Healthy Living Healthy Planet Radio Bernice Butler

In this episode expert Karen Kinsella from The National Groundwater Association and GZA GeoEnvironmental will speak to listeners about groundwater pollution; and experts Denise Hickey and David Cowan from North Texas Municipal Water District will explore water conservation.

Groundwater is one of our most valuable resources, and while we may not see if everyday, we can’t forget about, it’s always there, beneath the surface, giving us and our earth life. Groundwater is polluted by incorrectly used fertilizers and pesticides, septic pollution, chemical spills, & even polluted surface water. The most common groundwater pollutant is Perchloroethylene which can cause anything from skin irritation, all the way to cancer. To personally reduce pollution, make sure you have licensed professionals install your septic and dispose of your waste properly.

Water conservation is Texas, and of course around the world is essential. In Texas, surface water belongs to the state, while groundwater belongs to individual landowners, and so the municipal water district and individuals must come together to preserve and protect the finite resource of water. To conserve water, garden and water your land properly, make sure your swimming pools don’t have leaks, shorten your showers and start talking about water with your children and community.

Visit https://www.ntmwd.com/ for updates on clean and safe drinking water in Texas, during a time where water is so essential. Make sure you’re staying hydrated and washing your hands.

Visit https://www.ngwa.org/publications-and-news/covid-19-news-and-resources for their incredible response and resources to stay during COVID-19.

Visit https://earthx.org/ to be a part of their virtual expo April 22nd-27th - stay home, protect your health and your planet all at once.

Visit https://nadallas.com for resources to boost your immune system and stay healthy.

How exactly are we impacting our own health, and the health of our future generations when we neglect the care of our oceans and waterways? Dr. John Stegemen Director of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute for Oceans and Human Health (a branch of WHOI), and Dr. Scott Meschke, Associate Chair in the Department of Environment and Occupational Health Sciences at the University of Washington, will break it all down for you in the special health focused episode.

Join these special experts, as they unpack waterborne illnesses, pathogens, unsafe drinking and recreation water, chemical pollution, red tide, and beyond.

There is a deep connection between oceans and human health. This connection is seen in many ways, but largely through the seafood we delight in eating. Dr. Stegemen explores the risks of eating contaminated seafood on our bodies, minds and lives.

Our daily activities, the very activities that should help contribute to our #bluemind and benefit our health, unfortunately hold great risk when we don’t care for our waterways, drinking water and water sanitation. Dr. Meschke educates us about the different waterborne pathogens, and viruses present in our shower's water vapor, drinking water and even food rinse-water.

Aired 3/14/2020, featuring Waterkeepers: Jill Jedlicka, Fred Tutman, and co-host Garrett Boone, of the Boone Family Foundation.

Waterkeepers and the Boone Family Foundation both take a special interest in keeping the Urban Waters of their homelands clean, healthy, and advocated for.

Fred Tutman speaks about the cycle of clean up on the Patuxent River, from restoration, to re-pollution and back again. With a water rating of a D-. In parts of the river there are flesh-eating bacterias running rampant in the summer. Even with these health risks in mind, the state has no clear plan in place to maintain river health. These potential human health risks are very real, and Fred knows that if we care about our bodies, we MUST care about over rivers. This is non-negotiable.

Garrett Boone, speaks about his connection to the Trinity River System, the garbage build up from the suburbs, homeless encampments and freeway traffic pollution. Garrett has partnered with Groundwork to lead Kayak pick ups, ecoli-testing, and river management.

Jill’s waterways in the Buffalo-Niagra region as polluted by industrial and radioactive waste. Jill Jedlicka reminds us that Urban rivers and waterways can have a bad reputation for pollution, but we must reflect on ourselves and what we do to contribute to this pollution.

Listen to the incredible conversation that unfolds between these three, passionate, involved and knowledgable experts.

Aired 3/7/2020 Featuring Greenpeace experts, Kate Meleges and Arlo Hemphill; and Dr. J Nichlos of #BlueMind.

Greenpeace fights for policy change in our waterways, from plastic pollution to ocean sanctuaries they dive in and enact change at the highest level.

Kate Meleges speaks to the devastating plastic pollution in our oceans, impacting our ecosystem health, our marine life health and the health of our own bodies. From hormone disruption to bellies littered with plastic, she covers it all.

Arlo Hemphill, is actively working on enacting serious change at the UN conference coming up this month, where he is fighting for ocean protection in the form of ocean sanctuaries. International waters currently have no way of being protected, and new legislation would allow for protection, marine life healing, ecosystem rehabilitation and overall renewed ocean, and in turn, human health.

Dr. J Wallace, the author of Blue Mind, speaks about our bodies inherent connection to water, the healing impacts spending time around water, or listening to water sounds, has on our immune systems. nervous systems and whole body healthy. J reminds our listeners that healthy waterways = healthy humans.

Join experts Matt Saldãna from the TTU National Wind Institute, Carol Dollard from Colorado State University, and Jenna Riemenschneider from the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.

Matt Saldãna speaks about West Texas’s leadership in Wind Energy, financing wind energy, cost efficiency, accessibility and education.

Carol Dollard addresses the engineering of Wind Turbines, the importance of renewable green energy, and reducing our carbon footprint in big business and large universities like STARS platinum ranked CO State University.

Jenna Riemenschneider connections human health wind energy; from the amount of allergy and asthma related deaths increasing in recent years, to the disproportionate impact of asthma and allergies on minority and lower income groups, and the true public health crisis of climate change.

Listen to this special episode, featuring three incredible experts, and take another step towards renewable energy, a healthier planet and a healthier YOU.

Bernice Butler and Co-Host Tony Keene from EarthX, welcome expert Katharine Hayhoe. In this special episode Hayhoe addresses climate-deniers, clean energy, and faith.

Hayhoe dives into energy production, where 75% of our pollution comes from fossil fuels, and the easiest and most impactful way to combat this is clean energy. 

However, the richest corporations in the world are currently being subsidized by the tax payer to keep the cost of fossil fuels low. This is a fact that most people don’t realize. Many people think that clean energy is being subsidized because of the rebates we receive when we purchase electric vehicles. In reality, these rebates are 10% of the subsidy that are given to the fossil fuel industry (the International Monetary fund breaks this all down). It all breaks down to fact that big industry is profiting from taxpayer’s money to continue our reliance on an outdated, and frankly dirty way, of producing energy that we have since outgrown. 

The bad news about our current energy sectors, 200,000 people day in the USA alone from air pollution, chemicals and dangerous pollutants leach into our streams and waterways and soil every day from the fossil fuel industry causes endless health risks.

The good news, we’re making progress, United airline is running biofuel flights out of LAX. Energy and fuel are straightforward ways to implement clean energy. Other spheres are more complicated, but with a mix of new clean energy technology we can tackle all our energy sectors.

Further, Hayhoe reminds our listeners that the only “type of person” you have to be to care about climate change is a human. We don’t need to move climate change up to the top of our list, because climate change impacts everything on our list already. We must come together on what we already care about, may it be our faith, our jobs or our health, to connect the dots to climate action. For the number one most important thing we can do about climate change is…TALK ABOUT IT.

Hayhoe references her incredible Youtube series Global Weirding, watch her series on nadallas.com, healthylivinghealthyplanetradio.com and of course on her youtube channel.

Community Pulse: General Honoré joins HLHP to speak about climate change, leadership and mobilizing action.