The Case Against Smart Meters

In driveways and backyards across the country, utility workers are busy replacing mechanical analog meters with new wireless meters that communicate directly with utility companies, informing them of your use of gas, electricity or water. Various reasons are given for the installation of the new so-called "smart" meters: the development of a nationwide "smart grid," the ability for the utilities to quickly identify outages and other service problems, and even the opportunity for them to implement time-based pricing structures.

Consumers are being told the meters could help them save money, but the truth is the real savings will accrue to the utilities themselves. Laying off all their human meter readers will certainly help increase their profits.

But there is one aspect of smart meters that few people seem to be aware of: it's the fact that smart meters emit high bursts of pulsed radiation that can affect everyone, from unborn children to senior citizens.

Utility companies will tell you that the new meters put out less radiation than a cell phone, which is only true if you take the bursts of radiation and average them over time. The bursts themselves are quite strong, and according to some experts, are amplified when they pulse through a home's electrical system. And unlike a cell phone or wireless tablet, you can't turn off a smart meter when you want; it pulses constantly, every day, every hour, and sometimes multiple times a minute, depending on the model.

Recent studies linking exposure to wireless radiation (also known as radio-frequency radiation, or RFR) have suggested a link between exposure during pregnancy, and neurological and behavioral problems in offspring. In one study conducted at Yale University, researchers showed that the behavioral problems of exposed mice were virtually identical to symptoms of ADHD in children. 

Other researches have demonstrated that our own human nervous system, which runs on tiny electrical-chemical signals, can be easily disrupted by the strong, erratic, pulsing nature of wireless radiation, and that the critical blood/brain barrier can be made more permeable in the presence of wireless radiation signals.

So it's understandable that many families are making the decision NOT to allow a smart meter to be placed on their home. For those who live on Long Island, we have created Opt-OutLongIsland.com, a website with information about smart meters and sample letters to help consumers opt-out.

As is often the case with many of the issues we work on, it seems that technology has gotten far ahead of science. It will take many years to do the studies to discover just how dangerous wireless radiation is. While we wait for those answers, it might be a good idea to reduce our exposures whenever we can. In fact, it seems like the smart thing to do.

This Corner of the Earth

We're making two new films, both about fracking. 

The first is a primer on fracking itself - the geological history of the Marcellus Shale, the development of fracking technology, and an overview of the thorny but unresolved issues that fracking brings to the surface. Dr. Sandra Steingraber is the host and narrator of our film. 

The second film is about New York State's burgeoning and celebrated agricultural industry, and how it is threatened by the prospect of widespread fracking. We traveled upstate to meet the principals of Farmer Ground, a cooperative venture that links farmers who grow grains to millers who grind them to bakers that turn them into amazing and delicious bread. We met vintners in the Finger Lakes region who are making wines on a level that competes with the best in the world. And we met chefs and restaurateurs who spoke passionately about the importance of fresh, local, high-quality ingredients.

It was inspiring to get to know some of these men and women who are shaping this new enterprise in New York State, to learn about their backgrounds and hear them extol the virtues of a life with purpose. We were humbled by their knowledge, their relentless work ethic and their optimism. So long as they continue to have clean air and clean water, their future is bright. But fracking threatens that future.

It was impossible for us not to draw comparisons between the people and landscapes of New York State and those of Pennsylvania, where fracking has taken hold. The overwhelming gloom and sense of resignation that pervades the communities where fracking is already taking place is in stark contrast to the vibrant, upbeat spirit of the people we met in upstate New York. The deteriorating, truck-filled, industrial two-lane back roads of Pennsylvania remind us of how the bucolic back roads we traveled upstate might look if Governor Cuomo decides to give fracking the green light.

The growth and success of New York's agricultural and food production community bodes well for the future prosperity of our upstate regions. We try not to think about the incredible loss of food, jobs and sustainable future that would result from the massive industrialization of this corner of the earth.

Public Opinion

I mentioned to a friend the other day that we were going to make another short documentary film about fracking, a kind of "FRACKING 101" for people who had heard about fracking but didn't really understand it. "Great," he said, "That's exactly what I need!" 

Apparently, he's not the only one. Almost half of the people in New York say they don't actually know what "fracking" means. Even some people who have watched our two latest films, No Second Chance and On Faith and Fracking are left with questions about this new technology. So this summer we'll be on the road again, shooting, interviewing and editing, to help more people understand what "fracking" means, and why the issue is so important.

The gas companies sure aren't going to do this for us. It's not by accident that their ads promoting "clean, natural gas" on TV don't mention the word "fracking." They know the word has a negative connotation, and they steer away from it whenever they can. I'm certain that many people who watch the ads and believe the gas company's fairy tale would probably oppose fracking in New York if they knew more about it. (See my previous blog below about the word "natural.")

In politics, the only thing more powerful than money is public opinion. And make no mistake, the battle over fracking is all about politics. Ultimately, Governor Cuomo's decision about whether or not to allow fracking in New York will be driven exclusively by public opinion. Patti came up with a brilliant idea for a slogan the other day: "You Want The Vote; We Want The Promise." Watch for the signs this fall!

If we expect to win the battle over fracking in New York, we're going to need to win the public opinion battle. This means talking to your neighbor, your family and your co-workers. Ask your priest or rabbi or minister to watch On Faith and Fracking and share it with your congregation. Ask your local town or county officials to watch No Second Chance.

None of us wants to look back in a few years and say, “We should have done more.”

There's Nothing Natural About "Natural" Gas

You have to hand it to the marketing folks at the energy companies. They really understand the power of words, and how to manipulate public opinion by attaching positive-sounding adjectives to dirty old industries.

