Green Machines

Most Americans have at least one computer in their home and many in their workplace. All these machines run off electricity (or batteries, which are charged with electricity) and use other resources as well. So with all those millions of computers humming along each day, how can we still use them and live a greener lifestyle? Here are a few ideas for us all to consider:

1) Use the "sleep" setting or better yet, turn your computer off at night. Sure it takes a little time to fire up in the morning and download the latest updates, but a few minutes while you get your morning coffee saves hours of wasted electricity!

2) During the day, use the power save feature for your monitor and CPU. If you leave the room for half an hour, have the computer hibernate and your monitor shut itself off. When you return to your desk, just tap a couple buttons and, voila!...you're up and running again without a complete restart.

3) Think again before printing and when you do, print smart! Do you REALLY need to print all those emails and memos, or can you save them in electronic folders you can easily access in the future? When you do print, always print double-sided and use the fast or draft setting. Grayscale printing also saves expensive colored ink.

4) Consider replacing the old energy-hog. Modern CPUs and monitors use much less energy than ones produced even just a few years ago. If you've been debating about that upgrade, here's another good reason to go for it!

5) Laptops use much less energy than

desktop models. When you replace your computer, perhaps a laptop will meet your future needs. It's portable, rechargeable and uses much less energy - even up to 80%! For more information, check out this link to the Energy Star website.

6) When you do replace the old computer, be sure to recycle it properly, not just throw it in the trash. Many computer companies (such as Dell and HP) offer recycling programs, as do electronics retail locations, such as Best Buy.

Green Tips for Every Day

Enjoy these green living tips from CNC Senior Naturalist, Janea Little: 1) Don’t water your lawn -- no need to purchase sprinkler equipment, pay for extra water use, or mow as frequently. 2) Use the savings from #1 to replace 50% of your “lawn” with a landscape of native species. It doesn’t matter whether you want short plants or tall, flowers or trees, fruiting shrubs or intriguing shapes – there are native plants that can satisfy you. 3) Save gas by parking at the far end of the mega parking lot instead of circling for the closest spot. BONUS BENEFIT: If your child is in a biology class and needs to make an insect collection, check the car grills on your way in! 4) Instead of your downspouts shooting water into the already over-loaded storm sewers, let them drain into a rain garden, rain barrel, or just a big wading pool that the family pooch can enjoy. Be careful with the wading pool, though, because birds, butterflies and other wildlife will sometimes try to drink from this “pond”, only to learn too late that there is no way out. You can solve this safety hazard by putting a large rock or a few bricks in one spot, so the struggling animal can crawl out of the water. 5) Other water-saving techniques include collecting water that you usually just send down the drain, such as that first gallon of cold water from the shower head, water from steaming veggies, etc. All of that water (several gallons’ worth for most families) can be used again for the pooch, or for the garden, planter boxes or some of your newly-planted native trees. 6) Compost. It saves water (if you normally use a garbage disposal) and reduces the waste sent to the landfill. It also gets you OUTDOORS – to make use of your new treasure (rich soil!). 7) Step away from the TV now and then to take a walk, or read a book about nature. And of course, make sure your TV, DVD player and other electronic equipment is plugged into a power strip, so you can shut power off to them completely. For other tips on saving energy and living green, check out the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy and The Daily Green.

Windows: Indiscriminate Killers

You’re sitting at the dining room table, reading the paper and glancing occasionally at your bird feeders, when SMACK!, something slams into the window. It’s happened a few times in the past, so you know what you’ll find, you just don’t yet know whether the victim will be a cardinal, mourning dove, Cooper’s hawk, or perhaps a migrating ovenbird.

These fatal collisions don’t happen often at any one house, so most of us don’t address the problem. Even at the nature center, our efforts to reduce the number of birds killed when flying into Visitor Center windows have gone no further than putting up a few hawk silhouettes to break up the reflection of the glass. The number of birds killed has been reduced, but at least a dozen still die each year, especially during migration.

So a dozen die here, and a few die at your house – it doesn’t sound like a serious problem, does it? The numbers add up, though, house by house, skyscraper by skyscraper, until each year, over one BILLION birds die in window collisions. And that’s a conservative estimate, according to Dr. Daniel Klem, who has studied this conservation issue for nearly three decades. Klem is a research ornithologist from Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He studies not just the scope of the problem, but viable solutions as well.

The basic problem for birds is that they see trees and sky reflected in windows. They don’t recognize the window as part of a building, and continue ahead at full steam. Even at times when there is no reflection, windows placed across from each other create the illusion that birds can fly through to what they see on the other side.

Window kills occur on all sizes of windows, all sizes of buildings, and in all four seasons. So what can you do to lessen the impact (literally!) of your windows? Klem has studied many possible solutions, including placing bird feeders closer to windows, and architectural and glass style options such as angling windows outwards, using glass with imbedded dots (resulting in a frosted appearance), and designing buildings with deeply recessed windows.

He found silhouettes and other window decals have little effect, as they are too small to impact more than a very small area of the window. Moving feeders to within a few feet of windows is helpful. The greatest potential for solving the problem, however, appears to lie in architectural design and window manufacturing arenas. To learn more about how to protect birds from striking windows at your house, check out thise website www.birdsandbuildings.org.

Once it's completed, our renovated Visitor Center will include porch overhangs and other methods of reducing window kills at CNC. Stay tuned for future updates on this important issue!

- Janea Little, CNC Senior Naturalist

Michigan State Parks "First Time Camper" Program

This spring, Michigan State Parks and Recreation Areas Urban Outreach announced the "First Time Campers" program, which will run till September. This program, sponsored by Gander Mountain, is a unique opportunity for families who are new to camping. The goal is to provide an experience for new campers to experience the outdoors. Equipment, instructions, gear and information guides are all provided for a two night stay at a reasonable rate of only $20. To help "First Time Campers" prepared for their experience, you'll receive a "welcome kit" filled with details on what to pack, what to expect, and what to wear. After check-in, DNR staff will personally walk you through setting up camp and settling in for a great time. This includes how to put up a tent, start a campfire, and tips on using a camp stove. While the campers won't get to keep the gear they use, Gander Mountain will be offering great discounts on everything you'll be trying. Here's the gear that will be provided by Gander Mountain for each participating location: 1 tent 1 tarp 2 camp chairs 1 flashlight 1 lantern 1 stove 4 hot dog/marshmallow cookers 2 fishing poles To be a part of the "First Time Camper" program, please contact the park or recreation area directly (do NOT use the regular on-line registration system!) Here's a list of participating locations: Baraga State Park Park Supervisor - Dan Dowdy, 906-353-6882 Bay City Recreation Area Park Supervisor - Mike Evanoff, 989-684-9141 Bewabic State Park Park Supervisor - Robert Strittmatter, 906-875-3324 Cheboygan State Park Park Supervisor - Paul Koszegi, 231-627-2811 Hayes State Park Park Supervisor - Tim Bauer, 517-467-7401 Hoffmaster State Park Park Supervisor - Charles Ehrlich, 231-798-3711 Holly Recreation Area Park Supervisor - Shawn Speaker, 248-634-8811 Muskegon State Park Park Supervisor - Kevin Klco, 231-744-3480 Pinckney Recreation Area Park Supervisor - Jon LaBossiere, 734-426-4913 Pontiac Lake Recreation Area Park Supervisor - Karis Floyd, 248-666-1020 Port Crescent State Park Park Supervisor - Betsy Kish, 989-738-8663 Sleeper State Park Park Supervisor - George Lauinger, 989-856-4411 Traverse City State Park Park Supervisor - Tim Schreiner, 231-922-5270 Wells State Park Park Supervisor - Hector Valdez, 906-863-9747 Young State Park Park Supervisor - Sue Rose, 231-582-7523