1. Chlorpyrifos Found on Most Commercially Grown Foods, And In Water.
Chlorpyrifos can harm a child’s brain even at low levels and is used legally on popular foods like peaches, cherries and apples. A recent study even found chlorpyrifos in 60 percent of conventional milk samples tested. According to the EPA’s own assessments, the levels of chlorpyrifos on food and in drinking water found in multiple independent studies are unsafe!
The EPA was supposed to ban chlorpyrifos back in 2017. But shortly after meeting with Dow Chemical’s CEO, then-EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt aborted the ban. The EPA has been fighting to protect the pesticide industry’s profits instead of public health ever since.
Source: EWG.org
2. Best Home Cleaners As Tested By The Environment Working Group
Kitchen
| Best | Worst |
| Aspen Kitchen Clener | Amway Oven Cleaner |
| Attitude Kitchen Cleaner | Bar Keeper’s Friend |
| Buggy LOVE Organic Multi-Surface Kitchen Cleaner | Cascade Dishwashing |
| Fit Organic Cleaner and Degreaser | Clorox Disinfection |
| Greenshield Organic Green Shield All-Purpose Cleaner | Comet Cleanser |
| Whole Foods Market Surface Cleaning Wipes |
Floors
| Best | Worst |
| AspenClean Floor Cleaner | Amway Hardwood Floor Cleaner |
| Aunt Fannie Floor Cleaner | Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner |
| Biokleen Carpet & Rug Shampoo | Carpet Fresh Carpet Stain and Odor Remover |
| Fit Organic Laundry & Carpet Stain | Clorox ReadyMop/Premoistened Floor Wipes |
| Martha Stewart Carpet Cleaner | CVS Deep Cleaning Pads/Dry Sweeping Cloths |
Laundry
| Best | Worst |
| Dr. Bronner’s Sal Suds Liquid Cleaner | 365 Everyday Value 2X Concentrate |
| Earth Friendly Products ECOS | Ajax 2X Ultra Liquid |
| Eco-Me Laundry Soap | All 2X Ultra Concentrate |
| Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda Detergerent | Cheer BrightCLEAN |
For the entire report on thousands of products, go to EWG.ORG
4. Southwest Climate Report.
June Precipitation and Temperature Recap: June precipitation was variable in Arizona, ranging from record driest to above average, with a majority of the region recording average to below average precipitation.
June temperatures were mostly average in Arizona with pockets of above and below average temperatures. Daily average temperature anomalies for Jun 1 – Jul 15 demonstrate the fluctuations above and below average.
Temperature Recap: Cumulative precipitation for April-June was mostly above average to much above average in Arizona. Temperatures for the same period were average to below average in Arizona.
yellow =abnormally dry
Drought: Water year precipitation to date was above average across much of the Southwest, with Arizona, Utah, Nevada, and southern California doing particularly well. This extended period of above average precipitation is reflected in the Jul 9 U.S. Drought (USDM), which Monitor continues to document widespread improvements in regional drought conditions in the western United States, and with most of the region classified as experiencing drought.
Precipitation and Temperature Forecast: The three-month outlook for August through October calls for increased chances of below-normal precipitation in parts of western Arizona, with equal chances of above- or below-normal precipitation in the rest of Arizona. The three-month temperature outlook calls for increased chances of abovenormal temperatures across most of the U.S. Southwest.
Monsoon Tracker – July 2019
Given the spatial variability of the monsoon, single weather stations are an imperfect measure. For example, if it rains at the station and not in surrounding areas or vice versa. They do provide an opportunity to track long term averages compared to the current year. Figure 1 compares 2019 precipitation to date with 2018 and climatology. This reveals 2019 is lagging behind average in terms of precipitation and is also a significant departure from 2018’s widespread activity by mid-July. Dewpoint temperatures and daily precipitation for the same stations illustrate that while increased dewpoint temperatures do not guarantee monsoon precipitation, it is rare to see monsoon precipitation in the absence of these elevated dewpoint temperatures.
5. Do You Have A Well Stocked “Go Bag”? Here is what should be in your go bag. There are a million reasons (fire, flood, storms, etc.) why you or your family might have to evacuate you home in a hurry. Chek your “Go Bag” monthly for exchanges needed.
Contents, naturally, should reflect your region and medical needs. Start with the following items, keep your car’s gas tank at least half full or the battery charged up, and you’ll be good to go. Here are other things to pack:
Food and Water
Start with a gallon of fresh water for each person and refresh it every two to three week. Carry a selection of protein bars. Note their expiration date so you can replace/eat them as their expiration date nears. Try to get non chocolate or carob bars s they can melt in the heat.
