Respiration, Cancer and the Electricity of Life

Environmental Health, Philosophy, , , ,

I was reading the chapter on cancer in Arthur Firstenburg’s book, The Invisible Rainbow: A History of Electricity and Life, and it reminded me of Dr. Jerry Tennant’s talks on voltage inside and across cellular membranes, and Dr. Gerald Pollack’s research on the fourth phase of water or “Exclusion Zone” water. In this post, I will attempt to connect their findings together and then tie them into the issue of electrosmog (i.e. electromagnetic radiation pollution).

In his chapter on cancer, Arthur Firstenberg discusses the metabolic theory of cancer which was studied by Otto Henreich Warburg in the early 20th Century. The theory states that tumors thrive in an oxygen-deficient (anaerobic) environment and are caused by that lack of oxygen. Basically, starving parts of the body of oxygen results in cancerous growth. Recently, the research team led by Dr. Thomas Seyfried at Boston College has confirmed by experimentation that cancer is caused by disruptions to the mitochondria in the cytoplasm and not by mutations in the DNA-containing nucleus of the cancerous cell (see this article, titled “Cancer as a Mitochondrial Metabolic Disease”). The mutations in the DNA may be a secondary effect of the disruptions of mitochondrial respiration processes and so this research suggests that the metabolic theory of cancer is accurate. There must be something affecting the mitochondria in cancerous cells and the oxygen transport system to cells which likely involves the synergistic effect of environmental toxins, RF or microwave radiation, dirty electricity and/or certain viruses.

Dr. Jerry Tennant: Healing is Voltage

Dr. Jerry Tennant, who has built off of the work done by Dr. Robert Becker and others, explains healing and regeneration of biologic tissues in terms of pH and voltage in this video. He states that another way to think about pH is that it corresponds to the voltage of a solution, such as pure water. Remember that from general electrochemistry, the voltage or the charge of a substance will have polarity (either + or -). The following lists give a short review of the general characteristics of electrochemical solutions of pure water:

  1. Low pH solution (acidic):
    • pH < 7.0
    • higher [H3O+], lower [OH-]
    • lower voltage (i.e. higher positive voltage, e.g. +100 millivolts)
    • higher positive charge
  1. High pH solution (alkaline):
    • pH >7.0
    • lower [H3O+], higher [OH-]
    • higher voltage (i.e. higher negative voltage, e.g. -100 millivolts)
    • higher negative charge

A neutral solution of pure water with a pH of 7.0 would have a voltage of 0 as it would contain the same number of H3O+ and OH- ions. A pH of 0 would correlate to a voltage of approximately +400 millivolts (mV) and a pH of 14 would correlate to a voltage of approximately -400 mV. Obviously, these voltages would change depending on what solutes are dissolved in the water, or if any oxidizing or reducing agents are added to the pure water. For a solution other than pure water oxidation/reduction potential (ORP), measured in millivolts, would measure the voltage in a solution. A positive ORP value would be mean the solution is oxidizing and a negative ORP value would mean the solution is reducing. Below is a simple list reviewing the basic characteristics of oxidation and reduction agents in redox reactions:

  1. Oxidizing agent:
    • electron acceptor
    • reduced during reaction
    • gains electrons
    • example substances (this depends if they are dissolved into an already acidic or alkaline solution): Oxygen Gas (O2), Hydrogen Ion (H+), Hydronium Ion (H3O+)
  1. Reducing agent:
    • electron donor
    • oxidized during reactions
    • donates electrons
    • example substances (this depends if they are dissolved into an already acidic or alkaline solution): Oxygen Ion (O2-), Hydroxide Ion (OH–), Hydrogen Gas (H2), antioxidants (e.g. vitamin C)

With that general electrochemistry review out of the way, Dr. Jerry Tenant states that any cellular biology textbook will mention that the optimal pH environment for cellular processes ranges from 7.35 to 7.45 (slightly alkaline), corresponding to voltages of -20 mV to -25 mV, respectively. Cells require a voltage environment of around -25 mV to run well and around -50 mV to make new healthy cells. Consequently, an excessively low pH/voltage (acidic) bodily environment will enable a chronic disease to fester or allow an infectious microbe to thrive as the body’s cells cannot repair themselves correctly, get rid of cellular wastes or adequately neutralize an infection. Though, an excessively high pH/voltage (alkaline) bodily environment could conceivably cause health problems as well.

According to Dr. Tennant and other researchers, cancerous growth appears to occur in bodily environments where the cellular pH has dropped to around 6.48, or a voltage of approximately +30 mV. Regarding the metabolic theory of cancer, is there a connection between declining pH/voltage levels and cells being starved of oxygen and negative charge? Do deteriorating environmental conditions stemming from pollutants cause the pH/voltage in the bodily environment to drop, which results in cells being starved of oxygen? Or is something else going on, such as the deteriorating environmental conditions from pollutants disrupt the oxygen transport system to cells, leading to low pH/low voltage conditions and a further decrease of oxygen levels in blood and inside cells? It is known that if the pH of the blood decreases, this leads to a decreased affinity of hemoglobin for oxygen.

The information and discussion above does not imply that low pH or oxidizing agents are necessarily ‘bad’ for health, as we need both the oxidizing and reducing agents to react together to complete the electrical circuit of life and maintain homeostasis. Also, there obviously needs to be a voltage gradient in the cellular environment in order for a cell to do repair work, or replicate. The discussion above just implies that if an organism is sick then there is likely an imbalance between the oxidizing agents and reducing agents within the organism.

The Fourth Phase of Water

Dr. Gerald Pollack at the University of Washington, building off the work of Dr. Gilbert Ling and others, has undertaken interesting research on what he terms is the “Fourth Phase of Water” (here are a few chapters of his book on the subject). This phase of water, with the chemical formula H3O2, exists as a thin layer right at the interface of a hydrophilic (i.e. “water-loving”) surface. Interestingly, his research team has found that this phase of water excludes virtually all particles and even solutes hence the name “Exclusion Zone (EZ)” water. Dr. Pollack’s research team has discovered the following other electrochemical characteristics of EZ water (see this video):

  • EZ water is alkaline (i.e. pH > 7.0) and can act as an electron donor, which, based on Dr. Tennant’s discussions indicates that it is an important factor in the prevention of cancer
  • The EZ water layer holds a net negative charge, while the water beyond it is positively charged, creating a battery-like environment that has a current
  • The EZ water layer increases in width when exposed to certain frequencies of light, especially the infrared spectrum of sunlight (i.e. the sunlight “charges” the battery)
  • EZ water helps to fold proteins inside of cells

