Letter to the Editor: Airplane Noise

 Environment, July/August 2023, Newsletter  Comments Off on Letter to the Editor: Airplane Noise
Jun 302023
 

To the Editor, Regarding your feature piece in the May/June issue [“Why is There So Much Plane Noise Over Belmont?” BCF Newsletter, May/June 2023], it is good to see attention to the issue. However, the author decided to use valuable print largely to explain simply what is, and not the effects, other than “disturbing” or “too much” noise. Imagine if all that ink was used for describing epidemiological evidence that points to negative health outcomes, instead of rote retelling of recent events and history, easily conveyed with a link or two. People end up in hospitals more often as a [READ MORE]

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Help Belmont Students Breathe Easier

 Air Quality, Newsletter, September 2021  Comments Off on Help Belmont Students Breathe Easier
Aug 232021
 
Help Belmont Students Breathe Easier

By Erika Roberts So many of us are delighted the kids are in school full-time this fall. I for one will be skipping them hand-in-hand down the sidewalk on their first day back, even if my first and fourth graders are dying of embarrassment. The only part of the academic year that I dread happens daily during arrival and dismissal: dozens upon dozens of vehicles running their engines while parked as the drivers wait to pick up or drop off students.  With everything we have done to keep our children protected during a global pandemic, from remote learning to wearing [READ MORE]

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Natural Gas is Making Us Sick

 Newsletter, September 2021  Comments Off on Natural Gas is Making Us Sick
Aug 232021
 
Natural Gas is Making Us Sick

By Adrienne Allen  Your Sunday night supper may be making you sick. Most of us heat our homes and cook our food with natural gas. Natural gas has long been promoted as the “clean” bridge from coal and oil to green energy. This year, a Harvard study on climate and air quality found that fossil fuel-related air pollution, including pollution from natural gas, kills one in five people worldwide. In the United States, natural gas use has increased 400% since the 1950s, with unfortunate health and environmental outcomes.  We often think about air pollution as an outdoor threat—like the wildfire [READ MORE]

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Does Living in Belmont Promote Our Health?

 Newsletter, Sept/Oct 2019, Sept/Oct 2019  Comments Off on Does Living in Belmont Promote Our Health?
Sep 162019
 
Does Living in Belmont Promote Our Health?

By Tammy Calise Where we live shapes our behaviors and influences our physical and mental health. While everyone deserves to live in a neighborhood that supports healthy lifestyles, it is especially important for youth and older adults—and compared to the state overall, Belmont has a higher percentage of the population under 18 years (21 percent vs. 24 percent) and over 65 years (15 percent vs. 24 percent). The University of Virginia’s Center for Design and Health and Hart Howerton, an interdisciplinary design firm, endorse nine principles that ensure the design of our neighborhoods promote health: smart locations, integrated nature, mixed [READ MORE]

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