Month: March 2023

by Isabelle

A somber week for Pennsylvania last week, with the chocolate factory explosion in West Reading killing at least 7 people and the chemical spill in the Delaware, potentially contaminating potable water in Philadelphia, and other unknown consequences on the wildlife and human quality of life.

Also a humbling reminder that nothing is as simple and as black and white as it sounds. It’s easy to romanticize the past, think that ‘back in the day’ was so much greater, and that we should bring factories back in America to create jobs. A noble thought, and a seemingly straightforward equation.

But also a great source for pollution and unintended / uncalculated consequences on quality of life, and even life expectancy, right in our backyards. I am old enough to remember acid rain in Upstate New York and its impact on forests and fish. Combined with de-regulation and our endless appetite for “stuff”…not a great combo…

It’s not great either that a vast majority of our said stuff is conveniently produced somewhere else in the world, where we have very little understanding and visibility on pollution factors and working conditions….what does it take, what’s the toll out there in other counties, for us to have the comforts we enjoy?

All I am trying to say is that with 8 billion inhabitants on the planet there are no easy solutions, and no shortage of unintended consequences to all paradigms, new and old, and we should beware of the demagogues who would like us to think otherwise.

As Pennsylvanians, we should pause for a moment, keep an eye on what the investigations and post-mortems will reveal from the latest environmental accidents we’ve been exposed to, and keep our representatives accountable to implement the necessary safety policies.

No discussions we found in the news coverage about the impact this spill may have on the Wildlife we share this River with!

Sorry for being so dark on a Monday morning…Love you all and stay safe!