In his talks, Dr. Pollack points out the potential health benefits associated with actions that increase the amount of EZ water in the body:

  • Grounding with the Earth: grounding via walking barefoot on the Earth (soil, sand, grass, etc.) is known to bring negative electric charge into the body, thereby increasing the amount of EZ water in the body
  • Absorbing radiant natural energy increases blood flow, improves respiration: spending a significant amount of time outside, absorbing the sun’s radiant energy, especially the infrared spectrum portion, which increases the width of the EZ water layer the most
  • Eating Plants: the EZ water inside of plant cells is yet another reason to increase your consumption of leafy greens and other plants

Breathing, Drinking Water, and Electrosmog

Tying all of this information discussed above together, we now know why breathing clean air and drinking pure water (free from toxins, but maybe has some dissolved minerals) and being out in nature is so integral to physical health. The electrochemical reactions of cellular respiration processes and the oxygen transport system require ideal environmental conditions including optimal pH/voltage values and levels of EZ water in cells. Any toxin or pollutant that disrupts those ideal environmental conditions will most likely result in some kind of serious disease or loss of vitality in the exposed organism.

Oxygen gas is entering our bodies through our respiratory tract to bind to hemoglobin for transport to cells for cellular respiration processes. The carbonic acid buffering system in our circulatory system involving bicarbonate, carbonic acid, and carbon dioxide, must not be upset during this process and excess carbon dioxide must be removed from our bodies by exhalation. Based on the information discussed previously, these electrochemical reactions between water, oxygen, carbon dioxide, bicarbonate, carbonic acid and hemoglobin are most likely being disrupted by electrosmog and chemical toxins. Again, these fundamental substances for life will not react in the correct way to achieve organism homeostasis and optimal health unless the pH/voltage conditions are ideal. For example, per Dr. Tennant, less oxygen is able to dissolve in fluids with a lower pH/voltage, so there is a positive feedback loop there resulting in a deteriorating cellular environment that allows cancerous growth to thrive, or for an infection to grow out of control.

All in all, it may be that not enough negative charge is entering into people’s bodies due to electrosmog, chemical toxins, and other factors which then cause low pH/voltage environments, low amounts of EZ water to form in their cells, disruption to the oxygen transport process to cells and disruption to the mitochondrial respiration processes in cells. Arthur Firstenburg, among others including Martin Pall, Magda Havas, Dr. Dietrich Klinghardt, etc., make a strong case that electrosmog is contributing to the disruption of cellular electrochemical processes (e.g. Martin Pall’s research on EMFs and Voltage-Gated Calcium Channels, ‘VGCCs’ in cells).

Why are so many people suffering from chronic disease and infections?

In conclusion, the current focus of society on total war against one kind of microbe (currently coronavirus – Delta Variant) does not solve any of the underlying environmental problems contributing to poor health outcomes amongst the populace, especially poor respiratory health. In fact, sometimes getting a respiratory sickness may actually help remove toxins and damaged cellular debris from the body. The following is a general list of environmental health problems that must be remediated over the next few decades if we truly want to heal and protect others:

  • Insulated from the Earth: Wearing rubber shoes or boots all day cuts us off from receiving extra negative charge by directly insulating us from the negatively-charged earth (soil, sand, grasses, etc.).
  • Electrosmog and Light Pollution: We are surrounded by artificial EMFs from cell phones, Wi-Fi routers, cell towers and poorly configured electrical wiring for most of our day causing all kinds of health effects, including the disruption and degradation of our immune systems and circulatory systems. Visible light pollution at night is already accepted by mainstream society as a legitimate problem as it affects circadian rhythms of people and animals.
  • Enclosed Indoors: Breathing in poor quality indoor air due to poor building ventilation, volatile pollutants, molds, mites, low humidity, etc. Many are bathed in fluorescent and LED light while being cut off from receiving infrared energy from the sun.
  • Noise Pollution: Industrial machines are very loud and create jarring noises and given the findings from the growing science of cymatics, these sounds contribute to chronic stress and disease.
  • Air Pollution: Many people breathe in combustion gases (NOx, SOx, CO, etc.), volatile organic pollutants, particulate matter, and smoke in outdoor air across the world.
  • Water Pollution: Drinking water is potentially contaminated with thousands of different industrial chemicals (e.g. PFAS, TCE, PCE, benzene, lead, excessive chlorine and fluoride, etc.) in addition to traces of many pharmaceuticals including antidepressants and hormonal drugs.
  • Food Pollution: Many of us eat industrial food covered with dozens of herbicides and pesticides including glyphosate, chlorpyrifos, atrazine, etc. which cause all kinds of health effects especially the disruption of the gut microbiome. GMOs, high fructose corn syrup, and other artificial food ingredients are not easily digestible, increase obesity and inhibit nutrient uptake in the body. Sodas are low-pH beverages that may cause bodily pH imbalances in people.
  • Mental/Emotional Pollution: Authorities, media outlets and/or abusive people who attempt to control us by manipulating our fears, doubts and insecurities. Many people are addicted to pornography or romance novels (fake intimacy mediated by a screen or book, due to lack of available intimacy in disrupted social networks). Many people are also addicted to video games (artificial adventures replace the real missions we must go on in the real world, for example, missions to restore our planet). Finally, many of us have excessive anxiety and stress caused by the pace and complexity of modern life and a lack of a strong social network.

As I’ve and others, have stated repeatedly, the coronavirus is exposing the toxicity of the environments we have created via Loius Pastuer’s quote “The microbe is nothing, the environmental conditions (the terrain) everything.” Pharmaceuticals and vaccines may ameliorate symptoms or temporarily prevent health problems related to infections but they have serious side effects and risks. Also, they distract from focusing on remediating the underlying environmental health problems in our society that are growing more alarming by the day. The current focus on vaccinating over 90% of the population with coercion and totalitarian controls does nothing to solve these environmental problems. Who is going to help shift the focus?

Flashback to The Ecology of Health

Environmental Health, Philosophy,

In August of 2020, I wrote the following in my post, The Ecology of Health:

“Lockdowns, mandatory masks, social distancing and mandatory vaccinations all have serious side effects on people’s physical and mental health, and these effects (e.g. increased depression from social isolation and job loss) are the collateral damage from a total war approach.  Instead of the germ warfare approach, why not improve people’s immune systems and their local environments so they can withstand viral infections much more easily?  This approach would help for any number of infectious diseases including influenza.  Germ warfare only solves one problem (eradicating the germ) at the expense of causing extensive collateral damage, while the environmental/immune system approach solves many problems all at the same time, though this approach will take longer to have an effect.

