Highland Conservancy

OXBOW RECEIVES GREEN SCHOOL AWARD by Katheryn Krupa

Oxbow Community School, an elementary school in Huron Valley, has won the honor of being a “green school” - an initiative sponsored by Oakland County and Oakland Schools to promote more ecologically based, earth friendly activities within our schools: www.oakgov.com/waste/green_school/this_year.html   With earth day fast approaching, many people are realizing that being green goes far beyond recycling or turning out the lights.  Oxbow’s teachers have gone above and beyond to achieve this significant award.  Chris McAuliffe’s fifth grade class can honestly say they are “off the grid” and power their classroom using solar panels.  They even made solar ovens!  They have been creating miniature motorcycles made totally from junked VCR machines (above).  The school recycles the usual cell phones, printer cartridges, paper and magazines.  There is a dumpster sized bin next to the school for the local community to use to recycle newspapers.  Oxbow’s art teacher is a master scavenger and goes to area restaurants to recycle their wine bottles and collects huge volumes of egg cartons, cereal boxes, paper towel tubes and magazines to use in her art projects.  "Why use paper when you can paint the school’s ceiling tiles?  Students enjoy the novelty and it leaves a lasting legacy for future students to enjoy," she reported.  Finally Oxbow’s Lego team was the first elementary school to be invited to compete at Nationals as a result of their in depth research and understanding of ecological issues affecting climate change.  Congratulations Oxbow!

TUNE IN TO EARTH HOUR AND TURN OFF YOUR LIGHTS By Katheryn Krupa

 

Tomorrow night, Saturday March 28th, everyone around the world is being asked to turn out their lights from 8:30pm until 9:30pm.  It is hoped that over 3 billion people will decide to do so and maybe, just maybe,we might have a small taste of the incredible beauty of our night sky without all the normal light pollution.  This is being sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund to raise awareness of climate change and our need to help a planet in crisis.  If you are interested in the Earth Hour project, go to: http://www.worldwildlife.org/sites/earthhour/index.html for more information.  So please, pass this message on to turn out your lights at 8:30 tomorrow night, step outside...and enjoy the view.

Vegetable Gardening 101 by Katheryn Krupa

There will be an excellent vegetable gardening workshop put on by the Highland Beautification Committee this coming Tuesday, March 24th 6:30pm at the Highland Township Senior Center.  The speaker will be Janet Macunovich and she will give you some excellent tips and information.  So, if you are interested in planting a successful vegetable garden, just drop by (tickets are $5).  If you would like more information, contact Marie Hewitt at 248-887-5270.  I'll see you there!

Toad Abodes by Katheryn Krupa

 

What do I love most about being in the garden?  The toads, snakes, and critters!  A fun project to do with any age right about now is to make a toad abode.  Toads enjoy a nice dark covered area to hang out in.  You can put out a broken clay pot, just turn it on its side.  Or, you can make a much more elaborate house from stones and cement, wood, or clay.  Then find a shady, moist spot and place your toad home there.  Add a bowl to catch rainwater and they'll be all set. The good news is they will eat up pests like cutworms, ants, beetles and bugs.  

Should schools teach children about the environment by Donna Gundle-Krieg

Global warming is a hard sell during a Michigan February!

However, it’s great to read about many schools across the country that are participating in small and large projects to teach children how to protect our planet.  

An easy way for a school to start environmental education is to join 700 elementary and secondary schools who are taking part this spring in the first “National Green Week.”

Schools can sign up and select any week until April 13, 2009 for their "Green Week.”

One million children are expected to participate by bringing snacks and drinks in reusable containers. They will weigh their total classroom trash the week prior to and during their Green Week.

The nationwide trash savings will be consolidated and announced on Earth Day, April 22, 2009.  Earth Day has grown each year as an annual day of educating the public about environmental issues.

 

 

 

Some schools are going much further than Earth Day or National Green Week, and incorporating “green educational programming” into every subject throughout the year.

 

For example, the Wisconsin River Academy has a secondary curriculum focusing on the interaction of people and the environment of the Wisconsin River watershed.

 

In fact, Wisconsin leads the nation with 15 “green charter schools.”  Recently, the Green Charter Schools Network was formed in Wisconsin, and the group is seeking new members and leaders from across the country.

 

This organization consists of environment-focused schools, organizations and individuals who want to “build a collective knowledge base about environmental education that provides students the academic knowledge, technical skills and personal dispositions they need to solve our nation’s thorniest public problems.”  

