October brings the wonderful abundance of harvests. As the crops come to ripeness, markets overflow with pumpkins, grapes, root crops and vegetables like cabbage, brussels sprouts, broccoli and eggplant. It is a season of abundance drawing attention to the fortuitous conditions we find in Western Pennsylvania for nurturing crops and people. A return to practices that restore fertile ground proliferates through community gardens, local Community Supported Agriculture operations and local farms that come to Farmers Markets throughout our region.
People have been challenged to seek food sources they trust to be safe, wholesome and supporting healthier eating patterns. The scare of (Clystridia) on lettuce really challenged the confidence in purchasing convenience healthy foods like “salad in a bag.” The growing awareness of the transfer of plastic contamination into food from packaging, processing and cooking has created demand for home food preservation and home cooking. It is exciting to see a whole new generation of young people learning how to cook from scratch, explore canning and preserving practices, and looking for new ways to assure safe and wholesome food practices. The unintended consequences of convenience foods, pre-prepared foods, and fast food begin to accumulate in our culture and are now creating a backlash. Traditional ways of our grandmothers hold appeal beyond nostalgia. Thrifty, safe, and tasty food never goes out of style.
As we look toward preparations for winter, the prospect of heavier storms due to the El Niño effect looms with an unknown level of increased threat of power outages and supply disruptions. Food security takes on a whole new dimension as we think about what happens when the power goes out. Unless your house has a total backup generation system, a power outage of 36 hours or longer can mean loss of the contents of the refrigerator and freezer. Planning can help avoid huge losses and help with keeping a food supply that can be managed through an extended power outage.
If the winter is cold enough, transfer the contents of the freezer and refrigerator into insulated coolers that can be kept in the garage or a sheltered place to stay cold or frozen until needed. For cooking, if your stove does not work without electricity, a camp stove that runs on bottled propane or even a charcoal grill can serve as a cooking station. For things that would spoil if not cooked at once, possibly join with neighbors and make a large vat of soup, spaghetti sauce, chili or stew to share. It is better to share than to throw food out from spoiling. Coordinate with a neighborhood plan in advance of a crisis. Neighbors helping neighbors can be an important part of a resilience plan. See “Are you Ready? An In-depth Guide to Citizen Preparedness.” https://www.ready.gov/sites/default/files/2021-11/are-you-ready-guide.pdf
In the season of ripeness, think about “putting by” for the winter as a process that goes on throughout the summer. One benefit of canning and preserving food is that foods put up in jars do not need to be refrigerated or frozen to keep safely. Invest in a pressure cooker to use for processing low acid foods. For reliable information, The US Department of Agriculture has good information for beginners and experts. https://www.nal.usda.gov/exhibits/ipd/canning/items/show/101 The Joy of Cooking remans a standard choice. Also, the makers of Ball Mason Jars https://www.ballmasonjars.com/canning-preserving-guides.html include directions and recipes.
We commemorate Memorial Day on the last Monday in May, honoring all of those fallen in wars from the Civil War until now. It is a solemn occasion to mark the service of those who have given their lives in the name of our country. The causes and outcomes have varied over the years, with some more strikingly clear than others. But as a constant lies the dedication and support of the families of soldiers; the solidarity of those who share the experience of combat in arms; and the grief of loved ones for the loss of youth and promise.
The “war of choice” in Iran engaging us now has disrupted commerce and challenged the concept of trust in our leaders to weigh the value of lives carefully.[i] We mere citizens have little influence over the powers that wage wars, but we do experience the personal losses of family and friends; and communities see the impact as resources shift from domestic to military support. As military disruptions affect the international flow of petrochemicals, we see clearly how dependent we have become on this resource in all aspects of our lives. Especially in the food system.
The Straits of Hormuz closing has restricted movement for critical materials disrupting the flow of about 20% of global oil supply.[ii] Fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and packaging in the food industry all come from petrochemical industry. So does the fuel that runs the machinery and processing equipment for cultivating and harvesting, and fuel for transporting food from the growing areas to stores and homes. As with many other systems, the use of petrochemicals (oil and natural gas) has been a driver in their growth and development to major international industries.[iii]Now the war in Iran has put a spotlight on what it means to move away from the fossil fuel base for our basic needs for energy, food and transportation. This wartime experience has sharpened the points of need for alternatives based on non-fossil fueled, sustainable systems. It took decades for the industrial revolution to create the conditions of dependence on extractive resources we experience today, but it need not take decades to shift to a more sustainable system. The building blocks are in place already.
