A female Mallard preening, a male Mallard doing nothing.  Link

Plastic Pollution demands action, Corporations, Cities, and Countries are working on the answers, some are close.

  "End Plastic Pollution" is the theme of Earthday 2018, this is my last article, I have been observing Earthday for a week. Starting with an article on the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch", and with my last one looking at what positive steps are being taken worldwide to help with the crisis. There is hope on the horizon, China's ban is most likely a hard to swallow lesson on not only Corporate, Community, and Country responsibility, but for every citizen of the world to accept their own personal responsibility as well. It fits with my tenets of self-reliance, self-awareness, and personal responsibility. 

  China is no longer importing waste from foreign countries, the largest recycling country in the world has delivered to the West a wake-up call. My blogs for the past week have been written using the Earth Day 2018 theme "End Plastic Pollution", Starting in Java with their unbelievable battle with plastic waste clogging up rivers and other waterways to places like Lincoln Nebraska and Australia developing programs to effectively fill in the void left by China.

  One such product would be to use the plastic as boiler fuel, it is a petroleum product and as most people know is flammable and burns hot. Is it possible to send it all to an Electric Generating plant where it can be sent through its system, shredded and fed into a firebox? From my perspective I know it burns, I know there is an almost endless supply, I know tires and garbage are burned in the plants. Sure there are a number of complications such as emissions, and ash disposal, I am confident the ash would be toxic for example. I don't think there are any issues that cannot be overcome, after all, we burn a lot of different materials to produce electricity and all of the challenges have been dealt with head-on with satisfactory end results. I can imagine advantages as well as disadvantages, but electrical generation may be a viable usage stream.
    Another thought I have had is what if the plastic waste were to be made into homes? Pre-fabricated walls of flat plastic complete with interior and exterior walls. The walls could be filled with insulation made of recycled plastics, doors, windows, roofing, and siding all made of reclaimed plastic. Rot resistant, the plastic could be manufactured as flame resistant as well, the entire house with the exception of the glass windows could be constructed of remanufactured plastic. Pre-fabricated in a shop and delivered to the construction site the home could possibly be erected in a matter of a week or two, perhaps days. The major issue I envision is when the home reaches its useful life, we still have plastic, which creates an entirely new problem. When a plastic home is abandoned and it is in a state of ruin who will be responsible for dealing with the plastic waste that is now the house? A house by me burned down 6 years ago, the burned-out hulk is still standing, the owner collected insurance money and is refusing to deal with what is termed "an attractive nuisance", a plastic house would have to be reckoned with.

  As consumers, there are things we can do as well, one of those is we can shop better. What I mean by that is we create a lot of waste when we purchase certain items packaged for individual use, such as applesauce. Available in almost any size container applesauce is bought in individual serving plastic cups, it creates a lot of waste. Instead of making a purchase of small cups it may be not only cheaper but more environmentally friendly to buy it in a half gallon or larger container then dished out in reusable serving dishes. When 8 pints of water are purchased that creates 8 pieces of plastic pollution, if a gallon is purchased it creates 1, a huge improvement. There are a lot of products sold like that, if we keep in mind plastic pollution it just may make us all more environmentally aware shoppers.
  Not only are consumers responsible for the purchase of plastic products we are also the users and disposers. We are in need of a worldwide cultural change, one in which we recognize that we are the creators of the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch", and as the creators, if we cannot help in the cleanup we must end contributing to it. It is not isolated to just one or two countries, sure I pointed out Java and I don't have any desire to pick that country out as it is just one of many developing third world countries. The litter problem of the world is just that, the worlds litter problem and the world needs to solve it, the solutions are in the hands of the countries Governments. There are problems with everything, a quote I use all of the time is from the 1960's television program "Leave it to Beaver". Beaver turns to his dad (Ward Cleaver), and says "There is something wrong with just about everything, isn't there dad?" To which Mr. Cleaver replied, "Yes Beaver there is." I have been in meetings where managers will plot and conspire to "deadhead" a suggestion, in fact at one company we made a game of it. What happens is when a suggestion for a project is brought up a person will start to list why it cannot be done, then a second person adds his two cents, then a third until finally the suggestion is beat into the ground. then a committee is formed to investigate the project and report back during next month's meeting as to the practicality of continuing. It happens all of the time, and with a challenge as looming as plastic pollution there are a lot of naysayers, and it can't be done types. These programs need strong leadership, the only place leadership of this magnitude can come from is again through the countries Government. If the Governments do not take the bull by the horns and enact a program, people in third world developing countries will continue to toss the trash in the street in front of their homes. It will pile up and eventually end up somewhere, most likely in waterways when people get tired of tripping over it. It's a completely different story when leadership is strong and dedicated to actually getting the tasks completed, that leadership must be given the authority with laws to back it up. Changing of Cultures is never easy, we saw some of that in the U.S. in the past few years, the one that comes to mind is the unisex bathrooms. A part of our culture in the United States is separate restrooms for women and men, it's been accepted as a part of our way of life. When the unisex restrooms were made into law, some areas accepted them, that's OK, some areas did not accept them, that too is OK. The areas that did not accept them felt an invasion of their culture, "why should the elitist be able to tell us what to do?" or a sentiment down those lines. It is beyond hard to do, I cannot imagine the United States sending a diplomate to a third world Government and tell them how to spend their budget, or to take measures that will change the culture of the Country. Without the co-operation of the majority, enacting laws that change a culture is totally in vain, people will fight it no matter what it is.

More words of wisdom poured out of the mouth's of these two
than anyone, I've ever encountered.

  It's not only Communities, Cities, and Individuals who will be eventually called to task in the war against plastic pollution but Corporations as well. What are they doing if anything to help the situation? After all, they are the beneficiaries of profits from the manufacture and sale of plastic products, that's a good thing because companies need to be profitable. Yes, they do need to make a profit and when that profit overlaps into affecting the life of the planet the Corporations need to throw in with the rest of the world for solutions. I'm not saying they are not, I have come across several that are, they need our support and encouragement, a few examples of Corporations positive steps:

Coca-Cola has recently stated its sustainable packaging goal which is by the year 2030 it will collect and recycle all of their packaging that is reclaimable. Calling the program "World Without Waste", they are taking a look at the entire packaging lifecycle, not only the waste stream but the design and manufacturing of bottles and cans. (It makes me want a coke.)

The Association of Plastic Recyclers has enacted a plan to increase the demand for plastics that are reclaimable in North America. Called the "Recycle Demand Champions", the corporations instruct their vendors to use post-consumer resin they purchase and use in their manufacturing. Companies are signing on, so far Target, Procter & Gamble, Keurig, and Campbell's are the first, in total 10 companies have joined.

There are many others:

Puma's Bring me back program is set up for customers to drop off at any Puma store old or unusable clean clothes, shoes, and accessories, including non-Puma items, by simply tossing them in a bin located in the stores.

Back to Mac program costumers can return six empty MAC Cosmetic containers to either their online store or over the counter at one of their outlets.

Preserve's Gimme 5 Recycling Program, the goal is to save #5 plastics, which include Brita filters and yogurt cups from trashcans, this plastic is not recycled in most parts of the country, this Corporation is standing up and being counted.

No Nonsense Pantyhose Recycling Program giving old pantyhose a new lease on life simply download their mailing label and sent all you have even the ones that have a repair from nail polish on them.

