That's Amore!

2011-10-10T18:15:00.002-04:00

In Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, the Kingswood Regional High School and Middle School a recently rebuilt middle and high school go beyond LEED certification, and for the coveted CHPS certification. Aside from new synthetic and natural turf athletic fields as well as a Geothermal Ground Heat Exchanger piping system to serve the entire campus, the new school takes advantage of natural light, LED lighting when needed, energy sensors and other energy-saving efforts. But what really stood out to us? They have been smart enough to include reusable water bottle refilling stations right by the traditional water fountains on campus. Through their efforts, they are teaching the next generation the importance, the beauty, and the need to be green in our personal and public environments.

-- http://www.bottlesupglass.com/3-creative-ways-to-kill-the-need-for-single-use-plastic-bottles/

2011-05-24T15:27:00.004-04:00

Nominate a Big Tree in Honor of National Walk in the Woods Day 5/21

American Forests – May 13, 2011 By American Forest Foundation

Contact: Sheri Shannon, American Forests, (202) 737-1944 x250 sshannon@amfor.org

Nominate a Big Tree in Honor of National Walk in the Woods Day 2011

May 19, 2011- Washington, DC—American Forests encourages the public to get outside Saturday, May 21, and participate in National Walk in the Woods Day. The day-long occasion has been dedicated in celebration of the International Year of Forests, and is intended to inspire Americans to take time to enjoy the nation’s forests and outdoor spaces, and be reminded of our responsibility to be stewards of these critical natural resources.

While enjoying the outdoors, take part in American Forests’ Big Tree Challenge. Locate and measure a big tree by following the guidelines at www.americanforests.org/resources/bigtrees and see how it compares to the species’ national champion, as listed in the National Register of Big Trees. If you think the tree has what it takes to claim national champion bragging rights, click the link to submit its measurements online.

Since 1940, American Forests’ National Big Tree program has promoted the importance of planting and caring for trees. Every year, these majestic giants are honored in the Register, and American Forests relies on the public to submit possible contenders.

About American Forests
American Forests connects, educates, and inspires people to restore and protect rural and urban forests. Founded in 1875, the organization has served as a catalyst for many of the most important milestones in the conservation movement, including the founding of the U.S. Forest Service and national park system, the creation of the modern environmental movement, and literally thousands of forest ecosystem restoration and education efforts. Since 1991, American Forests has planted nearly 40 million trees in forests throughout the U.S. and beyond, resulting in cleaner air and drinking water, restored habitat for wildlife, and the removal of millions of tons of carbon from the atmosphere. Learn more at www.americanforests.org.

GROWING A HEALTHER WORLD WITH TREES SINCE 1875
P.O.Box 2000 Washington, DC 20005 - PH 202/737-1944 - FAX 202/737-2457
www.americanforests.org

Celebrate the Life and Legacy of John Muir

2011-04-18T14:00:00.001-04:00

[>] Join the John Muir Discussion Online at C&NN Connect.

[+] Download the Family Guide
[+] Download the Educators Guide

2011-02-21T08:03:00.003-05:00

National Environmental Education Week: Ocean Connections April 10-16, 2011

Green Reading for Educators http://www.eeweek.org/resources/green_reading_educators.htm The following books explore different philosophies of environmental education and different approaches to integrating environmental education into your curricula. Also see our list of green reading for kids. http://www.eeweek.org/resources/green_reading.htm

Island Water Protection

2011-01-29T10:50:00.002-05:00

Just wanted to share these resources from the Nantucket Land Council for Nantucket Island residents that educates about the link between their sandy soil, their water quality and pesticides/fertilizers. I hope there might be interest at Sandy Island in promoting awareness of the ecology of Sandy's water-well field and sewer system.

I especially like the information on Nantucket Island's Watersheds and Water Protection http://www.nantucketlandcouncil.org/WaterProt.html

"The Nantucket Land Council has mapped all the watersheds on Nantucket. You can find out which body of water, for example Madaket Harbor or Hummock Pond, the water under your house is flowing toward. Call us for a watershed map & brochure, or see it online at www.nantucketlandcouncil.org." She the
Watershed Map: http://www.nantucketlandcouncil.org/WtrShedMap.html

Brochure
http://www.nantucketlandcouncil.org/Reports/ORGANIC%20GARDENING-2010.pdf

Your Lawn, Our Water
When rain falls, or when you irrigate your garden, excess fertilizers and pesticides will leach down into our sandy soils, eventually flowing into the ocean, a harbor, a pond or a drinking water well. The direction of the water flow on your property determines which “watershed” area you live in.

Reading The Sea Around Us

2010-06-27T08:06:00.000-04:00

Revisiting Rachel Carson's 'The Sea Around Us' SouthCoastToday.com
June 2010 is an especially poignant time to be teaching Rachel Carson's "The Sea Around Us" (1951) to teachers.

By LAURIE ROBERTSON-LORANT, Dr. Laurie Robertson-Lorant, English Department adjunct, Bridgewater State College, is a Melville biographer and poet who has taught sustainability education at UMass Dartmouth.

June 26, 2010

June 2010 is an especially poignant time to be teaching Rachel Carson's "The Sea Around Us" (1951) to teachers. The catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is a wake-up call to end our deadly addiction to fossil fuels and a tragic reminder of how little we have learned about the ocean since Carson's masterpiece appeared more than half a century ago. A masterful writer, marine biologist Carson combines informed observation, solid scientific knowledge and mindful contemplation of the geology, history and biodiversity of our ocean.

Read More

PollinatorLIVE: A Distance Learning Adventure

2010-03-03T15:28:00.003-05:00

While pollinators may come in small sizes, they play a large and often undervalued role in the production of the food we eat, the health of flowering plants, and the future of wildlife. A decline in the numbers and health of pollinators over the last several years poses a significant threat to the integrity of biodiversity, to global food webs, and to human health, according to scientists.

http://pollinatorlive.pwnet.org

Includes great activities including:

Bee Hunt
Bumble Bee Nest Survey
Goldenrod Challenge
Great Sunflower Project
Hands on the Land
Journey North
Lost Ladybug Project
Monarch Larva Monitoring Project
MonarchHealth
Monarch Watch Tagging and Waystations
Project BudBurst
USA – National Phenology Network
Vanessa Migration Project

Improving Children's Health Through Nature

2009-12-15T08:17:00.000-05:00

Improving Children's Health Through Nature

NEEF's Children and Nature Initiative educates health professionals on health benefits for children who participate in outdoor activities and connect with nature. In partnership with the National Audubon Society and the US Fish and Wildlife Service, NEEF encourages pediatric health care professionals to "prescribe" nature to their patients in order to create and encourage opportunities for outdoor play in the natural environment. The initiative was presented at the Children and Nature Network's 2009 Grassroots Gathering in September. The initiative and related materials were also exhibited at the CDC's National Environmental Public Health Conference in Atlanta in October. The initiative was featured in Nickelodeon's Playbook for World Wide Day of Play. Our article titled "Building on Partnerships: Reconnecting Kids with Nature for Health Benefits" highlights our Children and Nature Initiative. It has been accepted for publication in Health Promotion Practice and the abstract is currently available on PubMed.

Sindy's SANDY ISLAND PLANT INVENTORY

2009-12-03T14:46:00.009-05:00

This past summer Sindy Hempstead joined her family at Sandy Island. Thanks to Sindy we now have a comprehensive Sandy Island Plant Inventory that captures the exciting variety of Sandy Island's natural environment.

http://caringforsandyisland.blogspot.com/2009/12/sindy-hempsteads-plant-inventory-sandy.html

Sindy spent the week creating a fascinating list of Sandy's trees, bushes, shrubs, ferns, moss, seedlings and saplings in five different areas: East Shore North of the Lodge, the Micro-burst area, North Shore, Central Forest, and Southeast Corner/South Shore.

No one has looked so closely or so scientifically at our island since 1998 when students from the University of New Hampshire Department of Natural Resources did an ecology audit of Sandy
While the Latin names are like tongue twisters, many of the English names are familiar friends such as Eastern Hemlock, Paper Birch, Red Maple and American Beech.

Many other names sound intriguingly strange-- Hop-sedge, Pipewort, Tall Rattlesnake-Root, Meadowsweet, Jewelweed, Daisy-fleabane, Boneset, Joe-pye-weed and many more. The list notes if a plant was native to Sandy and how rare or abundant each was. I’ve already spent several happy hours googling to find images so I can seek out them out next summer.

Sindy Hempstead's Plant Inventory, Sandy Island 8/22/09

2009-12-02T23:18:00.000-05:00

Key:

N: native, I: introduced
Abundance: 1=rare…4=very common

Area 1, East Shore, N of lodge    N/I    Abun    Notes
Aster divaricatus    White Wood-aster    N    4    blooming
Onoclea sensibilis    Sensitive Fern    N    4
Pinus strobus    Eastern White Pine    N    4
Fagus grandifolia    American Beech    N    3
Maianthemum canadense    Canada Mayflower    N    3
Solidago bicolor    Silverrod, White Goldenrod    N    3    blooming
Solidago juncea    Early Goldenrod    N    3    blooming
Thelypteris palustris    Marsh Fern    N    3
Tsuga canadensis    Eastern Hemlock    N    3
Acer pensylvanicum    Striped Maple    N    2
Acer rubrum    Red Maple    N    2
Aster ericoides (sp?)    Many-flowered Aster    N    2
Berberis thunbergii    Japanese Barberry    I    2    INVASIVE
Betula populifolia    Gray Birch    N    2
Carex lupulina    Hop-sedge    N    2    in marsh
Eriocaulon aquaticum    Pipewort    N    2    emergent in lake, ca 3ft depth
Eupatorium dubium    Joe-pye-weed    N    2    among rocks along shore
Galium ap.    Bedstraw    N    2    in marsh
Gaylussacia baccata    Black Huckleberry    N    2
Hamamelis virginiana    Witch-hazel    N    2
Pinus rigida    Pitch Pine    N    2
Pteridium aquilinum    Bracken    N    2
Quercus rubra    Red Oak    N    2
Solidago canadensis    Canada Goldenrod    N    2
Trientalis borealis    Starflower    N    2
Vaccinium angustifolium    Common Lowbush Blueberry    N    2
Vaccinium pallidum    Lowbush Blueberry    N    2
Equisetum sp    Horsetail    N    1    vegetative phase
Scirpus cyperinus    Woolly Bulrush    N    1    in marsh
Quercus alba    White Oak    N    1