Another quote from The Way:  An Ecological World-View sums up the problems with the germ warfare approach succinctly:  ‘Unfortunately technological expedients [e.g. lockdowns, antivirals, vaccines, social distancing, etc.] only solve technological problems. They cannot reverse the disruption of natural systems [e.g. our immune systems and environments].  Alleviating the symptoms, they render the problems more tolerable and thus serve to perpetuate them.’ Consequently, this current infectious disease crisis could go on perpetually if the environmental health problems facing our society are never resolved.”

Now what happened in 2021? The experimental vaccines were rolled out which contributed to the mutation of the coronavirus into the Delta variant, which has spread across many countries including those that were heavily vaccinated. This is similar to the problem of overusing antibiotics over the past few decades leading to the mutation of bacteria into “superbugs” that resist antibiotic treatments. Indeed, it looks like the current crisis will continue on until we change course.

The chapter titled ‘The War on Germs’ in Charles Eisenstein’s book, The Ascent of Humanity, is even more eerily prescient of the current crisis as it was published over 14 years ago in 2007, here is an excerpt from it with emphasis by me:

“The new diseases of the modern era are of a different sort.  Cancer, arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome, Alzheimer’s disease, Crohn’s Disease, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, AIDS, and so on defy the medicine of control, which has made almost no progress in curing them despite research outlays dwarfing those of the vaccine/antibiotic era.  Significantly, most if not all of these new diseases involve a dysfunction of the immune system.

Helpless against the diseases of the 21st century, we instead take ever more extreme measures against the microbial world.  One manifestation of the war on germs is the proliferation of antibacterial soaps, latex gloves for all food service workers, and strap-on mouthguards that appeared (and in some cases were legally mandated) during the Asian SARS ‘epidemic.’  These devices constitute a physical barrier between self and world, concretizing the psychological distance that separates us from each other and nature. Sometimes I have nightmare visions of a future where the very idea of breathing in each other’s unfiltered air is repulsive and illegal, where everyone wears a gas mask and all human contact is mediated through latex or computer terminals.

Equally frightening is the current hysteria about avian flu. Since it is supposedly spread by wild birds to poultry flocks, some officials are implementing new controls prohibiting chickens from ranging free. Yet it is the caged indoor hens with their debilitated immune systems that are the most susceptible, and it is factory methods of poultry production that actually spread the disease. A related proposal in the United States is the National Animal Identification System (NAIS), which would mandate that a digital tag be embedded under the skin of all livestock. Everywhere, the technologies of control are the same: separation, confinement, and the numbering of all things.

As long as their ideological underpinnings remain intact, none of these trends will abate. Already medical microchips are available that can be embedded under human skin to monitor various physiological states. In Asia during SARS, body temperature readings were taken as condition for entering certain public facilities. Potential epidemics offer a rationale for the quarantine of populations and control over their movements – an internal passport system justified on medical pretexts. All such measures make perfect sense from the mindset of separation and control.”

Replace the words ‘chickens’ and ‘livestock’ with “people” in the third paragraph of the excerpt above and what do you have going on here in the world in 2021? We have other options, we could be collectively embarking on a massive environmental restoration operation to improve people’s local environments and reduce the disruption and debilitation of their immune systems. Restoration of agricultural soils, growing more nutritious food, cleaning up toxic waste sites, reducing air pollution, removing cell towers from residential areas, etc. What is it going to take to get all that going instead of more and more control measures and coercion?

Many Church Steeples are Cell Towers

Environmental Health, ,

Beginning in the early 1990s, telecom companies have approached and continue to approach cash-strapped churches and other houses of worship to install wireless antenna infrastructure within and/or on the outside of the church steeples (see this article from 2000). Cell towers are not aesthetic structures and one might even describe them as “ominous”-looking, so hiding away the antennas in beautiful church steeples located in the centers of towns and cities is an attractive option for telecom companies.

The companies entice the church groups with monthly rent payments and offers of free renovation of their deteriorating steeples, many of which are many decades old. It’s hard to blame the churches given the dire financial straits many of them are in, but this is a concerning revelation that not many people know about or quickly brushed off due to their lack of knowledge about electrosmog. Given the health and environmental concerns of EMF radiation pollution, will churches be able to remove the antennas from their steeples as more people become aware of the problem, or are they legally-binded to house the antennas for a certain number of years? The churches may also be too heavily dependent on the monthly rent payments to consider removing the antennas.

Something disturbing I discovered while searching through the AntennaSearch.com website, is that the vast majority of cell antennas inside of church steeples are not registered through the FCC and so they do not appear on the AntennaSearch.com map. Consequently, if one does not have an electrosmog meter, then they would not know if they are possibly buying a house or renting an apartment next to a large cell tower. Are most of these deals between churches and telecom companies done behind closed doors to prevent neighbors from protesting against their installation inside or even outside of the steeples? Much more investigation is needed looking into this matter.

Update (2023): I discovered that the church cell antennas do appear on the cellmapper.net database. Interestingly all three steeples that had cell antennas that were not listed on the AntennaSearch.com site are owned by T-Mobile.

Example of cell antennas camouflaged with red brick paint on the outside of the top portion of a church steeple. The red arrow depicts the exact location of the antennas. Image courtesy of Google Earth.
With my Cornet ED-88T Plus electrosmog meter I was picking up readings of around 5,000 to 45,000 µw/m^2 of radiofrequency (RF) radiation in direct line of sight with this church steeple. No antennas are visible around the church steeple, but the background readings in this neighborhood range from below 10 to 100 µw/m^2, suggesting the antennas are hidden inside of the church bell chamber depicted by the red arrow in the image.

General Decline of Tree Health

Earth Processes, Environmental Health, , ,

As of 2021, the cumulative effect of many different types of pollution is really showing itself on many different species of trees. The photographs below, taken in New England over the past year, demonstrate a significant decline in tree health in certain areas. A similar decline in tree health is evident in many other parts of the world as well. Thinning crowns, smaller leaves, less dense forest canopies, and dead trees (many of which were not that old) have been observed, especially along major roadways and highways. Decades of road salt application, excessive microwave and radiofrequency radiation, particulate pollution, natural gas leaks, and drought are probably all synergistic culprits in causing this decline.

How are the trees doing where you live?

