HealthyPlanet

09/17/2025

It's Stand Up to Cancer Day! For 20 years, the Suffolk County Cancer Prevention & Health Promotion Coalition has joined forces to promote community awareness and support those affected by cancer. Never give up! Cancer Resources in Suffolk County can be found here: https://www.suffolkcountyny.gov/Departments/Health-Services/Cancer-Prevention-and-Health-Promotion-Coalition

Members:
Huntington Breast Cancer Action Coalition (HBCAC)
HealthyPlanet
Healthy Schools and Communities Long Island

Babylon Breast Cancer Coalition
Cancer Services Program of Suffolk County
Long Island Health Collaborative
Take Action Against Cancer
Latina Sisters Support Inc.
The Witness Project of Long Island
The Maurer Foundation
Northwell Health
Thursday's Child of Long Island
Transvibin'
PFY
Strength For Life

09/15/2025

How sad it is that so much of our priceless, irreplaceable nature is under attack by this administration in the name of short-term profit for powerful corporations.

"...the Trump administration has made no secret of its ambitions: a ramp-up of logging and drilling across public lands, and a sweeping plan to shrink up to six national monuments in the south-west.

Taken together, a larger strategy comes into focus: Republicans are laying the groundwork to sell off some of the nation’s most treasured public assets. And it begins with gutting the numbers and the morale of the very people who protect them."

During the McCarthy era’s darkest days, public lands came under attack. History now repeats itself – and this may be the last chance to defend what’s ours

08/11/2025

As year after year is proclaimed the new "hottest year on record," wind energy continues to look increasingly promising--and increasingly necessary. Renewable, clean energy that puts Long Islanders to work while reducing the toxic emissions emitted by outdated, expensive fossil fuels is a win-win for us both locally and globally.

"We don’t have to choose between reliability and affordability on one side, and public health protections on the other. Offshore wind delivers all three, and the time to act is

07/03/2025

We're so sad to say that the most anti-environment, anti-job, and anti-American bill in history has just passed in the House of Representatives.

It's a terrifying commentary on the state of our country and a stark indication of the severe lack of wisdom among our elected officials. This should serve as an urgent wake-up call to each of us that we must take all possible action to challenge the exploitation of our environment in the name of short-term profits and political power.

You have the power to make a difference in your everyday choices, and by being an informed voter on election day.

Republicans in Congress just caved to Trump's bullying and passed the worst environmental bill in U.S. history. This legislation provides trillions of dollars in tax breaks for billionaires. These corporate polluters paid for Trump's election, bought access to him, and now they're cashing in at the....

07/02/2025

https://www.newsday.com/opinion/commentary/guest-essays/bess-battery-storage-fire-risks-yvwjghpb

Fire codes are keeping battery energy storage systems safe
By Paul RogersGuest essayJuly 1, 2025 6:00 am
Every day in America, nearly 3,800 fires break out — from homes and vehicles to brush and trash. These incidents are a routine part of emergency response, managed with established tools and protocols by trained professionals.

Battery energy storage systems, or BESS, are now a key part of our infrastructure. As they become more common, it’s natural for people to have questions about how safety is maintained.

When I was in the FDNY, battery storage systems were beginning to emerge, and I helped examine these technologies and their risks. Through extensive testing, we found that the best way to address potential hazards wasn’t to avoid the technology, but to regulate it properly and build in proven fire protection measures.

Today, those standards are in place — and they’re working. The next step is making sure the public, fire service, and decision-makers understand these protections and how this technology fits safely into our energy future.

Every battery storage facility in New York must meet some of the country’s most stringent fire codes. These include fire-rated enclosures, automatic shutdown features, thermal and ventilation systems, and early-warning alarms. Sites are monitored in real time, and if anything looks off, operators are trained to respond immediately.

To put things in perspective: The U.S. averages 999 residential fires, 629 vehicle fires, and 1,517 outdoor fires each day. These fires produce toxic gases and often damage property. But they’re rarely the subject of national debate. Meanwhile, battery energy storage — highly regulated and engineered for containment — is mischaracterized as inherently risky.

