March 27, 2014: “What We Don't Know Can Hurt Us - Environmental Concerns with Frac Sand Mining”

According to the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters, “Frac sand mining is literally booming in western Wisconsin – and it’s wreaking havoc on air and water quality and public health.”

Decades of research in worker populations has proven the serious health hazards of inhaling fine crystalline silica particles in high levels over long periods of time. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health notes that occupational exposure to respirable crystalline silica is linked to silicosis — an incurable lung disease — in addition to lung cancer, pulmonary tuberculosis and airway diseases.

Learn more about what is happening in Wisconsin, which has 75% of the frac sand market in the entire US (Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters). And learn what we can do about it.

Watch the presentation and hear the question and answer session:

Or view the slides:.

February 20, 2014: Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation: Factory Farms Harm the Environment

Kim Wright, Executive Director of Midwest Environmental Advocates, Inc., discusses how the increasing industrialization of farming in Wisconsin is damaging the environment, polluting wells and other water resources, and impacting public health. CAFOs, also known as factory farms, are heavily concentrated in a few areas of Wisconsin and are especially dense near Green Bay. The problems they cause include air pollution and contamination of private wells.

Watch the presentation and the question and answer period:

In the question and answer period, some people wanted more information about getting well water tested. Here's a link to resources for that issue: http://www.uwsp.edu/cnr-ap/watershed/Pages/GWWell.aspx

View the slides:

January 16, 2014: Kim Wright, Midwest Environmental Advocates, Inc.

In the second of our series of webinars, Kim Wright, Executive Director of Midwest Environmental Advocates, Inc., presented "Citizen Voices Matter for Environmental Protection."

Review the powerpoint slides from this presentation: