to make it easier for partners and stakeholders to learn about LCBP...

State of the Lake Report Released * LCBP Grants * Flooding 10th Anniversary * LCBP Science Blog * Round Goby...

The LCBP has released a report of activities highlighting LCBP projects that were in progress or concluded between October 1,...

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NOTE: The 2021 State of the Lake and Ecosystem Indicators report is now posted on-line: www.lcbp.org/sol2021 Grand Isle, VT -... Share your appreciation and knowledge of Lake Champlain and its watershed! Help visitors explore and protect the Lake Champlain Basin's... State of the Lake Report Released * LCBP Grants * Flooding 10th Anniversary * LCBP Science Blog * Round Goby...

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Despite decades of progressive efforts, there's still a great deal of inequality in workplaces across the country.

In recent years, the government, employees, and many businesses have worked to stamp out issues involving salary discrepancies between genders. They've also sought to ensure men and women receive equal treatment.

It's one of the leading topics in the modern business world, so it's essential your business understand all current laws and your commitments to staff members.

In this guide, we explain everything. So, let's start with the basics.

What is gender inequality?

A company that practises gender equality treats men and women the same.

This has many implications that your business can easily overlook due to, for example, a longstanding company culture, personal attitudes, or confusion about current laws.

But your business should understand that men and women must receive equal treatment. This includes:

1. Equal pay and benefits for comparable roles.

2. Equal consideration of needs.

3. Equal opportunities for progression and promotion.

Employees shouldn't face any sort of discrimination because they are male or female, or are undergoing gender reassignment.

Which laws affect gender equality in the UK?

Gender is a protected characteristic, which means it's covered under the Equality Act 2010 (section 13).

As we're part of the EU, British workplaces are also subject to Article 141(1) of the Treaty of the European Community which states, "Each Member State shall ensure that the principle of equal pay for male and female workers for equal work or work of equal value is applied."

Gender equality laws in the UK also include the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 and the Equal pay Act 1970. There's also the Employment Rights Act 1996.

However, the primary legislation now remains under the Equality Act 2010.

Promoting gender equality at work

Gender inequality in the workplace might include hiring or training only one gender for a particular role (perhaps because it's seen as 'men's work' or 'women's work').

Female employees may also worry about treatment during pregnancy or motherhood, or being sexually harassed.

To help foster gender equality, you could:

1. Give training to raise awareness and promote fair behaviours.

2. Provide childcare facilities, family-friendly policies and childcare vouchers.

3. Shine a spotlight on successful women in your company, both internally and through media channels - and ask senior women to act as mentors.

4. Establish policies for fair pay and work/life balance, and ensure managers fully support them.

Facts about gender inequality in the workplace are clear. To this day, the statistics make for uncomfortable reading. A poll by Young Women's Trust in 2018 found:

1. 23% of women at work have faced sexual harassment.

2. Only 8% of them have reported it.

3. 43% of mothers faced maternity discrimination.

4. 52% of women face mental health issues at work, compared to 42% of men.

Such a difference indicates there are still issues of inequality at work, which the government has stepped in to address in recent years.

Gender pay gap reporting

The fight for equal pay is a prominent gender equality issue. New laws ensure the gap between men's and women's pay is smaller than ever.

As an employer, you must ensure men and women receive equal pay for work that's equivalent in terms of skill, effort, or level of responsibility.

Your employees can lawfully request a discussion or comparison to establish whether they are being paid fairly under the Equality Act 2010.

This includes clear information about pay structure, how you calculate bonuses and overtime, and access to pensions.

If your employee believes their pay is unfair, they can raise the matter with an employment tribunal, although it's often quicker and less expensive to resolve the problem internally.

This issue is now more transparent, however, as there's now a gender pay gap requirement to keep in mind.

This legislation came into effect on 6th April 2017. The first reports were due in April 2018. Any business with 250 employees or more must publish pay gap data each year. These reports should contain details such as the:

1. Mean and median hourly pay gap.

2. Mean and median bonus pay gap.

3. Number of men and women receiving bonus pay.

4. Number of men and women in each pay quarter.

Gender inequality examples

For clarity on the above, you can refer to the below instances for reference on how wide a topic this can be.

1. Unequal pay: As we mention above in gender pay reporting, this is one of the most pressing examples of sexism in the workplace. You now must follow government guidelines regarding this matter.

2. Unfavourable recruitment strategy: This can include questions about whether a female candidate intends to have children, or suggesting in your job spec that the role is more for men.

3. Different opportunities: If your business has career progression opportunities that favour men over women.

4. Redundancies: Terminating a female employee for making a claim of unequal treatment at work.

5. Bias: Showing preferential treatment towards male colleagues over female ones, such as in promotions or day-to-day conversation.

6. Sexual harassment: An act of gross misconduct, this behaviour towards men or women can have serious consequences.

7. Holding sexist views: Promoting outdated views about men or women, such as outdated gender stereotypes.

Types of gender inequality can vary dramatically between men and women.

So it's important to stay vigilant have clear policies on how you expect your employees to behave in around your working environment.

How to promote gender equality in the workplace

Why is gender equality important in the workplace? As well as promoting a fair working environment, it also ensures overall business productivity is as high as possible.

In turn, this ensures the national economy can grow naturally. There are no unfair barriers in place restricting progress.

With this in mind, how can you go about ensuring there's a policy of gender equality across your business? While this relates to women's inequality in the workplace, don't forget that you must also respect your male employees.

But you can use tactics such as the ones below to reconsider your business stance:

1. Evaluate your job specifications to see if you have barriers in place that stop women from reaching roles that are more senior.

2. Be transparent about your pay. If you're a small or medium business with less than 250 employees, be open about wages to ensure women aren't receiving less for the same roles as men.

3. Promote a better work-life balance for both genders.

4. Offer training and mentors to everyone within your business.

5. Ensure that you have an anti-harassment policy in place to stop it from occurring in your business entirely.

Looking for advice?

This can be a complex and difficult topic for businesses to address. You can ask us for immediate assistance on this pressing modern issue: 0800 783 2806.

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Gender Inequality in the Workplace | BrightHR

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Despite decades of progressive efforts, there's still a great deal of inequality in workplaces across the country. In recent years, the government, employees, and many businesses have worked to stamp out issues involving salary discrepancies between genders. They've also sought to ensure men and women receive equal treatment.

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Fri, 03/29/2019 - 11:00am -- tim

Vermont Business Magazine Equal Pay Day is Tuesday, April 2nd. The gender pay gap in Vermont is the lowest gender pay gap in the nation. PayScale, a compensation data and software provider, just released new research into the gender pay issue called The 2019 State of the Gender Pay Gap Report; located here: www.payscale.com/data/gender-pay-gap. Overall, women in the US earn 79 cents for every dollar earned by men; when comparing compensation for all women versus all men (what PayScale calls the uncontrolled pay gap). However, in Vermont, women earn more - 87 cents for every dollar earned by men. Additionally, when PayScale controlled for various factors such as experience and job title (ie comparing apples-to-apples regarding compensation) to determine how much a woman makes compared to a man doing the same job, Vermont came out on top again. Nationally, this 'controlled' pay gap shows that similarly qualified women earned 2% less than men who do the same job. But, in Vermont, the uncontrolled pay gap essentially disappeared and women and men in the same roles were paid the same amount.

Since PayScale started tracking the gender pay gap, the difference between the earnings of women and men has shrunk. But significant disparity in how men and women are paid still remains. The uncontrolled gender pay gap, which takes the ratio of median earnings of all women to all men, decreased by $0.05 since 2015. However, women still make only $0.79 for every dollar men make in 2019.

What often gets lost in translation is what the uncontrolled wage gap truly represents - that women are less likely to hold high-level, high-paying jobs than men. There are structural barriers which keep women from advancing in the workplace- this is what we call the opportunity gap.

The controlled gender pay gap, which controls for a number of factors such as job title, years of experience, industry and location so that the only differentiation between workers is their gender, shrunk by just $0.008 since 2015. Women now make $0.98 for every dollar an equivalent man makes.

Additionally, when we discuss the gender pay gap, it's important to remember that women are not one homogenous group: women of color face a different set of barriers in getting fair pay and advancing in the workplace compared to white women. This year, PayScale took a close look at the intersection of gender and race and examined how the gender wage gap differs for women of various races. We also examine the opportunity gap for women of different races.

