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Municipal Pioneers

More U.S. Cities Leaving the Grid

[dropcap]N[/dropcap]assau, New York, a town of 5,000 outside Albany, plans to ramp up a combination of rooftop- and ground-mounted solar, wind turbine and landfill methane-capture technologies to generate 100 percent of its power from renewable sources by 2020. “If all goes as planned, within the next four years, all six of the town buildings will be disconnected from the grid,” says Nassau Supervisor Dave Fleming.

The New York Department of Public Services wants this trend to grow through its Reforming Energy Vision (REV) initiative. Governor Andrew Cuomo’s administration is actively working to help municipalities, especially core towns and schools, move toward getting a significant portion of their power from renewable resources. Smaller, cleaner, power systems are less costly and cleaner alternatives to the traditional larger electrical stations.

San Diego, California, recently committed to securing 100 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2035. It’s the largest American city to do so. Already, at least 13 U.S. cities, including San Francisco; Burlington, Vermont; and Aspen, Colorado, have committed to 100 percent clean energy. Las Vegas is among other major cities aiming to follow suit. Hawaii has pledged the same by 2045, the most ambitious standard set by a U.S. state to date. Source: EcoWatch.com

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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