Two researchers have developed a small reactor to turn plastic into diesel fuel, it will become a reality. Follow this Link to discover more about it.

  That is just a few of the Corporation's enacting positive steps to solve the plastic pollution worldwide problem, there are more. We can rest assured with the continuing research being performed by Corporations developing new plastics and products they will now be thinking of plastic recycling as a complete loop. From raw material, into a bottle, recycled, back into a bottle, and in the old days this is where research stopped because the last step up until January 1, 2018, was a one-word solution "China". I predict in 20 years Corporations will be fighting over the plastic floating around in the oceans 5 "Great Garbage Patches", I do believe recyclable plastic will become a valuable commodity, all of it, not just the high quality "stuff", everything.

China is a big country, a lot of people creates a lot of demand.

  Thank you for reading and sharing my blog, this is the end of my series of Earth Day articles, it certainly has been interesting, a lot of reading. A lot of reading in which I learned a lot of amazing facts, the least of which is not the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch", I knew it was there. The most alarming was not China's change of policy, ask your self, wouldn't you do the same thing if you were in China's shoes? It's not the realization that developing countries (dangit they've been around for over 10,000 years) have no way to deal with their trash, it is, however, eye-opening. No, the biggest surprise was again the indifference of our fellow citizens of the world and the abandonment of "personal responsibility" for their actions. In our country, the United States, lets all bend over and pick up a piece of trash, then toss it in the bin. Thanks again, leave a comment and share my blog if you like what I have to say. It's time to start on Springtime articles now, plastic pollution will be on my mind for a long while, I will write more on the subject.
jacquesandkate   EmergencyKitsPlus.com

Egrete flyin' by

End Plastic Pollution, China's ban on recyclables, countries hit the hardest, is there a solution? Read and decide.

  The subject of recycling is huge, worldwide we generate an enormous amount of trash, much of it is degradable, the plastic is not. I am still writing under the theme "End Plastic Pollution", the 2018 Earth Day slogan, the place to start is where it is generated, from there each one of us must do our part. It's all part of being or becoming Self-reliant, Self-aware, and recognizing Personal-responsibility, which make up my trinity of being a responsible citizen of the world. 

  I am spending this week dedicated to "Earth Day" which was last Sunday, April 22, 2018, with the theme "End Plastic Pollution". In this blog I will talk about recycling plastic waste, Recycling has taken a turn lately in that China is no longer accepting 24 varieties of solid waste, including unsorted paper and plastics. China enacted its ban beginning January 1, 2018, China later expanded the list to include dozens of more materials, steel waste, used auto parts, and decommissioned ships. It has rendered consequences for Countries, and Cities that has left them scrambling for a solution. A town in Australia is now sending all of their re-recyclable materials to landfills, they can no longer afford to reclaim it. The United Kingdom is currently hoarding low-grade plastics in storage facilities which will most likely end up being incinerated. The ban is forcing some manufacturers to use new raw materials due to the disruption this ban has created, according to the US Institute of Scrap Recycling. The effect the ban is having on the United States, Japan, Australia, and many others has been like awakening a giant from a deep sleep, it was so easy when China bought our waste and took care of it responsibly. A case in point is the United States exported 31% of our plastic waste to China in 2017, the United Kingdom sent 100% of their re-recyclable plastic to China, and Hong Kong. Some countries are exploring imposing taxes on some items to encourage people to use less plastic, others are investing millions of dollars in local communities to assist governing councils in dealing with what is now a plastic "crisis".  I will continue in this article with the issues pertaining to China's change of policy as far as importing trash is concerned. (Follow this Link to an article describing the new policy)
  There are seven grades of plastics, some are suitable for re-cycling others are not, China's ban is in the lowest grades of plastic waste. I have listed the grades below with a short description of their uses: (Follow this Link for a more detailed definition.)

1)  Polyethylene terephthalate (Polyester): Used in Bottles, fruit juice, water, salad dressing, peanut butter, and microwaveable food trays. Used also as padding, insulation, wire insulation, tire reinforcement, conveyor belts, coated fabrics, and tarps.
  It is recycled for use in polyester fiber for fleece clothing, tote bags, and pallet strapping.
  It is what is called "Downcycling" which means the recycled material is a lower grade than the original PET material, it is used for low-quality products until it can no longer be used, then it goes to a landfill. It is advised to avoid PET materials due to the toxic chemicals it releases antimony and phthalates. (Link here)
  China will no longer accept this plastic.

2)  High-density polyethylene (HDPE): One of the most used plastics in the world, Polyethylene Polymer is the most basic chemical structure of any plastic polymer, it is extremely easy and inexpensive to manufacture making its use as packing material cost effective. It displays properties of stiffness, it is waterproof, toughness, strength, resistant to gas, and it's ease of processing.
  Typical uses are Plastic grocery bags, milk, water, and juice container, bleach, detergent, hygienic product bottles, garbage bags, dishes, food tubs such as margarine, cereal box lining, medicine bottles, as well as in plastic/wood composites and plastic piping.
  Re-cycled to be used in the manufacturing of bottles, for non-food items, motor oil, shampoo, and laundry detergent. It is also re-used for the manufacture of plastic lumber and furniture.
  HDPE is considered to be relatively safe for re-use.
  China will accept this plastic.

3)  Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC): The second most used plastic in the world until recently use has decreased due to serious health and environmental pollution concerns during the manufacturing processes, it's entire cycle of use is toxic. Because of its low cost and versatility, it is still widely used and common. Properties are clarity, toughness, transparency, ease of shaping, and it's strength.
  PVC is used in the manufacture of toys, take-out containers, blister wrap, clear cling wrap (for food preservation), made into bottles containing food, cooking oil, shower curtains, medical tubing and blood bags.
  PVC is considered the most toxic and hazardous plastics it remains to be commonly used to make a number of consumer products. PVC contains the following toxic chemicals, this is not a complete list, bisphenol A (BPA), phthalates, lead, dioxins (think agent orange), mercury and cadmium.
  It has an extremely low re-cycle rate due to the toxicity confronted during re-claiming and re-processing. A recommendation not to recycle due to its contaminates, avoid at all costs.
  China will no longer accept this stream of plastic waste.

4)  Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) Is the most widely used plastic in the world it shares the simplest most basic chemical makeup of any plastic polymer making it cost effective for use as packing materials. Ease of processing, strength, toughness, flexibility, water resistance, and ease of sealing.
  Products include grocery, dry cleaning, bread, frozen food, garbage and newspaper bags. Used in plastic wrap, paper milk cartons, and hot and cold drink cups.
  It is a stable low toxicity product, making it a safer alternative for use as food containers, and drinking cups.
  Re-cycled it is used in composite materials, paneling and plastic lumber.
  It is rated relatively safe to use.
  China accepts this plastic waste stream. 

5)  Polypropylene (PP) Used for many of the same applications and uses as polyethylenes most notably when heat resistance and stiffness are the desired trait. It also has a very basic chemical makeup as its relatives LDPE and PVC.
  Used in food containers, medicines, straws, Britta filters and Rubbermaid type of containers including baby bottles. Disposable diapers, thermal vests, appliance parts, car parts, and sanitary pad liners.
  Fairly stable and generally considered a safe plastic for food and drink containers, however, testing has revealed leaching of plastic additives (notably the stabilizing agent Oleamide), When heated it may be linked to occupational asthma based on workers in a PP factory.
  It re-cycled at a low rate because it is commonly pigmented or mixed with other resins making it hard to sort. Re-cycled it is used to manufacture brooms, brushes, bins, pallets, auto battery boxes and flower pots.
  It is considered relatively safe to recycle.
 China will no longer accept PP in its recycling programs.

