Medicinal Weeds?

Below is an excerpt from a national geographic article that I found very interesting. Click here for the entire article.

Stepp said his 2004 study results suggest that, in addition to exploring the rain forest for medicinal plants, it makes sense to look at the 8,000 or so weeds that grow closer to home.

The anthropologist doesn’t think drug companies share that view. “The difference between wanting to find new medicines and wanting to find new medicines to make a profit is a very wide gulf,” he said.

Caring for our Great Lake

Thank you to George @ BFD for collecting information about the dumping of raw sewage in the Great Lakes.
George links to a Detroit News Article that discusses a $20 billion proposal to fix outdated sewer systems in Great Lakes region. This article predicts that:

The $20 billion proposal faces a tough road ahead in Congress, which is dealing with record federal budget deficits, as well as in cash-strapped Great Lakes states such as Michigan. The proposal envisions $14 billion coming from the federal government and the rest from Great Lakes states and communities.

A project like this may seem overwhelming, but I believe its a necessary step. We are living on a magnificent fresh water resource that is tremendously valuable. We should not allow raw sewage overflow to leak into this resource every time we have a heavy rain. It is wise to respect and care for this gift we have been given.

John McGovern’s Suggestion

Finally, a proposed solution to the horrible lake polluting. I’m redirecting John’s comment from Brewed Fresh Daily to my site. John responds to the question, “What can we do as a community to make improvements on systems that impact our health?”

well for starters,
we could replace concrete and asphalt with porous or semi-porous material that lets rainwater infiltrate and be absorbed back into the ground. rainbarrels would also be a massive help in storing rainwater that otherwise would overwhelm the stormsewers and cause a combined sewer overflow, which is what mckala experienced.
definition of CSO follows:
>>>An event where the discharge of untreated human and industrial sewage and stormwater into local waterways occurs when the capacity of a combined storm/sanitary sewer system is exceeded by local runoff.

Okay. Sounds like a great idea, and a wonderful place to start. John also suggests checking out Rain Gardens of West Michigan. I have to spend more time reading up on rain gardens, but I wanted to make a quick post about it now. More to come later.

Combined sewer overflow systems

What is a combined sewer overflow system? The EPA’s website offers the following definition.

Combined sewer systems are sewers that are designed to collect rainwater runoff, domestic sewage, and industrial wastewater in the same pipe. Most of the time, combined sewer systems transport all of their wastewater to a sewage treatment plant, where it is treated and then discharged to a water body. During periods of heavy rainfall or snowmelt, however, the wastewater volume in a combined sewer system can exceed the capacity of the sewer system or treatment plant. For this reason, combined sewer systems are designed to overflow occasionally and discharge excess wastewater directly to nearby streams, rivers, or other water bodies.

Excuse Me? Combined sewer systems are designed to overflow occasionally?

From my understanding, the EPA’s Combined Sewer Overflow Control Policy allows cities with combined sewer systems (which are remnants of the country’s early infrastructure and so are typically found in older communities such as Cleveland) to phase in implementation of CSO controls to accommodate a community’s financial capability. I’d be very interested in knowing where Cleveland stands in meeting Clean Water Act goals. Anyone have any ideas on how I can find this out?

I feel that this issue is of huge importance. Shouldn’t we put money into fixing our outdated sewer systems that are polluting our precious Lake rather than raising funds for a new convention center?

Just a note - Combined sewer systems serve roughly 772 communities containing about 40 million people. Most communities with combined sewer systems (and therefore with CSOs) are located in the Northeast and Great Lakes regions, and the Pacific Northwest.

The Four Elements

I’m reading Guide to Natural Health By Jonathan Keyes. I like this book because it speaks of living simply and having appreciation for the gifts of the natural world. I found the following quote worth sharing.

Each of the four elements has a lesson to teach, a path of wisdom.

The earth element teaches us the need to become quiet, patient, and steady in our lives.

The air element teaches us the ability to use our words and our breath in healthy and positive ways.

The fire element teaches us to laugh and play, to create and express in life.

The water element teaches us to feel things deeply and powerfully, to take our experiences into our soul and envelop their meaning in our heart.

Keyes theory is that if you are lacking in a certain quaility you should seek out the element that has the characteristics you desire. For instance, going for a swim would increase water qualities and digging in the garden would increase earth qualities. I imagine that soaking up the rays of the sun would correspond to fire, and breathing in some fresh country air would relate to the air qualities.

Advocating for Infants and Children

I found a compelling article by John W. Travis, MD. The article, Foundations of Wellness, explores how infants and children are unintentionally harmed by our society’s child-raising norms. As adults, how much are we affected by our experiences as infants and children? Give it a read and let me know what you think.