Maps
Most people rely on electronic maps found on cell phones and lap tops, however, it is a really good idea to purchase laminated (water proof) map from World of Maps stores. Plus, there are still lot of areas around Arizona with poor to no internet service. A paper map will be invaluable to getting you where you need to go.
N-95 or P-100 Respirators
Available at hardware stores, Lowes, Home Depot, and industrial supply houses. Both types will protect your airways and lungs from smoke and anything that might me in the smoke (ie burning plastic left at camp sites, trails, etc.)
Cash in $1’s, $5’s, $10’ and $20’s.
Total amount should near $100.00 for a family of four or $50 per person. This money can be used to restore your water supplies and food if your gone for more than just a few days.
Copies of Important Documents
Include birth certificates, Social Security cards, medical prescriptions, bank account info, and insurance policies. (You could also store this info on your phone.) The paper documents can be stored in a gallon zip-lock bag or a child’s pencil bag. Perhaps a plastic bag of most important photos or CD’s with photos.
Sturdy Bag(s)
Backpack, duffel, or rolling suitcase
Flashlight or Head Lamp and Double the number of Batteries you think you might need. And Double the number of Batteries.
Cell Phone and Lap Top Computer (If you have one)
Charger, ideally solar or a charger cable you can plug in to the car
Matches
Go waterproof or purchase a Bic lighter
Goggles
Be sure the goggles fit your face and over your glasses in need be.
Gloves
Not a bad idea to include leather work gloves as well as a few pair of nitrile or latex gloves (long-cuff rubber gloves gloves are a good alternative)
Whistle
Something you can blow (metal) and be heard at least a half mile away. Pick another that is bright-colored, and that floats (plastic)
Change of Clothes
Including socks, underwear, and perhaps a windbreaker/jacket if headed for high Country
Water Purification Tablets
Head to REI, Bass Pro Shop or other outdoor store for these
Extra Eyeglasses or Contact Lenses and Solution
Small Tent (s) and sleeping bags and or blankets
In case you can’t make it to a shelter
Emergency Radio
Preferably hand-crank or solar or one that be recharged through your car
Toilet Paper and Zip-Lock Plastic Gallon Bags One roll per person
Pets and Adequate Pet Supplies
Leash, carrier, food, medication
Roll of Duct Tape
Mends everything except a broken heart
6. Trees Alone Can’t Save Us From Climate Change. Reforestation can help sequester carbon, but it’s complicated
Earlier this month, a group of European researchers published a study announcing that we already have the technology to tackle climate change: trees.
The study, published in the journal Science, identified 1.7 to 1.8 billion hectares, or roughly 6.5 million square miles, of suitable land around the world not currently being used for agriculture or urban development that could be planted as forest (defined as land with at least 10 percent tree cover).
Adding cropland and urban areas to that would create another 5.4 million square miles of forest and another 2.7 million square miles of canopy. In comparison, the total land area of the United States, including Hawaii and Alaska, is 3.5 million square miles.
The results of such a huge eco-restoration would be massive. Once mature, the study argues, those forests would sequester about two-thirds of all the carbon released by humans since the start of the Industrial Revolution, and reduce atmospheric CO2 by 25 %, to levels last seen almost a century ago.”
Attempts to reforest our way out of climate change have also resulted in questionable policies. In 2011, Germany and the International Union for Conservation of Nature launched the Bonn Challenge to reforest 150 million hectares, or 5.8 million squares miles across the globe, by 2020 and 350 million hectares by 2030. However, the 48 nations that agreed to the challenge are not on track to reach that 2020 goal. Half of the pledges so far, a recent study found, are for tree plantations, which release much of the CO2 they sequester back into the atmosphere every 10 to 20 years when the tree farms are logged. The authors of that study argue that the definition of reforestation should be tightened and only projects that allow forests to develop into their mature, diverse, carbon-capturing state be included.
Currently, the National Forest Foundation is developing a project to plant 50 million trees in US national forests. “Tree planting needs to be done not just as a way to sequester carbon but as a way to restore forested ecosystems, which provide wildlife habitat, clean water, and recreation opportunities,” he says. In other words, restoration is complicated. We, and the planet, would be better served by a holistic approach that restores the entire ecosystem, not just the trees, and works hard to protect the forests we do have.