6)  Polystyrene (PS), Styrofoam food containers should come immediately to mind, as well as packing peanuts, made of expanded PS (EPS). Versatility, Clarity, and ease of forming are it's desired traits.
  Outside of foam packing its other uses include egg cartons, disposable cups, bowls, and plates, bike helmets, licensed plate frames, test tubes, lab dishes (Petri dishes), model kits (cars, airplanes, ships)
  Very low re-cycle rates, due to its difficulty to re-cycle, the small amount that is reclaimed is manufactured into packing materials and thermal insulation.
  PS leaches styrene a brain and nervous system toxin and a carcinogenic PS is rated to avoid.
  China no longer accepts this waste stream.

7)  O: A general catch-all classification for all plastics other than the ones listed, some contain plastics that are layered or a mixture of assorted plastics, this classification includes the new bio-plastics. There are thousands of different plastics in this category, however, it is commonly associated with Polycarbonate (PC). Identified with the initials "PC" underneath the number "7", there is no other way to identify this recyclable material.
  Use has declined due to BPA in its makeup, commonly used in baby bottles and infant formula packaging, it was initially developed to be used as an alternative to die-cast metal. Transparency and strength make it desirable for use in products that are shatterproof. heat resistance, stiffness, strength, and optical clarity are its noted beneficial traits.
  Three and Five-gallon buckets, metal food storage can liners, oven baking bags, carbonless paper receipts, custom packaging, dental sealants, DVDs, snowboards, computers and power tools.
  BPA is its downfall, readily breaking down and leaching into the food products, it is a major concern when used in food storage capacities.
  The recycling rate is very small, due to BPA leaching, some municipal recycling programs will not accept 7/PC for reclaiming.
  The recommendation is to avoid PC, a known Endocrine disruptor with many negative health effects including the risk of cancers.
  China will no longer accept O grade plastics 

It's a confusing grading due to the number of different kinds of plastic waste. 

  That is a lot of plastic, just weeks after the ban countries that were dependent on China are now groaning under the weight of an expanding supply of waste materials. It is a mixed bag, Municipalities are in a near panic not knowing what to do with the waste and it is building up. On the other hand, it could very well be not only a "wake up" call but an incentive for the dependent countries to generate a solution for the situation nearing crisis proportions. Germany, Canada, Ireland, United Kingdom, United States, the state of Oregon, and Calgary Canada are all impacted by Chinas decision.
  China has it's reasons for no longer being the recycling center of the world, in the 1980s until recently labor was cheap allowing scrap such as large electric motors to be taken apart and completely sorted out. The cost of labor has increased, China's demand for raw materials has decreased, and the country was suffering many environmental, as well as public health concerns, the concerns began to mount. Countries sent everything to China for recycling, some of it could not be recycled as per the list above, due to being contaminated, or just plain unusable. The imported trash has piled up fulling China's landfills and polluting its waterways, some of the material was hazardous and toxic. In 1996 recyclers accidentally imported more than 100 tons of radioactive metal from Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, it had to be reckoned with. The massive amount of imported waste created towns where the population was employed in the recycling industry. Adults and Children were working in dangerous, and toxic working environments. Public anger in China was instrumental in the country changing its course on accepting waste products. Nationalism is growing at a rapid rate, people began asking why they were processing waste from the United States, "Why don't we first deal with what we are creating in our own towns and cities instead of taking the American imperialists trash?" was a widely shared sentiment.

Cities were founded next to the recycling facilities to house the employees,
everyone in town was employed there, adults, children,
and the elderly. 

  What a mess isn't it? This blog could become a 1,000-page document on dealing with plastic waste, there doesn't seem to be a solution in sight, yet. It is surely inspiring the exporting countries to re-think their waste streams and what to do with it. It is my opinion, the manufacturers should be taking the responsibility, the manufacturers of water bottles, fast food containers, and plastic bags need to be brought to task. Perhaps it should be the responsibility of them to set up facilities, run them and take care of the waste, a deposit on containers would be a logical source of funding, plus the profits to be taken from the recycled material sales. I will explore this further in my next blog.
  Thank you for reading and sharing my blog, please share and comment, it is a very serious situation, one that includes the entire world's population, it will take the entire world to come up solutions. Should we go back to bio-degradable products? That could be part of the answer, we are capable of handling this worldwide, but it will take every single one of us on Planet Earth, we must "End Plastic Pollution". Thanks again for reading and sharing.
jacquesandkate  EmergencyKitsPlus.com  
 
 

Trash Pollution, we must end plastic pollution illegal dumping, littering, are we doing enough?

  Plastic Pollution in our oceans is a major concern, in order to address that situation we must first take a look at pollution in our Cities, in our own backyards. Illegal dumping contributes an enormous amount to the problem, here are three Cities (there are many more) taking a pro-active approach using methods that are working. "We must End Plastic Pollution"

I used this Logo twice on this blog, it's important.

  My last blog was written about plastic pollution in our rivers, lakes, and oceans, I began to wonder what cleanup efforts are being made by our local governments and private organizations. I am writing this blog on illegal dumping of trash, the Cities in our surrounding areas are inundated with piles of illegally dumped trash. It appears to be a national problem, one of which appears to be fairly easy to eliminate with a few well thought out programs. It is a situation that is designed for small governments to regulate and control. It seems many localities have taken on the challenge by changing their trash pickup programs to address the problem. One such City is Salt Lake City in the State of Utah. (Follow this Link to Salt Lake Cities "new" trash program)

Salt Lake City has taken illegal dumping response to a higher
level and they will do great at it.

  Salt Lake City's revised trash collection program will begin July of this year (2018) it will employ a program of trash removal that will include the picking up of bulky and large items from curbside. With the old plan there were two pickup dates one in the spring and one in the early fall. Illegal dumping plagues the City, trash pickup has been modified to include trash that does not fit in the normal containers, or is outside the "normal stream". Residents will be giving up some of the convenience of the old program, such as calling for a special pickup, they will now have to adhere to the Cities schedules. In exchange, the program will operate all year round and will accept electronic waste. City issued containers must still be used for most of their waste, larger exceptional items, like large branches, have been granted an exception. The new program now allows for the pickup of 4 car tires as well. Salt Lake City has the same problem with illegal dumping common to many Cities nationwide, illegal trash piled on the side of a road attracts more illegal dumping. The piles attract scavengers, both the animal and human varieties when it rains much of the pollution runs into the storm run-off system and into ponding basins.
 
  Lincoln Nebraska has it's act together putting together what I will describe as a "lifestyle". Lincoln Nebraska's Environmental Public Health sponsors a program, KLLCB, "Keep Lincoln and Lancaster County Beautiful". The goals of KLLCB are:

1) A clean, safe, and healthy community.
2) Organizing residents to take action
3) Reducing litter through cleanup projects.
4) Preventing litter through education.

