16 days later and my feet are still itching

Posted on May 12, 2015 by Naima

This article ran last week in the Katy Trail Weekly. My feet were attacked by fire ants 16 days ago and I am still itching! I’d attach a picture to this blog but no one wants to see that kind of grossness. Just imagine little feet covered in scabby swollen bumps. Here is why I have a strong dislike of these exotic monsters…

Nothing can ruin your time outside like a run in with an exotic pest such as, fire ants. After the recent rains here in Dallas, you are bound to find a mound when you least expect it. I have the welts on my feet proving these small aggressive ants are ready for battle.

Fire ants are exotic species (not native to the U.S.) introduced around the 1930s. Since their accidental introduction into the U.S., fire ants have quickly established and spread across the country making it to Texas in the early 1950s. “At this point they are still spreading some, but they’ve invaded most of the areas they can survive in,” S. Bradleigh Vinson, professor in the Department of Entomology at Texas A&M University, said. Fire ants love warm weather climates and can survive long periods of droughts. If their tunnel system runs deep, they need little water to sustain their colonies.

The mounds pop up after the rains because the ants are actively working their tunnels, which can be up to 10 feet deep. After a good rainfall, worker ants, who only live about four to six weeks, will be feverishly working to clear out tunnels in their mounds. Try to avoid stepping on or disturbing mounds in any way.

They are known for their sting. When a fire ant nest is disturbed, they aggressively emerge to defend their home. The ants swarm up your legs and when your leg jerks, the movement stimulates the ants to bite and sting at the same time. Next thing you know your stripping your shoes and pants off trying to get away from the ants. The sting deposits venom, which results in an allergic reaction that feels like “fire.” Some individuals, less than one percent of the population, are severely allergic to fire ant venom. Most of us can expect a week of raging itching blisters.

Some exotic species become invasive, meaning they out compete native species for resources and thrive. Fire ants are thriving. Fire ants are omnivores eating plants and native ants, insects and can even eat small snakes and lizards. Our threatened Texas horned lizard declining population is in part due to the introduction of the exotic fire ants. Fire ants outcompete one of the horned lizards main food items, the native harvester ant. One horned lizard can eat up to 70-100 harvester ants per day but won’t touch the exotic fire ant species.

Why can’t we just get rid of the fire ants? As Vinson said, “Dealing with fire ants is not easy.” There are several products on the market to eradicate fire ant populations and just as many home remedies. Introducing a chemical insecticide into the environment can have harmful effects on the natural ecosystem. Utilizing bait that targets fire ant species takes time to work and is best done in the fall. Fire ant mounds are controlled by a queen. To kill the mound, you must kill the queen by having worker ants take the bait back to her. One of the problems is more and more mounds have multiple queens in the same mound making them more difficult to eradicate.

After a spring rain, mated females fly and begin a new colony where they land. The reproduction rates of fire ants are fast. The colony of ants can split, multiple queens can form, and entire colonies can move. There are some reports, if you disturb the colony enough, the fire ants will move to a nearby undisturbed location. Annoy your neighbors enough, and hopefully they will find a new home. Unfortunately, even an abandoned or dead fire ant home can cause problems from mound sinks, which are depressions in the land where their mound was.

Fire ants are the product of human introduction. This is just one of the many exotic species wreaking havoc on our environment. The hope is the more we support our native species and help control exotics, our native ecosystems will recover. As Vinson said, “Someday it will all straighten out again, but it takes time.”

Until then, good luck fighting the fierce fire ants.

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Earth Day Texas 2015 – How will you have a part in sustainability?

Posted on May 3, 2015 by Naima

Earth Day Texas drew thousands of people, visiting with speakers and exhibitors from around the country. Two large exhibit halls at Fair Park were packed with over 1,100 exhibitors and numerous speakers inspiring and educating people to think about our human impact on the environment.

The addition of a third day proved beneficial for Earth Day Texas. Friday was packed with school children of all ages enthusiastically participating in every exhibitor activity. Students rushed to design their version of a future Fair Park with ReImagine Fair Park, dug into a huge sand pit with UPS, jumped inside a solar race car with Shine Runners Racing and stood in a long line just to get a chance to view tiny house living in Big Dallas.

