Earth Day 2012

Happy Earth Day!

Cole and I picked up garbage on our county road again this year. Today we were out for less time than last year and picked up less too. Using the wagon helped a ton this year. Instead of making 3 trips back to the house, there was only one trip needed. We separated everything between garbage and recycling. Most of the garbage is recyclable; pop bottles, cans, plastic and glass containers.

Last year we picked up garbage in the rain... This year we had really, really wet ditches so we didn't get as far as we wanted to as our shoes and socks were soaked! We are planning on doing a second trip down further down the road when it dries up. There is still a lot of plastic and bottles/cans visible in the ditch.


Sideways Cole with our loot.

 

The paint can and an exploded tire were the unique items of this year's loot.

 

Cole and Me ~ Earth Day 2012

Earth Day

Bemidji State University is offering a weeks worth of Earth Day activities put on by their Sustainability group.

April 20 - Lake Shore Cleanup - 2:00p-5:00p @ Bangsberg parking lot

April 21 - Stride Into Spril 5k run/walk and 10k - 9:00a-12:00p @ Rec Center Lobby
(or stop by and buy a shirt made out of recycled plastic!)

April 22 - Campus Earth Day Celebration - 5:00p-8:00p @ Lakeside Lower Union (BSU Students only)

April 23 - Sustainable Mondays Food Panel - 5:30p-7:30p @ Hagg Sauer 112

April 24 - E-Waste Recycling Event - 1:00p-6:00p @ Paul Bunyan Park (downtown)
(drop off any electronic waste to be recycled by 5RProcessing Ltd. in Wisconsin)

April 25 - WALL-E movie - 7:00p-9:00p @ Hagg Sauer 112 (BSU Students only)

Earth Day clean up 2011!

Tonight the little boy and I walked down our county road and cleaned up garbage!  We walked about 1/2 mile down the road on both sides. It took us 3 trips and 10 grocery bags, 1 bucket and carrying stuff to get everything back to the house. We ended up with one full size garbage can of recycleables (6 of the bags) and 4 bags of non recycleables, 2 car parts an old-old rusty handled bucket and a piece of lumber. Oh, and a sock... not to mention lots of empty cigarette containers (did not pick up the cig-butts) and an empty liter of vodka. 

We made sure we had our gloves on and anything questionable I picked up, not Cole. We had a few broken bottles etc. but for the most part it was beer/pop/energy drink cans and pop bottles.  Not too bad for doing our part this year. Cole was so proud of his 'loot' and by the end of our trips he grew more frustrated with people who litter. Very proud of my liitle guy!

The rain decided to show up during our second trip, and is supposed to continue all night,  so I'm going to make a pot of hot tea tonight and warm up! Happy Earth Day!










Might buy one of these little pick up thingys for next year though, much easier on the back!

Up-North Earth Day Activities

It was very difficult to find any activities in the Bemidji area promoting Earth Day. I must admit I am a little disappointed. After the snow melt the area ditches are littered with everything from household garbage (bags, boxes, cans, bottles, detergent jugs, etc.) to tires and lumber.  I did find a few things going on the community and will update this list as I hear of activities:

Bemidji State University has a weeks worth of activities planned for Earth Day (week)!

Bemidji State University’s Sustainability Office will host a week of activities for Earth Week, beginning Monday, April 18, with additional special events to celebrate Earth Day on April 20.

“Pre-Earth Week” - Friday, April 15
4 p.m. - Marc Huot, research and policy analyst from Pembina Institute, Alberta, Canada, presenting on Alberta tar sands. Hagg-Sauer 100; free admission.

7 p.m. - Panel discussion on North American energy options for the next 50 years. Huot leads a panel discussion with nine energy experts from across Minnesota, including energy specialists, policy analysts, researchers and industry leaders. The discussion will feature opportunities for public discussion. Hagg-Sauer 100; free admission.

Monday, April 18
11 a.m.-1 p.m. - Learn gardening tips from a master gardener. Scandinavian Room, lower Hobson Memorial Union.

5 p.m. - Bike ride around Lake Bemidji departs from Diamond Point Park boathouse. Helmets required. Helmets and bikes available if needed. Riders under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

7 p.m. - Bemidji City Council meeting; agenda includes discussion of addition of solar panels to Bemidji’s Sanford Center. Meeting will be held at City Hall in Bemidji; open to the public.

Tuesday, April 19
9 a.m. - garden project at Berg Property, south of BSU’s Laurel House by the parking meters.

6:30-8:30 p.m. - Traditional Skills workshop. Learn how to make your own soy milk, flat bread and noodles. Linden Hall, $7 for materials. Sign up in the Sustainability Office in BSU’s lower Hobson Memorial Union or call (218) 755-2560.

Wednesday, April 20 - Earth Day
Earth Day celebration in the courtyard between BSU’s upper and lower Hobson Memorial Unions from 5-8 p.m. Activities include free Henna tattoos, free buffalo burgers and food, $3 and free for all students with valid IDs, games, bike tune ups, live music and a farmer’s market.

