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Everyday Environmental Impacts of Your Daily Routine

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  Everyday Environmental Impacts of Your Daily Routine How are your everyday habits affecting the planet? Imagine that you’re just waking up for the day. It’s true that for everybody, the first thing you do for the day is to step out of your bed and get ready for your day. Have you ever thought about how each and every action after that first step generally requires products and processes that affect the environment? Of course, we all know that using a gasoline powered vehicle will cause emissions that harm the environment; but what about something as simple as your breakfast? How can that affect the environment both at home and around the world? Let’s look closer at the minutiae of everyday life, going beyond the water we use, the cars we drive and the power we consume. Morning Toothpaste We’ve come a long way from using charcoal and oyster shells with mint and salt to clean our teeth. While our ancient predecessors used these locally sourced products to clean their teeth and gum...

An Introduction to Rainforests

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  An Introduction to Rainforests 1 of 4 in our Rainforest Series What is a Rainforest? A rainforest consists of a diverse community of flora and fauna that reside amongst trees with a tall canopy, in an environment that sees more than 80 inches of rainfall per year. A rainforest is as much of its own ecosystem as the ocean. They are characterized as having four distinct layers: Emergent, Canopy, Understory and Forest Floor. Rainforests can exist not only in the tropical environment, but also in the temperate climates of the Pacific Northwest region of The United States. The Layers of the Rainforest The structure of a rainforest is made up of four distinct layers. Each layer contains plants that contain similar characteristics, especially those that determine what resources are used to promote life. The Emergent Layer The layer at the very top of the rainforest is called the Emergent Layer because this is where the tallest vegetation emerges above the upper canopy. In the tropical...

Earth Day 2021

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 Earth Day: Thursday, April 22, 2021 Promoting Environmental Consciousness since 1970 The very first Earth Day was observed on April 22, 1970. Since then, each year on this date, every citizen on the planet is urged to take a look at the consequences of their daily actions on the environment. Here in Central Pennsylvania, we have the opportunity to clean and protect the Susquehanna River Watershed. This is important because it is the largest tributary to The Chesapeake Bay. Holding the title of the largest estuary in the United States, The Chesapeake Bay provides a home and nourishment for more than 3,600 species; including the famed Maryland Blue Crab. This Spring, you can celebrate Earth Day by engaging in any activity that cleans or protects the environment. Whether you are picking up trash from the sidewalk of your own neighborhood, or advocating for the rainforests of Brazil; any contribution will make an impact on the future of our planet. Michaux State Forest, Fayetteville, ...