Area 2, Micro-burst area: saplings, shrubs, herbaceous plants
Betula populifolia    Gray Birch    N    3
Dryopteris carthusiana    Spinulose Wood-fern    N    3    blooming
Fagus grandifolia    American Beech    N    3
Pinus strobus    Eastern White Pine    N    3    blooming
Acer rubrum    Red Maple    N    2
Betula papyrifera    Paper Birch    N    2
Euthamia graminifolia    Grass-leaved Goldenrod    N    2
Fraxinus americana (sp?)    White Ash    N    2
Hamamelis virginiana    Witch-hazel    N    2
Mitchella repens    Partridge-berry    N    2
Populus tremuloides    Quaking Aspen    N    2
Quercus alba    White Oak    N    2    can be invasive
Rhus glabra (sp?)    Smooth Sumac    N    2
Salix bebbiana    Beaked Willow    N    2
Spiraea alba    Meadowsweet    N    2
Thelypteris palustris    Marsh Fern    N    2
Tsuga canadensis    Eastern Hemlock    N    2
Veronica officianalis    Common Speedwell    I    2
Epilobium coloratum    Eastern Willow-herb    N    1
Lobelia inflata    Indian-tobacco    N    1
Prunus serotina (sp?)    Wild Black Cherry    N    1
Rubus phoenicolasius    Wineberry    I    1
Scirpus cyperinus    Woolly Bulrush    N    1

Area 3, North Shore

Alnus serrulata    Smooth Alder    N    3
Aster divaricatus    White Wood-aster    N    3
Fagus grandifolia    American Beech    N    3
Gaylussacia baccata    Black Huckleberry    N    3
Maianthemum canadense    Canada Mayflower    N    3
Onoclea sensibilis    Sensitive Fern    N    3
Pinus strobus    Eastern White Pine    N    3
Thelypteris palustris    Marsh Fern    N    3
Tsuga canadensis    Eastern Hemlock    N    3
Vaccinium corymbosum    Highbush Blueberry    N    3    near North Dock
Viola sp    Violet    N    3
Acer pensylvanicum    Striped Maple    N    2
Acer rubrum    Red Maple    N    2
Athyrium filix-femina (sp?)    Lady Fern    N    2
Betula lenta (sp?)    Sweet Birch, Black Birch    N    2
Equisetum sp    Horsetail    N    2    vegetative phase
Gaultheria procumbens    Wintergreen,Teaberry    N    2
Hamamelis virginiana    Witch-hazel    N    2
Lobelia inflata    Indian-tobacco    N    2
Lycopus uniflorus     Common Water-horehound    N    2
Mentha arvensis    Wild Mint    I    2    near North Dock
Parthenocissus quinquefolia    Virginia Creeper    N    2    near North Dock
Prenanthes trifoliolata    Gall-of-the-earth, Tall Rattlesnake-root    N    2    blooming
Quercus rubra    Red Oak    N    2    (seedlings) near North Dock
Solidago bicolor    Silverrod, White Goldenrod    N    2
Sphagnum sp.    Sphagnum Moss    N    2
Spiraea alba    Meadowsweet    N    2    near North Dock
Thalictrum pubescens    Tall Meadow-rue    N    2
Vaccinium pallidum    Lowbush Blueberry    N    2
Abies sp.    Fir    N    1    sapling
Berberis thunbergii    Japanese Barberry    I    1
Erigeron strigosus    Daisy-fleabane    N    1    near North Dock
Gaultheria procumbens    Wintergreen,Teaberry    N    1
Impatiens capensis    Jewelweed    N    1    near North Dock
Mitchella repens    Partridge-berry    N    1
Scutellaria galericulata    Common Skullcap    N    1

Area 4, Central Forest: large, tall trees, sparse understory of mostly tree seedlings and saplings
Pinus strobus    Eastern White Pine    N    3
Tsuga canadensis    Eastern Hemlock    N    3
Acer pensylvanicum    Striped Maple    N    2    seedlings/saplings
Acer saccharum    Sugar Maple    N    2
Betula populifolia    Gray Birch    N    2
Dryopteris carthusiana    Spinulose Wood-fern    N    2
Fagus grandifolia    American Beech    N    2
Betula papyrifera    Paper Birch    N    1
Fraxinus sp.    Ash    N    1
Monotropa hypopithys    Pinesap    N    1
Monotropa uniflora    Indian Pipe    N    1

Area 5, Southeast Corner and South Shore

Gaylussacia baccata    Black Huckleberry    N    4
Maianthemum canadense    Canada Mayflower    N    3
Pinus strobus    Eastern White Pine    N    3
Quercus rubra    Red Oak    N    3
Acer pensylvanicum    Striped Maple    N    2
Acer saccharum    Sugar Maple    N    2
Berberis thunbergii    Japanese Barberry    I    2    INVASIVE
Betula papyrifera    Paper Birch    N    2
Fagus grandifolia    American Beech    N    2
Hamamelis virginiana    Witch-hazel    N    2
Solidago bicolor    Silverrod, White Goldenrod    N    2
Eupatorium perfoliatum    Boneset    N    1
Populus tremuloides    Quaking Aspen    N    1    saplings
Pteridium aquilinum    Bracken    N    1

Beyond the Classroom

2009-11-16T18:13:00.000-05:00

Beyond the Clasroom: Exploration of Schoolground & Backyard
Roth, Cervoni, Wellnitz, Arms. Inspired collection of 33 field trips that require neither special equipment nor buses. This complete resource book provides lists of materials and procedures and a review of the process skills learned during each 15-40 minute session. Activities are inquiry-oriented and can be performed on schoolgrounds or in parks, fields, or backyards. Open-ended field activities for grades K-6. #EE-3034.
http://www.acornnaturalists.com/store/images/ProdImages/EE-3034.jpg
More at www.acornnaturalists.com

Interest Areas

Environment-based Education

Outdoor Education

Science and Nature Kits

Acorn Naturalists Discovery Kits and Modules

Acorn Naturalists Outdoor Exploration Packs

Field Backpacks

LaMotte Environmental Analysis and Test Kits

Little Labs Science Kits

Scientific Explorer Kits

Science Discovery Kits

Owl Pellet Discoveries

Gyotaku (fish printing) Kits, Supplies & Replicas

Paper Making Kits, Books and Supplies

Paper Casting Kits, Books and Supplies

Rubber Stamp Kits and Ink Pads

Sunprint Kits (Photosensitive Paper)

American Indian Craft Kits and Activities

Animal Replica Casting Kits

Engraving Kits with Science and Nature Themes

Science and Nature Rubbing Plate Kits

Science and Nature Games

Science and Nature Displays

A Place for Wonder

2009-10-07T12:25:00.000-04:00

Just published! A Place for Wonder offers a variety of projects that primary teachers can weave into existing routines as they teach nonfiction literacy. Click here to preview the entire book online!

In A Place for Wonder, Georgia Heard and Jennifer McDonough discuss how to create "a landscape of wonder," a primary classroom where curiosity, creativity, and exploration are encouraged. For it is these characteristics, the authors write, that develop intelligent, inquiring, life-long learners.
The authors' research shows that many primary grade state standards encourage teaching for understanding, critical thinking, creativity, and question asking, and promote the development of children who have the attributes of inventiveness, curiosity, engagement, imagination, and creativity. With these goals in mind, Georgia and Jennifer provide teachers with numerous, practical ways—setting up "wonder centers," gathering data though senses, teaching nonfiction craft—they can create a classroom environment where students' questions and observations are part of daily work.
They also present a step-by-step guide to planning a nonfiction reading and writing unit of study—creating a nonfiction book, which includes creating a table of contents, writing focused chapters, using "wow" words, and developing point of view. A Place for Wonder will help teachers reclaim their classrooms as a place where true learning is the norm.

Browse the entire book online!

Photo: Sandy Island, September, 2009. Ellie Goldberg

The Sense of Wonder

2009-08-01T10:09:00.000-04:00

Posted by Diane Kinney on July 31, 2009, 12:25 pm
Bowker Reads - http://www.bowkerreads.com/

The Sense of Wonder

http://www.bowkerreads.com/reviews/non-fiction/family/the-sense-of-wonder/

Author(s): Rachel Carson
Contributor(s): Kaiulani Lee
Publisher: Blackstone Audiobooks
ISBN: 9781433207235
Release Date: c. 1956; 2007

This lovely reading of Rachel Carson’s The Sense of Wonder serves to reinforce the knowledge that having the capacity to appreciate the beauty of nature affects our lives in countless positive ways. I listened to this half-hour-long CD on at least five separate occasions and each time came away with something new. Renowned for her influential work Silent Spring and credited widely as the founder of the modern environmental movement, Carson is no less of an inspiring force nearly a half century after her death. The Sense of Wonder relates her experiences of sharing the joy of outdoor discovery with her young nephew, Roger, and is part homage to the wild landscape of Maine and part parenting manual.

Contending that the importance of adult encouragement of natural discovery to a child’s development cannot be overstated, the author feels that all too often mothers and fathers are discouraged from doing so either due to the “inconvenience” of these adventures and/or a feeling of ignorance about how to teach things they themselves do not know. Carson strongly believes that whether or not a particular star, animal, or plant is correctly identified by name misses the point entirely—the true appreciation of nature stems from perception rather than knowledge. The struggle to combat materialism and indifference is centuries-old, of course, but I still found it hard to believe that The Sense of Wonder wasn’t written recently. Though a short work, it is extremely powerful, and I highly recommend it for all.

Australian town set for ‘world-first’ bottled water ban

2009-07-09T14:49:00.000-04:00

An Australian town was set to ban bottled water on Wednesday over concerns about its environmental impact, in what is believed to be a world first. Read more.

EARLY SPRING

2009-06-05T08:45:00.001-04:00

An Ecologist and Her Children Wake to a Warming World

by Amy Seidl
reviewed by Alison Hawthorne Deming (http://www.orionmagazine.org)

Beacon Press, 2009. $24.95, 192 pages.

HOW ARE WE TO SEE OURSELVES as characters--as actor--in the enormous story of climate change and the planet's diminishment? How do we change our role in the drama from consumer to caretaker? How are we to think and feel about our bewildering moment in natural history, when the complexity of change is occurring on a scale not observable to the plain eye? Amy Seidl's Early Spring brings complexity home to the author's garden, family, and community in northern Vermont. She moves gracefully among roles as mother, ecologist, neighbor, and thoughtful witness of the everyday. She shows us where to look to see local change in circadian rhythms of both nature and culture: the date the lilacs first bloom or robins arrive, the forestalled annual ice-fishing derby or sugaring-off celebration in maple country. To a trained eye, these changes speak volumes about how creatures, plants, and human communities are being pressed into adaptation.

