Category: All Posts

How do birds affect climate change?

As the climate changes, many birds are struggling to adapt. Climate change exacerbates existing threats, such as habitat loss and degradation, while adding new challenges, including shifting ranges and altered migration patterns. These threats pose an ever-growing danger to birds and are already pushing some species toward extinction.

American Bird Conservancy is acting in three key areas — mitigation, resilience, and adaptation — to combat the effects of climate change and build a sustainable, long-term future for birds.

How do birds affect climate change?

Research on birds has shown that climate change affects birds both directly and indirectly. The distributions of birds are closely associated with both winter and summer temperatures, and increased temperatures due to climate change may directly affect birds by forcing them to use more energy for thermoregulation.

Grow a Bird-Friendly Garden

Create a safe haven for birds in your yard or container garden by growing native plants, using fewer pesticides, and adding a bird bath. Native plants provide important food and shelter for birds and help them adapt to a changing climate. You can make school grounds, parks, vacant lots, and other community areas bird-friendly, too. Consider a DIY birdbath or turning breakfast into a bird feeder.

Stand for Solutions

To fight climate change, we need policies and technology that cut carbon pollution and increase renewable energy. Common-sense measures such as energy efficiency, renewable energy standards, and putting a price on carbon pollution can all help reduce emissions and limit the effects of global warming on birds. Talk to your elected leaders about these options, and learn more here about how to go solar and why it’s good for birds.

Plants for Birds

By simply choosing native plants for our yards and public spaces, we can restore vital habitats for birds in our communities and help them adapt and survive in the face of climate change.

April 18-22, 2022  Earth Week

This year’s Earth Week celebrations include the return of the annual plant swap, open to the public for the first time in three years! Hear Gardening with Ciscoe, recycle your old electronics and styrofoam, learn about bird-friendly communities and more. All events are free and open to EvCC students, faculty, staff, and the public.

To learn more about EverettCC Earth Week events click here:  https://www.everettcc.edu/administration/college-services/facilities/sustainability/go-green/earth-weekAll events are free and open to EvCC students and employees.

Learn more about EvCC Sustainability!  www.everettcc.edu/greenMariya Zelenskyy – Media and Outreach Coordinator  sustainability@everettcc.edu

April 18-22, 2022

This year’s Earth Week celebrations include the return of the annual plant swap, open to the public for the first time in three years! Hear Gardening with Ciscoe, recycle your old electronics and styrofoam, learn about bird-friendly communities and more. All events are free and open to EvCC students, faculty, staff, and the public.

Bird-Friendly Communities: 1-2 p.m. April 18

Location: Gray Wolf Hall, Room 164

Brian Zinke, wildlife biologist and executive director of the Pilchuck Audubon Society, talks about turning our communities into bird-friendly communities that can help tackle climate change. 

Plant Swap: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. April 19

Location: Whitehorse Hall, second floor critique space

The EvCC Plant Swap is back!

On Tuesday, April 19, you can root yourself in the Whitehorse Critique space when the Swap buds out from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and boldly avail yourself of free greenery.

Donate swap material (plants, seeds, bulbs, rhisomes, etc.), and you will qualify for a half-hour head start to get the first pick of the available plants the day of the Swap. AND be entered for a chance to win a cool plant swap prize! Email sustainability@everettcc.edu about your donation so you can be added to the list of “early access swappers.”

Gardening with Ciscoe: noon-1 p.m. April 19

Location: Whitehorse Hall, second floor critique space

Celebrity gardening expert Ciscoe Morris will share tips and answer questions about sustainable gardening. Morris gives advice on his “Gardening with Ciscoe” segments on KING 5 TV. “Ask Ciscoe” is a top selling garden book nationwide, and his most recent book “Oh, La La!” was released in 2020. 

Electronics Recycling: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. April 20

Location: Parking lot F (near Glacier Hall)

3R Technology will be on campus providing FREE drive-up and drop-off electronics recycling in Lot  F (next to the large recycle dumpster). Check out their website to find out what is accepted.

