Eco Report – March 29, 2024

March 29, 2024 Eco Report, News & Public Affairs, WFHB Local News, WFHB Local News Features 418 Views

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Last week we introduced you to the world of plastic. Today, we will educate you on the categories of plastics, their chemical composition, properties and applications. It’s a long list, so we will start with the first four types:

Polyethelene, also known as PE, has three types:
• High-density polyethylene (HDPE) is known for its strength, stiffness, and resistance to moisture and chemicals. It is used in bottles, containers, pipes and plastic lumber.

• Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) is flexible and commonly used in packaging films, plastic bags and squeezable bottles.

• Linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) combines the properties of LDPE and HDPE to be used in films, bags and liners.
Polypropylene (PP) which is tough and heat-resistant and is used in food containers, packaging, automotive parts and textiles.
Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) which is rigid PVC and is used in construction materials like pipes, window frames and siding. Flexible PVC is used in inflatable structures, medical tubing, electrical cable insulation and flooring.
Polystyrene (PS). General-Purpose Polystyrene (GPPS) is transparent and rigid and used in food packaging, disposable cutlery and CD cases. Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) is lightweight and insulating and used in packaging, thermal insulation and disposable cups. There are more categories to be covered which we will discuss next week. What we are trying to teach you, is that practically everything in our homes, offices and lives has a lot of plastic in it.

Inside Climate News reports the world’s most famous groundhog —Punxsutawney Phil—did not cast a shadow, which legends say indicated that spring should arrive early this year. While the groundhog has been known to give notoriously inaccurate forecasts, this one probably wasn’t too far off base. As climate change accelerates, the signs of spring are arriving earlier in many parts of the world, from unnatural warmth to the tell-tale throat itch that accompanies seasonal allergies.

The federally funded National Phenology Network—a group that monitors the biological impacts of seasonal changes—tracks when plants sprout leaves across the U.S., and says on its website that spring conditions in Des Moines, Iowa, is 20 days early, Detroit, Michigan, is 23 days early, and Cleveland, Ohio, is 16 days early compared to a long-term average of 1991-2020. Starting around the end of each March, tourists flock to cities across Japan and the Tidal Basin of Washington, D.C., to see the same thing: blooming cherry blossom trees. The vibrant petals transform the trees into clouds of pink, but these cotton-candy flowers have been blooming earlier in the past few decades, research shows.

In Japan, the average start date of blooming has begun 1.2 days earlier per decade since 1953, Daisuke Sasano, a climate risk management officer at the Japan Meteorological Agency, told Bloomberg. A similar trend is playing out during cherry blossom season in D.C., where these iconic trees are also encountering sea-level rise. After this season’s festival, the National Park Service is set to cut down around 140 of the cherry blossom trees to make room for the construction of taller sea walls. The $113 million, three-year project is set to begin in late spring and early summer around the Tidal Basin and along the Potomac River through West Potomac Park, after the National Cherry Blossom Festival draws crowds to celebrate the district’s iconic blooms.

Roughly 300 trees are scheduled for removal in the construction zones. More than 450 trees, including 274 cherry trees, will be replanted in the area when the project is finished, the NPS said in a statement. Nature has developed connections between dissimilar species over millions of years. At least 11 species of migratory birds use horseshoe crab eggs as their primary food supply during their 2 to 3 week stopover. The eggs replenish their fat supply during their trip from South American wintering areas to Arctic breeding grounds. Now we are seeing the timing partially failing.

The New York Times reports on the inside the Republican attacks on electric vehicles. President Biden’s new rule cutting emissions from vehicle tailpipes has deepened a partisan battle over automotive technology. One reason is that President Biden has made electric vehicles central to his strategy to combat climate change. This week, his administration announced the most ambitious climate regulation in the nation’s history: a measure designed to accelerate a transition toward electric vehicles and away from the gasoline-powered cars that are a major cause of global warming.

The political war over electric vehicles has been fueled by an incendiary mix of issues: technological change, the future of the oil and gas industry, concerns about competition from China and the American love of motorized muscle. And in the rural reaches of America, where few public charging stations exist, the notion of an all-electric future feels fanciful — another element to the urban-rural divide that underlies the nation’s polarization. Mr. Biden’s opponent, former President Donald J. Trump, has for months escalated attacks on electric vehicles broadly and the new regulation in particular, falsely calling the rule a ban on gasoline-powered cars and claiming electric cars will “kill” America’s auto industry.

