Wednesday, January 13, 2010

   Jack Branagan: Kids Going Green

Grades: K-8; At 11:30 am            Auditorium; $2.00 per person

Students awareness of conservation, natural resources, recycling, and pollution has increased dramatically. However, terms like carbon footprint, global warming and climate change are relatively new. This program will explore these terms and provide a clearer understanding about what we can do around our homes, schools, and communities to help make planet Earth a safer place to live and grow. In a fast paced dialogue students quickly learn about the energy used to keep us alive and comfortable. Children will learn that many forms of energy used today: coal, oil, and natural gas all come from plants and animals that died and were compressed millions of years ago. When we burn these fuels to create energy the waste product is the carbon which these same plants and animals were made up of. Where is this carbon going? Unfortunately into our air! Through an unforgettable experiment on stage girls and boys see how this carbon accumulates in the atmosphere creating a giant blanket around our planet. As with any blanket, it traps in heat resulting in global warming.   Students will learn about conserving energy, what is being done today using the older forms of energy compared to the newer forms of energy which do not create carbon as well as recycling and conservation.  This is a perfect compliment to the Museum's exhibition Rising Tide: Climate Change and New Jersey.  Related New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards: 5.1, 5.3, 5.4, and 5.7.

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

   Jack Branagan: Big Bug Show

Grades: K-8; At 11:30 am            Auditorium; free

Jack the big bug hunter is on an insect safari searching for the biggest bug in the world. Creating a shadow play, by using a 25'x12' scrim and six students from the audience, Jack picks his way through the jungle foliage coming face to face with Leroy, the Big Bug. Leroy is a fluorescent insect puppet measuring eight feet tall and through special lighting effects, loveable Leroy becomes the focal point of a fast-paced discussion of insect body parts. With lots of fun and surprises, the children learn about Leroy's head, the antennae, compound eyes, varied mouth parts, his thorax (including his legs and wings), and his abdomen with its stinger, spiracles, and heart. Accompanying all this puppet fun is an ongoing slide presentation showing actual insect body parts in graphic detail. Boys and girls learn that the majority of insects play an important role in the balance of nature. Throughout this lively tapestry of the insect world, Jack weaves his philosophy ; as intelligent life we should learn to enjoy, understand, and most of all respect all forms of life from the mighty whale to the tiniest insect. Related New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards: 5.1,5.3,5.4, and 5.7.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

   Philly Zoo on Wheels: Born in the USA

Grades: K-8; At 11:30 am            Auditorium; $2.00 per person

From polar bears to porcupines, sea turtles and snakes, the United States is home to a rich diversity of habitats and animals. A traveling naturalist from the Philadelphia Zoo will bring artifacts along with 4 live animals for this 50 minute interactive presentation that teaches about animals, habitats and conservation, polar bears not included!  Related New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards: 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 4.1, 4.4, 5.8, and 5.10.

For more details and registration information, visit the New Jersey Conservation Foundation website   Nature Photography workshop   Dwight Hiscano demonstrates some tricks of the trade. Fall 2009 Events Schedule   NOVEMBER   Donald Jones Memorial Hike Our most popular hike. Choose from three hikes of varying lengths on preserved properties in the scenic Wickecheoke Creek Preserve.  Held each year in memory of the late conservationist Donald Jones, the hikes are followed by a festive reception at the Prallsville Mill.

Attention Grades K thru 12 Environmental Education Program

Let us come to your school with our 60 minute Free Multimedia Presentation adaptable to Grades K-2, 3-5, 6-7-8 thru 12. We are equipped to do individual classroom or assembly presentations.

Program Standards: Grades 6-8: Program meets NJCCCS 5.8.B.2; 5.8.D.1; 5.10.A.1; 5.10.B.1, .2 Grades 3-5: Program meets NJCCCS 5.8.B.2; 5.8.D.1; 5.10.B.1

“Passaic Valley Sewerage Commissioners Education Outreach Program has heightened the environmental awareness of our entire school system.” Dr. McGeehan, Ed.D. Superintendent of Bayonne Public Schools.

RESERVE YOUR DATE TODAY!

Contact Information: Vanessa or Donna Phone: (973)466-2908 Fax: (973)344-7114 Email: marvin@pvsc.com
Check us out on the web! www.pvsc.com
PVSC 600 Wilson Ave, Newark, NJ 07105

Help The Environment
Calling all 6th Grade thru High School Students
Your School or Organization can participate in a shoreline cleanup.

Teachers and Coordinators
We will supply all the bags and gloves and remove the trash and site selection.
All we need is you! Get involved and ““Make A Difference””

For clean up information & Sponsorship Contact: Matthew Krone River Restoration Outreach Coordinator @ Phone (973)466-2714 Fax (973)344-7114 E-Mail: cleanriver@pvsc.com

Click HERE.

Follow the link below to the Essex County Environmental Center's Fall 2009 Program Calendar.If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to contact me or the Center staff and we will gladly assist you.It is our goal to deliver cutting edge and exceptional programming and opportunities. Your ideas and opinions are important to us.If there is something you would like to see more of at the Center or in our programming, then please let us know.We are here to serve you!I look forward to seeing you and your family this fall season.