Voluntary Simplicity and the Regenerative Farming Movement

Philosophy, ,

Many people, young and old, are becoming involved in the regenerative farming movement, which is a great sign that our society is slowly turning toward an ecological age. Though one major hurdle these people face is the fact that in our society farming does not pay very well, financially speaking. I work at an organic farm myself and it is definitely not financially lucrative which makes it difficult to start a family or to get out of debt. Even many who start a farm and own the business struggle to obtain an average middle class income for themselves as explained in this issue of the Natural Farmer magazine, “Farming for a Living Wage”: http://www.nofa.org/tnf/2017_SpringSectionB.pdf. Though, some farmers become quite successful after 5 years or so. Also, socially and spiritually speaking, organic farming it is a very rewarding vocation, so there are other reasons to do it.

Given that many of us live in extremely financial societies, a potential way out of this predicament is to embrace voluntary simplicity and live on much less than what is the average per-capita income in developed nations. Obviously, this is easier said than done and I am still trying to find a way to make it work (and I may have to find another environmental job if it doesn’t work out). Fortunately, there are many books are out there detailing how to live on a half to a quarter of the average middle class income without becoming destitute, here is a partial list:

Simple Prosperity by David Wann

How to Survive Without a Salary by Charles Long

Your Money or Your Life by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin

Sacred Economics by Charles Eisenstein (it is free to read on this website: https://sacred-economics.com/read-online/)

Eisenstein’s book is more philosophical than the other books but brings up important questions such as: why do we necessarily need rising incomes? With ever rising incomes and economic growth, goods and services that people used to give each other for free in a gift society or for low prices in a local economy are now captured by the global marketplace and sold back to us at prices most of us struggle to afford. Also, increasing incomes tend to decrease community and the feelings of being closely connected to a group of people and relying on them for assistance.

The social and economic pressure to make a lot of money in order to maintain social status, create a long-term relationship, start a family and support ageing parents is very high, especially in developed nations. Unfortunately, many opportunities to make a lot of money involve stressful soul-crushing jobs, deterioration of friendships and substantial ecological destruction. But as more people gravitate to the voluntary simplicity lifestyle and other movements (degrowth, transition towns) because of intensifying life crises (e.g. leave the job they hate, laid off, relationship falls apart, etc.) this socioeconomic pressure to maintain appearances will ease. That, in turn, may help lessen the anxiety and depression epidemic which affects every income bracket. The key would be to view the crisis as a blessing in disguise, and not as a descent into poverty, although the transition may be quite rocky both physically and mentally. Afterwards, another key would be to start thinking of wealth in your life in terms of social capital, natural capital, and health capital instead of in terms of financial capital.

Here is an excerpt from Rob O’Grady’s book 150-Strong: A Pathway To A Different Future on this topic of socioeconomic pressures or as he calls it, the ‘burden of material expectation’:

“Each person will have a different level of resources to maintaining their [social] networks, but, interestingly, it is usually those who have the fewest possessions who are most likely to be able to authentically say that they are in touch with their 150. Perhaps, this is the reason why levels of depression are lower in societies where there is less [material] wealth. From my time in the Philippines, where there is much material want, I was able to compare the psychological state of people there with those in developed Western countries. Despite the lack of material resources in the poorer communities, there was almost always a network of support surrounding each person, and a much lower burden of material expectation. These networks are much more resilient than one might suppose of a network of mere friends living independent lives [i.e. a group of friends spread out across a big city or a rural county in a developed nation].”

Anything we do to lower the burden of material expectation in developed societies will likely help lower the levels of anxiety and depression. This could involve doing such things as changing zoning laws at the local level to allow for tiny houses or small cabins to be built on farmland or suburban/urban lots, converting vacant 2-3 story houses into affordable apartments and allowing for composting toilets instead of expensive septic systems. All in all, the voluntary simplicity lifestyle fits in very well with the tiny house, permaculture, intentional community and regenerative farming movements that are becoming more popular by the day.

In the social sphere, frugal people could get together and show others that people can form friendships, date, have loving relationships and potentially start families without a lot of financial capital (as long as they have sufficient social and health capital, of course, such as extended family and friends to help raise children). With the current crisis going on, we are actually seeing many young people move back to their hometowns, home states or nearby, potentially rebuilding the stock of social capital that had previously left these places.

By reclaiming social, natural and cultural capital from the financial system, the focus of society could then turn to regenerative farming, ecological healing and growing social relationships instead of accumulating and hoarding money and material things.

The Ecology of Health

Environmental Health, Philosophy,

Around 70 years ago, the microbiologist Rene Dubos started publicly discussing his philosophy of health called the “Ecology of Health.”  Here is a discussion of Dubos’ life and views:  Rene Dubos and the Ecology of Health.

Rene Dubos discussed the idea of the microbiome inside of humans, its relationship to the environment, and its relationship to disease decades before this idea became a mainstream topic.   The microbiome and even the virome (i.e. the community of viruses inside of an organism) resemble ecosystems with different species of microbes and different types of viruses interacting with each other inside of the bodies of larger organisms (e.g. plants and animals).  Disruptions to the balance and harmony of these microecosystems can lead to disease and bad health outcomes.

Here is an excerpt from environmentalist Edward Goldsmith’s magnum opus, The Way:  An Ecological World-View:  “Man will always be inhabited by vast populations of microbes; indeed, according to the American microbiologist Lynn Margulis, known for her work on microbial ecology and the Gaia thesis, we harbor in our bodies as many microbial cells (prokaryotes) as animal cells (eukaryotes), most of them playing an essential role in our metabolism.  [Rene] Dubos traces the source of diseases to a breakdown in the critical balance between man and his microbial populations, brought about by a range of possible factors such as old age, malnutrition [e.g. zinc deficiency, vitamin D deficiency], exposure to low-level radiation [e.g. wireless EMR, radon] or to chemical pollutants [e.g. glyphosate and/or other chemicals disrupting the gut flora, air pollution, etc.]…  Louis Pasteur, who was the first to incriminate the microorganism, eventually saw the error of his ways [‘The microbe is nothing, the terrain everything’].  W.R. Day, an authority on plant diseases, also saw very clearly that blaming the parasite leads to the neglect of fundamental causes.  An infectious disease may be caused by a subtle combination of factors which reduces the resistance of an organism, making it vulnerable to an attack which, under normal [e.g. pristine, healthy] conditions, it would repel with ease.”