Last but not least, PayScale has created a guide for HR professionals and business leaders who seek to close the gender wage gap and make their workplace more equitable for all employees.

Between January 2017 and February 2019, nearly 1.8 million people took PayScale's online salary survey, providing information about their industry, occupation, location and other compensable factors. They also reported demographic information, including age, gender, and race. PayScale leveraged this sample to provide insights into the controlled and uncontrolled gender pay gap. For analysis by race, PayScale looked only to those with at least a bachelor's degree. All gender pay gap numbers reported are relative to white men.

THE STATE OF THE GENDER PAY GAP
IN 2019, WOMEN EARN 79 CENTS FOR EVERY DOLLAR EARNED BY MEN.
This figure is representative of the uncontrolled - or "raw" gender pay gap, which looks at the median salary for all men and women regardless of job type or worker seniority.

In other words, the median salary for men is roughly 21 percent higher than the median salary for women. This figure represents a one percent improvement from 2018 and a 5 percent improvement from 2015, when the median salary for men was roughly 26 percent higher than the median salary for women.

What is the gender pay gap once all compensable factors such as experience, industry and job level are accounted for? It's still not zero.

In fact, when men and women with the same employment characteristics do similar jobs, women earn $0.98 for every dollar earned by an equivalent man. In other words, a woman who is doing the same job as a man, with the exact same qualifications as a man is still paid two percent less. Unfortunately, this controlled wage gap has only shrunk by a miniscule amount of $0.008 since 2015.

WOMEN ARE STILL PAID LESS IN 2019

UNCONTROLLED
GENDER PAY GAP

THIS MEASURES MEDIAN SALARY FOR
ALL MEN AND ALL WOMEN

WOMEN EARN

79¢

FOR EVERY $1 EARNED BY MEN

CONTROLLED GENDER
PAY GAP

THIS MEASURES MEDIAN SALARY FOR MEN AND WOMEN
WITH THE SAME JOB AND QUALIFICATIONS.

WOMEN EARN

98¢

FOR EVERY $1 EARNED BY MEN

RACIAL WAGE GAP: HOW THE GENDER WAGE GAP DIFFERS BY RACE

There are significant variations in the size of the wage gap for different ethnic groups. The largest uncontrolled pay gap is for American Indian and Alaska Native, Black and Hispanic women. Women who identify as a member of these races earn roughly $0.74 for every dollar a White man earns. In other words, American Indian, Alaska Native, Black and Hispanic women earn 26 percent less than White men.

This gap is smaller than that reported using the Current Population Survey, likely because we're only studying respondents with at least a bachelor's degree. For reference, the uncontrolled pay gap between White women and White men is $0.80 on the dollar.

Equal Pay Day was started by the National Committee on Pay Equity (NCPE) in 1996 to highlight the gap between men and women's wages. Equal Pay Day is held every April to symbolize how far into the year women need to work to make what men did in the previous year. However, this date is calculated using the overall wage gap, the $0.80 on the dollar figure.

Equal Pay Day for Latinas and Equal Pay Day for Black women are later in the calendar year, because these minority groups typically earn less than White women. According to EqualPayDay.org, the typical Black woman must work until August 2019 to be paid what the typical White man was paid at the end of December 2018. The typical Latina woman must work until November 2019 to be paid what the typical White man was paid at the end of December 2018.

The controlled pay gap differs by race too: The largest gap is between the earnings of Black women and White men. Black women make $0.97 for every dollar a White man with the same qualifications makes. The controlled gender pay gap for Hispanic and White women is more or less the same. Both groups earn roughly $0.98 for every dollar a White man with the same credentials earns. However, this does not mean that Hispanic and White women are necessarily treated equally in the workplace.

In fact, we find that women of different races face various degrees of discrimination when it comes to getting fair compensation for their work.

THE OPPORTUNITY GAP IS VAST: WOMEN TEND TO WORK IN LOWER-LEVEL, LOWER-PAID POSITIONS

Why is the uncontrolled wage gap so large? It's because women are less likely to hold higher-level, high-paying jobs compared to men. Women also tend to move up the career ladder at a slower pace than men. We call this phenomenon the opportunity gap.

PayScale found that roughly an equal percentage of men and women start their careers as individual contributors, i.e. they do not manage people. At the start of their careers (age group 20-29), 74 percent of men and 75 percent of women are in individual contributor roles. However, a much smaller proportion of women reach the manager/supervisor level or higher by the middle of their career.

By mid career (age range 30-44), 47 percent of men are managers or higher, while only 40 percent of women reach this level. By late career (age 45+), 57 percent of men are managers or higher, while only 41 percent of women reach this level.

Few women ever make their way to C-suite. By late career (age 45+), eight percent of men have risen to an executive level position, compared to three percent of women.

Occupational segregation also contributes to the gender wage gap. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show that women tend to be overrepresented in occupations such as Healthcare, Personal Care & Service, Education, Office & Administrative Support, and Community & Social Services - typically lower-paying occupations. Meanwhile, men are overrepresented in higher paying occupations like Engineering and Computer Science.

There are multiple reasons why women earn less than men and move up at a slower pace. For one, employers often make assumptions about what kinds of work different genders are best suited for, funneling women into lower-paid, lower-level positions.

Another key factor is that women tend to spend more time out of the workforce, which hurts their career. In 2018, we studied this issue and found that when a worker leaves the workforce, they incur a wage "penalty" upon their return. Workers who took a break for 12 months or longer experienced an average wage penalty of 7.3 percent relative to a similar worker who did not take a break. Women take more breaks and longer breaks than men, primarily for taking care of children and aging family members, and bear the brunt of this "time-off" penalty. For more details, check out PayScale's 2018 Gender Pay Gap report.
HOW DOES YOUR PAY COMPARE?

To understand the opportunity gap for women of color, we must first establish the baseline. In our sample, 56 percent of White men were individual contributors (ICs). The proportion of ICs goes up to 62 percent for White women, 61 percent for Native Hawaiian women, 63 percent for American Indian women, 66 percent for Hispanic Women, 67 percent for Black women and 72 percent for Asian women. This implies that women of color are more likely to stagnate in their careers than White women.

While only 3 percent of all White women make it to the executive level of an organization (compared to 6 percent of White men), only 2 percent of Asian, Black and Hispanic women make it to the C-suite.

In other words, for the most part, women of color are facing even greater barriers to advancing in the workplace compared to White women. For the race portion of our analysis, we only looked at those who have at least a bachelor's degree. Due to sample size issues, we're unable to report data on Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders beyond the manager/supervisor level.

RACIAL PAY GAP: WOMEN OF COLOR ARE BEHIND AT THE START OF THEIR CAREERS

PayScale research shows that even at the start of workers' careers, the playing field isn't even. PayScale research found that White, female individual contributors (ICs) earn $0.81 for every dollar earned by a male individual contributor. This notable gap implies that men and women are segregated into different jobs early in their careers. When controlling for compensable factors, a White female individual contributor makes 1 percent less than her White male counterpart.

Sadly, this wage gap is even wider for women of color. Black women, American Indian women, and Hispanic women at the IC level make $0.77 cents for every dollar earned by a white man at the same job level. In other words, women belonging to these minority groups make 4 percent less than White women and 23 percent less than White men at the same level.

After controlling for compensable factors, PayScale found that Black women at the IC level make 2 percent less than an equivalent White man. Hispanic women and White women at the IC level all make between 1 percent less than an equivalent white man.

Interestingly, Asian women at the IC level did not experience any uncontrolled wage gap relative to White men. When controlling for compensable factors, Asian women at this level made 2 percent more than an equivalent White man. However, it is important to keep in mind that the demographic group "Asian" covers many different ethnic groups that are not treated equally in the workplace.

THE WAGE GAP WIDENS THROUGH THE COURSE OF WOMEN'S CAREERS, AND IT'S WORSE FOR WOMEN OF COLOR

The gender pay gap widens for all ethnic groups as they move up the corporate ladder, but not to the same degree. The largest controlled pay gap is for Black, female executives. A Black, female executive earns $0.63 for every dollar a White male executive earns. In other words, a Black female executive earns 27 percent less than a White male executive.This implies that Black women and White men work in vastly different jobs and types of organizations even when both hold senior positions.