  It is an extensive program encompassing many if not all of the City, and Counties departments. The Waste Management Section is part of the Environmental Public Health Division working to protect human health and the environment by:

1)  Reducing exposures to hazardous materials
2)  Ensuring proper management and the disposal of out of stream wastes.
3)  Preventing hazardous waste from being illegally dumped in the landfills.
4)  Reducing litter.
5)  Preventing illnesses and diseases caused by illegal trash dumping.
6)  Preventing damage to the environment by the improper disposal of trash.

Lincoln is doing a stellar job with Pollution.

(Follow this Link to Nebraska's KLLCB page)
   Part of the program is titled "Household Toxics Reduction Program", it sounds like a rock-solid way to deal with household chemicals which are not allowed to be processed through the normal trash collection programs. The goal of this program is to deal with toxic chemicals used around the house, pesticides, oil-based paint, leftover fuels, mercury, household cleaners, and automobile chemicals. Their logical statement is to read the expiration date, if it has expired it will be accepted, if it hasn't expired there are remedies for that as well. If they have not expired and are still safe to use, (products are banned all of the time) they should be shared with family, friends, and neighbors, if they can use them. We certainly don't want to go from one storage place to another, using compounds is almost always better than disposal.

  Lane County, Oregon also has an illegal dumping program, it is highlighted with a 5 point plan:

1)  Prevention
2)  Community involvement
3)  Clean up
4)  Enforcement
5)  Surveillance

  Residents are advised as to what actions to take when they come upon an illegally dumped pile of trash:

1)  Don't touch or remove anything, it may be evidence.
2)  Report it as soon as possible, identify the spot with milepost, or a nearby address.
3)  If you are a witness record the license plate number, and if it is safe to take a photo, do so.
4)  Call the nuisance abatement program, the reporter must leave contact information. an email may be left as well, they respond to all reports. (follow this Link to Oregon's page explaining their program)

  The Lane County Public Works removes illegal dump sites from 1,432 miles of county maintained roads and county property. The fines are steep if a person is caught and cited the amount is up to $2,000.00, they will most likely have to clean up the trash or pay for clean up costs. Many times the cleanup costs eclipse the cost of the fine, most notably when toxic waste, tires, a difficult to access dump site, or a number of large bulky items, like a boat make up the assortment. Often made up mostly of items that can be recycled at no cost at a county transfer station, including electronic waste, cardboard, scrap metal, and plastic. On the other end of the spectrum, some illegal dumps consist solely of used tires, sometimes by the hundreds. Illegal dumping is perceived by the people doing the dumping as a convenience, or free, never a necessity, the cost of cleanup is then shared by the entire community. Since 2006 the Waste Managment Division has cleared the public's roads and county-owned land:

*  500 tons of garbage.
*  Over 7,000 tires
*  2,050 TVs and computers
*  355 sofas
*  200 mattresses
*  6 hot tubs
*  9 boats

  It is definitely an uphill hike, but they are making serious headway, the main point is they have placed a dedicated system for illegal dumping, they more than know it exists.

Lane County Oregon, they are doing it. 

  There are many Counties, and Cities working on the problem of pollution, illegal dumping is a problem in all of the Cities I have lived in, and in researching this blog I did not find a local where this is not a major concern. The county I live in, Contra-Costa County, referred to as the "East Bay" which includes Oakland, Hayward, and Richmond as well as small unincorporated towns such as the one where I live. Illegal dumping is out of control here, there are trash piles everywhere a person goes, some steps are being made to combat it, but all are falling pathetically short. I live on a short 3-mile long road leading to a dead end, in the past month two boats have been dumped in the road, 50 feet from my property line. The Sheriffs Department picks them up, there is a "marine division", they patrol the rivers and sloughs, I will give them a positive plug. The Sheriff's Department sends uniformed officers with a tow vehicle to haul the boats away, but they must be on a trailer. For the unexperienced picking up a boat off of the ground to set on a trailer is a major endeavor, but after the first one, the next one is easier. That was just the area on the road near my house, there were numerous boats dumped all along our road, constantly being hauled off.
  During my working years, I traveled down a country road which is about 5 miles long, a residential main road directs traffic to it. Without exception every day many piles of trash are on that roadway, and every day the county has trucks and crews cleaning it up. It never seems to get better, once in a while a mayor of one of the citie's will be on the local news explaining one site or another. In most of the Citie's experiencing illegal dumping, awareness has been raised and City Councils are addressing the situation.
(Singapore has built a wall of Plastic Bottles, follow this Link to see the photos and read the article.)
  Fresno and several other central valley communities deal with illegal dumping in a logical way that I am sure are helping tremendously, if you are a resident and pay for garbage collection, a person can take advantage of dumping free at the landfill 2-3 times a year. If a hauling contractor has been hired they can use the residents' information to also take advantage of free dumping. They still have illegal dumps, as stated in the Oregon section above necessity is never the case it's almost always just for the convenience of the dumper.
  Its part of our culture, any time a culture is attempted to be changed there is pushback, most people want the illegal dumping to stop. Perhaps more enforcement of the law, (Our Sheriffs pick up boats now, how much more can we saddle these guys and gals with? How many cameras would be needed for Surveillance?) It is to the point that it appears some places merely accept the fact illegal dumping will take place no matter what measures are put in place. In my opinion, the answer is Community Awareness and convincing the few people responsible for the problem to use other means of disposal.
  The dumpers can be violent, I have stopped and confronted several that I have seen, some jump in their vehicle and speed off, others, well they take it as a personal challenge when asked what they are doing. Others ignore it and continue with what they were doing, they just don't care.

  I started with the intent of writing about plastic pollution, to continue on the theme of "Earth Day 2018", which is "End Plastic Pollution". I realized in order to address the plastics going into our rivers, lakes, and oceans, trash washed into them from city streets must be addressed. Java does indeed have a serious plastic problem floating in their waterways, this is not an excuse, there is no way for residents to dispose of their trash, they are required to toss it into the rivers, the governments excuse is they are a "developing Nation", yep, and also one of the oldest civilizations. On the other hand, there is no excuse for a country like the United States of America (or Java) not to be able to successfully address this problem and eliminate 80% of it. After all isn't that what we elect our representatives to do?
  Thanks for reading and sharing, leave comments, tell me what you think, I answer them all. I can send this to your email address every other day if you like, just sign up for it. Thanks for reading please share it everywhere.
jacquesandkate  Emergencykitsplus.com

 

Black Necked Stilt

The Great Garbage Patch, rivers clogged with plastic, trash tossed into waterways, no trash pickup equals plastic disaster

  The "Great Pacific Garbage Patch", a spot between Hawaii and California, is where the Pacific Oceans currents form an eddy, the plastic collects there as well as 4 other "Garbage Patches" in the world. Plastic is everywhere, we see it on the side of roads, in our rivers, lakes, open spaces, as well as the ocean to name a few places. Plastic Pollution, bottles, bags, fishing gear, where does it all come from and where does it all go? 

This is not the half of it.

