Author: owner

There is Only One Earth…
And the Problem of Doing Away with Environmental Laws Designed to Protect It
Having been a science teacher (biology, chemistry, physics and advanced biology) for more than a quarter of a century, I know the importance of teaching fact vs opinion. Science is based on facts. Science is based on testing and re-testing to make sure what is being presented is true, that is, real. In the sciences, it is not enough for one person to say how things are. Things have to be test-able, that is, able to be tested by others and for others to get the same results.
Facts and opinions are not the same. Each of us and all of us have opinions about many things. We can agree with some things and not agree with others. That’s fine...but facts are different. They are based on tested and re-tested work to demonstrate the prove-ability of the facts.
Environmental laws and standards are based on science, on research and on facts. The purpose of these laws is to protect the earth, to protect the environment around us and then to protect each of us and all of us from the various chemicals that have been banned or restricted. Because there is only one earth, on which we share the air and water, any chemical or substance that is released into the earth can make its way throughout the air, water and land. Once released, there is no way to undo the contamination it is causing.
During the present administration in Washington, 100 environmental and climate related regulations have been removed or allowed to lapse. As I write this, 66 rollbacks have been completed, and an additional 34 are in progress. Each of these regulations controlled what was allowed to be released into the air, water, etc. The immediate question we need to ask is: why would the administration do this? Why overturn these regulations? Who benefits from the rules and regulations being discarded?
The regulations being overturned fall into several categories:
27 rules re: limits on carbon-dioxide emissions from power plants and vehicles
20 rules re: drilling and extraction of oil, gas, etc.
12 rules re: infrastructure and planning
11 rules re: wildlife, endangered species
11 rules re: water pollution
11 rules re: other issues
8 rules re: toxic substances and safety
The largest group of rollbacks have been done by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) for the benefit of corporations and their profits. What is not taken in to consideration is the negative impact that these rollbacks will have, most especially on the communities near the related facilities, who are exposed to emissions, and dealing with contaminated water and/or air, etc.
The rules had initially been created to benefit all those directly and indirectly affected by negative impacts. To remove these rules and associated regulations means the negative impacts will continue in community after community. One simple example:
Here in Hartford, for many years the school buses have emitted terrible exhaust emissions. Children and adults living near the streets where the buses travel very often have severe cases of asthma, triggered by the bus exhaust fumes. This means they miss school, spend many hours waiting in the Community Health Center which means their parents or other adults have to miss work. If the Health Center is not open, they most often end up in the emergency room of the nearby hospitals. All because the change to alternative energy fuel for the buses is not done.
Yes, we can campaign with our local legislators. Yes, we can fight for these changes town by town, city by city. But what makes more sense to those who care about our children missing school and parents being able to get to their jobs and support their families, etc. is to act preventively on a national basis through the federal rulings, rather than rolling them back. That’s what you do and the way you do it if you care about people and not just about making more money.

Never doubt that a small group
of thoughtful, committed citizens
can change the world.
Indeed, it is the only thing
that ever has.
- Margaret Mead

CREA: Center for Reflection, Education and Action
Hartford, CT

2020, Issue #1

Black Lives Matter
People often respond to the phrase, "Black Lives Matter", with "All Lives Matter", sometimes with good intentions. But all lives can't matter until Black lives do too. Saying all lives matter takes the focus away from the violence and discrimination Black people face everyday in our country. The truth is painful and may be very uncomfortable for many of us. But now is the time to listen, to educate ourselves on the ways people of color experience life differently because of the systems that have created and maintain racial inequities - and then to look at ourselves to see how we can help make life more fair and just for all of us. We have come to a point in history where simply saying and believing, "I'm not racist", isn't enough. We need to acknowledge systemic racism and think about how our behaviors and actions can either perpetuate it or work toward finally ending it.
Unless we act, unless we choose to act, to think, to reflect, to learn, to understand, then things will not change. To do nothing is simply not acceptable. There is much to learn, to understand, to try to see things from the viewpoint of others.
I remember when I taught at Cathedral High in Boston with so many of my students, young black boys becoming men and we would practice how they would respond if stopped by the police. I don’t know how that became part of biology and chemistry which was what I taught, but it was part of life for my students.
Racism and the effects of slavery in America are not ancient history; some of us have lived during the Civil Rights struggle. Others may remember Rodney King and the LA Riots as the time we questioned how far society has come in overcoming racism. But now the youngest generation has seen the death of George Floyd and many others, leaving them with those same questions we had then, to which there are no easy answers. We may never eliminate racism, but we can expose it, learn from it, and not be so quick to move on from the conversation.

