In addition to many of the chemicals used in manufacturing processes, many of the chemicals found in our personal care and hygiene products are known to seep into our waterways and ultimately, end up in our drinking water. Yet, if we choose carefully while shopping, and buy eco-safe consumer products which have 100% biodegradable material, then we can help to mitigate the impacts of our behavior on public health and the environment. 

This Summer, you can choose a safer sunscreen, or make your own! Studies show that we only need about 25 SPF, or try (play!) using a scarf or umbrella! In Hawaii, public advocates and policymakers are setting up to ban sunscreen chemicals like Oxybenzone and octinoxate which are destroying coral reefs. This means that we can do the same here with Long Island’s drinking water supply too!

Protect Our Oceans: Ban Toxic Chemicals from Coral Reefs Find out ways that you can help at the Nature Conservancy

“In Hawaii, a study conducted last year by the nonprofit, Haereticus Environmental Laboratory, at the iconic snorkeling spot Hanauma Bay, found that the nearly 2,600 average daily visitors left about 412 pounds of sunscreen in the ocean. The damaging effects of sunscreen can occur in concentrations as low as 62 parts per trillion, which is equivalent to one drop of oxybenzone in six Olympic-sized swimming pools.” It is important to note that ocean pollution comes from both people wearing sunscreen, as well as through wastewater streams that are sent to the sea.

Reported by BuzzFeed: “Oxybenzone and octinoxate are found in almost all common sunscreens, including products sold by Hawaiian Tropic, Banana Boat, and Coppertone, as well as some face lotions.”

Long Islanders Concerned About Our Drinking Supply Water

As reported by the New York Times, in 2009, a piece of legislation was passed to ban residential fertilizer use altogether within 20 feet of any natural body of water, including wetlands; though far short of the 100-foot setback originally sought by the sponsor, Legislator Jay H. Schneiderman of Montauk. Now, a bill introduced by State Sen. Kemp Hannon (R-Nassau County) and Assemblyman Steven Englebright (D-Setauket) has passed the Assembly to further amend the Environmental Conservation Law (ECL). The bill would require that all non-agriculture fertilizer (ahem, lawncare products!) which are sold and used in Nassau and Suffolk County, must contain no more than 12% nitrogen by weight. 

This is a small win, but still an expansion of Long Islander’s campaign to rein in fertilizer overuse for many environmental activists and public health advocates, including members from Grassroots Environmental Education, Water for Long Island, Sierra Club Long Island, Save the Great South Bay and many, many more. Please help us continue our conservation efforts and reach out to members of the NY Legislature with Letters of Support. There are sample letters and email addresses up on the ILoveLongIsland website.

Also, click here to view sample letters, bullet points and addresses. Try to use your words and tell your story! 

TIME IS CRITICAL. PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TODAY!

And Thank You for your support of I Love Long Island!

“Algae blooms that lead to fish kills, contaminated drinking water – all byproducts of an abundance of nitrogen. The primary source is sewage or wastewater, but “the second biggest nitrogen problem is with fertilizers,” explained Patti Wood, executive director of Grassroots Environmental Education from Long Island.” – CBS News

Romaine Riddle: Why the E. Coli
Outbreak Eludes Food Investigators

A major overhaul to safeguard the country’s produce is not yet in place—weaknesses in the Food Safety Modernization Act—confounding attempts to shut down virulent strains or prevent them altogether.

Even if you don’t live near Arizona, don’t brush this off. Most of the people infected live in the Northeast, including in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut.

Though the outbreak of E. coli bacteria linked to romaine lettuce grown in Arizona seems to be over, investigators still aren’t exactly sure what caused one of the worst outbreaks of its kind in recent years. More than 120 people have been reported ill in more than two dozen states, and at least one person has died. 

“Scientists searching for a toxic strain of E. coli that has raced across 25 states, sickening 121 people and killing one, have been able to identify the general source as the Yuma, Ariz., growing region. But as the outbreak enters its second month, they still cannot find the contamination itself — it could be lurking in the area’s fields, water sources, harvesting equipment, processing plants or distribution centers. Federal officials predict that the outbreak, linked to romaine lettuce, will continue for several weeks. It is the largest American E. coli flare-up since 2006, when tainted spinach sickened 199 people across 26 states. The current outbreak, and particularly obstacles to tracing it, underscore vulnerabilities in the monitoring of fresh produce.” – NY Times

Public Interest Groups Fight to Protect Our Right to Know

“For two years, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has been testing your food for glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup weedkiller. According to internal FDA emails, test results show that hundreds of commonly consumed foods contain glyphosate. Yet so far, none of that information has been made public. Thanks to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request by watchdog group U.S. Right to Know, the FDA’s secret is out. Yet according to an article by U.S. Right to Know’s Carey Gillam, the agency is downplaying the results—and making no apologies for hiding the information from the public.” -Organic Consumer’s Association

Stephen Ritz, Our Hero from the Bronx, Wins Global Educator Award

“Stephen Ritz, the Bronx, New York teacher who created the Green Bronx Machine to promote healthy eating and community participation in one of the poorest districts in America, will receive the Global Educator Award from Seeds & Chips, a Milan-based organization that brings food and technology together to create a better food system for the future. The award, which recognizes extraordinary achievements by teachers and educators to integrate food innovation into their curricula, is being presented to Mr. Ritz in recognition of his outstanding work in developing a school-based model of urban agriculture.” – Seeds and Chips