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April 11 The "Root" of EvilWhen the Bible talks about the "root" of evil, I'm not sure it had White's Woods of Indiana County in mind. It is the Biblical "root of evil" , money, that seems to be at the "root" of the problem for this 245 acres of forest. White township in Indiana County, PA, has come up with a plan to log this long untouched green space in its' borders. The resulting income will amount to $17,000 a year for 10 years for the township.
The plan is designed to remove "trees that are expected to die or are choking the growth of healthier trees". By standards of forest management, this is a legitimate and responsible plan. And, while the original intent of the purchase of this property was conservation, the term conservation can be expanded to include management practices such as the proposed logging. Forest management and conservation of this kind is a good thing if the forest is being used as a source of income or a crop.
My gut feeling though is that if there were no profit to be made from this "conservation", the township wouldn't give this project a second thought. In fact, they would not have hired a consulting forester to make a management plan if there was not some idea that money could be made from the property. So here is the question, is the resulting rather small and short term income worth the huge change that will occur in this often used piece of forest? Even the most careful logging methods will result in areas that are greatly disturbed. And while a forest does regenerate itself, and will do so in this case, it will take 40 - 60 years before newly sprouted trees reach maturity.
Some of the towns people say "No, this is not what we want" and are peacefully protesting the plan. They would like to see this forest remain untouched and allowed to progress through the stages of succession without intervention. Does this mean the forest will remain unchanged? No, all forests are constantly changing. But barring a natural catastrophe, the changes will happen slowly and gradually ( and I think quite gracefully). Logging is happening on larger scales all over this county. Keeping some forested areas untouched is also a legitimate management practice. What remains to be seen is what will untilmately win out, the money or the trees.
Want to learn more about how trees help us? See the TreePeople. April 05 A truly "green" lawnHaving a green lawn might take on a new meaning this year. The West Lawn of the Capitol building will be the location of a kick-off for the Safe Lawns Campaign. The SafeLawns Foundation wants to see 1 million acres of grass converted to organic lawn by 2010. My hope is that all lawns would be converted much sooner and we would end the foolish application of poisons to the spaces around our homes (and everywhere).
Lawn chemicals have been linked to cancer in some small dogs; higher rates of cancer, especially leukemia, in children; and various other health problems. I have friends who have unfortunately experienced the possible connection between pesticide use and leukemia in children. They had their home sprayed for spiders and within months, their 2 year old son developed leukemia. The doctors felt there was a link between the spraying and the leukemia. And, although this chemical was not one intended for lawn care, the chemicals that are used routinely to achieve that perfect green lawn are just as deadly.
A green lawn is a beautiful site, but not at the expense of people's lives or the environment. I hope SafeLawns succeeds and surpasses its' goal so we can have truly beautiful "green" lawns April 03 Make a differenceI decided that today I would make a difference in my world. I spent 5 hours picking up trash on a small stretch of our back road. The road is used as a short cut between two larger roads, so there is quite a lot of traffic for such a rural road. With the traffic comes trash. Some people can't seem to wait until they get home before tossing their junk out the window of their car. They must view the world as their personal giant trash can. To me, that is like throwing trash in your living room. I won't waste more time worrying about these people though because I doubt they will ever change. Even if they won't change though, I can change the fact that the trash is just laying there day after day. I couldn't stand to look at it any longer.
There are many things you can change even if you can't effect the way others think or act. By making small changes in your actions (what your buy or don't buy, whether you recycle, choosing to walk not drive ) you can be part of a movement to make a bigger collective impact.
This was also the conclusion of the Globe foundation, sponsors of EPIC: the Sustainable Living Expo held this March in Vancouver, Canada. Since we live in a consumer driven economy, every purchase we make can help change corporate policies and increase production and availability of products that are environmentally friendly.
Go ahead, make a difference today. March 21 Take a lessonWe can all take a lesson from a group of Alaskan teens who have come up with a great idea to encourage people to make a difference by making a few very simple changes. The National Wildlife Federation's Alaska Youth for Environmental Action (AYEA) has started a petition for Alaskan residents (and all of us) to take the 3-2-1 pledge. Simply put, there are 3 actions that the signers agree to perform. Change 3 incandescent bulbs to compact flourescent bulbs, turn thermostats down 2 degrees in the winter and up 2 degrees in the summer, and unplug 1 appliance when it is not being used (like a VCR, stereo, or microwave).
Whether you believe there is human caused global warming or not, these simple actions also add up to monetary savings for your home. A CFL (compact flourescent lightbulb) replacing a 60 watt bulb will save the homeowner about $8.00 a year in electricity. You also save time because you don't need to change the CFL bulbs as often. You can see CFL savings broken down here (CFL calculator).