The Victory Garden and Domestic food initiatives of the WWII era have many parallels with the sustainable food initiatives of today.[iv] Even though the motivation for the gardens differs somewhat, using local foods, and how we prepare and acquire food for economy, health and public purpose have strong parallels. Rachel Carson compiled recipes for using domestic fishes in all regions of the United States as part of this effort.[v] Efforts to compensate for such things as sugar and butter rationing suggest approaches that can help with healthier eating habits today. Likewise, processes for preserving food for Winter have seen major advances in technology, with dehydration for example.[vi] But the concept of putting food by for year – round use stands as a long tradition to the oldest recorded history of human civilization.
This year, we face food supply constraints not only from war blockades of supply chains but also from the side effects of climate events. In Georgia wildfires have delayed planting times.[vii] In the Midwest, drought lingers, and in the agricultural areas served by the Colorado River, water restrictions loom.[viii][ix] Conflicting demands between industrial uses and domestic and agricultural needs are growing. The erratic swings in climate conditions makes reliable agricultural production even more of a challenge than it has been traditionally.
Acquiring local foods, preserving seasonal foods and practicing economy and health in what we eat are standards of food culture available to everyone. The women of WWII tended Victory Gardens as part of a war effort, displacing commercial food so production could feed the Armed Forces and Allies. An estimated 8 to 10 billion pounds of food were grown in victory gardens and from other domestic food sources, releasing commercial production for military use.[x]
Modern Home -Grown initiatives look toward reducing the carbon footprint of the food chain by using locally sourced food and using regenerative agriculture practices for healthier eating.[xi] The Rodale Institute has documented that global adoption of regenerative practices across both grasslands and arable acreage could sequester more than 100% of current anthropogenic emissions of CO2 and that stable soil carbon can be built quickly enough to result in a rapid drawdown of atmospheric carbon dioxide.[xii] Restoring fertile ground through regenerative agriculture is an effective tool for capturing carbon dioxide from the air and binding it in soils. That means growing food with natural fertilizers like compost that stores carbon and increases soil fertility. It means having food produced without pesticides and herbicides that can leave residues in food. It means less petrochemicals used for transportation fuel, packaging, and refrigeration. Even displacing a little food purchased can save much in energy use and food waste.
The Climate Victory Garden is a new initiative that contributes to the resilience and sustainability of our food supplies in uncertain times. You can see all the Climate Victory Gardens and register yours here https://greenamerica.org/climate-victory-gardens
You can also support your community farmers by buying fresh produce at local Farmers Markets or participating in Community Supported Agriculture in your area. Summertime is planting time. Harvesting foods as they are ready and appreciating seasonal fruits and vegetables fresh from local gardens and farms is a pleasure forgotten in the inundation of year-round hybrid strawberries, raspberries and apples. Gone are the regional specialties anticipated for a year and enjoyed as a rare delight- like fresh-picked peaches in August. Discover the joy of growing some of your own food and herbs. Share the experience with your children. Live closer to the force of Nature that supports our life on Earth.
[v] Rachel Carson. Food From the Sea: Fish and Shellfish of New England. Conservation Bulletin 33. United States Department of Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service. Washington DC. 1943. National Archive accessed in person May 12, 2025.
