All entries by this author

Time to Shed Our Fear: Words of Wisdom From an Inspiring Woman

Jun 5th, 2014 | By
mathaai-slider

By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org World Environment Day – a day “for encouraging worldwide awareness and action for the environment” – is another officially recognized day by the United Nations for doing something (anything) positive for the environment. Given the fragility of the climate, environment and communities around the world, it is a good time to
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Gone in a Blink of an Eye?

Jun 2nd, 2014 | By
[photo credit: www.worldwildlife.org]

By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org There is no denying that humans are impacting the planet, and not necessarily for the good. Some people may argue this point, but one look at mountaintops blown off in Appalachia or forests cleared for palm oil production would have to elicit some acceptance of human alteration of the environment. Many
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A World of Demands on Our Farmlands

May 29th, 2014 | By
[photo credit: www.community.businessfightspoverty.org]

By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org. Carbon footprint size is often talked about, but what about agriculture’s footprint? Farming of crops and livestock uses more than 38 percent of the planet’s ice-free land.  Humans have cleared land that amounts to nearly the size of South America to grow crops and to raise livestock, cleared an area almost
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Time to Get Serious About Investing in Youth

May 22nd, 2014 | By
Nigerian youth [photo credit: bixby.berkeley.edu]

By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org There has been much news lately on the 270 Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped last month by the terrorist organization Boko Haram.  It took some time to hit the airwaves, and it partly took a Twitter campaign that began in Nigeria to make the headlines. Once it did, advocates from Michele Obama to
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Endangered Species Day: Changing the Way People View Wildlife

May 16th, 2014 | By
[image credit: Jennifer Hennessey, http://www.fws.gov]

Wildfires are already raging in southern California, as the state drought worsens.  The impact on residents will be great, but what about the ecosystem itself?  With May 16th designated as Endangered Species Day, what will be the fate of wildlife trying to cope in a world of climate extremes? According to a 2012 California Department
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Climate Change – Here Today, Not Gone Tomorrow

May 12th, 2014 | By
[image credit: www.beyondtalk.net]

By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org All one really needs to take away from the 800-page National Climate Assessment (NCA), mandated every four years by the U.S. Congress, is this: Human-induced climate change is projected to continue, and it will accelerate significantly if emissions of heat-trapping gases continue to increase. As published in the NCA, “The magnitude of climate
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The Plunge in Teen Pregnancy Rates

May 6th, 2014 | By
[photo credit: www.contemporaryfamilies.org]

By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org The number of American teenagers getting pregnant is at an historic low.  While this is good news, the U.S. teen birth rate is still highest in the industrialized world. Rates of teen pregnancy, birth and abortion have declined dramatically in the United States since their peak in the early 1990s.  According
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Palm Oil: The Threat to Biodiversity

May 1st, 2014 | By
Palm oil plantation next to a watershed [photo credit: www.ran.org]

By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org Consumer knowledge on the destructiveness of palm oil production – found in everything from ice cream and crackers to detergents and cosmetics, is rising.  Increased awareness is sorely needed, as more and more forests are cleared to make way for palm oil plantations. There are a lot of questions around the
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Wedding Busters: Betting on Child Marriage-Free Zones

Apr 26th, 2014 | By
[photo credit: www.plan-international.org/girls/childmarriagereport/]

By Suzanne York. Child marriage is a difficult issue that is complicated by culture and religion, and especially by poverty. It takes time and effort to change culture, but it is possible.  Ending poverty is something that many people, organizations, and governments have tried to end for decades, but the challenge is enormous.Yet the will
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The Intersection Between Our Environment and Reproductive Health

Apr 21st, 2014 | By
[image credit: http://www.organicconsumers.org]

By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org What is the connection between the health of our bodies and the health of the planet? The sad reality is that every day products are damaging our health, especially the reproductive health of both women and men, and damaging our environment.  As people in the U.S. and around the world celebrate
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