By turning you thermostat down you can save about 2% on your heating bill for every degree you lower the heat. Just by turning down the heat 10 degrees at night only, you can save about 7% on you heating bill(source:Southwest Gas). The Department of Energy has some great tips as well to help save money and help your environment.
Finally by unpluging just one of the appliances in your home that displays one of those tiny indicator lights (like on your microwave, VCR/DVD player, or stereo) you can save some money. The total amount saved from this "phantom load" is estimated to be around $74.00 a year (that would include all your appliances that continue to stay on when the switch is turn off). While that might not be a fortune, every bit of savings is money you can spend elsewhere or save for the future.
These teens are taking action to try to make a difference in their world. Why not join them, if not for the sake of preserving the place that we live, then maybe for the sake of saving some money. Sign the petition here if you live in Alaska, and here if you don't. And a big "Way to Go" to those teens in Alaska!
March 17 A sappy story....It is maple syrup time again here in Pennsylvania. Some people began tapping in January because of the warm temperatures, but we waited until the early spring. The trees we had used for the 20 years we've lived here were cut last winter. The trees were not ours, we just borrowed them to make maple syrup. Nearby neighbors who have a small forest offered us their trees, so we were back in "business" again this year. When the weather turns warm in the day but is still below freezing at night, it is time for us to tap the trees.
A hole is bored in a maple tree over a major root about 3 - 4 feet above the ground. The hole is made in the sapwood layer of the tree with a hand drill. The frass (wood shavings) are scraped out and at that time you can begin to see the sap collecting in the hole. We use metal taps, so these are gently hammered into the hole making a tight fit. The sap will almost immediately begin to drip out of the tap. It is sweet and we all take a turn having a sip from the tree.
We place a sap bucket on the tap and cover the bucket to help keep debris out of the sap. On good day, the sap run will fill the buckets twice in one day. We empty the buckets into a container and transport the sap to our house where we boil it in a stainless steel open pan. It takes 40 - 60 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup. Since we are just a home use operation, we boil down the sap outside, pour it through a filter into a smaller pan, and take it inside to finish it on the stove. A professional operation will use a hydrometer to tell when their syrup is finished. We just check it by looks, filter it one last time, and can it in canning jars.
There is absolutely nothing like homemade maple syrup on waffles or pancakes. If you can get to a maple festival, I would encourage you to go. If nothing else, support your local maple producer (if you are fortunate enough to have one) March 16 Is Pat Sajak gambling with our future?Pat Sajak is apparently unconvinced that humans have anything to do with the warming temperatures we are experiencing. I find this to be true of many people as they are faced with the possiblity that what they do actually effects the world around them. Pat's main concern in his article though is not the argument over whether man is or is not responsible. His main concern is with his observation that the leadership in the country is behaving in a hypocritical way concerning global warming. On the one hand, government officials (and others) are crying loudly that we all must change our lifestyles to stop global warming. While those same people continue to live extravagantly wasteful lives.
I do concede that Pat has a point. Sort of. It is hypocritcal to insist that everyone else change their lifestyles and then do nothing personally to lead in those changes. We really do not see the movie stars and politicians who are loudly promoting change, doing anything notable to change their lifestyle. We don't see these people moving in to smaller more energy efficient houses, walking instead of driving, moving closer to their work so they use less gas, or refusing to fly in private planes to save on fuel. But here is where I do not agree with Pat. I don't think I need to wait for those famous, public people to make changes before I do what I know is right.
I actually don't care if I can or cannot prove that my actions are the cause of global warming. I am not going to "wait and see" because if I do nothing and I am wrong, the damage will be done (maybe permanently). I am not willing to take the chance just so I can keep my lights on in empty rooms. The truth is, we are polluting the very place we live. It is like dumping garbage in your own living room. We are dumping garbage in our own "house" when we pollute the world around us. Just how long does Pat think we can put toxic gases into the air without the air becoming poison? Maybe he is like some of my friends who don't care because they won't be here by that time (or so they think).
Am I also a hypocrite? Probably I am. I am sure there are things I could be doing to cut back on the amount of pollution I cause that I am not doing. However, I have made changes and continue to make them as I am able. I can't afford another car right now, so instead I try to drive less. I can't afford to install alternative energy sources in my house, so instead I keep lights off, things unplugged, and use more efficient lighting. And I will continue to look for ways to lessen my impact on this planet. Maybe being a hypocrite is really another way to describe someone who is making the transition from thoughts and words to actions. March 13 Question to all - Playing outdoorsQuestion: Did you play outdoors when you were little? If you did, what are your memories of playing outside? March 06 A bit of "light" newsNow for a bit of "light" news. First, in Reuters, it is reported that Australia has seen the "light" and decided to make some changes in policy to reflect their new found understanding. Australia is apparently suffering from drought and so climate change has become an issue in the recent election year. Australians (per person) are some of the biggest greenhouse gas producers in the world.
