Connecticut Green Living

At a job interview, a woman was told by the interviewer that not only had she had Covid, but it had been virulent. "I ended up in the hospital, felt like I couldn't breathe." The applicant wanted to feign sympathy, but was only feeling fear. 'How do I get out of here?' The interviewer continued: "But that was months ago. I'm fine now." Relief? Another time, an employee questioned a hybrid work policy. "You are to come in more than once a week," she and her colleagues were told in a Zoom call. When she asked what that meant, the manager shot back, "just what I said." We are living in an age none of us imagined, and the business world is not out to protect us any more than it has protected coal miners from pneumoconioses and silicosis, explosions or chemical hazards. In 2019, who among us would have considered a food service or reporting job risky, let alone a trip to a largely unmasked Walgreen's or Kroger? At the start of the...

"We always have to be on the lookout for a variant that might ... seriously evade protection from prior infection." - Dr. Fauci Dr. Anthony Fauci , the nation's preeminent infectious disease expert, just spoke remotely for an hour with the National Press Club in Washington. He discussed issues such as his decision to forgo attending the White House Correspondents Dinner on Saturday, the speed of a toddler-friendly vaccine and how the insidious nature of SARS-CoV-2 variants is making herd immunity all but impossible. "How we think of herd immunity is likely unattainable in Covid-19," Fauci said, in response to a question posed by Club President Jen Judson. "So I think we have to realize that. It was what we did with measles, what we did with polio. You had enough immunity in the population with a stable virus. That’s classical herd immunity. It makes it very problematic to get herd immunity, though, [with Covid] - meaning there is enough protection in a c...

In an hour-long call with the National Press Club today, Dr. Anothony Fauci covered seven tenets of the current pandemic and how we can work towards a healthier future: epidemiology, virology, transmission, diagnostics, clinical course, therapeutics and vaccines. Dr. Fauci has been director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984; he is a scientist and chief medical adviser to President Biden,and has served multiple previous Administrations including former President Trump’s. He also said because he is fully vaccinated he would not be afraid to fly now, but only if he had to. He does not recommend anyone fly strictly for pleasure now as we have plateaued at 60,000 cases a day, and with the numbers having inched up he greatly fears a fourth wave is imminent. In conversation with National Press Club President Lisa Matthews, Fauci reiterated that the Covid-19 pandemic is the worst epidemic since the 1918 flu, which he cited as claiming 50- to 100 mi...

These are difficult times. We who are fortunate enough to have our health owe it to others to reduce viral transmission. That means allieviating unnecessary risk. So in that vein, I have taught myself a thing or two in “lockdown”: 1. I have twice cut my own hair. Yesterday’s cut was even more dramatic than the last. This time I cut about five inches off to make a bob. I did it with two quick, basic cuts, one on each side at an angle, then trimmed the stragglers. Sure, I haven't seen it from the back. It may be completely crooked, but honestly, does it matter? My GP was not impressed that I thought I was mitigating Covid risk, but did say during our telemed sesh that I was looking good. 2. Embarrassing to admit, but I didn't know what Bluetooth really did or what a VPN was. I now (basically) know, even though I haven't figured out why Netflix doesn't want me to have my (Norton) VPN on while watching and I can never seem to turn it off completely. 3. Zoom with a virtual...

For better or for worse, we’ve all gotten used to wearing a mask everywhere we go. No matter how stylish they are, we can’t escape our glasses or sunglasses fogging up from our breath, misting over the top of the mask and leading to temporary blindness. I have often been at the store, struggling to find the buttons on the terminal as I insert or pass my credit card over it. A solution for this frustration is a product created by a company called Keysmart, the FogBlock. It is billed as "a no-wipe spray to apply to glasses and sunglasses to keep them from fogging up. Safe for all lenses, the FogBlock works up to 24 hours per application and comes in a 1 oz. bottle, making it the perfect travel accessory." It is officially called an "anti-fog spray for PPE masks". It is wonderful, but in my experience it did not last 24 hours. When I applied to my glasses, I realized I would have to reapply the next day. But it is a small, portable bottle and it's not a pr...

Tomorrow, June 21, join the environmentally friendly Make Music Day starting at 9 a.m. Eastern to participate in the international Fête de la Musique , taking place in over 1,000 cities across 120 countries. This Make Music Day, Bash the Trash Environmental Arts is raising awareness about trash pollution by building fun instruments from found objects. The organization has promoted, as it says on its website, building, performing & educating with musical instruments made from trash since 1991 . "These amazing instruments tackle issues of waste and offer us an opportunity to look at 'trash' in a new way," according to a statement. The daylong, musical free-for-all celebrates music in all its forms, encouraging people to band together and play in free public concerts. Over 85 U.S. cities and the entire states of Vermont, Connecticut , Hawaii and Wisconsin are participating in this year’s celebration, which will be virtual due to COVID-19 . Participants can joi...