Even when we control for compensable factors, Black women who are executives get paid $0.95 cents for every dollar a White man with the same qualifications does.

Additionally, we know that biases often seep into performance reviews and pay increase decisions and these biases disproportionately affect people of color. In 2018, PayScale conducted research to understand workers' experiences when asking for a raise. We learned that all races are equally likely to ask for a raise from their current employer, but women of color were 19 percent less likely to have received a raise than a White man, and men of color were 25 percent less likely. Our analysis controlled for other factors that affect the likelihood of receiving a raise, like tenure and job level.
HOW DOES YOUR PAY COMPARE?

Women with advanced degrees are under-utilized and under-compensated for their education. Wage gaps tend to be greater for those with more advanced degrees. Women with MBAs face the largest uncontrolled pay gaps, implying that men and women are segregated into different jobs.

WOMEN ARE MORE LIKELY TO FEEL THEY ARE UNDERPAID

In our salary survey, we asked workers to respond to this statement: "I feel that I am paid fairly within my organization." We find that the vast majority of workers do not agree that they're paid fairly by their employer. Interestingly, women tend to have a more negative perspective on pay fairness compared to white men. This is true for women of every race.

Feeling underpaid presents problems not only for the individual, but also for employers. An article in the Globe and Mail cites studies showing that feeling underpaid increases the probability that a worker will report experiencing "stress, depression and problems with emotions' on a majority of days in any given month". When a worker senses she is underpaid, it also breeds resentment. Both of these issues lead to absenteeism and loss of productivity.

Additionally, we've found that perceptions about pay play a significant role in an employee's desire to leave your company. For example, 60 percent of employees who perceived they were underpaid said they intended to leave, compared to only 39 percent of those who perceived they were overpaid.

GENDER WAGE GAP FOR VARIOUS OCCUPATIONS

Women are underpaid relative to men for every occupation we examined in our dataset. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show that women make up the majority of workforce in occupations such as Healthcare, Personal Care & Service, Education, Training, Office & Administrative Support, and Community & Social Services. Meanwhile, the vast majority of men are in occupations such as Construction, Installation and Maintenance, Architecture & Engineering, Computer Science and Transportation.

It might feel logical to expect the gender pay gap to be smaller in industries that are dominated by women, and wider in occupations dominated by men. However, this is not supported by fact. In reality, there are multiple occupations in which women make up more than half of workers in that field, and are still paid significantly less than their male colleagues compared to more male-dominated industries.

Take the legal industry as an example: women make up 52 percent of workers in the legal profession, and yet face the greatest uncontrolled pay gap of all occupations covered in this study - making 62 cents for each dollar earned by men. This finding implies women and men in the legal profession do not have the same job levels or job titles. When we look at similarly situated men and women in the legal profession, there is still a wage gap of 2 percent.

Sales is another occupation in which the uncontrolled wage gap is significant. Women make up 49 percent of all workers in sales but make $0.80 for each dollar earned by men. When we look at similarly experienced men and women in sales, women still make $0.96 for each dollar made by men.

On the other hand, community and social service occupations are closest to having pay parity. The uncontrolled pay gap for these jobs is $0.96 on the dollar, meaning women on average get paid 6 percent less than men. However, the controlled pay gap is essentially non-existent.

GENDER WAGE GAP BY OCCUPATIONS

OCCUPATION
UNCONTROLLED GENDER PAY GAP

CONTROLLED GENDER PAY GAP

PERCENT MEN (BLS)

PERCENT WOMEN (BLS)

While technology does not have a good reputation for being female-friendly, it has the smallest controlled pay gap of any industry. However, there is a large difference between the controlled and uncontrolled gender pay gap in technology. Among other things, this is indicative of the fact that women and men do not have the same jobs within tech. Also, women make up only 29 percent of the tech industry.

The transportation & warehousing industry has the largest controlled gender pay gap of all industries, followed by energy & utilities, and accommodation & food services. The largest difference between the controlled and uncontrolled wage gaps is in the finance & insurance industry.

GENDER WAGE GAP BY INDUSTRY

INDUSTRY
UNCONTROLLED GENDER PAY GAP

CONTROLLED GENDER PAY GAP

PERCENT MEN (BLS)

PERCENT WOMEN (BLS)

Alabama continues to have the largest uncontrolled gender pay gap in the country, with women making roughly 27 percent less than men. Alabama also has the third largest controlled pay gap, with women making 4 percent less than men with the same qualifications.

Alabama's next-door-neighbor Louisiana does not do much better. Louisiana's uncontrolled gender pay gap shows that women are making 25 percent less than men on average. Louisiana actually has a wider controlled gender pay gap than any other state, with women making 5 percent less than men even when we control for compensable factors.

Vermont takes the title as America's most equitable state. It has both the smallest uncontrolled and controlled gender wage gaps. Women in Vermont earn 13 percent less than men. But when we control for compensable factors, they make roughly the same as men.

PayScale research shows that gender and racial biases and discrimination are both far from uncommon in the workplace. Women are often undervalued for the work they do, are more likely to hold lower-level, lower-paying jobs and they tend to stagnate in their careers.

Women's experiences in the workforce vary vastly by race: We see women of color often face additional barriers to advancement compared to white women. For example, Black women and Hispanic women experience even wider pay gaps, they start out their careers in lower paying positions, and are even less likely than White women to make it to the C-suite.

Additionally, as much as employers try to position themselves as a meritocracy, we find that pay decisions do not reflect a merit-based culture. Employers do not value education/degrees equally among men and women. Our data shows that employers tend to undervalue degrees when they're earned by women: employers pay women less than men at every education level, after controlling for other compensable factors. The women with a masters of art, MBA and/or law degrees are under-utilized and under-compensated to a greater extent compared to women who have only a bachelor degree.
Source: www.payscale.com/data/gender-pay-gap 3.27.2019

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Gender pay gap in Vermont is lowest in nation

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Fri, 03/29/2019 - 11:00am -- tim Vermont Business Magazine Equal Pay Day is Tuesday, April 2nd. The gender pay gap in Vermont is the lowest gender pay gap in the nation. PayScale, a compensation data and software provider, just released new research into the gender pay issue called The 2019 State of the Gender Pay Gap Report; located here: www.payscale.com/data/gender-pay-gap.

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Physiological Differences Between Male and Female Athletes

The physiological differences between men and women are so great that elite male and female athletes rarely compete with each other. These differences generally give men a competitive edge in sports that reward absolute strength, acceleration and speed. However, these differences are easily overstated, and in a few cases, female athletes are the ones who have the advantage over male athletes because of their particular physiological characteristics.

Cardiovascular Fitness

Athletes' cardiovascular fitness is measured by their maximum oxygen consumption, also known as VO2max, which measures their capacity to transport and use oxygen during exercise. This is measured by calculating the point at which an athlete's oxygen consumption remains steady despite an increase in an exercise intensity. Elite male athletes have a higher oxygen carrying capacity than women, which allows them to reach their maximum training peak earlier. This is probably due to women's lower hemoglobin levels and men's larger body size. Maximum oxygen consumption is directly related to body size.

Bones and Ligaments

Male athletes have longer and larger bones, which provide a clear mechanical advantage over female athletes. The increased articular surface and larger structure of male bones provide them with a greater leverage and a wider frame on which to support muscle. Similarly, the ligaments of female athletes are generally more lax and fragile than those of their male counterparts. This gives male athletes an advantage in sports that involve throwing, kicking and hitting, and explains the higher incidence of musculoskeletal injuries among female athletes. On the other hand, female athletes have a wider pelvis and a lower center of gravity, which provides excellent balance.

Strength

Male athletes have a higher ratio of muscle mass to body weight, which allows for greater speed and acceleration. This explains why female speed records in running and swimming are consistently 10 percent slower than men's, and why, on average, they have two thirds of the strength of men. However, when you factor out the larger muscle mass in men and compare muscular strength relative to cross-section area of muscle, the strength of male and female athletes is nearly equal.