Seidl writes wonderfully detailed descriptions of complicated processes, such as the "pillow and cradle" features of her local landscape, the process of caterpillar metamorphosis and the peril of Bt toxins, and how plant chemistry responds to increased ultraviolet rays. She shows the value and mechanism of sustained looking: the family journal that spans three generations of data on ice-out on Lake Damariscotta, Maine; the woman in Michigan who observed birds from her kitchen window and recorded their visits for over forty years; and the woman in Massachusetts who kept track of what she saw on daily walks for forty-two years--"when the wood ducks arrive at her pond, the first time she heard the peepers' chorus, and when the wood anemones bloomed"

These compulsive note-takers do more than add information to our overburdened hoard. They are "recording the rhythm of life" around us, Seidl writes, a rhythm that has its analogue in our consciousness. The lilacs in her backyard bloom eight to sixteen days earlier than when she was born, and by the time her daughters are her age they will bloom fourteen to twenty-eight days earlier. We are engaged in a transformation that requires new calibrations of feeling and reflection's well as policy and action.

Seidl's tutelary spirit is Rachel Carson, whose words introduce the chapters of this book. The title Early Spring suggests one of the challenges here: many people in cold climates would be darned happy to have an earlier spring. At this book's conclusion, that benign phrase will begin to have the poetic resonance and urgency of Carson's catalyzing work in Silent Spring.

Childhood and Nature

2009-06-05T08:31:00.000-04:00

Childhood and Nature

Design Principles for Educators

by David Sobel, reviewed by K. Meagan Ledendecker

Stenhouse Publishers, 2008. $17.50, 178 pages.

Review published in the May/June 2009 issue of Orion magazine

IN HIS NEW BOOK, Childhood and Nature, veteran educator and place-based education advocate David Sobel asks the big question: what’s the most effective way to educate children so that they will grow up to behave in environmentally responsible ways?

To answer, Sobel offers tools and inspiration applicable to anyone whose life intersects with the lives of children. He argues convincingly against inundating children with factual information about nature, insisting instead that children need experiences that will allow them to muck about and (to paraphrase Robert Michael Pyle) get earth under their nails and a sense of place under their skin. Yet so often schools, not to mention home environments, divorce children from play in natural settings.

Children need experiences in nature that allow them to form connection, affinity, and ultimately love for the natural world. These experiences, which Sobel terms “transcendent experiences,” are more important than learning facts about nature and are actually prerequisites for environmental concern. Simply put, “Talking to trees and hiding in trees precedes saving trees.”

Sobel’s theories about children and nature education emerge from his natural-history-style observations of children at play. Sobel identifies seven “play motifs” based on these observations, which he translates into design principles for how to guide children’s experiences. The power of these principles lies in how Sobel has identified them. All too often those working with children fail to first observe children’s behavior, and then to use those real-life observations to enhance children’s experiences.

The design principles—adventure, fantasy and imagination, animal allies, maps and paths, special places, small worlds, and hunting and gathering—are illustrated throughout a series of Sobel’s essays that comprise the second section of the book. Although the essays were published previously, they remain surprisingly fresh, in part due to the introduction Sobel provides to each chapter, as well as Sobel’s conversational tone.

Sobel writes for his readers as if he has sidled up to share stories with fellow educators, parents, and observers of children. While offering inspirational tales of children engaging with their natural and human communities, Sobel hands us the tools we need to offer our children similar opportunities. “Won’t you come too?” he asks. How can we not want to accept Sobel’s invitation, join in the fun, and provide children with the “experiences that allow love to slowly take root and then flourish”?

What is Green

2009-03-21T12:08:00.000-04:00

What is Green?

(from www.greendepot.com/)

Icon System

Our Green Depot Icon System is designed to show at a glance why we call a particular item green. First, we decided that for us, a "green" product offers among five basic environmental benefits: it improves indoor air quality, conserves resources, stimulates the local economy, saves energy, and is manufactured responsibly. We then defined icons to identify every product that meets one of the above criteria—half-tone if it performs better than most conventional products yet there's room for improvement, full-tone if it truly meets or exceeds our standards.

NON-TOXIC
NON-ALLERGENIC
NO OR VERY LOW VOCs
NO COMBUSTION GASSES
NO PARTICULATES
MOLD FIGHTER
AIR PURIFIER
SOUND INSULATOR

RECYCLED, RECLAIMED, REUSED
RAPIDLY RENEWABLE
PROTECTED/STEWARDED
NON-POLLUTING
DURABLE
WATER SAVER
WASTE REDUCER

LOW CARBON FOOTPRINT
LOCAL BUSINESS STIMULANT

ENERGY-CONSERVING DESIGN
RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCE
DAYLIGHTING
LOCAL

RESPONSIBLE MANUFACTURING
DEVELOPMENT OF GREEN JOBS
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
WORKER PROTECTION
TRUTHFUL MARKETING

Children & Nature Network March 2009

2009-03-17T12:21:00.000-04:00

Children & Nature Network

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News from the Children & Nature Network March 2009
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This special update from the Children & Nature Network provides a behind-the-scenes look at what we're doing, where we've been, and what we have planned for the months ahead.

Second Annual Children & Nature Awareness Month

Nature Clubs for Families Tool Kit Greeted with Enthusiasm and Praise

C&NN signs request asking for Obama's support for Great Outdoors Month

Natural Leaders Coordinator, Juan Martinez, Introduces Salazar at PowerShift '09

C&NN BOD member Brother Yusuf is Honored by AlbanyÃ¢& #128;& #153;s Commission on Human Rights

Charles, Louv, LeBlanc, and Chawla Venture North To Help Get Canadians Outside

From Richard Louv: Orion Article and His Newest BLOG

The Chicago Zoological Society brings Louv to Illinois on March 18th

New Hampshire Estuaries Project

2009-03-17T12:17:00.001-04:00

S New Hampshire Estuaries Project

Ocean Trash

2009-03-13T13:23:00.000-04:00

Awash in junk. A volunteer army takes on oceans of trash by Jonathan Hiskes

Take Action: Start a Sea Change

Activites for Kids in Nature

2009-02-21T13:07:00.000-05:00

http://www.naturalland.org/kids_in_nature.htm

eNature Quicklinks

2009-02-21T09:25:00.000-05:00

WildlifeGuides: Nature in North America

FieldGuides: More than 5,500 species
Birding: Identify, attract and understand birds
On the Wild Side: Our free nature newsletter!
Articles: Search our vast archive
Advanced Search: Identify what you've seen

LocalNature: Your neck of the woods

ZipGuides: Find species by location
ParkGuides: Parks & refuges near you
Gardening: Create, attract and conserve
Wildlife Lists: Save your sightings
Send eCards: Thousands of images

Reconnecting Children and Nature

2009-02-21T08:54:00.000-05:00

http://www.childrenandnature.org/
The Children & Nature Network (C&NN) was created to encourage and support the people and organizations working to reconnect children with nature. C&NN provides access to the latest news and research in the field and a peer-to-peer network of researchers and individuals, educators and organizations dedicated to children's health and well-being.

NH Children In Nature Coalition

2009-02-21T08:52:00.000-05:00

The New Hampshire Children In Nature Coalition is dedicated to fostering experiences in nature that:

Improve physical and emotional health and well-being
Increase understanding of and care for the natural world
Promote stronger connections to community and landscape

...and to providing a forum for continued collaboration.

New! N.H. Children and Nature Initiative Receives

Two Major Grants: The New Hampshire Children in Nature Coalition has received a $50,000 grant from the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation and a $10,000 donation from The Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation in support of statewide efforts to reconnect children and families with nature. Click here for press release.

Founding Documents Developed: Over the past year, Coalition partners and working groups have established the Coalition's structure and drafted founding documents that detail timelines, strategies and goals for the effort, including the following:

New Hampshire Children in Nature Coalition - Communication Plan - DRAFT (pdf): Many New Hampshire organizations, individuals, and agencies are already working on issues related to children in nature; the Coalition seeks to connect them with each other and help them bring their work into communities where children and families will directly benefit. Coalition partners have committed time and resources to the effort, and have expressed a desire to work together, build the network, and make use of any tools and opportunities the coalition can offer. This plan outlines the first steps in creating those tools and facilitating needed connections. Click here to view the draft plan.
Organizational Development and Statewide Program Coordination Work Plan - DRAFT (pdf) - Large numbers of individuals in New Hampshire have expressed interest in developing the NHCINC to promote and coordinate activity around increasing the amount of outdoor free and creative play in the natural environment, to help to reduce childhood obesity and to increase children’s use of all their senses. A work plan charts out a timeline for working toward these goals and objectives. Click to view.
New Hampshire Children in Nature Coalition - Mission, Goals, Objectives and Activities - DRAFT (pdf): Dozens of suggested activities for communities, educators and others.

Green Projects

2009-01-29T15:53:00.000-05:00

Green Projects for the Classroom
Try these great lesson ideas for environmentally conscious teachers (and their lucky students). Credit: iStockphoto

National Green Week

2009-01-29T15:52:00.001-05:00

National Green Week (begins February 2)

Recycling Education

2008-12-03T08:18:00.000-05:00

Being green comes naturally to bakery owners

Tom and Mariah Roberts run Beach Pea Baking Co. in Kittery, Maine. (Essdras M Suarez/Globe Staff)

By Bridget Samburg Globe Correspondent / December 3, 2008

KITTERY, Maine - Mariah and Tom Roberts like to talk trash. All of the customers at Beach Pea Baking Co. are reminded about recycling at the refuse bins, educated about it on the cafe's tables, and told about the bakery's pledge to use only what is necessary. Mariah scours restaurant vendors for environmentally friendly products, such as compostable utensils made from potatoes. Even the butter pats here are wrapped in biodegradable paper, rather than metal-lined packets.

As a result, at Beach Pea, when it's time to dispose of your juice bottle or toss your napkin after nibbling on an oversized chocolate-drizzled croissant or a thick lemon bar, you'll find three clearly labeled bins: recycle, compost, and trash. And the trash receptacle is the least full. On any given day, a mere three bags leaves the shop, even after 300 to 600 customers pass through. Ninety-five percent of the bakery's waste is recycled or composted.

Since owners Mariah and Thomas Roberts opened in 2001, they have been about as green as they can possibly be. In fact, this couple is so passionate about their recycling program and sustainable practices that they nearly forget to talk about the actual sweet offerings. As for the confections, they're made with pure ingredients. "We didn't want to sell anything to anyone that we wouldn't cook in our own house," says Mariah. You won't find corn syrup, white sugar, white paper bags, or bleached napkins here.

The husband and wife team, who are natives of Portsmouth, N.H., had worked in enough restaurants to know that they didn't want to be like everyone else - with tons of trash, energy waste, and unnecessary plastic. So they started out using sustainable practices and took serious measures to tread as lightly as possible with regard to ingredients, electricity, and utensils. They source as much food locally as is possible. Breads are made with unbleached, unbromated, and often organic flour, and berry scones are studded with blueberries and raspberries, locally grown when in season.

At lunch fresh, healthful salads and sandwiches use the bakery's crisp French baguettes and the Robertses see to it that no processed products are brought into the kitchen. The couple make their own spreads and salad dressings and roast their own meats. All the bakery's ingredients come from local distributors.

In 2007 Beach Pea, named for the wild flowers that grow along the water, generated 85,000 pounds of trash, but 90 percent of it was composted. The rest was sent to a processing facility in Biddeford, Maine, where it was burned for electricity. "You have to have dedication as owners to teach people to dispose of trash properly," says Tom. "But I think it's been a useful tool for our community. It's interesting to see people get excited about it." Mariah would like to see other restaurants in the Seacoast area follow their lead. In fact she spends a good chunk of time fielding calls from restaurant owners who are interested in going green.

For them, it all starts in the kitchen with time, patience, and dedication. "Bakeries can be more connected to the community," says Tom. Adds Mariah, "You're creating a sense of place for people rather than just being a servant." When customers leave the shop, compostable brown bag in hand, a tempting little confection tucked inside, they can feel good about eating.

Beach Pea Baking Co., 53 State Road (Route 1), Kittery, Maine, 207-439-3555.

The Green Hour

2008-11-12T12:46:00.000-05:00

EcoAlert from American P.I.E.
Title: The Green Hour
12 November, 2008

The National Wildlife Federation is prompting people to sign a petition asking the U.S. Surgeon General to endorse a Green Hour for all Americans http://tinyurl.com/5ucgg7. The Green Hour, a daily hour spent outside in unstructured play and interaction with Nature, promotes a connection to the environment and, in turn, fosters an ethic respecting Mother Earth. Research demonstrates that ecologistic and moralistic attitudes toward the environment correlate strongly with observing Nature on television, talking about the environment, and reading about the environment. These findings come as no surprise at a time when knowledge and experience of the natural world is derived principally from multimedia and the mall.

Watching TV and shopping rank one and two as America's leisure activities of choice. The amount of time that children spend outdoors has declined by 50 percent over the last two decades. Rather than heading out for wild places, even in their own backyards, children experience the wild via television, educational films, mall exhibits and computers. Learning about Nature can be accomplished without ever touching feet on the soil of Earth. The National Wildlife Federation notes that children spend 44.5 hours a week looking at some type of electronic screen. Little wonder that childhood obesity has become an alarming health issue. As America¹s chief health educator, the Surgeon General is in a position to urge action and begin educating people about the health benefits of getting outdoors, if only for the daily Green
Hour.

Television, specifically, has become our eye into the wonders of Nature. The natural world, however, is often represented as artifice - an advertisement that takes you to Nature either in vocabulary or image - or as Nature apart from the human species - videos that collapse wildlife scenes into unreal portrayals, hardly ever peopled, hardly ever urban, often focusing on remote corners of the globe. What's missed is the fact that people, too, belong to natural, biotic communities. We have an ancient biological heritage; natural and human communities are inextricably bound together and their health, above all, depends upon our recognition of that fact. The Green Hour can serve as a reminder. Sign the National Wildlife Federation petition http://tinyurl.com/5ucgg7.

As long as Nature remains out there as a vague construct, there can be no fully rooted commitment to preserving it. Instead, we will continue on a path of destruction which relies increasingly on prosthetic devices, products of our biological genius, to keep ourselves and the biosphere alive. We have already severely tested Earth¹s fragility, and now we should step gently into the wild, if only for an hour.

Act today on this EcoAlert, and thank you for your environmental responsibility.

American P.I.E.
Public Information on the Environment, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization
P.O. Box 676
Northfield, MN 55057-0676
Telephone: 1-800-320-APIE(2743); fax 507-645-5724
E-mail: Info@AmericanPIE.org
**********************************************
Please support the work of American P.I.E. Make a donation or become a
member by calling the office at 800-320-APIE(2743). Thank you.

A Hero Workshop for Camp Counselors

2008-10-25T10:07:00.000-04:00

About The Hero Workshop

Welcome to the Hero Workshop where we help kids find the hero inside.

I'm Matt Langdon, creator of the Hero Workshop program. I'm an Australian living in America despite what the picture to the right might suggest. I left Australia to spend a summer in Michigan working at a YMCA camp. That was thirteen years ago.

I started the Hero Workshop in 2006 with the goal of using the skills I'd developed through living the camp life of "learn everything, just in case". At camp I worked with people aged from five to "don't ask" in sometimes wildly different circumstances and environments. They helped me realise what a real hero is.

The aim of the program is to show young people that by doing the little things every day they can become heroes. Far from having to perform miraculous deeds, they are provided with an attainable goal.

I'm proud to be working with Dr. Philip Zimbardo and Zeno Franco on their study of heroism in reference to the psychology world. Zimbardo has recently retired as Professor Emeritus at Stanford University and is keen to spread the word of heroism around the world. You can read a paper I contributed to if you click here for a pdf file.

Please look around the site and feel free to contact me with any questions about the program or comments on heroism.

Learn About The Program

Read the details of the programs offered for grades K-12 and youth groups, including Girl Scouts
Click Here

Summer Camp Programs

"It was amazing to me how The Hero Workshop made me feel like I could start my own journey as someone else's hero, really make a difference in the lives of the children I was working with."
Phillip Bergquist, YMCA Camp Copneconic

"After hearing all the "do"s and "do not"s about camping during staff training, I was feeling quite overwhelmed. Langdon's closing session, The Hero Workshop, really revived my hope for the summer. It gave me some perspective on the experience and gave me motivation to go out into that new world, conquer the obstacles, and return home a changed person, a hero."
Hannah Hudson, YMCA Camp Storer

"The Hero Workshop really put the upcoming summer into perspective for me."
Aaron Romoslawski, YMCA Camp Copneconic

Camp Counselors

Rachel Carson Contest Winners 2008

2008-10-25T09:26:00.000-04:00

EPA's Aging Initiative, Generations United, and the Rachel Carson Council, Inc. are pleased to announce the winners of this year's Rachel Carson "A Sense of Wonder" Intergenerational Essay, Photography, and Poetry Contest.

The categories are Photography, Essay, Poetry and Mixed (Photo, Essay and Poetry).

The contest was designed to increase environmental stewardship and public awareness of environmental issues. This year, the theme is commemorating the 100th anniversary of environmentalist Rachel Carson's life. The contest's intergenerational approach reflects Carson's efforts through her writings to have adults share with children a sense of wonder about nature and help them discover its joys. All teams included both a person under age 18 and a person 50 years of age or older.

More than 140 individuals submitted entries to the Rachel Carson contest. Participants came from all over the US and the world and included intergenerational teams of families, neighbors, friends, and senior centers. Finalists in each category were selected by an intergenerational team of judges. Winners were then selected by public voting on the Aging Initiative website. More than 1,500 individuals cast their votes for their favorite entries.

The categories are Photography, Essay, Poetry and Mixed (Photo, Essay and Poetry).

Sandy Island Mushrooms

2008-09-10T13:04:00.001-04:00

In praise of mushrooms

2008-09-10T12:46:00.000-04:00

Paul Stamets TED lecture
Paul Stamets believes that mushrooms can save our lives, restore our ecosystems and transform other worlds.

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/paul_stamets_on_6_ways_mushrooms_can_save_the_world.html

Photo: Sandy Island Week 7 2008

Saturday morning on the lodge porch.

2008-09-04T22:17:00.001-04:00

Recycling was popular. But we need more bins.

Blowing your nose

2008-08-27T09:39:00.000-04:00

Greenpeace teamed up with Mark Fiore, celebrated political cartoonist to make this animated short featuring Kleer*E who gobbles up forests and spits out boxes of Kleenex!

Sustainibility

2008-08-27T09:28:00.001-04:00

...is about balancing our impact and more wisely managing our natural resources. The United Nations describes it as commitment to"the provision of a secure environmental, social, and economic future."
-- quote from Max Gladwell's Ten Ways that Social Media and Sustainability Align.

Golden Chanterelles

2008-08-21T14:02:00.000-04:00

Edible Mushrooms
Picked at Sandy Island Week 7, August 2008

Chanterelles have 3 main characteristics:

1. The gills do not meet in a nice single line on the stem, but instead seem to fade out unevenly.

2. Gills are a membrane instead of a thick and separate part of the body. In regular mushrooms if you break the cap you will see that the the flesh of the body is separate from the thick flesh of the gills. In a chantrelle if you break the cap then the gills will separate and look like a thin flap of flesh.

3. They smell of a mixture of apricots and squash.

The Chanterelle Book by Olle Persson. A treasure trove of Chanterelle mushroom historical fact, lovely illustrations, and sumptuous recipes. This book shows how and why the chanterelle has become one of the most sought-after edible mushrooms. Illustrations of the various species of Chanterelles and their habitats. 120 pages, scores of color plates, index. $16.95 + S/H

A no-lead law for loons

2008-07-26T07:41:00.000-04:00

Globe Editorial

A no-lead law for loons

(Derrick Z. Jackson/Globe Staff)

Email|Print|Single Page| Text size – + July 26, 2008

THE CALL of the loon was particularly haunting this month against a sad backdrop. Biologists in New Hampshire discovered four loons dead from lead poisoning. The deaths were disturbing for many reasons. One is that the summer is only half over and one more lead-killed loon will exceed the annual average for the state. Another is that the loons came from four different bodies of water - an indication that the lead problem is widespread. Still another was that two loons died from tackle the state banned eight years ago: lead sinkers or jigs one inch or smaller. Worst of all, the other two loons died from lead jigs larger than an inch, jigs exempted from the ban on the premise they were too big for loons to ingest.

It is another call to get the lead out of lakes and streams.

New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, and New York have all banned the sale or use of small lead tackle. Massachusetts currently bans lead on its primary loon nesting waters of the Quabbin and Wachusett reservoirs. This spring, the state Senate passed legislation sponsored by Senator Robert Antonioni of Leominster that would give wildlife officials the power to issue a statewide ban on small lead tackle. The bill awaits action in the House.

Lead restrictions have been met with some resistance from angler industry lobbyists, as the metal remains popular for its cheap cost, density, and malleability. But more and more nontoxic gear is becoming available. In fact, one of the "best-of-show" products at this month's international sports-fishing trade convention in Las Vegas was a stone sinker. That would be perfect for loons - if they have to ingest a lost sinker at all - since a primary way they take in lead sinkers is with the pebbles their beaks scoop up from lake bottoms to help digest fish.

Industry complaints about lead bans have to be weighed against the fact that the call of the loon cannot be taken for granted, with about 4,000 birds in Maine, 528 in New Hampshire, and only a few dozen in Massachusetts. Massachusetts should enact a statewide ban on lead, so the call of the loon is merely beautiful, not haunting.

SWAP YOUR PHONE

2008-07-23T09:01:00.000-04:00

File this in the great ideas department:

Flipswap makes it easy for you to get something out of your old cell phone. Choose any of the options below and you'll be doing yourself, and our environment, a favor.

Flipswap is the best way to turn your old cell phone into a new one, get cash, or make a donation to your favorite charity.

With hundreds of thousands of people already using the service we've had a lot of practice to get it right. Below are just a few of the reasons that people love Flipswap.

Flipswap is Free

Whether you're a cell phone retailer with thousands of phones to trade-in or you just have one rattling around your junk drawer that you'd like to get rid of- it's absolutely free.

We don't charge for shipping, handling or any service fees. If you have a cell phone, you can trade it in absolutely free. We're not crazy- we're just really nice.

Flipswap is Fast

You can trade in your phone immediately. In seconds you'll have a list of locations in your area where you can receive instant store credit. Flipswap trained cell phone experts will help you determine the value of your phone and issue your store credit on the spot.

Have your eye on a new phone? Go out and get it today with Flipswap.

Flipswap is Green

Flipswap is concerned about the millions of unused cell phones that end up in our landfills each year. Rest assured that a flispwapped phone won't be thrown out. Every working phone that Flipswap receives will be given a new home. We understand that ‘reuse' is an important part of global sustainability.

We work with the most environmentally conscience ewaste recyclers on earth. If a phone has reached the end of its useful life it will be broken down into component materials and painstakingly recycled using the greenest methods available today.

When you trade-in a phone with Flipswap you don't have to worry where it will end up. We handle it all so you can enjoy everything that is green.

Find Out More

Flipswap is Fair

Our engineers have designed a complicated algorithm that allows us to offer you a real time trade-in value for any phone. Not only is our price guide the best in the business, it's the only one in the business.

We give you what you deserve. The highest trade-in value for your phone and the peace of mind that can only come from working with the best.

Save Energy -- Make Cold Brewed Coffee

2008-07-18T16:15:00.000-04:00

Cold-Brewed Coffee Extract
Makes about 1 1/2 quarts

1 pound good quality coffee, ground for drip
2 1/2 quarts cool tap water

In a minimum 3-quart pitcher or jar, combine the coffee and water. Let stand for 12 hours. Strain the coffee through a regular kitchen strainer into a 2-quart jar or pitcher. After the bulk of the coffee Place the strainer over a bowl for a few hours to get every last drop.

I find that tastes vary about the strength of coffee. For instance, a guest the other night who was familiar with coffee extract requested her iced coffee be made with nothing but the extract, ice, milk and sugar. I needed a shot of water in mine. For morning coffee, however, I found that three parts water to one part extract, as the manufacturer of Suzanne’s gadget suggests, was too weak for me. I preferred two parts.

For Iced Coffee
Stir together equal parts of the coffee extract and cold tap water (or bottled water). Pour over ice. Add sugar and milk to taste.

For Hot Coffee
Use one part coffee extract to 2 to 3 parts just-boiled water.

Cold Brewed Coffee Using a French Press

Ingredients:

French press (my Bodum one holds about 3 cups, I think)
1 cup coffee
2 cups water

Directions:

Pour the coffee in the press and then add the water. On my unit the water and coffee comes right up to where the plunger would start. Depending on how strong your coffee is you may want a little more or less water.
Stir the coffee with a wooden spoon of chopstick. You want to make sure all of the coffee grounds are wet. Wait, about two minutes and stir again. Some of the grounds should now settle to the bottom instead of all floating at the top.
Wait 12 hours. I have seen other recipes that say it should be good after 4 hours. I have also other recommendations that after 15 hours or so, you start to extract some of the bitter flavors from the coffee. I usually aim for over night.
Press down slowly on the plunger. Pour out the concentrate into an airtight container. You might want to avoid pouring the very last part, it might be a little murky.
To make coffee either add cold water, milk or hot water. The ratio used depends on how strong you want your cup to be. I usually do about 1/4 or 1/6 concentrate and the rest milk. Experiment and see what tastes best.
_________________

New Orleans Cold Drip Coffee
Scaled down from a Blue Bottle Coffee Company recipe, as appeared in the New York Times Magazine

Makes 1 1/2 cups coffee concentrate

1/5 pound dark roast coffee and chicory, medium ground (about 1 cup)
2 cups cold water
Ice
Milk

1. Put coffee in a nonreactive container, like a stainless-steel bowl. Add 1/4 cup water, stirring gently to wet the grounds, then add remaining water, agitating the grounds as little as possible. Cover and let steep at room temperature for 12 hours.

2. Strain coffee concentrate through a medium sieve, then again through a fine-mesh sieve.

3. To make iced coffee, fill a glass with ice, add ¼ cup coffee concentrate and 3/4 to 1 cup milk, then stir. To make café au lait, warm 3/4 to 1 cup milk in a saucepan or microwave, then pour into a mug and add ¼ cup coffee concentrate. (Concentrate will keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.)

Would You Pay 1000 Times More For Gasoline If It Came In A Bottle?

2008-07-10T09:57:00.000-04:00

Posted: 08 Jul 2008 From: We All Live Downstream, A Blog by John DeCock, President of Clean Water Action

If you’re looking for a place to trim your budget in order to afford gasoline, you might start by cutting out bottled water. In most cases, the water you buy is the same as what comes out of your tap. When it’s bottled, you pay anywhere from 1000 to 10,000 times the price of tap water.

Modern municipal water systems comprise a mind boggling and tremendously successful public works project costing in the trillions and delivering a basic necessity of life for an amount of money so small that most people think of water as being delivered to their home for free. Although we still need to work hard to protect our water sources and ensure that our water infrastructure is in good shape, most American cities have water that is equal to or better than a given bottle.

In June of 2007, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom took forward-thinking action on this issue to reduce waste and cut down greenhouse gas emissions. He also saved the city about $500,000 per year. Mayor Newsom instituted a ban on the purchase of bottled water for use by the city. On June 23rd, the US Conference of Mayors voted to endorse this idea. In a non-binding resolution the mayors agreed to encourage bans similar to the ones in place in San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles and about 60 other cities. Mayor Newsom and 17 other big cities mayors led this effort against opposition from industry groups such as the American Beverage Association.

In commenting on the resolution, Newsom said “Cities are sending the wrong message about the quality of public water when we spend taxpayer dollars on water in disposable containers from a private corporation.”

According to the Pacific Institute, we used 17 million barrels of oil to manufacture bottles for water in 2006. That figure doesn’t come close to representing the full cost in oil. Transportation to point of sale and beyond is not included. The bottling process produced 2.5 million tons of CO2. It takes three liters of water to manufacture a one liter bottle of water. Not to mention the environmental impact of the plastic that is not recycled after all that bottled water is consumed.

And there is a cost to our water resources for all of this bottling. Some major corporations have a big financial interest in exploiting our ecosystems to feed the demand for bottled water that they create.

In Michigan the Nestle Corporation’s water pumping operations triggered an ongoing seven-year-long battle over control of the state’s waters when it started a bottling operation in rural Mecosta County. Local residents took the company to court in 2001. The local court ordered Nestle to stop pumping and diverting waters from Sanctuary Springs, but subsequent legal appeals ended with Nestle being granted permission to withdraw up to 250 gallons per minute despite the fact that pumping was impairing a nearby stream, lake and wetlands. The Michigan Supreme Court majority, in a decision that overturned 30 years of settled law, ruled that federal law superseded the Michigan Environmental Protection Act and greatly reduced the ability of citizens to sue to enforce the state’s environmental laws.

Nestlé’s political muscle was further flexed in a deal that exempted most bottled water exports from the proposed Great Lakes Compact agreement which bans water diversions from the Great Lakes, a win reinforced in 2006 when Michigan’s elected officials put the diversion loophole into state law. Clean Water Action helped lead the way in winning new protections against the impacts of bottled water withdrawals in legislation expected to be signed by the Governor this month, but the diversion loophole remains.

Is there ever a circumstance in which bottled water makes sense? Of course there is, but every day routine use in most places do not require that we waste money, generate trash and burn oil to get an overpriced consumer product that is as close as your kitchen sink.

Routinely using bottled water for your drinking water is like buying alkaline batteries to power your refrigerator. It is insanely inefficient. You can take action to change this irrational consumer habit by switching to tap water in safe, refillable bottle. You can also contact your mayor’s office and public utilities commission and tell them you want them to adopt the ban on buying bottled water with taxpayer funds.

So this summer, stay healthy and hydrated, but BYOB to the beach, the gym or in the lunches you pack for day camp. Cut down on waste, damage to watershed, CO2 emissions and save money in the process. Isn’t it great to know you can do so much good for the environment, save money and stay healthy all at the same time? All that, and you don’t need to carry those heavy cases of water around anymore!

PROTECTING POLLINATORS

2008-07-02T16:36:00.000-04:00

North American Pollinators Program Campaign (NAPPC) is working to educate the public about pollinators and how we can better protect them. For more information on NAPPC, contact www.nappc.org and for schools, contact http://www.pollinationcanada.ca/
Photo taken at Sandy Island, Week 7 2008 on the ball field.

New Shower Curtain Smell is Gross

2008-06-27T08:31:00.001-04:00

It may not be news to regular Enviroblog readers, but it's official: new shower curtain smell is caused by toxic chemicals.

A study commissioned by the Center for Health, Environment, and Justice looked at the chemical composition of PVC shower curtains bought at a variety of retailers (from Sears to Bed Bath & Beyond).

They found, unsurprisingly, that shower curtains contain high levels of phthalates. They also found high levels of organotins, and the single shower curtain tested for off-gassing released 108 different volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Click to continue reading.

Child of Wonder

2008-06-26T17:17:00.000-04:00

Written by Ginger Carlson, Child of Wonder is a thoughtful and engaging resource for parents and educators seeking to understand creativity and to encourage it in practical ways. With sections on imaginative play, math, movement, music, cooking, science, storytelling, visual arts, questioning, cooperative games, and nature, Child of Wonder provides tools to develop a creatively supported environment in a way that cultivates family participation. Carlson skillfully demonstrates that the things we need to inspire our children are within ourselves and our homes. Her love of wonder is infectious and her prescription for nurturing children is both creative and practical.

Eco Labels Around the world

2008-06-17T16:27:00.000-04:00

World Eco Labels

Use Plain Soap and Water

2008-05-29T09:23:00.000-04:00

Triclosan is no more effective than ordinary soap and water and poses health risks to humans and creates anti-bacterial and antibiotic resistance. The American Medical Association recommends that consumers avoid antibacterial products.
http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/water/Triclosan.pdf

Photo: Sandy Island May 2008

Needless Waste

2008-05-28T08:40:00.000-04:00

EcoAlert from American P.I.E. 5/28/08

"...untreated materials go directly into nearby ecosystems, harming wildlife, plant life and drinking water."

Household hazardous wastes, while toxic in nature, are not regulated under federal or state laws. In the average home fifteen pounds of toxic waste are generated each year. Included are such items as pesticides, auto batteries, gasoline, kerosene, metal polish with solvent, paint brush cleaners with solvent, solvent-based glue, paint, paint thinner, paint stripper, varnish, turpentine, wood preservative, adhesives, flea powder, rat poison, mothballs, photography chemicals, drain cleaners, floor and furniture polish containing nitrobenzene, pool chemicals, mercury batteries, lighter fluid, fluorescent lamps, and more.

In the outdoor environment, toxic materials can be harmful. When we throw them in the trash, they end up in the public landfill or incinerator. Buried in the landfill, toxic substances pollute the soil and eventually find their way into the water supply. Burned, they immediately pollute the air. When poured down the drain, any residual materials that cannot be broken down by water treatment plants will end up in nearby lakes, streams and rivers.

Homes using septic systems rather than public sewers similarly risk soil and water resources. Storm drains are perhaps the most dangerous dumping site of all; untreated materials go directly into nearby ecosystems, harming wildlife, plant life and drinking water.

When you must buy a hazardous substance for a specific purpose, buy only the amount you need, so that you can use it up. And if you have any left over, dispose of it properly. The most ecological way to approach toxins is to avoid them in the first place. Repeated or excessive contact with toxic household material can lead to lung, brain and nerve damage, and, in some cases, can even prove to be deadly, e.g., methylene chloride, an ingredient found in some aerosols, can cause nerve damage and cancer.

To avoid the dangers of hazardous substances, buy safe, effective alternatives whenever you can. Here are some examples: applications of boric acid can provide substantial control of cockroaches and fleas; vinegar cuts through mildew, stains and wax; baking soda cleans, deodorizes, polishes, removes stains and softens fabrics; borax disinfects, deodorizes, removes stains and softens water. There are also new, as well as time-proven, environmentally sound products on the market.

Procedures for the collection of hazardous wastes vary widely across the country. Some communities have special pick-up days; others have designated areas at recycling centers where wastes must be transported by the homeowner; others, unfortunately, have no systematic procedures. Call your local public works department to determine the operative procedures in your community. Best of all, avoid needless waste.

Act today on this EcoAlert, and thank you for your environmental responsibility.

American P.I.E., Public Information on the Environment, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, P.O. Box 676, Northfield, MN 55057-0676 Telephone: 1-800-320-APIE(2743); fax 507-645-5724
E-mail: Info@AmericanPIE.org

Please support the work of American PIE. Make a donation or become a member at <http://www.americanpie.org/own_a_piece_of_pie.html>. Thank you.

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Responding to Climate Change

2008-05-23T15:55:00.000-04:00

The National Academies of Science have released the 2008 edition of "Understanding and Responding to Climate Change," a free booklet designed to give the public a comprehensive and easy-to-read analysis of findings and recommendations from their reports on climate change.

More, including access to the booklet (which can be downloaded or ordered in hard copy) and to the NAS Climate Change information website at http://nationalacademies.org/morenews/20080519.html

(Photo: Sandy Island, May 2008)

Make Every Day Earth Day

2008-05-15T09:08:00.000-04:00

www.earth911.org

Avoiding BPA and Phthalates

2008-05-14T14:40:00.000-04:00

Reducing Your Exposure to BPA
Bisphenol A has been used as an ingredient in consumer products for a long time and is difficult to avoid. In some cases, alternatives are available. Consider these tips, especially if you are or may become pregnant or are choosing a product for a child:
http://www.oeconline.org/pollutioninpeople/solutions/bpa/document_view

Reducing Your Exposure to Phthalates
Products containing phthalates are ubiquitous in our society, but you can reduce your and your family’s exposure to phthalates by avoiding PVC and purchasing products from companies that have eliminated phthalates. When you can choose, try to use metal, glass, ceramic, wooden, or other natural non-PVC products.
http://www.oeconline.org/pollutioninpeople/solutions/phthalates/document_view

Think Before You Pink

2008-05-14T08:32:00.001-04:00

Yoplait's fall campaign, Save Lids to Save Lives, continues to urge consumers to buy pink-lidded cups of Yoplait yogurt. For each pink lid mailed back to the company by December 31, Yoplait donates ten cents to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, up to $1.5 million. Sadly, a woman would have to eat three containers of Yoplait every day during the four-month campaign to raise $36 for the cause--and the yogurt is made from cows treated with rBGH (recombinant bovine growth hormone). Recent studies show that rBGH dairy products may be linked with an increased risk of breast, colon, and prostate cancer.

Kids and Nature

2008-05-13T18:16:00.001-04:00

Video: Children Practice Real Science Thousands of students monitor migration patterns of butterflies and other species as part of this online project.

A Mobile Hands-On Science Program Captivates
An arcane science turns into a traveling circus that's fizzy, frantic, and fun.

Readings, Viewings, and Listenings
Free registration may be required and news-sensitive links may expire over the next week.

Woods Take Place of Test
"They're out here getting readings, looking at plants, animals, leaves -- everything. We've got 120 students out here working hard," said biology teacher Claudia King, who has coordinated this culminating project for seventeen years. -- Olympian (Olympia, Washington)

Related Edutopia article: How to Make Being Outdoors In

Program Involves Kids in Protecting Waterways

Sheri Faust, environmental educator for the St. Clair County Health Department, said that the Adopt-a-Stream program "gets students out doing chemical analysis of the water." -- Times Herald (Port Huron, Michigan)

Related Edutopia article: Children Champion the Environment

Green Love

2008-05-04T12:29:00.001-04:00

In the end,
we will conserve only what we love,
we will love only what we understand,
we will understand only what we are taught.

Baba Dioum,
Senegalese Conservationis

http://www.greenschoolsalliance.org

2008 Green Cup Challenge

Explore Nature

2008-05-04T12:05:00.000-04:00

Nature Explore is a complete program of fun, effective resources to help educators, families, and anyone working to connect young children with nature. Nature Action Collaborative for Children: http://www.arborday.org/explore/nacc/

Citizen Scientists Monitor Climate Change

2008-05-04T12:00:00.000-04:00

AMC Mountain Plant Monitors - New Hampshire
http://www.outdoors.org/conservation/mountainwatch/mtplant.cfm
AMC is looking for volunteers to help watch certain plants every year near their facilities in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Over time AMC will determine how plants in the mountains may be responding to trends in average annual air temperature and other weather related variables. Hikers will be able to submit observations and hence take an active role in the collection of scientific data. Observations made by these citizen scientists will create a baseline of information that will help detect and document ecological impacts of a changing climate.

Forest Flower Watch

AMC needs you to help to document forest flowering times across the Northeast this spring and summer and especially during June; which is Flower Watch Month

How to monitor:

Obtain the field guide and data sheet by downloading pdf file below, request the materials to be mailed to you (Include "Forest Flowers" as subject line), or obtain a copy at New Hampshire North Country AMC destination.

http://www.outdoors.org/conservation/mountainwatch/upload/ForestFlowerWeb08.pdf

Forest Flower field guide and 2 data sheets pdf
(6 pages) print double-sided (read this printing hint to keep paper use down)

Go to any mountain trail above ~ 1,500 feet
Staying on the trail, locate a targeted forest plant (see field guide)
Record on data sheet date, detailed location and whether plant is before flowering, flowering, or not flowering
Return data sheet to AMC. It's that simple!

If you want to be more involved then sign up for our Mountain Watch Adopt-A-Peak monitoring program. Targeted species for forest monitoring include painted trillium, bunchberry, Canada mayflower, blue-bead lily, wood sorrel, and hobblebush.

Food Scraps Aren't Waste

2008-05-04T11:19:00.001-04:00

Recently I read about a school in California that adopted a new zero-waste system to divert as much trash as possible from the local landfill by recycling and composting as much waste from the cafeteria and classrooms as possible. Kids learn that FOOD SCRAPS AREN'T WASTE, THEY'RE REUSABLE ENERGY! They learn to put all food scraps in composting bins and recyclables in other bins.

In this program, the smallest details matter. Milk and juice cartons out of the cafeteria come unglazed for easier composting. Even the cafeteria's plates, bowls and utensils — once a huge part of the school's trash — are put in the composting bin. They're made of corn.

Partnering with waste haulers and commercial compost facilities, the schools teach the basics of waste diversion. Compost is a soil amendment for enriching the fertility of the soil.

In a recent conversation with Rachel Carlson, our Sandy Island Food Service Director, we may have an opportunity to implement a similar program for Sandy Island in the future. Stay tuned.

RESOURCES

Resourceful Schools
http://www.resourcefulschools.org/

Don’t Throw Away That Food: Strategies for Record-Setting Waste Reduction, US EPA
http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/reduce/food/foodmain.pdf

Be Smart. Reducing Food Waste. Think a little about waste reduction, it can save a lot.
http://www.besmart.org/festival/foodwaste.html

Kids Zero Waste Poster, New Zealand
http://www.kidsrecycle.org/posters.php

Vampires at Sandy Island?

2008-05-04T11:13:00.000-04:00

A "phantom load" is any appliance or electronic gizmo that uses energy even when turned off. Some people call them "vampire appliances" or "energy vampires."

Surprise -- most American appliances use electricity even when turned off. because the "off" button doesn't really mean "off." Yes, even chargers for cell phones and MP3 players siphon energy when plugged in - even if they're not charging a thing!Read about phantom load, stand-by power or vampire load

http://www.thedailygreen.com/living-green/definitions/Phantom-Load

Global Warming in New Hampshire

2008-05-04T11:04:00.000-04:00

http://www.carboncoalition.org/
New Hampshire Carbon Coalition
New Hampshire Citizens for Responsible Energy Policy

New Hampshire is profoundly affected by global warming. Scientists have documented changes in the local climate and have studied the impacts. More...

At risk:

Smart energy choices and policies not only safeguard the stability of our climate; they provide energy independence, a stronger economy and a better quality of life for our citizens.

The keys:

Unhealthy haze over Northeast's wilderness

2008-05-04T10:59:00.000-04:00

By William M. Hill | Boston Globe July 3, 2005

HIKING WITH ME in the Presidential Range of the White Mountains in June, my 9-year-old son took a header on a rocky trail. A well-stocked first aid kit and a fellow hiker who happened to be a physician made blessedly quick work of a head wound that will leave my son with nothing more than a neat scar and a blood-stained baseball cap -- both things he already brags about. There is something more ominous, though, that any parent of children who are hiking or exercising outdoors should be concerned about: unhealthy air.

Many of us look to escape in summer to places like the White Mountains and Acadia National Park, expecting clean air and endless views. The reality on our public lands in New England is often shockingly different. There, high haze levels and diminished views are vivid reminders that we are at a time in our planet's history when there is no promise of finding good, clean ''country air."

