This coming week, March 15-19, is National Wildlife Week. 

     Sponsored annually by the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), National Wildlife Week is a time to shake off the winter doldrums, to get outside and enjoy the earth coming to life in the early spring.  Even more important, National Wildlife Week is a chance to get kids outside enjoying the nature around them as well. 

   NWF urges families to celebrate National Wildlife Week by having some fun together outdoors.  NWF suggests that parents commit to spending at least an hour more outside with the kids than they typically would over the course of a week. 

     And how to spend this time outside?  The possibilities are endless.  If you’re not sure just what might be some good outdoor activities to enjoy as a family, click on http://www.nwf.org/Get-Outside/Be-Out-There/Events/National-Wildlife-Week.aspx.  There, you’ll find descriptions of a wide range of activities and some useful resources.

     One of the best features of NWF’s campaign to get families outside in the spring is the custom Family Activity Passport.  Tailored to your geographic area, the Passport features a week’s worth of local animals and plants to watch for, tips for gardening with children, and games.  You can download fun, nature-themed activities for your area, and a list of local outdoor locations that will be fun for your family to visit.

     Here are just a few outdoor activities you and your family might enjoy during National Wildlife Week: 

• Play some old-fashioned games like hide-and-seek, red light-green light, races, and relays.
• Give birds a treat by making a milk carton bird feeder or by hanging a pine cone slathered in peanut butter and seeds.
• Take a hike.  Find a nearby hiking trail or take a walk around the neighborhood, looking for signs of spring.
• Visit a park.  There, you can play running games, shoot baskets, play charades, and much more. 
• Start preparing a vegetable garden; digging in the dirt is always fun.  And if you don’t have a yard, find out if there’s a community garden near you.
• Create a garden that will attract monarch butterflies.  To find out how, click on this National Wildlife Federation link:   http://www.nwf.org/~/media/BE79FAF8A6874F8A99F8FD5247D68B5D.ashx.

     And if you don’t have kids, don’t let that stop you from celebrating National Wildlife Week.  Get out for a hike, a bike ride, or a walk.  Feel your own juices flowing, as the earth awakens to spring.–April Moore

 

  

     I invite you to spend a little time this weekend enjoying–and helping–the birds in your area by participating in the thirteenth annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), February 12-15. 

     Organized jointly by the Audubon Society and Cornell University’s Ornithology Lab, the GBBC engages thousands of ordinary people across the U.S. and Canada in observing birds over a winter weekend, and then letting scientists know, by filling out an online form, how many birds of which species they observed and where. 

     The Bird Count is a great help to our feathered friends!  It provides scientists with a real-time snapshot of where birds are across the continent.  Bird populations are dynamic and in constant flux.  So by monitoring their numbers and whereabouts year after year, scientists are amassing a great deal of data that reveal trends over time, that allow researchers to investigate  such far-reaching questions as how birds are responding to a changing climate and to changes in available food sources.  In short, how are the different North American bird species faring? 

     And why February?  “Winter is such a vulnerable time for birds,” explains Janis Dickinson, director of Citizen Science at  the Cornell Lab, “so winter bird distributions are likely to be very sensitive to change.”  And there is only one way, she says, to gather data on private lands where people live, and that is with thousands of people helping.        

     Our help is needed because no single scientist or team of scientists could possibly gather as much information as thousands of people, all over the U.S. and Canada, in urban, suburban, rural, park, and other settings submitting data.  Last year’s GBBC was the continent’s largest instantaneous snapshot of bird populations ever, with more than 90,000 checklists generated, and more than 11.5 million individual birds of over 600 different species counted.    

     So wherever you live–in an apartment in a big city, in a suburban neighborhood, on a farm, anywhere–you can join in.  You can make your observations from your window, standing in your yard, in a neighborhood park, in the forest, in a field, etc.  As little as 15 minutes spent counting birds will be a useful contribution.  If you wish, you can count birds each day, in different locations, during the four-day count.  And don’t worry if you’re not an expert at identifying birds.  At the GBBC Web site,  http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/  you can find photos and sounds of the birds you are likely to see in your geographic area. 

