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Happy Earth Day. Earth Day is meant to raise awareness about various environmental issues, such as air pollution, water pollution, deforestation, habitat destruction and lack of biodiversity, sustainable energy, reduction of energy usage, climate changes and issues relating to global warning, ecological crisis, species poaching and loss of species, and environmental policies.

One very important issues of concern lately is Neonicotinoid pesticides and its detrimental impact on the Bee population. Neonicotinoids are a class of neuro-active insecticides chemically related to nicotine. This class of  insecticides has been in existence since the 1980′s initially developed by Shell and further developed by Bayer in the 1990′s. The neonicotinoids were initially developed because they showed reduced toxicity to mammals compared to the previously used insecticides which were organophosphate and carbamate. However, these toxins have always been harmful to insects.

Researches have linked Neonicontinoid to the Honey Bee’s inability to learn scents, hampering their esfforts to collect food. Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) first discovered in 2005, has dramatically worsen within this last year. Honey Bee deaths are on the rise around the globe, with a commercial loss of hives at 40% to 50% that’s approximately 5,650,000 lost hives, valued at $1.61 billion. Needless to say that loss of the honey Bee population is a threat to U.S. Agriculture and according to Albert Einstein “If the honey bee becomes extinct, mankind will follow within four years.” Italy, France, Slovenia and Germany have taken action to limit the use of bee-killing pesticides.  In January 2013, the European Food Safety Authority stated that neonicotinoids pose an unacceptably high risk to bees.  The European Commission has also  pushed for neonicotinoid pesticide ban in Euorpe, but chemical companies such as Syngenta and Bayer have loudly protested.  What can we expect from The U.S. Department of Agriculture? Probably about as much as we expected regarding food labeling of GMO foods. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is currently in the midst of approving a deadly NEW neonicotinoid called Sulfoxaflor.

What can we do? Well, as the food movement learned regarding GMO Food Labeling with the failure of Prop 37, we can’t outspend “Big Food” and large named corporations with deep pockets who are causing irreparable harm to the environment and to human life. Additionally, we can’t out campaign them, but we can potentially outsmart them. As with many things that are out of our control, I think it helps to drive awareness, because our efforts large or small due make a difference. We do have a voice, we can help in this instance by asking Congress to Ban Neonicotinoid Pesticides before they completely devastate the U. S. Bee Population.

Boston Strong on Earth Day

On Earth day as my focus moved from our food, the environment and the many hazards that both the healthy and chronically afflicted are exposed to, to focusing on our loss of peace and the demand for justice in Boston. I could not help but think pf our community as we return to a form of normalcy. We usually spend a great day in Boston doing something earth day related, but after the bombings and subsequent lock down of the city, which lead to the apprehension of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, in an area that is a short distance from where my family once lived, we elected to donate our earth day time to paying our respects to so many who were affected by the bombings.  We would have attended the Boston Marathon this year as we do each year, if my youngest weren’t on crutches. We actually cheered for my sister-n-law who ran in the Marathon for the first time this year. We also had many friends who were also running and though forever touched by this horrible incident, all came away completely unscathed. On this earth day we honored  8 year old Martin Richard, 29 year old Krystle Campbell, 23 year old BU Grad Student Lingzi Lu of China and 23 year old MIT Police officer Sean Collieral and the many victims the Boston Marathon bombings. We prayed for peace and comfort for the families, along with gratitude and appreciation for own safety and for those we know and love. A calmness has been restored to the Boston area. Peace and hope have been restored in all of our hearts, along with renewed faith and confidence in humanity. Through the vigilance of those who helped on the day of the bombing to our law enforcement agencies who were on the ground until the suspect was apprehended. We can only hope now that circumstances will allow justice to be served in an appropriate manner. May Peace light & love be with each of you and may we all continue to be Boston Strong.