  The theme for this year's Earth Day is, "End Plastic Pollution", during the past 60 years plastic manufacturing has become a growth industry, Globally. (Earth Day 2018 is today Sunday, April 22). Give a few minutes to think of all of the places, we use plastic, and all of the products we use that are made of plastic. We drink water from plastic bottles, carry purchases home in plastic bags, unpack the items we purchase that are shipped in "bubble packs", car parts, clothes, and millions of other products. During the past 20 years, the volume of plastic production has doubled, it may quadruple by the year 2050. Worldwide more than 2 billion pounds of plastic are produced every single day, bottles are made at the rate of 20,000 per second. At that rate, a new bottle could be placed in every resident of California every 1/2 hour, approximately 40 million bottles. Plastic has made our lives easier, production of goods less expensive than steel, wood, or aluminum of which it took the place of in many instances. For which Countries produce the most plastic worldwide, I have listed them below:

1)  China produces 29% of the supply of the world
2)  Europe, with 19% of the supply of the world
3)  North America, makes 18% just behind Europe
4)  Asia minus China and Japan ships 17% of the supply
5)  The Middle East and Africa equals 7%
6)  Latin America is 4% of the supply of the world

  The plastic industries production employs a lot of people worldwide as well as it being used in all industries, as an example in Europe the use is by industry (rounded off to the nearest whole percentage):

1)  Packaging accounts for 40%
2)  Construction uses 20%
3)  Automotive 10%
4)  Electrical 6%
5)  Household and leisure sports 4%
6)  Agriculture 3%
7)  Other uses 17%

  Plastic production is an unbelievable wealth and employment generator, it is used extensively in our society, and it is everywhere, the flip side of the coin is it is a great cause of pollution as well. Plastic does not decompose completely, taking hundreds of years to completely decompose. In the meantime, plastic breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces, from very large to microscopic. 150 million tons of plastic pollutes our ocean, gathering in one of 5 spots in the oceans of the world where the currents drive the floating plastic. These areas are called "Garbage Patches", the largest known as the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch", located half of the way between Hawaii and California it is estimated to be twice the size of Texas. Researchers report most of the plastic debris consists of the fishing line, nets, and other gear. (There are questions whether it is actually 2x the size of Texas.) It is estimated that the amount of plastic in our oceans will weigh more than all of the fish in them by the year 2050 unless we address the problem. Fish eat it, Plankton get mixed up in it and it sticks to their bodies, larger Zooplankton eats the smaller plastic coated Plankton, they get eaten by small fish to be eaten by larger fish and finally it lands on our tables.

Plankton gets covered in microplastic then is eaten
by larger Zooplankton, then by small fish, they are
eaten by larger fish, then finally we eat them.

  More than 2.40 million tons of plastic go into our oceans every year, most of it is not as dense as water so it floats, and it won't sink out at sea. They join the Garbage patches after floating with the current sometimes for years. As more plastic is produced the larger the patches will become unless the world acts. One survey of a patch consisted of among other "things", 30 boats, and 652 surface nets, aerial surveys were conducted at the same time. 80,000 tons make up the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch", equalling the weight of 500 jumbo jets, the center is heaviest and the outer edges less thick. Almost 2 million pieces of plastic are estimated to be floating in the largest Garbage Patch, that is 250 pieces for each man woman and child that occupy the planet. Plastic is being fetched out of the Garbage Patch, with the majority of retrieved plastic being hard or rigid polyethylene (PE) or polypropylene (PP), derelict fishing gear, nets, and ropes ranging in size from boats to small fragments. 90% of the trash is larger than 0.5 cm, 3/4 of the objects total mass is made up of macro and mega plastics, but in terms of objects, 94% are micro-plastics. It's a bit confusing, I understand it as the visible debris is the 90% over .5 cm, the 94% is microscopic and can not be observed or photographed. 46% of the mass is fishing nets.

One team has developed a classification:

*Type H; consist of hard, sheet or film plastics
*Type N: consist of plastic ropes, fishing nets, and fishing lines
*Type P: are plastic blanks cylinders, spheres, disks, and blanks
*Type F: Foam, packing foam, and product foam

  Whales have died from the consumption of plastics, bags appear to them as jellyfish, a young Sperm Whale washed ashore in Spain had 64 pounds of plastic inside its stomach. April 17, 2018, it is very current, The 33-foot mammal died due to plastic lodged in its intestines and stomach, a painful death. Another Whale found on the beach of Cabo De Palos (Spain) died when its digestive system jammed up with plastic ruptured wide open.
  Sea Turtles have been found with as much as 75% of their diet consisting of plastic, in the area of the Garbage Patches. Laysan Albatross chicks diets consist of 45% of their diet, from Kure Atoll and Oahu Island. With the plastic they consume Persistent Bio-accumulative Toxic (PBT), it is in 85% of the plastics tested. The Ocean creatures also get entangled in nets, lines, ropes, bags, and get their heads stuck in buckets and bottles. The Toxic PBT eventually finds its way onto our dinner plates, along with the micro-plastics the fish had ingested.
  Where does it all come from? The short answer is "Us", you and I, our neighbors, industry, cruise ships, cargo ships, and military ships. An example of gross pollution was reported in the UK news company's daily newspaper "The Sun", included in the April 20, 2018 edition, (read it here Link)
  In the city of Bandung, West Java, piles of garbage, plastic bottles, bags, packaging, and everything else made of plastic is clogging up the waterways. The officials have declared "War" on plastic, the Army was called out to deal with the mass of pollution. The local leaders determined the problem is so extensive they needed help from the Countries highest officials, the people can not (or will not) remove it themselves. During a cleanup episode the trucks did not arrive to haul off the trash, so the Army got in barges and pushed the stuff further downstream, it was no longer their problem it now belonged to those other people. Indonesia, as well as other developing countries throughout the world simply toss their trash in the waterways or pile it on roads outside of their homes where it also ends up in the water. There is no way to deal with trash in Java, there is no garbage collection, nor is it required, I ask you how deep is the problem? It's much like the situation in Europe during the middle ages when the Black Plague was busy causing the demise of 1/4 of the population, they simply tossed the bodies in whatever river was handy, helping to spread the disease. We have tossed garbage in our waterways since the time of our ancient forefathers.

A photograph of a boat on a river in Java, it's a bad situation.

I don't like spelling out problems without a trace of a solution, I have one, it's a monumental effort that thousands of people are working on, self-awareness, self-reliance, and self-responsibility, all three of my personal tenets come into play here. Every person on the planet has got to take responsibility for their consumption, nobody wants to pick up other peoples trash, we need to pick up after ourselves every time. After we unpack or consume food or other trappings, we should look at the packaging and with a clear conscience toss it in the recycle bin, or the trash.  It may seem fruitless in light of some Countries dumping into the waterways willy-nilly, it can and will change the direction of pollution, 20% of our population is capable of motivating the other 80% to throw in with us. More laws may help, but it is so widespread it comes down to you and me, everyone, if we don't I do not know what the outcome will be. That bottle of water we drank today, or that bubble wrap will be around when my grandkids-grandkids are my age, (67), that is depressing to me, I don't want to leave it to them to clean up, unlike the Army in the Country of Java. We must not make excuses for pollution. (Follow this Link for information pertaining to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch)
  Thank you for reading, this is a serious situation, one that our survival depends upon, we cannot and must not keep fouling up our planet, it is not "Climate Change", it's "Human Change", the Governments of the world, for the most part, are not helping, we have to take the bull by the horns and do something on our own. What are your thoughts? Are we able to do this for the survival of the planet?
jacquesandkate  EmergencyKitsPlus.com

Mallard and Goose HD

As a visitor how can I prepare for an earthquake, I list some of the tasks that must be addressed, I'm sure there's more.