Endurance

Endurance is largely determined by a body's efficiency when converting calories into energy. Female athletes are more efficient than male athletes at converting glycogen to energy. Glycogen is a secondary source of fuel you use when glucose levels drop. This is why female athletes excel in ultra-long-distance sports and rarely hit the wall during long races. It also explains why ultra-running, which includes races longer than a marathon, is one of the few sports where elite female and male athletes regularly compete together, and in which female athletes sometimes win.

About the Author

Andrew Latham has worked as a professional copywriter since 2005 and is the owner of LanguageVox, a Spanish and English language services provider. His work has been published in "Property News" and on the San Francisco Chronicle's website, SFGate. Latham holds a Bachelor of Science in English and a diploma in linguistics from Open University.

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Physiological Differences Between Male and Female Athletes

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The physiological differences between men and women are so great that elite male and female athletes rarely compete with each other. These differences generally give men a competitive edge in sports that reward absolute strength, acceleration and speed.

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As hospital employees and care providers on the front lines battle the coronavirus pandemic, the rest of us search for ways to help provide the supplies and support they need.

"We're in uncharted waters," Dr. Kate Tulenko, the CEO of Corvus Health, says. "The U.S might be able to do heart transplants and other great things, but our doctors can't get masks right now. Hospitals are completely unprepared for this pandemic and are begging for help."

While the average person cannot provide the things hospitals in the thick of COVID-19 most desperately need, such as intensive care unit beds and ventilators, physicians on the front lines insist that there are still steps we can take to be of service.

Here are nine ways you can help hospital workers right now.

"I cannot underscore how important it is for people to stay home during this period of social distancing," says Dr. Tamara Moise, lead physician at Big Apple Urgent Care and an ER doctor at a hospital in Brooklyn that has been hit hard by COVID-19 cases. " The best way to help medical staff is to avoid getting sick. You've heard it over and over again, but it bears repeating, you may not exhibit symptoms but you may still be capable of passing the virus on to someone who will get very sick. Please do not go outside if you absolutely do not have to."

If you think you may have COVID-19, don't just rush to the hospital - self-quarantine and use a self-triage tool like C19check.com.

"We designed C19check.com at Emory so that people can have an easy-to-use, evidence-based tool to better assess their symptoms and determine what actions they should take," says Dr. Justin Schrager, an ER doctor at Emory University Hospital and an assistant professor of emergency medicine at Emory University's School of Medicine. "In order to alleviate the pressure that hospitals are currently under, we ask that people self-assess their risk before heading to the emergency room."

Moise adds that if you do experience mild symptoms, "calling your primary care doctor, an urgent care or making a telemedicine appointment with an urgent care facility are the best ways to go."

In a time of historic financial uncertainty and mass layoffs, many of us are in budget mode with no cash to spare - but if you do have some extra money, consider donating to a nonprofit hospital.

"Some hospitals have specific COVID-19 funds, but even if you don't donate to these, your donation to a nonprofit hospital goes to the running of the institution," Moise says. "Your dollars can help a hospital pay for meals for medical staff, or even pay for protective gear. So please, donate where you can."

Dr. Shruti Gohil, associate medical director, epidemiology and infection prevention, and an assistant professor in the division of infectious diseases at University of California Irvine Health, seconds the call for donations. "Hospitals will know how best to allocate funds according to the local needs, which are subject to change with time as the pandemic progresses," she says.

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"We are hearing a lot about the shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) in hospitals," Moise says. "This is the gear that medical staff uses to protect themselves from getting sick and also to prevent infection from one patient to another."

Moise suggests that if you want to donate directly, look to your local government websites for guidance, as need and coordination varies from state to state and city to city.

Gohil recommends getting a "wish list" directly from hospitals, but says in general, this is what hospitals need most right now:

Surgical masks

N95 respirators

Face/eye shields

Gloves

Cleaning supplies

Hand sanitizers

Viral testing swabs

In addition to the items Gohil noted, University of Chicago Medicine highlights the demand for disinfectant wipes, surgical and isolation gowns, cloth masks and other basics. Here's the center's list.

Call hospitals and/or physicians to ask what they need and look into local donation drives. "Here in New Jersey, the county sheriff's office or the county executive has been running drives for [PPE] and other gear to address shortages," Michael Avaltroni, dean of the Fairleigh Dickinson University School of Pharmacy & Health Sciences, says. "If you stockpiled on N95 masks or hand sanitizer, so long as it's unopened and in good condition, you can donate it to someone on the front lines."

Note that if you're in an area that has not been badly affected by COVID-19, a donation drive will still see that your unused supplies get into the hands that need it. "It could be an EMT helping someone in respiratory distress - their risk to exposure is as high as anyone else's and they need proper equipment."

#GetUsPPE, a new initiative run by medical workers, engineers and volunteers that is helping to organize demands for gear in hospitals is a great resource for assessing donation needs and finding drop-off points. Check out their map here and follow them on Twitter here.

A handmade or sewn mask does not meet PPE standards, and even N95 masks are "not one-size-fits-all and should be properly fitted on an individual basis," Avaltroni said. "But we're in a war zone mindset right now where anything is better than nothing."

So, by all means, keep sewing those masks and donating them in the organized way you would other supplies.

"If you have any specific skills that could be useful, let your hospital know," Gohil says. "Examples: You're an engineer and can generate a prototype of a face shield for 3-D printing. You are a great communicator on the phone - maybe you can offer your services to help the hospital answer patient questions. You speak another language and can help translate a sign or communications that your hospital needs to reach out to a specific community."

Though COVID-19 is potentially lethal to anybody, it is far more likely to cause serious problems and fatality in older people, as well as folks who are immunocompromised. If you know someone nearby who is considered high-risk, lend them a helping hand. Do their grocery shopping or whatever else you can do to ensure they stay home. It's a good deed that will not only make you feel useful in a time when you might be feeling helpless, but also a small step to "minimize the risk that others get sick, and that helps everyone including our hospitals," Gohil says.

Providing hospitals and urgent care centers with tasty takeout helps keep workers fed and also gives much needed support to restaurants that have been devastated by social distancing measures. But please, don't send food without coordinating it with the hospital first.

"It's complicated because sometimes you can bring more chaos into a high-traffic and high-intensity environment by doing these well-intentioned things like ordering food delivery," Avaltroni says.

Check out Feeding The Frontline, a grassroots initiative connecting people with restaurants to help not only medical workers, but also vulnerable populations and families who typically depend on schools for meals. You can also make a donation to Frontline Foods, which has launched a Covid Clinician Meal Support Program. As of April 1, they've raised $700,000 and delivered over 7,300 meals throughout 13 cities.

Along with surges of COVID-19 cases and shortages of PPE, hospitals are also dealing with relatively normal needs - such as maintaining a stable supply of blood for trauma victims, cancer patients and anyone else who requires a transfusion.

"We really need people to schedule to give blood [this month]," Anthony Tornetta, spokesperson for the American Red Cross, says noting that there's concern over a dip in blood supply as soon as mid-April. "Donating blood doesn't require giving any money, and blood drives, which are considered essential business, are taking extra steps to stagger appointments, enhance social distancing and make sure everyone who comes in and out stays safe and healthy. Please schedule an appointment in advance at RedCrossBlood.org and give hospitals one less thing to worry about."
Want more tips like these? NBC News BETTER is obsessed with finding easier, healthier and smarter ways to live. Sign up for our newsletter and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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9 ways to help hospital workers right now

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As hospital employees and care providers on the front lines battle the coronavirus pandemic, the rest of us search for ways to help provide the supplies and support they need. "We're in uncharted waters," Dr. Kate Tulenko, the CEO of Corvus Health, says.

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Benefits of mountain biking is scientifically backed outcome of many researches done by well recognized organization like British Medical Journal, University of Glasgow.

Thinking about mountain biking, you may get a specific picture in your mind of young adults, mainly men, racing downhill or doing what appear to be dangerous tricks.

Wait! This is not true all the time.

Anybody with enough physical strength can enjoy mountain biking. Even you can enjoy mountain biking regardless of your situation like other people of every age and gender.

One important point - since it's a active outdoor activity, sick or over-aged people can't take the the benefit.

Though health benefits of downhill mountain biking may seem obvious, there are health and mental benefits in every style of mountain biking .