“Two really great things happened with the addition of Friday,” Jillian Mock, communications associate for Earth Day Texas, said. “One was the school field trips, which completely exceeded my expectations. The other thing was the original purpose of ‘Business Friday,’ to engage businesses around a sustainability conversation and I think we definitely achieved that with the Future 500 round table. They had a major conference from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at the park on Friday, and brought in high level sustainability officers who have a stake in thinking about how sustainability relates to the environment.”

Impressive speaker lineups spoke on stages set up throughout the halls allowing people to drop in on talks and debates focusing on how to move all industries and people into a sustainable future. Joe Quinlan, Chief Market Strategist of U.S. Trust spoke passionately about investing in companies to support the environment and reminded us that one of the biggest problems facing our world is water. Quinlan said, “The problem with water is we think it’s free.”

Joe Quinlan, of the US Trust, speaks at Earth Day Texas 2015.

Joe Quinlan, of the US Trust, speaks at Earth Day Texas 2015.

Screenings of the impactful documentary “Racing Extinction,” from director Louie Psihoyos, who also directed “The Cove,” showed throughout the weekend at Music Hall. After the film, audience members had a chance to chat with the filmmakers and stars of the movie such as Nascar driver Leilani Munter. Munter took to the Dallas streets this weekend projecting images from the roof of an electric Tesla Model S onto iconic Dallas buildings, just as they did in the movie. Munter, inspired to get involved in environmentalism after watching “The Cove,” said, “It took my activism from first gear into insane mode.”

Impactful images displayed on iconic buildings around Dallas this weekend, by Nascar driver Leilani Munter, just as they did in the movie, Racing Extinction.

Impactful images displayed on iconic buildings around Dallas this weekend, by Nascar driver Leilani Munter, just as they did in the movie, Racing Extinction. Photo Credit: Earth Day Texas

Earth Day Texas drew a diverse crowd of business leaders, politicians, families, students and everyone in between. Mock emphasized the importance of how each person found their own take home message like “What can I do?” “What about this is relevant to me?” “How can I play some kind of role small or large in sustainability?”

Earth Day Texas has plans beyond this one yearly event. “We definitely want to start having a year-round presence,” Mock said, “so you know every day is Earth day. We are hoping to start some monthly events. Stay tuned because we are hoping to keep these conversations going throughout the year.”

In just five years, Earth Day Texas has grown a trademark event to encourage our city and country to push towards a sustainable future. Expect Trammel S. Crow, the founder and underwriter of Earth Day Texas, to be involved in pushing that future. It’s been a challenge for Crow. He wrote in his recent Dallas Morning News editorial, “But these days, if Kermit the Frog thinks it isn’t easy being green, try being a green Republican.”

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Photo Credit: Earth Day Texas

 

As seen in the Katy Trail Weekly. 

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ReGeared reminds us to use our creativity to be green

Posted on April 26, 2015 by Naima

Many people think the only way to be green is to do it all or do nothing. It’s really not about taking on every challenge to reduce your impact on the planet. Collectively, if we are all more aware of the resources we use and make small decisions to use less, it will add up. A good reminder is, although the United States makes up about five percent of the world’s population, we consume about 24 percent of the world’s energy. That means, one American uses the same amount of resources as thirteen people from China, or 31 people from India. When we use so many resources, cutting our use in any way, helps. Reminding yourself that there are a variety of ways to have less of an impact is key to finding your own way to be green.

This past week I met some creative souls, bringing trashed materials back to life in new products, right here in the Dallas area. Rachel Spire and Lauren Lay launched ReGeared in January of 2011. ReGeared creates hand crafted one of a kind pieces for your home, office, workplace or special event from “as much recycled material as they can get their hands on.” Which, after walking through their backyard full of about 40 scrapped bikes, buckets of bike chains, gears and piles of salvaged wood, is a lot. They work with local bike shops, pick up materials, use a tumbler filled with walnut shells to clean off gear, that will be made into a clock, a Texas flag, a one of a kind picture frame, or eye catching jewelry.

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Used bike parts are collected, cleaned and await their new purpose at ReGeared.

 

Spire learned her craftsmanship working as a furniture designer in the Dallas Design District for about ten years. Spire describes her hands on learning, “To be a better designer, it’s better to get back there with the guys and learn how to build.” Now, she seeks to use her skills learned to make creative products from trashed items. Spire describes her passion, “Seeing what pieces are beings discarded and how can we make that into something again, that’s kind of the heart of everything.”

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One of a kind pieces made from used materials by ReGeared.

