Soy oil has multiple uses in food and industry. (Wikipedia photo) PFAS, also known as forever chemicals, have been linked to human illnesses and diseases but are still being used in commercial products because there isn't a functional substitute. One of those products is firefighting foam, but Wisconsin farmers think they may have a solution, which was recently tested in Dalton, Georgia, reports Courtney Everett of Wisconsin Public Radio. "Farmers and volunteer firefighters were using a new soybean-based product called SoyFoam, which holds the potential to significantly reduce the he ..read more

An IEA chart showing the world’s total energy supply from 1990 to 2020 by source. Many of IEA's charts are free to use. (IEA Chart via SEJ) The International Energy Agency offers some of the best information for reporters wanting to develop a broader understanding of global energy with trustworthy data, reports Joseph A. Davis of the Society of Environmental Journalists. "What IEA offers is data about the global energy situation. But it's solid data, probably the best available." Among IEA's 31 member countries, almost all are Western and European. "What nearly all of these countries ..read more

Native Americans have worked with nature to support themselves and the land for centuries. "These time-honored practices work with the natural world’s rhythms," reports Samuel Gilbert of The Washington Post. "Some might even hold the key to a more resilient future." Below are five of Gilbert's indigenous practices that can help humans tend to Mother Nature while caring for their communities. Zuni waffle gardens look like an 'earthen waffle.' (Photo by Curtis Quam via Civil Eats) Zuni waffle gardens are made with rows of sunken squares "surrounded by adobe walls that catch and hold wa ..read more

(The Searial Cleaners photo via Route Fifty) Almost everyone knows what a litterbug is, but what about a litterbot? In Detroit, a litterbot named BeBot "will sift through the sand and suck out trash like cigarette butts, bottles, food wrappers and other small pieces of plastic to help prevent trash from making its way from the Detroit River, which flows between the U.S. and Canada, into Lake Erie," reports Kaitlyn Levinson of Route Fifty. "The robot is roughly the size of a riding lawn mower and weighs more than 1,300 pounds. It uses a metal grate to sift through the sand and pick up ..read more

"Fake news" has been around for centuries as gossip, parodies and tips for the gullible. But unlike 100 years ago, today's dubious "facts" are created and spread — deliberately or unintentionally — through cell phone videos, photos, TikTok postings, Facebook and Instagram postings and shares that can reach thousands of people.  What role — and power — do members of the public have in halting or spreading mis- and disinformation, and what ethical considerations should they make before sharing a video or story? This Wednesday, April 24, 11:30 a.m., E.T., the National Press Club Journalism ..read more

The FBI has been investigating the hack in Muleshoe, Tex. (City of Muleshoe, Texas photo via CNN) While the number of computer hacks on American businesses by foreign actors has steadily increased, a hack in Muleshoe, Texas, in January might be the "first disruption of U.S. water system by Russia," reports Ellen Nakashima of The Washington Post. A Muleshoe citizen drove past the town's water tower, saw it was overflowing and alerted the police. "Authorities soon determined the system that controlled the city's water supply had been hacked. . . . Thousands of gallons of water had flowe ..read more

The Grants Pass decision could change how homelessness is handled by communities. (Adobe Stock photo) As the number of homeless people in the U.S. continues to climb, many communities face conflicts over homeless campers and encampments. The rural town of Grants Pass, Oregon, "has become the unlikely face of the nation's homelessness crisis," reports Claire Rush of The Associated Press. The fate of the town's anti-camping laws is in the hands of the U.S. Supreme Court, which heard the case on April 22.  Grants Pass, like many communities, has "struggled for years with a ..read more

PFAS have been used in the U.S. since 1938. (Adobe Stock photo) The presence of PFAS, or "forever chemicals," in U.S. drinking water led the Environmental Protection Agency to issue its first drinking water standards earlier this month. Tagging onto that action, "The Biden administration is designating two 'forever chemicals,' as hazardous substances under the Superfund law, shifting responsibility for their cleanup to polluters from taxpayers," reports Coral Davenport of The New York Times. "The new rule empowers the government to force the many companies that manufacture or use perf ..read more

Chart by The Economist magazine, adapted by The Rural Blog The 2020 U.S. census was the first in which fewer people were counted in rural counties than in the previous census. "Over half of the country’s counties, home to a quarter of Americans, lost population," The Economist notes. "Over the coming decades still more will, because America’s population is     growing more slowly. The change will be wrenching, because of America’s demographic and administrative peculiarities." And that has special significance for rural areas. Many other wealthy countries "are growing ..read more

Learn how to prepare for the 2024 elections when news coverage is scarce. You can register for the News Literacy Project's free online educational session on Wednesday, April 24, at 6 p.m., E.T.,  Register here. As mainstream and local news outlets have shrunk nationwide, more rural Americans find themselves in news deserts, where trustworthy local news is scarce. Particularly for rural residents seeking 2024 election information, navigating away from partisan politics and social media rumors and getting to actual facts might seem like finding a black cat in a coal mine. As an antido ..read more