     Visiting the Web site is the next step if you think you may want to participate this weekend.  There you will learn how to document what you see, how to avoid counting individual birds more than once, and how to distinguish between species that look very similar.  You will also find the online form you’ll need to report your observations, as well as ideas for involving kids in the Great Backyard Bird Count.   The site also enables you to track observations of birds in your immediate area over the last 12 years.

     So I hope you’ll join me, and the thousands of others, who will be spending a little time this weekend focusing on–and helping these amazing little beings.–April Moore 

  

     Since the Clean Air Act was enacted in 1970, the landmark law has kept millions of tons of pollutants out of the air we breathe. 

     But now, important authority granted to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) by the Clean Air Act is  threatened.  Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), with help from the powerful fossil fuels lobby, is making her second attempt in six months to amend the Clean Air Act. 

     If passed, Murkowski’s amendment would strip the EPA of its much of its enforcement authority and funding, taking away a key tool the agency has for addressing carbon pollution.  Murkowski’s amendment would prevent EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson from fulfilling her pledge to achieve significant reductions in carbon pollution.  Passage of the amendment would let coal plants and many other major emitters of carbon pollution off the hook for the next year.

      Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) has granted Murkowski a vote on the Senate floor on Wednesday, January 20, although a later date is also a possibility.  One would think this amendment would be easy to stop, but many Democrats are considering supporting it.

     Please contact your two Senators, whether Democratic or Republican, to urge them to vote against the Murkowski amendment.  Make your contact before Jan. 20.   The message is simple:  “Sen. XX, please vote against the Murkowski amendment, which would weaken EPA’s authority to regulate coal plants and other major carbon emitters.”  

     To get your message to your Senators, you can simply make a call to each of their Washington offices.  Just call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3131.  Ask for the office of one of your Senators.  When you get through, you will be invited to leave your comment on an opinion line.  If you prefer to speak to an aide, you can opt for that, but increasingly, Congressional offices seem to prefer the opinion line approach.  Once you’ve left your message, just hang up, call the Capitol switchboard again, and ask for the office of your other Senator.  

     Or, if you prefer, you can email your Senators.  To find your Senators’ email addresses, just click on the site below:

http://www.contactingthecongress.org/ 

     A third approach is to contact your Senators’ local offices, which are set up in most major cities around each state. 

     And thanks.  In 2010 we need our Congress to pass clean energy and climate protection legislation.  We must not slip backward by undoing important authority already wielded by the top environmental protection body in the land.–April Moore

     Do you make New Year’s resolutions?  I used to make lots of them, and they usually ended up forgotten, typically after just a few days.   So, since I like success, I started limiting my New Year’s resolve to just one or two commitments, and they were the kind of resolutions I thought I could actually keep.

     When it comes to Mother Earth, I think our planet will be healthier if we make changes in our lives to live more simply.  We can all think of scores of things we could do to lessen our impact on the planet, but actually doing these things is daunting.  We, myself included, are unwilling and unprepared to change our lives in all the ways that are really needed if we are to save our beloved earth from the ravages of habitat loss, poisoning of the air and water, and climate change.

     So instead of making numerous environmental resolutions that we won’t keep, and then feeling guilty besides, I suggest another approach.  On January 1, how about making just one resolution for a specific change you will make in your life, a change that  lessens your impact, even if just a little?  And really think about what resolution you will make;  be sure you can stick with it all year, and that you want to.

     So, I invite you to think of a single thing you could be doing now, but aren’t.  Ask yourself if you’re ready commit to it for the duration of 2010, and if so, make your resolution.

     Here are just a few  examples of resolutions you might consider making for 2010:

1.  I will make make own household cleaning materials.  Many commercial cleaning products contain substances that are toxic for the environment and for human health.  Some simple substances, especially white vinegar, make effective cleaners.  You can read about vinegar’s many household cleaning applications on this website.  Just click on http://www.theearthconnection.org/blog/2008/09/i-sing-the-praises-of-vinegar/

2.  I will stop using paper coffee filters and, instead, invest in a plastic or metal reusable filter.  Why keep adding chlorinated paper to the landfill?  Of course the unbleached paper filters are an improvement, but the reusable coffee filter is the best alternative. 

