Living Green

Live Green!

Riley Russell                                                                                                   NRES 260

As we are in the thick of living green many people out there still don’t! Maybe because they do not think they are making that big of an impact, having the attitude “This one piece of trash won’t hurt anything.” The truth, it does. One person may not think they have a big impact but if everyone lives a little greener we can make this world a better place for ourselves and our future. While many people may not think the little things matter, they can matter if we are adamant about it.

            Being green can be as easy as turning a light off when you leave the room or having the dishwasher full when washing dishes. Simple things like this can make a big impact if we all join together. Some people like to help out more (volunteering to clean roadsides, or helping clean oil spills) but I know many people out there are to busy for things like that.

            How can the busy people of the world help? Easy!

·      Turn your lights of when you leave the room.

·      Turn the water off while brushing your teeth, until you rinse.

·      Make sure the dishwasher is full before running it.

·      Have your windows and doors checked for air loss.

·      Print on both sides of the paper.

·      Put your computer on sleep mode if you’re away for a while.

·      Buy reusable bags for grocery shopping instead of plastic or paper.

·      Buy a reusable water bottle instead of buying plastic water bottles.

·      Go to your local farmers market for fresh food instead of the chain stores.

·      Organize a recycling spot in your garage.

By doing these things we can ensure a better future. This list may seem long to some people but all this things can be done without taking any extra time from our day. If we all are a little more conscious about how we are living we can make a big impact!

Grabbing catfish and preventing floods: just a few of Antelope Creek’s benefits

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I ride the bus a lot.

During one of my usual bus rides between city and east campus, I heard some girls talking behind me about how they thought the Antelope Creek project was a waste of time.

“It’s just a big improvement to a sketchy part of town; no one will actually want to use it,” one girl said.

I, however, have found Antelope Creek to be a great little patch of water and green space near campus.

Work began on the Antelope Creek Valley project in August of 1999. The project had three main goals: flood control, transportation improvements, and community enhancements.

The area around Antelope Creek was designated a 100-year flood plain. Basically, that means there’s a 1% chance that a catastrophic flood will occur annually. The important issue here is that the City of Lincoln has stringent policies concerning construction and redevelopment of existing structures in the 100-year flood plain. These policies are designed to lessen flood damage to new construction projects, but do not avert damage to existing structures.

As the girls noted on the bus, the area around Antelope Creek was a bit “sketchy” – that’s because the City would not allow improvements in a 100-year flood plain. However, the Antelope Creek Valley project has decreased the flood plain by 80%. If a flood were to occur, the water would be channeled through the creek. This will allow for more development and enhancements in the surrounding area.

In short, those girls were crazy to think the Antelope Creek Valley project was a waste of time. Below, I list five of my personal reasons for enjoying the new recreational area.

1)   Close contact with nature

Sometimes, you just need to grab a catfish to get close with nature. Last spring, my roommate and I went to Antelope Creek for some “fishing.” Armed with an aquarium fish net, a cat litter container, and some pickle jars, we caught anything that moved in the water. At one point, the water was so shallow that we could just grab minnows without even trying. Pictured above is my catch-of-the-day, a nine-inch catfish.

2)   Fresh air for exercising

This school year, I made it my goal to work out more and stay fit. I started running through the Antelope Creek area, since I wouldn’t have to deal with traffic. As I run – or walk, since I’m a terrible runner – ducks splash around in the creek, birds chirp, the sun rises. Whenever I start my day off with a run through Antelope Creek, my mind is clearer and more alert throughout my classes.

3)   Play area for kids

I don’t know about you, but I always wanted to go to the park when I was a kid. Okay, truth be told, I still like going to the park. Located next to the creek, this play area allows kids to let their imaginations wander from the jungle gym to the critters crawling around in the water. The drums (pictured above) are my favorite part though. I highly recommend trying them.

4)   Picnic area

My boyfriend and I are cheap dates. Sometimes for dinner, we like to get a sack lunch and just sit by the creek for a while. Food always tastes better outside, especially after a long day of classes. Plus it’s fun to feed the fish and ducks. The amphitheater (pictured above) has plenty of space to sit and watch the water.

 5) Aesthetics

Call me fickle or whatever you like, but I need to live in an attractive place. It just feels good knowing there’s some flowing water and green space a short walk away. The photo above proves my point.