Unlike residential or vehicle fires, battery storage systems are modular and compartmentalized. That makes them far easier to isolate and manage. Firefighters don’t need specialized equipment — they already have thermal cameras, gas meters, and hose lines to respond effectively.

New York’s approach adds yet another layer of protection. At every BESS site, the fire department has a direct phone line for immediate contact with trained experts. If needed, a certified safety specialist like me is on-site within four hours to support the response and eventually take over the project decommissioning. That allows local responders to go back to serving their community.

In the rare case of a fire, a battery storage system is immediately taken offline, and a full root-cause investigation is conducted. It can only be brought back online with approval from local authorities.

This fire safety code works. Independent reports confirm that no battery storage fire incident in New York has ever resulted in injury or measurable environmental harm. Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Inter-Agency Fire Safety Working Group recently recommended expanded firefighter training, independent third-party reviews, and enhanced emergency signage — smart, proactive steps that make a safe system even safer. As battery storage deployment continues to grow, the fire incident rate has declined 98% between 2018 and 2024.

Let’s also be clear: Battery energy storage systems are not the same as the often-unregulated and poorly manufactured batteries found in e-bikes or scooters.

As someone who cares deeply about firefighter safety, I believe that if our fire service is protected, the community will be, too. Battery storage systems are not only essential to strengthening New York’s grid — they’re also subject to some of the most comprehensive safety protocols we’ve ever applied to energy infrastructure.

The technology is sound. The codes are in place. Now it’s time to make sure people understand how it all works.

This guest essay reflects the view of Paul Rogers, cofounder of Energy Safety Response Group and former battery subject-matter expert for the FDNY.

Adrienne Esposito
Executive Director
Citizens Campaign for the Environment
225A Main Street
Farmingdale, NY 11735
Office 516-390-7150
Cell 631-384-1378

Facilities in New York must meet some of the country's most stringent fire codes, part of a nationwide effort that reduced battery storage fires by 98% between 2018 and 2024.

06/23/2025

From our magnificent whales to countless other marine creatures, our oceans are a dangerous place. The science overwhelmingly shows that fishing is the primary cause of marine biodiversity loss, along with increasing ocean traffic – not the myths you might hear about offshore wind. Meanwhile, on land, raising animals for food fuels widespread habitat destruction as it is the main driver behind agricultural expansion--the leading cause of both plant and animal species loss.

We need comprehensive macro solutions, but we also need decisive action in our daily lives. Your very next meal can be part of the solution. By choosing whole food, plant-based options instead of animals from the land and sea you directly reduce the demand fueling these industries. Together, our collective choices create immense impact, transforming some of the world's most urgent environmental crises.

A study reveals 87% of humpback whales near Long Island bear scars from fishing gear, with juveniles also injured by ship propellers.

06/23/2025

Equinor continues Empire Wind project off Long Beach, facing legal challenges and an environmental review.

06/13/2025

We're proud to announce that The Healthy Planet Radio show was just awarded 3rd Place for Environment Radio at the 2025 Press Club of Long Island (PCLI) Media Awards!

This builds on our 2nd Place award in 2023. Thank you to the Press Club of Long Island for your much-needed work and for recognizing our contribution to environmental radio.

Listen to our award-winning show on The Power of Native Plants: Bringing Life To Your Yard... and Our Planet-- with Nicole Tamaro, Matt Gorman, and Sara Abbass of the Northport Native Garden Initiative.

Listen in to learn valuable planet-saving information about the power to transform the world, one plant at a time!

The Healthy Planet Radio Show. The Healthy Planet Radio Show has been airing on WUSB, 90.1 FM since January of 2007. It airs on the second Friday of each month immediately following Democracy Now! at “drive time,” from 6 to 7 PM. We’re thrilled to announce that The Healthy Planet Radio Show co...