What might surprise some people is that the social benefits of mountain biking that many of us never have considered. So, Grab a drink and sit back to read about all the MTB benefits you can be experiencing by tomorrow.

What are the Health Benefits of Mountain Biking?

One of the most often used pieces of equipment in a gym is the stationary bike. People know this helps them with their physical goals but they still ask: Will mountain biking help me to get in shape?

The answer is a resounding "Yes!". In fact, there are more physical benefits in mountain biking than riding a bicycle in indoor.

1. Total body workout

The muscles used in mountain biking provide riders a total body workout. Leg muscles are obviously getting a workout but arms and back muscles are also being worked.

Not only external body part, inner organs which has a large muscle is becoming stronger. It isn't just muscles that are getting a workout, your brain and lungs gain benefits too.

There are a very few exercise routines exist that improve all aspects of the human body like mountain biking.

2. Get fit while having fun

Conventional exercise routines can be boring. This causes many individuals to start missing workouts and eventually stopping them completely. In mountain biking, it's completely different since you will be fit by having a lots of fun.

Unlike other forms of exercise, you can change the environment, the people you enjoy your biking and also, modify your routine in a multitude of ways. Every time you have the opportunity to go for mountain biking, you can challenge a new adventure.

3. Tones muscles

For every form of exercise can't give you toned muscle since it's required different types of body movement. You may lose weight, but if your muscles are not toned, you will be appear to be flabby and out of shape. Toned muscles help to get tighten skin, use less oxygen and make you feel more flexible.

The full body workout you receive from riding tones your muscles without causing you to look lumpy and uneven like other sports that only work a certain set of muscles. You won't only look and feel healthy.

4. Strengthens heart and lungs

We all know heart and lungs are one of the most important organs of our body. Cardiovascular workout during mountain biking strengthens both and ensure smooth functioning.

When your heart and lungs are working at top performance level, your entire body gets the oxygen that it requires to renew itself on a regular basis. Your skin will be looking younger, feel more alert and all your body systems work better. It also enables your body to fight off illness and heal any injuries quicker.

5. Easy on your joints

Many physical activities create jarring and stress on your joints. This results joints pain, and eventually starts to suffer from diseases like arthritis.

Riding a mountain bike is considered a low-impact activity. Your joints are not subjected to inconsistent movement and are not subject to the stress of constant jarring unlike running on concrete.

The consistent motion your joints experience help keep them flexible, allowing you to stay flexible longer than many people do.

6. Increases brain power

One of the most unexpected benefits that people discover about mountain bike riding is the increased brain power. Part of this is due to the increased ability of your lungs to reach your brain.

As oxygen levels increase, the brain is able to work quicker, stay healthier and fight off many of the things that lead to strokes or dementia. In addition, riding helps clear your mind problems and allowing you to feel happy.

This leads to a clear look at things and an added ability to see solutions that may have been elusive. As a result, your mind becomes quicker at making decisions as you learn to navigate trails that may have sudden debris that needs to be avoided.

7. Improves coordination and balance

Mountain biking helps improve coordination and balance as you need to learn to have hands, feet, and eyes all working together to keep your bike straight or make unexpected turns.

If you want to do tricks and jumps, your skill is even improved further as you look ahead to plan before you attempt your moves. Balance is essential when riding any bicycle but even more essential when you navigate uneven trails.

The risks of mountain biking, such as falling and crashing, are greatly reduced as your coordination and balance improve. This translates into your body being more coordinated in all activities you undertake, both on and off the bike.

8. Sleep better

You won't sleep better just because you are physically tired, although that is one reason. Sleep can be easier and deeper because of benefits of mountain bike riding.

While mountain biking, your mind becomes more clear, stress level falls and you will fall into a natural sleep that helps revive you in a manner as if you didn't have any stress.

Stress reduces the quality of sleep and in turn, decreases your ability to handle stress. After have a good ride, you will find your mind feeling less burdened and relaxed. With regular riding, your sleep will become more regular and sound.

9. Lose weight

All weight loss programs are a mixture of healthy eating and regular exercise. Sometimes, you find it difficult to drop even a fewer pounds or maybe, you are looking for losing hundred of pounds, mountain biking can be a perfect way.

For regular biking or 3 to 4 times a week, losing weight will occur as you increase your muscle activity and burning fat. This regular motion involved in riding at even a slow pace will make losing weight easy and painless.

10. Increase metabolism

One of the reasons weight loss is easier when you partake in regular mountain bike rides is that your metabolism increases. Other benefits of increased metabolism are fewer feelings of exhaustion, a clearer mind, and more overall energy.

Your body will perform at a greater level, making you feel energized and healthier. A healthy metabolism benefits your hormones, neurotransmitters and every other body system, creating a cycle of health that lasts long after you put your bike away for the night.

What are the Psychological Benefits of Mountain Biking?

Mountain biking offers much more than physical benefits. Those who ride regularly don't take long to notice that there are also psychological benefits that can start to be noticed after even the first day out on the trails.

1. Decreases stress

Exercise is one of the first things a doctor suggests to help reduce a person's stress level. Mountain bike riding is ideal in this respect. As you ride, your mind becomes focused on what you are doing.

Your oxygen level increases and helps make solutions to problems clearer. The very act of being outside and having nothing to concentrate on except the joy of riding helps your body and mind relax to the point where you find yourself becoming lighter in mood.

Sleep becomes easier and deeper, making it easier to handle additional stress. Neurotransmitters are regulated, allowing for the release of hormones that reduce stress and increase mood enhancing chemicals in the brain. All add up to a greater sense of peace.

2. Increase feeling of freedom

Life is full of responsibilities. People feel weighed down by jobs, bills and many other things. Setting out on a long ride can allow a person to put all those thoughts aside for a time and live for only that ride.

Weight is lifted as the person takes the time to just be and not do. Another way riders feel free is when they are speeding downhill on a mountain bike. Feeling the wind rushing past and the ease of the wheels along the path can give a person the feeling of flying. For a brief period of time, there is nothing but that ride.

3. Enjoyment of nature

Most people live in some developed area. This can mean being surrounded by concrete, tall buildings, and people, many people. All too often, humans find they miss the feeling of connecting with the earth.

The smell of dirt, the green trees, and fresh air are all things we long for but may rarely experience. Mountain biking gives riders a chance to experience the feelings that nature help brings about. Fresh air and a peaceful existence that helps wash away the noise and stress of city living.

4. Building self-confidence

At first, a new rider may feel unsure but as they start riding further, start feeling healthier and become more skilled their self-confidence increases.

One of the great things about self-confidence is that as it grows in one area of a person's life, it spills over into other areas as well.

A rider gets confident in their biking skill, they feel and look better physically, this good feeling translates into a more confident feeling in social settings, and it just keeps spreading with each success.

5. Can help others

Mountain bikers have often proven to be kind, giving individuals as a group. Becoming a skilled rider gives you an opportunity to join in many charitable events that help provide money for a variety of causes.

There have been many organized events that have drawn hundreds of participants but there have also been individual bikers who have chosen to ride across the country to collect money and gain awareness for a particular cause. The possibilities are limited by only an individual's imagination.

6. Good for making friends

One way to make friends is to find a common interest to talk about. There are so many mountain bike enthusiasts and most feel very passionate about the activity.

Start talking to one other rider and you may find yourself part of a whole community of mountain bikers, all willing to make new friends.

You will end up finding more about these people overtime and it is likely many will share other interests of yours. Before long, you will find your social life has increased considerably if that is what you would like.

7. Creates family togetherness

Sometimes families find that each person is so busy doing their own thing and the family doesn't spend much time together. Mountain biking is an activity that appeals to many different types of people.

Often, every member of the family will enjoy biking so this is an activity that can bring family members together. You can spend the weekends on outings or even plan a trip on the bikes during summer vacations.

Enjoying an activity together helps bring families closer together and creating memories that will be talked about for many years to come. Some families have even enjoyed mountain biking together so long that outings involve three generations.

8. Increased problem-solving skills

Mountain bike riding helps increase problem-solving skills in two different ways. When a person is riding, decisions have to be made immediately in regards to whether a path is able to be navigated, how best to avoid obstacles and even how fast one can safely ride under certain circumstances.

The more you make these quick decisions, the stronger the neural pathways become in the decision-making parts of the brain. These neural pathways then stay strong, making other decisions easier to make.