3.  I will keep a reusable bag in my car or purse, so that I can easily avoid taking plastic bags when I shop.  I love my nylon shopping bag that stuffs into a tiny sack that fits right into my purse. 

4.  I will replace all my household incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents.  Give yourself a pat on the back if you’ve already done this.  If you’ve replaced some incandescents, but not others, now is the time.

5.  I will recycle my household aluminum, tin, glass, and paper.  If you already do recycle, think about starting a recycling program where you work.  If colleagues also care about recycling, perhaps you can take turns being the one to deliver the recyclables to your local recycling center.

6.  I will ride a bike.  Now may be the time to dust off your bike or, if you don’t own one, to buy one.  And start riding it.  Challenge yourself to run at least one of your regular errands by bike.  Look for opportunities to leave your car in the garage and get some great exercise while you also get where you need to go.

7.  I won’t buy bottled water.  There’s simply no need to inundate the environment with plastic bottles that aren’t going to degrade.  Besides, much commercially available bottled water is of no higher quality than tap water.  If you like to have water with you when you’re away from home, you can invest in a metal, reusable water bottle.  Many of the plastic ones contain the harmful bisphenol-A.

8.  I will stay home more.  This could be a hard one, but our addiction to driving whenever and wherever we please is a major cause of global warming.  Ask yourself before planning any car trip whether the drive is important enough that it should be made, despite its harmful impact on the climate.  Try to combine trips, carpool, bike, walk, take public transportation, and socialize in your own neighborhood.  Or simply forego some outings and enjoy yourself at home instead.

9.  I will set and stick to a budget for new clothes.  Most of us have more clothes than we need.  Challenge yourself to keep new clothing purchases in 2010 below a dollar amount that is less than you would normally spend but still doable for you.  Or promise yourself you won’t buy more than a certain number of clothing items during the year, fewer than you would normally buy.  Don’t forget that thrift shops often offer a variety of ‘gently worn,’ very inexpensive, and often good looking clothes.  

10.  I will use fewer cosmetics.  Americans consume a staggering amount of skin creams, shampoos, conditioners, fragrances, lipstick, and on and on.  Phthalates and other harmful chemicals in many cosmetics make their way into our waterways and are contributing to fish kills and fish with both male and female characteristics.  Decide on one product you now use regularly that you can give up.

     So have a healthy, happy 2010!  I hope you’ll take on something more you can do for a healthy planet.  And feel good about it.–April Moore

  

  

 

     This weekend people all over the world will tell the world’s leaders that the time for decisive action on climate change is now.

     With the leaders of 192 nations gathered in Copenhagen to address global warming, people are insisting that the summit yield a binding treaty that commits nations to significant reductions in carbon emissions that are warming the planet and destabilizing the climate.

     Please add your voice to the call!  The international organization, www.350.org, is coordinating the hundreds of events that are scheduled for this weekend.  To find the event nearest you, just click on the link above.  There you can find a map of planned events all over the world.  350.org, by the way, is an excellent resource for scientific information on global warming, for climate change-related news from around the world, and for the significance of the number ‘350.’.

     The events during this Weekend of Action will be varied.  On Friday and Saturday evenings many communities will host candlelight vigils.  At the vigils, 350.org has invited people to stand in support of the people of island nations who are already experiencing the first impacts of global warming.  Residents of the Maldives in the Indian Ocean, for example (see link to video below), have been seeing their homeland shrink, thanks to rising seas caused by melting glaciers.  I am organizing a vigil here in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, in the town of Woodstock.  To learn about it, click on:  http://www.350.org/node/13278. 

     This weekend will also see daytime demonstrations of concern, gatherings featuring education and music, and meetings with elected officials.  On Sunday morning, some churches will ring their bells 350 times.  The number 350 is the concentration in parts per million (ppm) of carbon that our atmosphere can hold and still maintain the stable climate we have known for generations.  The concentration of carbon in the atmosphere is now 387 ppm and rising rapidly.