For more information about the Antelope Creek Valley Project:

http://www.lincoln.ne.gov/city/pworks/projects/antelope/

Photos of completed projects:

http://www.lincoln.ne.gov/city/pworks/projects/antelope/const/complete.htm

The Wild Side of Volunteering

Not many people can say they have ever held a giant African millipede, a whip scorpion, or a boa constrictor. Fortunately for me, I was lucky enough to do this every week while volunteering at Lincoln Children’s Zoo. Being a Fisheries and Wildlife major and having a love for wildlife, it was the perfect place to volunteer. I worked with zoo staff in the exhibit called The Hive to help get kids excited about wildlife and the natural world around them.

The Hive houses the creepy crawlers like insects, spiders, and reptiles. I was given the privilege to handle some these critters while volunteering. My favorite animals to hold were the giant African millipedes and the boa constrictor. My least favorite was the hissing cockroaches. They would hiss and run around frantically around their tank. It freaked me out and I cringed every time I had to touch one. An especially horrible experience with a cockroach was when a feisty one jumped off of my hand into a gaggle of hesitant girls. They ran screaming into a huddle on the opposite side of the room. No animals or humans were harmed, but it was traumatizing for both me and those little girls.

  When the animals decided to cooperate, I would let the kids observe and touch them while I explained a little bit about each of them. It was entertaining watching the different reactions the kids would have to the animals. Some were squeamish around the critters, while others could not wait to get their hands on them and learn. It was truly gratifying to see a child get excited about wildlife.

Volunteering at Lincoln Children’s Zoo was a roaring good time. I highly suggest for those who share my passion for wildlife seek opportunities to get involved in their community that involve kids and wildlife. It can be an extremely gratifying experience.

            If interested in getting involved, a great resource for UNL students is the Center for Civic Engagement on the second floor of the City campus union. You can also find information at their website: http://engage.unl.edu     

Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle

            Imagine the bald eagle, America’s symbol, dead because of strangulation by plastic.  This nearly happened to a young eaglet caught on some plastic used to build the nest.  At the Hancock Sanctuary, the young eaglet was strangled on some plastic preventing the young chick from feeding.  Rescuers managed to save the eaglet and remove the plastic from the nest.  Through a careless act, a young animal almost died by improper disposal of plastic.  If more Americans followed the 3 Rs, this situation would have been prevented.

We have all heard these three words before, yet only half of Americans recycle on a daily basis.  Recycling is a simple act that can reduce the wastes produced by Americans each year and ensure a virtually limitless resource as long as we recycle.  Nearly everything that we use can be recycled from plastic to glass to aluminum. 

            Top 5 facts you may not know about recycling:

•          Recycling an aluminum can save the energy equivalent to a half-gallon of gasoline
•          Americans use 85 million tons of paper every year and if everyone recycled their paper, 250 million trees could be saved along with fossil fuels and landfill space
•          2.5 million plastic bottle are used and thrown out every hour and recycling those bottles could save twice the amount of energy used to produce the bottle
•          Glass can create 385 pounds of waste for every ton in production while recycling would cut waste by 80%
•          America produces about 40% of the world’s trash, but has only about 5% of the world population

Americans need to adopt a better attitude towards recycling and sustainability in order to create a greener world.  A simple act of recycling something like a water bottle can have environmental benefits that last well into the future.  Every person from children to adults can impact the world through simple changes to their everyday lives.  These simple changes can help produce less waste and conserve precious natural resources.

5 surprising ways to reduce waste and energy consumption:

•          Using a reusable water bottle saves dozens of bottles from being produced and is cost-effective
•          Fluorescent light bulbs last longer and use less electricity than conventional bulbs saving both energy and money
•          Buying fresh, local-grown food reduces energy lost to shipping
•          Repurpose old things, like worn-out towels into rags
•          Use energy-efficient products such as electronics rated by Energy Star

Together we have the ability to reduce waste and protect majestic animals like the Bald Eagle.

Resource Links

Hancock Sanctuary: http://www.hancockwildlife.org/

Recycle Revolution: http://www.recycling-revolution.com/index.html

EPA Recycle: http://www.epa.gov/wastes/conserve/rrr/

National Recycling Coalition: http://nrcrecycles.org/

Image Sources: http://www.rdsdisposal.com/

http://www.norfolkbotanicalgarden.org/home

Wetlands: The superhero of the plains

Image from Todd Tyler farm, in Merrick County, a colonized wetland.

Wetlands have a long history of being misunderstood. For years, they have been considered waste land, taking up space that could be used for production or construction. Not many know that wetlands actually contribute to flood control, erosion control, and water filtration.

Floods can devastate an area. Wetlands spread the excess water over a large area, decreasing the water’s velocity.  Acting as a natural barrier, wetlands will decrease a flood’s speed resulting in less destruction usually. Besides flood control, wetlands collect silt and other windblown sediments as well as holding onto their surrounding soils. This allows for a variety of biota, which absorb waves and excess water. Wetlands also filter the excess water, by taking out impurities. Biota in the wetlands relies on their roots to gather these impurities which can range from chemicals to even nutrients (EPA).

Wetlands are extremely important to maintaining water systems and other habitats. The EPA reports that 1 acre of a wetland has more life than 1 acre of any other habitat and that 35% of endangered species rely on wetlands. Maintaining wetlands should be a priority.

Alas, with pivot irrigation increasing production agriculture in areas that have never been plowed before, wetlands are on top of the hit list. Nebraska lacks a formal wetlands protection agency; instead, it relies on Nebraska common law. Common law allows landowners to drain wetlands without state or NRD permits, as long as the drainage does not have a regular flow that could affect neighboring landowners. Depending on the situation, landowners may be required by law to build a wetland or reestablish an old wetland in order to destroy one. This is monitored by the Department of Environmental Quality. Besides the ecological setbacks, there are some economical setbacks to converting wetlands to production crop land. Farmers who drain wetlands in Nebraska can lose federal program payments under conservation provisions, such as swampbuster, if they drain a wetland on their land (Aiken).  This at least demonstrates that protecting wetlands is ecologically and economically beneficial. 

ReTree Nebraska

Trees are great because they:

• Combat the greenhouse effect
• Clean the air
• Provide oxygen
• Cool the streets and the city
• Conserve energy
• Help prevent water pollution
• Help prevent soil erosion
• Provide food

Plus, they're incredibly fun to climb!

As the founding state of Arbor Day, you could naturally assume that Nebraska has a copious amount of healthy trees. We're terribly sorry to disappoint you Mr. Morton. Nebraska's trees are facing many issues:

• Dramatic decline in community forest cover over past 30 years.
• Inadequate species and age diversity to sustain the urban and community forest resource.
• 66% of population lives in cities and towns with 470,000 acres of community forest.
• High concentration of green ash, black walnut and Scotch pine, at risk to EAB, thousand cankers disease, and pine wilt, respectively.
• Declining urban and community forest cover reduces mitigation of harsh climatic conditions in the Great Plains.
• Declining ability to mitigate climate change impacts (temperature, wind, air quality).
• Risk of losses from attack by invasive species due to high value of trees in urban areas and the ecosystem services and economic benefits provided.
• Some communities have greater community forestry assistance needs than others.

ReTree Nebraska is a 10-year cooperative initiative currently led by the Nebraska Forest Service, Nebraska Statewide Arboretum, Inc., University of Nebraska Rural Initiative, University of Nebraska–Lincoln Department of Agronomy & Horticulture and the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources. They are also partially funded by the Nebraska Environmental Trust. 

ReTree is working to reverse the decline and improve the sustainability of community trees and forests by community outreach and education. By 2017, ReTree plans to reach their goal of properly planting and maintaining 1 million high quality, native trees in Nebraska communities. 

Every year, ReTree Nebraska holds a weeklong tree planting event. This year ReTree Week is Sept. 23-29. To learn how to get involved visit their website at retreenebraska.unl.edu/retree-week. 

High Corn Prices Hurt Pheasants

With corn crops reaching $7.55 a bushel, farmers in Nebraska are plowing up their land and cashing in this year. This is bad news for the state's pheasant population.

Pheasant populations depend nesting cover and habitat suitable to raise a brood of chicks. In previous years, the Conservation Reserve Program provided this crucial habitat. The United States Department of Agriculture formed the Conservation Reserve Program to protect our nation's soils after conservationists realized the need to prevent soil erosion. In an effort to prevent another Dust Bowl type event,  the U.S. government paid landowners to keep their land out of production. Instead of raising crops, farmers planted grasses that used to dominate the Great Plains. As a result, wildlife populations that declined  due to habitat loss, began to rebound.

Quality habitat is paramount in maintaining healthy pheasant populations. Nesting cover is crucial to raising a healthy brood to replace adults killed in the previous year. The less a hen pheasant has to move her brood to find resources, the better the chance of the brood's survival, according to a 1989 article in Nebraskaland.

An article from Larkin Powell's blog says that research has shown that CRP fields hold more pheasants which have an increased survival rate.

The problem is that more and more farmers and landowners are taking their land out of the Conservation Reserve Program and replacing native grasses with corn. The state has lost about 400,000 acres of CRP land since 2007, according to a June 19 article from the Lincoln Journal Star. Such a huge reduction in habitat will take a heavy toll on already declining pheasant populations.

It is understandable that landowners are trying to make a little more money to support themselves and their families, but we must strike a balance between economics and conservation. As we move forward, wildlife biologists must find a way to work with landowners to continue to promote the conservation of wildlife and their needed habitats while still making economic gains. Education and sustainable farming practices need to be implemented to protect ourselves and wildlife.

 

Getting over the ick factor

Michael Lewis                                                                                                                                                                               NERS 260

Getting over the ick factor

During this drought the city of Lincoln had to issue 80 tickets in one day to people who were wasting water. Wasting water is a concern because the city of Lincoln has to compete with Frames for water putting a demand on the supply and requiring intensive management so everyone has enough. This problem of water scarcity is not going away in fact it could only get worse in this new area of climate change.

             Yet this problem actually has a solution that does not require a new federal agency nor a massive shift in wealth or life style from Lincoln residents. The solution is that we have to drink more of our waste water. EPA regulations already require that cities treat waste water until it is at drinking water quality. What Lincoln has to do now is stop discharging water that is treated into Slat creek. Since the city has to pay to treat the water regardless, the cost might as well be recouped by capturing the water. To do that Lincoln just has to connect the treated water back into drinking water lines.

            The reason that this cost effective method of water management has not been implemented already is because of the ick factor. The ick factor is a knee-jerk reaction to the thought of drinking waste water. Are we going to let this knee-jerk reaction keep us from saving money and alleviating the challenge of water scarcity? We are already drinking the waste water of the cities that are up stream of us.

LEED Rating System & Lincoln, NE

LEED Rating System & Lincoln, NE

The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) developed LEED, standing for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. It is a certification system set up for “green” buildings. For a building or home to meet any level of the LEED standards is a humungous accomplishment. The LEED Green Building Rating System has different levels of certification, “LEED Certified”, “LEED Silver”, “LEED Gold”, and “LEED Platinum”. It is based on a 100-point scale with categories in

·      Sustainable Sites

·      Water Efficiency

·      Energy & Atmosphere

·      Materials & Resources

·      Indoor Environmental Quality

·      Locations & Linkages

·      Awareness & Education

·      Innovation in Design

·      Regional Priority

They have different rating systems for different project types: New Construction, Existing buildings, Commercial Interiors, Core & Shell, Schools, Retail, Healthcare, Homes, and Neighborhood Development.

Nebraska, as of June 16, 2011, has 26 certified projects, 57 registered projects, with locations in Kearney, Omaha, Lincoln, Hastings, Norfolk, Halsey and more. 

Some of the projects in Lincoln include:

·      Citizen and Immigration Service Center—Silver Certified

o   90% Daylight and Views for interior Spaces

o   20% Water Use Reduction

o   20% Regional Materials

o   86% Construction Waste Diverted

o   100% Electricity purchased from renewable sources for 2 years

·      International Quilt Study Center and Museum—Silver Certified

o   32.14% Reduction in Energy Use

o   77.90% Spaces with Natural Daylight

o   60.27% Regional Materials

·      Pioneers Park Nature Center Addition—Silver Certified

o   Geothermal heat pump system

o   Rainwater harvesting system

o   Straw bale walls

o   Recycled content materials

o   Green roof with native plants

Other buildings include the Color Court Building, the Sawmill Building, and the new Haymarket Arena, all in the Haymarket.

Resource Links

What is LEED? http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=1988

Measurement Categories: http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=1989

LEED in Nebraska: http://www.usgbcne.org/?LEED_in_Nebraska

Arena Going Green: http://www.klkntv.com/story/17005277/pinnacle-arena-is-going-green

USGBC Nebraska Flatwater Chapter: http://www.usgbcne.org/