The human body has a community of viruses (i.e. a microecosystem or virome),  including rhinoviruses, coronaviruses, and influenza viruses that increase and decrease over the seasons, year after year (see this paper:  Virus – Virus Dynamics in Glasgow 2005-2013, which describes how the community of viruses within the human respiratory tract and the human population as a whole changes and interacts over time).  Dr. Skip Virgin gave an interesting talk at the NIH about the mammalian virome and how it resembles a microecosystem.  Also, it may be that these viruses are actually conveying genetic/environmental information about environmental toxins to cells of the body using a form of horizontal gene transfer.

Community of Viruses
A graph from the Virus-Virus Dynamics research paper showing the changes in the prevalence of certain viruses (e.g. RV = Rhinovirus, IAV/IAB = Influenza, CoV = Coronavirus) in the population of Glasgow over time.

The author Charles Eisenstein and Dr. Zach Bush discuss these various virus topics in this podcast titled “Life is a Community”:  https://charleseisenstein.org/podcasts/new-and-ancient-story-podcast/dr-zach-bush-life-is-a-community-e49/.  Part of the discussion in this podcast is analogous to this discussion of exosome theory which theorizes that viruses are actually damaged DNA/RNA remnants (exosomes) of cells that were damaged by chemical toxins or another type of adverse environmental effect (e.g. stress and anxiety).  Though, in slight contradiction to that exosome theory discussion, it is possible that exosomes could then “infect” other people to transfer the genetic/environmental information about the toxin to the next person.

Despite Rene Dubos’ work and these alternative health theories, why is our society still wedded to germ theory and germ warfare?  Is it because this theory is very profitable for certain pharmaceutical companies and segments of modern medicine? Terrain theory, the theory that disease is more of a function of the environmental conditions within and around the diseased organism than the actions of the microbe, is not taught widely throughout society.   However, terrain theory matches up quite well with the ecology of health philosophy (as well as exosome theory), so here is a discussion of terrain theory by a chiropractic physician to tie my discussion all together:  Germ Theory vs. Terrain Theory.

What is the Best Approach?

Considering the insights provided by the ecology of health philosophy, terrain theory, and exosome theory, is declaring total war against just one of hundreds of microbes the best approach to a pandemic made worse or that is arguably caused by environmental problems?  Another microbe will just take its place, leading to perpetual war if the environmental problems are not resolved.  In addition, how are sick people supposed to truly heal when we turn their bodies and environments into a war zone?  How are healthcare workers and environmental health specialists supposed to address the hundreds of other diseases people are suffering from if the CDC and the WHO tell them to put the majority of their focus onto just one virus?  That doesn’t make much sense, honestly.  Maybe if the mortality rate of the coronavirus was 5%, but it is far lower than that, approaching 0.1 to 0.2%.  And the mortality rate across different areas of the world is directly correlated with environmental problems such as air pollution and malnutrition.

Lockdowns, mandatory masks, social distancing and mandatory vaccinations all have serious side effects on people’s physical and mental health, and these effects (e.g. increased depression from social isolation and job loss) are the collateral damage from a total war approach.  Instead of the germ warfare approach, why not improve people’s immune systems and their local environments so they can withstand viral infections much more easily?  This approach would help for any number of infectious diseases including influenza.  Germ warfare only solves one problem (eradicating the germ) at the expense of causing extensive collateral damage, while the environmental/immune system approach solves many problems all at the same time, though this approach will take longer to have an effect.

Another quote from The Way:  An Ecological World-View sums up the problems with the germ warfare approach succinctly:  “Unfortunately technological expedients [e.g. lockdowns, antivirals, vaccines, social distancing, etc.] only solve technological problems. They cannot reverse the disruption of natural systems [e.g. our immune systems and environments].  Alleviating the symptoms, they render the problems more tolerable and thus serve to perpetuate them.” Consequently, this current infectious disease crisis could go on perpetually if the environmental health problems facing our society are never resolved.

Anything we do to strengthen our immune systems and improve the environments that surround us will help to end this crisis.  We are the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, and the information we absorb.   One of the silver linings to this crisis is that many people are finally waking up to the immense environmental problems our society is grappling with, and hopefully significant changes on that front will occur over the next few years.  [PS, I hope these changes happen from the ground up on a individual and local level because I definitely do not have a favorable opinion of the UN’s Agenda 2030 plan].

EMFs – Another Type of Air Pollution

Environmental Health, ,

Over the decades many scientists and doctors have done studies confirming the hypothesis that radiofrequency (RF) and microwave radiation have significant health and ecological effects.   There is an intense debate among scientists, doctors and engineers over the level of harms caused by electromagnetic field (EMF) radiation from electronic equipment including cell phones, cell towers, and Wi-Fi routers.  Of course, politics and the hundreds of billions of dollars at stake for the telecom industry have a large effect on the debate.  In addition, it is becoming more well known that the FCC is a captured agency, so relying on their assurances of wireless safety doesn’t make much sense.  I honestly did not know much about this subject until I started looking into it a few months ago due to the 5G controversy that has erupted over the past few years.

Organisms have evolved over the eons to be in balance with natural EMFs from the Sun and Earth.  Now we have added on all of these industrial EMFs from electronic equipment over the past 140 years of industrialization and electrification and it appears our bodies and ecosystems are having trouble adapting to these new exposures.  Our bodies have electrical properties, which is why doctors can use EKG (electrocardiogram) and EEG (electroencephalogram) measurements to diagnose diseases, so it makes intuitive sense that these biologic electrical fields could potentially be disrupted by industrial EMFs.  Our ecosystems also have electrical properties as evidenced by this short video on how bees use the Earth’s electric field and magnetic field to navigate to flowers.

While the industrial radio and microwave frequencies of electromagnetic radiation are invisible to humans, their biological and environmental effects are not, as confirmed by this review article out of India.  Also, scientists in Germany did a study showing that trees exposed to nearby RF and microwave antenna showed significant damage and an overall sickly look:  German Study – August 2016.  Here is the actual PDF of the pictures taken as part of the study:  EMR Damage to Trees-in-Bamberg-and-Hallstadt-Documentation-2006-2016.

If people want to see the effects of RF and microwave frequency EMR for themselves, take a look at groups of trees located within 1,000 feet (~300 meters) of a 3G/4G cell phone tower with multiple antennas and then compare the health of those trees to the health of trees in a forest or a nature preserve that is over 2,000 feet away from any cell tower antennas, but still in the same town. Obviously, all trees are under stress from air pollutants, invasive insects, climate change/drought, but industrial EMFs play a big role as well as evidenced by the comparison of trees near cell phone towers and trees far away from the towers but still in the same town or village.

