Great news for Earth Day: We had three major successes this spring. Each shows how one action sparks another – then another.
We're excited by that impact. We hope, as we observe Earth Day this year, that our work inspires you to take a small step that leads toward bigger change.
Fractured: The personal cost of fracking.
In March we published Fractured, a two-year investigation into pollution spilling from Pennsylvania's fracking fields.
It got noticed:
- 35 lawmakers sent a note to Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf demanding action.
- Fracking opponents are using our data in calling for expanded setbacks around drilling operations.
- Our findings made up 10 percent of the media discussion on fracking, giving it a decided health bent during the month of March.
And community groups are still using Fractured to call for change:
"This is tremendous public health investigation and reporting." – Nina Baird, Carnegie Mellon University
Agents of Change
Thanks to your support, we welcomed 12 early career scientists from underrepresented backgrounds this spring as our next cohort of Agents of Change.
They're talking and writing bravely about challenges they're addressing in environmental science. The pieces are opening new doors for collaboration, interviews, outreach.
Ask your smart speaker to play "Agents of Change in Environmental Health" on Spotify or check out their essays on EHN.org.
"Too often, society simplifies and labels prematurely, to the detriment of truly comprehensive and effective solutions." – Misbath Daouda, Agents of Change fellow
Small penises, big problem
In February noted Mount Sinai researcher and adjunct EHS scientist Dr. Shanna Swan published "Count Down," a look at the environmental causes driving a precipitous decline in fertility worldwide.
The book quickly drew attention: The New York Times, the Washington Post, the Guardian all covered the story. Even the Onion published a "Man on the Street" parody.
"The current state of reproductive affairs can't continue much longer without threatening human survival." – Shanna Swan
Make a difference
Small acts precipitate big change.
And so we have three suggestions for you on this day of action:
1. Share a story. Friends and family in your circle will thank you.
2. Send a note.Take one of our informational guides and send a note to a lawmaker, a county health officer, or your local paper.
3. Donate.Your support helps us keep good science and journalism in the spotlight.
Meet our Interns:
This is the future of journalism and videography. It's bright:
Rowan Gould-Bayba
Rowan comes to us from the Bay Area by way of Oberlin College in Ohio, where he's majoring in videography. Check out his sharp pieces on smarter grocery shopping and the dangers of BPA.
Cameron Oglesby
An ecologist, artist, and Doris Duke Conservation Scholar, Cameron writes insightfully on the intersection of people, planet, place, and justice. She joins us from Duke University, where she's studying environmental science, journalism and media studies.
Quinn Alexander McVeigh
We're always waking Quinn early, as he's in Tucson, Ariz., while we work on East Coast time. A student at the University of Arizona, Quinn writes with vividness and imagination on forest biodiversity, U.S. coastal communities and marginalized populations.
You can support our efforts to prepare early-career journalists for the jobs of tomorrow by donating today.
