Six Things You Can Do on Earth Day 2020

Blogger's Note: The following was submitted by the members of the Lower Frederick Township Environmental Advisory Council.

On April 22, Americans will celebrate that which unites us all: planet Earth. 

Now a global holiday, Earth Day started in San Francisco in 1969. The event recognizes nature’s importance to our collective well-being and encourages the spread of science-based knowledge so that we can act in harmony with this vital-yet-under-appreciated life force.

Every person’s health, safety, economics, and the overall enjoyment of life is impacted by the health of our environment. Yet, this fact often gets little attention from local government officials who must also focus on finances, emergencies services, road repairs, waste removal, zoning, traffic, and more. 

In December 2018, the Board of Supervisors of Lower Frederick Township cleared the way for ecological wisdom to help both the legislature and public make informed decisions. They created the Lower Frederick Environmental Advisory Council (EAC). 

Seven resident volunteers from varied backgrounds were appointed to serve three-year terms. The township is now among 19 others in Montgomery County that have joined the EAC Network (eacnetwork.org). The council is tasked with identifying the township’s natural resources and unique characteristics as well as critical issues and solutions when they arise.

As our society’s environmental problems mount, a person can get discouraged. Meanwhile, an old adage says, “If you think you’re too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.” In recognition of Earth Day, each member of the Lower Frederick EAC (one of the seven seats is currently vacant) has each shared ONE THING he or she feels is a simple task you can do to help the earth every day:

No. 1 Monica Strawbridge says: Avoid single-use, plastic water bottles (and reduce plastic use overall). It takes 450 years for a bottle to completely degrade. Globally 1,000,000 plastic bottles are sold every minute. In the United States, only 30% of our own usage is recycled compared to Norway’s 97 percent. It takes 2,000 times more energy to produce bottled water as tap water. Plastic water bottles make up a good portion of ocean waste responsible for killing marine life. Switch to washable, reusable bottles instead. Source: National Geographic’s “How the Plastic Bottle Went From Miracle Container to Hated Garbage.”

No. 2 Jackie O'Neil says: Use less fossil fuel to heat, cool and power your home. First, buy renewable electric from your power supplier (PECO has an option or there are a few other renewable energy suppliers in our area). Second, lower your thermostat in the winter and raise it in summer. Just a few degrees can save enough money to offset the higher cost of renewable power. Your home’s energy use primarily depends on four things: Type of Heating/Cooling System, Insulation, Home Size, and Temperature Differential (between indoor and outdoor air). The last is the easiest to address. The Department of Energy estimates you can save as much as 10 percent a year on heating and cooling by simply turning your thermostat back 7 to 10°F for 8 hours a day from its normal setting or by turning it back a few degrees all the time.

No. 3 Gary Bonner says: Make your voice heard. Spend some of your COVID-19 stay-at-home time contacting your elected officials to encourage them to take action on climate and environmental issues. Support organizations that advocate for environmental protection. Volunteer your time and encourage others to get involved.

No. 4. Denise Finney, Secretary, says: Consider what’s on your plate: Everyone knows the saying “You are what you eat,” but did you know that what you eat also affects the planet? Producing a quarter pound of beef, for instance, requires the same amount of greenhouse gases (those that lead to climate change) as driving your car almost seven miles. Chicken equates to about two and half miles. And beans cut your dinner’s climate impact to just a half-mile. Plus large, concentrated animal operations in the United States bring a host of air and water pollution issues, some of which can be conduits for future pandemics. Go meatless for just one dinner a week and you might also improve your own health. See links below for more information: https://www.ewg.org/meateatersguide/eat-smart

No. 5. Warren Jacobs, Vice Chairperson, says: Plant diversity in the landscape. Opt for an ecologically based landscape design for your property. Use indigenous plant species that are host plants for native insects such as butterfly larvae, which in turn feed birds and other wildlife.

No. 6 Ruth Heil, Chairperson: Raise Your Consciousness. Before you can find a solution, you must first identify a problem. And to do that, you must look and listen. Observation is a critical component of environmental protection. The clues are in the changes. Pay attention to the bird song, the tree’s buds, air’s fragrance, or soil’s sponginess. What differs from yesterday? What thrives? What wilts? Has nature been allowed to exist in the space at all? What does it try to do regardless? Then, bring any questions that arise to an expert, such as a neighbor who has been appointed to your town’s EAC.

