Citizens for Alternatives to Chemical Contamination

News

  • Coming Soon: CACC Community Seed Library
    January 6, 2017
    CACC is thrilled to announce that we will be constructing a seed library at our headquarters in Lake, Michigan. This seed library will support community and individual gardeners by providing affordable access to a diverse range of vegetable, herb, and companion plant seeds adapted to our growing conditions. (Buying good seed can get expensive fast, and selecting the best varieties for our region can be daunting to a new gardener.) This effort will also allow us opportunity to have a multi-generational impact by providing training and coaching to gardeners of all ages, and by encouraging family participation. We are also excited to incorporate seed saving training into the community gardens we support. Currently, members of our organization are directly involved with managing 3 local food bank and community gardens. We also provide resources to 3 additional community and school gardens. This new program includes a membership in the Seed Saver’s Exchange Community Seed Resource Program (CSRP), a nationwide network of seed libraries, community seed banks, and seed saving educators. The CSRP provides tools and guidance to community groups in the United States who are interested in creating seed-focused events, exchanges, libraries, and gardens. The CSRP is a collaboration between Seed Saver’s Exchange and Seed Matters, an organization that supports community seed initiatives and empowers community organizing around sustainable seed. CACC is proud to join with over 300 community groups in 41 states who have joined this program. On a social-ecology level, we believe that local food systems are imperative to efforts to reduce oil and energy consumption, to conserve clean water, and to empower communities. Food sovereignty, the ability to control our own food supply, grants us the economic leverage we need to abandon destructive systems. The absence of food sovereignty in our communities, and the resulting reliance on the employer-paycheck-grocery store model, ensures an ample supply of laborers for oilfields, pipelines, and other destructive industrial projects. Food sovereignty programs teach people another way to put food on the table; a way that allows workers to develop their own systems of production that keep them at home with their families and communities. Seed libraries are also essential in preserving genetic diversity. Many unique varieties can serve specific needs for small scale farmers, but will never be featured in a commercial seed catalog. An initial hurtle for the novice gardener is often an uninformed choice in commercial seed that then does poorly in a non-industrial setting. Our seed library will focus on preserving and distributing varietal genetics that thrive in several micro-climates local to our region. We plan to help new gardeners select seed that will do well in their particular garden, making for a positive first-time experience. With a volunteer base of over 150 people from across the state of Michigan, we feel we have a unique opportunity to preserve seed varieties that are unique to our bioregion. Stay tuned for more info. Interested in getting involved or donating seed? Call the office at 989.544.3318 or email here, and be sure to include “CACC Seed Library” in the subject line
  • Road salt changes sex ratios in frog populations
    December 16, 2016
    According to a new study co-led by scientists at Yale and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, salts commonly used to de-ice roadsurfaces can alter the sex ratios in nearby frog populations. The new research, published in the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, concluded that salt had a “masculinizing” effect that triggered a “sex reversal” mechanism during the early life of the frog. The researchers believe that sodium binds to the amphibian’s receptor cells, mimicking the actions of testosterone or estrogen and altering the sex of the frog. “There is a very small testosterone-like effect with one salt molecule,” said Max Lambert, who led the study. “But if you’re dumping lots and lots of salt on the roads every winter that washes into these ponds, it can have a large effect. “The health and abundance of females is obviously critical for the sustainability of any population because they’re the ones that make the babies, so if you have a population that is becoming male-based, the population might be at risk.” The team performed a series of experiments where frogs were isolated in tanks containing water with varying levels of road salt and leaf litter from maple and oak trees. Some tanks mimicked natural pond conditions. The natural tanks produced an average 63% female population. Significant presence of road salt reduced the proportion of female frogs reared in the 500-liter tank by one in ten. “You’re not only seeing fewer females but smaller females that may not be able to produce as many eggs, and the eggs are probably going to be lower quality,” said Mr Lambert. Co-author Rick Relyea added: “The potential consequences to amphibian populations are interesting, including the continual masculinzation of frog populations for many generations in habitats contaminated with high concentrations of road salt, which could potentially affect the abundances of frogs in these habitats.” What can you do?
