As I sat there and watched the only one real ‘expert’/spokesperson in the sessions that is truly committed to providing protections for our environment battle, it really was a ‘David & Goliath’ scenario. A very knowledgeable, environmental advocate, Justin Hayes from Idaho Conservation League has had some assistance in these sessions from informed citizens and even a representative from an affected municipality, but overall, it’s just been Mr Hayes fighting ‘Goliath’.

In the latest session on July 21st, the issue of bonding was debated quite heatedly, specifically because of Justin Hayes’ attempts to task the Department of Lands with providing adequate bonding requirements on the natural gas well drilling companies. The Department of Lands had sought out bonding statistics from some other western states that allow fracking, to assist them determining bond amounts.

Essentially, the Department of Lands is leaning towards “blanket bonds” for the natural gas wells, rather than individual bonds for each one. This of course, is the preferred method by the Oil & Gas Industry, because it is the most inexpensive. Then, the Department of Lands likes it, because it will also mean less paperwork, than bonding each individual well.

Justin Hayes (Idaho Conservation League) pointed out to the group that he felt they were making a poor choice by even offering blanket bonds, as that creates a situation where it is possible that taxpayers would be stuck footing the bill if a company abandoned their wells. He argued that every well should be covered by an individual bond.

The ‘gas folks’ really didn’t like that recommendation and the discussion became heated. The gas companies basically said they obviously would not support an individual bond on each well and Eric Wilson from the Idaho Department of Lands decided to just move on from that discussion.

One quick note regarding the bonding amounts. Mr. Wilson commented that these amounts were to cover the cost of plugging and abandoning a well – including reclaiming the surface. He said it is impossible to ‘restore’ the surface area, and that the rules for reclaiming would state something to the affect that 70% of the area’s ground cover must be similar to the surrounding area (apparently this is the standard for mining practices in the state).

Despite the somewhat negative information displayed in this post, I still feel that there are many issues that the communities and their governing agencies can do, to provide proactive protections for the environment. I urge anyone who has been affected by any natural gas drilling activities in any community, to please share with me what actions you have found to make the most impact in this area.

I also know that David did truly slay Goliath, therefore, I have hope.

The bobble contains a built-in filter, that filters contaminants out of  tap water. The actual plastic bottle is made from FDA approved recycled PET that is free of BPA, Phthalates and PVC & is 100% recyclable.

Each bobble filter is intended to filter at least 300 bottles, about 40 gallons or 150 liters. The company estimates that each filter should last approximately two months.

The bobble is going to solve a HUGE personal dilemma that I currently have, pertaining to drinking water away from home. Because at home, I have the option to use a built in reverse-osmosis system at my sink and/or filter the water with my Shaklee Get Clean® Water Dispenser.

I am always leaving the house with a full stainless steel, reusable bottle full of filtered water, but after I’ve drank it all, that’s where the problem starts. Knowing that I don’t like to drink unfiltered tap water due to taste and potential chemical content, I sometimes must concede to buying a bottle of water from a local store, to get me through my day.

Once I purchase that single-use plastic bottle filled with water, I’ve defeated the purpose of bringing pre-filtered water in my own bottle to start with. Then, I’m just adding to my energy carbon footprint, which is a bad thing.

The folks over at Ethical Ocean have a great infographic of the Energy Footprint of Bottled Water. The graphic shows how much energy is used, just for the creation of  one plastic water bottle. It is estimated that bottled water uses 1400 times more energy than tap water.

Where do you get your bobble from? Well, it’s available from their company website and there are also several retailers carrying the bobble. I’ll be purchasing mine this week, so I’ll be able to carry it with me as a back up for routine activity, as well as when traveling.

Be sure to check out the bobble website and also watch the below video about this fantastic environmentally friendly product. I symbolically raise my ‘booble’ to toast this environmentally conscious company. Kudos to bobble’s!

Bridge Resources Corporation of Canada has been drilling natural gas wells in the area and must also build a Compression Station to pipe the drilled gas and residual fluids to. The compression station will be unmanned, and its only activity will be commercial tanker traffic, taking the extracted 80,000 plus gallons of oil and liquid waste to undisclosed locations.

