Over the holidays a good friend sent me an award winning documentary movie to watch called Gasland; a film about hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking. Much of the movie was filmed out west, some of which included footage from a town 20 miles east of where I live. Like most environmental films these days, it leaves one a little numb. I thought it essential to mention a few points that are made in the movie (points I also heard mention independently on a recent NPR story as well.) Gas and oil companies use over 100 chemicals (many of them quite toxic) in the fracking process to acquire natural gas. And like McDonald’s “secret sauce,” they are not required to list these publically, despite the fact that these chemicals seep into people’s drinking water making them quite sick, many with neurological diseases and cancer. One Wyoming rancher was quoted as saying, “Our cattle have to drink this water or they will die. And this beef, loaded with toxins, ends up on your dinner plate all across America.” Fancy that! This gives a whole new meaning to consider being a vegetarian, something that I am strongly recommending. The bottom line is that our food supply is in trouble, and not just cattle. Our water supply is in deep trouble, too. It is very likely that your body is stressed with toxic chemicals that over time accumulate to a critical mass creating a healthy crisis. (on a similar but independent note, Boulder based Florence Williams, author of the book, Breasts, discovered that she had traces of jet fuel in her breast milk. Yikes!) Time to wake up about our energy policies and the dangers they promote.
Stress Tip for The Day:
Decades ago I learned that it takes nearly 500 gallons of water to produce 1 lb of hamburger. (WOW!) Today water is in short supply, making this effort seem rather stupid. (You won’t believe how much water is needed in the fracking process). When I learned how chickens are raised in factory farms I decided to strip that from my diet as well (with the exception of free range, and even then). With all of this in mind, please consider moving toward a vegetarian diet by eating meat once, perhaps twice a week, if that at all. Please really think “organic” when buying your food. And…while we have just started winter, consider planning your own veggie garden this spring/summer. Finally, become educated about the promise and dangers of fracking, even if it’s not in your area, because everyone is affected by this—everybody. Think globally, act locally, as they say…
Links and Books of Note:
If you haven’t seen the documentary film, Gasland, I highly recommend it. http://www.gaslandthemovie.com/whats-fracking
Here are a few more links of possible interest:
Hollywood has it’s own take on fracking with the new Matt Damon movie release called Promised Land, and the gas and oil companies are furious. Perhaps they should be.
Quote of the Day:
“The scientific analysis that is supposed to provide our Governor the facts and information he needs to make a crucial decision was crafted with the guidance of the gas industry, not of the state’s scientists.” – Sandra Steingraber, speaking to the NY Senate Democratic Conference
Photograph of the Day
Today’s photo was taken a few days ago as the full moon set over the Colorado Rockies. Enjoy! Oh yeah, Happy New Year!
Brian Luke Seaward, Ph.D. is an internationally renowned expert in the fields of stress management, mind-body-spirit healing and stress and human spirituality. He is the author of over 12 books including the bestsellers, Stand Like Mountain, Flow Like Water, Stressed Is Desserts Spelled Backward, The Art of Calm, Quiet Mind, Fearless Heart and Managing Stress (7e) and the newly released, A Beautiful World: The Earth Song Journals. He can be reached through his website: www.brianlukeseaward.net
© Brian Luke Seaward, Ph.D.
