USA Today reports on native Hawaiians return to traditional agricultural practices to address health disparities and unaffordability of healthy foods for native Hawaiians living on low incomes: “National surveys have consistently ranked Hawaii, the 50th state to join the union, as among the healthiest in the nation, but these national metrics consistently miss the nuances and inequities of health in Hawaii, where disparities between Native Hawaiians and other groups are stark… Access to nutritious food is out of economic reach for many, since most food products are imported, adding to the price tag. A gallon of even locally produced milk (which still relies on imported feed for dairy cows) can cost up to $9. The cost of poi, a nutritious staple of the Hawaiian diet, now costs as much as $10 for 16 ounces because of limited taro production, which has decreased over time. To address these prohibitive costs and shift the island’s dependence to indigenous farming, MA'O is producing nutritious staple crops for the local community. While its salad greens may come at a steeper price than, say, lettuce imported from California, the farm is moving the needle. The farm's interns tell me working on the farm and taking produce home has a direct impact on their health, and their healthier eating habits have, as a result, also been adopted by their 'ohana, or family.”
NPR reports from the first Alaska Native village to take part in the 2020 Census. “While most of the country waits to take part in the once-a-decade head count of the U.S. population, the residents of Toksook Bay, Alaska — home to members of the Nunakauyarmiut Tribe — are ahead of the national curve. Local counting, which officially started in the village the afternoon after Martin Luther King Jr. Day, wrapped up on Jan. 27... It's the third Alaska Native village selected by the bureau since 2000 to be the site of the first count in remote Alaska, where the census has kicked off for decades before rolling out to the rest of the country by April. "I'm glad it's behind us now, so we can move on with what we do every day," said Simeon John, a coordinator for a local youth suicide and alcohol abuse prevention group who helped organize a ceremony with traditional Yup'ik dancing and drumming in the school gymnasium to mark the start of the census.”
January marked the launch of the Dig Deep Farms Food Hub, a community commercial kitchen and food distribution center, in Alameda County. NextCity reports: “The location is adjacent to the county’s Juvenile Justice Center, in a warehouse that once held armored police vehicles. Today, [the] vision is that the warehouse will serve as command center to a network of integrated food businesses that improve access to healthy food, create jobs and incubate small businesses — and in turn, increase public safety…. The link from policing and public safety to a community-driven food economy has been a decade in the works, according to Marty Neideffer, Sheriff’s Office Captain… “Years ago as a sergeant, I remember telling my lieutenant that the next great breakthrough in crime prevention was going to be urban farming… He was like: ‘what the hell are you talking about?’ There was no understanding that engagement in the local food system could affect public safety or policing.”
FairWarning reports on rising pedestrian and bicyclist deaths, and how changes to the ways streets are designed can prevent injuries and deaths: “Vehicles have gotten safer – for the people inside of them,” says Joe Cutrufo, spokesman for Transportation Alternatives, a New York City advocacy group. “Our streets have not kept up the pace. Flesh and bone human beings are not being protected unless they’re inside of a car.” … Three-quarters of all pedestrian fatalities occur at night. A study co-authored by Retting found that those deaths could be cut by as much as 50 percent with better street lighting. A surprisingly high number of pedestrian fatalities happen on major thoroughfares. Ten percent occurred on interstates in 2018, and many others on freeways and state or federal highways… some also blame the designs of cities and suburbs, which often force a choice between walking an extra half-mile to the nearest crosswalk or overpass, or taking a dangerous shortcut. ”We’ve designed systems where walking is an afterthought at best,” says Cutrufo. He and other advocates argue that streets must be redesigned to reduce vehicle speeds and add bike and bus lanes. “We know that higher speeds have a higher rate of fatalities,” says Heidi Simon, deputy director of America Walks, a non-profit that promotes walkability. “And we also know that our streets are designed to encourage inappropriate speeds.”… “We want to address climate change and local air pollution, yet at the same time, in so many cities, the only rational, logical way to get around is by car,” says Cutrufo. “We can’t blame individuals for driving if there aren’t safe, convenient alternatives to get around.””
Climate change is among 2020 voters’ top concerns, the first presidential election cycle for climate change to rank so high. “Climate is the clear number-two issue—second only to health care—for Democrats who live in one of the upcoming primary or caucus states. Among all voters, the warming planet is now one of the most salient issues in American politics. The poll was conducted by Climate Nexus, a nonpartisan nonprofit group, in partnership with researchers at Yale and George Mason University, and included nearly 2,000 registered voters. Climate change now sits alongside only four other mainstays—health care, the economy and jobs, immigration policy, and Social Security—in its ability to command the electorate’s attention.”