#Pesticides

[headspace-hotel]

In the library I have been reading lots of books about pesticides and related topics. The library's physical print collection skews toward older books, so there are lots of books over 50 years old.

I will share the findings in subsequent reblogs, but for now I'll say this: Filmmakers and novelists working in the most gory, nauseating crevices of the horror genre could never dream something more twisted, disgusting and absolutely blood-curdling as a book about Turfgrass Lawns from the 1960's.

#lawns #kill your lawn #pesticides

[reasonsforhope]

"An estimated six million tonnes of used coffee grounds are created annually. Most go to landfill, generating methane and CO2, or are incinerated for energy.

It’s an obvious waste of a byproduct still rich in compounds (if not flavour). On a domestic level, try directing your cafetiere contents to your garden, not your bin: used coffee grounds are excellent as an addition to home compost bins and wormeries, a mulch for roses and a deterrent to snails. And on a global scale, science might have the answer.

A new study in the Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology suggests that used coffee could hold the key to a pressing environmental problem: agricultural contamination.

How could old coffee grounds solve agricultural pollution?

Scientists from Brazil’s Federal Technological University of Paraná found that leftover coffee can absorb bentazone, a herbicide frequently used in agriculture.

When old coffee grounds are activated with zinc chloride, their carbon content becomes 70 per cent more efficient in removing the herbicide.

The study’s tests involved bentazone dissolved in liquid and treated with activated carbon from used coffee grounds, to see how it affected onion root tissues called meristems. All plants grow from meristem tissue and a plant’s development is disrupted when its meristems are damaged.

If the test can be replicated on an industrial scale, it would be an environmental double whammy: diverting coffee waste from landfill and preventing damage to wildlife and nature from herbicides.

Why is bentazone a problem?

...The UK’s Environment Agency cites bentazone as having the potential to affect long-term water quality and lead to an increased need to treat the UK’s drinking water sources. The herbicide has been shown to impact human health if it is inhaled, ingested or absorbed through the skin.

While this is only preliminary research and more studies are needed to determine efficacy of activated coffee grounds on a global scale, it’s a promising start. The authors of the study say their results “suggest a circular economy solution for spent coffee grounds that are currently discarded without any recycling or reuse system”. We can all drink to that."

-via EuroNews.green March 25/2024

#coffee #coffee grounds #circular economy #brazil #uk #united kingdom #pesticides #herbicides #environment #pollution #agriculture #good news #hope

[hope-for-the-planet]

A historic legal agreement approved in federal district court yesterday afternoon commits the Environmental Protection Agency to a suite of proposed reforms to better protect endangered species from pesticides. The settlement, which covers more than 300 pesticide active ingredients, marks the culmination of the largest Endangered Species Act case ever filed against the EPA. Under the agreement’s terms, the EPA will develop strategies to reduce the harm to endangered species from broad groups of pesticides, including herbicides and insecticides, while taking further steps to target meaningful, on-the-ground protections to endangered species most vulnerable to harm from pesticides.

Thanks @walking-on-a-scream for the submission!

#submission #endangered species #good news #hope #pesticides #herbicides #insecticides #environment #endangered species act #legal

[mindblowingscience]

UC Riverside scientists have discovered a tiny worm species that infects and kills insects. These worms, called nematodes, could control crop pests in warm, humid places where other beneficial nematodes are currently unable to thrive. This new species is a member of a family of nematodes called Steinernema that have long been used in agriculture to control insect parasites without pesticides. Steinernema are not harmful to humans or other mammals and were first discovered in the 1920s.

Continue Reading.

#Science #Animals #Enviroment #Agriculture #Biology #Pesticides #Worms #Nematodes

[wachinyeya]

The student-led startup from Nigeria recycles plastic sachets into paint, and adds an organic insect repellent to fight malaria.

#nigeria #africa #plastic pollution #maleria #insecticides #pesticides #insect repellent #good news #environmentalism #science #environment #nature #plastic recycling #recycling #upcycle #upcycling

[rhetthammersmithhorror]

Hiruko the Goblin ✦ 1991 ✦ 妖怪ハンター ヒルコ

#Hiruko the Goblin #妖怪ハンター ヒルコ #yokai #tokusatsu #Japanese horror #spider #insect #horror #Hammersmith Horror #comedy horror #90s horror #practical effects #camping #Insecticide #pesticides #bug spray

[rebeccathenaturalist]

So. Modern industrialized agriculture uses a LOT of chemicals. Pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers. And we've known for a long time that the excess chemicals end up washing into the nearby waterways, and eventually to the oceans, sickening organisms and damaging ecosystems all along the way. But this actually shows where pesticides in particular are entering into the ocean, and in what quantities.

One really important point made in the article is that it really doesn't take much of a pesticide to do serious harm to living beings; the dose is the poison, after all. And while the oceans are large, they are not infinite; three million metric tons every single year can only be diluted so much. This is to say nothing of the residual pesticides left in the soil, and whose long-term ecological impact we are also still studying.

A lot of our current industrialized agriculture stems from the mid-20th century when it was just assumed there was a chemical to fix everything and bring farming into "modern times." This is why I get excited about regenerative agriculture and other practices that reduce the amount of chemicals needed while maintaining or even boosting harvests. Not only do they mean less pollution, but they also represent less product that a farmer has to pay for, which increases profit. Here's hoping that we can continue finding better, 21st century solutions to agriculture's challenges.

#agriculture #farming #pesticides #pollution #environment #environmentalism #conservation #science #ecology #scicomm #nature #regenerative agriculture

[awesomecooperlove]

⏰💣⚰️

#science #deceit #corruption #danger #warning #scam #toxins #pesticides #foods #health #health care #profits #premature diseases #premature death #crimes against humanity #these people are evil #speaktruth #fight for justice #standup #speak up #truth #wwg1wga #please share

[alorozem]

Silly meme while I work on pest fanart :*

#regretavator #regretevator pest #pesticides #regretevator gnarpy #pest #npc #artwork #fanart #roblox #regretevator spud #wallter regretevator

[probablyasocialecologist]

One of the study’s main findings is that the large use of pesticides and fertilisers on farms in particular is the most significant driver of bird population declines across Europe, including the UK. This does not come as a great surprise – many studies have come to this conclusion. But this is the first study to look at the man-made drivers in one go, using some of the best data available and modern statistical methods. The results are clear.

Agricultural practices began to change significantly after the second world war, as countries introduced measures to increase the output of farms. Yet such efforts to increase output, including an increasing reliance on pesticides and fertilisers, have come at a significant cost to birds and other wildlife – and critically, the overall health of the environment.

A recent UK government report found that the loss of biodiversity, alongside climate change, presented the greatest medium- to long-term threat to domestic food production. Biodiversity loss has consequences for society far beyond endangered species.

#biodiversity #agriculture #pesticides #farming #conservation

[typhlonectes]

#soil #fertilizers #gardens #gardening #homes #home and garden #ecology #environment #conservation #pesticides #herbicides #nature #outdoors

[tomorrowusa]

Large mammals such as elephants, whales, and tigers tend to get a disproportionate amount of attention when it comes to conservation. Birds and beneficial insects are often overlooked.

Northern Ontario residents are building bee hotels to attract them and to encourage them to produce more bees.

Bee my guest: Northerners build hotels for pollinators as spring unfolds

Lawns are one of the worst things for pollinators and birds. They encourage wasteful water practices and unnecessary chemical use.

Michael Pollan put it best...

"A lawn is nature under totalitarian rule."

It's time to help our airborne friends and overthrow the tyranny of lawns.

Natural looking green space may require a bit more effort at the start of the growing season but is a lot less work from week to week. It's worth it just to get rid of the noise pollution and fumes from lawn mowers.

Get your local municipal governments interested in supporting nature-friendly and climate-friendly landscaping practices.

#birds #bees #nature #bee hotels #north ontario #herbicides #pesticides #lawns #conservation #water use #nature under totalitarian rule #michael pollan #kill your lawn #monte wolverton

[eretzyisrael]

Good News From Israel

In the 3rd Mar 24 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:

An IDF veteran drove over 130 miles to take charge of Oct 7 rescue operations.

