In this week’s feature, we learn about two new State Parks for Indiana, as Correspondent Zero Roze gets some updates from David Seastrom of Indiana Forest Alliance.
A heat wave swept over Indiana last week, with temperatures reaching 95 degrees Fahrenheit during the day, while around the world, temperatures reached over 100 degrees last week in Europe. In the south-western city of Saarbrueken, Germany, close to the border of France, the temperatures reached 109 degrees, while temperatures in Belgium and the Netherlands also reached over 100 degrees Fahrenheit last week.
Meanwhile, in Colorado, a wildfire near Leadville, the Aspen Acres fire, burned almost 92,000 acres last week and is currently 13 percent contained. There are, according to Colorado’s state wildfire map, fires.cornea.is/state/colorado, thirteen wildfires currently burning, with the second two largest wildfires still burning.
The Ferris wildfire has burned roughly 51,000 acres in Montezuma county, and the Gold Mountain wildfire has burned 29,000 acres in Ouray county. In Salt Lake City, the Bonneville wildfire was as of Tuesday morning 84% contained, having burned 566 acres above the University of Utah and Red Butte Canyon.
In 2026, according to data from the website Utah Fire Info, 412 wildfires have occurred this year in Utah, burning over 357,000 acres. It is undeniable the summer in the Midwest is going to be a hot one, with more extremely high temperatures to come, and with the high temperatures, wildfires will be more and more prone to starting.
For that reason, fireworks were banned or cautioned in July in Utah, Colorado, California, Oregon, Texas, Nevada, and New Mexico, as officials were concerned about the risks on an already dry landscape.
Many of you are aware of the drawbacks of fast fashion. Since 2010 Bloomington has offered the community the Trashion Refashion Show, initiated as a fund raiser for the local Center for Sustainable Living. The emcees do an excellent job of pointing out the downside of so called “Fast fashion.”
Impairment of the environment is only starting to be taken seriously by those responsible. There are steps however, that both the industry and the consumer can take to rectify the situation. Energy usage is a major contributing factor. The fashion industry relies on excessive water resources while also is often guilty of polluting rivers and streams.
Microplastics in fabrics used in clothing construction don’t break down readily but pile up in huge dumps that not only scar the landscape, but also release toxic dyes and methane into the air and soil, worsening climate change and polluting nearby communities.
The evidence is undeniable: pollution due to fashion is no longer hidden. It is floating in oceans, poisoning rivers, and piling up in deserts visible from space.
A number of brands now push for rapid emission reductions across their supply chains but it’s an unequal equation where the remedies are being pushed downstream to the sweat shops in countries where garments are mass produced (think Bangladesh or Haiti).
When the synthetic fibers are part of the mix the cost to the environment escalates. The main sources of environmental degradation attributed to the fashion industry are dyeing and finishing at 36%, yarn preparation 28% and fiber production at 15% according to Earth.org.
Another set of statistics from “theroundup.org.” indicates that approximately 100 billion garments are produced by the fashion industry every year. Each year, as much as 92 million tons of clothing end up in landfills. Only 20% of textiles are collected for reuse or recycling globally. Many consumers now choose to buy second hand clothing as a positive contribution to the environment.
Bloomington’s ArtRemains provides a venue to collect and sell another persons discards at a very reasonable cost. Yarn, fabrics, thread and buttons are all available among a plethora of other art supplies. My Sisters Closest and Plato’s Closest are also good sources of used clothing along with Opportunity House and Goodwill.
In West Lafayette ‘Cornflower ‘print company owner Jess McGregor screenprints on second hand, thrifted apparel, uses non toxic inks, and converts paper scraps into greeting cards. With every order she plants a tree -extolling the virtues of being conscientious about our earth and the environment.
In this week’s feature, we learn about two new State Parks for Indiana, as Correspondent Zero Roze gets some updates from David Seastrom of Indiana Forest Alliance.
Credits:On Air
Julianna Dailey
Preston Rogers
Headlines
Stephanie Stewart
Cynthia Roberts
Feature Report
Zero Roze
Script & Events Calendar
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Branden Blewett
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