 

ReGeared began as a side project to earn some cash for Spire’s Team in Training project but as more and more people wanted custom designs their business took off. Today, ReGeared’s work, from beer taps to classy tables, can be seen in several restaurants across Dallas, including Luck in Trinity Groves. I stopped by Luck and hopped behind the bar to see their hand crafted beer taps at work. Seeing the projects from inception at their shop to working art in the restaurant really inspires a sense that we all can do this on a small scale. It just takes some creativity. What do we trash that can be repurposed as something else or if we need something in our lives, how can we make it with materials we already have?

It turns out, the owners of Luck really made these environmental choices a priority when building their restaurant that opened in October of 2013. Jeff Dietzman, one of the co-founders of Luck, said, “We were building the restaurant from the ground up, so we could do anything we wanted with it, so we definitely wanted to use as much reclaimed wood and metals and use local artists and vendors.”

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Beer taps made by ReGeared featured at Luck restaurant in Trinity Groves, Dallas, Texas.

 

Every once and a while you need a creative reminder that being green doesn’t mean you hug trees everyday, it means you care to make a conscious decision to use less resources. This can take shape in many ways in your life from a side project to a major portion of your business. Everyday each American produces about four pounds of trash. How will you rethink your trash?

To learn more about ReGeared and browse their work visit etsy.com/shop/ReGEARED.

As seen in the Katy Trail Weekly. 

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Earth Day Texas kicks off today with plenty of green fun

Posted on April 24, 2015 by Naima

Earth Day Texas, the world’s largest public exhibition devoted to environmental stewardship is free and runs from April 24-26, in Fair Park. Stop by to participate in interactive activities designed to entertain, inform and instruct attendees on ways to reduce their cost of living, improve their health and benefit the environment.

In celebration of the event’s fifth year, Earth Day Texas has extended to three days. Friday will cater to business and civic professionals, offering speaker panels of global leaders in sustainability. Ken Klaveness, Director of Earth Day Texas described the importance of Friday, “This is, as far as we know, the first time we’ve invited businesses, environmental groups and other people to come to Earth Day for their own meetings to talk about what they’re doing with each other… We are trying to create a magnet, if you will, for all kinds of groups. By adding this business oriented day, we will be appealing to a broader crowd and draw some business people.”

Saturday and Sunday are packed with hands on games, live music from the Texas Music Project, food trucks and vendors focused on healthy eating and sustainable products, workshops and the Eco-Expo featuring over 1,100 exhibit spaces. Klaveness highlighted the activities, “Throughout Earth Day Texas, we will have quite a wide variety of speakers, experts in certain areas speaking or doing panels about topics of environmental interests and opportunities to learn everything from info about rain catchments, electricity conservation, to learning topics such as land stewardship, community gardens and more.”

Before you head out to the event take a minute to plan out what you want to see and do. Download the free app from the iTunes store, or go online to earthdaytx.org to view the program schedule. From the eye catching to the future forward, there is something for everyone in your family.

  • Take a tour through our United States National Parks, such as Big Bend National Park and Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park through games, interactive activities, official junior park ranger training and on site park rangers. The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) kicks off the centennial year of the U.S. National Park Service at Earth Day Texas.
  • Take a spin on an electric bike with the Oak Cliff shop, Small Planet E Bikes. Jordan Mieth, Manager of Planet E Bike, describes an ebike, “Get a boost while you pedal, you can go 20mph, 30-60mph, basically a quicker way to get around on a bicycle.”
  • Catch the Texas premier of Racing Extinction, the new film from Oscar-winning director Louie Psihoyos, who directed the documentary The Cove. The movie trailer leaves you wanting to see how the filmmakers carried out their covert tactics to expose the illegal wildlife trade pushing extinctions around the world. Screenings of Racing Extinction will be 2pm and 6pm on Saturday and Sunday.
  • Test drive the brand-new Nissan LEAF, America’s best selling 100 percent electric car. Find your perfect green vehicle by touring over 100 green cars, trucks, and other vehicles.
  • View weather patterns, ocean currents and continental drift on huge visual orbs. The Omniglobe and the state of the art Science on a Sphere exhibit hosted by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) displays environmental concerns all around our globe in a moving masterpiece.
  • Get a close up look at live Texas’ bats from Bat Conservation International who own and protect Bracken Cave, located in Texas, and summer home of the largest bat colony in the world.
  • Feel like you’re in the recent movie “Interstellar” as you explore deep space and get up close and personal with the International Space Station through NASA’s interactive exhibit. Learn what it’s like to be an astronaut as you touch a 4-billion year old moon rock.
  • Let your kid’s inner monkey out as they learn to climb trees, rope and harness style, with professional instructors from Tree Climbers International Presented by TXU Energy.