Thursday, April 21
7 p.m. - Film screening, “Green Fire.” The film is a documentary exploring the life of Aldo Leopold, widely considered to be one of the 20th century’s more important conservationists. Leopold is the author of “A Sand County Almanac,” a 1949 book recounting his experiences as a park ranger and regarded as a keystone of the conservationist movement. “Green Fire” explores his personal journey of observation and understanding, revealing how his ideas for conservation resonate today with people across the entire American landscape, from the inner city to the most remote wild lands. The film will be shown in Ed-Arts 115; admission is free.

Friday, April 22
“Honor the Earth” celebration

Monday, April 25
5-7 p.m. - Lake Bemidji shoreline cleanup. Participants can meet at either the boathouse in Diamond Point Park or the Paul and Babe statues downtown, and will work their way toward campus. Trash bags and gloves will be provided, and a group photo will be taken after the cleanup.

Bemidji State’s Earth Week activities are sponsored by Bemidji State’s Sustainability Office, Students for the Environment and by funds generated by the University’s student green fee.

For more information, contact Erika Bailey-Johnson, Bemidji State University sustainability coordinator, at (218) 755-2560.

About Bemidji State University Bemidji State University, located in northern Minnesota's lake district, occupies a beautiful campus along the shore of Lake Bemidji. The University enrolls nearly 5,000 students annually and offerings include more than 65 undergraduate majors and 13 graduate programs encompassing the liberal arts, interdisciplinary studies and applied fields. The University is a member of the Minnesota State College and Universities System and has a faculty and staff of nearly 600. University signature themes include environmental stewardship, civic engagement and global/multicultural understanding. For further information about the University, visit our web site at: http://www.bemidjistate.edu


St. Cloud University is hosting their annual Earth Day 5K and kids 1K runs. They are no longer accepting registrations for the run. The run attracts over 4000 people.  They also partner with USAgain, a used clothing donation organization.
http://www.stcloudstate.edu/campusrec/earthday/


The City of Bemidji has a program called Project Pride a short newsletter online about spring cleaning and reduce, reuse, recycle.
http://www.ci.bemidji.mn.us/vertical/Sites/%7BDC40720D-A823-4643-91CD-6456402D11F6%7D/uploads/%7B2E78233F-A349-4683-99D4-148DAC0EE47A%7D.PDF

Preparing for Earth Day ~ April 22nd

So, what are YOU doing for Earth Day 2011??

April 22nd is Earth Day. Yes, I realize it's a month away but I'm going to start planning now! And I want to challenge everyone to do their part to clean up their little part of our Earth.  It's very simple and can take as much or as little time as you want to put into it.

For our day I am going to give the hubby and the little boy each a bag (and myself).  Bag #1: recyclables and containers, Bag #2: papers and cardboard, Bag #3: plastics and everything else. We're going to wear our gardening/outside gloves and we are going to walk 3 miles or more along our public trail and county road.  Each year when the snow melts there are cans, pop bottles, boxes etc. left behind from the winter. Hopefully we can pick up all of the winter garbage!  I have noticed way too much garbage in our ditches this year, more than last year unfortunately. 

I also plan on taking a walk at work. I will bring a bag and I will pick up whatever garbage I find (with gloves on, of course).

Simple right?! Yes. I will ensure that the garbage around me for at least one day will not end up in a lake, creek, animal lair, play ground, parking lot or cemetery. We do need to remember that these are important things to do not only on Earth Day but every day. It is easy to forget throughout the summer.  Like in years past, Earth Day gives me the kick start I need to get back into the habit of picking up not only after myself when outside, but after others as well.
 

A place for everything, and everything in its place.

 

(I am going to put a list together of area Earth Day activities and post it a week prior to April 22nd) 

Algoma Park

Last night Cole and I went to the Northern Township park on Algoma Street near our house. We have gone there a hundred times in the last few years and there always seems to be garbage everywhere. Last night however there was broken glass on the basketball court and parking spaces, a tore open garbage bag, cans, plastic bottles in the grass and play sand. So today I wrote a letter to Northern Township asking whose responsibility it was to clean it up and to let them know it was disgusting. I did receive a response, almost right away. They are not responsible for cleaning it up and whoever was living next to it when they built the park agreed to take care of cleaning it up. I have noticed however that many of the neighbors to the park are new. Houses have sold and people have stopped caring. So this weekend Cole and I will put on our gloves, roll up our sleeves, grab our garbage bags and head down to the park. I'm hoping most of it will have been picked up but if not we'll be doing our Earth Day duty at the park.

Little Seedlings

My little seedlings are nestled into their new homes!

My tools: 2 boxes, approx. 24-30 yogurt containers, spade, scissors and tape. I didn't wear the gloves, everything was too small.

These are the Roma tomatos and garlic/chives. I still have to cover these with plastic, just need to find a smaller container. I was too excited to wait any longer to plant!

Temporary set-up.

I put 2-3 seeds in each container because I'm still working on my green thumb (things tend to die) and I wanted to guarantee a better crop.

Here are my Red bell peppers and Summer squash!

I did tape the plastic down for now, but will have to add some water within the next few days.

I only added a tiny bit to each one tonight.

I put the seedlings next to the only window I have that faces south.

Last year I had very quick little sprouts and this is also where my herbs sit during the day. As the weather warms up I will put everything outside on a table during the day.

I'm sure my neighbors will think I'm a bit crazy but I don't mind!