In June, I took a walk around the local high school sports complex in my town where a large cell tower with no less than six sets of 3G and 4G antenna is located (the tower was constructed in the late 1990s).  At least a dozen trees out of 20 in the immediate vicinity of the tower had a sickly look with many dead branches, browning leaves, and a thin crown.  It definitely seems that some species of trees are more susceptible to industrial EMF effects than others.  This aerial image below shows the areas of tree damage as indicated by yellow circles near the cell phone tower at the sports complex.

EMFs - Tree Damage
An aerial image of the local high school sports complex in my town, with the yellow circles indicating trees with significant health problems and damage.  The field of view is approximately 900 feet across.  Image from Google Earth.

4-008
A view of unhealthy trees located about 600 feet from the cell tower, note the thinning crowns of several trees and the tree on the right is near death.

5-005
This photo demonstrates that the building creates a shadowing effect on the RF radiation from the cell tower. As the trees peak above the building top and emerge into the RF radiation beams, they become sick and cease to grow.

Now, compare the aerial image of the sports complex to the aerial image below of the healthier tree canopy next to the river just 2,000 feet away from the cell phone tower.  Distance is a huge factor in decreasing the effects of EMF radiation.  The power flux density of an EMF from an antenna drops off exponentially with the square of the distance from the source.

In July and August, I visited the cell phone tower area again, but this time I had a Cornet ED88T electrosmog meter.  I registered readings ranging from 3,500 – 6,000 µw/m2 which was over 100 times greater than the 30-50 µw/m2 readings I got in my backyard which is located over 2,000 feet from the cell tower.  It is no wonder that the trees at the sports complex are not healthy.

Healthier Trees by the Water
These trees are located over 2,000 feet away from the cell phone tower at the high school sports complex.  The tree crowns appear to be much healthier than the ones located on the sports complex property.

8-013
A view of the trees by the river located over 2,000 feet away from the cell phone tower.  These trees are generally much healthier than the trees near the cell tower, despite that both sets of trees are all under similar stress from climate change, drought, and particulate air pollution.

What this all means is that the rollout of 5G should be halted in order to study how many health and environmental effects the new technology has on organisms.   The Office of Engineering and Technology of the FCC even released this bulletin paper back in 1997:  (FCC Report 1997 Attenuation of RF fields by atmosphere and vegetation direct impacts).  The paper indicates that millimeter-wave frequencies (the types that will be used for 5G) are severely attenuated by foliage.  A quote from the paper:

“Foliage losses at millimeter wave frequencies are significant. In fact, the
foliage loss may be a limiting propagation impairment in some cases… … For example, the foliage loss at 40 GHz for a penetration of 10 meters (which is about equivalent to a large tree or two in tandem) is about 19 dB.  This is clearly not a negligible value.”

That means that organisms will be absorbing this radiation.  What are the environmental effects on the trees and other vegetation that will be bombarded with this higher frequency EMF radiation 24/7, given the effects we already see with 3G/4G?  Not to mention, the effects on the health of people.

Links to more information on the health and ecological effects of EMFs:

Quotes from Experts

“Cells in the body react to EMFs as potentially harmful, just like to other environmental toxins, including heavy metals and toxic chemicals. The DNA in living cells recognizes electromagnetic fields at very low levels of exposure; and produces a biochemical stress response. The scientific evidence tells us that our safety standards are inadequate, and that we must protect ourselves from exposure to EMF due to power lines, cell phones and the like, or risk the known consequences. The science is very strong and we should sit up and pay attention.”  — Martin Blank, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics, Columbia University

Here’s a paper by a few engineers on the levels of safety of different types of wireless devices including a discussion on the 5G rollout:  EMF Exposure Studies from IEEE.

https://www.electricalpollution.com/WirelessKillsTrees.html

http://www.stayonthetruth.com/electromagnetic-fields-killing-fields.php (Arthur Firstenburg article on the harmful effects of electrosmog)

https://sites.google.com/site/understandingemfs/books (Long list of books by scientists, doctors and others on the effects of electrosmog)

https://gustenviro.com/the-14-ways-to-better-health/ (Larry Gust is an indoor air quality expert and a building biologist, and he is working to make indoor environments much healthier than they currently are)

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/277641.The_Body_Electric (This book by Dr. Robert O. Becker and Gary Selden is a great introduction to the electromagnetic foundation of life and the possible adverse effects of electrosmog)

Here is a link to a presentation I gave to the town I lived in at the time:  EMF Radiation and 5G rollout issues presentation

Here is a video by Dr. Dietrich Klinghardt on the “missing link” underlying the chronic disease epidemic among industrialized nations:

KIMG0162
Warning signs on the perimeter fencing around a water tower with multiple sets of 3G/4G antennas.

Indoor Air Quality, Pollution, and Health

Environmental Health,

The current respiratory infection crisis in 2020 has shown how outdoor air pollution is a huge problem worldwide.  However, the issue of indoor air quality has been much less discussed during this crisis despite studies done in Europe over 5 years ago showing that indoor air pollutants cause respiratory distress among the elderly in nursing homes:  “Air quality in nursing homes affecting the elderly” and “Indoor climate in nursing homes can be dangerous for the residents.”  Here is the actual scientific paper (PDF):  2015 European Study of Indoor Air Quality in Nursing Homes.

In Rhode Island, for example, around 80% of the deaths from the current epidemic were of people living in nursing homes.  Many nursing homes across the world have been severely hit by respiratory infections over the years, not just by the current coronavirus.  Indoor air pollutants such as VOCs, molds, and combustion gases (e.g. NO2, CO, O3, excess CO2, etc.) decrease the effectiveness of people’s immune systems and cause symptoms identical to many respiratory diseases.  This indoor air quality issue also applies to many other buildings including schools, apartment buildings, and retail stores.  Upon reading comments made by HVAC professionals online, it seems to me that any large structure with a shared HVAC system (nursing home, meat-packing plant, cruise ship, warship, prison, retail store etc.) has the potential for serious infection problems and indoor air quality issues.

In addition, if a nursing home, hospital or other building with poor indoor air quality is located in a heavily polluted urban area it will not matter if the building has good ventilation to outside air because the outside air will also have many pollutants.  So, many are caught between breathing indoor air that is polluted and outdoor air that is polluted.  These people are therefore susceptible to succumbing to a respiratory infection caused by any number of microbes or viruses, not just a coronavirus.  Fortunately, outdoor air pollution has dropped considerably across the world during the  economic slowdown (which in itself is a cause for concern for other reasons).