Be sure to stay green as you travel to Earth Day Texas and carpool, ride your bike or take the DART Green Line to Fair Park. Bring any unwanted clothes or shoes to recycle at the American Textile Recycling Services bins located around the event.

No matter what you chose to see at Earth Day Texas expect a fun filled weekend. Don’t forget to post pictures of your adventures on social media and tag them #EDTX2015 and #EarthDay2015 to share with the millions around the world participating in Earth Day events to shape a sustainable future.

Follow me on Twitter @naimajeannette for updates live from #EDTX2015.

If the slideshow doesn’t display below click here to make sure to see me as an astronaut.

 

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Find your park, even in Dallas

Posted on April 19, 2015 by Naima

After a day of hiking, kayaking, playing on the playgrounds, and making up campfire stories, the two kids were passed out under the stars, in the bed of the truck, in no time at all. We did our version of camping this past weekend at Ray Roberts Lake State Park, about a one hour drive northwest of Downtown Dallas. This park may not be “my park”, but I’m determined to visit many more in the area to find the park I connect to the most and title it mine for the “Find Your Park” initiative.

For the National Park Service’s centennial year celebration, they are rolling out a new campaign to “reintroduce the national parks and the work of the National Park Service to a new generation of Americans, inviting them to visit and get involved.” They hope to engage people of every age group and ethnicity to visit a park and develop a personal connection to nature. When you do, make sure to share your outdoor experiences on social media using #FindYourPark.

In Texas, there are thirteen National Parks including Padre National Seashore, Guadalupe Mountains and on my bucket list Big Bend. To get a taste of the breathtaking scenery and unique wildlife found at Big Bend, follow them on social media. You will soon join me in adding Big Bend to your own list. But it’s not checked yet due to the dreaded eight or nine hour drive. Luckily, #FindYourPark includes all outdoor areas.

Although the campaign is focused on the 401 National Parks, it was encouraging to hear Christy Goldfuss, who leads the White House Council on Environmental Quality, speak about the importance of people finding any park of their own. Goldfuss joined famous authors, leaders from National Geographic Education and others at the Children and Nature Network Conference in Austin held last week. Goldfuss said, “How do we really instill in the American public a continued connection to America’s National Parks? Which is not just just about the National Parks, because for the American public it could be National Forest, BLM (Bureau of Land Management) lands, it could be a state forest or city park…” In Dallas, this is important to us, because most National Parks are hours away, but we have a plethora of city and state parks within a short distance from the skyscrapers of downtown.

Goldfuss recited some statistics such as fewer than 14 percent of park visitors are under 40 and the number one reason (as determined by a Nature Conservancy poll) why kids didn’t spend more time outside was discomfort from heat and bugs. Here in the Dallas area, the time to get outside is now. The air on Saturday night was cool, breezy with no mosquitoes. The perfect hiking and camping weather, yet the park wasn’t packed.

Which park is your park in the area? There are many to choose from. Find a Texas State Park (SP) close by, such as the urban oasis known for a refreshing swim in Joe Pool Lake at Cedar Hill SP (20 minutes south east from downtown), Lake Tawakoni SP (one hour northwest of downtown), Purtis Creek SP (one hour 20 minutes southeast of downtown) and one of my favorites with real dinosaur tracts you can walk in, Dinosaur Valley SP (one hour 45 minutes southwest of downtown).

If you’re not up for the longer drive, visit one of the 381 Dallas City Parks totaling over 23,242 acres of developed and undeveloped parkland. On dallasparks.org they have an incredibly handy interactive map of every park, dog park, splash pad and trail by district. Find that hidden park located right around the corner from you.

There are even more trails listed on the Dallas County website (dallascounty.org) that connect neighborhoods and major landmarks. Browse the list of over 30 trails such as the popular White Rock Lake Trail and lesser known 3.5 mile Bachman Lake Trail located in Northwest Dallas.