The second way is by relieving stress and providing much-needed oxygen to the brain. This empties the riders mind and allows for the ability to focus on what is most important at that moment.

9. Increase in creativity

When riding a bike, many riders get into what is called "the zone". This is a place where the conscious mind seems to take a backseat and the creative part of the mind allows ideas to flow unattended. This is the state where most creative work is best done.

As you ride, your mind clears and you get into a rhythm pedaling. Soon, the outside world seems to slow and all but disappear and your mind begins to create. As long as nothing interrupts this flow, the ideas will come until the rider chooses to stop them.

10. Living in the moment

All too often humans tend to worry about the future or think about the past. In doing either of these, the present moment passes and all that it could be is lost. When you are riding, you need to be aware of what is happening around you.

This forces one to concentrate on this very second, not what came before or is yet to come. While a few people may consider this need to focus one of the disadvantages of mountain biking, it is actually what most professional life coaches say is the best state of mind.

How Does Regular Mountain Biking Make You a Better Rider?

When you participate regularly in any action, your skill gets better but with mountain biking, you don't simply get faster or learn how to pedal easier. As you become more involved in mountain bike riding, the biking world opens up in ways you may never have considered.

1. Increase your skills

This is the obvious result of regular riding. You learn how to navigate rougher terrains, ride indifferent weather conditions and may find your newer fitness level makes the whole experience easier.

If you are jumping or doing tricks, they become easier to do and success comes more often. Eventually, you need to concentrate less on the technicalities of riding and can concentrate more on enjoying the experience.

2. Venture into other types of riding

Most people begin their mountain bike journey riding on smooth roads but the challenge soon becomes too easy. Once they master flat terrain, they venture into rougher paths and even downhill racing.

Others continue on to trick riding and jumps. The better-skilled one becomes at one type of riding, the more open they are to trying other variations.

3. Increased stamina

New riders may find that riding one or two miles is tiring and maybe even painful as unused muscles are being used. With regular riding, however, they find themselves increasing the length of rides.

What started out as a mile may eventually become ten and twenty-mile rides and some people take time off of work to travel across the country on their bikes.

It becomes a great way to see the world without being confined to highways and being inside vehicles that can't take the time to stop when something catches your interest. Before long, you won't believe that a mere two-mile ride was once difficult to manage.

4. Faster skills

Riding faster is something that happens naturally as one becomes more skilled in riding. It isn't something you may notice at first but one day you realize that a distance you once covered in fifteen minutes is now being covered in five.

Some people just note this increase in speed with a smile and continue doing what they have been all along, Others, however, see the challenge that can be had. They start timing themselves and striving to improve their speed.

Others aim for competition with others and not just themselves. Whichever category a rider is in, the sense of accomplishment is something to be cherished.

5. Ability to ride on rougher terrain

Mountain biking takes skill. When a person first starts riding, they need to choose terrain that is fairly smooth. This is a period of improving balance, coordination, and endurance. As their skill improves, they can move onto dirt paths then rocky paths.

They start being able to handle inclines and declines easily. The more a person rides, the greater their strength and skill become. The only limitation is one that is set by the individual them self.

Are There Other Benefits of Mountain Biking?

As if we haven't already covered more benefits than many other activities provide, we haven't reached the end of the benefits of mountain bike riding. There are other benefits that don't fall into the above categories but are still important, both personally for riders and for the world as a whole.

1. Part of a worldwide community

Mountain bike riders can be found everywhere in the world. No matter where a rider chooses to travel, there is a community of other riders ready and willing to provide a sense of belonging and friendship.

When one chooses to ride they may enjoy the solitude of lone rides or only want the companionship of a beloved dog. This is okay but if a rider wants to join with others and wants a ready group who understands the wonders of riding, that is also an option.

2. Positive addiction

Everyone has something they are addicted to. Most addictions are harmful, physically and mentally but mountain bike riding falls into the category of a positive addiction.

You will find yourself looking forward to your next ride almost as soon as the current ride ends. Riders love the sense of freedom and abandonment that riding offers.

To be able to enjoy an activity merely for the sense of enjoyment, and know that you benefit from that activity, gives one a sense of peace and exhilaration mixed.

3. Peace of mind

Riding clears the mind of stale air, worries, and thoughts of limitations. Regular mountain bike riders talk about how being in nature and living only for the moment of the ride offers a sense of peace that has been eluding them for years.

To know that at the end of the ride one feels better physically, sleeps more soundly and wakes with the ability to face the daily stress and chaos with a clearer mind and stronger focus creates a sense of well-being and peace that is unequaled.

Peace of mind is something so many seek and few find. You won't have to look very far from the seat of a mountain bike.

4. Better for the environment

Mountain bike riding leaves little behind to disturb the environment. There are no chemicals emitted into the air, no need for paved roads that destroy the natural environment and nothing but tire tracks left behind to indicate anyone was around.

Plants and animals are not disturbed by unnatural elements and loud noises. Nothing about mountain bike riding adds to pollution or takes from the Earth any natural resources beyond those needed to create the bike itself.

Very rarely is an animal injured or killed by a mountain bike tire. The beauty one biker finds as they start out on a trail is there for the next rider and all the riders that come after. Imagine as you travel what the first inhabitants f the area saw as they passed through.

Chances are that if you are on a little used path, you are seeing things very much as they did. It can really give you a feeling of how everything and everyone is connected in some way.

5. Save money

Owning vehicles such as cars, trucks, and motorcycles can cost a great deal of money. You need to buy the vehicle, get insurance, replace expensive parts as they wear out and keep gas, oil and other fluids around to keep the vehicles running smoothly.

You also need to spend money on a license and very often parking fees can cost a large amount. Once you have made your initial mountain bike purchase, which costs considerably less than any of the other vehicles, you don't have to pay for a license, insurance or parking fees.

Replacement parts aren't nearly as expensive as those on the other vehicles and any accessories last, unlike gas and oil. Using your mountain bike for transportation can save you hundreds of dollars a year and if you use it for vacation travel, that amount can translate into thousands of dollars, depending on your destination.

6. Avoid public transportation

Public transportation can be less expensive than owning a vehicle and it is better for the environment than driving, but those who depend on public transportation know all too well the pitfalls.

If you are not a sociable person, the number of people can be overwhelming. Then you are stuck having to get to certain pickup spots and getting off at other designated places, many times leaving you several blocks to walk to your home or other destination.

Public transportation can be delayed, causing you to be late for important appointments or work. Finally, whichever mode you take can find you standing in a space way too small and having your personal space crowded by strangers.

The experience can ruin what would otherwise be a wonderful day. When you decide to take up mountain biking, you can avoid all those issues. Your bike takes you from one destination to another on your schedule.

You don't have to spend time waiting and you don't have to share your personal space. It can make a world of difference in the way your day unfolds.

7. Safer than driving a car

Accidents happen. They can happen no matter what vehicle you are in and they can even happen when you are walking. The chances of being in an accident while on a mountain bike are much lower, however, than riding in a car.

The chances of being seriously injured are also much lower when a mountain bike is the one in an accident. Lower speeds are involved and mountain bikes are more often ridden in areas where there is little traffic, meaning the cause of any accident is less likely to be another vehicle.

Mountain bikers normally wear protective helmets, gloves and other protective gear that limits the amount of physical damage if there is a fall. You have a greater chance of walking away from an accident on a mountain bike than you do any other type of vehicle.

8. Become more focused

Having to be ready to make quick decisions, mountain bikers learn to stay focused on the task at hand. They must notice their surroundings and be on guard for quick stops or veering from their intended course.

Riders also become adept at reading changes in the air that indicate coming storms or fog. They can pick up sounds that indicate approaching animals or other riders and hikers. All of this creates a situation where the brain becomes more adept and the senses become heightened.

This does not go away once the bike ride ends. With this increased ability to focus and notice details, riders find they can be more productive in all other areas of life.

This can be especially helpful in one's career, where a focus on detail can see them getting things done quicker and with more accuracy, leading to better positions with higher pay.

9. Get a legal high

People get addicted to drugs because they enjoy the "high". Depending on the type of drug, worry disappears, there is a feeling of invincibility, the mundane somehow disappears and the world appears to be less stressful for a time.

