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The "Role and Responsibilities of the Land Grant System in Building Community Strengths to Address Biohazards" were explored in a cross-disciplinary Symposium held at Cornell University, September 8-9 2003. The purposes of the Symposium were to:
- Strengthen the capacity of the Land Grant system to work with communities in preparing and recovering from natural and man-made biohazards (e.g., severe winter weather, highly infectious diseases and water system contamination).
- Indentify issues and build skills integrating community, biosciences and the Land Grant outreach mission.
- Build networks across disciplines and between research and outreach, bridging the life and social sciences to develop a framework for biohazard prevention, preparedness, and remediation.
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Emergency Preparedness: Resources for New York State - This website is intended to help Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) staff, colleagues, and New York State residents rapidly access
resources for disaster prevention, preparedness and recovery. Resources
are organized by categories of disaster (such as natural disasters,
disease, war, hazardous materials, etc.), types of impacts (such as
impacts on civil liberties, children, the disabled, infrastructure,
etc.), and by target audience. The website is fully searchable.
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In the long run, unsustainable use of energy and resources is the greatest risk to the environment and all living things. Resources are used sustainably when they are used at a rate and in ways such that they are not depleted or permanently damaged. Anything else is unsustainable.
There is some debate whether there is greater risk to the environment (and all of us) from continued use of fossil fuels as our major source of energy (because burning fossil fuels leads to global climate change with all its consequent disruptive effects), or whether there is greater risk from increased use of nuclear fuels (because this energy source generates radioactive materials that cause cancers, have other potentially devastating health effects, and can be used to develop nuclear weapons).
In the near term, poverty and war pose the greatest risks to human health and the environment.
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Environmental Indicators are developed for many purposes and audiences. Environmental Risk Indicators (ERIs) are a means for monitoring and evaluating environmental trends and the impacts of environmental stressors. Pesticide Risk Indicators (PRIs) focus more specifically on the non-target effects of pest control products and methods. These webpages link to publications, bibliographic materials and related resources developed by ERAP staff.
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Plastics are being used increasingly in all sectors of agriculture. Products include pesticide and nursery containers, nursery flats, greenhouse covers, dairy silage bags and wraps, dairy bunker silo covers, fertilizer bags, twines, etc. The plastic products are substituted for the longer lasting materials previously used because they often cost less and improve production efficiency (e.g., plastic silage bags result in better feed quality).
However, as with many throwaway products, disposal is a problem. Surveys indicate that more than half the agricultural plastics in NYS are disposed by open burning, which releases high levels of polluting emissions. Most of the remainder is buried or dumped on-farm. Emissions from open burning are much greater than from controlled incineration and these emissions pose risks to human health.
The Recycling Agricultural Plastics website opens the door to an alternative by providing tools and resources for developing recycling options for disposing of agricultural plastics.
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A "portal" for information about the mosquito-borne disease that was first detected in North America in late summer 1999, including informational updates and announcements, archives of the WESTNILEVIRUS-L listserv, a bibliography of scientific articles, and educational resources for the lay public.
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What’s the Risk? is an interactive web-based educational tutorial currently being developed at Cornell University to enable students and concerned citizens better evaluate potential risks in their environments. Users explore basic concepts and methods of risk analysis, applying new understanding about 'hazards,' 'variability,' 'uncertainties,' and 'exposure' to familiar decision-making scenarios.
In What’s the Risk?: Pesticides in Homes & Communities, users apply principles of risk analysis to grapple with questions such as: "Should we use insect repellents?" "What do I think about pesticides being used near my home to kill disease-carrying mosquitoes?" "How can I compare risks from pesticides to risks of contracting insect-borne diseases (such as West Nile virus, Lyme disease or malaria)?" In working through these questions, users learn about the risk assessment paradigm, epidemiology and the role of values and the media in reaching decisions and developing policies involving environmental risks.
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Modified:
Mar 15, 2005
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