Are mushrooms the wave to plastic-free surfing? & more environmental news.

[View this email in your browser]( Monday, February 27, 2023 “Water and air, the two essential fluids on which all life depends, have become global garbage cans.” – Jacques Cousteau Are Mushrooms the Wave to Plastic-Free Surfing? Surfing is getting even closer to nature. Rather than plastic, Steve Davies – a 23-year-old board designer based in Porthcawl, Wales – is developing a surfboard made from mycelia, the root-like structures of mushrooms and other fungi. [Read More]( Related: [Could Mushroom-Based Leather Be High Fashion’s Next It Material?]( PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’ Disrupt Biological Processes in Developing Adolescents, First-of-Its-Kind Study Discovers Exposure to a whole soup of [toxic forever chemicals]( can disrupt biological processes in children and young adults in a way that puts them at risk from diseases like cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular ailments. That’s the “surprising” [finding]( of a first-of-its-kind study from researchers at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine, published in Environmental Health Perspectives Wednesday, that has important implications for how per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances ([PFAS]( should be regulated. [Read More]( Related: [PFAS 101: Everything You Need to Know About ‘Forever Chemicals’]( Laguna Beach Bans Balloons to Protect Marine Life and Help Prevent Wildfires The Laguna Beach, [California]( city council has voted to ban the sale and public use of [balloons]( — inflated with helium or not — in order to stop a major source of marine [trash]( and reduce the risk of [wildfires](. Starting next year, all balloons in the community of 23,000 will be prohibited from being used on public property or at city events, with fines of up to $500 for violators. [Read More]( Related: [Ocean Plastic: What You Need to Know]( REI to Remove ‘Forever Chemicals’ From Its Products By 2026 Outdoor retailer REI Co-op [has announced]( new product standards for its more than 1,000 brand partners, including requirements for measuring greenhouse gas emissions and setting goals to reduce emissions; working toward equity with inclusive products and product sizes and equal pricing across sizes; and eliminating all [per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS]( from cookware and textiles by Fall 2024. [Read More]( Related: [Bolthouse Farms Sued After Smoothie With ‘100% Fruit Juice’ Tests Positive for PFAS]( ‘It Is Surprising When You Live Through It’: Parts of Eastern U.S. Experience Earliest Spring on Record The weather in the U.S. has been a study in contrasts this week. While Seattle, Washington experienced its coldest Feb. 24 on record, Washington, D.C. saw its warmest ever Feb. 23. In fact, locations across the East coast saw temperatures this week closer to the average for spring or early summer, raising concerns about how the [climate crisis]( is altering the [rhythm of the seasons](. [Read More]( Related: [Winter Is the Fastest Warming Season in the U.S.]( Do you get this newsletter daily? If not, [sign up here]( or forward to a friend. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Website]( [Instagram]( Copyright © 2023 EcoWatch, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you signed up for EcoWatch Top News of The Day Our mailing address is: EcoWatch 1122 Oberlin RoadRaleigh, NC 27605 [Add us to your address book]( Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](. [Mailchimp Email Marketing](