DECEMBER 2017 TIP TALKS
 
IN THIS ISSUE
                              ***************
**LIB TALKS: Happy & Hopeful New Year, 
What’s the Good News?  Clever Consumer Holiday 
Reminder/Warning, Advice on Dealing With EMF 
Concerns Re: Cell Phones, New Year's Resolution
**RHODE ISLAND/MA AREA RESOURCE:  (TIP)
**GOOD NEWS: Moms Across America Ask Governors 
in 50 States to ban Glyphosate, CT Fracking Waste Bans
 **CLEVER CONSUMER CAMPAIGN: Scented 
Candles Avoidance: Reminder 
**RESOURCES: CDPH Issues Guidance On How To
Reduce Exposure To Cell Phones, 20 Houseplants 
That Clear Toxins From Your Home
**********************************************
                                 LIB TALKS
************************************************
**HAPPY – AND HOPEFUL – NEW YEAR!
We are making this TIP TALKS brief, joyous & helpful, 
because we know you are busy celebrating – and we 
are providing a few tips to make 2018 a more positive 
one for you and your family.
**WHATS THE GOOD NEWS?  More & more efforts, both 
in the courts, in country after country are being made 
to reveal  & counter toxic products such as Roundup, 
GMOs and the other chemical hazards which TIP has 
been addressing for years.  We expect a bunch of
successes to report during the coming year!  Note the 
progress in fighting fracking worldwide and more local 
recent actions in CT & RI.
**CLEVER CONSUMERS HOLIDAY REMINDER/WARNING
Watch out for those scented candles!  Unscented are 
just as pretty!
**ANOTHER WAY TO PROTECT YOURSELF & LOVED ONES:
California has provided useful advice on making cell phone 
use safer, especially important for small children & teens.  
And, we’ve got some info on extra benefits to your health
 from those beautiful indoor plants!
**NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION?  SHARE THE IMPORTANT INFO
WE PROVIDE WITH FRIENDS & FAMILY!
 
Blessings, Liberty G
****************************************************
**PLEASE THINK OF US:  One simple way to help us:  
Shop at smile.amazon.com/ch/14-1862385  and Amazon 
donates to Toxics Information Project (TIP).  You already 
probably use Amazon for various purchases, and it costs 
you nothing to include us in your buying routine. See other 
options for helping TIP at the end of this TIP TALKS.
*************************************************
         RHODE ISLAND/MA/CT AREA 
         NOTES  AND GOOD NEWS
*************************************************
                        RHODE ISLAND 
 
 YET ANOTHER FERC LAWSUIT IS DROWNING
        INVENERGY’S POWER PLANT PLANS
           December 23, 2017, Steve Ahlquist
https://upriseri.com/news/energy/efsb/invenergy/2017-12-23-invenergy-ferc/
 
Invenergy, the company that wants to build a $1 billion 
fracked gas and diesel oil burning power plant in the 
unspoiled forests of northwest Rhode Island is now 
drowning in lawsuits. Yesterday, Conservation Law 
Foundation (CLF) and the Town of Burrillville sent a letter 
to the Energy Facilities Siting Board (EFSB), the state 
agency responsible for deciding on Invenergy’s application, 
asking that the Board take “administrative notice” of a new
lawsuit filed against Invenergy at the Federal Energy Regulatory 
Agency (FERC) on December 21…..Invenergy’s previous lawsuits at FERC have accumulated a vast array of 
opposition, including as of this writing, ISO New England, 
the New England States Committee on Electricity 
(NESCOE), the New England Power Pool, the Maine 
Public Utilities Commission, the Massachusetts 
Department of Public Utilities, the Connecticut Office 
of Consumer Counsel, other big energy generators 
such as Dominion, NextEra and NRG.
 
Barring further delays, on January 30, 2018, Invenergy will be 
before the EFSB for a show-cause hearing trying to convince the 
Board not to close the application until all the lawsuits at FERC 
are settled. CLF and Burrillville are asking the EFSB to take this 
new lawsuit into consideration as well.  “With each passing day,” writes Jerry Elmer, “it appears less and less likely 
that Invenergy will ever be built  ALSO SEE:  CLF’s Jerry 
Elmer on fighting Invenergy’s power plant
https://upriseri.com/news/energy/2017-12-05-jerry-elmer/   
 