Journeying Towards Care for Our Common Home
During this 5th anniversary of Laudato Si’, a new document has been released by Pope Francis entitled: Journeying Towards Care for Our Common Home which provides input and direction for putting Laudato Si’ into action. It is not enough to “study” Laudato Si’ or to enter into endless discussions about it. It is a document to be lived, put into action, used as a lens through which to examine the programs, policies, and practices of communities, governments, corporations and each of us. The central message of both this new document and Laudato Si’ is the same: We are ALL Connected.
Each and every crisis, which so many are working to address, is part of a reminder of the steady call for economic, environmental and social conversion personally, communally, nationally and, eventually, globally.
There are two main sections to the new document:
Part 1: Education for Ecological Conversion
Part 2: Integral Ecology and Integral Human Development
As with Laudato Si’, each section needs to be read, studied, and then brought to life by each and all of us. In future issues of Starting Points we will be exploring the issues raised and various ways in which we can bring them to life. Many of these issues have already been topics of past issues of Starting Points but we will continue to deepen our exploration as we work and pray towards a more sustainable future for all.

“Believing that the earth is home to all, CREA facilitates analysis of human, social and economic policies
from the perspective of their effects on human lives, beginning with the lives of those who are poor.”
~CREA Mission Statement

CREA, Inc.
PO Box 2507
Hartford, CT
06146-2507

CREA: Center for Reflection, Education and Action, Inc.
is an independent 501(c)3 organization.
Executive Director: Ruth Rosenbaum, TC, PhD.