Each summer in the Northeastern United States, regional haze, primarily caused by sulfur dioxide emissions from coal-burning power plants in the Midwest, cuts visibility in the most scenic of our national parks and wilderness areas by up to 70 percent. Humid summer conditions in the Northeast cause particulates to expand and exacerbates the pollution-induced haze.

Leave No Trace (LNT)

2008-05-04T10:51:00.000-04:00

Leave No Trace is an national and international program designed to assist outdoor enthusiasts with their decisions about how to reduce their impacts when they hike, camp, picnic, snowshoe, run, bike, hunt, paddle, ride horses, fish, ski or climb. The program strives to educate all those who enjoy the outdoors about the nature of their recreational impacts as well as techniques to prevent and minimize such impacts. Leave No Trace is best understood as an educational and ethical program, not as a set of rules and regulations.

Leave No Trace™ (LNT) is a philosophy of backcountry recreation that stresses leaving the wilderness as untouched as possible by your visit. It’s also a program designed to assist outdoor enthusiasts understand and minimize their recreational impacts on the land.

Leave No Trace, Inc.

CORE VALUES

1. Is committed to the enjoyment, health and protection of recreational resources on natural lands for all people;

2. Believes that education is the best means to protect natural lands from recreational impacts while helping maintain access for recreation and enjoyment;

3. Is founded on outdoor ethics whereby a sense of stewardship is gained through understanding and connecting with the natural world;

4. Believes that practicing the Leave No Trace principles is the most relevant and effective long-term solution to maintaining the beauty, health of, and access to natural lands;

5. Is science-based and builds ethical, pragmatic approaches to resource protection for varying types of outdoor recreation and enjoyment;

6. Strives to build key partnerships that support education programs, training and communities of volunteers, educators, land managers, organizations and corporations committed to teaching and instilling the values of Leave No Trace;

7. Is inclusive, for all people, and focused on all non-motorized recreation activities occurring on natural lands;

8. Is apolitical and dedicated to education;

9. Does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, religion, marital status, military status or disability;

10. Remains committed to its mission, core values, projects and programs without deviation.

AMC partners with Leave No Trace, Inc. to promote responsible outdoor recreation. Leave No Trace, Inc. has established the seven Leave No Trace Principles that serve as guidelines for those who enjoy outdoor recreation.

You can learn more about AMC’s committment to LNT on the AMC Leave No Trace web page.

What Does Global Warming Mean for the Northeast?

2008-05-04T10:43:00.000-04:00

Global warming is a social issue that presents, individually and collectively, grave problems and greater opportunities. It means necessary change: the question becomes, do we ignore or minimize the problems, and watch our landscapes, economies and quality of life alter and erode; or do we make proactive changes in our energy choices and technologies, thereby creating economic opportunity, more sustainable local ecosystems, and a more peaceful, equitable world for our children? Clean Air-Cool Planet is working to help the Northeast lead the way in demonstrating both the need for, and benefits of, global warming solutions. http://www.cleanair-coolplanet.org

SI DRAFT GRANT APPLICATION

2008-05-03T15:51:00.000-04:00

Click on title for draft grant application (version April 26, 2008) for the new project: That's Amore: Caring for Sandy, also known as the SI Sustainability Project.

Please feel free to edit and contribute to the details for goals, activities, timeline, budget, etc.

Ellie 617 965-9637

RECYCLING $$$

2008-04-26T14:05:00.000-04:00

Research by Trish Moody (Week 7), 2007

I FIGURE EACH WEEK WE THROW AWAY ABOUT 175 X 7 X 2 - 3 THAT'S 2450 BOTTLES OR CANS PER WEEK, MULTIPLIED BY 9 WEEKS PLUS LABOR DAY PLUS NORTHWOODS, ETC.

ALUMINUM PRICES AS YOU KNOW HAVE BEEN ROCKETING UPWARDS ALONG WITH ALL OTHER METALS - HAVEN;T CHECKED WHAT'S GOING ON WITH PLASTICS - BUT THERE'S MONEY IN THEM THERE ALUMINUM OR PLASTIC CONTAINERS - NOT INCLUDING CONTAINERS THE KITCHEN USES AND VARIOUS OTHER THINGS WE BRING OVER - WINE BOTTLES FOR INSTANCE AND THROW AWAY. $$$$$$$$$$$$

AFTER CAMP I DID A LITTLE RESEARCH. NEW HAMPSHIRE HAS MANY, MANY ACTIVE RECYCLING PROGRAMS. I TALKED WITH THE HEAD OF THE TUFTONBORO RECYCLING CENTER WHO EXPLAINED THEIR PROCESS - YOU NEED A STICKER - AND WHO TOLD ME THAT NORTH WOODS DOES INDEED TAKE RECYCLING MATERIALS TO THEM. THE RECYCLING CENTER DOES NOT PAY US FOR THE ALUMINUM - THEY SELL IT AND USE THE $89,000 THEY COLLECT PER MONTH FOR THE TOWN, SO IT'S A PROFITABLE OPERATION. THEY ALSO RECYCLE AND SELL CARDBOARD.

THE DIRECTOR PROMISED TO CALL BACK WITH MORE INFO BUT HE HAS NOT. I CAN FIND MY NOTES AND GIVE THE RECYCLING SALES $$$$$ MANAGER HIS NAME AND PHONE NUMBER AS SOON AS YOU TELL ME WHO TO GIVE IT TO.

THERE ARE OTHER RECYCLING CENTERS IN VARIOUS TOWNS. BUT IF YOU WANT TO MAKE MONEY OFF THE SCRAP METAL AND PLASTIC, YOU WILL HAVE TO DO A BIT MORE RESEARCH TO CONNECT WITH THE GUYS WHO BUY THE RECYCLED MATERIALS - EITHER THE ONES WHO BUY FROM THE TOWNS, OR SOME OTHER DEALERS - , PERHAPS COMBINE THE SANDY ISLAND SCRAP METAL, PLASTIC, GLASS, PAPER AND CARDBOARD, WITH MATERIALS FROM OTHER CAMPS, WHICH WOULD MAKE A NICE VOLUME FOR RESALE. . $$$$$$$ PROBABLY COULD BUY A FEW MORE BEACH CHAIRS....

BEST REGARDS, TRICIA

Unplug Your Kids

2008-04-23T16:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Earth Day! (April 22nd)

http://www.unplugyourkids.com/

Earthways: Simple Environmental Activities for Young Children (Paperback)
by Carol Petrash (Author), Donald Cook (Illustrator)

Earthwise (Paperback)
by Carol Petrash (Author)

Nature's Art Box: From t-shirts to twig baskets, 65 cool projects for crafty kids to make with natural materials you can find anywhere (Paperback) http://www.kidsgardeningstore.com/11-6141.html

Getting Rid of Litter

Pick it up
Pack it out
When you see somebody throw it on the ground, give a shout ...

Planning for a Greener Sandy Island

2008-04-22T13:23:00.001-04:00

Ellie Goldberg Jan 2008

Sandy Island http://si.bostonycamps.org/

Many veteran Sandy Island families have fond memories of the deer that used to share the island with us.

Many of us have favorite photos of a deer family or two in a soft shaft of afternoon sunlight taken near the Chapel or Juliet's Point. In my family movies, taken at Sandy twenty years ago, my daughters are hand-feeding Vanilla Wafers to a faun and her mother among the trees behind our cabin.

But the deer were not good for the island. In 1998, students from the University of New Hampshire Department of Natural Resources did an audit of Sandy's Island's natural resources. After evaluating Sandy's forest and wetland management practices and doing an inventory of vegetation, trees and wildlife species, the researchers concluded that the island's 66-acres could not support even a small population of six deer. The deer were eating the understory of bushes and trees.

So the deer had to go. The report also documented serious erosion and damage in high use areas from vehicle and foot traffic. It recommended a list of changes and improvements to preserve and protect the island, including ways to stabilize the soil by better management of water drainage and soil run-off.

These improvements have been ongoing but are often an invisible and unappreciated part of island operations and management. More visible are the recent infrastructure upgrades and repairs required after the extreme storms that caused major damage in the past few years.

No doubt about it – the climate is changing. The winters in the region are warmer and the duration of ice cover on New Hampshire's lakes has decreased.. On Lake Winnipesaukee, for example, the average ice-out date now occurs eight days earlier than a century ago and the lake ice cover is thinning. This limits the time that trucks and loads of supplies necessary for major repair projects have access to Sandy Island during the winter months.

As you may have read in the past few Grains of Sandy, the Sandy Island Camper Improvement Committee has been discussing our island's ongoing and long term conservation needs – related to people as well as the weather.

We are talking about involving campers and staff in preserving the "nature" of Sandy by reducing our impact on Sandy's fragile ecosystem. According to the 1998 inventory, Sandy was home to twenty species of trees, fourteen shrub species, and a variety of herbacius species such as cinnamon fern, sensitive fern, Canadian dogwood, wood sorrel partridgeberry, sheep laurel, redberry wintergreen, woolgrass, and Virginia Bugleweed. (How many of these are still there? Scavenger hunt, anyone?) To see the amazing list of Sandy Island species look for the UNH report on the shelf in Sandwall Lodge.

We know we can keep costs down by conserving water, electricity and fuel just as many of us doing in our homes and communities. We are also working on quality of life issues. We will be starting a new campaign to promote the "Sandy spirit," the sense of caring and responsibility that we hope will lead to less litter, trash and waste and will better protect the facilities such as the courts and expensive equipment from misuse and damage. Watch for more improvements in our food service, camp store, and many other camp areas and activities.

- 0 -

Grains of Sandy Newsletter articles 2007

2008-04-22T12:30:00.000-04:00

Sandy Island http://si.bostonycamps.org/
Grains of Sandy Newsletter
Volume 1, Issue 2 Page 4 2/2007
“Recycling on Sandy Island. . . A Challenging Possibility”
by Ellie Goldberg, Week 7

Most of our home communities save money through municipal programs that divert glass, metal and plastic from the trash. For many of us, the recycling programs have been around for so long that separating recyclables is second nature.

I always wondered why there was no recycling at SI. It seems out of sync with the natural beauty we enjoy and the ecological values I live by at home. So last year I started asking about the possibility of recycling with a few other campers and with new staffer Jim Sullivan who has worked on community recycling projects in his "real life."

In September I proposed that the Sandy Island Camper Committee set up an "environmental issues subcommittee" to conduct an audit of SI's trash system and to survey campers' and staff's attitudes and suggestions about starting to recycle at SI.

Obviously, Sandy Island presents unique challenges to recycling. An audit would ask: how much trash does SI produce? How much does it cost (time and money) to dump it? How much of the trash is recyclable? How much might be saved by re-engineering the waste system at Sandy? Is it possible to reduce waste and trash?