The phrase "Clean Coal" comes to mind. How did coal get clean? you might ask. Well, it didn't. There is no new technology, no magical discovery that has made coal a clean fuel. Someone at an ad agency just wrote those words down on a yellow pad during a meeting one day, and before long, it became the mantra of the beleaguered (and still dirty) coal industry.

"Natural Gas" is another one. The gas coming up out of the ground today is no more natural than oil or coal. It just sounds better than plain old "gas." And much better than "methane," which is what it really is, technically. 

The word "natural" conjures up images of wheat fields swaying in the wind, bucolic mountain streams and clear blue skies. It taps into the subconscious, encouraging us to think of this gas as special - and therefore better than other types of fuel. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Let's be honest about it: the extraction of natural gas is a dirty, polluting, dangerous, climate-changing but enormously profitable enterprise that is making a few people very rich while it wreaks havoc on our environment and the health of our citizens. It is poisoning our air and water, leaving a toxic, radioactive legacy that will burden hundreds of future generations. How is any of that natural?

America's gas boom has nothing to do with energy independence. It has nothing to do with addressing climate change or lowering energy costs. It has everything to do with Wall Street, with speculators, with political payoffs and with profits for gas companies, who are hoping to cash in quick before the public wakes up and understands that something very unnatural is going on.

Why Can’t We Talk About Food?

In the national debate over health care, we didn't hear much about food.  We heard about prescription drugs, co-pays, pre-existing conditions, doctor networks, diagnostic tests and so on, but no one talked about food.

Which is really an amazing thing, considering the indisputable fact that food is the most important factor in determining your overall health. Your body makes everything - your muscles, your bones, your hair, your skin - everything, out of the raw materials you put in.

Quite literally, you are what you had for dinner last night and what you had for breakfast this morning.

 

Now I know food is a very personal issue, and people tend to get really upset if you tell them what they should and should not eat, but honestly, folks, we're at the tipping point here. 

Somebody has to teach the obese teenager making his way up to the fast food counter to order another double cheeseburger with fries and a giant soft drink that his choices are going to spell a lifetime of trouble for him.

Sure, there may be some nutrients in the pickle or the potato.  There might be some protein in the meat. But look at the rest of the meal:

            the incredible amounts of sugar and fat

            the GMO ingredients in the soda, the cheese, ketchup, the bread

            the antibiotics in the meat

            the pesticides in the lettuce

How do those things help a growing body? What happens after years of eating that kind of food? Who is going to say something? And when?

One of our doctor friends says that taking your child to a fast food restaurant on a regular basis should be considered child abuse. I agree.

Kids whose parents let them eat junk food deserve a better future - one without physical pain, doctors, waiting rooms, diagnostics, medications, co-pays, pre-existing conditions.

We should teach our kids how to eat. It may not be politically correct, and it may not be popular, but it's the right thing to do.  

 DAW

Working with - and for - the DEC!

For almost ten years, we've been training landscapers and turf managers in the science of non-toxic lawn care. So it was nice to be selected by New York's Department of Environmental Conservation ("DEC") to develop and present a series of DEC-sponsored natural turf management training programs for school personnel and private contractors this fall.

The training programs are in support of the landmark Child Safe Playing Fields Act, passed in 2010, which prohibits the use of most pesticides on playing fields and playgrounds of all schools and day care centers in New York State.

And so, in September and October, under the watchful eye of the DEC, Grassroots presented six, one-day courses at locations all across the state, and also produced a 3-hour webinar for those who were unable to attend any of the trainings in person. The instructor for all of the courses was nationally-recognized natural turf expert Charles ("Chip") Osborne.

The programs covered all of the basics of natural turf management, including practical hands-on tips for turf managers, and won rave reviews from more than 200 attendees, including personnel from the DEC who attended as observers at each of the programs.

We are glad to see our state government enthusiastically endorsing natural turf management, and proud to work alongside the DEC to help train personnel. We hope this collaboration will continue in the future.

The Radioactive Genie in the Fracking Bottle

Last week in Albany, we released a report that finds that horizontal hydrofracking in New York State is likely to produce significantly higher amounts of radioactive waste than previously believed, and that the NYS DEC has not demonstrated the ability to properly analyze the potential impact of radiation exposure or take adequate steps to protect the public.

Once radioactive material comes up out of the ground along with the gas, the problem is what to do with it. The radioactivity lasts for tens of thousands of years, and it is virtually impossible to eliminate or mitigate. Sooner or later, it's going to end up in our environment and eventually our food chain. It's a problem with no good solution.

According to the EPA, exposure to radium increases the risk of cancer. Radium also decays into radon, which is the second leading cause of lung cancer. The EPA has been extremely critical of New York State's plans for dealing with the radiation from fracking, but no one seems to be paying much attention. So we commissioned the report.

The report, Consideration of Radiation in Hazardous Waste Produced from Horizontal Hydrofracking, was authored by Ivan White, a career scientist with the Congressionally-chartered National Council on Radiation Protection. There he helped develop computer programs for radiation risk assessment and assisted in the formulation of national policies on radiation protection for civilian and military personnel.

"Radioactive materials and chemical wastes do not just go away when they are released into the environment. They remain active and potentially lethal, and can show up years later in unexpected places," writes White. " They bio-accumulate in the food chain, eventually reaching humans. Under the proposal for horizontal hydrofracking in New York State, there are insufficient precautions for monitoring potential pathways or to even know what is being released into the environment."

See our new flyer on radioactive waste.