Finally, maybe your park is our own Katy Trail in the heart of Dallas. The 3.5 urban trail is a very popular destination for residents and tourists. Although we all may love our trail I encourage you to check out and support the hundreds or other opportunities in the area to #FindYourPark. Without exploring the others you’ll never know what you, your friends, and family could be missing out on. This past weekend was the first time my nephews heard coyote’s call, something a bit more difficult to hear within city limits.

My nephew, Anis, inspecting his first inchworm friend, at Ray Roberts Lake State Park.

My nephew, Anis, inspecting his first inchworm friend, at Ray Roberts Lake State Park.

As seen in the Katy Trail Weekly. 

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Reverend Yearwood delivers relatable climate change message

Posted on April 10, 2015 by Naima

A Reverend quietly walked on stage at the Brookhaven College Sustainability Summit last Thursday. Reverend Lennox Yearwood, Jr. wore the obligatory black suit with the bright white clerical collar, but his converse sneakers and flat-billed baseball cap sparked the interest of the crowd. His Keynote Address started off calm, cool and soft spoken. He hit his stride a few minutes in, and the crowd responded to his rhythmic spoken words with clapping and cheers of “Yes!” throughout his hour-long speech.

Reverend Yearwood is the President and CEO of the Hip Hop Caucus, a civil and human rights organization based out of Washington, D.C. that works with musicians to engage people and influence people to use their political and social voice. Reverend Yearwood’s phone rang in the media room, pumping out the Pharell song “Happy” as his ringtone, emphasizing his roots in hip hop. Utilizing hip hop allows climate change to be discussed in a different way, gets to the heart of the matter and uses art and culture to reach people.

“When the movement is strong, the music is strong” says Reverend Yearwood. And it showed in late 2014 when the likes of Common, Ne-Yo and Kanye West’s producer Malik Yusef put together the album “Home” in response to the Peoples Climate March in New York City that drew more than 400,000 people. Proceeds from “Home,” which stands for Heal Our Mother Earth, go to organizing communities impacted by climate change.

At first glance, Reverend Yearwood isn’t the stereotypical hippie we normally think of leading the green movement. That is exactly the point. His speech emphasized the need of all people to get involved in reducing climate change because it’s a human issue, not just one particular group’s problem. He saw the need to diversify the movement and stepped up.

“The kind of people (community) that I want to be a part of is a people that loves to create change, that love this country, and loves to come together, doesn’t care about republican or democrat, if you’re rich or poor, if you’re black or white, that we come together to figure out and listen to hey we have a problem here in regards to climate change” Reverend Yearwood said.

Reverend Yearwood warned of playing the middle of the road through examples of our past in slavery, asbestos and cigarette smoking. At some point our culture accepted these issues and it took a long time to take a hard stand against them. Reverend Yearwood urged us that this is our time, now is not the time to play middle of the road on this issue, if we fail, we have no second chances.

It was inspiring and refreshing to watch someone deliver the climate change message in a non-traditional way. Whether you like hip hop music or not, there was a message for you in his speech. A lot of students who attend Dallas County Community Colleges are preparing for a future nursing career and Reverend Yearwood did his homework reaching out to those students. He emphasized the role nurses play on the front lines of climate change witnessing pollution induced diseases on a daily basis. He encouraged students not to sit back and watch more people get sick without getting to one of the roots of the problem.

Reverend Yearwood’s powerful words mixed with his infectious giggle led the audience through an encouraging way to tackle climate change. His cap read, “DIVEST” meaning to divest from the fossil fuel industry. He strongly stated, “It is morally wrong to continue to pollute and corrupt our planet. It is wrong for us to continue on this path of not moving from fossil fuels to clean energy and we must stop the madness now.” Urge policy makers, school and company boards and community leaders to stand strong and make changes away from fossil fuels.

The crowd erupted the loudest after Reverend Yearwood led us in his vision of a fossil free future. “What I now say, 50 years later, with our work together that one day… they will rejoice in what you have done and they will say that we are fossil free at least, fossil free at last, thank God oh mighty we are fossil free at last!” The strength and volume of his “fossil free at last” energized the crowd and left us all with a hope and inspiration that together, we can make it happen.

Being a lover of hip hop, I was surprised I had not heard of the album “Home”. I immediately downloaded it from iTunes and started listening as I left the summit. The remake of  the song “A Big Yellow Taxi” really hits home for all of us here in Dallas. The famous line is, “They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.”

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Reverend Yearwood and I after his Keynote Speech at Brookhaven College’s Sustainability Summit.

 As seen in the Katy Trail Weekly. 