05/08/2025

Offshore wind is not only good for our bodies and the environment, but it's good for local jobs.

An offshore wind hub could revive a working-class neighborhood — but only if the project withstands Trump’s attacks. The community is pushing back.

05/08/2025

From our friends at Citizens Campaign for the Environment:

"We’re excited to share new findings from South Fork Wind’s seafloor (benthic) monitoring program — and the results are a win for both clean energy and marine ecosystems.

INSPIRE Environmental has published a new interactive StoryMap that outlines the results of a comprehensive visual monitoring program conducted before, during, and after construction of the South Fork Wind project. These independent surveys found:

No detectable changes to the biological communities on the seafloor near the wind turbines or export cable.

Turbine foundations are already supporting a thriving marine habitat, creating a reef effect, and attracting species such as black sea bass, flounder, lobster, and even cod, tuna, and mahi-mahi.

These findings confirm that South Fork Wind is powering over 70,000 Long Island homes with clean, reliable energy while also coexisting with marine life. It’s further proof that responsible offshore wind development can support both environmental and economic goals."

Sediment Profile and Plan View Imaging (SPI/PV), ROV-based Sampling, and Sediment Grab Sampling

04/17/2025

Our glaciers continue to lose mass rapidly, and the rate of loss is accelerating.
"Tallying up each year's losses or gains through 2023, reference network glaciers have lost just over 26 feet of water equivalent relative to 1970—roughly the same as slicing an average of 28.6 meters (94 feet) off the top of each glacier."
That doesn't seem like a big problem until you understand that billions of people rely on glacial meltwater to live.
It has become increasingly clear that we can't wait for our government to address our climate crisis. So it's up to us to take action in every way possible. While one way to act is to vote for candidates who prioritize the environment, the other way is to act as if we prioritize our life support system and the natural world.
One of the most powerful actions we can take toward that end is to eat lower on the food chain. That means choosing plant-based options more frequently and reducing the amount of animal foods we purchase. Every meal counts. If each of us took that on, it would not only impact the stability of our climate, but it would greatly reduce air and water pollution, rainforest depletion, water use, topsoil loss, and so much more.
Additionally, do whatever you can to reduce your consumption of fossil fuels. You can do that in a wide variety of ways. Drive less, or group your errands, go electric, choose energy-efficient appliances, turn the heat down in the winter and the air conditioning in the summer-- instead opting for another layer of clothing when it's cold, and one less layer in the warmer months. And if you're a homeowner, get a home energy audit to reveal those areas of your house that are losing heat and coolness, which translates into wasted money on your utility bills year after year.
There's no time to waste. The solutions start with us!

Present since the last ice age, most of the world's glaciers are now shrinking or disappearing altogether as the climate gets warmer.

04/16/2025

Our last radio show briefly outlined the across-the-board dangers of burning coal for energy. It's as bad for public health as it is for the environment and the economy.

"Despite what we know from centuries of burning coal, this is an actual quote from a "business contributor" to a well-known cable TV station speaking about the Trump administration's recent reclassification of coal as a mineral--an action that makes no sense:

Reclassifying coal as a mineral "opened up the door to speed up the permitting process" and "make more federal lands eligible for producing coal," according to Price Futures Group senior market analyst and FOX Business contributor Phil Flynn.

"It also opens coal production and usage to a whole wide range of financial incentives, loans and subsidies that can support the production and exporting [of] U.S. coal," he told FOX Business.

"This is going to make coal more competitive with other fuel sources and will be a positive, because U.S. production of coal is cleaner than other countries and our use of coal is also cleaner and better for the environment as well."

Yes, he actually said on national TV that our use of coal is also cleaner and better for the environment, and didn't get fired.

The Healthy Planet Radio Show. The Healthy Planet Radio Show has been airing on WUSB, 90.1 FM since January of 2007 and can be heard on the second Friday of each month at 6pm, immediately following Democracy Now! News. We’re proud to announce that The Healthy Planet Radio Show has won 2nd Place at...