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Pursue
Sustainability
A publication of the Black Belt Conservation and Research Institute
The University of West Alabama
Vol. 1 No. 5
April 2015
Sus.tain’a.bil’i.ty n. Earth Day celebrated worldwide
The ability to meet the needs of the
present without compromising the
the ability of future generations
to meet their needs.
Inside this issue:
Earth Day
Rules to recycle by
Steps to sustainable lawn care
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WORD OF THE MONTH
Pesticide
Any substance used to kill, repel, or
control certain plants and animal life
that are considered pests.
Livingston Recycle
Center Schedule
Location:
Livingston South Industrial Park
100 Bennett Road
Livingston, Alabama 35470
Hours of Operation:
Wednesday from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Saturday from 8 a.m. - Noon
Celebrating its 45th anniversary, Earth Day, celebrated each April 22,
is the largest, most celebrated environmental event worldwide.
How did Earth Day begin?
By the 1960s people were becoming
aware of the effects of pollution on the
environment. In 1962, Rachel Carson’s
bestselling “Silent Spring” raised the
awareness of pesticides pollutants. In 1969
a fire broke out in Cleveland’s Cuyahoga
River that raised the issue with chemical
waste disposal. Until this time, protecting
the Earth’s natural resources was not on the
government’s agenda. In 1970, Earth Day
was launched separately by activist John
McConnell and Senator Gaylord Nelson
asking Americans to participate in grassroots
demonstrations.
Due to the public’s awareness, a number
of important pieces of environmental
legislation were passed in the 1970’s—
the Clean Air Act, the Water Quality
Improvement Act, the Endangered Species
Act, the Toxic Substances Control Act and
the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation
Act.
Earth Day has certainly grown and
continues to do so with the help of Earth
Day Network (EDN) a non-profit group
that organizes and coordinates Earth Day
activities. Since 1990, over 140 nations
have participated with EDN. Today EDN
collaborates with 17,000 partners in 174
countries.
UWA Call For Action!
One billion people will participate
in Earth Day activities. You can be
part of the group by celebrating
Earth Day at UWA. On Wednesday,
April 22, the UWA community is
encouraged to do two simple things
pick-up litter and recycle.
Enjoy the beautiful campus of
UWA and Happy Earth Day.
Recycling Rules
Steps to
sustainable
lawn care
Ninety-two percent of American’s think recycling is good for the environment. That
doesn’t mean we like to do it. Here’s a list of pet peeves and tips to make recycling easier.
A lawn that is well-established and
healthy can out-compete most weeds and
withstand a certain amount of stress from
drought, insects, and disease.
Lawns can often be restored simply by
improving management such as proper
fertilization, mowing, watering, and addressing problems with thatch and soil
compaction.
Who We Are
Let it grow
Strengthen the roots– allow lawn growth
of 4.5 inches then cut it down to 3 inches.
Mulch the trims
After clipping your shrubs, deposit the
trims into the soil for nutrients.
Air it out
During the fall, air your lawn using an
aerator to give it the oxygen it needs.
Soil test
Doing a soil test will indicate the nutrients
your lawn is missing.
Water less often
A healthy lawn only needs about 1 inch
of water. Give your lawn a good sprinkle
once a week instead of daily.
Embrace certain weeds
Dandelions provide natural aeration and
clovers take nitrogen from the air and
place it back into the soil.
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Pet peeves:
• 33% of recyclers are bothered when
they see others who aren’t recycling in
public places.
• 24% of American recyclers don’t like
not being able to recycle certain types of
materials (Ex: plastic and paper)
• 1 in 4 Americans are annoyed by overflowing or hard to find recycling bins.
• 1 in 10 Americans don’t know what
the local recycling laws are.
Tips:
• Keep paper clean (Dirty tissues, paper
towels, paper plates and greasy boxes are
not welcomed)
• Glass (Keep the little broken pieces of
glass out of the recycle)
• Aluminum (Cans are a constant doovers, recycle them!)
• Plastic (The number located on the
bottle tells you what polymer it is.
©Consumer Reports
Smart Gardening Scenarios
The Yard-to-Table Garden
With a little bit of work and some water
you can create an edible garden in your
backyard.
Raising the bed and using nutrient rich
soil is key to having a happy garden.
Your garden will need full sun and a
drip system for irrigation putting water
directly into the root system. What should
you grow? Whatever your stomach desires. Create a fruit stand by planting
strawberries or make a salad bar by planting lots of greens.
The Wildlife-Loving Garden
Butterflies and bees are disappearing
more each year. The monarch butterfly
had its lowest count in 2014 and the bees
are also low in numbers. Plant a garden
that will make these species happy. Milkweed and honeysuckle will provide nectar
and pollen to a variety of pollinators.
You may even want to try “birdscaping,” by adding berry plants and thorny
trees to offer protection for bird nests.
Do some research and discover other
plants you can use in your garden that are
loved by bees and butterflies— but will
not be bothered by deer and other pests.
The Water-Smart Garden
With the U.S. experiencing dry conditions, water-smart landscaping is becoming a necessity. A water-smart garden is
not just cacti. Traditional gardens can be
water-smart, too. Plant native plants in
your region that are adapted to the local
water conditions and add a layer of mulch
to help retain the moisture.
Use rain barrels to catch runoff water
from the roof and air-conditioning unit.
Also, use an irrigation system that has a
soil sensor so the garden only gets watered as needed.
©Consumer Reports
Wildlife friendly gardens attract numerous
species including the monarch butterfly.
The Black Belt Conservation Institute (BBCRI) is a unit within the Division of Educational Outreach at the
University of West Alabama (UWA). Current projects include a partneship with the Institute of Sustainability, a
green certification agreement to further the University’s ongoing efforts to promote environmental awareness and
preservation and the Nature Conservancy for the restoration of prairies. For the past four years, UWA has been
recognized by the National Wildlife Federation for its Prairie Land Restoration Project. For more information,
contact Lee Stanton, Director, Black Belt Conservation and Research Institute via email at lstanton@uwa.edu,
call (205) 652-3145 or visit http://centerforblackbelt.org/units/black-belt-conservation-research-institute/.
Pursue Sustainability