WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, the first national standards to protect American families from power plant emissions of mercury and toxic air pollution like arsenic, acid gas,  nickel, selenium, and cyanide. The standards will slash emissions of these dangerous pollutants by relying on widely available, proven pollution controls that are already in use at more than half of the nation’s coal-fired power plants. Click here to view the entire news release.

10/20/11 - Over the last few decades or so, the levels of lead found in soil, dust and air have been reduced. There is speculation that the decline in lead is directed related to the decline in violent crime. Lead in gasoline dropped drastically between 1975 and 1990, so did blood lead levels. In an effort to marshal arguements in support of the Clean Air Act,  some people believe that the Clean Air Act and the EPA are the catalysts for the reduction of lead and subsequently violent crime. Read more about the theory that clean air contributes to the steady decline of violent crimes.

American Lung Association, 10/11/11- Five groups- Earthjustice, American Lung Association, Natural Resources Defense Council, Appalachian Mountain Club and Environmental Defense Fund have filed lawsuit against the Obama administration for blocking the EPA’s proposed ozone standards. Groups say the stronger standards would save up to 12,000 lives and prevent 58,000 asthma attacks and 21,000 hospital/E.R. visits causes by ozone-induced smog. Earthjustice’s David Baron says:

“The rejection of stronger standards was illegal and irresponsible in our view…Instead of protecting people’s lungs as the law requires, this administration based its decision on politics, leaving tens of thousands of Americans at risk of sickness and suffering.”

Last week, retail behemoth Walmart announced a $1.01 million donation to Milwaukee-based Growing Power, a well-known urban farming nonprofit, whose founder Will Allen has gained many accolades for his hard work to bring local, healthy food to low-income areas. So far the online debate over Growing Power taking this funding is predictable: Some defend it for pragmatic reasons, while others deplore the move, either because they don’t like this particular company or they think all corporate money is evil. However, this donation cannot be viewed in such a narrow context. There is a pattern here that spans decades. By partnering with a group that could otherwise be one of its staunchest critics, Walmart is taking a page right out of the Big Tobacco playbook: buying silence. Did Walmart buy Growing Power’s silence?

Natural Resources Defense Council, 9/8/2011 - On Friday, the President cozied up to America’s biggest polluters and killed life-saving ozone smog rules that his EPA has been working on diligently for years. What stings almost as badly as the smog is this: the White House reached into the George W. Bush playbook by delivering this slap in the face on the eve of a holiday weekend. Click here for the full story.

Cuyahoga County Board of Health, 9/12/2011 – HIP-Cuyahoga is conducting a survey to get your opinions about health and quality of life and to help identify our community’s strengths, as well as issues needing more attention.  Anyone who “lives, works, learns and plays” in Cuyahoga County is considered a part of our “entire community” and is encouraged to respond to this anonymous survey.Your responses are very important because they will contribute to the HIP-Cuyahoga community health improvement plan which will identify priority issues that can be addressed through community actions. Click here to complete the survey.

EcoWatch, August-September 2011 – Cleveland has emerged in recent years as one of the national epicenters for innovations in urban agriculture and local food systems, casting a new national narrative for a city commonly identified with the rapid rise and brutal fall of industry. In a city that has dwindled from a peak population of nearly a million people in the 1950’s to just below 400,000 today, vacant and abandoned land has moved from a liability to an opportunity for thousands of people to access fresh food, learn basic skills of entrepreneurship, and re-build healthy connections to community and nature. Click here to read the full story:http://www.ecowatchohio.org/cleveland-the-new-agrarian-city/

Forbes, 5/2/2011- A Toledo landlord is facing four counts of reckless homicide for providing a portable generator that led to the death of his tenants. The generator was supplied to allow the use of a space heater while utilities weren’t on, but led to the carbon monoxide poisoning of the family renting the space. The landlord had not installed a carbon monoxide detector in the home to warn the tenants of potential danger and knew the generator was dangerous to use in an enclosed space. It is never safe to operate generators in or near garages and houses, even with open windows, as carbon monoxide fumes are odorless, potentially lethal and difficult to notice without detectors.

This month, the EPA issued its first complaint against a renovator who wasn’t following the EPA’s 2010 lead renovation regulation. Colin Wentworth, a renovator based in Rockland, Maine, was recorded violating procedures that are designed to protect young children from lead dust in the home repair process. Although Wentworth was certified for lead RRP (Renovation, Repair and Painting) work, his two employees were neither trained nor supervised during their renovation of a building that houses six children. The EPA’s complaint against Wentworth is the first step of an enforcement process and is the first of its kind to date. To learn more, visit www.greenbuildingadvisor.com.