Tara M Casella
Environmental Coordinator/Center Manager
County of Essex, Department of Parks

Essex County Environmental Center
621-B Eagle Rock Avenue
Roseland, NJ 07068
Phone: 973-228-8776
Fax: 973-228-3793
Email: tcasella@parks.essexcountynj.org
www.essexcountynj.org

Earth Days

Help Us Reach A Billion Acts of Green - Register your Acts of Green Today! Calculate Your Ecological Footprint Read Our Blog

EARTHDAY NETWORK and founding Earth Day organizer Denis Hayes are PROUD SUPPORTERS of EARTHDAYS OPENINGAT A THEATER NEAR YOU! A 'don't miss' movie...see it with friendsopening weekend! It is now all the rage in the Age of Al Gore andObama, but can you remember when everyone in America was not "Going Green"? Visually stunning, vastly entertaining and awe-inspiring, Earth Days looks back to the dawn anddevelopment of the modern environmental movement-from its post-war rustlingsin the 1950s and the 1962 publication of Rachel Carson's incendiary bestseller Silent Spring, to the firstwildly successful 1970 Earth Day celebration and the subsequent firestorm ofpolitical action.   EarthDays' secret weapon is a one-two punch of personal testimony andrare archival media. The extraordinary stories of the era's pioneers-amongthem Former Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall; biologist/Population Bomb author Paul Ehrlich; Whole Earth Catalog founder Stewart Brand; ApolloNine astronaut Rusty Schweickart; and renewable energy pioneer HunterLovins-are beautifully illustrated with an incredible array of footage fromcandy-colored Eisenhower-era tableau to classic tear-jerking 1970santi-litterbug PSAs. Directed by acclaimed documentarian Robert Stone(Oswald's Ghost, Guerrilla: The Taking ofPatty Hearst) EarthDays is both a poetic meditation on humanity's complex relationshipwith nature and an engaging history of the revolutionary achievements-andmissed opportunities-of groundbreaking eco-activism. Find an EARTH DAYS theater near you! Group Discounts available. Contact nevette@previdconsulting.com for details Watch the trailer and visit the EARTH DAYS website Read an article by filmmaker Robert Stone (and watch clips) at The Huffington Post Become a fan of EARTH DAYS on Facebook The EARTH DAYS poster can be purchased from Posteritati A ZEITGEIST FILMS RELEASE http://www.zeitgeistfilms.com

2009 Earth Day Network 1616 P Street NW, Suite 340 Washington, D.C. 20036 USA +1 202.518.0044

If you prefer to read this email in your web browser, please click here.

August 10-17 Spread your wings and reach for the Skylands this and every week this summer. Don't wait; its over before you know it! Jersey Peach It seems that despite the swampy conditions during most of this summer, peaches have held their own. Get your fruit on Saturday (8/15) at Windy Brow Farms annual Peach Festival! Several varieties of peaches, seasonal fruits, tastings, desserts, ice cream, cute farm animals, and free drawings. 10am - 4pm. Free admission. 359 Ridge Road (Rt 519). Newton; 973/579-9657 You can also get fresh picked peaches at Brook Hollow Farm in Columbia. There is no special event, but it's a beautiful spot, right around the corner from the SkyFest event this weekend. Rt. 94 to Frog Pond Road, 908-496-4577 A recent hail storm wiped out much of the plum and nectarine crop at Peaceful Valley Orchards in Pittstown. In order to prevent the spread of disease from fruit rot, the farm has opened the orchardso that you can pick your own hail-damaged fruit, still perfect for making preserves, freezing, pies, and baking. The cost is $.99lb or $20 for a ½ bushel basket. 150 Pittstown Rd, 908-713-1705 Farmer's Markets in the Skylands. On The Trail Stokes Forest. Photo by John F. Hark Take a hike through New Jersey's big woods, Stokes State Forest. No wonder Stokes comes first to most people's minds when somebody says "New Jersey State Park." It's really an amazing place, and a visit in the next few weeks will afford you coolness beneath the tall trees. The famous notch that characterizes Warren County's western skyline is where the Kittatinny Mountains have given way to eons of gentle persuasion by the Delaware River, creating one of the most majestic of New Jersey's natural features between Mount Tammany and Mount Minsi in Pennsylvania. The Delaware Water Gaphiking trails are among the most beautiful in the state. Or begin to explore the Highlands Trail network along a broad band of foothill and watershed systems linking the Hudson River from north of Bear Mountain, southwest across Sussex and Morris Counties to the Delaware River in Warren and Hunterdon Counties. A fabulous morning to be alive. Breakfast with a view over Warren County. For those of us who have neither the time nor the inclination for a six-month ridge run from Georgia to Maine, the 42-mile New Jersey stretch on the Applachian Trail offers some very exciting possibilities. The entire stretch in Jersey is intersected by country lanes or Park roads every 5 to 10 miles. This means that, with a little planning and a map or two, the Jersey section can be conquered one day at a time in seven modest day-hikes. Or all at once! Stay Cool! Click for Delaware River Trip Discounts! Subscribe! Northwest New Jersey and destinations just beyond those borders, in Pennsylvania and New York, are equally intriguing and convenient offer colorful ways to get out and enjoy the pleasures of the season. Keep an eye on our calendar for great things to do all the time! And we've got a crop of new stories to help you on your way. If you like what you read and don't subscribe, you can get a copy of our summer publication here. If you've received free copiesfor a while, and you'd like to continue, please consider a paid subscription. It has become impossible to fulfill our entire list for free. Or you can pick up a copy at any one of these distribution points. Home Page | Current Stories| Events | Area Maps | Getaway Packages & Discounts | Contents Skylands Visitor Magazine, PO Box 329, Columbia, NJPrivacy Statement

JULY 2009

Help Us Reach A Billion Acts of Green - Register your Acts of Green Today! Calculate Your Ecological Footprint Read Our Blog

Nobel Prize Winners Join 40th Anniversary Advisory Committee From Nobel Prize winners, Vice President Al Gore and Dr. Rajendra Kumar Pachauri, chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change; to Shaquille O'Neal, the American basketball star; and famed architect and environmentalist Maya Lin, high powered individuals joining the 40th Anniversary Advisory Committee also include Mrs. Gaylord Nelson, wife of Earth Day Founder Senator Gaylord Nelson; and original Earth Day organizer Denis Hayes.Christo and Jeanne-Claude and Pete Seeger are among the artists who have also joined the committee.In addition to lending their names to the environmental movement, key members will also be speaking on behalf of Earth Day Network for the Earth Day 40th Anniversary. Call the Senate to Strengthen the Climate Bill The U.S. House took an historic step earlier this month by passing a climate change bill by a close margin.While, the bill represents the first step toward carbon reduction policies, Earth Day Network recommends an increase in the level of carbon emissions reductions, an auction of 100 percent of carbon permits and more money for green job training and displaced workers.Call your senators today at 202-224-3121 and urge the Senate to pass an even tougher climate change bill! Register Your Green Acts Today! In honor of Earth Day's 40th anniversary in April 2010, Earth Day Network aims to catalyze A Billion Acts of Green worldwide and you can help! Whether it is planting a tree, recycling, or simply changing a light bulb, you can make the hope a reality.Join Earth Day Network in this effort and register your personal action here! Join Us on Facebook and Twitter! Earth Day Network helps activists connect, interact, and have an impact on their communities, helping create positive change in local, national, and global policies. Using Facebook and Twitter, we are forming a community of diverse individuals devoted to civic engagement and environmental advocacy: The Green Generation™.Join us on Facebookand Twitter to stay up-to-date on how you can help others and how others can help you, too! Share your ideas and causes and connect with our community of advocates, organizations, and individuals, in order to make a difference and celebrate 40 years of Earth Day. New on Earth Day TV - Inspirational Award-Winning Grassroots Environmental Leaders This year's Goldman Environmental Prize winners prove that grassroots environmental work can make a huge impact in saving the world's resources and improving human health. Nominated by Earth Day Network, Maria Gunnoe of West Virginia won a 2009 award for her fight to protect her family and community from the devastating effects of coal mining in the heart of Appalachia. Watch and learn about the heroic efforts of Maria and other leaders around the globe on Earth Day Television at www.earthdaytv.net.

2009 Earth Day Network 1616 P Street NW, Suite 340 Washington, D.C. 20036 USA +1 202.518.0044

Click HERE.

SUNDAY SCIENCE
LECTURE SERIES
SPACE IS LIMITED!!!
TO MAKE YOUR RESERVATIONS
E-mail the Friends of the NJSM: friends.museum@sos.state.nj.us Or call: (609) 292-8594

Please check NJSM's new website for a full listing of all of the Museum's exciting programs, exhibits, and events throughout the year.
www.newjerseystatemuseum.org

We are proud to offer exceptional and innovative programming in natural history, archaeology, space science, ethnology, cultural history, fine art, and much, much more!

The New Jersey State Museum is excited to offer a second, expanded season of the Sunday Science Lecture Series, sponsored by the Friends of the New Jersey State Museum.Scholarly, yet family-friendly lectures will be presented in the Museum's Auditorium by some of the world's most distinguished and prominent researchers in the fields of paleontology, paleo-artistry, climate change, archaeology, wildlife science, and exploration.

Arrive early to tour the newly expanded Fossil Mysteries exhibit in the Auditorium galleries and meet the Museum's paleontologists.Following each lecture, guests will have the opportunity to ask questions, share their own experiences and ideas, and meet the featured lecturer while enjoying light refreshments.

Space is limited.
Reserve your seats early!

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Free Admission - Free Parking
Museum Auditorium
Each lecture begins at 4pm.
Light refreshments will be served.
For more information, or to make reservations, please call (609) 292-8594

You find them in hanging flower baskets, an old boot, garage shelf, or under a bridge, birds build nests in the strangest places! That's the theme for the newest environmental challenge from our Celebrate Urban Birds project: Funky Nests in Funky Places! As you may know, Celebrate Urban Birds is a free, year-round citizen-science project from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, focused on birds in neighborhood settings.
Click HERE for full details.

The NJ Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is pleased to announce that applications for the 2009 Governor's Environmental Excellence Awards program are now available.

This awards program was established at DEP 10 years ago to recognize outstanding environmental performance, programs and projects throughout the state.

Please share this with school faculty, parks, nature centers, museums and environmental organizations, youth leaders, corporate, business and civic leaders, volunteers, and others you may work with in the fields of environmental education, education, environmental protection and natural resources.

Awards are given in 9 categories: Clean Air, Healthy Ecosystems, Clean & Plentiful Water, Innovative Technology, Land Conservation, Sustainable & Healthy Communities, Leadership, Stewardship, and Education. Nominations are accepted from individuals, organizations or businesses.

To learn more, please visit the Awards website at www.nj.gov/dep/eeawards/ or call Dean Anderson (DEP) at (609) 777-1949.

Vibrant vireos, warblers and flycatchers; sparkling butterflies, damselflies and dragonflies; colorful carpets of wildflowers, ferns and mosses...

All are returning to New Jersey's natural spaces. Indeed, it is spring and all the colors, fragrances and wonder of nature will awaken your spirit.

Now is the time to visit New Jersey Audubon Society's ten nature centers around the state. Now is the time to TRY NATURE!

When you visit a New Jersey Audubon nature center, you will be transported to a world of wonder through exciting hands-on programs conducted by experienced teacher-naturalists whose knowledge is only excelled by their willingness to share.

Get outside... treat yourself to the hidden treasures that abound in our Garden State. Try Nature today!

To find out more about New Jersey Audubon Society's nature centers and Try Nature activities, visit http://ga1.org/ct/T1AYZUn1Ume_/

Happy Spring From Your Friends at New Jersey Audubon!
--------------------------------------------------
Visit the web address below to tell your friends about this. http://ga1.org/join-forward.html?domain=njaudubon&r=E1AYZUnqcd41
If you received this message from a friend, you can sign up for New Jersey Audubon Society at: http://ga1.org/njaudubon/join.html?r=E1AYZUnqcd41E

The Fledging Birders program encourages you to take your students birding this spring!

Start their morning (and yours!) off on the right track with a refreshing bird walk around the campus. Or, help them unwind after a busy day bybirding after school. Either way, the Schoolyard Birding Challenge (_www.fledgingbirders.org/challenge.html_ (http://www.fledgingbirders.org/challenge.html) ) can help promote excitement for your bird outings through a bit of friendly competition for schools nationwide.

By the way, it's totally FREE and you can win prizes for your class!

Based on the feedback of our participants, we have made severalexciting enhancements to the Schoolyard Birding Challenge. We alsoresolved some technical issues that were causing submissions to be lost incyberspace.

1) Through a new partnership, we are able to offer our participants a free bird song CD* to help learnthose common birds songs. Check out _www.fledgingbirders.org/challenge.html_ (http://www.fledgingbirders.org/challenge.html) formore information!* - while supplies last!

2) We are proud to announce a pilot launch of our new Schoolyard Birding Challenge network. Your group can share bird sightings, display your bird photos, and even get help identifying birds from other young birders acrossNorth America. Simply visit _www.youngbirders.ning.com_ (http://www.youngbirders.ning.com/)to signup and start talking birds with other schools!

3) We've added a new Youth Bird Conservation Effort to the contest. Check out the "HELP THE BIRDS" link to learn some simple things thatyour students can do to help local birds. If you perform some of these tasks,you can add a few "points" to your monthly total!

4) Need help identifying the birds?! Encourage your students to write down their observations in the field. Then, visit _www.rightbird.com_ (http://www.rightbird.com/)to get help withdiscovering the identity of your mystery birds. You can also seek help fromothers at _www.youngbirders.ning.com_ (http://www.youngbirders.ning.com/)where youcan describe or, better yet, upload digital photos of difficult to get helpin identifying them.

5) We have whittled the checklist on the Submission Forms down to the more widespread and common species in both regions. However, the old mega-checklists are still available for those of you that live in areas with manyspecialty birds OR find yourself needing more than 10 write-inboxes.

6) We've extended the Submission Deadline! Last year it was due on the 5th of the following month. We can now offer you an extra week to submit your list. The new deadline is the 12th of the following month.

7) After learning that some submissions were being misdirected, we will be replying to all submission within 24 hours of receipt. If you do not hear from us, please e-mail me directly!

We are expecting to make an extremely exciting announcement about the Schoolyard Birding Challenge for next school year.

Our nationwide target is to get 10,000 students outside and birding over the next 2 months. You can help bring the joy AND BENEFITS of birding to our youth by getting involved with, and spreading the word about, theSchoolyard Birding Challenge.

To help infuse birding into your existing curriculum, you may want to read our _NJEAReview_ (http://www.fledgingbirders.org/files/ThisClassisfortheBirds.pdf)article.

If you have any questions, please contact me.
Dave Magpiong
Program Director
http://www.fledgingbirders.org

Check Web site for each state deadline.
The US Fish and Wildlife Service contest is for young people (grades K-12) to submit a stamp design in their own state contest. Winners from each state compete in National contest. Prizes include cash, and a visit to Washington, DC, for the National winner, a parent, and their art teacher. Free curriculum guide available upon request.
http://www.fws.gov/juniorduck/ArtContest.htm

Registration for the NJ DEP Division of Fish and Wildlife's Hunter Education field sessions and exams is now open.The courses begin in March at locations throughout the state.

The Hunter Education course is a home-study based program where students use a DVD/video tape (also available online!), and a supplemental manual to complete a workbook.When students have completed the material they bring their completed workbook to a course location for the written exam and field session components.

For more information on the course and materials, and a link to online registration, visit http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/hunted.htm on the division's website.

The contest kit and further information is available online at http://www.conservewildlifenj.org/teacher/species/edge.html

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection's Division of Fish and Wildlife is offering the public more opportunities to learn about black bears and understand their behavior.Black bears have now been sighted in all 21 of New Jersey's counties so it is important for residents throughout the state to know the bear facts about black bears.

"Know the Bear Facts" education seminars are free and available to schools, municipalities, homeowner associations, civic and environmental organizations and a variety of other audiences.During the educational program, you will learn all about the Garden State's largest land mammal, and get common-sense tips on how to react if you encounter a black bear near your home or when you're enjoying the outdoors.What's more, the seminar will provide details on simple precautions you can take to discourage bears from becoming a nuisance near homes.

To inquire about scheduling, please contact Michelle Ruggiero at 908-637-4125 or by e-mail at Michelle.Ruggiero@dep.state.nj.us .

For more information about black bears, visit http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/bearinfo.htm .

Bird Watching Contest for New Jersey Schools

National Biodiversity Parks is proud to launch the National Schoolyard Birding Challenge (web site is www.fledgingbirders.org/challenge.html ). Part of NBP's Fledging Birders Program, this "contest" has been designed to promote awareness of local bird life for our youth within a motivating and interactive format. This program is significant to the conservation community as recruiting young birders helps build understanding and support for bird conservation issues from the local to global level.

For millions of Americans, bird watching is a relaxing and exciting outdoor leisure activity. As detailed in NJEA Review's October cover story, this popular hobby also holds many developmental benefits for our youth including:
- building observation skills
- improving ability to focus on tasks (great for students with ADD/ADHD)
- bolstering communication skills
- reinforcing curricular concepts.
The New Jersey Schoolyard Birding Challenge provides educators with a framework and resources for bringing these profound benefits of birding to their students. Teachers are encouraged to bring students outdoors and observe birds from school grounds.

Richard Crossley, co-author of The Shorebird Guide and founder of the Cape May Young Birders Club, encourages student participation in the program. "Getting children involved with the sport of birding is beneficial to both them and the birds. The Schoolyard Birding Challenge is THE way of introducing our younger generation to the diversity, accessibility, and fun of birding."

Whether you are a newcomer to EE Week or seasoned participant, our new online Nature Bees can help you to incorporate environmental education in your classroom curricula.

Developed in partnership with the National Wildlife Federation, EE Week's online Nature Bees offer students in grades K-12 the opportunity to test their knowledge of North American wildlife while encouraging them to get outside and explore their own schoolyards.Click on the links below to access a Nature Bee for your students:

• Elementary School Nature Bee (Grades K-4)
• Middle School Nature Bee (Grades 5-8)
• High School Nature Bee (Grades 9-12)

Each year, the Cape Atlantic Conservation District, in cooperation with New Jersey Association of Conservation Districts, sponsors an annual Poster Contest. The contest is sponsored each year by the District to help promote a better understanding of the environmental issues in Atlantic and Cape May Counties.

The theme varies from year to year, and is selected in coordination with the National Association of Conservation Districts. The contests are an opportunity for students to explore various natural resource conservation issues, and are a good way for teachers to meet New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards in Science, Social Studies and Visual Arts.

The poster contest is open to students in grades 2-12.Poster Contest Entry Forms are available from the District. Forms will be posted on this website when the contest begins.

An official registration form must be attached to each student's work, and all entries must comply with the contest rules.