He has called them an “assassination” of jobs. He has declared that the Biden administration ordered a hit job on Michigan manufacturing by encouraging the sales of electric cars. In many ways, Mr. Biden’s new rules on auto pollution combine elements that conservatives love to hate: government regulations and the notion that Democrats want to force Americans to give up comforts in the name of the environment.

In this week’s Eco Report feature, part 2 of WFHB Environmental Correspondent Robert Shull’s conversation with Marcia Veldman, founder of the South Central Indiana chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby, as they discuss her activism, her background and how to best respond to the climate crises.
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Make a Solar Eclipse Viewer at Spring Mill State Park on Saturday, March 30th from 11 am to Noon. Learn about the solar eclipse and how to safely view the sun. Meet at the Lakeview Activity Center. Please register in advance.

Learn about the upcoming solar eclipse at Brown County State Park at the Eclipse 101 program on Friday, April 5th from 4 to 4:45 pm in the Nature Center. Learn what you need to know at this once in a life time event.

There will be a Woodcock Walk at Goose Pond Fish and Wildlife Area on Saturday, March 30th from 6 to 7:30 pm. Enjoy an evening excursion to watch the American Woodcock perform its mating ritual – the ‘Sky Dance.’ Dress for the weather and be prepared for muddy conditions.

Enjoy a Bluebird Nest Box Building Workshop at McCormick’s Creek State Park on Saturday, March 30th beginning at 1 pm. The Brown County Bluebird Club will teach you all about these birds while you build your very own bluebird box. Register to Dan Sparks at [email protected] or call 812-200-5700.

Make a Solar Eclipse T-Shirt at Spring Mill State Park on Saturday, April 6th from 1 to 2 pm in the Lakeview Activity Center. Bring a solid black t-shirt with no designs. The park will provide the rest of the supplies.

Credits:

This week’s headlines were written by Norm Holy and Julianna Dailey

Today’s news feature was produced by Robert Shull and edited by Kade Young

Julianna Dailey assembled the script which was edited by the Eco Report team

Julianna Dailey compiled our events calendar

Kade Young and Noelle Herhusky-Schneider produced today’s show

Branden Blewett engineered the show

Julianna Dailey and Cynthia Roberts anchored the show

Are you looking for a way to make a difference on environmental issues? Eco Report is looking for reporters, engineers, and segment producers who are passionate about reporting facts on how we’re all affected by global climate disruption and the ongoing assaults on our air, land and water. We also celebrate ecologists, tree huggers, soil builders and an assortment of champions who actively protect and restore our natural world, particularly those who are active in south central Indiana. All levels of experience and all ages are welcome, and we provide the training you’ll need. WFHB also offers internships. To volunteer for Eco Report, give us a call at (812) 323-1200, or e-mail us at: [email protected].

Are you one of those people who believes our Mother Earth is getting dirtier and dirtier from all our trash? Here are a few tips to help keep the Earth cleaner.

Stop buying Styrofoam items. Styrofoam is forever. It is not biodegradable, so instead invest in some reusable mugs that you can take with you.
Do you like to eat salmon? Several studies have found that PCB’s, which is a class of toxic chemicals, and other environmental toxins are present at higher levels in farm raised salmon than wild salmon. Look for safe seafood when shopping for salmon.
What about those coffee filters? Are you a coffee drinker? Dioxins, chemicals formed during the chlorine bleaching process, contaminate groundwater and air and are linked to cancer. Start buying unbleached paper filters or use reusable filters.
We all love to go to picnics, especially when the weather is nice. The next time you host or attend a picnic, bring your own utensils and food containers. Plastic forks, spoons, straws, and all that plastic stuff you see at a picnic are not biodegradable and not recyclable.
One more thing you might want to stop using is paper towels. Regular paper towels are bleached, and waste forest resources and landfill space. Look for recycled, non-bleached paper towels or better yet, buy dishtowels or rags to wash and reuse.

Thank you for protecting Mother Earth. Keep looking for ways you can make a difference!

WFHB Bloomington Community Radio

Eco Report – March 29, 2024

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