Styrofoam Recycling: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. April 20

Location: Parking lot F (near Glacier Hall)

Students for Enviromental Action (SEA) Club invites you to be an environmental hero! Bring clean styrofoam, packing peanuts in bags or boxes, bubble wrap and plastic film to be recycled–for FREE! See a list of acceptable items.

Green Everett Partnership Event: 3-5 p.m. April 22

Location: Thornton A. Sullivan Park

Come celebrate Earth Month with the Green Everett Partnership! Join us as we care for one of our favorite local parks, by removing colonizing weeds like blackberry and herb robert and spreading mulch around young plants.

For more information about Earth Week Events click here:https://www.everettcc.edu/administration/college-services/facilities/sustainability/go-green/earth-week

Learn more about EvCC Sustainability!  www.everettcc.edu/green

Mariya Zelenskyy – Media and Outreach Coordinator  sustainability@everettcc.edu

What Date Is Earth Week? 

How to Celebrate Earth Week?

What can you do with Earth Week? Make a difference! Try making a small change that will benefit the environment. Keep at it all week so that by the time Earth Day arrives it might become a lifelong habit. Here are ideas for ways to celebrate Earth Week:

• Use the full week. Start by identifying an environmental concern in your home or community. Make a plan to improve the situation. Ask yourself what you can do. Can you do it by yourself or do you need help from friends or permission from someone? Put your plan into action, get out there, and make a change.
• Get educated. Set aside time during Earth Week to read up on ecology and the environment. Learn how to save energy and about what you can recycle.
• Start a journal to track changes you make and the impact they make. For example, how much trash did you take out last week? Start recycling and choosing products that don’t waste packaging, grow some of your own food, compost what you can. How much does that impact your trash? Did you make energy efficiency change? How did that affect your utility bills from one month to the next?
• Identify areas where you and your family are wasteful. How can you reduce the waste? Do you have items you no longer use that you could donate to other people? Once you find a problem, find a solution and act on it.
• Turn down the thermostat on your water heater. Even a couple of degrees makes a big difference in energy consumption. Similarly, adjusting your home thermostat up a degree in the summer or down a degree in the winter won’t really affect your comfort, but will save energy.
• If you water your lawn, plan to water it in the early morning to make the best use of the resource. Consider ways to make your yard “greener.” This has nothing to do with the color of grass and everything to do with reducing the energy required for upkeep and finding ways to use the space outside your home to enhance the environment. Adding trees, for example, can dramatically affect heating and cooling costs and lower the amount of water needed to keep grass healthy.
• Replace light bulbs with ones that are energy efficient. Even if you can only switch out one bulb, it can save energy.
• Start composting or start a garden.
• Plant a tree!
• Lend a helping hand. Volunteer to help recycle or pick up litter.

Of course, what matters is not when you celebrate Earth Week, but that you celebrate Earth Week! Some countries turn this into a month-long celebration, so there is Earth Month rather than just Earth Day or Earth Week.

To learn more about EverettCC Earth Week events click here:  https://www.everettcc.edu/administration/college-services/facilities/sustainability/go-green/earth-week

All events are free and open to EvCC students and employees.

Learn more about EvCC Sustainability!  www.everettcc.edu/green

Mariya Zelenskyy – Media and Outreach Coordinator  sustainability@everettcc.edu

Spring is the best season to repair your lawn, sort out problems, and begin organic lawn care.

The most cultivated plant in the world is the grass that grows in your yard. In fact, nearly 18 million acres of land are landscaped with grass in the U.S., according to the EPA. Americans are so obsessed with keeping their lawns green that they collectively dump 70 million pounds of fertilizers and pesticides on it each year and use 30% of all available water irrigating it.

The organic guide to spring lawn care

When necessary, aerate your soil.

This will be most important the first few seasons when you decide to get your lawn off chemicals and treat it organically. Aerating removes inch-long plugs from the lawn to allow air and water into the soil. When you aerate for the first time and examine the plugs, you’ll notice that the soil near the grass roots is dense and probably clay-like when it should be dark brown and crumbly. Dark brown indicates soil tilth. The plugs are left to lie on the soil – as they break down they will begin to restore biological activity to your soil.