The senses become heightened and focus can become so strong the rest of the environment fades away. Creativity can increase and the mind comes up with solutions to many things. Drugs also come with physical damage to the body and mind, long prison sentences, endless amounts of money spent, and even death.

When you see all the benefits of mountain bike riding it becomes clear you can obtain all those feelings associated with being high, but not risk any of the bad consequences. Mountain bike riders experience a natural, legal, and safe high that enhances life.

10. Get places faster

There isn't anyone who lives in a populated area that hasn't been stuck at least once in a traffic jam. People get slowed down by accidents, road construction, slow drivers and numerous other reasons. Depending upon public transportation can cause even more delays.

Walking is a healthy way to get around but it takes longer than any other transportation in most cases. It is also not the best option when you need to be somewhere at a certain time or have a fair distance to travel.

Mountain biking takes care of all the issues of walking and other vehicles. Bikers can bypass cars that are stuck in traffic, they can bypass road construction and travel routes not available to cars. A mountain bike rider is not limited to following paved streets and is not confined by time schedules that public transportation require.

Biking is faster than walking and you can easily traverse greater distances easily. Granted, you aren't going to be able to get across the country faster than a plane but then again, if you seek to take that trip, you are more interested in the feeling of accomplishment and enjoying the view than you are saving time.

Final Thoughts

Looking deeper, you may discover even more benefits of mountain biking. The benefits covered here are ones that are experienced by the majority of riders. Every rider is an individual, however, and personal benefits will also be realized by each person according to what they seek with the experience.

Do not fall into the trap of believing that you are too old, too young, too heavy, too thin or too anything to get into mountain bike riding. This is a sport that nearly everyone can enjoy. Some will need to start slower and others may not achieve the skill to do fancy tricks and jumps but everyone will be able to enjoy riding.

If mountain biking seems like something you would enjoy doing, start looking for a bike - they come in all sizes and styles - and grab a friend or family member if you want company. You will wonder why you didn't try this sooner.

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Benefits of Mountain Biking | 35 Reasons to Start Mountain Biking.

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Benefits of mountain biking is scientifically backed outcome of many researches done by well recognized organization like British Medical Journal, University of Glasgow. Thinking about mountain biking, you may get a specific picture in your mind of young adults, mainly men, racing downhill or doing what appear to be dangerous tricks.

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Like guinea pigs, rabbits are one of the most popular small pets. If you want your indoor rabbit to be free-roaming (meaning they would have free rein of your entire house), here are some bunny-approved pointers to raise a happy & safe cage-free furry friend.

Thinking about raising a cage-free bunny? Just like cats and dogs, bunnies are happy to have free rein of their homes. Raising a free-roam bunny means that they will spend little to no time in a rabbit cage or hutch, instead having the ability to explore your home freely.

If you think a free ranging cage-free lifestyle is the right fit for you and your , here is a short guide to everything you need to know about training and raising a free-roam bunny. Your house rabbit will soon be able to roam through your house safely, and chances are he'll be happy with his new arrangement.

Bunny Proofing

Before you introduce your bunny to their new home, the first thing you need to do is ensure that your home is bunny-proof so you can keep your rabbit safe. Just like with babies or puppies, you need to make sure that there is nothing in the house that your bunny could get into that could hurt them. You also want to make sure that the chance of them damaging anything is minimized.

Rabbits have a natural tendency to chew on items in their environment, so the first thing you need to do is to conceal any cords or cables that they could try and nibble on. If you have cables that run along your floor, using PVC piping or cord concealers is an easy way to protect them without major changes to your wiring setup. In a pinch, you can even use chicken wire to seal off areas until you can arrange a more permanent fix.

Once all of your cables are dealt with, the next thing on your list should be any wooden furniture or baseboards. Free range rabbits love to chew on wood, making the wooden items in your home attractive treats.

The easiest way to protect your baseboards is to install a plastic barrier that stop your bunny from being able to reach them. For your wooden furniture, try and remove as much as possible from the areas of your home your bunny will be in. For any furniture that can't be moved, adding a plastic shield similar to the baseboards to the bottoms of the furniture will provide good protection.

When it comes to upholstered furniture and carpets, make sure that there are no loose ends or dangling pieces that your bunny could chew on.

If you're worried about your bunny chewing on the underside of your furniture, place a clear plastic carpet runner with the spike side up below it. This is a safe and easy way to deter your bunny from crawling beneath the furniture in the living room or other areas of your home.

House Training

Once you've bunny-proofed your home, the next thing to think about is house training. Pet rabbits that are spayed or neutered have an easier time with litter training as their urges for territorial marking are reduced. Having your bunny spayed or neutered also helps with behavioral issues and reduces the possibility for certain diseases. Overall, having your bunny fixed is a great idea.

To house train your bunny, you first need to choose a location for the litter box. It's a good idea to place the litter box on a hard, uncarpeted surface, especially while training as accidents can happen. Even a fully housebroken bunny can still have accidents outside the box.

When it comes to choosing a litter box, a shallow storage container (like a cardboard box) or ones designed for cats work well. Inside the litter box, lay a thin layer of litter and spread some hay around for your bunny, as they like to eat hay while doing their business.

During house training, it is best to confine your bunny to the area the litter box is in until they begin to use it regularly. If accidents continue to occur outside of the litter box, simply clean them up and place the droppings (i.e. poop) and paper towel used inside the litter box to reinforce its purpose. It can take a couple of weeks or more before your rabbit begins to understand housetraining.

Begin Slowly

Once your bunny has mastered the litter box, you can begin to slowly expand their roaming area.

During this time, it's important that you keep an eye on them to make sure that they aren't getting into anything and that they are continuing to use their litter box consistently. If accidents begin to happen once you expand their space, reduce it until they begin using the litter box again.

As your bunny becomes used to their larger roaming environment, they can be left unsupervised as a true free-roam bunny.

Bedding and Bunny Toys

Once your bunny is successfully cage-free, make sure that they have all of the same comforts they would have in a cage, such as beds, toys, food, and water. Since your bunny will be exploring different rooms in your home, it's a good idea to have bedding and rabbit toys available in each of the different areas. Toys especially will help keep your bunny occupied and reduce the chance for naughty behavior, like chewing furniture.

Raising free-range domestic rabbits does take some extra effort upfront, but will be undoubtedly rewarding the long run. Your free range bunny will have more freedom, and with a happier, healthier arrangement, may treat you to and other expressions of happiness. Free ranging offers plenty of benefits for you both.

Not only does your bunny get endless space to explore and relax, but you also get the sounds of bunny feet hopping around all the time! Whether you have a Lionhead, Rex, New Zealand, Holland Lop, or other breed of rabbit, giving free range living a try might delight your rabbit.
Have you thought about raising your bunny cage-free in the past? Let us know on the Wide Open Pets Facebook page! This article was originally published February 21, 2020.
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Thinking about raising a cage-free bunny? Just like cats and dogs, bunnies are happy to have free rein of their homes. Raising a free-roam bunny means that they will spend little to no time in a rabbit cage or hutch, instead having the ability to explore your home freely.

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The United Nations agency working to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable.

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Hunger in America This study by the Vermont Foodbank and Feeding America shows that 1 in 4 people, or an estimated 153,000 people, in Vermont turn to food shelves and meal service programs to feed themselves and their families. This includes

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This page has a list of shelters in Vermont. It also has phone numbers for people who can help you get housing or keep housing. Also, you will find links to resources to food and other help you may need if you are homeless.

Shelters

Barre

Bennington

Brattleboro

Burlington

Ludlow

Montpelier

Bethany Church Shelter
Intake happens atAnother Way at
125 Barre Street
Montpelier, VT 05601
(802) 229-0920

Newport

Proctorsville

Rutland

St. Albans

Vergennes

White River Junction
For more information about shelters, call 2-1-1 or go online to Vermont211.org.
Warming shelters

Churches, agencies and organizations in some Vermont towns have winter warming shelters to offer additional spaces for people who need temporary shelter in the winter. To find out if there is a warming shelter in your area, call 2-1-1 or go online to Vermont211.org.

Need help to get or keep housing?

As part of a Coordinated Entry System, dozens of local organizations are working together to help those who are experiencing homelessness - or are at risk of homelessness. They can help you find housing and get connected to support and resources in the community. See this list of Coordinated Entry contacts.