PHONE: 860-527-0455
E-MAIL: crea@crea.org
WEBSITE: www.crea.org

CREA’s Trip to Guatemala - January 2020
What a wonderful way to start a new year and decade by spending time with the wonderful people of Chichicastenango! This was my fifth trip since 2013 and just as wonderful and meaningful as my first. It felt like Christmas or a family reunion as the anticipation built for our journey to Chichicastenango with bags full of school supplies for the students and teachers CREA supports.
At breakfast on our first day we were joined by Maria the student, young Diego, Berta and a friend of hers. They had all been waiting for our arrival and glad to see us, as we were to see them. It would be a busy day since it was Thursday, a Market day, plus we began meeting with the artisans/cooperatives on product and getting school supplies organized for distribution.
It’s an event getting the suitcases unpacked that held the school supplies and begin sorting by the quantity need for each group. After quite a few laughs, recounting, and then re-checking we had all the supplies ready to give out. Diego, Maria, and Soledad came to the hotel to collect their supplies for themselves and their siblings/family. This is also the group that CREA buys the remaining items on their school list at the local “library”. I am amazed at the number of items needed. So grateful that CREA’s supporters make this happen so the children are able to go to school. The largest volume of supplies goes to the Ruth & Naomi Cooperative headed by Rev. Diego, his wife Juana and their sons Jose and Samuel. They are very appreciative for the supplies and will distribute to the children on CREA’s behalf.
We were excited to see what new products each Artisan may have and discuss some new items we have in mind to make. Our first meeting was with Berta whose family makes the jewelry we sell. It’s important for them to get all the business they can to support the extended family and for us to get all the product we can carry back to save shipping and have product to sell. During our time together we shared a new idea for a bracelet and Berta showed us some of the new items, which we place an order for.
We met with Rev. Diego and his sons for part of each day we were in Chichi to deliver school supplies, see the workshop, review the product from CREA’s order, and discuss new ideas. It was a delight to see Diego’s wife Juana at the Cooperative, who is a talented woman with a caring heart. We were also able to see Tomas, who has worked for Ruth & Naomi for 25+ years, and his son, who joined in the past few years, busy sewing in the workshop finishing the “world bags” for the CREA order. We shopped in the showroom and found some new bag designs that are beautiful! Juana did most of the needlework which is stunning.
During our time together we discussed three new bag ideas and settled on two of them. It’s nice when we can discuss what will work, or not, and if something is cost effective to make, ship, and sell. It’s hard to “let go” of an idea sometimes!
Most meals we were joined by at least one friend. It’s nice to break bread together, knowing for some it will be their best meal of the day. This was also the time we caught up on what’s happening with each person and their plans for the future. It’s exciting to watch young Diego moving on to post High school studies and continuing to support his Mother and siblings. Maria (the student) is working hard at her day job and then going to school in the evenings, now at the 7th grade level and wondering if she’ll be a Nurse or a Teacher. We tell her she can be whatever she wants! It’s a blessing to be able to witness what CREA’s support does for these people and how it has changed their lives. Your financial support is huge but it also means the world to them that they know someone cares about them, prays for them and believes in them.
UPDATE: It is now June and so much has changed. The Covid-19 outbreak has impacted tourism, which means no market days, and no sales in the US, and not knowing when we will be able to have sales. This has such a great impact on the people there. Thank you for what you do by making a purchase, a donation and/or praying for our friends and their families and the people of Chichicastenango.
The artisans we partner with are now making face masks, in a variety of colors and patterns. If you’re interested in purchasing some, please contact us.
Be safe and support the artisans!

(L to R) Aida Montalvo, Kay Schultz, Micaela and
Reina Perez, Jen Siskind, Cathy Galvin (seated)

The Reality of Childhood Hunger

Childhood hunger is a serious issue in the United States. Eleven million children live food insecure, meaning they do not have enough nutritious food to support a healthy life. In the US, we produce more food than most other nations, so food insecurity is not due to a lack of food, but rather, not all of us can afford or have access to what is available to others. Poor nutrition in a growing child leads to many problems. Not enough food, especially not enough nutritious food, can affect growth, cognitive development, academic performance, mood, behavior, stress and anxiety. It can also lead to life-long issues such as high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity. Right now in our country there are many factors contributing to this crisis.
One of the reasons for a child’s poor diet happens when people can only afford, or only have access to inexpensive, filling food that at least alleviates the pangs of hunger. What some call the “grocery gap” refers to urban and remote areas throughout the country that do not have large supermarkets that offer a variety of food including many healthy options. If you live in a city or lack transportation the only option may be a small local store, where prices are higher and there are fewer healthy options, if any. And while food banks and food pantries feed around 46 million people each year, including 12 million children and 7 million seniors, processed and canned foods are their typical staples. So access to healthy and affordable food is not an option for everyone.
Children eat 1 to 2 meals at school every day. Recently the USDA introduced a rule allowing schools to shrink the amount of healthy foods provided to children. This is a rollback of the 2010 Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act, despite the fact that according to the USDA’s own website, after that program was implemented, kids were eating more fruits and vegetables, more whole grains, lean protein, low-fat dairy as well as less sugar, fat and sodium. 31 million children each school day choose school lunches, either by free and reduced lunch programs or they purchase lunch rather than bringing one. The dairy industry, among others, has been a huge driver of what students are served in school.

Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue, (previously a consultant to milk producers and has taken hundreds of thousands of dollars from agribusiness), announced he would be easing restrictions and reintroducing 1% chocolate milk, white bread, pizza, burgers and processed foods while decreasing the amount of whole grains, fruits and vegetables. If Sonny Perdue and his associates will profit financially from allowing certain foods into our school’s cafeterias, and removing other, more healthy foods, then our children are not the ones benefitting.
At the same time that the school lunch requirements are becoming less nutritious, SNAP, (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or food stamps), is being cut to 700, 000 people, meaning 1 million children will lose their automatic enrollment. (This has been delayed during the Covid pandemic, but the administration says it will proceed as soon as they are able to.) “Though the (SNAP) program has been highly stigmatized due to misconceptions that adults collect assistance they don’t need, that myth is shattered by the fact that the program mostly serves children at risk of hunger.”(Mashable 7/14/2016). Another misconception is that families receive SNAP because the parents do not work. The reality is two-thirds of SNAP recipients are children, elderly and people with disabilities, and most of the adults do work, but in low paying jobs, with shifting schedules and often with no paid sick time. (Center of Budget & Policy Priorities, 3/15/2018).
It is difficult to explain why in such a wealthy nation with so many resources, so many of our children go hungry. Why would the current administration take away benefits to children who don’t have enough food? Why would we choose to feed our children unhealthy food? We know this global pandemic has affected some of us worse than others. The changes to SNAP have been paused, but for how long? Food banks have been completely overwhelmed in recent months. We need policies that protect our children. We need options for families so they have access to healthy, affordable food. And when our children do return to school, among their supplies of books and pens should be healthy food provided to all children so they can learn, thrive and all have the same chance for a healthy life.

“When I give food to the poor,
they call me a saint.
When I ask why the poor have no food,
they call me a communist.”
- Hélder Câmara, Catholic Archbishop