by Patricia M. DeMarco, Ph.D. Mayor, Borough of Forest Hills, PA
Black plastic is commonly used in kitchen utensils, takeout containers, food trays, and children’s toys. But they hide a dark secret- most are made from material recovered from electronic waste plastic. Many of these products are made from recycled electronic waste, which can contain harmful chemicals like brominated flame retardants and heavy metals.[i] Flame retardants (often called “Forever Chemicals”) are found in 85% of black plastic consumer products.[ii] Why is this a problem? Electronic products uniquely contain potential fire ignition sources within the components – circuit boards, batteries, transformers, connectors and other essential parts. To prevent and control the severity of fires, manufacturers coat electronics like computers, smart phones, televisions, gaming systems and tablets with a variety of flame-retardant compounds.[iii] According to the Green Sciences Institute, flammability standards for electronics were developed in the 1970s in an attempt to limit the risk of a small open flame igniting plastic materials. High levels of flame-retardant chemicals–as much as 25% of the weight of the plastic–are used to meet these standards.[iv] When these products are recycled to recover the plastic, contaminants can transfer to food through consumer products.[v]
However, the chemicals so widely used to prevent the small fire risk are well-documented and potent endocrine disruptors. As a class of chemicals, organohalogens are highly persistent, bioaccumulative, and cause health harms, especially endocrine disruption, in wildlife and humans.[vi] These compounds can migrate from the plastic cases into dust particles which can be inhaled or ingested. And, when recycled into materials in contact with food, especially hot items, they can be absorbed into the food itself.[vii] Repeated petitions to the Consumer Products Safety Commission resulted in a Guidance Notice in 2017 to be in place pending the development of final regulations: “Commission recommends that manufacturers of children’s products, upholstered furniture sold for use in residences, mattresses (and mattress pads), and plastic casings surrounding electronics refrain from intentionally adding non-polymeric, organohalogen flame retardants (‘‘OFRs’’) to their products. Further, theCommission recommends that, before purchasing such products for resale, importers, distributors, and retailers obtain assurances from manufacturers that such products do not contain OFRs. Finally, the Commission recommends that consumers, especially those who are pregnant or with young children, inquire and obtain assurances from retailers that such products do not contain OFRs.”[viii]
The Consumer Products Safety Commission has ceased rulemaking to implement this guidance, and has declared that the Commission does not have any rule prohibiting the use of flame retardants in children’s products, upholstered furniture, mattresses and mattress pads, and in plastic casings surrounding electronics.[ix]
Consumers are now without the protection of a regulatory limitation on products readily available and in common use. Why should we be concerned?
Human hormones produced by the endocrine system control essential functions. Hormone Disrupting Compounds act at very low doses of exposure. Endocrine glands and the hormones they produce enable the body to adapt to environmental change; they allow metabolic adjustments to occur in response to different nutritional demands (e.g. hunger, starvation, obesity, etc.); they are critical to reproductive function; and they are essential to normal development of the body and brain through their effects on growth and maturation of organs.[x]
EDCs disrupt normal hormone functions. EDCs can block normal hormones by binding to specific receptors.[xi] They can mimic normal hormones, like estrogen, for example, interfering with normal hormone functions. Some can cause stimulation of a normal hormone function resulting in an unintended response. Because normal hormones are receptor-specific and act at very low concentrations in the body, small amounts of EDCs can have a larger unintended effect.[xii]
Chronic exposure has been shown to cause diseases. EDCs in plastics include: bisphenols, phthalates, alkylphenol ethoxylates, nonylphenols, brominated flame retardants, perfluorinated substances, benzotriazole UV stabilizers, and toxic metals. Infertility, reduced sperm count, pregnancy loss, and low birth weight of infants have been caused by EDCs. Some EDCs have been shown to cause cancers or chronic illnesses like diabetes and obesity. Some of these EDCs are persistent and bioaccumulative (i.e., build up over time in body tissues). When humans are tested for the presence of EDCs in their blood, fat, urine, and other tissues, the results consistently demonstrate a variety of EDCs in all individuals worldwide.[xiii]
In conclusion: Please examine your daily exposure to plastics. They can enter the body from absorption to food from plastic packaging or wraps, from ingestion of small particles from coated cooking pans or plastic cutting boards, or from using personal care or cleaning products. The Environmental Working Group provides a good source for guidance and brand based lists of exposure as well as Safe Products and sources.[xiv]
Choose durable materials for food preparation, serving and storage. Many things like spatulas and cooking goods made from aluminum, stainless steel, and wood are inexpensive and readily available. Secondhand goods stores are often a very inexpensive source for amazing products from the days of handmade homemade foods and materials. Cast iron pans well-seasoned from regular use last for generations.