Build up the soil with organic matter

The easiest way to do this is to buy bagged compost, composted manure and peat moss at your local garden center. After you aerate, distribute the materials across your lawn just as you would a fertilizer. The manure, compost and peat will work its way into the soil via the holes the plugs have left and start to replenish the biological elements that are so sorely lacking from a chemically depleted lawn.

Your new weed killer and fertilizer is Corn Gluten Meal

Corn Gluten Meal is a by product of the corn milling industry and contains no synthetic chemicals. It’s a pre-emergent herbicide – that is, it interferes with root formation of the germinating weed seed so the weed can’t get started. CGM is not as powerful or as broad-spectrum as chemical weed killers, so it will take a few seasons to get your weeds under control with this method. On the upside, since Corn Gluten Meal is made from corn, and corn is a protein, as it breaks down it will feed your lawn with lots of nitrogen, the same substance you were using in its manufactured form to fertilize your lawn. Recent research indicates that lawn grasses only need nitrogen and not the other elements that are frequently found in commercial chemical fertilizers.

Water less

Organic lawns require less water, as once established the high volume of organic material in the soil allows it to hold moisture, making it more resistant to drought and pests. A good soaking from rain once a week or even every other week is sufficient hydration.

Consider an alternative to a traditional lawn

Replacing problem areas or less-used areas of your lawn with native plants is becoming very popular, as native plants attract wildlife, require little to no maintenance, and no additional water. Plant an alternative lawn and you’ll once again have Saturday mornings all to yourself. 

Learn more about EvCC Sustainability!  www.everettcc.edu/green

Mariya Zelenskyy – Media and Outreach Coordinator  sustainability@everettcc.edu

What is Sustainable Gardening? Sustainable gardening is a term that has no technical definition. It’s the concept of using gardening practices that cause no harm to the earth and its inhabitants while attempting to actually enhance it. Words that define “sustain” and “sustenance” are support, preserve, keep alive, maintain, reinforce, and nourishment. These words help paint the picture. By practicing sustainable gardening, you practice good environmental stewardship. Do no evil; that’s it.

Here are some tips for Sustainable Gardening

1. Plant vegetables – plant your own veggies for ultra-fresh and pesticide-free food. The latest list of the “Dirty Dozen” fruits and vegetables from the Environmental Working Group identifies everything from spinach to bell peppers as having the most pesticide residue – even after you wash them. So plant some of your own without pesticide and focus on eating the “Clean Fifteen,” including cantaloupe and sweet potatoes.

2. Plant flowers – Spring flowers are a cheery accent. Your flowers can do double-duty as food for bees. Bees have been stressed in recent years by Colony Collapse Disorder and also just the loss of habitat. Plants like milkweed, asters and many more can help our bees survive.

3. Plant native plants – which need less water and are better able to survive .

4. Minimize lawn care impacts. A lawn has significant environmental impacts. All that watering, fertilizing, mowing and pest control exact a toll on the planet. So minimize how much of your yard is devoted to lawn. And consider a smart device like the Smart Garden Hub, which can help save up to 50% of the water you sprinkle on a lawn.

5. Bonus tip: Make your plans now for Earth Day in April! The official day is April 22, but many organizations use the whole month of April to sponsor green fairs, eco-fests and other events to both educate and inspire people about sustainable living. EvCC hosts Earth Week between April 18th and April 25th this year. Check back next week for a link to this year’s earth week schedule.

Learn more about EvCC Sustainability!  www.everettcc.edu/green

Mariya Zelenskyy – Media and Outreach Coordinator  sustainability@everettcc.edu

With Spring just around the corner, we feel that there’s no better time than the present to start sprucing up our space. Not only does decluttering create a more mindful abode, but it can also contribute to your mental well-being. So, whether you like to clean room-by-room or tackle the entire house in one sweep, below are some simple and sustainable tips to get you through the season.

1. Repurpose Everyday Items

From using glass jars as storage containers to repurposing a cup into a toothbrush holder, there are endless ways to get creative with existing everyday items. 

