Posts Tagged With ‘ Organizations ’

Last week, it was exciting news when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced proposed limits on the toxic “forever” chemicals known as PFAS as a way to reduce drinking water contamination. The proposal targets six PFAS – PFOA, PFOS, GenX, PFBS, PFNA, and PFHxS.  While these are the first federal proposed drinking water limits for PFAS, 10 states already have final or interim enforceable drinking water limits for PFAS. The announcement by the EPA is historic progress, said Scott Faber, senior vice president for government affairs at the Environmental Working Group, an environmental... Continue Reading

One of the best consumer actions in recent years is the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in 2011. Established after the Great Recession of 2007-08 to set up one federal agency to help consumers with their financial issues, the CFPB has made great strides in improving the position of consumers in the marketplace. Previously, seven different federal agencies were responsible for consumer financial protection, but none viewed consumer financial protection as their top priority. Examples of how the CFPB has benefitted consumers are it recouped about $16 billion for consumers,... Continue Reading

It’s important to reduce the amount of pesticides in food that you and your children are exposed to. One way to do that is to be aware of the amount of pesticides that may be on the fruits and vegetables you buy. Thirty years after a National Academies of Sciences study warning of the dangers posed to children from pesticides, 75 percent of non-organic fruits and vegetables sold in the United States still contain potentially toxic agricultural chemicals, according to the Environmental Working Group’s “2023 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce.” This year, blueberries and green beans... Continue Reading

Photo: Kevauto Buying a new car is among one the most challenging purchases a consumer needs to make. Every year, Consumer Reports, a research, testing, and advocacy organization, conducts a battery of tests on the vehicles it evaluates, including braking, handling, comfort, convenience, safety, and fuel economy. Eight of the 10 top picks are new to the list this year – the Toyota Corolla Hybrid, Toyota Corolla Cross, Toyota Camry Hybrid, Ford Maverick Hybrid, Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid, Lexus NX350h, Nissan Leaf, and Tesla Model 3. The two remaining vehicles were top picks last year. They’re... Continue Reading

The theme for International Women’s Day this year is “DigitALL: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality,” because 37 percent of women don’t use the internet and 259 million fewer woman have access to the internet than men. If women aren’t able to access the Internet and don’t feel safe online, they’re unable to develop the necessary digital skills to engage in digital spaces, which diminishes their opportunities to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics or STEM related fields, according to the United Nations website. The purpose of International... Continue Reading

Things are busy, here in my corner of the USA. I’m behind in reporting on what’s happening for National Consumer Protection Week. A lot of my time has been taken up since the first of the year taking part in the Dean Ornish heart health program. It ends Wednesday. I’ll be reporting on its many benefits soon. Activities for National Consumer Protection Week Here are some activities the Federal Trade Commission if offering for the consumer week: Wednesday, March 8 (In-person event) 10am – 2 p.m. HAST: Visit the FTC table at the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs NCPW Fair at... Continue Reading

Recently, I wrote about where to donate clothes you no longer want to wear, including those that are worn out. I listed the usual locations – Goodwill and the Salvation Army – and donating to retailers such as H&M. I also reported on what environmentalists have to say about the huge amount of clothing that ends up in landfills here and overseas. Readers had additional suggestions on clothing donations: Lisa Whitley, AFC, CRPC, financial coach offers the following ideas: Thanks for sharing this. I am somewhat obsessed with recycling textiles (although I am not a big clothing shopper to... Continue Reading

Usually, I take clothes I no longer want to wear to the Goodwill because donation is easy. However, in the past few years, it has put out public service announcements that it only wants clothing that it can resell. Since I wear a lot of my clothes until they’re worn out, I needed another solution. So, I started doing research on what to do. Online, I found that H&M takes old clothes in any condition. It’s website says: Bring any unwanted clothes or textiles, by any brand and in any condition, to one of our stores. Hand in your bag of old clothes at the register and receive a thank-you... Continue Reading

I’ve written about antibiotic resistance a number of times, and I have a section on it in the draft book on my journalism work. What is antibiotic resistance? Antibiotic resistance happens when germs such as bacteria and fungi develop the ability to defeat the drugs designed to kill them. That means the germs aren’t killed and continue to grow. Resistant infections can be difficult, and sometimes impossible, to treat. The misuse of medically important antibiotics is contributing to the rise and spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. It’s a growing public health crisis that’s responsible... Continue Reading

I’m now a T-Mobile customer. Darn. I switched because I was upset that Verizon wouldn’t give me a deal on a new iPhone and I wanted to be in a family plan with my grandson from Spain who’s going to college in Massachusetts. T-Mobile announced last week that its customer records have been hacked again. This time, it affects about 37 million accounts. The disclosure came in a regulatory filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The breach was discovered two weeks before the announcement. T-Mobile, one of the big three cell phone companies, said “a bad actor” obtained “limited... Continue Reading