12 Fewer Cars Worth

BLOGGER'S NOTE: The following was provided by Montgomery County Community College.

Working together, Montgomery County Community College's two campuses in Blue Bell and Pottstown, took second place in Pennsylvania in the national 2014 RecycleMania competition.

RecycleMania is an eight-week nationwide competition, held Feb. 2 through March 29, during which colleges and universities competed to see who can reduce, reuse and recycle the most campus waste. 

MCCC has participated for seven consecutive years. 

It was the second consecutive year, MCCC placed second among all higher education institutions in Pennsylvania in the competition’s Waste Minimization category, collecting 17.248 pounds of combined trash and recycling per capita. 

South Hall of Montgomery County Community College's

West Campus here in Pottstown.

Nationally, MCCC ranked 11th in Waste Minimization among public two-year colleges and 22nd overall. 

In the Per Capita Classic category, MCCC finished ninth among public two-year institutions nationally, with 4.658 pounds of recycling per capita. 

This positioned the college as 20th in Pennsylvania and 279th overall. 

In the Grand Champion category, MCCC scored a 27.002 percent cumulative recycling rate, positioning it eighth in Pennsylvania, 14th among public two-year institutions, and 142nd overall. 

MCCC collected a cumulative 37,390 pounds of recycling — an eight percent increase over 2013, ranking it 11th among public two-year institutions nationally, 14th in Pennsylvania, and 249th overall in the Gorilla Prize category. 

According to the U.S. EPA’s Waste Reduction Model (WARM), MCCC’s recycling efforts during the competition resulted in a greenhouse gas reduction of 63 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, which is translates to the energy consumption of five households or the emissions of 12 cars. 

MCCC was among the first institutions in the country to sign American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) in 2007. 

The College’s sustainability efforts are led by a team of faculty, students, administrators, support staff, alumni and community members that comprise the President’s Climate Commitment Advisory Council. 

 To learn more about MCCC’s Sustainability Initiative, visit its “Think Green” blog at mc3green.wordpress.com. 

To learn more about RecycleMania or to view the full list of results, visit www.recyclemaniacs.org.

The Magic Bus, and Other Earthy Day Stuff

So come on, admit it. The last thing you expected to see in an Earth Day post was an exhaust -emitting bus!

In case you were wondering how to mark Earth Day today, you could just take the bus.

You can cut your carbon footprint today by riding Pottstown's remarkably extensive bus system for free.

That's right, all rides on Pottstown Area Rapid Transit, which was once called PUT but is now called PART are absolutely Free.

The name change allows on to "Take PART" ... get it?

In so doing, not only will you familiarize yourself with the bus system, but you'll be traveling in a more efficient manner, thus reducing the amount of carbon you are responsible for putting into the atmosphere.

In case you didn't know, its mankind's constant emitting of carbon, along with the destruction of carbon-consuming forests, which are largely responsible for the climate change with which we are all contending these days.

If you're looking for something more conventionally "earthy," there are a few of those too, almost all of them thanks to the folks over at Montgomery County Community College.

I had a fairly extensive round-up in The Mercury, but a lot of it happened over the past two days.

Here are a few that remain.

DEP's office building in Norristown, across from the 

Montgomery County Court House, may be the scene of a protest today.

Seeing as Earth Day was born out of the protest movement, you can protest the use of “fracking” to extract natural gas by gathering in front of the Norristown office of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, 2 E. Main St., Norristown, from 3 to 5 p.m.

The agency regulates natural gas drilling and the protest is organized by a coalition of 60 organizations opposed to this controversial drilling method.

But the most extensive events are at the community college's week of educational programs and activities April 22-29 in observance of Earth Day 2013 are all geared around a theme  "The Face of Climate Change." 

(I have omitted the events at the Blue Bell campus because no one should drive that far on Earth Day.)

On Monday, April 22, the day begins with free tire pressure checking stations from 8-10 a.m. in the South Hall parking lot at the West Campus 101 College Drive, Pottstown. Cars with the proper tire pressure get better gas mileage and, thus, put less carbon into the environment.