Israeli sunshine can help grow large families.

A mother of 3 secretly oversees the development of David’s Sling.

An Israeli pesticide makes weeds infertile.

A war cannot stop Israelis from starting new companies.

More sports gold medals for Israelis.

A brave rescued Israeli female hostage has returned to army service.

Read More: Good News From Israel

Not even a war can stop Israel building on its 75-years of success in rebuilding a Jewish State. Israel continues to build up its basket of subsidized medical treatments, create new remedies for global diseases, discover the secret for building bigger families, and construct medical centers for rehabilitating the injured. The latest news includes the Israeli woman who oversees the building of Israel's missile defense system; an Israeli app that rebuilds broken speech into coherent conversation; and 30 Israeli NGOs rebuilding lives in Africa. Israeli startups are restoring the environment, while building efficient EV batteries, hydrogen-powered flying cars, and creating sustainable aviation fuel. Meanwhile, many Jewish citizens of Europe and the US are realizing that now it is the time to build a new life in Israel. The photo (TY Sharon) is of Jerusalem's Hurva and the Tiferet synagogues, rebuilt and being rebuilt, after being blown up by the Jordanian army in 1948.

#AI #Australia #Christians #climate change #displaced #EV batteries #fertility #Gaza #good news #Hamas #hostages #IDF #Israel #Jerusalem #Jewish #medication #migraine #pesticides #startups #survivors

[mindblowingscience]

Scientists have engineered the microbiome of plants for the first time, boosting the prevalence of 'good' bacteria that protect the plant from disease. The findings published in Nature Communications by researchers from the University of Southampton, China and Austria, could substantially reduce the need for environmentally destructive pesticides. There is growing public awareness about the significance of our microbiome—the myriad of microorganisms that live in and around our bodies, most notably in our guts. Our gut microbiomes influence our metabolism, our likelihood of getting ill, our immune system, and even our mood.

Continue Reading.

#Science #Plants #Enviroment #Agriculture #Biology #Microbes #Pesticides #Pollution

[eternalistic]

“A Mexican standoff with the United States turned into a Mexican smack-down this month with the release of Mexico’s formal rebuttal to US efforts to overturn limits Mexico has ordered on the use of genetically modified (GM) corn and the weed killing chemical glyphosate.

In a 189-page report filed with a panel of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), Mexico laid out in stark terms why it has ordered that GM corn not be used for tortillas and dough that people eat and why it has ordered its farmers to stop using glyphosate.

“Mexico has legitimate concerns about the safety and innocuousness of genetically modified corn… and its indissoluble relationship with its technological package that includes glyphosate,” the government’s report states. Mexico cites the “use of dangerous pesticides” as a factor causing “serious health effects.”

There is “clear scientific evidence of the harmful effects of direct consumption of GM corn grain in corn flour, dough, tortilla and related products,” Mexico states. More evidence is needed, Mexico says, to determine “whether and to what extent, such risks are transmitted to food products further downstream…”

The moves are for the “purpose of contributing to food security and sovereignty” and “the health of Mexican men and women”, the Mexican government said when announcing the moves.

The US has asserted that Mexico is not basing its decision on science and is violating agreements under the USMCA trade pact. The battle has intensified over the last year and in its latest response, Mexico didn’t just reject the US arguments, but laid out in detail a wealth of scientific research that backs its concerns.”

#glyphosate #gmo #corn #mexico #USA #United States #USMCA #roundup #pesticides #food #food security #genetically modified

[geohoneylovers]

Bee World: Challenges & Hope 🐝

Are bees endangered? Yes! 🚨 Bees face habitat loss, climate change, and pesticides. Honey bee decline affects our food supply. But there's hope: Stingless bees thrive. Learn bee conservation and join us to protect vital pollinators!

#savethebees #beespecies #endangered #bees #pesticides #climatechange #beeconservation #habitatloss #beefacts #intrestingfacts #facts #pollinators #endangeredspecies #nature #ecosystem #enviroment #insects #pollination #geohoney #naturelover #geohoneylovers