Yesterday I realized what my county needs - free masks, widely distributed. Why isn't this being done? I boarded a bus to get to Milford to my doctor's appointment yesterday, an event so traumatizing that I had a nightmare the night before. The issue is not with the driver or how the bus companies have smartly set things up - rides are free because one cannot venture farther than a roped-off portion at the front - but dealing with other passengers. There are a few types: 1. The individual who is casual about his or her mask and just slowly puts it on when he or she has already boarded the bus; 2. The individual who is already wearing a mask and behaving in a civilized manner; 3. The individual who, for some inexplicable reason, is using the mask as an excuse to loud-talk with the driver, therefore spewing droplets as he/she speaks; 4. The person who is unaware of everything going on around them, perhaps for reasons of mental illness, including the requirement to wear a mask; ...

As I write this, Connecticut is suffering from a 2-3 percent reported infection rate of COVID-19 . The statistics are impossible to know exactly because not everyone who wants to be tested has been; others have not been tested for other reasons. In some cases the tests have been inaccurate. Despite the high rate of infection, many in our state refuse to wear masks as they are supposed to do when entering stores or when closer than six feet to another individual outside their home. A concern, too, is that people have misinformation about masks, that they are the be-all and end-all so if one is wearing so much as a homemade cloth mask or store-bought surgical mask, she can stand and chat at close range for several minutes with a friend or stranger at CVS. This is wrong. Surgical masks are only about 50 percent effective, according to Jill Crittenden, a research scientist with Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who spoke on May 28 as part of a new series addressing COVID-19; this was ...

For good reason, I have feared going out into the world over the past three and a half months. Yesterday I took three bus rides and on the second, I could have had my life put in jeopardy. I will only know if I come down with COVID-19 symptoms or get tested to find out. Here is what happened: I was on the Coastal Link bus here in Connecticut, gazing out the window, when an unstable and quite vocal disheveled character wandered aboard in front of Stop 'n Shop. He sat down and then got up and started to sing (badly) out the window. This immediately rattled me so I mentioned it to the driver, who called out but then ignored him. As I gazed out the window trying to calm my nerves, I suddenly heard something and turned to my left. He was at my side, crazed One-Flew-Over-The-Cuckoo's-Nest-like, cackling and writhing just inches from where my nostrils could absorb someone's viral droplets. "AAAAHHHH!!!! GET AWAY! GET AWAY FROM ME!" I shrieked. He toppled backward, as if...

Have you noticed anything unusual in the news lately? Or more accurately, noticed anything missing? Yes, it's been a long time since the last U.S. mass shooting. That was the February 26 Milwaukee brewery shooting, in which six people sadly lost their lives. To my European, Asian and African readers, this may sound like a dramatic bit of news that occurred not that long ago. Americans know a different story. In 2019 there were 417 mass shoootings, which include those where no one was killed or just a few people, according to Gunviolence.org; and while their records indicate that shootings are still occurring, the rate is clearly falling. According to Wikipedia records, there were 32 deaths from gun violence in mass shootings by this time last year; there have been 11 such deaths this year. Mass shootings in this sense means large enough to have made the mainstream news. While the landscape has shifted in terms of gun violence, undoubtedly domestic violence is surging with so many f...

A strange phenomenon has crept into our daily lives here in Connecticut - the resurgence of the plastic bag. I understand that we are in a health crisis. I understand that there is concern about cashiers touching reusable bags. But why the rush to revert to plastic bags? What happened to paper? Another scourge: the plastic glove. I went to People's bank here in Branford and tucked into the envelope cubby were two gloves - one blue, one yellow, wadded like chewing gum. Guess what: someone has to remove those. And then these plastic gloves end up in the same waterways as our plastic bags. Remember the campaign against plastic? Remember climate change? Let me connect the dots. Climate change was already threatening our lives when Covid-19 hit. However, because it's a slower killer there was no 'shelter-in-place' command for climate change . If we had a president who believed in science, perhaps there would have been. Now climate change is rearing its pissed off head in...

"A new waterless aromatherapy gadget that’s unlike any other diffuser on the market" was the promise. Well, given that I have never tried any other aromatherapy gadgets, I can't substantiate that claim. However, I can attest that Guru Nanda, the maker of a line of 100% pure essential oils, has produced a very snazzy diffuser. Called The Guru Nanda Natural Mist Pluggy, it is the only USB powered plug-in essential oil diffuser on the market that uses 100% pure essential oils and no water, according to a statement. It was easy to assemble. The kit came with a lavendar and a eucalyptus bottle of essential oil, as well as a handy clean white waterless diffuser that plugs into any socket. Simply unscrew the top and screw the perfume top to the diffuser, flip, and press either the blue or green button. Instructions on the box say, "When plugged in and then power button is pressed, unit will run for 8 hours then sleep for 16 hours." So far I've been turning it o...

