In 2019 we awarded a microgrant to Mubarakah Ibrahim to interview prominent women in the environment.  Both interviews are very engaging and informative.  We think you will enjoy them. 

Guest: Ashley Stewart
Ashley Stewart is an African-American Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies
graduate student whose passion for the intersection of racial and environmental justice led
her to a career change from being an engineer to a return to school.

Listen on SoundCloud: 
https://soundcloud.com/new-haven-independent/mornings-with-mubarakah-ashley-stew
art?in=new-haven-independent/sets/mornings-with-mubarakah

or view on Facebook Video: 
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2441028972685292

Guest Marianne Engelman Lado
​
Marianne Engelman Lado is currently a Visiting Professor, Douglas Costle Chair in
Environmental Law at Vermont Law School, where she is directing an environmental
justice clinic focusing on civil rights enforcement in the environmental justice context. She
also serves as Lecturer at both the Yale University School of Public Health and Yale School
of Forestry & Environmental Studies, where she supervises interdisciplinary teams of law,
environmental and public health students. She previously served as senior staff attorney at
Earthjustice, where she focused on civil rights enforcement, as well as related issues in the
areas of toxics, waste, the health impacts of industrial agriculture, and the effects of
environmental contamination on vulnerable and overburdened populations.

Listen on SoundCloud: 
https://soundcloud.com/new-haven-independent/mornings-with-mubarakah-marianne-e
ngleman-lado

or watch on Facebook Video:
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=954762124893447

WIth so much information in the news surrounding the large release of PFAs in Farmington this past year the Regional Water Authority proactively tested for these chemicals in the sources that they use  for our drinking water.  What are PFAs?  Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances are man made chemicals that have been used for decades in industiral and consumer goods.  The CT State Department of Health established an advisory level for PFAs at 70 parts per tirllion (ppt).  The good news is that Regional Water Authority source water is way below that level ranging from
0 to 6.8 ppt.  www.rwater.com/water-quality/pfas-management   

RWA also states that lead levels in the water they deliver to us are very low.  However, some buildings may have old pipes or other problems that cause lead to leach into the water that you use.  Please contact them if you are concerned.  They have testing locations listed on their website.  Email: ask.info@rwater.com or call during normal business hours 203-562-4020. They also list some simple steps you can take if you suspect that your water may have too much lead. 

Being in nature can help our health. Urban environments are different from suburban, rural and wilderness locales in that they have more built infrastructures, less open space and may lack safe access to open space due to vehicle traffic and/or crime.  In addition, urban environments are more likely to have higher pollution levels in air, soil and water due to past and current activities that adversely affect the health of its residents. 

More information is available from the review article: 
Nature and Health, Terry Hartig,1 Richard Mitchell,2 Sjerp de Vries,3and Howard Frumkin4
1Institute for Housing and Urban Research, Uppsala.

Please visit www.centerfornatureandhealth.org for more information.

We were proud to sponsor this summit at the partnership level. The keynote speaker, Charles C. Brown defined equity at the beginning of his talk.  We know that this is always a challenge because there are so many definitions put forward.  We'd like to share his with you. 

Equity involves trying to understand and give people what they want to enjoy full, healthy lives.
 
Equity is the presence of justice and fairness within the procedures, processes, and distribution of resources by institutions or systems.
 
Facing equity issues requires an understanding of the underlying or the root causes in inequalities and oppression within society.  
Link to the conference:
 http://www.ctprf.org/programs_services/transport-hartford/2019-multimodal-summit/#shared

"The water that leaves RWA's treatment plants...has no lead in it. But as water sits in plumbing systems small amounts of lead from lead pipes or lead solder...can dissolve in the water".  From "waterlines" included in our last bill from RWA:  https://www.rwater.com/media/3814/waterlines-spring-2019.pdf   
Information is included about how to test your water and what to do about it if it has high lead levels.  If you are concerned and don't want to get the test done you could just follow the guidelines in the article as a precaution.      

​HTTPS://DOI.ORG/10.1029/2019EO117371   ​
https://eos.org/research-spotlights/what-do-people-drink-when-they-think-their-tap-water-isnt-safe

Ted Talk:  Dr. Rishi Manchanda tells how he solved a mysterious serious injury by asking a patient with chronic and severe headaches about the place where she lived.   Why aren't more doctors asking these questions and helping their patients with the adverse health effects from environmental pollution?