Unfortunately, many healthcare facilities including even hospitals can suffer from what is termed “Sick Building Syndrome”.   Here is a PDF download of an article written about this specific problem:  Sick Building Syndrome in Healthcare Facilities.

Given all of this, I think the focus should shift from pharmaceuticals and social distancing to revamping healthcare facilities to have better indoor air quality and better water quality as to increase the effectiveness of people’s immune systems and to improve healthcare worker performance.  In addition, we should improve people’s nutrition, avoid food doused with herbicides and pesticides, and limit our exposure to low-level electromagnetic field (EMF) radiation that is present throughout urban areas and our homes.  Also, we should get out and enjoy nature, really anything to improve environmental health and the functioning of our immune systems, things the corporate media barely touches upon in their coverage of the crisis.

There are hundreds of microbes that cause respiratory issues, so improving people’s environments and immune systems seems to be the more beneficial focus and the one that allows people to keep their civil and individual liberties during epidemics.

List of links for professionals and laymen alike to remediate this situation:

This is a free primer to the Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Guide by an HVAC engineering professional association:  IAQ Guide.   The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has a large amount of information pertaining to IAQ:  MA DEP IAQ Manuals and Information.  Humid indoor air is also important for decreasing the impact of cold/flu viruses:  Viruses do not spread well in humid air.  It’s the humidity!  Also, here’s the link to the petition to the WHO on addressing humidity in indoor air and its relevance to health:  40to60RH petition.

Houseplants can be used to detoxify indoor air according to a study performed by NASA in 1989:  Houseplants remove toxins from air.  A quote from the study:  “Since man’s existence on Earth depends upon a life support system involving an intricate relationship with plants and their associated microorganisms, it should be obvious that when he attempts to isolate himself in tightly sealed buildings away from this ecological system, problems will arise,” wrote lead investigator B.C. Wolverton, a microbiologist for NASA.  The answer to these problems is obvious,” he added. “If man is to move into closed environments on Earth or in space, he must take along Nature’s life support system.”

Pollution and Coronavirus Cases in a Metropolitan Area

As I mentioned before, if a building is ventilating to outdoor air that is also polluted than that is not helping the indoor air quality situation that much.  Below are maps of outdoor air pollution including the concentration of diesel particulate matter in the Providence metropolitan area in Rhode Island.

Air Pollution Providence Area
The above maps show air pollution in the Providence RI, metropolitan area, where the highest concentrations are in the densest urban areas, which makes sense.  Also, the hardest-hit nursing homes in the state are in this immediate metropolitan area.

Now compare the above two maps to the total number of cases per zip code in the Providence metropolitan area shown below, and the correlation with air pollution and population density is quite apparent:

Number of Virus Cases in Providence Area by Zip Code
Data and map compiled by WPRI.com

Here is a map showing the total number of cases per capita per zip code in northern Rhode Island, again the correlation between air pollution and population density is quite clear:

Cases Per Capita Per Zip Code - Rhode Island
Data and map compiled by WPRI.com

Urban Areas - Rhode Island
This Google Earth map depicts the overall density of urban areas in Rhode Island:  Providence, Pawtucket,  Central Falls, and Woonsocket are the densest areas, Warwick and Cranston are moderately dense and the rest of the towns are not that dense.

As some scientists have stated over the decades, “The microbe is nothing, the environmental conditions (the terrain) everything.”

In addition, while I do not think that the deployment of the 5G network caused the current epidemic, I do think that low-level radiation from 4G/5G technology is depressing people’s immune systems and making the situation worse,  almost like another form of “air pollution.” See this discussion by Martin Pall, PhD, a former biochemistry professor from Washington State University:   5GCOVID-19-M.L.Pall_.3.30.2020.  September 2021 Update:  This research paper confirms my original hypothesis that the deployment of the new small cell 4G/5G network is having an effect on people’s immune systems and making the pandemic situation worse.

There will be a 5G summit in June 2020 with all kinds of researchers discussing the health effects of EMF pollution and the potential for increased mass surveillance of the public, register here for free:  The 5G Summit.  Here is more information on electromagnetic field (EMF) pollution with research by many respected scientists and doctors:  The Bioinitiative Report 2012.

Providence, RI has the highest concentration of cell phone towers and 5G antennae in addition to the highest concentrations of other forms of air pollution in the state.  Again, it is all different types of pollution (EMF, air, water, food, etc.) that is making the epidemic worse, there is no single cause.  In order to prevent similar disasters we must remediate our environment over the coming years.   Dr. Zach Bush has validated some of my points here in this video, he provides a lot of good insights here: Pollution and Coronavirus.

The Physiology of Gaia

Earth Processes, Philosophy

In this post I lay out some striking similarities between Earth processes and the physiological processes within organisms, just as some food for thought.  It is interesting to note that prior to the nineteenth century many scientists were quite comfortable with thinking of the Earth as a living being.  James Lovelock (originator of the modern Gaia theory, along with Lynn Margulis) noted that James Hutton, considered to be father of modern geology, actually recommended physiology as the science that would best explain Earth processes.  Many interesting discoveries in physiology were being found at that time and several Earth scientists, including Hutton applied these ideas to the hydrologic cycle and biogeochemical cycles of Earth.

 

Rivers/Riparian Ecosystems and Blood/Circulatory Systems

The similarities between blood vessels/circulatory system and rivers/streams and watersheds are quite numerous.  For example, blood vessels transport glucose and  hemoglobin throughout the body to cells requiring much needed energy and oxygen.  Likewise, a river with suspended sediment carries nutrients downstream to the lower parts of its watershed expanding out in a fan shape reminiscent of blood vessel networks (see the picture below of two deltas in Louisiana, USA).  These nutrients create the extremely diverse and lush delta ecosystems found all around the planet.  Constructing a dam and/or polluting a river with garbage or toxic wastes is analogous to an artery becoming clogged with cholesterol and plaque; it’s obviously not a healthy situation for either the riparian ecosystem or the organism with clogged arteries.

Louisiana Deltas
Two deltas in Louisiana.  The field of view is approximately 25 miles across.  Photo taken from Google Earth.

Also, the organisms living in the river including fish, turtles, crayfish, etc., can be thought of as “cells” doing work along the river the same way that red blood cells and white blood cells do important work in maintaining the health of the circulatory system of an organism.   Killing the organisms of the river with pollution or over-fishing results in a degraded ecosystem in much the same way an organism with a disease may have too low or too high blood cell counts.

