Far removed from the traditional livestock practices of the old west, industrial-like Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) now dominate U.S. livestock production. These CAFOs, commonly referred to as factory farms, are operations in which: (1) animals are kept and raised in confined situations; (2) animals, feed, manure and urine, dead animals, and production operations are maintained on a small land area; and (3) no grazing is allowed; feed is brought to the animals.
Read MoreChemicals have been incorporated into daily life as they serve many advantageous uses. Over time, and with rapid technological advances, it is difficult to identify items in our day-to-day lives that do not utilize or benefit from the addition of chemicals. Despite their advantages, these chemicals can pose serious hazardous risks that consumers are unaware of.
Read MoreThe Social Cost of Carbon (SCC) is a metric used to determine the economic value of one ton of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This metric is an important tool for estimating the broad economic impacts of each additional ton of GHG emissions that are released into the atmosphere.
Read MoreA Colorado watchdog group has filed a federal lawsuit to prevent the construction of the Rocky Flats Greenway due to the risk of plutonium contamination. The Greenway would connect Westminster Open Space to Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge.
Read MoreWhile plastics have been around for over a century, it was not until 1971 that plastics were discovered in the middle of the ocean. Today, plastic is synonymous with pollution. There is nowhere in the world that plastic has left untouched.
Read MoreColorado has a looming problem. A problem visible most days in the form of a giant smog cloud that hugs the skyline of the Front Range. This smog cloud, caused mostly by emissions from the burning of fossil fuels, is an ozone cloud.
Read MoreIn 1907, arguably one of the most transformative inventions of the modern world was born; synthetic plastic. Since that time, every object known to man likely contains polyethylene, the world’s most abundant plastic.
Read MorePFAS are a class of dangerous ‘forever chemicals’ that pose a serious risk to public health around the world. Governments need to take swift action to restrict PFAS production in order to prevent further accumulation of these chemicals in our environment and protect public health.
Read MoreCarbon capture and sequestration (CCS) is a technology that has the potential to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from power plants and other industrial facilities. Colorado has been identified as one of three places in the southwestern United States with possible geographical sequestration formations that would allow it to serve as a regional sequestration sink. There are numerous risks that carbon sequestration carries.
Read MoreWhat happens when technology made for the good goes bad? Unfortunately, solar panel waste is a growing problem as photovoltaics gain traction in our energy economy. According to NREL, these “decommissioned PV modules could total 1 million tons of waste in the United States by 2030, or 1% of the world’s e-waste. This presents not only waste management concerns but also opportunities for materials recovery and secondary markets.”
Read MoreOn June 2, 2022, the Colorado General Assembly signed a new piece of legislation aimed at improving air quality and protecting residents’ health. The bill, entitled “Public Protections From Toxic Air Contaminants” (HB22-1244), updated the Colorado Air Pollution Prevention and Control Act by establishing the state’s first health-based ambient air quality standards. The purpose of this legislation is to “prioritize and protect the health and well-being of all Coloradans,” focusing particularly on sensitive and vulnerable groups, such as children, the elderly, and those living in disproportionately impacted communities. In order to achieve this goal, this bill sets three priorities: (1) identifying toxic air contaminants; (2) reporting emissions data; and (3) setting health-based standards and emission control regulations.
Read MoreFor the first time since Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (“CERCLA”) establishment the EPA is executing their authority under Section 102 to designate an additional hazardous substance.
Read MoreIt is well known that blood has an extensive range, as it irrigates to the body’s organs and acts as a highway for oxygen, nutrients, and as discovered by a new study—plastic. On March 24, 2022 a study was released that uncovered the first measurement of plastic in human blood. This study sampled blood from twenty-two healthy volunteers, with the goal of discovering plastic particle absorption across the membranes in the human body.
Read MoreThe Colorado Legislature recently moved to hold plastic producers responsible for recycling and other waste services. House Bill 22-1355 was introduced during the 2022 regular session for the Colorado General Assembly. The bill, publicly referred to as the “Producer Responsibility Bill,” would create a producer responsibility program in Colorado in an effort to implement better management practices for recycling programs.
Read MoreIn November the nation was shocked by the discovery that 14,000 gallons of jet-fuel leaked into ground water of the Hawaiian island, Oahu. The fuel was reported to have contaminated the drinking water supplied to 93,000 military and civilian residents. This spill resulted in a reported 5,000 illnesses and 3,000 families displaced due to the contaminated water supply which has yet to be deemed safe.
Read MoreElectronics have supercharged our lives, making it easier to stay in touch with loved ones, keep our homes clean with ease, and quickly access important blog posts – like this one. However, a crisis has emerged parallel to our increasingly electrified society, as e-waste the world’s “fastest-growing solid-waste stream.”
Read MoreThat’s right, 35% of the microplastics in the ocean are microfibers from domestic laundry. Microfibers are primary microplastics , meaning that they are created to be small in size, similar to microbeads, rather than secondary microplastics which are microplastics that have fragmented from larger plastic items due to damage and weathering (usually from food containers, disposable utensils, and fishing equipment). Microfibers are created by the polymerization of oil monomers to create plastic polymers .
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