Build a Kit to Recycle Fishing Line

Our clean up days inspired us to build and install a monofilament fishing line recycling station. We found so much tangled line around the lake!

So where do you recycle fishing line? It's tough and strong, and won't disintegrate. Instead, it will tangle us and any wildlife that might get near it. It can cause injuries and starvation to animals; it's a nuisance to boaters, and a danger to swimmers.

Blaik Pulley of South Carolina's Department of Natural Resources provided the answer. The South Carolina DNR has a program to recycle it through Berkley Conservation Institute, part of the fishing line manufacturer's commitment to our environment. They will send a prepaid box to fill, then ship to them at this address:

Berkley Recycling
1900 18th Street
Spirit Lake, Iowa 51360

She also sent us a couple of kits for for ongoing monofilament recycling to get us started. Here are the main pieces of a collection station.

A recycling kit includes four pieces and identifying stickers

It's very easy to assemble, as it only requires gluing the pieces together with PVC glue.

Applying the PVC glue to the pieces

The kit is the same as one shown on the NC BigSweep. Below is the bottom closure, although it is shown upside down.

Attaching the base, which
opens to collect the fishing line

Now we know how to make it, we can reproduce it to collect more line in other fishing spots. A local Girl Scout troop is helping us to install and maintain the recycling stations. We plan to record the data and send it to the SCDNR recycling program in Charleston.

We will post the locations and photos of our installed recycling stations soon. If you'd like to participate in the the program, check their website or call (843)953-6686 for more information.

Thanks, Y'all

We cleaned up in the NC Big Sweep! Tons of trash were collected and properly disposed. The Lake Wylie Covekeepers said there was a bit less than last year, and there were more volunteers. They hope that is because less refuse is being dumped in our wonderful waterways.

A cove in Lake Wylie on our cleaning day

Looking over the totals of stuff collected, I'm prompted to say thank you to Carolina folks for your efforts. It's awesome.

We want to give an extra-special thanks to those who collected in places where they did not have a team of helpers. Some of the places listed from the 2009 cleanup are staffed by lone volunteers.

How about in Bladen County, in the Cape Fear River basin, where one volunteer picked up 5 bags of trash and one tire, totaling 100 pounds.  Or in Burke County in the Catawba river basin, where a single volunteer picked up one bag of trash, weighing twenty pounds. Here are more places where one volunteer, or a handful of volunteers worked to clean up the joint: Halifax County; Yadkin County; Caswell and Camden Counties. It's difficult to do it all by yourself, and takes a certain fortitude to do alone.

To all of you who worked, with and without recognition, we raise a toast. Hurray! We do appreciate what you've done. Thanks, Y'all!!

Sweeping This Weekend

When we walk the roadways, we usually need a bag. We can't pass by litter without picking it up and disposing of it properly.

So we love events like this, bringing our communities together in concert to clean up our land and water.

On Saturday, October 2, volunteers from all over North Carolina will pick up litter from land and waterways. The NC Big Sweep stewardship project is part of an international coastal cleanup plan, but has expanded to include removing trash on the land.

The organizers say since they started the event twenty years ago, they have collected 9.8 million pounds of trash.

I'm sorry that we missed South Carolina's Big Sweep effort last week, on September 25th. Thank you for your part in taking care of the environment!

This weekend, the Big Sweep needs you in North Carolina. There is something going on in every county. We will play a part this weekend: can you join us?

To help, visit the web site and Volunteer Sign Up page. You can offer donations, or become a member as well. For more information, contact North Carolina Big Sweep, P.O. Box 126, Zebulon, NC 27597; Phone (919) 269-9380, or ncbigsweep@bellsouth.net.

Citizens Meet the EPA

Charlotte, NC hosted one of the hearings by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last week. The hearing allowed citizens to comment on the EPA plans to regulate coal ash disposal.

An overflowing conference room at the Holiday Inn Airport spilled out into the hall (in photo at right), through the lobby, and into another room full of people listening to the speakers remotely over an audio system.

