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This photo shows microplastic debris that has washed up at Depoe Bay. Photo: Andrew Selsky/AP

Study reports plastic bottles shed microplastics into drinking water

A study from January 2024 found that plastic bottles slough off over 100,000 micro- and nano-plastics (MNPs) per liter of water. Even avoiding plastic bottles as a water source, water straight from the tap or from a filtration system is still contaminated with microplastics.  Recent studies showed that the human body contains about a credit card amount of microplastics, on

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Pedestrians walked along Stanton Street past the Children’s Magical Garden. Photo by Ben Fractenberg/THE CITY

How to Join a Community Garden in New York City

This story was originally published by THE CITY. Sign up to get the latest New York City news delivered to you each morning. If you’re looking for a spot of tranquility in the city this summer, there are more than 500 of them dotted across all five boroughs, growing everything from roses to rutabagas.  For decades, community gardens have served as gathering and educational

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This photo shows microplastic debris that has washed up at Depoe Bay. Photo: Andrew Selsky/AP

Study reports plastic bottles shed microplastics into drinking water

A study from January 2024 found that plastic bottles slough off over 100,000 micro- and nano-plastics (MNPs) per liter of water. Even avoiding plastic bottles as a water source, water straight from the tap or from a filtration system is still contaminated with microplastics.  Recent studies showed that the human body contains about a credit card amount of microplastics, on

Read More »
Pedestrians walked along Stanton Street past the Children’s Magical Garden. Photo by Ben Fractenberg/THE CITY

How to Join a Community Garden in New York City

This story was originally published by THE CITY. Sign up to get the latest New York City news delivered to you each morning. If you’re looking for a spot of tranquility in the city this summer, there are more than 500 of them dotted across all five boroughs, growing everything from roses to rutabagas.  For decades, community gardens have served as gathering and educational

Read More »

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A boy walks on the plastic waste at the Badhwar Park beach on the Arabian Sea coast on World Environment Day in Mumbai, India, June 5, 2023. Negotiators at UN-led talks in Nairobi have failed to agree on how to advance work towards the development of a global treaty to end plastic pollution. Environmental advocates say some oil-producing governments used stalling tactics designed to ultimately weaken the treaty. Photo: Rajanish Kakade/AP

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U.S. has its first national strategy to reduce plastic pollution — here are 3 strong points and 1 big gap

Plastic waste is piling up at a daunting pace around the world. The World Bank estimates that every person on the planet generates an average of 1.6 pounds (0.74 kilograms) of plastic waste daily. To curb this flow, 175 nations are negotiating a binding international treaty on plastic pollution, with a completion target of late 2024. In July 2024, the Biden administration released

Hakeem Jeffries addressing the crowd. Photo by Wayne Daren Schneiderman

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Rep. Jeffries presents nearly $1 million to Billion Oyster Project

CANARSIE — Oysters are more than simply delicacies for consumption. The filter feeders serve as a natural water filter, form reefs that increase habitat and subsequent marine biodiversity levels, and also help protect the city’s shorelines from storm surges. On the afternoon of Aug. 14, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries clearly acknowledged the importance of these bivalves by announcing that

A blue rectangular piece of microplastic sits on the finger of a researcher with the University of Washington-Tacoma environmental science program, after it was found in debris collected from the Thea Foss Waterway, in Tacoma, Wash., on May 19, 2010. Photo: Ted S. Warren/AP

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Microplastics are everywhere, but are they harming us?

NEW YORK — Microplastics have been found in the ocean and the air, in our food and water. They have been found in a wide range of body tissues, including the heart, liver, kidneys and even testicles. But are they actually harming you? Evidence suggests they might, but it’s limited in scope. Some researchers are worried, but acknowledge there are

Howard Dean speaking at a conference several years ago in Danville, PA. Photo: Matt Rourke/AP

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Climate Change Could Return Us to the Pre-Antibiotic Era

The extreme heat that recently blanketed the United States is a clear sign of climate change. But rising temperatures are fueling more than just hotter summers. Climate change is contributing to the spread of drug-resistant infections. And alarmingly, the medicines we use to fight those pathogens are losing their effectiveness. Antimicrobial resistance, or AMR, occurs when bacteria, viruses, and other