This week:
Things feel pretty out of control. Get used to it.
Plus: The Canadian West is burning, Oregon bans PFAS, ChatGPT plugins for everyone, the All We Can Save project is hiring, and more
Here's What You Can Do:
• ⚡️Wildfire smoke exposure is directly linked to myriad health impacts due to poor air quality. Know your daily risk (https://www2.purpleair.com/) by using this Purple Air outdoor air monitor.
• ⚡️We need to heal ourselves to heal the planet. Find resources and community (https://www.climatementalhealth.net/)to help with your climate anxiety through the Climate Mental Health Network.
• ⚡️Act locally. Use ReFED to find current food waste policies and programs (https://policyfinder.refed.org/) you can learn from and implement in your town.
• ⚡️Work in local government? Biobot Analytics provides wastewater testing tools (https://biobot.io/government)so we can better estimate the number of COVID-19 (and other diseases) infections in the community
News Roundup
Health & Medicine
• These are the cities with most bike deaths (https://www.axios.com/2023/05/18/bike-deaths-by-city?utm_source=importantnotimportant.com&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=gradually-and-then-all-at-once) per capita (I share news like this to illustrate where we can make drastic improvements)
• Not to be outdone, the South Carolina House passed a six-week (https://19thnews.org/2023/05/south-carolina-house-passes-six-week-abortion-ban/?utm_source=importantnotimportant.com&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=gradually-and-then-all-at-once) abortion ban
• UnitedHealthcare wants doctors to get prior authorization for colonoscopies. People are very pissed off (https://www.statnews.com/2023/05/15/united-colonoscopy-insurance-cost/?utm_source=importantnotimportant.com&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=gradually-and-then-all-at-once).
• Where American air pollution (https://www.axios.com/2023/04/27/air-pollution-rates-map?utm_source=importantnotimportant.com&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=gradually-and-then-all-at-once) is improving, and getting worse
Climate
• Our friends at the All We Can Save project are hiring a Programs & Community Manager — details here (https://www.allwecansave.earth/jobs?utm_source=The+All+We+Can+Save+Project&utm_campaign=cfeb163d55-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2023_04_26_05_42_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-caf75b9fb3-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D)!
• Could enormous robots (https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/solar/how-robots-could-dramatically-speed-up-solar-farm-construction?utm_source=importantnotimportant.com&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=gradually-and-then-all-at-once) dramatically speed up solar farm construction? Sure!
• How can we restore oyster reefs (https://civileats.com/2023/05/15/oyster-reef-restoration-climate-solution-shells-water-pollution-billion-oyster-project/?utm_source=importantnotimportant.com&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=gradually-and-then-all-at-once) without oyster shells?
• Octopus Energy (https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/utilities/octopus-energy-is-bringing-clean-distributed-energy-to-the-masses?utm_source=importantnotimportant.com&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=gradually-and-then-all-at-once) continues to be a model for…everyone else
• The Canadian west continues to burn (https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/16/us/western-wildfires-fossil-fuels-study-climate/index.html?utm_source=importantnotimportant.com&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=gradually-and-then-all-at-once), and climate change is a big reason why
Food & Water
• Oregon banned (https://grist.org/regulation/oregon-bans-plastic-foam-and-pfas-in-food-containers-promotes-reusable-alternatives/?utm_source=importantnotimportant.com&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=gradually-and-then-all-at-once) PFAS (forever chemicals) in food containers
• How plant-based food makers can fight back (https://www.fastcompany.com/90895172/plant-based-meat-fight-meat-dairy-misinformation?utm_source=importantnotimportant.com&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=gradually-and-then-all-at-once) against meat and dairy disinformation
• If growing one almond requires (https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/13/opinion/water-shortage-west.html?utm_source=importantnotimportant.com&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=gradually-and-then-all-at-once) 3.2 gallons of water out west, how do we reconcile that?
• The women working for food sovereignty (https://19thnews.org/2023/05/women-locally-grown-food-sovereignty-us-island-territories/?utm_source=importantnotimportant.com&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=gradually-and-then-all-at-once) on island territories
• Undercover audio of a Tyson employee reveals “free-range” (https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/23724740/tyson-chicken-free-range-humanewashing-investigation-animal-cruelty?utm_source=importantnotimportant.com&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=gradually-and-then-all-at-once) chicken is bullshit (more on humanewashing (https://www.vox.com/2...