For complete rules go to http://www.capeatlantic.org/posterContest.htm

It's that time of year again- National Pollution Prevention Week.Our theme this year is 'Your Mother Is Always Right'.So listen to Mother Nature and enjoy the five tips this week, starting with…

GO OUTSIDE AND PLAY

What better way to enjoy the great outdoors than to garden!Autumn is an excellent time to plant most trees.
The benefits of planting trees are enormous.
Among them:
• Trees increase the value of your home.
• A tree can absorb an annual average of 13 pounds of carbon a year.
• Streets with little or no shade need to be repaved twice as often as those with tree cover.
• Studies have shown that people are more inclined to get outdoors and exercise when their surroundings are greener.
• Roadside plantings and landscaping can reduce driver stress.
• Trees properly placed around buildings can reduce air conditioning and heating costs by as much as 50 percent.
• One acre of trees produces enough oxygen for 18 people every day.
• Trees bring us cleaner water because they act as natural filters and can slow runoff, lessening erosion and flooding.

Of course, using pesticides can make gardening a very unhealthy pastime.

Pesticides provide quick relief, but do not eliminate the source of problem. While certain pesticides are efficient tools for killing insects and disease, almost all do nothing to deter pests from coming back. To prevent a pest's return, it is necessary to change the conditions that have allowed the pest to thrive.

Extensive use of pesticides has led to pesticide resistance in many insects and weed species. Insects and weeds are hardy species that can adapt to survive. This means that after years of contact with commonly used pesticides, many species are no longer killed by them. It takes from two to five pesticide applications today to do the job that just one application accomplished in the 1970s. As a result, many resort to stronger chemicals which may have greater consequences for human and environmental health.

Pesticides cause harm to non-target species. Pesticides are toxic to many forms of life. Birds and beneficial insects that prey on harmful lawn and garden pests, such as ladybugs, lacewings, praying mantises, and pollinators like honeybees and butterflies can be killed when pesticides are applied. Increasingly, scientists are finding deformed fish and amphibians that may have been impacted by hormone disrupting pesticides in the environment.

Pesticides drift. Chemicals used on lawns and gardens don't stay put. They enter groundwater, streams and rivers. Pesticide particles attach to dust and soil, which we bring indoors on our shoes. Pesticides can evaporate into the air, then are carried on currents and deposited many miles away. Many harmful pesticides have been found in species that could not have been exposed through normal use. For example, DDT has been found in the tissue of polar bears and dolphins. By using pesticides, we contribute to environmental damage far beyond our yards.

FOR INFORMATION
on how you can reduce or eliminate your use of pesticides, check out the National Coalition for Pesticide-Free Lawns at www.beyondpesticides.org/pesticidefreelawns/resources/#guidance

FYI… we have a limited number of P2 Week posters.To view the poster go to www.p2.org/p2week/2006P2WeekPoster.cfm.Send an e-mail to Laura.Henne@dep.state.nj.us to request posters while supplies last.

WATCH WHAT YOU EAT

We all should consciously think about our food choices in terms of sustainability and appreciate the effect these choices have on the environment. Listed below are some ideas and suggestions to consider implementing in your personal food choices to help minimize our impact on the environment through the food we eat.

· Buy locally grown food and/or organically grown food. The further food is shipped to arrive at its consumer, the more pollution it creates through fossil fuel-based means of transportation. Some food grown overseas is doused with chemicals that are not allowed to be used here in the US. In these ways, purchasing organic and locally grown food cuts down on the amount of chemicals going into the soil and water (and into our food) and pollution going into the air.
· Shop at farmers' markets. Find farmers markets on http://www.localharvest.com. Join a CSA. Check http://www.csacenter.org to find a CSA near you. Eat at local restaurants that use local farmers' products. Ask in restaurants and stores where the food is from. Encourage them to buy locally. Compliment them on the delicious local items that they do carry.
· Eat the greatest variety of the least processed food.
· Ask food store managers to stock locally grown items when they are available and in-season. Many food store managers say that if they get two requests for a product, they will stock it. Our voices and dollars do count!
· Eat lower on the food chain. Raising grain and vegetables for human consumption is more efficient than feeding it to animals, which are then in turn eaten by humans.
· Eat less meat. When you do buy meat, seek out grass-fed, free range or "locally raised" meat. Much of the cheap meat available in supermarkets is raised in Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) which cause enormous environmental problems.Tremendous amounts of untreated animal waste are typically dumped into 'lagoons' that are prone to overflowing. In 1997, heavy rains in North Carolina caused the waste pits from huge pig farms to burst, resulting in the death of 450,000 fish. Animals in the CAFOs need antibiotics to keep them healthy in their confined areas. In fact, 70% of all antibiotics in the United States are used for this purpose.
· If you choose to eat fish, select species that are harvested sustainably. Carry the Audubon Seafood Wallet card with you and consult it when you go to restaurants to ensure that you are buying fish from healthy, thriving stocks. The card is available from http://seafood.audubon.org. Avoid eating "bill fish," and swordfish in particular, and tell owners of fish stores and restaurants they should not be carrying them. Their stocks are dangerously depleted. Avoid eating farm-raised salmon.

Learn more about sustainable food choices at www.sierraclub.org/sustainable_consumption/food_factsheet.asp.
www.sierraclub.org/sustainable_consumption/food_factsheet.asp.

CLEAN YOUR ROOM

Get toxics out of your home.