 

Wetlands/Salt Marshes/Deltas and Liver/Kidneys

Another analogous system is a wetland/salt marsh/delta ecosystem that has the ability to process and filtrate wastewater (e.g. sewage), processing the toxins in the waste into harmless forms or sequestering them in sediment.  This is comparable to the physiology of the liver/kidneys system processing and eliminating waste products from the body of an organism.

Draining wetlands and salt marshes of a river delta and paving them over for coastal development causes serious damage to this organ of Gaia in a similar way that an increasing load of toxic substances causes damage to an organism’s liver or kidneys.

The construction of a wastewater treatment plant to treat the sewage of a city (a human ecosystem) is analogous to a person going on dialysis; the person now requires a machine in order to process the body’s toxins to continue living and a densely populated urbanized area now requires a machine to process its waste or else it will literally drown in sewage.  A traditional village or modern intentional community can take care of its sewage without the need of a wastewater treatment plant by using humanure methods.

 

Forests and the Cardiopulmonary System

The enormous forests of the world act as “lungs” for the planet, pumping vast amounts of oxygen and carbon dioxide throughout the atmosphere.  The forests intake carbon dioxide and respire oxygen.  Take a look at this graph of carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere over time and you can see the see-saw pattern of the “breathing” of Gaia, as the vast temperate deciduous forests of the northern hemisphere go into hibernation in late fall to early winter (the enormous amount of plankton in the oceans also plays a role here as well):

Graph from:  https://theconversation.com/february-carbon-dioxide-levels-average-400ppm-for-first-time-38417

In addition, forests also act as a “heart” for the planet, by creating and maintaining areas of low pressure over continental landmasses that pump water from the ocean to clouds that then move over landmasses and drop much needed rain.  Take a look at this video on the water cycle and the “Biotic Pump” from the alternative thinker, Charles Eisenstein:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L68ZHYzeZoI.

 

Mountains/Bedrock and the Skeleton

Mountain ranges and bedrock outcrops form the “skeleton” of Gaia by structurally supporting the other organs and providing sediments and mineral nutrients that are to be used downstream in the rest of the organs of Gaia.  This is analogous to how an organism’s skeleton provides structural support for the rest of the organs and tissues and how the bones contain bone marrow and produce red blood cells needed to carry oxygen throughout the body.

 

Soil/Grasses and Skin

The soils, grasses, and other ground-cover vegetation of Earth acts as a “skin” protecting the other organs and allowing them to thrive.  Surficial soil, grasses and other vegetation protect the underlying soil layers from erosion and oxidation.  Also soils act as a permeable membrane between the hydrosphere, lithosphere and atmosphere and enables the continued progression of biogeochemical cycles (e.g. nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, etc.) all over the planet.

There are many other examples that I have not gotten into here, this is just an introduction to many interesting ideas regarding the organs of Gaia.  I’ll post some links to more information soon and will add some more details to this post in the future.  I have not read this book by Tyler Volk yet, but it looks very interesting:  https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/gaias-body-toward-a-physiology-of-earth_tyler-volk/816675/#isbn=0387982701&idiq=7686023.

 

 

Solar Farms: Right Time Wrong Places

Renewable Energy, Resource Economics

Over the past decade the development of solar installations of all sizes has taken off across the United States and many other countries, though unfortunately, the construction of many of these facilities results in the destruction of forests and other ecosystems.  There are obviously better location options for these solar arrays, but of course, short-sighted financial decisions are again trumping long-term ecological thinking.

In this post I’ll focus on the northeastern USA, and here a solar farm constructed in Hopkinton, Rhode Island resulted in the deforestation of 10 acres of land.  Before and after pictures are shown below (all images in this post are from Google Earth):

hopkinton solar array

A solar farm constructed in Seekonk, Massachusetts resulted in the deforestation of over 27 acres of land.  Before and after pictures are shown below:

seekonk solar array

In addition to forests and other ecosystems, farmland has also been a favored target of solar farm developers.  Here in Rehoboth, Massachusetts, approximately 17 acres of farmland was developed with a solar farm (see pictures below).  The farmland is located only five miles from Providence, RI; and so it would be an ideal location for growing local food in a heavily developed metropolitan area.  Given the financial pressures farmers are facing, many are not thinking twice about developing their farmland with solar arrays, but having the renewable energy industry and the local food movement competing against each other does not seem very wise.  You can’t eat electricity.  ZAP!

rehoboth solar array

To avoid the destruction and disruption of ecosystems and the covering of much needed farmland, these solar arrays could easily be placed above existing large parking lots, as shown below at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, Massachusetts.  Here, approximately 5-1/2 acres of a large parking lot were covered with solar arrays with room for parking underneath:

amherst solar array

No deforestation or ecosystem disruption is required for these types of solar arrays.  There are thousands of acres of large parking lots just in the small state of Rhode Island.  The University of Rhode Island alone has approximately 50 acres of parking lots that could be covered with solar arrays.  In addition, building rooftops are an obvious choice for solar arrays and large trucking warehouse rooftops can sometimes be up to 20-30 acres in size (yes, these buildings are enormous).  Below are before and after pictures of a 10 acre grocery distribution center rooftop in Keasbey, NJ that had a solar array installed on the roof:

keasbey solar array

This area is already heavily developed with warehouses and parking lots, the ecological damage has already been done, and so we might as well use these places for solar installations.  Many capped landfills have been developed with solar arrays and these are definitely another good option.

Obviously, solar farm developers have a much easier time negotiating a land sale or lease of open space versus trying to lease a parking lot or a building rooftop, but going after the easy to develop open land is pretty short-sighted.  Financial incentives for developing arrays over parking lots and on rooftops and developers negotiating with companies and institutions with large warehouses and parking lots would help the situation.

With the precipitous decline in insect, bird, and amphibian populations over the past few decades, not to mention massive tree die-offs, the last thing we need is more habitat destruction, even for supposedly “green” energy.

Unfortunately, more than a few solar farm proponents and developers have been demonizing and labeling the anti-solar farm crowd as anti-renewable and NIMBYs.  But the developers are, in reality, exploiting the allure of solar panels and positivity surrounding renewable energy to make a quick buck at the expense of longer-term ecological health and local food needs.  It’s a shame.

More information here:

https://www.ecori.org/smart-growth/2019/1/7/solar-projects-continue-to-throw-shade-over-green-space

https://www.ecori.org/smart-growth/2017/5/25/energy-sprawl-targets-southern-ne-farmland-and-forests

https://www.ecori.org/green-opinions/2019/3/4/tree-killing-insects-bad-for-rhode-island-forest-killing-development-no-problem