  I am planning a trip to California, how can I be prepared in case there is an earthquake? It's a common request, I was asked just yesterday that question. We have a lot of company from out of state, my wife is from upstate New York, I was raised in Minnesota, our relatives like to come out during the winter months, we like company. It is a scary proposition, if it's the first time visiting the west coast, I will use the term "West Coast" because California is just one state that is a risk. California is known as the earthquake state, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, (is not a state but it is on the west coast) and Alaska. Of those in recent times Anchorage had a magnitude 9.2 in 1964, San Francisco had a 7.8 in the year 1906.  The Alaska quake was no less than 30 times more powerful than the earthquake of 1906. They were the most powerful, no one is alive today that survived the 1906 earthquake, there are many survivors of the 1964 Anchorage earthquake. Survivors are what keep memories alive when the last survivors are gone, it then changes from a memory to a memorial, then like memories of World War 1, it is written into history.

This is the photo I remember as a 13-year-old, it was on the front
page of the Minneapolis Star and Tribune

  Stories handed down by word of mouth are deemed inaccurate by investigators, I don't share that sentiment, the stories are also downgraded as "Myths" by people alive 400-500 years after the event, for whatever reason. I bring this up for a very important reason, the Alaska earthquake of 1964, and the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 are still in our nations collective memory. The Pacific Northwest has not experienced a powerful earthquake in hundreds of years, A magnitude 7.3 struck in the Strait of Georgia on June 23, 1946, a powerful earthquake for sure but 60+ less powerful than the 1964 shaker. My point is that the State of Washington is every bit as likely to have an earthquake as any of the other 3 geographical regions mentioned. Like Californians, people from Oregon and Alaska we have a tendency to "cheapen" the warnings of the eminent "Big One". That may be part of the problem, one I do not know how to avoid, it's the chicken little paradox, people start taking warnings as "the sky is falling". It's a point well taken, the powerful earthquakes occur so very infrequently we (I do for sure) trivialize the warnings. Part of the infrequency of the powerful quakes is the frequency of so many non-powerful earthquakes, we can look on the weather page of the local newspaper and see a map of earthquakes that have occurred in the past 24 hours. Almost all of them are below 5.0 magnitude, we are very familiar with the low-level shakers, which I believe makes us more insensitive to the stronger ones. The report for today April 20, 2018, is as follows:

* Six earthquakes in the past 24 hours (Northern California only)

* 60 in the past 7 days

* 297 earthquakes during the past 30 days

* 4,277 in during the past year
 (follow this Link to see what the report looks like, this is for Southern California)
   It's a lot of earthquakes, the largest one to occur during the past year was in Gonzales California with a 4.6 magnitude. None were above 4.6, that is barely felt outside of the epicenter, any less powerful quakes are noticed, sometimes. What we have is like during the past 24 hours, 6 earthquakes just in Northern California, it's more of a matter of equating the small events with the largest ones that have ever occurred. In fact, it's not a matter of predicting future events by evaluating historical events, like the stock market, that just doesn't matter, they were isolated singular events. Earthquakes cannot be predicted, further, a number of seismologist suspect prediction may never be achieved. The prediction that is of which gives people time to evacuate, even 1-2 minutes prior to it happening would save lives. When we lived in the California Desert, the people I worked with would go to Cardiff by the Sea, North of San Diego, on the weekends surfing, and just being in cool weather. We were there when the Tsunami warning was sounded, there was an offshore earthquake, the beach was crowded, not a single person left the beach. Everyone ignored the warning, worse than that the Tsunami never occurred, a predictors kiss of death. Would it have been better if the big wave did come crashing onshore and possibly kill hundreds if not thousands of people? Would it have changed the behavior of people in the future? I would have to say no, it would not, unless if some of the people on that destroyed beach were on another when a warning was given then maybe some of the people would follow them, otherwise most likely not.

Normally I ignore warnings for this kind of an event.

  Isn't that a grim picture I just painted? It is based on past human reactions to warnings, even if an earthquake could be predicted, how much effect would it have? The first one successfully predicted probably zero, the rest of them most likely a lot, but they must take place. Here I once again took the cows all the way around the pasture to answer the first question "what can I do to prepare for an earthquake while on a vacation in California?"

1)  Gather all of your travel papers together, passport, airline tickets, Identification, medical plan ID and any paperwork for rented cars or equipment and place them all in a small dedicated satchel, purse, or other storage or carrying device.

2)  Place your medications in the bag as well, if you are planning on staying for 2 weeks, bring 4 weeks of medication with you.

3)  Make a plan, FEMA has a lot of templates for planning, follow this Link.

4)  Establish an out of the area contact number, and make sure everyone in your party has it with them, in fact, each member should have a copy of the emergency plan with them. The reason for an out of the area number is due to the fact that as soon as an event takes place, everyone rushes to their phones. After an earthquake (or any natural event) the phone lines are jammed up locally, when we get a busy signal we immediately re-dial, jamming the lines up more. Texting may work, it doesn't take up as much airspace (?) as a Cell Phone, but the chances are it won't work, don't count on it. Designate a relative or friend from home, and make sure they know they are "it".

5)  Charge all of your electronic equipment every night, Cell phone, Computer, and flashlights.

6)  Keep the rental car full of gas.

7)  Know where you are, how many different roads there are out, how to get to them and where they go.

8)  Each member should have a photo of every other member of the group along with them if someone cannot be found the searchers will at least know what the person looks like.

  That's a good list, if you notice there is no food, water, flashlights, or other "survival gear" listed, there is a reason. A few bottles of water left in the car, some granola or something as well left in the car may be prudent. The real reason I did not list a bunch of equipment and a 72-hour kit is that not being a resident you most likely won't need the survival tools typically associated with an Emergency Kit. you will have no "skin" in the game, everything you come in contact with on vacation is not permanent, you don't have to stay. As a traveler it won't be needed because Earthquakes are regional, that is the destruction may be terrible at the higher magnitudes, but if an 8.0 magnitude takes place in San Francisco, all that may be felt in the Central Valley is heavier than normal ground shaking. The way that affects a tourist is they can leave the area, jump in the car and go somewhere else out of the affected zone. (See #6 above), You may have to drive in heavy traffic, but if the roads are open you can leave, it takes a huge earthquake to destroy a road. If the roads are closed due to collapse or fire, then stay where you are, The hotel is equipped to deal with issues such as water, food, and communications, but it would be prudent to leave if possible.

San Francisco

  That is for everywhere except San Francisco, there are three highways out of the City, they are packed on the everyday commutes, and with an 8.0 magnitude quake, a lot of people will be trying to leave. They won't make it, the first 3-5000 will, there are 864,900 residents, I figure 1% will make it out on the highways, even at that where will they go, Oakland? San Francisco is a peninsula, so I always think water, the best way to get out of town would be via water. Inland a person can be 50 miles away in a few hours, or as far away as Sacramento, or Stockton, there are hundreds of small towns along the rivers, sloughs, and bays of the Delta. A person could go the other direction, out to sea and the sky is the limit in that direction. I am sorry to say that it would be a monumental task to leave the City in the event of a powerful earthquake, so planning for a visit to that part of California should be intensely detailed.
  If I were traveling to California, the West Coast, I would take advantage of FEMA online for planning, have a paper map with you and know where you are at all times, there are some places here that don't have earthquakes. Then there are others as were I live that experienced 12 in the past 24 hours, I did not feel a single one of them and they were all within 150 miles of me. That's about all a traveler can do, take care of paperwork and be prepared to get out of Dodge thoughtfully.
Thank you for reading and sharing my blog, there is a lot to do in California, earthquakes are a very small part of the picture, but still, planning must be done to survive them. One more thing, if you are outside during an earthquake, you are in the safest place you can be, just don't get under a bridge, tree, or anything that can fall over. We've had several people killed in parks when trees have fallen over, without an earthquake, there is no way to predict a tree falling either.
jacquesandkate  EmergencyKitsPlus.com

Blue Heron

Earthquake awareness, safest States, unsafest States, 7 powerful quakes, prediction fallacies and realities, keep reading

April 18, 1906, a major earthquake magnitude of 7.9 occurred in the City of San Francisco California, 112 years ago. The epicenter was off the northern California coast on the San Andreas Fault. Beginning in San Juan Bautista in San Benito County to Humboldt County and out to sea for an unknown distance. Felt from Los Angelos in Southern California, to Coos Bay in the North, the damage was severe in San Francisco as well as in other towns near the fault, San Jose, Salinas, and Santa Rosa.