"These are the times that try men's souls ..." - Thomas Paine. Although Thomas Paine was referring to an entirely different crisis in 1776, during this health emergency we are in a similar way forced to come together for our country ... and our world. We are forced to stop thinking only of ourselves while at the same time steeling ourselves for worsening crises. We are faced with the unknown, and we know that some will fall and others survive. Whether you are overloading grocery carts with Charmin or practicing Zen meditation, this health crisis has gone viral. Perhaps in the 21st century we will have to abandon that phrase. Here in Connecticut we have seven reported cases , but because of testing shortages there is no way to know the true number. Nearby New York has the second-most Covid-19 cases in the country at 325*; Massachusetts has 108 reported cases. Schools are closing, as are libraries, public gatherings, Broadway. What is not closing, though, is the human...

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention in New York has issued a very helpful statement addressing the mental health challenges we all face during this health crisis. They state: "Right now, many of us are worried about COVID-19 or Coronavirus . We may feel helpless about what will happen or what we can do. When things feel uncertain or when we don’t generally feel safe, it’s normal to feel stressed. Stress can be a normal reaction, but sometimes it can also take a toll on our mental health. We don’t always know it’s happening. You might feel more on edge than usual, angry, helpless or sad. You might notice that you are more frustrated with others or want to completely avoid any reminders of what is happening. For those of us who already struggle with our mental wellness, we might feel more depressed or less motivated to carry out our daily activities. It’s important to note that we are not helpless in light of current news events. We can always choose our respon...

London: "There is just one week to go until the third annual Global Recycling Day , taking place on 18th March 2020. Individuals and organisations around the world are getting ready to celebrate the day and raise awareness of the importance of recycling and the ways we can all turn ‘waste’ into a valuable resource," write the Global Recycling Foundation in a press release. The last decade has been the hottest on record, the Global Recycling Foundation points out on their website, and the world is now "facing a climate emergency of unparalleled proportions. If we don’t make significant and rapid changes, we will see continued rising global temperatures, the melting of icecaps, continents on fire and rapid deforestation." Recycling is a key part of the circular economy, they state, and each year the ‘Seventh Resource’ (recyclables) saves over 700 million tons in CO2 emissions, projected to increase to 1 billion tons by 2030. Toward that mission, Global Recyclin...

In addition to freelance writing, I work part-time at an upscale market in Guilford, Connecticut. It has concerned me that I will have to go in and possibly expose myself to the virus, should an infected customer come through my line. I am not overly anxious about this, but anxiety will certainly grow the minute Guilford gets its fist confirmed case. Connecticut , as of today, has had two confirmed cases -- one of them a New York doctor who works at Bridgeport Hospital, and now a Wilton resident -- and those numbers will grow. How will the state's businesses respond to an outbreak and obvious need for employees to stay home? Seattle, Wash.-based Dorsey & Whitney is in the heart of the viral outbreak in the U.S., with the state suffering 136 cases so far, with 19 of them fatal*. They have put out a statement saying that the White House is considering deferring taxes for the cruise, travel and airline industries to help with the economic fallout, but more than that, the federa...

WASHINGTON (March 5, 2020) — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a list of EPA-registered disinfectant products that have qualified for use against SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 . “Using the correct disinfectant is an important part of preventing and reducing the spread of illnesses along with other critical aspects such as hand washing,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. He added that EPA is providing this information in "a public and transparent manner on disinfectant products to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 .” Products on EPA’s list of registered disinfectant products have qualified for use against COVID-19 through the agency’s Emerging Viral Pathogen program, according to a statement issued today. This program allows product manufacturers to provide EPA with data, even in advance of an outbreak, that shows their products work against more virulent viruses than SARS-CoV-2. Coronaviruses are enveloped viruses, ...

Yesterday, the Department of Health and Social Care in the UK reported that they have administered 13,911 tests for Coronavirus , formally called Covid-19, of which 13,860 were negative and 51 positive. Journalist Chris Hayes of MSNBC retweeted this and pointed out that "For context this is 26 times the number of tests the US has run, as of the last publicly available info. But CDC isn’t making this data available." Scientists and their research are the best in the world right here in the States, but whether the tests are being rolled out quickly enough does remain to be seen. Researchers at Purdue, though, have come up with a possible test they would like to see move forward, though. Only a select number of state and local laboratories have permission from U.S. health officials to use diagnostic tests for COVID-19. If the virus is spreading nationwide, most communities do not have access to the necessary tests. Purdue University biomedical engineers have developed a hand...

As you probably know by now, the world is facing a pandemic in the form of Covid-19 whose course is uncertain except for the assurity that it will get worse before it gets better. According to Dr. Sanjay Gupta of CNN, if contracted it is 20 times as lethal as the flu, even though the annual flu is more pervasive. The older you are, the greater the chance that you will develop the most severe symptoms. Most people will not die from the virus if contracted, but so much is still unknown, as Dr. Gupta would be the first to say. I have looked at the maps and see that Africa, for example, obviously must have more cases of the virus than are shown. I also reckon that many people may be symptomatic and not reporting, either due to naivety, inability to report (perhaps they are in remote locations or there are financial/language barriers to their being able to report), or fear of being ostracized. The best place to find information about the Covid-19 pandemic (also called Coronavirus) is...