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Corn Guzzler

Downsides of Ethanol

Ethanol, which makes up 10 percent of the gasoline available at filling stations, together with other biofuels made from crops, might have appeared to be a way to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. However, recent research shows that the federal government’s push to up production of corn-derived ethanol as a gasoline additive since the U.S. Renewable Fuels Standard was enacted in 2007 has instead expanded our national carbon footprint and contributed to a range of other problems.

The nonprofit Environmental Working Group warns that continued production of corn ethanol is both worse for the climate than gasoline and also bad for farmers, the land and consumers. “It’s driving up food prices, straining agricultural markets, increasing competition for arable land and promoting conversion of uncultivated land to grow crops,” according to this watchdog organization.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is reportedly weighing a proposal to cut the amount of ethanol currently required by law to be blended into gasoline by 1.39 billion gallons, equivalent to taking 580,000 cars off the roads for a year. Researchers have been trying to develop greener forms of ethanol, but none are ready for market yet.

For more information, visit epa.gov/otaq/fuels/renewablefuels.

 

 

Global Briefs
Tick Talk

Spring officially sprung on March 21. We have turned our clocks ahead. We are looking forward to warm winds, sunny skies and the smell of fresh cut grass. The daffodils and tulips have recently bloomed and we are just starting with the yard work that comes with the warmer weather.  Sadly, another season has started ramping up.  Tick season.

•             The best form of protection is prevention. Educating oneself about tick activity and how our behaviors overlap with tick habitats is the first step.

•             According to the NJ DOH, in 2022 Hunterdon County led the state with a Lyme disease incidence rate of 426 cases per 100,000 people. The fact is ticks spend approximately 90% of their lives not on a host but aggressively searching for one, molting to their next stage or over-wintering. This is why a tick remediation program should be implemented on school grounds where NJ DOH deems high risk for tick exposure and subsequent attachment to human hosts.

•             Governor Murphy has signed a bill that mandates tick education in NJ public schools. See this for the details.  Tick education must now be incorporated into K-12 school curriculum. See link:

https://www.nj.gov/education/broadcasts/2023/sept/27/TicksandTick-BorneIllnessEducation.pdf

•             May is a great month to remind the public that tick activity is in full swing. In New Jersey, there are many tickborne diseases that affect residents, including Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, Powassan, and Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis.

•             For years, the focus has mainly been about protecting ourselves from Lyme disease. But other tick-borne diseases are on the rise in Central Jersey. An increase of incidence of Babesia and Anaplasma are sidelining people too. These two pathogens are scary because they effect our blood cells. Babesia affects the red blood cells and Anaplasma effects the white blood cells.

•             Ticks can be infected with more than one pathogen. When you contract Lyme it is possible to contract more than just that one disease. This is called a co-infection. It is super important to pay attention to your symptoms. See link.

https://twp.freehold.nj.us/480/Disease-Co-Infection

A good resource from the State:

https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/tickborne.shtml

 

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