 

It is critical for our nation to rethink the role of public education in developing a sustainable society, according to Tia Nelson in Sustainable Earth. Nelson is the daughter of the late U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson, who launched the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970.

 

“Papa often talked about the importance of raising the next generation with environmental ethics so they make informed decisions about the use of our natural resources, which are the authentic foundation of a healthy economy,” said Nelson.

 

“Imagine a robust and equitable economy with clean and abundant energy resources, sustainably managed farms and forests, where innovation and green jobs give us healthy choices that can lead us to a better future.”

 

She quoted her father. “The real wealth of a nation is its air, water, soil, forests, rivers, lakes, oceans, scenic beauty, wildlife habitats, and biodiversity.”

 

For more information: 

Earth Day Network

National Green Week

Green Charter Schools

“The Real Wealth of the Nation”

 

Highland Conservancy Sponsors Earth Day Poster Contest by Katheryn Krupa

The Highland Conservancy is sponsoring a poster contest for elementary age students within Huron Valley.  Students who are in fifth grade or below can submit a poster promoting earth day.  The theme is "Finding green solutions".  Entries must be original and created on 11x17 inch paper or posterboard using marker, crayon, colored pencil or paint. The first place winner will win a $50 gift card and second place will win $25 gift card.  The conservancy has participated in Huron Valley Earth Day festivities since its inception.  We encourage everyone to mark your calendars to attend this family friendly event which will take place Sunday, April 19th from noon till 4 at the Milford YMCA.   For more information on earth day,visit the HVED website: www.hvedf.org  If your child wishes to submit an Earth Day poster for the contest, please email: artfingers@comcast.net or call 248-887-4643 for more information.  Deadline for entries is March 1, 2009.  Entries should be mailed to: Highland Conservancy, 205 W. Livingston Road, Highland, MI 48357.

UNUSUAL ELECTRICITY DRAIN By Katheryn Krupa

Recently, I read of a way to save roughly $200 a year on your electric bill.  It's as simple as unplugging appliances when not in use.  Things such as TV's, radios, computers, coffee makers, and just about anything else draw a surprising amount of power even when turned off.  Rather than manually unplugging each appliance, the easiest method is to turn off the switch to your power surge suppressor.  Don't have one?  You should.  We blew out a TV during a lightning storm by not having it plugged into one.  If you already turn off the lights when you leave a room, this is one more way to save money and help save the planet!

HEATING BILL BLUES by Katheryn Krupa

As this freezing cold weather hangs on and on, we've dialed down our heat to 62 degrees.  Then I did some research and discovered that if all Americans turned down our heat 6 degrees in the winter we could save 500,000 barrels of oil every day!  When we use less oil,we are helping fight climate change, if only a bit.  Changing the furnace filter more often helps too.  Leaky windows are the worst culprit as the windows in this thermal image of a house above show.  My brother was supposed to caulk the drafty windows but I'm still waiting...guess I'll have to do it myself.  Wind and solar power would do even more to help stop climate change but that's another story...

Hot, Flat and Crowded by Katheryn Krupa

Starting Wednesday, January 7, 2009 at 8pm there will be a book study of the book Hot, Flat and Crowded by Thomas L. Friedman.  It will be held at Highland United Methodist Church on Livingston Road just west of Highland Elementary School and it is open to the public.  Books are available for purchase either at the meeting or at Costco, Borders, etc.  Even if you cannot make the book study, I highly recommend reading this book.  It is very interesting and packed with fascinating information about the steady deterioration of our planet due to a variety of factors.  Foremost is the problem of climate change caused by use of fossil fuels, rise of the middle class in the world the exploding human population around the globe.  Friedman explores myriad problems including the relationship between oil and global wealth and it's implications, the destructive habits of many of the world's people, loss of habitat, climate change and excessive buildup of CO2 (carbon dioxide).  In the first half of the book, he paints a dark, disturbing picture of what is actually occurring in the U.S., China, and other countries around the world.  In the second half, he poses some unusually creative ideas to start us on the road to alleviating climate change.  I am three quarters of the way through this book, and what is most amazing to me is how Friedman has met with such a wide variety of people from sheiks, to presidents, to CEO’s to environmentalists.  He has traveled the world and documents some of the most interesting innovations and activities being done today (or that could be).  In a section I just read, he discusses how New York City made inroads into pollution and wasteful gas use by creating legislation to require all taxis to get 30 miles per gallon (i.e. be hybrids).  He points out that as companies, individuals and governments move toward green actions, they may intend to correct one problem (i.e. cleaner air in NYC from use of hybrid taxis) yet gain additional benefits:  happier drivers (saving gas money), a better image for the city, smaller vehicles on the roads and encouraging car companies to create a more innovative product.  He also gives many fascinating examples of sensible solutions he and others pose as a result of his travels and meetings with some very bright, creative minds.  In one chapter, he envisions a “smart” home with a monitoring box that could regulate how much electricity the appliances use based on ongoing feedback.  At peak times, appliances would run at low power, electric cars could recharge during non-peak times, and you could “sell back” energy to the grid as needed.

In another chapter, he discusses the problem of rainforest deforestation and suggests a solution that takes a more local approach.  He shares how a group of concerned conservationists who were attempting to protect the orangutan from extinction in Borneo, met with local tribes to teach them sustainable ways to protect their forests.  It ended up being a win-win situation for the local people as well as the wildlife in Borneo.  (It was a lot more involved than that but that was the gist of it).  He points out the importance of protecting the incredible diversity of plants and animals in rainforests, in our oceans and elsewhere.  Loss of biodiversity to monocultures opens up the door to catastrophic crop losses and destruction of entire species such as our own experiences with ash trees killed off by gypsy moths. 

Finally, Friedman discusses strategies to protect and increase the earth’s biodiversity and ways to generate and use new kinds of renewable and sustainable energy. These are not “quick and easy” simple or naïve steps like just recycling or not using Styrofoam (which are still noble efforts).  Rather, he challenges the reader to delve deeper into lifestyle changes and new ways of thinking.  He suggests that America must take the lead in solving this worldwide crisis.  I highly recommend you read this intriguing, provocative book. For more information on the book study, call Katheryn at 248-887-4643.  For more information on the author, you can visit his website at: http://www.thomaslfriedman.com/

Circle of Life by Katheryn Krupa

          Recently I have been reading and reflecting on a book called The Cherokee Full Circle by J.T. Garret and Michael Tlanusta Garrett, a Cherokee father and son from North Carolina.  It is an excellent book with many layers of wisdom and thought provoking ideas. For example, one precept deals with the Native American spirtuality that is "deeply rooted in the Principle of Noninterference, which focuses on the harmony created by the connection with all parts of the universe." (pg 53)  Everything has value, purpose, and personhood which leads to a deeper respect and understanding of one's place in the physical world.   Realizing our connection and responsibility to the earth and our place in the universe leads to a deeper understanding of one's "purpose to fullfill...[and] best path to follow."  Everything from trees, to animals, to rocks, to the winds - all have personhood and importance. 

         The first Americans traditionally have a deeply spiritual sense of “oneness” with the earth.  This rises from a “culture…born from beliefs and traditions that draw people together with a sense of oneness through the unity of family, clan and tribe.” (Garrett pg 21).  Mother Earth in traditional teachings is one’s Universal Mother who gives us life.  In this rich culture, a child learns to be sensitive to everything of which they are a part.  Everything is connected.  Human beings are a part of a whole, “kin to every living being…The animals are our four-legged brothers and sisters; the Earth is our Mother; the sky, Father; the Moon, Grandmother; and the Sun, Grandfather to all living creatures.  The connection we all have with others can be considered nothing short of sacred.” (pgs. 22-23).

          I wonder if the destruction of our planet is rooted in the white European/anglo culture’s disconnection with the natural world and our frenzied race for ownership and possessions?  Is this the basis for our disregard and irresponsibility toward everything that is not specifically ours?  Is the fact I do not own my neighbor’s land, or have any connection to it mentally or spiritually the reason it is so easy to disregard it, to disavow any responsibility for it?  As we have carved up the earth and established ownership of land, territories, countries and governments – have we simultaneously cut our connections to the land and everything living on it?

         I wonder if our white culture's drive to amass wealth to reflect power and respect leads many down the path of corruption and unhappiness.  I wonder if our need to carve up the earth and war over it has driven us away from the principles of interconnectedness, noninterference and living a purposeful life.  When climbing mountains or skimming quietly through rivers, I try to imagine what it was like here 900 years ago.  Is there any way back?  Could we find a way to forsake our ideas of ownership and do more to protect the earth?  On a personal level, could I stop trying to amass material things and focus more of my effort on restoring harmony and health to our wounded planet?

        We need to rebalance ourselves and examine what we are doing and how we are living our lives.  It is imperative that we follow a path that leads to restoring harmony in our relationships, in ourselves and with the earth.