Concerns About a Cashless Society
Privacy
In a digitized economy, payment made will be traceable. With traceable transactions, institutions would have potential access to this information. With these digital traces left behind, digital transactions become vulnerable. Such transactions allow businesses a way to build a consumer's personal profiles based on their spending patterns. The issue of data mining also come into place as countries head towards a cashless society. Cashless transactions leave a record in the database of the company as one make payment, and this information becomes a way for prediction of future events. Through large number of records, data mining then allows the organization to compile a profile of an individual through its records in the database. Going all-digital, these data retrieved from transactions lead to widespread surveillance where individuals can be tracked by both corporations and the government. These records might also be available to hackers and could be made public after a data breach.
Problems for the Unbanked
Cashless systems can be problematic for people who currently rely on cash, who are concentrated in certain populations such as the poor, near poor, elderly, undocumented immigrants, and youth. Electronic transactions require a bank account and some familiarity with the payment system. Many people in impoverished areas are underbanked or unbanked. In the United States, almost one-third of the population lacked the full range of basic financial services. According to FDIC data, of households that earn an annual income of less than $15,000 per year, almost 25.6% do not have a bank account. Nationwide, 7.7% of people in United States do not have bank accounts, with levels over 20% in some cities and rural counties, and over 40% in some census tracts. As part of its Smart Nation initiative, Singapore has been moving towards a cashless economy. 14.4% of the country's population is over 65 years old, and the majority of seniors still use cash as their only mode of payment. Not used to digitized payment methods, troubleshooting issues such as managing lost cards or passwords and managing their expenses can create potential trouble for anyone transitioning from cash.
Fraudulent Activities
When payment transactions are stored in servers, it increases the risk of unauthorized breaches by hackers. Financial cyber attacks and digital crime also form a greater risks when going cashless. Many companies already suffer data breaches, including of payment systems. Electronic accounts are vulnerable to unauthorized access and transfer of funds to another account or unauthorized purchases. Attacks on or accidental outages of telecommunication infrastructure also prevents electronic payments from working, unlike cash transactions which can continue with minimal infrastructure.
Centralized Control
Opponents point out that an entirely cashless system, in addition to tracking all transactions, would enable a central government to:
● Enforce a transaction tax on every person-to-person payment
● Eliminate storage of cash as a means to escape nominal negative interest rates, which are used to fight deflation by discouraging savings (most effective if combined with bans on barter, private currencies like bitcoin, and storage of precious metals like gold). Certain types of money could be set to "expire" and be worthless if not spent in specific ways or by specific times. This is also possible with cash, if the government allows high inflation or lets its currency undergo a devaluation.
● Totalitarian regimes could conduct more effective mass surveillance and quickly prevent certain individuals from buying anything or earning any money
● Restrict the type of consumer goods that can be purchased with a certain amount of money (and parents might be able to do the same with allowance money)
Overspending
Consumers are less aware about the amount of money they are spending day-to-day when swiping their card to complete a transaction than if they budgeted money into a wallet and paid in cash.
The Sweden Example
Sweden is one of the best examples of the results of efforts to create a cashless society. Sweden is exceptional in that the amount of cash in circulation has reduced substantially. Swedish society changed profoundly from 2000-2017 due to attempts to replace all cash with digital payment methods. The concept of cash-free bank branches began in Sweden between 2000 to 2005, with a cashless branch being a step toward an upcoming closure of that branch. From around 2008, the Swedish banks began giving special hardware to their costumers which could be used to process financial transactions (like digital payments of invoices) from home. People still had the choice to use cash, however, and those who so wished could still do business in cash at the bank offices that remained.
This trend began around 2008, and peaked in connection with the 2015 to 2017 exchange of all Swedish coins and banknotes (with the exception of the 10 kronor coin). According to the banks' head offices, cash was no longer required as withdrawals and deposits were possible (in limited amounts) through machines. But for "safety" regulations, the maximum amount a bank customer could withdraw was about 5,000 to 10,000 SEK per week, and similar "security rules" for deposits were established as well. Later, all the major regular banks with branches began an enforced process of either closing down branches or making them "cash free". Today very few cash handling bank branches still exist.
The limited availability of cash in Sweden has caused difficulties for smaller boutiques, shops, and convenience stores, which depend on cash, as they can no longer deposit their daily takings or obtain any change. Non-profit organizations, which are very common in Sweden, have also experienced an outsized impact. In response, Swedish banks have introduced a mobile telephone payment system known as Swish. But this system has suffered from many problems.
The banks (and initially media as well) have dismissed complaints about the change as "a problem for elderly people" only, essentially claiming that some were only struggling to learn a new technology, rather than being unhappy with a totally new transaction method. Opponents of the change, however, contend that the technological excitement has changed too much too fast, saying that many dangers lurk in the reeds. Concerns have been expressed about a rising number of fraudulent transactions, and the fast development of Quantum Computers contributes to fears of hacking within the system. The debate about a cashless Sweden became more complicated when the Swedish authority Myndigheten för Samhällsskydd och Beredskap - MSB or "the Authority for Community Protection and Preparedness" in their writing "Om Kriget eller Krisen kommer" ("If war or crisis comes") contained a list of items to store permanently at home in order to be prepared, which includes "cash in small denominations". A wave of negative criticism followed in Sweden from experts outside the banking sphere expressing their concerns. The former head of police, Björn Eriksson, started a movement in the spring of 2016 known as Kontantupproret or "The Cash Petition". This movement has quickly grown to a considerable size, with many contributors describing troubles caused by the increasingly hostile attitude expressed by banks against cash. The range of complaints covers a wide variety of issues. For instance, the well-known TV3 figure Robert Aschberg got mad after having paid at a pharmacist's with the Swish system through his mobile telephone, because he almost immediately received an advertisement from the same pharmacy, raising privacy concerns. Svante Linusson, professor of mathematics, claims that "the liquidation of cash is slowly destroying our democracy". A billiard club (for pool and some other games) in Malmö was almost forced to close after their bank of 20 years refused to acknowledge them as a customer after the billiard club refused any other payments but cash. The digital Swish system increases money laundering. A traditional summer market in northern Lycksele went into bankruptcy after a computer error. Because people had been required to pay with phones (Swish) and cards, there was not enough money available for them to conduct business in their market.

We’re supposed to inspire each other, to open our eyes and realize what’s truly important. We are especially thankful for our family, friends, co-workers, volunteers, donors and everyone who supported us in their own ways
Important notes from the news:
Belgium’s coronavirus death rate is so high because their estimates included suspected cases, even if the deceased wasn’t tested. Are their statistics closer to reality?

