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Some Minnesota moms were among those who went to Washington D.C. this week to demand a new law to regulate the toxic chemicals that pervade all kinds of consumer products, from furniture to pillow cases. Called the Stroller Brigade, their determination was fueled by an impressive investigative series published this month by the Chicago Tribune called "Playing With Fire."  It details purposeful deception and lax federal oversight all in the name of toxic chemicals that aren't effective. 

Government scientists found that chairs containing flame retardants, like the one being tested above, burn just as fast as identical chairs without them. (Consumer Products Safety Commission / May 5, 2012)
 

 

"The average American baby is born with 10 fingers, 10 toes and the highest recorded levels of flame retardants among infants in the world. The toxic chemicals are present in nearly every home, packed into couches, chairs and many other products. Two powerful industries — Big Tobacco and chemical manufacturers — waged deceptive campaigns that led to the proliferation of these chemicals, which don’t even work as promised."

The chemicals have been linked to neurological defects, cancer, developmental problems and impaired fertility.

Democratic members of Congress and consumer groups have been pushing to pass the Safe Chemicals Act, which   would create a new process to monitor toxic chemicals used in consumer products. But at this point, the bill, which is opposed by the chemical industry, has no Republican sponsors.
 

An uplifting view of the world, and without a single human in it. Perhaps that's his point? Anyway, for those who care about preserving nature as it is, this is for you.  BBC One celebrates Natural History in this two minute video with David Attenborough reciting Louis Armstrong’s ‘What A Wonderful World’. 

Investing in bike and walking trails certainly increases the number of people who bike or walk, but is it financially efficient? That's one question that came up today after the story today on what happened after Minneapolis and the surrounding communities spent $25 million in federal funding on biking and walking infrastructure.

The short answer is yes. 5.4 percent of the money spent on transportation in the Twin Cities since 2005 pays for the 10 percent of the population that walks or bikes to work. (And 11 percent of the fatalities.)

The story published Friday describes the report the U.S. Department of Transportation sent to Congress on the outcomes of the $100 million pilot projects in four communities. The report had a lot to say about polllution and health and the increase in biking and walking. But it did not include an analyis of whether the investment made financial sense.

I asked Bike Walk Twin Cities  (BWTC) to crunch those numbrs, and this is what it came up with.  Since 2005 and 2011 the  transportation funding in the Twin Cities devoted to biking and walking totaled 5.4 percent of the total. (See the first chart below. )Those numbers came from Federal Highway Administration database (called FMIS).  I was especially struck by how much we spend on transportation -- $1.6 billion since 2005, and that's just The Twin Cities. Ouch. 

Then they used census data to come up with an estimates on commuters.(See the other charts below). In 2010, According to the census, 10 percent of the people in Minneapolis and 6 percent of the people in St. Paul either biked or walked to work on a regular basis. So 5.4 percent of the money pays for 10 percent of the commutes.It's not the whole picture, but it's telling.

In the report to Congress, Bike Walk Twin Cities estimated that the number of bikers in the Twin Cities increase 52 percent since the pilot project began. They based on that on annual surveys they do every year at 42 different locations, so they don't  have  a single baseline number -- they have 42. But the census data shows the same trend -- in Minneapolis bikers increased by 44 percent. 

So if you like transportation numbers, have at it.

 Source:  Federal Highway Administration FMIS database

A long-fought quarry project near the Big Stone Wildlife Refuge got a major boost yesterday when the Big Stone County Commissioners unanimously approved the permit for the project. The community fight over the open pit quarry, which would take out 487 acres of the famous granite outcroppings near the wildlife refuge, has been long and bitter.

Now, the only thing standing between local opponents and the project is a one year moratorium passed by the township. The South Dakota company that proposing the quarry, Strata Corporation, has said they don't see that moratorium as an obstacle, so It's likely to be a test of the Minnesota state law that allows townships and other local governments to control the fate of their communities. 

According to the West Central Tribune, the commissioners said that the company had fulfilled all the requirements of the permit.  The company has pledged to mitigate environmental damage as much as possible during the 100-year lifespan of the quarry. It also must win approval from the state and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over protection of rare ball cacti on the site.

In a demonstration of how contentious the project has become,  Clark Mastel, the rancher who grazes his cattle on the property, lost his lease because he refused to sign a letter written by Strata stating that he would withdraw his opposition. You can read the letter here on the West Central Tribune web site.
 

Don Felton leads a walking tour of the rock outcrop area that is proposed to be mined, at Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge in Minn.  AP/ West Central Tribune photo.

Everything you need to know about oil economics and our way of life in a 60 second animated spot by MoveOn.org, based on the BP oil spill a year ago this week. It has a (liberal) perspective about energy consumption and pollution, but worth a watch.

Rane Cortez, who grew up up in Minnetonka and went to school at the University of Minnesota, is now a long way from home. She is living on the edge of the rain forest in northern Brazil and working for The Nature Conservancy on developing forest-friendly agricultural  development for local farmers and landowners.

Some of her blogs for the Nature Conservancy are now posted on the National Geographic web site here. Below is an excerpt from her first post.

Rane Cortez is second from left. Photo courtesy of The Nature Conservancy.

 
  "São Felix is a picturesque and tranquil town, nestled on the banks of the Xingu and Fresco rivers. The pace is “tropical-slow” and the people are invariably hospitable. The pastimes seem to revolve around soccer, fishing, church, and enjoying a cold beverage on the hot nights. But the tranquility is deceptive.  São Felix is an active frontier town, with a history as dynamic and volatile as any in the Amazon.

People began to move to São Felix 30-40 years ago during a time when the Brazilian government’s strategy for Amazon was known as “integrar para não entregar,” meaning “occupy it in order not to hand it over.” It reminds me a little of the old American mantra, “Go west, young man.” This policy was based on the fear that, if Brazil did not develop the Amazon, someone else would move in and do it for them."

Not exactly Minnetonka.