The fires caused a lot of buildings to be destroyed in the 1906
San Francisco Earthquake.

Sarah Winchester was engaged in the building of her home in San Jose, the earthquake was felt there also, in fact, she was trapped in a room after it occurred. My dad would not be born for another 12 years, my mom 15 years later, Theodore Roosevelt was the President of the United States. It was a long time ago. The last known survivor was a man, William Del Monte's, he was bundled into a horse-drawn cart along with his family and fled the city. William was 3-month's old when the earthquake occurred, he passed away 11 days before his 110th birthday in San Francisco, where he lived his entire life. Leveling much of the city, between 3,000-6,000 people lost their lives. Fires raged for four days, leveling 3/4 of the City, more than 28,000 structures were destroyed.
  The San Francisco earthquake struck 112 years ago, there have been other ones that have occurred but not at that magnitude (in the continental U.S.) since, I have added the Anchorage Earthquake of 1964, it eclipsed the 1906 quake easily. Seven of the strongest earthquakes that have occurred in California, prior to and after the San Francisco earthquake:

1)  Fort Tejon, January 9, 1857-magnitude 7.6
2)  Owens Valley, March 26, 1872-magnitude 7.4
3)  Imperial Valley, February 24, 1892-magnitude 7.8
4)  San Francisco, April 18, 1906-magnitude 7.9
5)  West of Eureka, January 31, 1922-magnitude 7.3
6)  Kern County, July 21, 1952-magnitude 7.3
7)  Landers, June 28, 1992-magnitude 7.3

  In a class all, it's own was the Earthquake that occurred on March 27, 1964, in Anchorage Alaska. Total damage $311 million, Tsunami was major at 220 feet and it measured 9.2 magnitudes.

  A magnitude 10 has never been measured, the most powerful ever recorded was in 1960 that struck Chile, magnitude 9.5. It is predicted a magnitude 10 would shake the ground for up to an hour, a Tsunami may occur while the shaking continues. Is it possible for a 10 to take place? 30 times greater than a 9.0, some scientists believe a 10 magnitude occurs at 10,000-year intervals.

  As we can see the earthquakes were (and still are), scattered throughout the state, there is a possibility someone that has experienced two or perhaps more of them. If someone did, for that day they would have to have been well traveled. Travel between San Francisco and Los Angelos was fairly commonplace, Fort Tejon was the Southernmost outpost of the Presidio which is near Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. To experience one of these events would be bad as it is, but to be involved in two or more would be a terrible coincidence.

Anchorage, Alaska 1964

  I wrote a little more than I wanted to on the "Big" earthquake, my intent is to bring to light just how long ago it was, and the tragedy of a powerful earthquake striking a major city, along with the unpredictability of Earthquakes. We can assemble a list of any length with every quake that has ever occurred, and sadly prediction is still not accurate. Unfortunately, natural disasters do not telegraph their intentions years, months, days, or weeks in advance, at least no indications that are obvious. We are reminded quite often of the threat of the "Big One", that is going to occur at some point in the future. That is not really a prediction, in my opinion, what would constitute a warning would include these three points.

  A) Location of the predicted earthquake, we have to know where the threat is, a huge task in its own right. Earthquake scientist covers a large area, predicting one would take in more area than just locally. The entire West Coast from Alaska to the tip of South America is in a very seismically active area, and to accurately predict where is daunting in the least. Measuring instruments have increased in number to aid Geologist, there is a mountain of data to compare.

  B) The accurate time it is to occur, almost as intimidating as the location, time can be elusive, to come up with a series of natural events that leads up to a quake will take a long time.

  C) A prediction made allowing time for people to prepare. along with what time the shaker will start is to detect and make the prediction in a usable amount of time. I am using the term "usable amount of time", a warning of one second would do little, 10 seconds would be much better. Ideally an hour or more, however when it is possible to predict them a 5-minute warning would most likely save many lives.
(Follow this Link to Scientists earthquake outlook for 2018.)
  That is pretty much the definition of Earthquake prediction, it is a branch of science known as "Seismology", with the parameters of Time, Location, and Magnitude as the main focus. The goal is for "the determination of parameters for the next powerful earthquake to occur in a given area". There is no way to predict earthquakes accurately there are some who don't believe it will ever be able to be accomplished successfully. Science can make a prediction of any fault with the statement of "yes an earthquake will occur on this fault.", but there is no way to know when it will occur. Rats, mink, snakes, and centipedes were observed leaving their homes and headed out of the area several days before the shaker took place. We hear peoples accounts of fish, birds, reptiles, cats, and dogs displaying out of the ordinary behavior from seconds to weeks prior to a powerful earthquake.
  Earthquake Weather, Cloudy, strong winds, fireballs, meteors, and calm, we wish there was "earthquake weather", however sadly there is not. Earthquakes are equally distributed during cold weather, hot weather, rain, storms, and all other conditions we face on a daily basis.
  Small Earthquakes can trigger larger ones, that is a tough statistic to track, the seismograph shows aftershocks, foreshocks, as well as the main earthquake, it could be easy to make the wrong diagnosis.
  Tonga, Fiji is in an extremely active seismic area and is the location of the world where the most earthquakes are recorded.
  Florida and North Dakota have the fewest earthquakes in the U.S.
  The states experiencing the most earthquakes: Alaska, Arkansas, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utan, Washington, and Wyoming, an extensive list. Oklahoma has had an increase in earthquakes due to fracking.
  Some of the safest countries to live in to avoid earthquakes: Finland, UAE, Iceland, Oman, Hong Kong, Singapore, Norway, and Switzerland.

  I guess this means if a person has a terror-inducing fear of Earthquakes, make a choice of anywhere but, yes, Fiji, I have met people from Fiji they are very friendly, happy, and good people, I suppose no one told them they are living in the most seismically active area in the world.

Iceland, safe from Earthquakes.