There’s been a lot of talk about America “re-opening” and getting back to normal. Consider the idea that what we thought of as normal was just a bubble that protected us from the reality of the world as a whole. America has not been closed during the pandemic - even those of us who had to rely on unemployment have continued to work hard to provide for our families. Out of necessity, we’ve become substitute teachers, home-care nurses, gardeners, chefs, barbers, etc. These are skills and lessons that should not be forgotten, even after we get back to “normal”.
Hopefully we can remember that the immigrants who we are told to fear during election time are the backbone of our food supply, among many other services. It’s ignorant to believe the lie that a wall can protect our way of life, no matter how many billions of taxpayer dollars we are forced to watch being spent on it. Like blinders on a horse, it’s simply a way of stopping us from seeing what’s around us. When it’s politically convenient, the same people who provide cheap labor, oil, technology, etc, are portrayed as enemies.

CREA Educational Sponsorship Program
For a number of years, we have been sponsoring several high school and university students to get the education that is a means to a better future. Each of the students we have been sponsoring has returned to their communities which then are benefiting from the knowledge and skills the graduates bring.
A number of you have reached out to us expressing a desire to help these students on their journey. At the same time, the numbers of young people asking for help is increasing. It has become obvious that we need a more formal program and additional sponsors to support these students. With this booklet, we are launching the CREA Educational Sponsorship Program, hoping that we will have enough volunteers come forward to be a sponsor and be matched with a particular boy or girl, young man or woman. In addition, we continue our commitment to provide each of the grammar school age children in the cooperatives the required school supplies so they can attend school.
For some of the supplies, we shop the back to school sales in the US in the months before school opens and then bring these supplies to Guatemala at the beginning of January on our regular trips to meet with the artisans groups. This trip coincides with the school year that begins on the 2nd Monday in January. There are limits on what we can carry. We buy the other needed school supplies from women who run small businesses in the local market. This helps support their families as well as the local economy.
It is with great hope, encouraged by your commitment, that we look forward to helping these students improve their lives with the CREA Educational Sponsorship Program.

Look up past articles for each water topic - we could either include a short summary of the article (no more than about 150 words maximum), and/or a quote from it.
What newsletter did we write about the Flint Water Crisis?
What are the “Water & Sanitation Issues” mentioned in Issue #3 of 2003? Summary and/or updates?
What is the Global Water Crisis mentioned in Issue #4 of 2003? Summary and/or updates?
This hotly debated topic has been around for, like, ever. Some experts argue that it’s detrimental to our health due to things like Bisphenol A, or BPA, a hazardous environmental toxin and endocrine disruptor that’s been shown to cause cancer. While others, like Peter Gleick, a scientist and expert on global water and climates issues, say bottled water is perfectly safe to drink. “There’s nothing wrong with bottled water from a health perspective,” he says. Elizabeth Royte, author of Bottlemania: How Water Went On Sale and Why We Bought It agrees, saying that, “There’s no evidence it’s bad for us.”
https://www.wellandgood.com/good-food/is-bottled-water-bad-for-you
https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92222327
The first article doesn’t quote any of the experts who argue against BPA. What are they saying? And who are Peter Gleick and Elizabeth Royte? The second link is an NPR interview with her.
Not sure what we can say about Water as a Human Right, in terms of showing a current update of the topic. But maybe we can include the original date(?) that the United Nations declared it, and use that section to mention related topics, such as changes to our Clean Water Act. (see quotes in boxes at the bottom of the chart page - these are just a few random quotes that stood out - feel free to add more.
“It’s a shell game,” she said. “As we get the word out to the public that BPA is dangerous, they substitute other chemicals that are different, but only slightly different.”
https://www.today.com/health/bottled-water-hot-plastic-may-leach-chemicals-some-experts-say-t132687

"If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor." ~Desmond Tutu