With this in mind, the Australian government has decided to pass legislation that would ban incandescent bulbs by the year 2009 and replace them with fluorescent lighting. This will help cut greenhouse emissions by 800,000 tons by the year 2012 and reduce household lighting costs by 66%. I wouldn't mind reducing my lighting costs by that amount.
That brings me to a new company that will help us all reduce our lighting costs. Bulbme is a company dedicated to providing high quality, efficient lighting solutions. They offer many different types of lighting including compact fluorescent lighting (CFL), fluorescent lighting (linear and U-shaped tubes), light emitting diode (LED) lighting and cold cathode lighting as well as the necessary accessories for each group of products.
In addition to their products, they offer help in determining the correct lighting for you needs. They offer many different services for businesses , homes, and even RV's. When I e-mailed a question about my home lighting, they answered my question quickly and made suggestions to help me chose the right product. Using this energy efficient lighting can save you money and save energy. It seems like a win-win situation to me.
February 19 Tooting the hornI can't help but "toot the horn" of a new line of products from my distribution source. I loved the old products because they were just what I was looking for in environmentally safe, non-toxic cleaners. They worked great, were economical, came from a company with a great environmental record, and were delivered right to my door. Now, the company has introduced a whole new line of cleaners called "Get Clean" that are even more concentrated and are still safe for the environment. Here's what you get if you order the whole line of cleaners. First there is a cleaner called Basic H2. Just mix 1 - 2 grops of Basic H2 with 16 oz of water in the provided spray bottle and you have window and glass cleaner that works as well as the amonia glass cleaners (see test results on the Get Clean site). Mix up a second bottle of all purpose cleaner by using 1/4 teas. with 16 oz of water in the provided spray bottle. This works on everything else. I've cleaned painted walls, carpet spots, counters, and spots on my clothes with this mixture. There is also laundry detergent, dryer sheets, fabric softener,Basic H2 cleaning wipes, dishwashing liquid, dishwasher detergent, and liquid hand wash. All the products have a light, pleasant scent and they don't hurt your hands or skin. The kit also comes with dispensers for the products, micro-fiber cleaning cloths, and a "super sponge". "Get Clean" has been reviewed by green editor for House and Garden magazine, Zem Joaquin in her blog Ecofabulous (You need to scroll down about 4 entries to see Get Clean). Watch for reviews of Get Clean in other popular magazines. I don't like cleaning, but I feel a lot better about doing it knowing I'm not hurting my family or the environment. BTW, a study presented at the Toronto Indoor Air Conference reports that women who work at home have a 54% higher death rate from cancer than women who work outside the home. They concluded this was a direct result of being exposed to toxic chemicals many which were found in common household products. For the sake of your family and yourself, think of switching your cleaning products to non-toxic versions. Get Clean is one choice. February 16 Just like GrammieChunter's comments reminded me of how I came to be who I am today. Yes, I am pretty green in many ways. I'll admit I have a lot to learn about the environment and balance. Things are so interelated. My life is interelated with my dear Grammie (Grandma). She was of French heritage, born and raised in PA with French speaking parents in a French community. But, she really lived with the earth, probably because she had no choice. In her time, you raised your own food and made your own clothes or you died. I can remember her making her bread every day. When I was little I thought it was strange, why not just go to the store and buy bread (I'll admit her bread was better than any we could buy at that time)? When I was a teenager, I thought she was cool because she could make her own bread. And when I became an adult I admired her because she continued making her bread and living her life the way she did even though it would have been easier to just buy the things she needed. By that time, I realized the real value of what she was doing. She was living with the land, interelated with it, like it was a part of her. She could predict the weather by just observing what was happening around her. She knew when there would be a late frost or an Indiana summer. I guess when I grow up, I just want to be like her.