                                         CONNECTICUT
 
           THERE ARE NOW 33 CT TOWNS THAT HAVE
    BANNED FRACKING WASTE as of December, 2017
            Environment and Human Health, Inc.  December 16 
www.facebook.com/118671496974/photos/a.10152132539526975.1073741826.118671496974/10155019673696975/?type=3  
          ********************************************
                                 MORE GOOD NEWS 
       **********************************************
       50 STATES ASK GOVERNORS TO BAN GLYPHOSATE
www.organicconsumers.org/news/50-states-ask-governors-ban-glyphosate#close   
Mission Viejo, CA - Moms Across America announces 
a nationwide campaign to ban glyphosate herbicides
in all fifty of the United States. Support from Organic Consumers Association, Institute for Responsible 
Technology and Thinking Moms Revolution, with 
millions of supporters collectively, urge state governors 
to protect their residents and children.   “European 
Member states, after considering volumes of scientific 
studies and numerous testimonies by lawyers and 
researchers, have refused to renew the license for 
glyphosate . If it is not safe for Europeans, and Malta,  
Sri Lanka, The Netherlands, and Argentina who have 
banned glyphosate, then we do not want glyphosate 
in our United States. We urge our governors to take 
bold steps like the Governor of Arkansas and Missouri 
did in banning Dicamba, and ban glyphosate 
herbicides and toxic chemicals immediately.”
- Zen Honeycutt, Executive Director of Moms Across America
             *************************************
                     ** CLEVER CONSUMER (That’s you!)
            CAMPAIGN REMINDER: TIP TALKS seeks to
increase your consumer IQ & abilities.  Remember,
if you tell the supplier, retailer, or producer what
              you will or won’t BUY, they care.
             **************************************
               CLEVER CONSUMER ACTIONS
          ****************************************
     ** THE BIG PROBLEM WITH SCENTED CANDLES
www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/16/scented-candles-toxic-safer-options_n_7536410.html  
  December 06, 2017    Dana Oliver   The Huffington Post
Scented candles are one of the easiest and most effective 
ways to  mask unpleasant odors in your home. They're 
a go-to when creating a relaxing ambiance to unwind 
after a long work day or while taking a warm bubble bath.  
But one of the main problems with scented candles is t
he scent itself.  According to Anne Steinemann, an environmental pollutants expert who is a professor of 
civil engineering and the chair of sustainable cities at 
the University of Melbourne, certain candles may emit numerous types of potentially hazardous chemicals, 
such as benzene and toluene. They can cause damage 
to the brain, lung and central nervous system, as well 
as cause developmental difficulties. "I have heard from numerous people who have asthma that they can't even 
go into a store if the store sells scented candles, even 
if they aren't being burned," Steinemann added. "They 
emit so much fragrance that they can trigger asthma 
attacks and even migraines."
 
Researchers at South Carolina State University tested both 
petroleum-based paraffin wax candles and vegetable-based 
candles that were non-scented, non-pigmented and free of dyes.  Their 2009 report concluded that while the vegetable-based candles didn't produce any potentially harmful pollutants, the paraffin candles "released unwanted 
chemicals into the air," said chemistry professor Ruhullah Massoudi in a statement.  "For a person who lights a candle every day for years or just uses them frequently, inhalation 
of these dangerous pollutants drifting in the air could contribute to the development of health risks like cancer, common allergies and even asthma," Massoudi said.
                    *************************************
                                                     RESOURCES
                     *************************************
              CDPH ISSUES GUIDANCE ON HOW TO
               REDUCE EXPOSURE TO CELL PHONES
SACRAMENTO - As smartphone use continues to increase in 
the U.S., especially among children, the California Department 
of Public Health (CDPH) today issued guidance for individuals 
and families who want to decrease their exposure to the radio 
frequency energy emitted from cell phones. Although the scientific community has not reached a consensus on the 
risks of cell phone use, research suggests long-term, high 
use may impact human health.  "Although the science is 
still evolving, there are concerns among some public health professionals and members of the public regarding long-
term, high use exposure to the energy emitted by cell 
phones," said CDPH Director and State Public Health Officer 
Dr. Karen Smith. "We know that simple steps, such as not keeping your phone in your pocket and moving it away 
from your bed at night, can help reduce exposure for b
oth children and adults."
 
The new CDPH guidance includes practical steps both 
adults and children could take to reduce exposure to 
radio frequency energy from cell phones.  That includes:
·       Keeping the phone away from the body
·       Reducing cell phone use when the signal is weak
·       Reducing the use of cell phones to stream audio or video,                             or to 
        download or upload large files
·       Keeping the phone away from the bed at night
·       Removing headsets when not on a call
·       Avoiding products that claim to block radio frequency energy. 
        These products may actually increase your exposure
          *********************************************************
          20 HOUSEPLANTS THAT CLEAR TOXINS FROM YOUR HOME
www.care2.com/greenliving/20-houseplants-to-clear-toxins-from-your-home.html   
Bringing a bit of nature into your home does more than brighten the atmosphere. Introducing houseplants into 
various rooms in the house can help reduce the chance 
of getting seasonal sicknesses (such as the common 
cold), remove airborne contaminants (volatile organic compounds, or VOCs), reduce the chance of headaches, 
lift your mood, decrease your blood pressure, reduce 
allergies, improve sleep and much more.
                 ****************************************************
        **WE’RE SMALL BUT ACTIVE – THE ONLY FOLKS
            FOCUSED ON EDUCATING RE:TOXICS IN RI:
         AND WE ARE STRUGGLING!  PLEASE HELP!
           Mail a check to TIP at the address below.
            (We are a tax-deductible organization)
     Toxics Information Project (TIP) P.O. Box 40441,
    Providence, RI 02940 Tel. 401-351-9193, E-Mail:
liberty@toxicsinfo.org  Website: www.toxicsinfo.org 
*************************************************
  **BENEFIT TIP WHILE SURFING THE WEB at:
    www.goodsearch.com/?charityid=818190
            (Uses the Yahoo search engine)
*************************************************