P. DeMarco photo
While recycling is an essential feature for a circular materials economy, it is more important than ever to design products to ensure that toxic substances do not proliferate through the process. Recycling, without the necessary transparency and restrictions to ensure safety, is resulting in unexpected exposure to toxic flame retardants in household items.[xv] The chemical industry persistently repels attempts to regulate these and other forever chemicals, and has successfully prevented requirements to produce products that are non-toxic by design.[xvi]
We are inundated with a stew of synthetic chemicals. Our bodies do not experience one chemical at a time but rather a complex mixture of contaminants now spread worldwide through air and water and soil, even to uninhabited areas like Antarctica. The effects of this complex mixture have never been studied systematically. However, the epidemiology evidence documents the fact that we have been conducting an uncontrolled experiment upon ourselves and all other living things on Earth. Rachel Carson’s early urging of precaution in the proliferation of synthetic materials into the biosphere was ignored, even despised and disparaged by the chemical industry and especially the petrochemical industry. We learn to our sorrow that she was right to urge precaution. Once released, this proliferation of “Forever Chemicals” cannot be retrieved. We have poisoned our world forever.
[ii] Liu M, Brandsma SH, Schreder E. From e-waste to living space: Flame retardants contaminating household items add to concern about plastic recycling. Chemosphere. 2024 Oct;365:143319. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.143319. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39271080/
[iv] Hall, J.R. Fires Involving Appliance Housings— Is There a Clear and Present Danger?. Fire Technology38, 179–198 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1014463317848 Accessed May 29, 2026.
[v] Liu M, Brandsma SH, Schreder E. From e-waste to living space: Flame retardants contaminating household items add to concern about plastic recycling. Chemosphere. 2024 Oct;365:143319. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.143319. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39271080/
[xv] Liu M, Brandsma SH, Schreder E. From e-waste to living space: Flame retardants contaminating household items add to concern about plastic recycling. Chemosphere. 2024 Oct;365:143319. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.143319. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39271080/ Accessed May 28, 2026.
The title of this piece comes from remarks my friend Rev. Marcia Dinkins made at the PA Interfaith Power and Light Annual Meeting. I share this sentiment as a commitment to unrelenting action and advocacy for the essential transformation that must occur if our children are to have a safe and healthy future. There is no prospect for survival beyond this century unless we all take action to shift from a society based on extractive fossil resources to one based on regenerative and sustainable resources.
The transformation a sustainable future is in progress, but moving far too slowly. Every person can act. Every person matters. We can build a sustainable future with equity, resilience and shared prosperity for all of us.
2021 marked a threshold in the global perception of climate change action. Sixty-four percent of people worldwide believe climate change is a global emergency, despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. https://www.undp.org/publications/peoples-climate-vote The “People’s Climate Vote” survey, conducted by the University of Oxford in conjunction with United Nations Development Program, asked respondents if climate change was a global emergency and whether they supported eighteen key climate policies across six action areas: economy, energy, transport, food & farms, nature and protecting people.
UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner said:
“The results of the survey clearly illustrate that urgent climate action has broad support amongst people around the globe, across nationalities, age, gender and education level. But more than that, the poll reveals how people want their policymakers to tackle the crisis. From climate-friendly farming to protecting nature and investing in a green recovery from COVID-19, the survey brings the voice of the people to the forefront of the climate debate. It signals ways in which countries can move forward with public support as we work together to tackle this enormous challenge.”
In America, the picture is much more complicated. In October 2019, a Pew Research Survey found that about six-in-ten Americans (62%) said that global climate change was affecting their local community a great deal or some. And two-thirds of Americans (67%) said the federal government wasn’t doing enough to reduce the effects of global climate change. But there were wide political divides over the effects of climate policy. Partisanship is a stronger factor in people’s beliefs about climate change than is their level of knowledge and understanding about science. Democrats with a high level of knowledge about science (89%) said human activity contributes a great deal to climate change, compared with 41% of Democrats with low science knowledge, based on an 11-item knowledge index. Republicans with a high level of science knowledge (17%) were no more likely than those with a low level of knowledge (25%) to say human activity plays a strong role in climate change. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/04/21/how-americans-see-climate-change-and-the-environment-in-7-charts/
Each of us can commit to taking action on climate in the New Year- it is the most important gift we can give our children. Here are Five things we can all do to reduce climate causing carbon emissions every day:
1. Speak out and vote. Regardless of our means or station in life, every citizen has the obligation to participate actively in the process of government. We must hold our elected representatives accountable to act in the best interest of our future, not for vested interests mired in the fossil industries. Contact your state and federal Representatives and Senators at least once a month to urge action on climate and protecting our air, water and lands. It is time to restore government actions in support of people and communities instead of enhancing corporate wealth. Trickle down economics does not work. Never has, never will. Strong unions, strong communities, fair wages and good education and medical care for all citizens build the middle class and create a shared prosperity. You can find your federal, state and local elected officials here. https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials See the Reimagine Appalachia Blueprint for good information about policies that will help our region move away from fossil extractive industries , restore the land and build good jobs that support a shared prosperity for all of us. https://reimagineappalachia.org
2. Take responsibility for your own climate footprint. Energy use is the most significant contributor to the greenhouse gases that cause climate warming. Each of us can move our energy use toward zero carbon emissions with deliberate choices.