    • Go easy on the salt at home. Learn more here
    • Contact your county road commission – Let them know you support reducing use of salt on your roads – Use the information in this article to articulate why
    • Take it to work! -Use less salt on the job -Tell the businesses you support to use less salt
    • Practice driving on ice!
  • EPA Finalizes Fracking Report
    December 13, 2016
    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its scientific report on the impacts of fracking on drinking water resources on Tuesday. The report is intended to provide states and other entities the scientific foundation to better protect drinking water resources in areas where fracking is occurring or being considered. The report was requested by Congress and provides scientific evidence that fracking activities can impact drinking water resources. EPA identified conditions under which impacts from hydraulic fracturing activities can be more frequent or severe. The report also identifies uncertainties and data gaps. These uncertainties and data gaps limited EPA’s ability to fully assess impacts to drinking water resources both locally and nationally. The oil and gas industry is, of course, highlighting these data gaps in it’s response to the report. These final conclusions are based upon the EPA’s review of over 1,200 cited scientific sources; feedback from an independent peer review conducted by EPA’s Science Advisory Board; input from engaged stakeholders; and new research conducted as part of the study. “The value of high quality science has never been more important in helping to guide decisions around our nation’s fragile water resources. EPA’s assessment provides the scientific foundation for local decision makers, industry, and communities that are looking to protect public health and drinking water resources and make more informed decisions about hydraulic fracturing activities,” said Dr. Thomas A. Burke, EPA’s Science Advisor and Deputy Assistant Administrator of EPA’s Office of Research and Development. “This assessment is the most complete compilation to date of national scientific data on the relationship of drinking water resources and hydraulic fracturing.” EPA identified cases of impacts on drinking water at each stage in the hydraulic fracturing water cycle. Impacts cited in the report generally occurred near hydraulically fractured oil and gas production wells. Impacts included contamination that made private drinking water wells unusable. As part of the report, EPA identified certain conditions under which impacts from hydraulic fracturing activities can be more frequent or severe, including:
    • Water withdrawals for hydraulic fracturing in times or areas of low water availability, particularly in areas with limited or declining groundwater resources;
    • Spills during the management of hydraulic fracturing fluids and chemicals or produced water that result in large volumes or high concentrations of chemicals reaching groundwater resources;
    • Injection of hydraulic fracturing fluids into wells with inadequate mechanical integrity, allowing gases or liquids to move to groundwater resources;
    • Injection of hydraulic fracturing fluids directly into groundwater resources;
    • Discharge of inadequately treated hydraulic fracturing wastewater to surface water resources; and
    • Disposal or storage of hydraulic fracturing wastewater in unlined pits, resulting in contamination of groundwater resources.
    For a copy of the study, visit www.epa.gov/hfstudy.
  • Donate to CACC’s Seed Library Campaign, help us gain an extra $400 in funding!
    November 15, 2016
    [caption id="attachment_509" align="alignnone" width="1776"]Gladwin, MI Community Garden Gladwin, MI Community Garden[/caption] We are racing to raise $600 for our NEW Seed Library initiative! Campaign begins November 15th, 2016 at 12:00, and ends December 15th. Help us empower Michigan gardeners and protect our planet by donating to our campaign! We are VERY excited to share this project with you. The seed library will allow gardeners and community gardens in Michigan to “borrow” heirloom and open pollinated seeds to plant in the spring, and to return seeds for future gardeners in the fall. Food and seed sovereignty are key to reducing energy consumption, water contamination, soil biome loss, and emissions. We hope you will consider supporting and sharing our campaign, and of course, join us as a seed library member this spring! Support our campaign here: https://www.seedmoney.org/campaign/478/cacc-community-seed-library