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Get ready to party in April for Earth Month

Posted on April 6, 2015 by Naima

Everyone loves a great party with tasty food, fun games, and good people. April is the official month of parties to celebrate our Earth. Over 20 million Americans took part in the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970. The first Earth Day event launched the Earth Day Network (earthday.org) which today works with over 22,000 partner organizations in 192 countries to “broaden, diversify and mobilize the environmental movement.”

This year, more than one billion people around the world will participate in Earth Day activities throughout the month of April. The official international Earth Day date is April 22nd but many organizations will celebrate Earth Week or Earth Month to get people excited about all issues that concern our environment from human health impacts, creating green jobs and investments, or promoting clean air and water.

Here in Dallas there are several ways to join the Earth Day party and learn simple to complex things you can do to support our environment. There are several festival’s throughout the area such as Oak Cliff Earth Day held April 12, 2015, noon-5pm at the historical Lake Cliff Park and Cedar Hill Earth Day on April 20, 5-7:30pm.

The big event in the area that is expected to draw about 70,000 people is Earth Day Texas (earthdaytx.org) held at Fair Park April 24-26th. Live music and good food gives the event a festival feel but the big draw is the over 1100 exhibit spaces full of activities related to the Earth. Companies, organizations, schools, nonprofits, government agencies and more will be sharing their green stories and teaching others how to live in a more sustainable way. Jillian Mock, Communications Associate with Earth Day Texas, described the activities as, “A lot of initiatives people will want to come out and see, for example, NASA is bringing out a special exhibit that is going to showcase their international space station program, The National Parks is kicking off their Centennial Year of 2016 at Earth Day Texas 2015 with an enormous presence and a lot of fun things for families to do Friday, Saturday and Sunday.”  To view the entire schedule for this FREE event visit earthdaytx.org.

Can’t make it out to an event?

Here are three ideas to get you and your family involved in the celebration and learn some ways to tread lightly on our environment.

  1. Footprint Calculator – Complete a fun interactive quiz online to find out your ecological footprint based on how many resources you use everyday. Answering questions about your lifestyle such as where you live, how you wash your dishes and how far you drive, will show how sustainable you are currently living. After completing the footprint calculator on earthday.org/footprint-calculator I found that if everyone in the world lived the same way I lived my life, we would need 3.5 more Earth’s to support our resource needs. Yikes!
  2. Organize your own neighborhood clean up event. Gather a small group of friends and head out for a few hours to pick up trash in your neighborhood parks, creeks, or sidewalks. Not only does litter look bad, it is harmful to wildlife and water quality. Don’t let litter breed more litter, break the cycle by inspiring others to keep our city clean.
  3. Curb your waste. Think about things before you throw them out or recycle. Is there a better way? Host a clothing exchange in your neighborhood or sell your stuff online on one of the many Facebook Yard Sale sites. Receive a lot of junk mail? Use the free app PaperKarma to get rid of unwanted mail. Visit yellowpagesoptout.com to stop receiving a phone book at your doorstep every year. Opt out of free plastic water bottles at meals and events by always carrying a reusable water bottle with you.

It doesn’t matter what side of the spectrum you are on from not knowing the first thing about being green to living in a growing green trend tiny house, there is something for everyone to learn about during the month of April. Just remember, April may be the time to get excited about the Earth and environment, but use the parties to drive your motivation throughout the year.

As seen in the Katy Trail Weekly. 

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Made TOP 5 and now I need your help!

Posted on April 3, 2015 by Naima

My family and I took a much anticipated trip to Steamboat Springs, Colorado this past Spring Break. We were so excited after having planned and saved for months. We even started working out months in advance to make sure we were in shape to maximize the amount of time we had on the mountain. I did not want to get off the mountain early on any day because I was tired.

Only having the GoPro for a few months, we are still figuring out how to use it but Steamboat provided us with lots of opportunities to see what it can do. We all loved taking turns with it to see what we could create. My nephews giggled, screamed and were overjoyed submerging it under water. Every night, back in our bunks, we all rushed to the computer to see how the filming came out. I would quickly throw our “good” stuff together to send to our family that couldn’t make it on the trip this year.

After getting back from the trip, I tweeted out a link to one of my rough edited videos describing how much fun we had. I even posted an earlier blog about our trip here.  Steamboat Resort tweeted back there was a GoPro video contest going on. How exciting! I worked hard to edit my video down to two minutes and submitted. I am still learning the editing process as well but can’t wait to do more. A big thank you to Matt Hanna, The Champion of What If, who said yes to using his music!