One of our recent go-to’s has been making our own chemical-free cleaner. Not only is it all-natural, but it can also easily be customized with your favorite combination of scents. To make a standard all-purpose solution:

Mix 1-part vinegar to 1-part water in a glass spray bottle (plastic can occasionally react with essential oils, so it’s important to use a glass container)

Add 8-10 drops of your favorite essential oil You can also add citrus peels to the above mix for extra cleaning power

2. Clear the Clutter by Categorizing

One of the most rewarding parts of cleaning is clearing out your closet. Start by separating all of your clothing into four categories:

• donate
• sell
• throw-away
• keep

Take your time when sorting and do your best to avoid creating a “maybe” or miscellaneous pile. Once you’re finished with clothing, move on to homewares.

Items that are still in good condition can be donated or gifted to a friend.

When it comes to donating, look locally for a no-contact option. Safely dropping off things you no longer use (but are still in good condition), will not only contribute to your community, but it will also help reduce your environmental impact.

3. Set Small Goals & Stick to Them

When it comes to cleaning, it’s best to commit. Setting small goals and sticking to them will make each task less overwhelming and motivate you to keep going. Start by making a list and cross things off along the way. If you live with others, cleaning can also be a fun group activity. Dedicate specific days and times to complete household chores with your roommates or family. Be diligent with daily projects and take comfort in knowing that almost no task will take as long as you think.

4. Master the Art of Organizing

Making sure that everything has a home will save you a lot of time in the long run. Spend a few minutes to walk around your home at the end of the day. Is there loose paper on the table? Are there dirty clothes in the living room? Assessing the state of your space is an easy indicator to your organizational needs. Here are some tips to help restore order: 

Laundry to Linens: Small baskets are a great way to keep household linens organized and looking fresh.

Pots to Pantry: If you find yourself needing a little bit of extra counter space, a wall-mounted shelf or rail is a stylish space saver. 

Magazines to Books: A small storage rack can lend a helping hand to stray publications, records, and books. 

5. Celebrate Successful Spring Cleaning

Once your checklist is complete, it’s important to celebrate a job well done! 

CONSERVATION FUTURES SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

Link: http://www.waconservationsociety.org/scholarship-program.html

This link is to a scholarship opportunity through the Washington Conservation Society open through March 31st to students (details of who can apply below)

Eligibility requirements:

The applicant must be a resident of Washington State at the time of application.

The applicant must be:

A full-time high school senior; or

Entering their freshman year of college; or A returning college student. 

If the applicant is enrolled in college, preference will be given to applicants who are enrolled in an accredited college or university in Washington State. Note: There is no age requirement or maximum age cap for applicants.

Applicants must demonstrate an interest in: Conservation and the environment; and Planned employment in the broad field of natural resources.

Learn more about EvCC Sustainability!  www.everettcc.edu/green

Mariya Zelenskyy – Media and Outreach Coordinator  sustainability@everettcc.edu

Preparing a Climate Action Plan and Setting Priorities

At this stage of formulating a climate action plan, research campuses choose greenhouse gas reduction goals, set dates for achievement, and determine financial constraints and opportunities.

The resulting plan can be goal driven or finance driven.

In preparing climate action plans, there is usually a desire for specific goals and a need to stay within financial constraints. Because of this, a hybrid approach that combines goals and financial constraints is most typical.

Developing a climate action plan is an iterative process that sets preliminary goals, evaluates specific measures, calculates financial impact, and then revises the goals.

Set Preliminary Goals

Research campuses should carefully consider where to set greenhouse gas reduction targets because it is a long-term goal against which you will measure progress for many years. Targets are usually expressed in terms of percent reduction in energy consumption or greenhouse gas emissions by a certain year.

A typical date range for climate-neutral targets is between 2020 and 2050. Plan your targets and dates to achieve goals on time and at the lowest cost possible. Remember, climate neutral means a 100% reduction in your current baseline carbon impact.

Many climate actions reduce greenhouse gases and save money at the same time. For example, energy conservation projects can sometimes result in very high rates of return. Calculating a return on investment or simple payback for these projects allows measures to be ranked relative to each other in terms of financial performance.

