WCC Environmental Science

Happy first day of Fall Semester 2020! Good luck to all WCC Students.

There are many simple ways to support birds throughout the winter without putting up birdfeeders.

To Help Birds This Winter, Go Easy on Fall Yard Work A manicured lawn might look nice, but messy is better for birds and bugs.

The article describes studies showing native bees ate substantially better pollinators than honeybees. Supporting native bees improves crop yield. I planted two wildflower gardens and have seen a significant increase in my home garden. I used to have to pollinate zucchini and cucumber flowers by hand. This year, there are enough bees to so it. Weeds and wildflowers need to exist with farming.

Are We Handling The Bee Crisis All Wrong? Wild bees are our best pollinators, yet pesticides, pathogens and industrial farming are devastating their numbers. Is there a better way to work with them?

The youth climate lawsuit Juliana vs United States is finally set to begin June 4, 2019.

Large increases in domestic recycling infrastructure are occurring, much of it by Chinese companies for paper and plastic.

China's ban on scrap imports a boon to US recycling plants ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — The halt on China's imports of wastepaper and plastic that has disrupted U.S. recycling programs has also spurred investment in American plants that process...

Interesting map showing cities that are currently powered by 100% renewable electricity (the light blue dots) and those that have committed themselves to 100% renewable electricity. Traverse City is the only city in Michigan with a commitment to 100% renewable electricity. You can click on each city to see its goal date.

100% Commitments in Cities, Counties, & States Across the U.S. over 100 cities, more than 10 counties, three states, the district of Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico, have already adopted ambitious 100% clean energy goals. Six cities in the U.S.--Aspen, Burlington, Georgetown, Greensburg, Rock port, and Kodiak Island--have already hit their targ...

Very interesting story about the dangers of coal ash which exist on the site of every coal burning power plant around the world. This focuses on the health impacts on workers who cleaned up a coal ash spill in Tennessee.

Coal’s other dark side: Toxic ash that can poison water and people Workers who cleaned up a huge spill from a coal ash pond in Tennessee in 2008 are still suffering—and dying. The U.S. has 1,400 ash dumps.

Lake Effect Snow in Michigan means it is literally Snowing Lake Michigan!

Expanded bottle deposits in Oregon have created contamination-free recycling so they can earn a higher price when sold. Curbside recycling suffers from customers putting things they hope can be recycled in the bin. Bottle returns prevent the contamination and get a higher return rate with a 10 cent deposit. Michigan needs to expand what goes into bottle return to see this boost.

Oregon Bottle Deposit System Hits 90 Percent Redemption Rate The expanded program includes more types of containers and benefits from a cleaner mix of recyclable materials, which is easier to sell than the mishmash of waste that ends up in curbside bins.

Single-stream recycling is easy for consumers but is generating contamination rates that are too high. Some cities are switching back to dual-stream recycling so paper is separated from other recyclables. If recycling is too contaminated, it goes to the landfill. Estimates are we have about 25% contamination.

The Era Of Easy Recycling May Be Coming To An End For those of us who spent most of our lives painstakingly separating plastic, glass, paper and metal, single-stream recycling is easy to love. No longer must we…

Two US electric utilities recently declared something remarkable: It’s cheaper to tear down their coal plants and build renewable-energy plants than to keep the old boilers running. Solar and onshore wind were less than half the cost of a new coal plant.

Two US electric utilities have promised to go 100% carbon-free—and admit it’s cheaper Platte River Power Authority said it was just an admission of economic realities, not a political statement.

Attention! It's time for the last County Clean-Up Day of the year! Get that fall cleaning done and join us October 20 at Eastern Michigan University from 9am-12pm.

Details: https://www.washtenaw.org/2414/County-Clean-Up-Days