Posted by Frances Beinecke in Curbing Pollution , Health and the Environment , Saving Wildlife and Wild Places
Last week, the Environmental Protection Agency registered its discontent with NRDC. Why? Because it claims we are overstepping by asking a public agency to share more public information. Maybe you don’t view the behavior of honeybees as a matter of...
Posted by Frances Beinecke in Curbing Pollution , Health and the Environment , Living Sustainably
In the past week, there have been a lot of news reports and blog chatter about BPA, also known as bisphenol-A. Finally, government agencies, consumers, and manufacturers are starting to take this toxin seriously. But BPA is only one member...
Posted by Frances Beinecke in Health and the Environment , Living Sustainably
It’s been a bad week for bisphenol-A, and that’s a good thing. Not one but two government agencies came out for the first time publicly saying that this chemical--found in plastic water bottles, canned food, and numerous baby products--could harm...
Posted by Frances Beinecke in Health and the Environment , Living Sustainably
I had breast cancer nine years ago. I have a strong constitution--and a strong will--and those carried me far during my diagnosis and treatment. But still it was a difficult time for me and my family. One thing that brought...
Posted by Frances Beinecke in Health and the Environment , Living Sustainably
The evening baby bath routine is one of the simple pleasures of life for young parents. My three girls loved playing in the water. And seeing their unfettered delight in splashing in the water calmed me down after harried days....
Posted by Frances Beinecke in Health and the Environment , Living Sustainably
Last week the New York Times caused a flap among fish lovers when it detected alarmingly high levels of mercury in several samples of tuna sushi bought from Manhattan restaurants and stores. The mercury in question comes largely from coal-fired...
Posted by Frances Beinecke in Health and the Environment , Living Sustainably
I recently read about Michael Pollan’s new book, In Defense of Food--currently the second best-selling hardcover in the nation. Like many others, I was inspired by its famously lean tagline: “Eat food. Not much. Mostly plants.” I love how Pollan’s...
Posted by Frances Beinecke in Health and the Environment
When my three daughters were small, I didn’t worry about lead poisoning, because the main sources I could think of--gasoline and paint--had been prohibited by law. And the only health concern I had about all their plastic Polly-Pocket toys was...
Posted by Frances Beinecke in Health and the Environment
I am in Cambridge today for some meetings at MIT, and as I rode along the Charles River and through the maze of city streets, I noticed the proliferation of bio-tech companies. Several firms have set up shop here to...
