Do you suffer from a ragweed allergy?
You are not alone! Millions of people worldwide suffer from seasonal allergies and
ragweed season is getting worse for many due to climate change.
Airborne pollen from flowering plants causes this immune system response. Symptoms include sneezing, nasal congestion and irritation, eye-watering and irritation, throat inflammation, and drowsiness.
A single plant can produce up to 1 BILLION grains of pollen each year. These fine pollen particles have been measured in the air 400 miles out to sea. Ragweed is the true culprit of these allergies but goldenrod is falsely blamed for it. Learn to identify the differences below.
What Does Ragweed Look Like?
Did you know ragweed pollen season is a climate change indicator?
Firstly, a warmer climate means that many places will experience longer allergy seasons with higher pollen counts. According to a recent study, the ragweed flowering season has already lengthened by 0.9 days per year worldwide.
Since Canada is warming at twice the global rate, the length of pollen season has been
found to extend by 25 days since 1995 in places like Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
Secondly, the warmer temperatures and higher levels of CO2 enable the plants to grow
more vigorously and produce more pollen than they otherwise would.
Preliminary studies suggest that the number of pollen allergy sufferers is expected to grow in connection with our changing climate
Learn more in this video:
Ragweed thrives in areas that have been recently disturbed. This is why they are commonly seen in parking lots, along the sides of the road, and in areas with recent development. Check the area where your local hockey rink was in the winter and you are bound to find ragweed thriving there. You can help reduce the spread of ragweed by pulling up the plants – before they flower!
Eco-Friendly Tips for Ragweed Allergy Management
If you think outdoor air is the only thing that is polluted and makes you sick, think again
It’s estimated that our indoor environments have up to 5 times more pollutants than outdoor ones 🤢
Consider how your building is managing its ventilation.
Change your furnace filter every three months to help circulate clean air – and save energy allowing your furnace to operate with maximum efficiency.
Gasonic Group, located in Calgary, Alberta, helps measure indoor air quality in various buildings with highly trained technicians and exceptional monitoring technology.
Manage your allergy symptoms without added waste. Choose a reusable hankie over endless kleenex waste.
What’s the issue with the tissue?
According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, nearly 15% of deforestation is caused by tree-cutting for paper products, including toilet paper & facial tissues.
And most of those used paper towels go straight into our landfills. Globally, discarded paper towels result in 254 million tons of trash every year.
These napkins are single-ply 8″x8″ and are made from 100% cotton flannel.
Our member Cheeks Ahoy makes them in a variety of fun patterns and prints.
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