     It really matters that our own national leaders, as well as those of other nations in the world,’get it’ that the people want action, not more vague promises and calls on other countries to act first.  We are rapidly running out of ‘next years.’

     So I hope you will participate in an event near you this weekend.  If none is scheduled, consider organizing one yourself.  Yes, the time may be short for organizing a public event, but there is certainly plenty of time to gather a group of people together to act for our beloved planet.   Here are just a few ideas:

•  Invite friends to a pot luck meal and discussion of climate change.  Ask each person to bring some information to share.  Don’t underestimate the value of educational events.  Despite all the talk about global warming, most people are not yet well informed.  For example, most people do not understand the significance of ‘350.’
• Bring people together to brainstorm ideas of what to do about global warming.  You might come up with a list of actions people can take in their daily lives, as well as actions that go beyond the personal to include calling your U.S. Senators to urge them to support the House-passed cap and trade bill when it comes up in the Senate.  When your list is completed, consider sharing it with others by contacting the press or by emailing it to all in your email network.
• Contact your mayor, county government chair, or Governor’s office to set up an appointment.  Invite several concerned citizens to join you in such a meeting, where you urge your city, county, or state government to institute green policies that will reduce carbon emissions.  Making government buildings more energy-efficient, purchasing hybrid cars for government use, and beefing up public transportation, especially train service, are just a few of the requests you may want to make of your elected officials.   

     Click on the link below to view a brief video of the Maldives Islands’ underwater cabinet meeting.  The meeting is part of an impressive effort by the Maldives to dramatize how global warming is affecting them now and will affect the rest of the nations soon if the world’s leaders fail to act decisively. 

     watch?v=aKoch_iEos8

     And if you organize or participate in a Weekend of Action activity  this weekend, I would love to hear about it!–April Moore

 

 

    

     I have long been concerned about the environmental impact of bottled water.  All that discarded plastic that will be hanging around for thousands of years!  I thank my niece Kia for forwarding me this informative article from the Union of Concerned Scientists: 

 

A World of Reasons to Ditch Bottled Water

Bottled water manufacturers’ encourage the perception that their products are purer and safer than tap water. Bottled water can cost up to 10,000 times more per gallon than tap water. But the reality is that tap water is actually held to more stringent quality standards than bottled water, and some brands of bottled water are just tap water in disguise. What’s more, our increasing consumption of bottled water—more than 22 gallons per U.S. citizen in 2004 according to the Earth Policy Institute—fuels an unsustainable industry that takes a heavy toll on the environment.

Approximately 1.5 million barrels of oil—enough to run 100,000 cars for a whole year—are used to make plastic water bottles, while transporting these bottles burns even more oil.

The growth in bottled water production has increased water extraction in areas near bottling plants, leading to water shortages that affect nearby consumers and farmers. In addition to the millions of gallons of water used in the plastic-making process, two gallons of water are wasted in the purification process for every gallon that goes into the bottles.

Nearly 90 percent of water bottles are not recycled and wind up in landfills where it takes thousands of years for the plastic to decompose.

So the next time you feel thirsty, forgo the bottle and turn to the tap. Because the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s standards for tap water are more stringent than the Food and Drug Administration’s standards for bottled water, you’ll be drinking water that is just as safe as, or safer than, bottled.

If, however, you don’t like the taste of your tap water or are unsure of its quality, you can buy a filter pitcher or install an inexpensive faucet filter to remove trace chemicals and bacteria. If you will be away from home, fill a reusable bottle from your tap and refill it along the way; travel bottles with built-in filters are also available.

If you’d like to know more about your tap water, the EPA has a list of frequently asked questions about tap water on its Web site. Depending on where you live, you can find a water quality report for your area.

by Union of Concerned Scientists

     Conservation is not just about using less.  When it comes to home electricity use, conservation is also a matter of timing. 

     Here’s what I mean: 

     Utilities must be able to meet consumers’ demand for electricity whenever they need it.  But consumer demand is greater at some times of the day than at others.  In the winter, peak demand is typically from 6-9 am and from 4-7 pm.  These are the times when people are taking showers, preparing breakfast and completing chores, and then cooking dinner and doing evening chores.   Summer peak demand is from 3-7 pm.  This is when the day is hottest, and air conditioning is running. 

