Tag Archive for trees

36 Million Trees Gone This Year

That happens every year. This massive annual tree loss results in hotter cities, a whole lot more pollution, and unhealthy humans. Some causes we can’t do much about–fire, hurricanes, disease, insects. What is under our control, though, is cutting down trees for more parking lots, buildings, and roads.

Why care about the loss of trees? Because trees provide many essential benefits: 1) heat reduction, 2) energy emissions reduction, 3) water quality improvement, 4) flooding reduction, 5) noise reduction, 6) protection from UV radiation, 7) improved aesthetics, 8) improved human health, 9) wildlife habitat.

To find out exactly how trees do all those things, plus how we can plan for trees and help stop the loss of trees, read US cities are losing 36 million trees a year. Here’s why it matters and how you can stop it.

Free Trees for Your Community

Trees, nature’s air purifiers, are inexpensive and easy to plant.  In my area (San Jose), there’s an organization called Our City Forest. It helps people choose the right tree for their location, demonstrates how to plant it, and gives it to to the person for free (donation requested).  If the person is older or disabled, they’ll even send out someone to plant it for them.

Does your community have such an organization? If not, propose it. See Our City Forest details at www.ourcityforest.org so you can offer your city some information about how a successful program can operate.

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[For more easy, money-saving, Earth-friendly tips, download a FREE copy of Green Riches: Help the Earth & Your Budget. Go to www.Smashwords.com/books/view/7000 or your favorite e-book seller and download to your computer or e-book device. Totally free, with no strings attached.]

A Great Way to Celebrate Earth Day

Here’s something your family can do:

 

Plant Trees

Honor Earth Day, Give Trees for Wildlife

Earth Day is almost here. Get hands-on to help wildlife—while showing politicians you care about addressing climate change—by giving to plant a native tree.

Or better yet, five trees. Or ten!

For every $10 you give today, a native tree will be planted to help wildlife survive and thrive—and you’ll help press leaders to take strong action on climate.

One of the most direct ways to improve our environment and help struggling species is to plant native trees. Trees absorb carbon dioxide—one of the key contributors to climate change—and other pollutant particulates, then store the carbon and release pure oxygen into the atmosphere. And they do this for decades, long after we’re gone.

Trees also lower air temperatures, help conserve energy, and provide wildlife with needed cover, nesting, and food.

Your donation today does even more than put native trees into the ground. Part of your gift will help us fight back against attempts to rollback climate and environmental programs that protect wildlife—and people—from pollution and severe weather events like drought and damaging storms from rising temperatures.

Give $10 to plant a tree, help the climate, and leave a conservation legacy for wildlife.

Our goal this year is to plant 50,000 trees while sending a strong message to the President and Congress that Americans do care about the environment—and that together, we will do our part to improve our communities and wildlife habitats.

Plant Trees

Dead Trees and Money

Here’s something for my usual Sensible Saturday posting that is a slap across the brain…or wallet.

 

 

Shouldn’t We Have Asked the Chickens?

Many groups and organizations have been working hard to be more humane toward chickens by getting them out of cramped, stacked cages and out into the open.  Now we find that free-range chickens tend not to use their freedom to roam.  Instead, they spend their time inside or hovering outside near the door, and when they’re outside they peck at each other.

The reason could be as simple as answering the question, “Where are the trees?”  Apparently our modern chicken is the ancestor of fowl that lived in SE Asia’s jungles, among trees that gave them shade, protection from predators, and places to perch. That environment also gave them ground they could peck at to find food, plus dust that they used to clean themselves.

Oddly enough, it was McDonalds in the UK who figured this out years ago, after announcing that they’d use only free-range eggs. When they planted trees outside hen houses they found an increase in egg production and happier, healthier chickens.  And they “range” (roam) more.  Now the UK calls eggs produced in this way “Freedom Food.”

So, why didn’t someone consult the chickens in the first place?

 

Why Bother with Recycled Paper Products?

Buy and use recycled paper products.  Obviously, doing so will save trees and wildlife habitat.  In addition, because it takes more energy to make paper from trees than from recycled paper, if all the paper cluttering our homes and offices were made of recycled materials, we’d save enough energy to go visit those trees and wildlife some weekend.

[For more easy, Eco-friendly tips, download a FREE copy of Green Riches: Help the Earth & Your Budget. Go to www.Smashwords.com/books/ view/7000, choose a format, and download to your computer or e-book device. Or download a free copy from your favorite e-tailer.]