The video made the TOP 5! I’m so excited! And now, I need your help. The amount of likes the video receives on the Steamboat Resort Facebook Page is taken into consideration when they pick the final winner. I would greatly appreciate a “like” from you!

I’d love to win this competition to win a GoPro 4 to take more engaging video with (two viewpoints at the same time!), win a lift ticket to guarantee we will go back to Steamboat next winter, and build my confidence to incorporate video into my environmental articles. I’m so excited at the possibilities!

Watch the other Top 5 choices as well. I learned something from each video and love something about each one of them. I wish all of us the best of luck!

To cast your vote visit the Steamboat Resort Facebook Page and scroll down their wall to the five videos. Mine is the last one scrolling down so get there! Don’t forget to watch the two minute video either. It showcases the winter fun at Steamboat Springs from the slopes to waterfall hiking to hot springs – and of course my cute nephews are the stars!

April 15th the winner is announced. Keep your fingers crossed!

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What do you consider a “clean” smell?

Posted on March 31, 2015 by Naima

I love the smell of a clean house. Imagine your clean house after a few hours of Spring cleaning. Do you smell the strong nose clearing sting of bleach or a light “fragrance” from an air freshener? Most people associate clean with artificial chemicals. But those chemicals could be harming you and the environment.

A recent study published in the Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health scientific journal found that common consumer products such as air fresheners and cleaning supplies emit a range of compounds that could harm human health and air quality. The problem is most of these ingredients are not disclosed to the public and are hidden under terms such as “perfume” and “fragrance”. The study found 156 different volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from 37 products tested, with an average of 15 VOCs per product. The study looked at store bought products marketed as green, all natural, organic and non-toxic and found that emissions of carcinogenic (cancer causing) hazardous air pollutants from ‘green’ fragranced products were not significantly different from regular fragranced products.

The products on store shelves are not required to list all ingredients or any ingredients in a chemical mixture called “fragrance”. These chemicals can be harmful to our human health but they are also harmful to the environment. Residual product is evaporated into the air, exposing ourselves to air pollution in our indoor environments. Chemicals are also washed down the drain into water supplies which has been shown to affect wildlife downstream. For example from the EPA, “Alkylphenol ethoxylates, a common surfactant ingredient in cleaners, have been shown in laboratory studies to function as an “endocrine disrupter,” causing adverse reproductive effects of the types seen in wildlife exposed to polluted waters.”

Your house can still remain clean without the harmful chemicals to your family and the environment. With a simple recipe, you can make your own cleaning supplies to keep your home shining. The other positive to making your own cleaning supplies is it’s much cheaper. For a few bucks to get started, you will have enough supplies to last you a few months.

Here is a simple recipe for an all purpose cleaning product to use in your kitchen, bathroom and everywhere. I rarely mix the same batch twice and have experimented with more and less amounts of ingredients listed. Save an old bottle or use a bowl to mix the following:

  • One spoonful of Baking Soda. Useful for cleaning dirt and grime.
  • One spoonful of Borax. Borax is a natural mineral that can be bought in the detergent aisle of most stores.
  • 1/2 cup white vinegar. Vinegar is an acid with antimicrobial properties. Lemon juice can be used as well.
  • 5 drops of tea tree oil. Tea tree oil has been found to be active against many bacteria, fungi, and viruses.
  • 3-5 drops of peppermint oil. Essential oils can be found at most health food stores. Be careful to buy a reputable brand to ensure the oil inside the bottle is what it’s supposed to be.

Fill up the rest of your bottle with warm water and shake.

cleaning

These are the staples for a clean house. Many recipes will also include hydrogen peroxide or an all natural soap such as Dr. Bronners brand, but it’s not necessary. Figure out what works best for you but keep the staples in. You can always keep some of the harsh cleaners such as bleach around in case you have a major worry. Bleach is the best disinfectant but also comes with severe risks. For everyday cleaning the all natural ingredients can get the job done, use bleach as a last resort.

To use less resources while cleaning, drop the paper towels. Instead of using paper towels use old rags or t-shirts to do your cleaning. Rags can be used over and over and if they have some of the essential oils from cleaning on them, they act as a natural dryer sheet to reduce static electricity in your clothes.

Refresh your Spring cleaning with some healthier supplies. Your body and the environment will benefit. It just takes a little retraining to your nose to associate a new smell with clean.

As seen in the Katy Trail Weekly.

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Aquaponics – Grow your food without dirt

Posted on March 26, 2015 by Naima

A trip to the local grocery store can be discouraging. Start reading ingredient labels and you will be disgusted by what’s found in all boxed and canned foods. Next, you hit the edges of your local grocer to stay healthy and pick up your fruits and vegetables. Although produce doesn’t have ingredient labels, their story of unsustainable chemical practices runs deep.

The way our agricultural system is currently progressing is not sustainable. Eighty percent of water used in the U.S. is used by agriculture. The lack of rotating crops and providing cover crops leads to soil erosion. The EPA states, in many agricultural areas, “soil is eroding at a rate of several tons of soil per acre per year or higher.” The degradation of our soil has caused farmers to supplement their fields with synthetic fertilizers. The amount of total fertilizer used by the industry has increased from 7.5 million nutrient tons in 1960 to 21.5 million nutrient tons in 2011. These fertilizers not only impact the food in our grocery stores but also impact our water quality and wildlife.

There is a new growing revolution proving food doesn’t have to come from fields, it can come from your house and it doesn’t even need dirt. Aquaponics is growing fish and plants together. More formally, it is a food production system that combines aquaculture (raising fish, snails or other aquatic animals) and hydroponics (growing plants in water). The fish provide the ammonia that is converted to fertilizer by bacteria in a media (rock) bed where the plant crops, such as lettuce, tomatoes, and herbs, are grown. Systems use less water than traditional farming through recirculation in systems that range in size from a small indoor tank system to a huge 10,000 square foot or bigger commercial system. The only inputs are fish food and replenishing water lost due to evaporation.

Aquaponics system at Mountain View College.

Aquaponics system at Mountain View College.

 

Green Phoenix Farms located in Mansfield, Texas has been busy building and growing an aquaponics community in our area. They help establish aquaponic systems in private owner backyards, community gardens, commercial units, and local schools and colleges. “It’s really proving to be a huge tool for active engagement of the students.” says Adam Cohen, Founder of Green Phoenix Farms. Cohen continues, “When students can actually get their hands dirty, the learning becomes more experiential and realistic and they see a point to it.”

Late last year Green Phoenix Farms finished an aquaponics lab at Mountain View College, one of the seven Dallas County Community Colleges. With grant funding secured by Lori De La Cruz, Mountain View College’s Sustainability Coordinator, Mountain View was able to renovate their greenhouse into a producing food pantry and student learning center. De La Cruz sums up the influence of the aquaponics lab for the students, “It’s a perfect way to teach sustainability to students. When you start talking about food, then you can talk about water quality, air quality, nutrition, poverty, transportation, petroleum, and just that whole systems thinking that gets them engaged. We start off talking about food, we are teaching them about sustainability and climate change and how climate change is going to affect our food supply.”

Plants flowering in Mountain View College's Aquaponics Greenhouse.

Plants flowering in Mountain View College’s Aquaponics Greenhouse.

The aquaponics system really is for everyone. It can be a great addition to a school, a source of food in your own home or a small sustainable side business for yourself. Green Phoenix Farms runs a number of training classes from the Do It Yourself home made systems to a three month program that guides 16 people through the process of developing a commercial farm from concept to marketable product. The class dives into business structure, production models and everything it takes to make a successful business that can provide about $1500-$3000 a month in income off of part time work.

Aquaponics is making a big move forward. Your system can be a high class trendy design piece in your home or a do it yourself cheap system in your backyard. A multifaceted approach to food production that includes aquaponics is the path to a sustainable food future. It’s not about focusing on one way but creating a community that supports each other to create access to good quality sustainable food.

To attend informative classes on aquaponics visit mountainviewcollege.edu/sustainabilityproject or join me at Green Phoenix Farm’s next free open house on April 4, 2015, greenphoenixfarms.com.

Adjunct Biology Professor Adam Cochran and Sustainability Coordinator Lori De La Cruz showing students the plant root systems in the Mountain View College Aquaponics Greenhouse.

Adjunct Biology Professor Adam Cochran and Sustainability Coordinator Lori De La Cruz showing students the plant root systems in the Mountain View College Aquaponics Greenhouse.

As seen in the Katy Trail Weekly. 

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