Powerful Forces: Carey Gillam Talks Monsanto, Pesticides, and More

By Katharine Sucher / On October 11th, 2017
Booklist called it a "must-read." Kirkus deemed it a "hard-hitting, eye-opening narrative." To Publishers Weekly it is "a damning picture." Carey Gillam's Whitewash uncovers one of the most controversial stories in the history of food and agriculture at a time when a new political administration has set about slashing regulations of pesticides.

On the 55th Anniversary of Silent Spring

By Larry Nielsen / On September 27th, 2017
On September 27, 1962, a highly-anticipated book hit the shelves. Reactions to it were immediate and strong. The author’s best friend called it “the poison book.” A spokesperson for the agricultural chemical industry called it “…gross distortions of the actual facts, completely unsupported by scientific, experimental evidence….” Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas called it “…the most important chronicle of this century for the human race.” Today we call the book—Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring—the origin of the modern environmental movement.

100% Renewables—for a Healthier California

By Richard Allen Williams, Mary Pittman / On August 21st, 2017
Switching to clean, safe, renewable energy is one of the most important things we can do for the climate, for the health of our communities now, and for the health of future generations.

Natural Defenses Could Fix Our Growing Antibiotic Resistance Problem

By Emily Monosson / On August 3rd, 2017
Untreatable gonorrhea is now a reality—and a sign of a growing threat to public health. Last month, the World Health Organization reported that some strains of the sexually transmitted disease are completely resistant to antibiotics. That means that unless something changes, when the inevitable college student ends up at Student Health with that burning sensation, there may be no respite.  
Island Press | Pexels

Perchlorates and Fireworks: There is Hope

By Emily Monosson / On June 29th, 2017
Who doesn’t love fireworks? (Aside from our dog, our kids when they were little, and apparently birds – although no surprise there really). It’s also likely that those who are responsible for ensuring water quality have mixed feelings when the sparks start flying. I don’t want to be the kill-joy, but when Island Press asked if there are any enviro-downers for fireworks, a single word popped into my mind: perchlorate.
foreword Friday

#ForewordFriday: Nature's Chemistry Edition

By Katharine Sucher / On June 23rd, 2017
Bugs and germs are big problems—and they’re evolving. Each year, 2,300 people in the U.S. die from drug-resistant bacterial infections and farmers lose billions of dollars of crops to insects that evade pesticides. But there is reason for hope. In the fight to protect our food and health, bugs and germs may also be part of the solution. Natural Defense by veteran science writer Emily Monosson is the first book to bring readers into this exciting new world.

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