MC3's South Hall at 101 College Dr.

Also, from 12:20-1:20 p.m. on April 22, both campuses will host a series of displays in South Hall at 101 College Dr. Exhibits include Environmental Club, RecycleMania, Green Office Initiative, GVF/SEPTA transportation options, Campus Bookstore green items, and Siemens ESCO information, as well as a CulinArt Farmers Market.

Then, at 12:30 p.m. in the South Hall Community Room, entries from the Student Sustainability Film Contest will be screened, and awards will be presented.

On Tuesday, April 23 at 12:45 p.m., the College will screen the film "Thin Ice: The Inside Story of Climate Science" in the South Hall Community Room. 

Here is the film's trailer:

The film is a collaboration between Oxford University, Victoria University of Wellington and London-based DOX Productions. Debuting on Earth Day, the film is being screened globally free of change on April 22 and 23. For more info on the film, visit thiniceclimate.org.

Chari Towne's book

On Wednesday, April 24 from 12:30-1:30 p.m., the College's Dean of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Dr. David Brookstein will offer a presentation on “Alternative Fuel Vehicles – Environmental Opportunities and Challenges” with a video simulcast to South Hall in Pottstown.

On Thursday, author Chari Towne will discuss her book “A River Again,” which focuses on the environmental cleanup of the Schuylkill River in the 1940s and 1950s.

I wrote about Towne's book back in December when it came out.

The discussion will take place at 12:45 p.m. in the South Hall Community Room at the West Campus in Pottstown.

In addition to the above events, cell phone and battery recycling stations will be available all week in South Hall at the West Campus.

All Earth Day activities are free of change and are open to the public. 

For more information, visit the college's Think Green blog at mc3green.wordpress.com.

Earth Science for Earth Day

It's Saturday and that mean's its time for another thrilling installment of 

This Saturday in Science!

Due to the proximity of Earth Day (it's on Monday in case you didn't know) this

Monday is Earth Day people.

week's installment will be devoted to all things Earth, including the planet itself, it's weather and the plants and animals that live on it.

Let's begin with the controversy -- Global Warming (or "Climate Change" as the more moderate among us like to say).

Every winter, it snows, and we say "what global warming? It's cold here. Now. In winter."

Well this winter, there weren't much snow to fuel that argument, here or in places that really depend on it, like the drought-starved western states.

In February it became clear that there would only be slim snowpack to break the drought's grip. As The New York Times reported in this article:

Lakes are half full and mountain snows are thin, omens of another summer of drought and wildfire. Complicating matters, many of the worst-hit states have even less water on hand than a year ago, raising the specter of shortages and rationing that could inflict another year of losses on struggling farms.

Reservoir levels have fallen sharply in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada. The soil is drier than normal. And while a few recent snowstorms have cheered skiers, the snowpack is so thin in parts of Colorado that the government has declared an “extreme drought” around the ski havens of Vail and Aspen.

“It’s approaching a critical situation,” said Mike Hungenberg, who grows carrots and cabbage on a 3,000-acre farm in Northern Colorado. There is so little water available this year, he said, that he may scale back his planting by a third, and sow less thirsty crops, like beans.

“A year ago we went into the spring season with most of the reservoirs full,” Mr. Hungenberg said. “This year, you’re going in with basically everything empty.”

Thank goodness this whole global warming thing is just a hoax....

It snowed in Jerusalem this year. In Jerusalem!

And hey, global warming can't be real. China experienced the coldest winter in nearly 30 years.

Which is perhaps why "climate change" is the more appropriate term.

It's not so much warming per se, but radical change in normal weather patterns.

As The New York Times reported in January, the evidence is piling up that around the world, extreme weather is the new normal.

China is enduring its coldest winter in nearly 30 years. Brazil is in the grip of a dreadful heat spell. Eastern Russia is so freezing — minus 50 degrees Fahrenheit, and counting — that the traffic lights recently stopped working in the city of Yakutsk.

Things are really heating up down under...

Bush fires are raging across Australia, fueled by a record-shattering heat wave. Pakistan was inundated by unexpected flooding in September. A vicious storm bringing rain, snow and floods just struck the Middle East. And in the United States, scientists confirmed this week what people could have figured out simply by going outside: last year was the hottest since records began.