Revise Goals

The final step in the planning process is gathering information gleaned from the process and revisiting the original goals. Research campuses often find the need to revise climate action plan goals based on financial constraints and results uncovered by evaluating specific measures and/or the portfolio approach.

Revising goals at this stage increases the likelihood of success. There is little point in striving to meet preliminary goals when financial and specific measure analysis shows them to cost-prohibitive or outright unattainable.

Learn more about EvCC Sustainability!  www.everettcc.edu/green

Mariya Zelenskyy – Media and Outreach Coordinator  sustainability@everettcc.edu

Most young people care about climate change. College students can make a difference by pushing for campus sustainability and taking steps to make a more sustainable campus.

College students have a voice on campus. Choosing a sustainable college or encouraging sustainable practices can make a difference. For example, the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, & Rating System rates colleges on sustainability and recommends college sustainability programs.

Colleges committed to fighting climate change invest in college sustainability programs. They build green dorms, invest in low-carbon transportation, and limit waste. This section covers the ways colleges are tackling climate change on campus.

Why is Climate Action important for sustainable development?

A strong climate agreement backed by action on the ground will help us achieve the Sustainable Development Goals to end poverty, build stronger economies and safer, healthier, and more liveable societies everywhere.

Climate action and sustainable development are inseparable. Climate change is a threat multiplier. It amplifies existing threats, exacerbating problems for the economy, environment and society. 

Learn more about EvCC Sustainability!  www.everettcc.edu/green

Mariya Zelenskyy – Media and Outreach Coordinator  sustainability@everettcc.edu

students of Climate Action Plan ? 

Colleges and universities must exercise leadership in their communities and throughout society by modeling ways to minimize global warming emissions, and by providing the knowledge and the educated graduates to achieve climate neutrality. Campuses that address the climate challenge by reducing global warming emissions and by integrating sustainability into their curriculum will better serve their students and meet their social mandate to help create a thriving, ethical and civil society.

Colleges must remain vigorous in supporting students, faculty, and staff who are championing ideas, expertise, and action related to climate change. Colleges have a responsibility to act on the research and insights from our faculty and students. 

The climate action plan will build on the past progress and use the campus to confront the difficult questions posed by climate change and test promising new solutions that move the College, and the world, away from fossil fuels. 

It’s important that College provide a good example not only for the students, but also for our community. It helps students to understand and address the impacts of the climate crisis, empowering them with the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes needed to act as agents of change. The international community recognizes the importance of education and training to address climate change.

Do students want to learn about climate change?

A survey in Europe found that just 4 percent of students feel they know a lot about climate change; 42 percent feel they have learned a little, hardly anything, or nothing about it at school; and 57 percent of students want to learn more.

Learn more about EvCC Sustainability!  www.everettcc.edu/green

Mariya Zelenskyy – Media and Outreach Coordinator  sustainability@everettcc.edu

Our Climate, Our Future: Climate Action Plan!

A climate action plan is a detailed and strategic framework for measuring, planning, and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and related climatic impacts. Municipalities design and utilize climate action plans as customized roadmaps for making informed decisions and understanding where and how to achieve the largest and most cost-effective emissions reductions that are in alignment with other municipal goals. Climate action plans, at a minimum, include an inventory of existing emissions, reduction goals or targets, and analyzed and prioritized reduction actions. Ideally, a climate action plan also includes an implementation strategy that identifies required resources and funding mechanisms.

A Climate Action Plan (CAP) begins with an inventory of the College’s past greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and follows with a plan for reducing those emissions by a given time frame. The goal of SMC’s CAP is to achieve the largest and most cost-effective GHG emissions reduction.  

Tackling climate change is not just a technological challenge, it is a moral, ethical and social justice issue. 

A strong climate agreement backed by action on the ground will help us achieve the Sustainable Development Goals to end poverty, build stronger economies and safer, healthier, and more liveable societies everywhere.

Learn more about EvCC Sustainability!  www.everettcc.edu/green

Mariya Zelenskyy – Media and Outreach Coordinator  sustainability@everettcc.edu