That’s a question no one should have to ask. Particularly, as we Americans like to think, in our own country. But the Flint, Michigan water crises reminds us that, more than 30 years after passage of the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act, dirty drinking water is a reality for some Americans. As a (transplanted) West Virginian, I can’t help thinking about … Continue reading Is the water safe to drink?
For the past few years, my husband John and I have traveled north from our home in West Virginia to central New York for Christmas. My father lives there, around the corner from my sister and her family. Or at least he used to live there; first with his wife, and then alone. Every year, John and I would drive over the rivers and through … Continue reading Co-home for the holidays
It’s hard to believe that in America today 300,000 residents in and around a state capital could find themselves without safe drinking water for days. But that’s what happened one year ago this month in Charleston, West Virginia when MCHM, a chemical used to wash coal, leaked from a storage tank adjacent to the Elk River. State officials issued “do not use” orders for tap … Continue reading The MCHM mystery
I first wrote about antibacterial soaps and personal care products more than a year ago after I erroneously bought antibacterial Q-Tips. Two recently released studies got me thinking about this topic again. In one, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention examined illness and death linked to antibiotic resistant “superbugs” and pinned the blame on hospitals and farms for their excessive antibiotic use. The other, … Continue reading Really? Microbe-free ears?
Yesterday, I didn’t order my Thanksgiving turkey. The yellow sticky note had been sitting on the kitchen counter — and then hidden on my desk when I didn’t want to hear my husband ask again “have you called this guy back yet?”— for several weeks before I finally summoned the courage to call the friendly farmer in the ramshackle house surrounded by happily grazing … Continue reading Am I a bad person if I don’t always buy organic?