Other resources for people who are homeless

1. COTS' Survivor's Guide to Burlington (Finding shelters, food, services, medical help, counseling)

2. Help for veterans from the Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program at 1-844-820-3232 (toll-free); the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 1-877-424-3838 (toll-free); or Vermont Office of Veterans Affairs at 1-888-666-9844 (toll-free).

3. Links to Resources for Homeless (HUD)

4. National Coalition for the Homeless

5. Our web page about Subsidized Housing

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Homeless Shelters and Help for People Who Are Homeless

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This page has a list of shelters in Vermont. It also has phone numbers for people who can help you get housing or keep housing. Also, you will find links to resources to food and other help you may need if you are homeless.

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Vermont Poverty Rate at 11.3 Percent

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According to the latest American Community Survey (ACS) estimates from the Census Bureau, 68,000 Vermonters live in poverty, 11.3 percent of the state's population. For a family of four, that means living on less than $24,000 and for a family of three, under $21,000.

New Hampshire has the lowest poverty rate in the nation, at 7.7 percent, and the U.S. average is 13.4 percent, two percentage points above Vermont. By the ACS measure, Vermont is tied, with Wisconsin and Wyoming, for the 17 th lowest poverty rate in the nation. While our rate is lower than the U.S. average, it only puts us in the middle third of the states.

The official poverty rate has several shortcomings. One of the most important is that it ignores the impact of federal anti-poverty programs such as SNAP benefits (food stamps), housing and medical benefits, and other government programs that give cash or other non-monetary benefits to low income people.

The official poverty measure also ignores the impact of taxes, which lower income, and tax credits, such as the earned income tax credit and child tax credit, that give families more income. When the Census Bureau accounts for all of these and others, the national poverty rate is about one percentage higher than the "official" rate. In Vermont the two poverty rates are identical.

But the aggregate poverty statistic conceals a lot of differentials in poverty by age, marital status, and other factors. About 8,000 Vermont senior citizens, 7.1 percent of the over 65 population, live in poverty, which means living on less than $16,000 if they are a couple and $12,000 if someone lives alone.

For Vermonters under the age of 18, the poverty rate is 13.8 percent, which means children are more likely to live in poverty than the average Vermonter, and twice as likely as senior citizens. In part, that differential is because the federal government gives a lot of money to people over 65, rich or poor, in the form of Social Security and not as much to children.

People living in families are a lot less likely to be poor than people living in non-family situations. The poverty rate among families is 7.0 percent, about one-third less than the overall poverty rate.

But even among families, poverty rates vary. Families run the gamut from husband and wife families to single parent families. For single-mother families, the poverty rate is 22.7 percent - which means nearly one in four single parent families headed by a woman live in poverty. For married couple families, the poverty rate is a scant 3.6 percent - about one in every thirty families - just below the U.S. level of 4.8 percent.

Poverty is also related to work experience. For Vermonters who work full-time, year-round, only 1.9 percent live in poverty. For people who work part-time, the poverty rate is 15.9 percent. For those who did not work at all the poverty rate is 19.4 percent. That number includes people who are disabled, retirees who choose not to work, as well as others.

A good prescription for avoiding poverty is to work full-time and be a husband, wife, or child in a married couple family. Even better, try to be over 65 and not under 18. Some of those are easier goals to accomplish than others.
Art Woolf is associate professor of economics at UVM.

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According to the latest American Community Survey (ACS) estimates from the Census Bureau, 68,000 Vermonters live in poverty, 11.3 percent of the state's population. For a family of four, that means living on less than $24,000 and for a family of three, under $21,000.

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MISSION

Vermont Coalition to End Homelessness (VCEH) supports the work of local CoCs; connects them to a broader network of stakeholders; administers federal funds; and advocates for funding and policy changes so that people living in Vermont have a safe, stable, affordable home and if homelessness occurs it is a brief and rare occurrence during which everyone is treated with dignity and respect.

HISTORY

The Vermont Coalition to End Homelessness (VCEH) is comprised of a broad array of stakeholders in the homelessness and housing systems of care statewide. First formed in the early 1990s, VCEH's mission has been to end homelessness in Vermont through sharing information, developing resources, providing a forum for decision-making and to promote decent, safe, fair, affordable shelter for all.

WHAT WE DO

VCEH is the planning and governing body for the HUD-recognized Balance of State Continuum of Care (CoC), which applies for and receives about $3.3 million annually in competitive HUD homelessness funding. As such, VCEH must fulfill an array of HUD-mandated responsibilities in a manner that is inclusive, transparent and timely. The Balance of State CoC covers all of Vermont except Chittenden County. VCEH has broad stakeholder representation and meets monthly. Coalition meetings are held every third Tuesday of the month, from 10AM-12PM at St. John's Church in Randolph, VT. All interested parties are welcome and invited to join the Vermont Coalition to End Homelessness in our work through general membership, committees and work-groups.

Vermont Balance of State Continua of Care Introduction Resources

Vermont Balance of State Strategic Plan - Created 2018
VCEH Strategic Plan - Approved May 2019
2019 Legislative Outcomes
VCEH 2019-2020 Budget Donate Now
Capstone Community Action is the fiscal agent for the Vermont Coalition to End Homelessness. All donations are tax deductible. Click here to donate & be sure to designate your gift to the Coalition.

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MISSION Vermont Coalition to End Homelessness (VCEH) supports the work of local CoCs; connects them to a broader network of stakeholders; administers federal funds; and advocates for funding and policy changes so that people living in Vermont have a safe, stable, affordable home and if homelessness occurs it is a brief and rare occurrence during which everyone is treated with dignity and respect.

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Vermont’s Homeless Population is Declining, but Shelters are Full...

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VideoLink lets you share videos on YouTube easily, without distracting third-party content or advertisements.

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‘Major’ Oil Spill Off California Coast Threatens Wetlands and Wildlife (Published 2021)

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A pipeline failure sent at least 126,000 gallons of oil into the Pacific off the coast of Orange County, creating a 13-square-mile slick. Dead fish and birds washed ashore in some areas.

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WASHINGTON (AP) - Much of the world is unprepared for the floods, hurricanes and droughts expected to worsen with climate change and urgently needs better warning systems to avert water-related disasters, according to a report by the United Nations' weather agency.

Global water management is "fragmented and inadequate," the report published Tuesday found, with nearly 60% of 101 countries surveyed needing improved forecasting systems that can help prevent devastation from severe weather.

As populations grow, the number of people with inadequate access to water is also expected to rise to more than 5 billion by 2050, up from 3.6 billion in 2018, the report said.

Among the actions recommended by the report were better warning systems for flood- and drought-prone areas that can identify, for example, when a river is expected to swell. Better financing and coordination among countries on water management is also needed, according to the report by the U.N.'s World Meteorological Organization, development agencies and other groups.

"We need to wake up to the looming water crisis," said Petteri Taalas, secretary general of the World Meteorological Organization.

The report found that since 2000, flood-related disasters globally rose 134% compared with the previous two decades. Most flood-related deaths and economic losses were in Asia, where extreme rainfall caused massive flooding in China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Nepal and Pakistan in the past year.

The frequency of drought-related disasters rose 29% over the same period. African countries recorded the most-drought related deaths. The steepest economic losses from drought were in North America, Asia and the Caribbean, the report said.

Globally, the report found 25% of all cities are already experiencing regular water shortages. Over the past two decades, it said the planet's combined supplies of surface water, ground water and water found in soil, snow and ice have declined by 0.4 inches (1 centimeter) per year.

Population growth will further strain water supplies, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, said Elfatih Eltahir, a professor of hydrology and climate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who wasn't involved in the report.

"The availability of water in rising populations shapes where water adaptation will be quite urgent," he said.

Despite some progress in recent years, the report found 107 countries would not meet goals to sustainably manage water supplies and access by 2030 at current rates.

___

The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP's environmental coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/environment
Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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UN report warns of global water crisis amid climate change

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WASHINGTON (AP) - Much of the world is unprepared for the floods, hurricanes and droughts expected to worsen with climate change and urgently needs better warning systems to avert water-related disasters, according to a report by the United Nations' weather agency.