globalbriefs


Campus Life Going Back to School in the Golden Years


Retirement communities, typically nestled near beaches or golf courses, are beginning to emerge somewhere else: near university cam- puses. Educational opportunities and cultur- al activities there are among the perks for those who feel most alive in active, intellectually stimulating and intergenerational settings. Alma maters are a special draw for sports fans.


About 50 campus-oriented retirement communities exist around the country, estimates Andrew Carle, an industry expert and founding director of the Senior Housing Administration program at George Mason University, in Fairfax, Virginia. Another 50 are planned.


Checkbook Bingo The Rising Cost of Raising a Child Because few parents do the math, not many would guess that it costs more than $222,000 to bring up the average child in today’s middle-income American family. That’s the latest price tag, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture figures—even before college starts. Although the lion’s share of parental spending today


goes toward housing and food, healthcare costs have dou- bled to 8 percent of the total since 1960. Education, includ- ing childcare and extracurricular activities, is up 2 percent, comprising 17 percent of the total childhood bill. Some economists say the USDA estimate is modest, because it doesn’t take into account competitive spending practices among the upper classes. These can range from high-speed Internet access, unlimited smartphone texting and cultural travel to competitive sports, private schooling and expenditures on orthodontia and brand-name status symbols. All are vying to give kids a leg up to success.


Source: The Christian Science Monitor Rocking Change


Social Tools Revolutionize Young Lives Older teens interested in community serv- ice or social change have long been able to tap into tailor-made resources, includ- ing DoSomething.org, the nation’s largest database of teen volunteer opportunities; it sparked more than a million teens to action in 2010. But, how about tweens, who often find it difficult to make them- selves heard? The Do Something!


Handbook for Young Activists now empowers younger kids, too, with the tools and know-how to change their world.


32 Houston


ecotip Savvy Switch Why Tap Water is a Better Choice


Did you know that Americans now drink more bottled water than milk or juice? We buy 30 billion bottles a year, 80 percent of which ends up in landfills for hundreds of years. That’s why Earth-friend- ly folks use refillable bottles these days.


In addition to being eco-savvy, consumers have plenty of


reasons to avoid bottled water. According to a four-year study by the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), we cannot assume that the bottled water we purchase is necessarily any better regulated, purer or safer than most tap water. Here are some revealing facts:  People typically spend from 240 to 10,000 times more per gallon for bottled water than for tap water.  According to government and industry estimates, at least 25 percent of bottled water (some say 40 percent) is tap water, sometimes with additional treatment, sometimes not.  Independent laboratory analysis in the NRDC study showed that about one-third of the bottled waters tested con- tained significant contamination in at least one test. That means the levels of chemical or bacterial contaminants exceeded those allowed under a state or industry standard or guideline.  The Food and Drug Administration doesn’t regulate water bottled and sold in-state, effectively exempting 60 to 70 percent of U.S. bottled water from FDA standards. Even when its rules apply, they are weaker in many ways than Environmental Protection Agency rules governing big-city tap water. The majority of the country’s tap water passes the EPA standards.  Tap water test results and notices of violations must be reported to state or federal officials. There is no mandatory reporting for water bottlers; manufacturers have recalled bot- tled water 100 times, without letting consumers know about it two out of three times.  City water systems must issue annual “right-to-know” reports, telling consumers what is in their water; bottlers suc- cessfully killed such a requirement for bottled water. Every American has a right to safe, good-tasting water from the tap. If we choose to buy bottled water, we deserve the same assurances that it too, is safe. Whether our water comes from a tap or a bottle, we have a right to know what’s in it. If bottled water is so pure, why not prove it, with full disclosure on the label?


Primary Source: National Resources Defense Council (nrdc.org)


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