Implement low-cost and no-cost efficiency measures like setting thermostats higher in summer and lower in winter, sealing up leaks in heating ducts, windows, doors and vents; have an energy audit of your house and make the efficiency improvements that may include adding insulation to attic and walls, replacing windows and doors or upgrading the heating and cooling system. https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/do-it-yourself-home-energy-assessments
Examine your appliances for efficiency and choose efficient options when replacing them. remember to unplug appliances when not in use- anything that has a clock on it, or that runs constantly whether in use or not, turn off computers and electronics when not in active use. “Vampire power” use can be a big drain on your electricity bill. Choose a 100% local renewable energy electricity provider. Here is a resource to guide how to switch. https://electricityrates.com/how-to-compare/switch-electricity-providers/renewable-energy/
3. Eat for Health and a Healthy Planet. Food choices matter for the health of our families and for the. health of the planet. Agriculture contributes to climate change in many ways, not only by carbon emissions from farm machinery and animal wastes, but also by the degradation of soil fertility from over-use of agricultural chemicals such as herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers derived from petrochemicals. Advocate for federal, state and local agricultural land practices that regenerate fertility of the soils a top priority. Agricultural lands in America were once blessed with 12 to 24 inches of topsoil; now more often one to four inches. Building up organic material in the soil through regenerative agricultural practices can sequester carbonated improve fertility of the land. https://rodaleinstitute.org/education/resources/regenerative-agriculture-and-the-soil-carbon-solution/
Convert as much of your energy use to electricity as possible, especially large appliances like hot water heaters, clothes dryers (really consider hanging clothes to dry!) stoves, and heating systems. Modern high efficiency heat pumps can replace gas furnaces for heating.Here are some good resources to guide this effort https://www.rewiringamerica.org
Eat lower on the food chain. You can eat much less meat, or eliminate it from your diet completely. Look for locally produced food and support local farmers, farmers markets and local produce in grocery stores. https://ourworldindata.org/food-choice-vs-eating-local
Avoid food waste. In America, 40% of produced food goes to waste land food scraps and yard waste together currently make up more than 28 percent of what we throw away. Plan menus to use all of the food you buy. Compost food waste and additive to your gardens or to a community composting service. https://www.epa.gov/recycle/composting-home
4. Decarbonize your transportation. Transportation based on internal combustion engines replaced horses within the decade of 1903 to 1913 because cost, convenience and prestige drove a rapid innovation. Similar change can happen if we organize our transportation system to replace the internal combustion engine with electric engines and other transportation technologies. The first personal choice for reducing the transportation energy use is to drive less. Walk when possible, take public transit when possible, and drive conscientiously. Consolidate trips, avoid idling, and keep your vehicle properly tuned up. As you seek to replace your vehicle, shift to an electric hybrid model or to an all-electric model. Economic incentives are emerging for electric vehicles and for the infrastructure such as charging stations and service stations as well as advances in battery and storage systems. https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/taxevb.shtml This is a rapidly chancing arena, so watch for updates as the legislation emerges.
Carry re-usable bags for purchases. Some communities are adopting bans on plastic bags.
Look at labels and choose non-plasttic options. There are hundreds of ways to eliminate plastics and I have written about this subject often on tis site. Se this resource for a step by step guide to eliminating plastic. https://myplasticfreelife.com/plasticfreeguide/
As we close this year, the climate battle rages on multiple fronts with the added punctuation of loss from the pandemic casualties. I find hope and confidence in the future in the eyes of so many colleagues fighting every day to improve our situation. I see it in the many hands of people turning to help each other through hard times. I feel it in the love and affection poured out in families and communities as we support each other through grief and sadness. I know it in experiencing the embrace of the living earth as each day dawns anew.May we celebrate the Gifts of the Living Earth in the coming year and for always.