     Utilities build power plants to meet peak demand, even though most of every day, power plants are not generating electricity to capacity.  If consumers’ peak demand were lower, then the perceived need to construct new power plants would be reduced.  And we must stop building new coal plants if we are to have a chance to stop global warming before it is too late.  One relatively simple way to lower peak demand is to spread our demand for electricity more evenly throughout the day, before and after the hours of peak demand.

     Fortunately, many utilities are encouraging their residential customers to shift some of their electricity use to non-peak hours.  For example, running the washing machine, dryer, and dishwasher before or after peak demand time will spread out demand.  And appliances like these, that generate heat, require significantly more electricity to operate than equipment that does not generate heat.

     Taking showers and, where possible, preparing meals during non-peak hours will also help spread out demand.

     And, of course, avoiding waste at all times of the day will help reduce overall demand.  Turn off all lights that are not needed, and unplug small appliances, like the cell phone charger, when they are not in use.  Using the switch on a power strip to turn appliances on and off is also a good idea, since a small amount of current continues to run whenever appliances are plugged in, even when not in use.

     If your utility seeks your help by asking if you are interested in being contacted when the system is experiencing overload, say yes.  Some utilities notify interested customers of an overload situation, so that people can make a point of shifting some of their electricity use to off-peak hours.  It all adds up!–April Moore   

     I have just learned about the international organization 350.org.  Its mission is to get people all over the world to take action to help stop the harmful warming of our planet. 

     Why the name ‘350.org?’  Scientists say that 350 parts per million of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere is the highest safe limit for humanity.  But the carbon dioxide now in our atmosphere is an alarming 385 parts per million (ppm) and rising.  According to climate experts, if we do not act quickly to bring the proportion of carbon in the atmosphere back to 350 ppm or lower, we risk reaching tipping points and irreversible impacts such as the melting of the Greenland ice sheet and major methane releases from increased permafrost melt. 

     Already, major life systems are in decline, and weather patterns are increasingly erratic.  Unless we successfully address global warming, we are all in deep trouble.

     So what can you do to make a difference for the planet?  You can join with people in more than 140 countries who are observing the Day of Action, Saturday, October 24.  Organizers with 350.org are asking people all over the world to organize an event at a central site in their community and incorporate into it the number 350 and then to upload a photo of the event to 350.org’s website.  The organization will deliver all the photos to world leaders and the media to show, before December’s decisive climate change talks in Copenhagen, that people all over the globe demand decisive action by the world’s governments to address global warming.

     It doesn’t sound hard.  And people are planning all sorts of activities: marches, bike rides, and rallies in cities and on campuses; teach-ins; creating a human line along coasts where global warming means higher water levels; river and beach clean-ups;  service projects like building weatherization and improving bike trails; and much more. 

     These actions can all be valuable in attracting the attention of the community and in educating people.  Planning an event for the day of Action  will spread the word about the meaning of ‘350′ and why we must all get involved in lowering the carbon dioxide in our atmosphere to 350 ppm.

     Find out more about the science of global warming, and get ideas and information for planning an October 24 event by visiting www.350.org.  I hope you’ll get involved.  One of my favorite sayings is, “No one can do everything, but everyone can do something.”–April Moore 

     It’s a brighter day for environmental protection, with new EPA chief Lisa Jackson in charge.  She is moving ahead vigorously to enforce environmental laws and regs that gathered dust during the Bush administration. 

     But Jackson’s determination has not gone unnoticed by the oil and coal industries.  They are doing everything they can to weaken important EPA powers that Jackson intends to wield to address global warming. 

     The Sierra Club and other friends of the environment are spreading the word about amendments to an upcoming appropriations bill that must be stopped.  The two most serious are:

• An amendment by Senator Murkowski (R-AK) to strip all funding from the EPA for fighting global warming.
• An amendment by Senator Vitter (R-LA) to gag President Obama’s well-respected climate change advisor Carol Browner.