COMMON HOUSEHOLD TOXICS
and the products they're found in:
• Sodium hypochlorite (chlorine bleach) - Lung and eye irritant. Household bleach is the most common cleaner accidentally swallowed by children. If mixed with ammonia or acid-based cleaners (including vinegar), releases highly toxic chloramine gas. Short-term exposure to chloramine gas may cause mild asthmatic symptoms or more serious respiratory problems.
• Petroleum distillates (metal polishes) - Short-term exposure can cause temporary eye clouding; longer exposure can damage the nervous system, skin, kidneys, and eyes.
• Ammonia (glass cleaner) - Lung and skin irritant. If mixed with chorine, releases toxic chloramine gas. Short-term exposure to chloramine gas may cause coughing, choking and lung damage. Asthmatics may be particularly vulnerable to asthma and chloramine fumes.
• Phenol and cresol (disinfectants) - Corrosive; can cause diarrhea, fainting, dizziness, and kidney and liver damage.
• Nitrobenzene (furniture and floor polishes) - Can cause shallow breathing, vomiting, and death; associated with cancer and birth defects.
• Formaldehyde (preservative in many household products, glue in particleboard and plywood furniture) - Probable human carcinogen. Levels of formaldehyde in air as low as 0.1 ppm (0.1 part formaldehyde per million parts of air) can cause watery eyes, burning sensations in the eyes, nose and throat, stuffy nose, nausea, coughing, chest tightness, wheezing, skin rashes and allergic reactions.
• Perchloroethylene or 1-1-1 trichloroethane solvents (dry cleaning fluid, spot removers and carpet cleaners) - Eye, skin and lung irritant. Can cause liver and kidney damage if ingested; perchloroethylene has caused cancer in some laboratory animals and is considered a probable human carcinogen. Can accumulate and persist in human fatty tissues and breast milk.
• Naphthalene or paradichlorobenzene (mothballs, toilet bowl cleaners) - Naphthalene fumes can irritate eyes, skin, and respiratory tract. Chronic exposure to naphthalene can cause damage to liver, kidneys, skin, and the central nervous system. Paradichlorobenzene is a probable carcinogen that can also harm the central nervous system, liver and kidneys. High concentration of fumes may irritate eyes, nose, throat and lungs.
• Hydrochloric acid or sodium acid sulfate (toilet bowl cleaners) - Either can burn the skin or cause vomiting, diarrhea and stomach burns if swallowed; also can cause blindness if inadvertently splashed in the eyes.
• Formaldehyde, phenol, and pentachlorophenol (spray starch) - Any aerosolized particle, including cornstarch, may irritate the lungs.

8 SAFER INGREDIENTS
BAKING SODA (sodium bicarbonate) is an all-purpose, non-toxic cleaner. It cleans, deodorizes, scours, polishes, and removes stains.
BORAX (sodium borate) deodorizes, removes stains and boosts the cleaning power of soap. It also prevents mold and odors.
PURE SOAP cleans everything.
WASHING SODA (sodium carbonate) cuts grease and disinfects. It will also increase the cleaning power of soap.
VINEGAR (dilute acetic acid) removes mildew, stains, grease and wax build-up.
LEMON JUICE cuts through grease and stains on aluminum and porcelain.
CORNSTARCH cleans and deodorizes carpets and rugs.
TABLE SALT (sodium chloride) is a mild disinfectant and makes an abrasive, but gentle scouring.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
including recipes for less toxic cleaners go to: http://www.lesstoxicguide.ca/index.asp?fetch=household

GET MORE EXERCISE

The usual suggestion here would be to walk or bike instead of driving, which is, of course, a great idea!But I want to encourage you to exercise and eat sensibly to stay healthy so you will be less likely to have to take medications that can get into the ecosystem.

Pharmaceutical use in the general population is common and growing.The national average was 10.9 prescriptions per capita per year in 2002. This means that more often than not, households have leftover medications that they need to dispose of including Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) controlled substances, over-the-counter medications, prescription drugs, free samples, and dietary supplements (vitamins). A survey completed in 1997 showed that 63% of the population has disposed of leftover medications in the past. Many households will store medications for a while before they finally resort to flushing them down the toilet, disposing them in the trash, or giving them to someone else.

What are some problems?

Water Pollution
Most of the pharmaceuticals that patients take are secreted in the urine, in unchanged condition or as metabolites, and reach wastewater plants and sometimes even waterways and ground water. Pharmaceuticals are often adapted to resist biodegradation and, therefore, can remain in the environment for a long time. Some pharmaceuticals have been found in drinking water, which is a warning signal that current handling of them can lead to future health and environmental problems.

Long Term Exposure
There is increasing concern regarding the disposal of pharmaceuticals in landfills. The leachate that is captured from some landfills may be discharged to water bodies via treatment plants that don't effectively extract pharmaceutical residuals. There is also concern that landfill liners may leak over time resulting in discharge of pharmaceutical contaminants to the ground water.

Poisoning
The most common poison exposure category in the US is medications. The massive amount of pharmaceutical available in homes presents the potential for accidental poisoning if the medications are not securely stored or disposed.

