Mercury-On-Hudson: Environmental Action Works

Mercury, besides its practicality in older thermostats, is a toxin that you do not want to mess with. Coal-fired power plants are largely responsible for emitting it into the air, before it falls down to the ground and into our water supply. For decades, fish tainted with mercury have been slowly poisoning us (if you eat too much of course, our bodies can detoxify small amounts at a time) without any kind of labels, since the fish certainly won't tell you, you can forget about the fisherman. The good news in all of this is that we've known about the problem for a while, and environmental groups have been fighting to clean up mercury emitters. In New York, NYPIRG has been instrumental in cleaning the Hudson river, and guess what?

It works:

STONY BROOK, N.Y., July 23, 2008 — Jeffrey S. Levinton, Distinguished Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolution at Stony Brook University and the senior author of the study done with Sharon T. Pochron, Adjunct Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Stony Brook University, found that mercury in common Hudson River fish including striped bass, yellow perch, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and carp, has declined strongly over the past three decades. The finding was reported in the August issue of the journal /Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry*. Levinton’s research indicates that the trends are in line with the remarkable recovery that the Hudson River has experienced over the past few decades, now that activist groups, government officials and industry are beginning to cooperate to help clean up the river system.

Isn't that amazing, a little lot of hard work can accomplish great things if we are willing to stay committed to the cause. Power plants upstate were certainly not going to do this themselves, simply because it wasn't profitable. It took impassioned activism to convince state authorities to regulate the polluters, and that is exactly what happened.

Bloomberg The Environmentalist Opposes Electronics Recycling Fine

If I can recall correctly, Mayor Bloomberg prides himself on being New York's premier environmentalist. The PlaNYC was a hit last year, presented with precision timing on Earth Day. He regularly bashes all the Presidential candidates for not being strident enough on environmental policies while refusing to enter the race and take some heat. Now his opposition to mandatory electronics recycling in the city is raising some eyebrows in the green community.

From The NY Times:

New York City is a step closer to adopting one of the toughest electronics recycling laws in the nation, despite strong objections from manufacturers and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg.

The City Council on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved a bill that would impose a $100 fine on anyone who throws an old computer, printer or other electronic gadget into the trash. Recycling the electronic waste will become mandatory, and manufacturers will be required to take back their own products as well as those made by companies that have gone out of business.

The Council estimated that New Yorkers purchase more than 90,000 tons of electronic products every year. The gadgets contain hazards like lead and mercury, and most end up in the trash.

Bloomie wants to keep the recycling problem voluntary but here in New York, if you want something done it usually has to be done with a push. The City Council is heavily in favor of it and can easily override a veto if the Mayor decides to go that route.

The legislation is a fair deal, even if the Mayor and manufacturers think its unconstitutional. We need to get serious about preserving the environment and this is a great step in doing so. Read the rest of the article at the above link and decide for yourself.