HH&S Newsletter (Summer 2022)

The Summer newsletter spotlights the HH&S story; a celebration of Norman Lear’s 100th birthday; our “lunch and learn” webcasts on possible solutions to the climate change emergency and AI’s impact on aging; the big picture on plastic waste; and how we’re living with drought.

Early Onset Breast Cancer

While all women are at risk for getting breast cancer, Ashkenazi Jewish women, Black women, and those with a family history of breast or ovarian are most at risk for a breast cancer diagnosis at a young age. According to the CDC, nearly 1 in 10 women diagnosed with breast cancer are under the age of 45.

Brandon Hall

Brandon Hall comes to HH&S with over 15 years of experience in the entertainment industry and another five as a middle and high school English and history teacher. He is an award-winning screenwriter and producer who also spent years working in unscripted development, helping to shape travel, adventure, renovation, and competition shows for Discovery, NBC, HGTV, and History among others. He has a BA in English Literature and Film Studies from the University of Michigan and an MFA in Film and Television Production from USC.

Plastic pollution crisis

Around 380 million metric tons of plastic is being produced annually, and most of it does not get recycled. Over half of that plastic is intended to be used once and thrown away, but virtually every piece of plastic that was ever made still exists in some form—affecting human health (including reproductive health), and raising issues of environmental justice.

 

Plastic solutions_entertainment

Plastic production is expected to quadruple by 2050, compounding waste levels and climate effects. By raising awareness, modeling reusable behaviors on TV and greening sets, entertainment can play a pivotal role in helping audiences envision a world free from single-use plastics.