Stewards of the Planet

What are you going to do about it?

The best hope belongs to us.  

I was asked around the time of the first Earth Day about what I could do for the environment. The questioner thought the whole idea was just stupid.You may remember at that time lakes that foamed with detergent, rivers that were on fire and dump sites that were seeping with toxic waste getting into the ground water. I had to think for a minute. I said something vague about recycling and reusing. Turns out there are some simple things we could do right now as individuals.

Back then,concern about the environment was a bipartisan issue. I'm convinced it can be again, if we are all willing to do what we can to change the course of events. If we're willing to step forward and do something, we can lead our leaders. Maybe it starts here. Doing nothing is not an option.

BBC Minute On What We Can Do to Slow Down Climate Change

Come gather 'round people

Wherever you roam

And admit that the waters

Around you have grown

And accept it that soon

You'll be drenched to the bone.

If your time to you

Is worth savin'

Then you better start swimmin'

Or you'll sink like a stone

For the times they are a-changin'.

Bob Dylan

Pollution and Autism

The cause of Autism has not been determined yet. Pollution is a primary suspect.
Moms for Clean Air has come up with a list of the top ten suspects among pollution as the cause (or causes) for autism.

Moms have passion and power — an unbeatable combination. We are harnessing the strength of mother love to fight back against polluters.Moms are uniting to come out in strength for our kids’ right to clean air — just as our parents fought for us, forty years ago, to get the Clean Air Act signed into law by President Richard Nixon. Moms Clean Air Force is nonpartisan–because clean air should be more important than politics.- See more at: http://www.momscleanairforce.org/mission/#sthash.fZrPnWAU.dpuf

Among the suspects

• Lead
• PCP's
• Mercury
• Insecticides
• DDT
• Automotive Exhaust
• Flame retardants

When I was a child there were about 3.5 billion people on this earth. Today we are approaching 7 billion. The cumulative effect of chemicals and other pollutants on the air we breath and the water we drink is exponential. There are twice as many people spilling this stuff into our air and water supply. In developing countries like China, the production of pollutants seems unbridled. The air in their big cities is unbreathable. The stuff they're putting in the air does not stay contained at their borders. Combine their pollution production with our own and the consequences seem dire.


The complete suspect list of pollutants as causes for autism is at the Moms for Clean Air website.

I'm the Development and Marketing Coordinator for the FOCUS Center for Autism in Canton, Connecticut. FOCUS Center for Autism helps children, adolescents and young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders reach their full potential by providing clinical programs, community education and family support.