According to Omar Baddour, chief of the data management applications division at the World Meteorological Organization, in Geneva, such events are increasing in intensity as well as frequency, a sign that climate change is not just about rising temperatures, but also about intense, unpleasant, anomalous weather of all kinds.

In Australia, the first eight days of 2013 were among the 20 hottest on record.

Every decade since the 1950s has been hotter in Australia than the one before, said Mark Stafford Smith, science director of the Climate Adaptation Flagship at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization.

To the north, the extremes have swung the other way, with a band of cold settling across Russia and Northern Europe, bringing thick snow and howling winds to Stockholm, Helsinki and Moscow. (Incongruously, there were also severe snowstorms in Sicily and southern Italy for the first time since World War II; in December, tornadoes and waterspouts struck the Italian coast.)

And then there are the bees.

Stinging aside, bees are an integral part of our food chain and provide crucial pollination services to farmers throughout the world.

Well, they're dying.

As many as half the hives kept by commercial beekeepers died in 2012.
Over the past seven years, the honeybee die-off, known as "colony collapse disorder,"has claimed 5,650,000 hives, valued at $1.61 billion. Italy, France, Slovenia and Germany have taken action to limit the use of bee-killing pesticides. But here in the U.S.? The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is getting ready to approve a deadly new neonicotinoid called Sulfoxaflor.

This bee looks kind of angry to me....

Several environmental groups have filed a lawsuit against the EPA, claiming the agency has failed in its obligation to protect one of the Earth's most vital pollinators from dangerous pesticides.

The Organic Consumers Association urges people to: Take Action Today:
Tell Congress to Ban Neonicotinoid Pesticides before They Devastate the U. S. Bee Population
http://www.organicconsumers.org/ocaactions.cfm?actionnum=8662

RSVP: Swarm the EPA on Earth Day
http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/50865/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=70684

Here is more reporting from the Times:

Last year, researchers identified a virus as a major cause of the die-off; the latest suspect is a class of pesticides called neonicotinoids, which are used to protect common agricultural seeds, including corn. The insecticides are systemic, which means they persist throughout the life of the plant. Scientists have demonstrated that exposure to these chemicals damages bees’ brain function, including their ability to home in on the hive.

The data here is a little old, but it just shows how long 

this problem has been growing or, rather, shrinking.

The manufacturers of these chemicals — notably Syngenta and Bayer CropScience — have claimed again and again that they are safe. And it is true that bees face other stresses. Even so, beekeepers managed to keep their hives relatively healthy before the increased use of neonicotinoids began in 2005.

No doubt those same claims were made about DDT's, until they were proven wrong by people who did not stand to make money by their continued manufacture.

(Today's note of irony: It was the effects of DDT and Rachael Carson's landmark book, "Silent Spring," which kicked off the environmental movement and gave us the Earth Day we will mark on Monday.)

So if it all seems like more than we can handle, what can we do?

Well, we can plant trees.

Our forests can help make a difference.

A 40-acre woodlot of 50-year-old trees takes in 30,000 pounds of carbon dioxide sequestered per acre,” according to Timothy J. Fahey, professor of ecology in the department of natural resources at Cornell University. “The forest would be emitting about 22,000 pounds of oxygen.”

The above and below, again, courtesy of The New York Times:

“Every little bit matters,” he said. “In the grand scheme of things, forests in the northeastern United States are counteracting a considerable amount of fossil fuel burning by cars, slowing down the rate at which the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide is accumulating in the atmosphere.”

The contribution varies with the age of the forest and the species involved. There is no real rule of thumb on the difference between conifers and deciduous trees, Dr. Fahey said. Some conifers grow faster, providing more impact sooner.

The Environmental Protection Agency has calculated the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by the average car as of 2007 at about five metric tons, more than 11,000 pounds, so a single acre of woodlot would be countering the emissions of about 2.7 cars. For 40 acres, that would be about 109 cars.

As U.S. Senator Mark Udall, Democrat of Colorado, said when asked about the drought out west: “Mother Nature is testing us.”

Lately, I'm not so sure we're going to pass it.