Besides the truck and other industrial activity traffic and stresses, people living near Compressor Stations could develop a life-threatening condition from the constant low-level noise called ‘vibro-acoustic disease’. Some of the resulting symptoms of that can be depression, increased irritability and aggressiveness, a tendency for isolation, and decreased cognitive skills.

Despite it being an unmanned facility, thus creating no local jobs, it will have emissions that have been shown to increase the chance of deaths from respiratory and  cardiovascular diseases, as well as increasing the rate of premature births and low birth weights.

Disposal of oil and liquid waste, as well as noise and air emissions, are currently unregulated and have not been addressed by the local governing agencies. The property values in other communities where natural gas well drilling and compression stations are in use, have experienced property value reductions of up to 60%.

Who will benefit from this Compressor Station? Not the homeowners who live in the affected area, some for 50 plus years. The environment and the wildlife won’t benefit either. We need to be using clean alternative energy sources, but natural gas isn’t clean energy. There are numerous proven renewable energy options in this day and age. It’s a matter of people being educated on the detriments and values of each, and then the decision is really a no-brainer.

Payette County citizens will have an opportunity to voice these and other concerns at the Planning & Zoning Meeting on Thursday, July 14, 2011 at 7:00 at the Payette County Courthouse.

The below video shows the effects of a Compression Station.

It was last summer that I wrote this post. I found it interesting that one year later, the information is still spot-on and thus, I continue to share this message to anyone who will listen. I hope it will be beneficial to all of you:

For those of us who defied the Surgeon General’s warning on the cigarette package for all those years…. We all know,  how valid the warning was and still is.

And now,  research has proven that many products that families are using in our homes around their children and family, can be detrimental to their health.

In a report from the NIEHS (National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences), the following statement pretty much sums up what all the research is saying:

Children are highly vulnerable to the negative health consequences associated with many environmental exposures. Children receive proportionately larger doses of environmental toxicants than adults, and the fact that their organs and tissues are rapidly developing makes them particularly susceptible. Research in children’s health looks at the effects of air pollution on respiratory diseases such as allergies and asthma, the impact of lead, mercury, and other environmental contaminants on cognitive development and behavior, and the influence of prenatal and early life exposures on growth and development.

So, what’s stopping you from making the switch over to greener and cleaner products in your home? Money, convenience, not knowing what products are safe to use? I’ve prepared a little survey about these issues and would appreciate each reader taking it for me. It should take less than 5 minutes to complete it!

There are many reputable brands of non-toxic cleaning products available on the market, besides the ones that I distribute. For most of them, it’s fairly easy to find out what the ingredients are and if any of them, can pose some type of health hazard to your family. Two of the websites that I most commonly refer to are:

Environmental Working Group – www.ewg.org

US Dept of Health & Human Services – http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov

You can also obtain a free report that lists many of the commonly used household cleaners and their ingredients by going to: www.4greenplanetsolutions.com. There’s an excellent video called Toxic Brew on that webpage, that talks more about the unseen exposures right in our homes.

Besides the retail products, you already have some natural products right in your cupboard; vinegar, lemon juice and baking soda. There are numerous online resources with suggestions of how to dilute and use these products.

Make it a greener and cleaner summer. The changes may very well make a positive health and financial impact to your family. If, you just don’t know where to start, feel free to contact me with any questions or ideas. I certainly don’t have all the answers, but love the chance to research and find them !!

Oregon’s bill proposes removal of BPA from baby bottles, sippy cups and reusable water bottles. Toxic BPA has been linked to several increasing children’s developmental problems.

Representative Ben Cannon, a state legislative sponsor of the Oregon BPA-Free Baby Bill (SB 695) filed a “discharge petition” that will allow this important kids’ health bill to come to a vote of the full House, instead of staying stuck in committee for who knows how long. 24 Oregon representatives have signed on already, but for the discharge petition to work, 31 members of the Oregon House of Representatives must sign it by today, June 1, 2011.

Oregon residents need to take immediate action and contact their representatives about this issue. They can use the online link to find them and send an email, but a phone call would definitely be helpful, also.