     If passed, these amendments would further delay desperately needed federal action on global warming.  In addition, these steps backward would send a message to the rest of the world that the U.S. is not serious about curbing global warming emissions.  And with international climate change talks scheduled for Copenhagen in just three months, China and India may well use U.S. inaction as an excuse for not addressing their own global warming pollution.

     So please take a few minutes to contact your two U.S. Senators.  Tell them to vote against amendments to the appropriations bill that would weaken EPA’s authority to address global warming and that would muzzle Carol Browner.  You can call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121, and ask for an individual Senator’s office.  You can leave your message on the Senator’s comment line;  just be sure to include your name, phone number, and the fact that you are a constituent.  Or if you would prefer to talk to a real person, ask for the aide who deals with environmental matters, and give him/her your message for the Senator.

     It is important that you call both your Senators.  Even Senators whose votes we won’t win should know that many of their constituents are displeased with their actions. –April Moore  

    

     I’ve posted many ‘dos’ for protecting the planet, and here are a few ‘don’ts.’ 

     This list of 10 items to never buy again comes from Green America (formerly Co-op America), and the commentary is mine. –April Moore

1. styrofoam cups–These are relatively easy to avoid.  For picnics and other large events, heavy paper cups are available.  Even better, gather a collection of mugs that can be washed and reused.

2. paper towels–This is the hard one for me.  I don’t use paper towels routinely to dry my hands or wipe the kitchen counter, but when it comes to cleaning mirrors and bathroom fixtures, or wiping up cat vomit, paper towels seem like the best thing.  I’m going to try using rags for these projects and see if I can wean myself from paper towels.  Two intermediate alternatives that waste less paper, however, are to buy the thin, rather than thick paper towels, and to buy the rolls whose towels are only half as wide as the regular size.

3. bleached coffee filters–This is one of the easiest.  Melitta, for instance, sells natural brown paper filters advertised as 100% chlorine-free.  Even better is a cloth coffee filter that can be rinsed and reused. 

4. teak and mahogany–Indiscriminate, unmanaged cutting of these beautiful woods has devastated rainforests and native communities in Brazil, Thailand, and elsewhere.  Furniture made of other kinds of wood–oak, maple, and pine–is readily available.  

5. conventional household cleaners–Fortunately, there are earth-friendly alternatives to just about every commercial household cleaner.  I am a fan of white vinegar, and it can be combined with water to make an all-purpose cleaner (1/2 vinegar and 1/2 water) or glass cleaner (1/4 vinegar and 3/4 water).  Vinegar has many other cleaning uses.  See “I Sing the Praises of Vinegar!’ posted on my site, by clicking http://www.theearthconnection.org/blog/2008/09/i-sing-the-praises-of-vinegar/ 

6. chemical pesticides and herbicides–Organic methods of gardening and controlling weeds have become very popular, and information about earth-friendly practices is readily available.  For a practical introduction, click on the following article:  http://blogs.webmd.com/health-ehome/2009/04/8-helpful-hints-for-healthy-chemical.html 

7. toys made with PVC plastic–Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) toys are not just harmful when chewed by children.  Toys made with PVC emit such harmful substances as dioxin, mercury, and phthalates throughout their life cycle–from manufacture to use to disposal.  Look for toys that are labeled “100% PVC-free.”

8. plastic forks and spoons–Made from petrochemicals and usually used just once and thrown away, these ubiquitous little tools never really disappear from the environment.  When you’re eating away from home, whether picnicking or having lunch  at your office desk, why not keep a set of cheap, metal (like camping) cutlery in a cloth bag close at hand in your purse, back pack, or desk drawer?

9. farm-raised salmon–Studies show that farm-raised salmon is much higher in PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), dioxins, and other toxins that are harmful to the environment and to human health than is wild salmon.  Farm-raised salmon are fed fish meal and fish oil that contain high levels of these toxins, which become concentrated as they move up the food chain.  Health experts recommend limiting one’s consumption of farm-raised salmon.  Recommendations range from no more than once a month to once only every four months. 

10. rayon–The most common process used to create rayon for clothing and other products emits carbon disulfide, a highly toxic chemical known to be a human reproductive hazard.  The rayon-making process endangers factory workers and pollutes the environment via emissions into the air and water.