REMEMBER
Access to healthy water is a prerequisite for good health. Since society's use of chemicals, including pharmaceuticals, is continuously rising, the risk is also increasing that these chemicals will return to us in our food and water supply through nature's ecocycle.

We have little knowledge of the effects that continuously supplied trace quantities of pharmaceuticals and other chemicals could have on our development, our ability to resist disease and our wellness in general. Therefore, precaution is advisable. In other words, even without scientific evidence that chemicals in nature can cause health problems we should reduce our exposure to them as much as possible.

So turn off the TV, go dancing, play with your kids, take up a sport, stay active!!Our health depends on it!!!

DON'T SMOKE

We all know smoking is bad for us, but did you know about these other problems?

It is estimated that several trillion cigarette butts are littered worldwide every year.That's billions of cigarettes flicked, one at a time, on our sidewalks, beaches, nature trails, gardens, and other public places (like outside the DEP!) every single day.In fact, cigarettes are the most littered item in America and the world.Cigarette filters are made of cellulose acetate tow, a form of plastic, NOT COTTON, and they can take decades to degrade.Not only does cigarette litter ruin even the most picturesque setting, but the toxic residue in cigarette filters is damaging to the environment, and littered butts cause numerous fires every year, some of them fatal.

Cigarette butts can pose a deadly threat to both terrestrial and aquatic wildlife.These slow to degrade cigarette butts can persist in the environment as long as other forms of plastic and have been found in the stomachs of sea turtles, fish, birds, whales and other marine creatures who mistake them for food.Marine animals eat the litter, think they are full, and then die of starvation or are alternately poisoned.

There are 60 known human carcinogens in cigarettes, including arsenic, formaldehyde, chromium and lead.Cigarette filters are specifically designed to accumulate particulate smoke components including toxic chemicals.There are 1,400 potential chemical additives in cigarettes and nicotine itself is a powerful insecticide.Toxicological data has shown that these chemicals from discarded cigarette butts are capable of leaching into surrounding water where they can harm aquatic life.Nicotine has been shown to be lethal to species of fish, crustaceans, zooplankton, and other aquatic organisms.

Each year, poison control centers in the United States receive thousands of reports of children ingesting tobacco products.Researchers at the Rhode Island Department of Health recently analyzed reported ingestions of cigarettes among children under the age of 6 in their state.For the cases where adequate follow-up information was available, the mean age of the child involved was 12 months, and 77% of the children were between the ages of 6 and 12 months.

For help quitting smoking check out www.nj.quitnet.com/.

Super Heroes with Super Powers:
Come to the Rescue with Energy Solutions as Nation Battles High Energy Prices, Tight Supplies, Increased Pollution

Create Your Own Super Heroes, Name Their Energy-$aving Super Powers
www.projectsuperpowers.com

Washington D.C. – It's time for Super Heroes with Super Powers to save the day and come to the rescue with energy solutions as our nation battles high energy prices, galloping demand, tight supplies, increased pollution, and energy security threats.

As the "Man of Steel" flies into multiplexes this month where the X-Men already reside, the Alliance to Save Energy taps into the "summer super hero madness" to encourage earthlings across the globe to create or name their own super heroes and devise their energy-saving super powers.

Responding to consumer angst over high energy bills, the Alliance to Save Energy has taken to the nation's airwaves since last summer with humorous Super Powers TV and radio spots, www.ase.org/superpowers, which are part of a total Alliance public service campaign to help consumers lower their energy bills and the nation reduce its energy use.

The Super Powers theme is continued onto the Web with a "top-secret, interactive Project Super Powers research laboratory" web site.Dubbed USUM -- the abbreviation for Unit of Superhero Utilization Management -- it's there that experiments are being conducted on super heroes to test their energy-saving super powers.

The site features video or audio of research experiments with four Super Heroes—Louise, better known as "StarBright" for her capability to light up a room without electricity; Gene, or "RayBeam," who cooks with his super heat vision; Edith, "StormGirl"; and Daryll, "ForceField Boy."In an analysis of the results, frustrated scientists note that all the energy-saving experiments have gone awry and plead, "There must be a better way."

They are asking for the public's help on the interactive web site to invent Super Heroes and assign them energy-saving Super Powers.It's a chance for moviegoers, gamers, comic book fans and their growing legions on the Web, and others who are captivated by Super Hero heroics to be creative and come up with their own super heroes and name their energy-saving super powers.

The Alliance to Save Energy is a coalition of prominent business, government, environmental, and consumer leaders who promote the efficient and clean use of energy worldwide to benefit consumers, the environment, economy, and national security.

For Further Information: Rozanne Weissman (202) 530-2217 rweissman@ase.org

Through this program, Bayer provides young people with opportunities to gain first-hand experience of environmental protection. Participants, ages 17-25, are chosen by a selection process in each country that includes asking the applicants to outline their ideas for sustainable development. Visit the website for participating countries.
http://www.bayeryoungenvoy.com/