What we know. . . . .Jim Sullivan reported that cardboard is SI's heaviest recyclable material. It is currently burned so it is not part of the trash that is hauled off island. SI's other recyclable materials that now go into the trash include plastics, tin, aluminum and glass -- mostly food containers. SI waste/trash is combined with North Woods and Pleasant Valley's trash and Casella Waste Systems, Inc. hauls it to a Wolfeboro site. They do not provide pickup of any recyclables but it is in their future plans.

There aren't any other companies that offer pickup and hauling of recyclables in that area. There are recycling drop-off centers in Wolfeboro and Meredith, where the city trash drop-off centers are located. However both of these locations would be a 30-minute haul from either North Woods or Harilla.

Stay tuned for additional news when a trash audit and a camper/staff survey are developed. If you have comments or suggestions for the environmental issues committee, please send them to Ellie Goldberg, at ellie.goldberg@gmail.com.

_____________

Protecting the Sense of Wonder at Sandy Island
By Ellie Goldberg, Week 7

For many of us, Sandy Island provides a week-long sustained immersion in nature that we don't get anywhere else. Sandy Island has a magical quality that creates deep sensory memories that nourish us and our children all year long.

That "Sandy Sensation" reminds me of what author Rachel Carson wrote about as "a sense of wonder." She wrote, "Not only does nature sustain us physically, it can also engender in us, if we allow it, a... sense of wonder so indestructible that it would last throughout life, as an unfailing antidote against .. alienation from the sources of our strength.

Rachel Carson (1907 – 1964) was a scientist and celebrated nature writer. She wrote several books including The Sea Around Us, Under the Sea Wind, and The Edge of the Sea but she is best known for her 1962 book, Silent Spring. It was a call to action that created such a sense of urgency to protect the fragile ecosystem from toxic chemicals that it started the "environmental movement. Carson's life was dedicated to helping people understand the web of life, the intimate connection between health and the quality of the environment.

Now, as I look forward to another summer at Sandy (and with evidence of climate change growing by the day) I am thinking about the fragile ecology of Sandy and the larger environment Sandy is part of. At the last camper committee meeting, Anna Young was talking about the special joy of sharing Sandy Island with parents and children, and mentioned the new book by Richard Louv, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder.

Louv describes how the broken bond between children growing up today and the natural world causes extensive personal and cultural losses. Like Rachel Carson, Louv's believes that "Healing the broken bond between our young and nature is in our self interest…because our mental, physical, and spiritual health depends on it. The health of the Earth is at stake."

Ever since participating in discussions about the overpopulation of deer several years ago, I have been interested in learning more about the ecology of Sandy and wondered how I could help preserve it. Since writing about recycling in the last Grains of Sandy, several people have told me or Jim Sullivan that they also are interested in being on an "environmental issues" committee. Our first task will be to draft a survey to help identify and prioritize issues and educational needs and to develop recommendations to assist the camp administration in targeting efforts.

I invite anyone who has an interest in ecology, recycling, environmental health and safety to contact me. Ellie Goldberg, Week 7, (617) 965-9637, ellie.goldberg@gmail.com

Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life.” Rachel Carson

Our Beautiful Isle of Sandy: by Ellie Goldberg (Week 7) with thanks to Beth Howell (Week 2) and Jim Sullivan (Staff)

Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long aslife lasts. (Rachel Carson)

Sandy Island is a fragile ecosystem. The Sandy Island Camper Committee has been discussing how we can preserve what we treasure most about Sandy Island. Sandy Island does not consume a lot of material resources compared to most other vacation lands. However, we need to protect water quality and reduce erosion. And we can lower or slow the increasing cost of fuel and improve our "ecological footprint" by planning to conserve electricity and to reduce waste.

An Inspiring Example

Beth Howell (Week 2), describes how a resort on the island of St. Johns in the U.S. Virgin Islands is a superb model -- it promotes guest comfort and protects the island's ecosystem at the same time. Some of the ideas that work on St. Johns might not apply to life on Sandy Island, but perhaps the most impressive thing is that they have looked closely at what they use and what they abuse. For some guests it is enlightenment.

On St. Johns there are elevated boardwalks and walkways to protect the vegetation, to prevent soil erosion and to allow the animals to contiue to live in their natural environment. The tent cottages remind me of Sandy, writes Beth. The building construction techniques minimize the removal of vegetation. The walls and roofs are made of a waterproof recycled tarp-like material.

The rainwater catchments on almost every building supply water to the laundry, housekeeping facilities and the bathhouses. They use aerators on faucets and spring action faucets and showers to save water. They have clean and odor-free waterless urinals. Waste water is pumped intoa large aeration tank where nature's own bacteria go to work. They have organic gardens and orchards.

Because they were generating a lot of glass and there is no recycling, they created a program called "Trash to Treasure." There is a glass blowing studio with equipment and staff training. The glass-art makes a profit! Guests make art paper from the pulp of shredded office paper and other fine arts and craft projects such as ceramic pendants and wind chimes. Departing guests leave usable items for newcomers such as shampoo, suntan lotion, groceries, Kleenex, magazines, and paperbacks books about the island. It creates a feeling of personal connectedness with other like-minded individuals and kindred spirits.

Put Your Thinking Caps On. (Here is a starter list from your SI Camper Committee. Throughout the summer your Camper Committee reps will be asking for your suggestions and feedback.)

• To reduce disposables, use and refill personal travel mugs, ceramic mugs, water bottles and other beverage containers.

• Provide sinks outside the dining hall where campers can wash their hands and also wash refillable travel mugs.

• Purchase biodegradable hot and cold cups.

• Purchase from local food producers.

• For staff and camper health, purchase "green" cleaning products without perfumes and toxic ingredients.

• Unplug cell phone, computer and iPod chargers. (Did you know they still draw energy even when not charging?)

• More bat boxes for mosquito control.

• Report to campers and staff how much water and energy we use.

• More programming for children and families about the ecology of Sandy Island.

• Investigate possibilities for recycling.

Education and Communication

In the last two summers, Jim Sullivan introduced the kids at the Little Red School House to the flora and fauna at Sandy Island. The kids were given a short island tour including some easily identifiable trees and plants, the lagoon, and the water tank. This summer, Jim will be develop similar age-appropriate programs for the CAVE and Junior programs focusing on how the island works – from water and kitchen to plants and paths.

Did You Know?

Did you know that a power line runs to the island from Long Island in a conduit on the bottom of the lake? You can see the conduit at the bottom of the lake if you are swimming by North Dock. Sandy Island is also replacing an old water storage tank where the water is kept once it comes up out of the ground before going to the bathrooms for use. New tanks behind the shop will make our water system more efficient.

Jim suggests developing a comprehensive land-use plan including erosion control, forest management, and protection of native vegetation and wildlife. All of the un-vegetated ground around the center of camp could be planted with vegetation or covered with gravel or mulch to prevent the tons of soil going into the lake each year.

New programming will include island tours early in each week to introduce newcomers to the ecology and history of the island and give "old-timers" a chance to reconnect and share favorite stories and memories. Future plans include creating eco-teams -- groups of campers or families joining one or more staff members for brief or extended time periods to work on eco-projects around the island.

In every out-thrust headland, in every curving beach, in every grain of sand there is a story of the earth. (Rachel Louise Carson)

That's Amore!

Nominate a Big Tree in Honor of National Walk in the Woods Day 5/21

Celebrate the Life and Legacy of John Muir

National Environmental Education Week: Ocean Connections April 10-16, 2011

Island Water Protection

Reading The Sea Around Us

PollinatorLIVE: A Distance Learning Adventure

Bee Hunt Bumble Bee Nest Survey Goldenrod Challenge Great Sunflower Project Hands on the Land Journey North Lost Ladybug Project Monarch Larva Monitoring Project MonarchHealth Monarch Watch Tagging and Waystations Project BudBurst USA – National Phenology Network Vanessa Migration Project

Improving Children's Health Through Nature

Sindy's SANDY ISLAND PLANT INVENTORY

Sindy Hempstead's Plant Inventory, Sandy Island 8/22/09

Beyond the Classroom

A Place for Wonder

The Sense of Wonder

The Sense of Wonder

http://www.bowkerreads.com/reviews/non-fiction/family/the-sense-of-wonder/

Australian town set for ‘world-first’ bottled water ban

EARLY SPRING

An Ecologist and Her Children Wake to a Warming World

by Amy Seidlreviewed by Alison Hawthorne Deming (http://www.orionmagazine.org)

Beacon Press, 2009. $24.95, 192 pages.

Childhood and Nature

Childhood and Nature

Design Principles for Educators

by David Sobel, reviewed by K. Meagan Ledendecker

Stenhouse Publishers, 2008. $17.50, 178 pages.

Review published in the May/June 2009 issue of Orion magazine

What is Green

What is Green?

(from www.greendepot.com/)

Icon System

Children & Nature Network March 2009

Children & Nature Network

New Hampshire Estuaries Project

Ocean Trash

Activites for Kids in Nature

eNature Quicklinks

LocalNature: Your neck of the woods

Reconnecting Children and Nature

NH Children In Nature Coalition

Green Projects

National Green Week

Recycling Education

Being green comes naturally to bakery owners

The Green Hour

A Hero Workshop for Camp Counselors

Camp Counselors

Rachel Carson Contest Winners 2008

Sandy Island Mushrooms

In praise of mushrooms

Saturday morning on the lodge porch.

Blowing your nose

Sustainibility

Golden Chanterelles

A no-lead law for loons

A no-lead law for loons

SWAP YOUR PHONE

Flipswap is Free

Flipswap is Fast

Flipswap is Green

Flipswap is Fair

Save Energy -- Make Cold Brewed Coffee

Cold Brewed Coffee Using a French Press

Would You Pay 1000 Times More For Gasoline If It Came In A Bottle?

PROTECTING POLLINATORS

New Shower Curtain Smell is Gross

Child of Wonder

Eco Labels Around the world

Use Plain Soap and Water

Needless Waste

Responding to Climate Change

Make Every Day Earth Day

Avoiding BPA and Phthalates

Think Before You Pink

Kids and Nature

Green Love

Explore Nature

Citizen Scientists Monitor Climate Change

Forest Flower Watch

Food Scraps Aren't Waste

Bee Hunt
Bumble Bee Nest Survey
Goldenrod Challenge
Great Sunflower Project
Hands on the Land
Journey North
Lost Ladybug Project
Monarch Larva Monitoring Project
MonarchHealth
Monarch Watch Tagging and Waystations
Project BudBurst
USA – National Phenology Network
Vanessa Migration Project

by Amy Seidl
reviewed by Alison Hawthorne Deming (http://www.orionmagazine.org)