I spend my workdays reading, writing, and talking about the health impacts of poor air quality, so when the Canadian wildfire smoke hit Pittsburgh this summer, I took a cheap and simple step to clean the air in our home. This DIY air filter is something I actually put in other people’s homes for my last job, which is why I know it works.
A friend recently warned me against using my electric blanket. While there are established risks (including burns and fires), she was talking about health conditions that could be caused by electromagnetic fields. Hypothesizing about health impacts from environmental exposures can walk a fine line between conscientious public health research and pseudoscience. The difference between the two lies in what we do with answers we get.
The hardest thing any pet parent will have to do is make the choice to end suffering. It’s not something we care to think about, but it is perhaps the most important way we can show up for the ones who love us the most. My vet supported me through the worst experience of my life, but I realized that these professionals need support too.
There are clear benefits to organic gardening, but are there situations in which an organic solution can do more harm than the chemical alternative? As much as I hate to say it, there may be some grey area when it comes to the best course of action for eradicating my tenacious thistle. I found a safer alternative to glyphosate, though safer doesn’t mean safe.
Physics, cooking, energy efficiency, and public health: so many of my passions are the ingredients of this blog post about our new induction cooktop. Magnetic induction cooking equipment has recently been getting cheaper, more accessible, and more popular, but it has long been safer, cleaner, and more energy efficient than the conventional alternatives, such as gas flames and electric coils.
We’re taught that recycling is a good thing, and doing it makes us feel responsible. In reality, there are serious limitations to recycling’s benefits when it comes to certain materials, especially plastics – even begging the question if new processes, such as “chemical recycling” are even possible. Unfortunately the plastic industry is banking on our trust, including when it comes to “recycling” fabrics.
If Gandhi told us to “be the change you wish to see in the world,” this post represents the words I need to hear right now. Between battling depression, interpersonal conflicts, and existential threats to humanity, I haven’t been feeling very motivated lately. My mom always inspired me to change the world for the better, but her absence is making that a difficult ask right now.
Last year a friend told me he was very excited now that he knew he could take his hard-to-recycle plastic to our local recycling company. I bit my tongue, knowing that it was probably too good to be true. At best, those plastics would end up in a landfill, but I had also heard that chemical recycling might be even worse for the environment.