Free Republic

It's high time we addressed a growing concern in the restaurant industry: portion sizes and the rise of "Fat-flation." Somewhere along the line in American culinary history, the amount of food served in restaurants became a point of pride for many of us. We'd either polish off every last morsel on our plates, take home leftovers, or sadly, let them languish in the fridge for days before tossing them out. What a waste. After four decades of Americans packing on the pounds, and all the health issues that come with it, it's clear we need a change. Both restaurants and...

Hawaii just became the first state to ban certain sunscreens as a measure to protect the state's essential coral reefs. Hawaii Gov. David Ige signed a bill on Tuesday, July 3, banning the sale of sunscreens containing two chemicals, oxybenzone and octinoxate, believed to harm coral reefs and other marine ecosystems. State lawmakers passed the legislation in early May. Senate Bill 2571 prohibits the sale and distribution of non-prescribed sunscreens on the islands that contain oxybenzone or octinoxate, which can be deadly for coral larvae. The ban will not be applied to medically prescribed sunscreens or makeup that contain oxybenzone...

Hawaii is set to become the first state to ban the sale of sunscreens containing chemicals believed to be harmful to the environment. State lawmakers passed a bill Tuesday that prohibits the sale and distribution of over-the-counter sunscreens containing oxybenzone or octinoxate, two chemicals that have been found to "cause genetic damage to coral and other marine organisms." "These chemicals have also been shown to degrade corals' resiliency and ability to adjust to climate change factors and inhibit recruitment of new corals," the bill reads. The contamination is "constantly refreshed and renewed everyday" by swimmers and beachgoers, according to the...