April is Earth Month.  This is a time we think about our Earth and ways to preserve and protect our natural resources.  April 22nd is, also, Earth Day in my area.

We need to find solutions to our most pressing environmental concerns.

A Top List Would Include:

• Climate Change
• Food Waste
• Protecting Pollinators
• Plastic Pollution
• Reforestation

No Pesticides Used to Kill Weeds

I’m trying to do my part by keeping lawn and garden chemicals to a minimum.

As you can see by the photograph on the left, I have some dandelion weeds in the yard.

Lawn chemicals wash off and then pollute streams.

I also spend a lot of time recycling food scraps to be added to my soil to enrich it and keep it out of landfills.

Local Environmental Changes

The use of plastic bags for yard waste has been banned in my area.  You can easily buy extra large paper bags to hold yard waste from the local grocery or hardware stores.

When plastic bags are shredded as part of the composting cycle, the plastic mixes with the mulch and creates a large plastic pollution problem.

Our area is also slowly moving towards replacing the local commuter buses and school fleets with electrical buses.

Diesel emissions from buses release carbon into the air which causes pollution and also related health issues.

Solar roofs are also being installed on local schools, government buildings, parks and housing authority sites.

This is also a long processes which is only now beginning but it will produce a clean energy source.

In one local park, there is a reforestation program going on.

It is expensive to do and only covers one small area but it will bring the forested area back to how it originally looked.

Invasive species plants will be removed and local trees will be replanted.  The area will also be protected from deer who might eat the new plantings.

Our local government is developing a Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan.

Over the past several summers, our area has seen rising temperatures, more frequent heat waves, and violent storms.

This plan is currently being worked on so our county can avoid spending millions of dollars by having a proactive plan.

Small efforts will eventually yield large results so keep on recycling, reusing, and help keep our Earth pollution free.

Happy Earth Day on April 22nd!