Interelationship reminds me of something I just read about PA flying squirrels. It seems there are two kinds of squirrels, the Northern flying squirrel and the Southern flying squirrels. Both live in PA, but unfortunately, the Northern flying squirrel is not too common outside of PA. This particular squirrel likes the old growth or mature conifer forests that PA was once noted for. Unfortunately, between logging, road building, and the hemlock wooley adelgid, we are losing our big stands of conifers. This little squirrel lives an interelated life with conifers, especially the hemlock (the PA state tree). It nests among these trees and likes to eat a fungus that grows on the roots of the tree. The fungi are important to the hemlock because it helps the tree absorb nutrients. The little squirrel apparently helps spread the fungi spores around to other trees, so there is a continual "reseeding" of the fungi. So as the trees dies out, the Northern flying squirrel dies out, the fungi die, etc. In addition, the Southern flying squirrel, who lives in the deciduous trees, is now crowding out the Northern flying squirrel. The Southern squirrel also carries a parasite that kills the Northern flying squirrel. Things aren't looking good for the little guy. Again, I probably can't keep the little squirrel from becoming extinct, but I aim to try to encourage people to leave the old growth stands alone and to support our conservation efforts here in PA. How will saving a squirrel relate to me directly? Only time will tell. February 14 Remember Mr. Green Jeans?Some of us might be old enough to remember Captain Kangaroo and his friend Mr. Green Jeans. Mr. Green Jeans brought animals onto the Captain Kangaroo show and taught about their habits. He also taught children to be kind to animals. He had a great pair of denim overalls. Now there is new meaning to the name "Green Jeans". There are manufacturers offering jeans made of organic cotton or hemp with recycled buttons, zippers, and rivets. One "mainstream" jean producer, Levis, has introduced a small line of organic cotton jeans. Unfortunately, they are pricey and probably not within budget for most people. Two other producers, Rawganique and Certified Jean, have made jeans that are a bit more affordable, but perhaps a bit limited in style choices. Right now if you want some "Green Jeans" you'll either have to spend a lot or be satisfied with the styles that are out there for now. I guess if Levis is taking a stab at the "green" market, it is possible that "green" is becoming a bit more mainstream. February 12 Go on an Artic ExpeditionOn February 16, 2007, Will Steger and his team will begin their Artic expedition by dogsled. They will cover 1,200 miles to research and document the effects of climate change and the impact it is having on the 5,000 year old Inuit Civilization. This is a world wide educational initiative. You can join the team as it travels by signing up on their website, Global Warming 101. Daily disatches from the artic will include audio feeds, video clips, pod casts, and discussions. If you are an educator, their are lesson plans available from National Geographic and an expedition map provided by the Shaklee Corporation (all this info is on the Will Steger website). Don't miss this historic journey! Lean and GreenWell, here it is. New evidence shows that if you lose weight you can help cut back on gas consumption. How does that work? Well, it seems that if you are on the heavier side, it takes more gas to haul you around. Put a whole family of people in the car, and you use even more gas. The amount of gas saved is quite small. But my experience is that small amounts add up to quite large amounts over time. This may not motivate the world to trim down, but it does add another bit of incentive to my workout when I want to quit and just lay down on the floor gasping for air like a fish out of water. Another thing that goes hand in hand with this is that when you are leaner, you just plain consume less. And if you are eating less, you are saving resources and money.
So the next time a Big Mac is calling your name, go for the carrots. You'll be helping yourself in a big way and doing a bit extra in the long run to help the planet.
By the way, here's the link to the article about weight and gas use. "Can a treadmill help you save at the pump?" The article includes other ways to help gas consumption by using smart driving practices and good vehicle maintenance. February 07 The "new" deal - green businessHave you noticed that there are many more businesses cropping up that are interested in the environment? My parent company has been around for 50 years and has been active in promoting environmental responsiblity since it started. However, there are some new ventures that are worth mentioning because they are green businesses promoting green businesses. First there is Green Business, an online green business community that helps members support each other as they grow their business. Then there is Dianovo, a community "for green and conscious living, business, and a healthy planet". What do I think of all this? Go Green! February 05 "Ouch" Do I need to change?There are always a few things we can do, a few changes we can make to help the health of our environment. The first thing that comes to mind is to scale back. We have a country of abundance but unfortunately, we are controlled by that very thing. People buy more than they need and end up throwing much of it away. We are owned by our things, spending hours just managing (cleaning, organizing, storing, etc.) our stuff. Get used to this fact, you can survive without all your stuff. This is what reduce, reuse, and recycle is about. Does this mean you never buy anything new? No, it just means you are more selective about what you buy.
That said, here are some places you can go to help you reuse and recycle. Freecycle is an online grassroots group with local coordinators, that gives people a place to give or receive used items. Gogiot is another online place to give or receive items that are used. You can also try having a yardsale, going to a flea market, or using an online auction. Free yourself from managing stuff; reduce, reuse, and recycle. |
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