The EPA Press Release of May 4, 2010 states that the purpose of the regulation is to ensure the structural integrity of coal ash impoundments, to prevent accidents like the one that occurred in Kingston, TN. There, a dike failure spilled 5.4 million cubic yards of fly ash into adjacent sloughs and into the main Emory River channel, covering about 300 acres.

The Proposal is also intended to prevent groundwater contamination and threats to drinking water. You can get a copy of the Proposed Rule on the EPA Website.

Registration was high for speakers, so time was limited. Bonnie Crihfield of Roxboro, NC flashes a smile after she spoke at the Charlotte hearing (in photo at left). She is a machine operator at Separations Technology, and concerned about the EPA's regulations regarding coal ash.

Some coal ash is safely recycled into building products like cement blocks and wallboard. Crihfield wants to continue recycling the coal ash and keep producing in her job.

The proposed regulations state that the Environmental Protection Agency strongly supports these recycling efforts. The hearing issue is really about what citizens want them to do about the residual part of the coal ash, after the recyclable contents have been removed.

The Proposal offers two plans of action, with Key Differences Between Subtitle C and Subtitle D Options of Coal Combustion Residuals.

Coal ash impoundments are numerous across the Eastern United States. A map collated by the Sierra Club shows 17 in North Carolina and 11 in South Carolina.

Upcoming hearings will be September 21 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and September 28 in Louisville, Kentucky. Due to high response, they have announced an additional public hearing in Knoxville, Tennessee during the week of October 25, 2010.

Public comment is invited by the EPA online and through the mail. Written commentary on the proposal will be accepted until November 19, 2010.

Tour the Farms This Weekend

A Piedmont-area group is offering a special event this weekend: the Second Annual Charlotte Area Farm Tour, on September 18-19, 2010. On those afternoons, from 1:30-6:30 p.m., twenty-seven local farms will open their barn doors for touring.

Presented by Know Your Farms, a community-supported agriculture program, and the Carolina Farm Stewards Association, the tour will show us how local farms grow their produce. We can learn more about these local resources, participate in farm activities, and pick up some fresh food right where it is grown.

At right is Martha Robinson, with some of her family's produce. Tega Hills Farm has extensive greenhouses utilizing hydroponic techniques. They grow lettuces, microgreens, and herbs year-round; and grow other vegetables seasonally.

The Charlotte Area Farm Tour event includes participation by restaurants and culinary school students, nutritionists, and master gardeners. There are a wide range of farms to visit and things to do, even camping out at the Birdbrain Ostrich Ranch.

We hope to get inspired at a nearby farm that we'd like to know more about. It's also a great way to participate in the Farm-to-Fork 10% Campaign, supporting efforts for healthy food sustainability in North Carolina.

You can even volunteer for the event one day, and get a free pass. For more information, call 980-225-1020, or check out more at Know Your Farms.

Meet Surya Biofertilizers

Good for the Earth and the community-- a cleaner, greener fertilizer. Shootup is one of a new line of natural biofertilizers offered by Charleston-based Surya.

These biofertilizers are soil treatments that are probiotic, meaning they contain natural beneficial microbes that help plants to thrive. The microbes convert elements in the air and soil into forms that plants can easily utilize.

Surya makes the all-natural products beginning from worm castings and clean vegetative compost, then cultivates select populations of microbes in a laboratory. These provide the probiotic advantages for soil to gardens, without growers having to meet the demands of vermiculture.

They produce different blends for various applications. They offer Shootup for growth, foliage and blooming; Growmend for soil and root improvement; and Growsweet for better fruit and vegetable harvests.

In June, Surya's products were certified by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI), approving them for use by USDA-certified organic growers.

We appreciate that the products are manufactured with organic methods. They are non-pathogenic, without infectious microbes, and are okay to use around people and animals. They also do not contribute any unsafe run-off in our waterways.

You can use these natural methods of soil preparation to have a better, healthier garden. Stronger plants in the garden require less water, and are less susceptible to plant pests, too.

We're glad to see this Carolina company growing. We'll be evaluating their products in our gardens, and reporting about them here. Check out their line at Surya Grow, or call (877) 465-2345 for more information.

Saving Energy and Money in NC

North Carolina is developing a plan—to reduce energy consumption and save money for our citizens. State Representatives Blue, Tolson, Glazier, and Harrison are the primary sponsors for House Bill 1050, designed to create an independent energy efficiency program.

The Bill is to establish a comprehensive, statewide program, NC SAVE$ ENERGY. This program will lower energy consumption, save energy costs, reduce pollution, and create thousands of 'green-collar' jobs for the State.

The plan to combine weatherization, incentives, and job training will provide healthier, more affordable homes for our citizens. Those thousands of jobs created are the kind that will continue to thrive after they are established. They will include home energy auditors, installers, and materials manufacturing jobs.

Jennie Renner-Yeomans, Harry Taylor, and Kelly Picarsic listen to discussion on the statewide plan at an informational meeting in Charlotte (in photo above).

Charlotte-area environmental group leaders talked about ways to let citizens know more about the benefits of NC SAVE$ ENERGY. As the program reduces home energy costs, it will help consumers decrease their housing expenses.

The bill provides for residents above the poverty line to fund the program for the first year, at two dollars per month for each household. That's about the cost of buying light bulbs, but with far greater results. It will also provide a public benefit fund to receive and use State and Federal grants to improve energy efficiency. Households would be assisted by weatherization of their homes—providing better living conditions, saving money, and saving wasted energy.

Contact your local State Representative and let them know you want them to support House Bill 1050. You can join the voices on NCSavesEnergy.org, or Facebook page. Let them know you want to lower energy bills, reduce the environmental cost of energy production, and create new green jobs for North Carolina.

Plant a tree for free!

You can plant a tree in a North or South Carolina State Park, if you vote for your state with a click.

Odwalla, a juice and snack company, has dedicated $200,000 in trees for this Plant a Tree campaign. You can cast a vote for your favorite state; each vote counts for a dollar to be used to plant a tree in one of the state's parks. At the Plant a Tree site, it is easy to choose your state, plant a tree, and check out information provided by your state's Park System. Afterward, watch the thank-you video. (I like the Barry White voice impersonator on NC's site.)

You need a different email address for each vote. So tell your neighbors, tell your friends - or find Odwalla on Facebook and learn how to start a virtual microforest!

Love Carolina beaches!

Thanks to all the Earth Month volunteers who helped clean up Carolina waterways! Here Coast Guardsmen are helping clean up Folly Beach, South Carolina. Petty Officer 2nd Class Drayton Parker and Petty Officer Gary Barnum remove sand fencing deposited by erosion, in this photo taken by Bob Orenstein.

We continue to care for Carolina waters. Last Saturday the Old Town Cleanup was held in Bluffton, SC, at the southern tip of the state. Volunteers were picking up trash before it could get into the pristine May River. They were especially concerned about fishing line and plastic six-pack holders; they are dangerous to birds like gulls, who get entangled and can't free themselves.

Today at North Topsail Beach, North Carolina, volunteers from the New River Foundation and Keep Onslow County Beautiful cleaned up the shoreline. They feel it's important for their economy, marine life and for their health and safety, according to Lisa Graham. Also today, SUP Cleanup performed its monthly cleanup at Wilmington, NC. Standup paddle boarders are good at locating trash along shores. The frame at the right was captured from NEWS 14 Carolina. Read about how SUP Cleanup was born in Wilmington in 2009, with the motto, "Stand Up for a Clean Ocean." It now has chapters in several states, including Virginia, Washington, and Hawaii. And in Portugal.

Lets keep it up - appreciating our beautiful coastline and making it as healthy as possible!

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Eyes For You

William snapped himself with this elephant. It is such a great shot, I'm sharing it for Earth Day.

The elephant is a resident of the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro. It's a lovely place to consider the beautiful creatures and plants that share the planet with us. We loved seeing so many of them.

The NC Zoo produces a poster each year about endangered species. Ask at the Education building, and they will share one with you.

They teach us, and care for the environment. Thanks to the North Carolina Zoo for a beautiful day!

Earth Day born in 1970!

Earth Day was born 40 years ago. Friends of the Earth published an Environmental Handbook for the occasion, and sold a million copies. The Clean Air Act of 1970 was passed, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was established. Also that year, Mother Earth News was founded, supplying practical information for the thousands of people headed back to the land. The magazine was later based in Hendersonville, North Carolina, for around a dozen years.

This year Earth Day has its own network, where you can search events across the country. And it's presenting exhibitions and shows, with performance artists, musicians, multi-media productions and dancers, along with the Climate Rally, at the National Mall in Washington, DC, on April 17th through 25th.

Here in the Carolinas, after a long, long winter, we are happy to show appreciation for our Earth. Here are a few of the ways.

The third Charlotte Clean and Green festival will be held tomorrow, April 17th, from 10:00 a.m until 3:00 p.m., rain or shine. Clean Air Carolina will join in this year, and Appalachian Voices will be hosting a booth. Classes and exhibits will show how we can help save our natural resources, money and health. The event is held at the Central Piedmont Community College's central campus in Charlotte. For more information, please see Charlotte Clean and Green.

On Sunday, April 18th, Sierra Club North Carolina will meet at 8 a.m. to hike the Chestnut Knob Trail at South Mountains State Park. Please contact Steve Copulsky at scopulsky@mindspring.com, 704-543-7493, or 704-458-6651.

The North Carolina Energy Office will sponsor its 7th Annual Sustainable Energy Conference in Raleigh, NC, April 20th to 21st. Speakers and exhibitors will share information on the energy economy, and participants from energy-related fields will be able to network with business leaders and decision-makers. The event will be held in McKimmon Center. Check here for more information and registration.

Celebrating Earth Week, Wofford College in Glendale, South Carolina, will dedicate their new Goodall Environmental Studies Center on Tuesday, April 20, at 4 p.m. Other activities include an Earth Day Bike, Run & Thoreauvian Saunter to Glendale Shoals; an Earth Week Forum; and Water Monitoring Day at Lawson’s Fork.

On April 24, the Cane Creek Cleanup will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Volunteers will clean the Catawba River into Cane Creek, from Hwy 9 Landing boat ramp near Lancaster, South Carolina. Volunteers are needed! Please contact canecreekcleanup@gmail.com.

Environmental and Conservation Organization (ECO) is celebrating on the Blue Ridge Community College campus. A film, "Earth Days," will be shown on April 22nd, or you can hike from Hendersonville to BRCC. See information about the Earth Day Festival on April 24th here.

Sustainable Spartanburg will meet at Thornblade Club in Spartanburg, SC, on April 22nd for lunch and a presentation, "A Case for Corporate Sustainability." And Citizen Spartanburg is sponsoring Earth Day Jam in the Park on Sunday, April 25th, from 1:00pm to 6:00 pm. Meet at Duncan Park Amphitheater to enjoy live local music and learn how you can make small changes to help the Earth.

Whatever you do for the Earth this month, get together with friends or family, but get outside!

Keeping It Beautiful

Even though we can't change the economy overnight, it does help our morale to improve our surroundings. A little effort, and contribution to the common good, is valuable to our land and our people. It also gives us a great feeling, to achieve something that is good.

So it is a pleasure to join in Keep America Beautiful's annual Great American Cleanup. The activity is going on through through May 31. The project's goals are litter prevention, waste reduction and recycling, and beautification of our country.

The Great America Cleanup is assisted by local affiliate groups. Here, we have 33 North Carolina and 24 South Carolina Affiliates that are part of the clean up. The Keep America Beautiful site says activities include "beautifying parks and recreation areas, cleaning seashores and waterways, handling recycling collections, picking up litter, planting trees and flowers, and conducting educational programs and litter-free events."

The Mecklenburg County team worked with the Carolina Panthers during the home games of the 2009/2010 football season. They helped tail-gating fans to recycle more than 30 tons of bottles and cans. Check to see what is going on in your area, and see what you can do to help. If you see something else that needs to be done, you can also start an affiliate group. Together, we can do a lot.

Lights out in North Carolina!

The lights at North Carolina's State Capitol will go off for an hour tomorrow night at 8:30. We're celebrating Earth Hour! The official site shows last year's lights going off as the world turned. Join in - it's easy: turn off your lights for an hour at 8:30 pm. You can have a cookout or singalong, look at the stars, or catch up on your sleep. See you in the dark!

Join the Hunt for Bees

This season, we are planting Lemon Queen sunflowers in the garden, and hunting for bees. The Great Sunflower Project asks that we use that variety because it is especially attractive to the bees. We can help them in a fun and easy way, with this citizen science study. How do we start the hunt?

Plant sunflowers, tell about the garden;
watch bees come to visit the flowers,
and report how many bees you spy.

The kids will love this as much as adults. Gazing at the garden, we are doing an important science project! Ah, Spring...

Similar to The Great Backyard Bird Count, the bee study seeks to collect data from around the country. It tells us, "Bees: Responsible for Every Third Bite of Food." The populations of wild bees are declining, and we need more information about them. What does the loss of pollinators mean for urban and rural gardens?

It is sometimes confusing to identify the insects. There are good resources on the study's Resources for Teachers, and a bee guide link is on the bottom of the page.

Our area is famous for hornets. If you see one of these, you know to look out for them. We discovered this nest in winter and learned that hornets are actually predators; they will eat bees for lunch. Now, we really want to help the bees.

We picked up Lemon Queen sunflower seeds from the local Lowe's Home Improvement for about $1.25. The Great Sunflower Project also uses certain other flowers to build their data. It's simple to sign up, and a great thing to add to your garden plan!

Only 12 days to Earth Hour!

You can join people all over the globe showing that we appreciate our Earth. Just turn out the lights! For one hour, Saturday, March 27, from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m., local time. Last year, 80 million Americans flipped the switch. Even the Great Pyramids of Giza and the Eiffel Tower in Paris went dark.

Sign up as an individual or organization or business at The Official US Site for Earth Hour. Find out more ways you can get involved -- have a party, buy a t-shirt, get stuff for kids and more. On the site from now through March 27 you'll be able to see videos and slides of other countries in the Earth Hour news.

Two schools in South Carolina are participating so far, along with 7 organizations, including a Homeowners Association, and 8 businesses. In North Carolina, cities signing up so far are Dillsboro, City of Winston-Salem, Carrboro, and Fayetteville. There are also 18 schools, 8 universities, and 32 businesses. Seven organizations have signed up, including the United States Marine Corps, a Cub Scout Pack, and the NC Zoo Society.

Georgia is an official Earth Hour State and will turn off the lights for an hour at the State Capitol. There are 23 states making the commitment, including Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Maryland. We would love to see the Carolinas on the list. Okay, let's tell our governors and other elected officials that we want to join the party!

Plan Now - Get Wild March 15-21

Celebrate National Wildlife week by doing what comes naturally: play. Whatever you do—at home or school—do it outdoors!

Plan now. Click and get tips and ideas for the week with a Family Activity Passport. Teachers can get wild at school with a custom Educator Activity Guide that shows how outdoor time is good for students. Find ideas to make your school greener and download nature-themed activities and lessons. Volunteers, there are plenty of ways for you to help. Get in on the fun and get wild!

Celebrate Masonboro Island Sunday, Feb. 21

Come to Celebrate Masonboro, and learn how you can help take care of Masonboro Island! Only five miles southeast of Wilmington, it is an undisturbed barrier island and estuarine system. The island is 8.4 miles long, with almost 90% covered by marsh and tidal flats. Masonboro Island is a protected site in a network called the National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERR). These sites have been established for long-term research, education and stewardship. The photo at left is provided by the North Carolina NERR.

The Carolina Estuarine Reserve Foundation is hosting this celebration for volunteers and others interested in helping protect and promote this amazing site. There will be live music, door prizes, and refreshments. The event will be held Sunday at Katy’s Great Eats, 1054 S. College Road in Wilmington, from 6 to 9 p.m. Donations will be accepted at the door and all proceeds will go to support stewardship projects on the island. See you there?

Win $500 for Your 30-second Green Video

You are invited to send in a video, 30 seconds or less, that shows how you would make the environment better. The catch? Use only 3 words.

Green in 3 is sponsored by Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment. One contest period ends this Friday, February 12th. But there are 3 (of course) periods in all. The deadlines for the last two are March 12th and April 9th. There will be at least 15 First Place winners receiving $500 each. So see Green in 3 for rules and suggestions, and get busy!

See Any Beautiful Birds?

We are thrilled to have a gorgeous blue sky today. The first forsythia blooms are showing, and the first tips of the daffodils are out and growing. Another sign of Spring to come: this weekend is The Great Backyard Bird Count!

This is always a fun event to do with the family, and it's wonderful to do with children. It only takes fifteen minutes of observation to participate. There is a special joy in looking a little closer at nature than usual, and being even more aware of what is around us in our environment. Plus, Cornell University says, "It’s free, fun, and easy—and it helps the birds."

They provide area checklists, and web pages for kids. There are some great photographs in the image gallery, and a photo competition. Scientists use the data submitted to track and study populations of birds. There is always something new; last year I learned about 'irruptions' of birds. So take a clipboard along and check it when you're out for a stomp this weekend, from Friday, February 12 through Monday, February 15.

Expedition with Pat on February 2

Habitat and Wildlife Keepers (HAWK) will meet the host of ETV's Expeditions with Pat on February 2, at 7:00 p.m. in the Matthews Community Center, 100 McDowell Street, Matthews, NC. This free event showcases the Clemson University naturalist and host of the ETV program, Patrick McMillan.

The naturalist will tell us about changes that are happening in plants and animals of the Piedmont. Habitat alterations are moving native species to new regions, so the Carolinas are becoming a home for some new ones. McMillan is the director of the Campbell Museum of Natural History at Clemson University. For more information on this special meeting, call (704) 814-0877, or contact the HAWK site, or HAWKncwf@gmail.com.

Habitat and Wildlife Keepers, HAWK, is a chapter of the North Carolina Wildlife Federation. Great environmental stewards that they are, their members ask us to help recycle items at the HAWK meetings. They plan to reuse, recycle and properly dispose of these things: batteries in sizes A, AA, AAA, C and D; cell phones, eyeglasses, aluminum pull tabs, water and soda bottle twist off caps, inkjet cartridges, compact fluorescent lightbulbs, egg cartons, and wire coat hangers. So come see this interesting naturalist at the meeting, and bring along a few of those things you weren't quite sure how to recycle!

Oyster Roast this Friday

This name is so fun, I have to share it. The Winyah Rivers Foundation is having their annual River Roast South at a place called Hobcaw Barony.

They offer an oyster roast, southern buffet, tea, beer, and wine. Food and drinks are from the Litchfield Beach Fish House and the New South Brewing Company. The annual meeting begins on Friday, January 29th at 5:00 p.m., and the oyster roast and buffet begin at 6:00 p.m.

The fundraiser will help the Waccamaw Riverkeepers protect the rivers of the Winyah Bay watershed. Sounds fun... and tasty. You can get tickets online or by calling Christine Ellis at 843-349-4007. Have a toast to the rivers!

Free Trees on January 22nd

Winter is a great time to plant a few trees, while the roots are dormant. The North Carolina Cooperative Extension office provides two tree giveaways on January 22nd.

The TreeFest is a tree event on January 22 and 23 in Wilimington, NC. More than 12,000 trees will be given away-- up to five seedlings per resident. A $3 donation will help buy trees for next year’s event. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday. The event location is Independence Mall, JC Penney Wing; 3500 Oleander Drive, Wilmington, NC 28403. Contact John Wooldridge for more information at (910) 798-7664.

In Lumberton, NC, you could receive Free Longleaf Pine Seedlings also on January 22nd, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Bodenhamer Tree Farm will provide up to 25 free seedlings per person at the Cooperative Extension Center located in the O. P. Owens Agriculture Center, Highway 72 West, Lumberton, (first-come, first-served). For more information, please call Everett Davis at (910) 671-3276.

Searching for an image, I found this wonderful set on "Trees I've admired," from Daniela Duncan's Flickr. They are all lovely-- too beautiful to pick one.

Plant a tree, and green the world!