  Lacking prediction our recourse is to be ready for one to occur, it could be in 10 years or 10 seconds, no one knows. It is prudent for us to prepare in advance for our own survival, water, as usual, is the most important item, in my opinion, to keep on hand. Put a plan together, FEMA has templates set up for families and businesses to assist in organizing their preparations. (Follow this Link to FEMA's templates.) Tasks such as building a habit of charging cell phones every night, keeping our vehicles 1/2 full of fuel, and an out of the area contact to ensure everyone's safety. Prepare to address gas leaks, water leaks, loss of electricity for at least 3 days, loss of water service, and fire. Fire is a companion of most disasters as is a loss of utilities, but a fire is what does most of the destruction after a quake. To have a 6-day kit either self-made or purchase of a commercially prepared kit is prudent as well. In the event that the earthquake is very destructive and widespread, you will be ensuring your safety and well being with nominal preparation and awareness.
  Thank you for reading and sharing my blog, Earthquakes take place in every country, every state throughout the world, with a little pro-active preparation we can increase our survival, without a prediction. Thank you again!

jacquesandkate  EmergencyKitsPlus.com

Honkers in the Pasture

Arsenic contaminated drinking water, is your water affected, what will you do if it is, how will you deal with Arsenic?

  A common predicament in a number of our communities is that our water is contaminated with Arsenic, it occurs in industrial process water, community drinking water, and many of our water supplies. While working in the electrical generating industry one of the most difficult compounds to remove from our processes that used water was (and remains I'm sure) Arsenic. The last company I worked for had 5 plants along the river from Oakley, Calif. to Baypoint Calif. west of Pittsburg and east of Baypoint. Each plant pumped water from the river, actually, the confluence of the American and San Joaquin rivers is near Antioch. The river has a number of heavy metals and chemicals in it, as most rivers in the U.S, do, I don't know about foreign countries but I would assume a good portion of them do as well. There is Arsenic in the river water, to compound it the water that is used in the "Cooling Tower" picked up more arsenic. The cooling towers were made of wood, treated wood, and because these were built prior to 2004 when arsenic was taken out of the formula for wood preservative, arsenic was still present. The chemicals in the wood leached into the water, as part of the process some of the water would have to be returned to the river. It could go back to the river if it was cleaner than when it came out, no one had a problem with that, except arsenic is extremely difficult if not impossible to remove from water. We had to send ours to "Perk Ponds", we all see them along highways and in most housing sub-divisions to collect rain run-off. The perk ponds at the sites were designed to allow the water to percolate into the water table, leaving the arsenic in the soil during its travel down. We are in a tidal zone, the river rises and falls keeping time for people who live near a tide affected body of water, it's funny actually how we do relate time to the tide. The Perk Ponds rise and fall with the tides, It may be actually scrubbing the water, although I'm not sure about that. The water would have to be returned to the river with levels of arsenic acceptable to the State for human consumption, 10 ppb, yes 10 parts per billion, it is just that dangerous for us to consume.

This is how a cooling tower is constructed and works.

  Our house has well water, we have a small water company, they are common in rural areas of California, however, our water is not potable. Our water is contaminated with arsenic also, it is below 10 ppb so if we had to drink it the arsenic would not be a barrier, there are other contaminants in the water. We have an R.O. system over the kitchen sink to purify water to the point we can drink it, we also purchase bottled water, I've written about it extensively. I write about it as an example of how we rotate water through our reserve "stash", it's a big part of our self-reliance planning, in our case, it flows naturally.
  Is there a way to remove arsenic from water? First, let us go through what won't work.

  Boiling water will not remove it, Chlorine disinfection will not eliminate it, nor will normal filtering it out work.

  Distillation, ultra-filtration, ion exchange, or a reverse osmosis system will all remove it, typically one of these units is installed at one faucet, although whole house units are available.

  Where is the Arsenic?

  Arsenic occurs in rocks and soil in a natural state, it is mined for industrial and agricultural uses. It is used as an additive with other chemicals to combat insects that invade cotton and other crops. Not only does it occur naturally but it is also a by-product of burning coal, copper smelting, and the ash in some boiler fuels. It is also used in wood preservatives which have not been used since 2004. Manufacturers of treated wood voluntarily stopped using the chemicals in December 2003, in fact, they stopped using the chemical compound CCA, which stands for Chromium, Copper, and Arsenic, the chemical compound used in wood preservative. (I wrote a blog on CCA some months ago, if you'd like to read it follow this Link, it truly is interesting.) One tablespoon can kill a human, 5 can kill a full-grown cow. (Follow this Link to W.H.O. paper on Arsenic in our Water)

  How does it get into our water?

  Through industrial or agricultural pollution, from naturally occurring deposits as the water table falls, Some industrial processes release thousands of pounds into the environment every year, where it remains for a very long time. It can be removed from the air by rain, snow, and gravity. Once on the ground, the arsenic will work it's way to the water table contaminating it, contaminating wells and ponds. High arsenic levels in wells may also be caused by agricultural run-off from fertilizers or industrial waste. High concentrations of arsenic in a well may also be indicative of a problem with the well, improper construction, cracked casing, or a natural deposit may be at the bottom of the well. If you think your well may be contaminated contact your State Certification Officer, they will have a list of labs in your area that will test your water for a fee.
  Stockholm Univerisity has discovered a moss that is capable of removing arsenic from water, it is very quick. In one hour it can remove enough water to make it safe to drink. It's important in Sweden due to mining in the Northern part of that country. It removes 80% of the arsenic from a container of water in an hour or less, making it harmless to people. The report on the moss was released yesterday and published today April 16, 2018. This may be a discovery that may not make the earth shake, but it may move it a tiny bit, it can have major repercussions. I'm thinking of lining the Perk Ponds with it, I wonder if it will work like that, effectively turning it into a "captured" water filter in a natural environment. not sounding like a filter it's more like a living entity filtering the arsenic out and using it as a nutrient perhaps. I have to do more research but it promises to be interesting. (Link to an article on the Swedish research)
  We've all dealt with arsenic in our water for our entire lives, knowingly or not, I did not realize how widespread it is, I read a lot about arsenic and worked with water contaminated with it, my awareness level was low. It can cause disease, skin, lung, bladder, and kidney cancer and has been reported in people ingesting arsenic in concentrations higher than 50ppb per liter, sometimes even lower amounts have been attributed to the illnesses.
  The signs and symptoms of arsenic poisoning in humans include the following.
1) Metallic taste in the mouth, and breath that smells a lot like garlic
3) Blood in the urine.
4) Cramping muscles
5) Hair loss
6) Stomach Cramps
7) Convulsions
8) Drowsiness
9) Headaches
10) Confusion
11) Severe Diarrhea

  This is what you can expect if you display symptoms and end up being diagnosed with Arsenic poisoning:
1) Remove all clothing that could have been contaminated, dispose of them, incineration is the best way to dispose of it.
2) Wash and rinse all skin that has been exposed and is affected.
3) You will most likely need blood transfusions
4) Heart medication, just in case your heart starts to fail and to combat fatal heart rhythm problems.
5) Blood test monitoring for kidney functions.
6) Bowel irrigation is a real possibility, irrigation removes trace arsenic and prevents it from being absorbed into the intestines, stomach, and other parts of the gut.
7) Chelation therapy may be employed, it isolates arsenic from the blood proteins.

Any well is capable of being contaminated.

  Arsenic in our drinking water is a big deal if you suspect your well, or water supply is compromised, get it checked, then develop a plan to deal with it. I hope this blog will serve as a motivator, just to start thinking about it and a remedy. I don't know if that has to be reported during the sale of a home or property in the disclosures, if it's known I would think it has to be, Thank you for reading and sharing my blog, leave a comment I answer them all, and appreciate the feedback, thanks.
jacquesandkate  EmergencyKitsPlus.com