Lawn Composition: Animals, Recycling, and Compost, Oh My!

Ladybugs--who are attracted to sunflowers and marigolds, among other common plants--and ground beetles eat certain kinds of aphids which can be harmful to garden or lawn vegetation. Additionally, hanging bird feeders and nesting boxes can attract birds who can take care of pesky caterpillars and slugs. What this adds up to is a mitigation of the need or want to use harmful pesticides to take care of bug problems that one might encounter. Plus, those who employ the above methods gain the added benefit of a lively atmosphere around their lawn and garden!

Recycling is a good way to reduce one’s contribution to manufacturing processes that put harmful chemicals in the atmosphere. One way to decorate a lawn or garden is to re-use salvaged items, such as glass bottles, wooden pallets, and empty containers. In many instances, recycling itself is a manufactured process because of the need to clean and sanitize materials, so re-purposing items before they even need to be recycled circumvents the need for this process altogether, and it lends a very unique look to the lawn.

Composting is a natural and efficient way to fertilize lawns, plus it provides a self-contained method of recycling one’s own organic material. Be careful of the items used for compost, as meat or bones could attract unwanted pests or rodents! Composting eggshells, vegetables and fruits, coffee grounds, and weeds then using it as a natural fertilizer aids soil by aerating it, supplementing it with nutrients, and helping it retain moisture. 

These are just a few tips to go green in gardens and lawns. There are many other ways to reduce one’s own impact on the environment by simply considering and researching simple ideas like the ones described here. 

How We Can Help End Microbeads

As we know the effects of Microbeads are very harmful to our aquatic ecosystem but by utilizing simple techniques we can put a stop to the production and purchase of the harmful micro-plastics. By sharing information about Microbeads and their harmful effects via word of mouth, signing petitions/creating petitions or social media we are able to take small steps to make a larger impact against the production and purchase of Microbeads. Let's help protect our oceanic wildlife by signing a few petitions, it takes less than a minute, its free, and in return we are rewarded with cleaner oceans, happier marine life and we have taken one more step to creating a healthier environment altogether.

1. Let's help ban the bead in Minnesota!

2. Let's boycott Microbead products everywhere!

3. Let's pledge to not buy products containing Microbeads and support legislation to end it's use!

4. Let's start a petition of our own on Change.org to end Microbeads!
5. Let's support the Stop Microbeads community on Facebook!
6. Let's let our friends on Facebook, Twitter & other social media platforms, know about the harmful effects of Microbeads!

Tompkins County Bans Microbeads!

In New York, Tompkins County has officially passed the budget unanimously to ban products containing Microbeads in all Tompkins County stores. They will have a six month transitional period for store owners to clear out products containing Microbeads and inform their retailers of the recent shift. Once the six month grace period has been fulfilled, store inspectors will be sent out to assure no Microbead products are left behind, otherwise the store will be fined up to $2,500 per day the product is on their shelves.
     Although Tompkins County is small in comparison to all of New York every small step counts in the protection of our environment. Heres to another ban to Microbeads!


To read the full article Click Here!



Sources Cited

http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/36/36109.html

http://www.ithaca.com/news/tompkins-county-bans-microbeads-passes-budget/article_abadaae4-8d9d-11e5-8a2f-03930070c1c6.html

Animals Effected By Climate Change More Than Humans

There are still people out there that deny that the weather is getting warmer and warmer.  Most of the West Coast is experiencing problems with droughts from California to Washington.  These droughts are abnormally dry to exceptional drought, which is the worst.  A good portion of the California is in a stage of exceptional drought.  The East Coast isn’t without areas of abnormally dry and moderate drought too.  The country has experienced droughts before but none this bad.  The constant heating of the world has led to harmful conditions for many animals, in fact most animals are more affected by climate change than we are.

With the hotter climate the natural habitat for many animals is changing much faster than it ever has.  Many species have experienced an extreme change in the weather before but it has always been a much slower process.  The food sources for many animals in the wilderness are also at risk as plants are being affected by the change in the weather too.The salmon is experiencing major effects of climate change recently.  In Washington State and elsewhere the water levels are lower than they usually are and the temperature of the air is warmer.  This results in warmer water temperatures that the salmon simply isn’t used to.  Salmon rely on the cold water of their streams to go up river to mate and then swim make down river.  The problem is that the temperatures are above their normal and the fish are being cooked in the rivers, their normal habitat at this time of the year.  Hundreds of thousands of salmon have already died this year due to being cooked in the rivers.

The polar bear is the poster child for global warming because they are large and cute and almost everyone knows about them.  Normally polar bears use the ice caps to hunt and fish but every year the ice caps are starting off smaller and melting earlier.  With this their natural habitat and hunting territory is gone.  It has been theorized by many people that the polar bear will be able to adapt to live more like the traditional bear but there has yet to be any evidence of that. Reindeer’s are another type of species having trouble surviving the warmer temperatures.  This includes the caribou as they are classified as the same species with one being domesticated and the other being wild.  Reindeer have adapted to their climate by growing more fur and not having sweat glands.  The problem with this is that there is no way for them to vent their heat during the summer, making it extremely hard to survive the summer.

There have already been a small number of species that have become extinct recently.  Take a look at the golden toad from Central America, it and the Monteverde harlequin frog have recently become extinct and it is thought to be that they were killed off due to the climate.  These could just be the first of many species if they can’t learn to adapt to a different climate. Many animals in the wild kingdom are being threatened by climate change.  These animals vary from fish, to reptiles, to mammals.  In most cases the most we can do is hope that the animals learn to adapt to a new climate as we fight to slow down and stop climate change.  There is the chance that there will be animals that our kids will never see that we used to think were common place.