Building Bird Houses and Feeders at Erpenbeck Elementary was a Blast!

Thank you Erpenbeck Elementary and Rex McBride from the UK Ag Boone County Extension Office for inviting us to join you in helping the fantastic 5th graders to build structures to improve the habitat of the avian community.  We were so impressed with the student's construction and problem solving skills  as well as their creativity. 

I hope they had as much fun as we did.

 

Hope to see you again soon. 

Our Rain Barrels are Complete and Released into the Wild.

Ara and Pollock have been dropped off at Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden. 

We are so proud to have been a part of the Rain Barrel Art Project.  Not only is this a great project to bring awareness to water quality and conservation, it was a lot of fun.  It was a wonderful opportunity for us to stretch our artistic talents while promoting Environmental Education.  Thank you Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden and Regional Storm Water Collaborative for this opportunity.

Goodbye Ara and Pollock we wish you luck.



 May you have a great time with your new friends.

So go to the zoo and check out our rain barrels and all the other wonderful creations by very talented artists. 

Do You Really Want to Miss This Second Opportunity?

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago… The second best time is NOW”

     Write a book, have children, plant a tree… Or this other one… If a tree dies, just plant another! These sayings might go by unnoticed but there’s tons of wisdom in them, especially the portion about trees.

     We many times don’t realize the tremendous benefits that having trees implies to us. It can reduce electricity and gas consumption in our houses up to 30% (we talked about this in a past blog). And this website about Forestry Education http://forestry.about.com/od/treephysiology/tp/tree_value.htm makes a strong with 10 good reasons: trees produce oxygen, clean the soil, control noise pollution, slow storm water runoff, are carbon sinks, clean the air, provide shade and cool, act as windbreaks, fight soil erosion, and increase property value (finally some human economics in the list!). 

However, all of these are easier said than done. Easier to read about them than doing something. So here is a tip: start small, start at home. What homeowners keep forgetting is something as simple as planting a tree can give them more benefits than what it thinks it’s going to be extra work. When the right trees are planted strategically they can bring all the benefits that were mentioned above. Trees that are deciduous lessen the need of air conditioning use at home. Choose the right tree to plant. Bring in expert advice (you’ll notice is affordable and will pay off in time!). They will know what type of tree you should grow that isn’t going to be dangerous for your home’s foundation. They also help in determining which one can be of easy maintenance. Lastly, experts help determine the right tree placement to avoid issues with the electrical, phone or cable lines.

     So… Sure you want to miss this second best time? Don’t let it pass and learn about useful tips to easily plant a tree with this video: http://video.about.com/gardening/How-to-Plant-a-Tree.htm

“Where do we park, honey? Go there, dear, under that Solar Forest, the car needs charging”

     Sometimes we lose sight. Sometimes we think that Clean Energy is about engineers, chemists, biologists or hard-core ecologists. We don’t see that it’s actually part of our day to day, and if it still isn’t, then in short it will be everywhere. Designers, architects, artists will blend their imagination with the functionalities of different clean energies not only to beautify the spaces we live in, but also to serve the community. Clothes, means of transport, buildings, public areas... Everything will be the canvas of these new players that will transform the technology into functional solutions.

     An example is the electric car. The designs are becoming attractive (who doesn’t like how a Tesla looks!) and the prices are becoming more affordable (maybe don’t think the Tesla for this one, right now). The demand is on the grow and disruptors are entering the industry (can Apple and Google be the new Mercedes Benz or Volkswagen?) and all that benefits the consumers, the economies and the planet.

    The dutch architect Neville Mars presented not so long ago a project to create solar forests. The idea is simple, build tree-like shapes that have solar panels on top and also move to accommodate themselves to get more sun exposure. They would generate electricity and also give fresh shade and protection to the cars that would park underneath, discounting that the electric energy they produce would be used to charge those cars that are expected to be electric. Right now the design is ready to be taken to production and we could see the first examples in a few years. We certainly want to see these solar tress to take strong and deep roots in the cities around the world! 

Source: Mars, Neville. "Solar Forest." BURB. BurbTv, 7 Aug. 2009. Web. 14 Mar. 2015. <http://goo.gl/2byveW>

ELEMENTARY STEM DAY IS ALMOST HERE

It is going to be MAYHEM!  Macro Mayhem that is. 

This Friday, we are going to be teaching 4 groups of 4th graders from local schools about how water quality can impact macroinvertebrate populations.  This is going to be part of Elementary STEM Day which is being hosted here at NKU's campus.  Hopefully the weather will be nice and we can let the mayhem happen outdoors.  Outdoor classroom activity, interdisciplinary with biology and math, kinesthetic learning, and engagement is what makes Environmental Education rock!

During Spring Break, some of us came in to work on Ara so she would have time to dry in between applications.  Here she is with more of her details. 

Now we need to add the leaves to the trees, highlight the water and the information about the water cycle. 

We are getting excited about her debut at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens in April.   

Ooops we forgot to give you an update on Ara and Pollock before we left on Spring Break.  We are so proud of them and they are growing up so fast.  Pollock is all shiny white waiting for his set of black fish to define his white fish.  Ara has more details in this picture you can see her lakes and mountains and our wonderful artist Lizzy Anderson. 

1 Tree = Cooling Effect of 10 Room-sized Air Conditioning Units

Trees can add value to your home, help cool your home and neighborhood, break the cold winds to lower your heating costs, and provide food for wildlife.

Check out these very interesting facts:

► Trees have an impact on the energy used for heating and cooling a building, reducing air conditioning costs by as much as 30 percent and saving 20 to 50 percent on energy for heating. This is because as well as providing shade, a large tree can also transpire as much as 378.5 liters (100 gallons) of water into the air per day.

This is why the net cooling effect of a young, healthy tree is equivalent to ten room-size air conditioners operating 20 hours a day!

► Trees enhance the storm water management and water quality by reducing runoff and improving water quality when absorbed and filtered rainwater.

► Properly planted trees reduce pavement maintenance: their hade can slow deterioration of street pavement, decreasing the amount of maintenance needed.

► And the most important, they improve the quality of life by providing aesthetic value, habitat for many species and reducing noise.

Source: EPA. "Trees and Vegetation | Heat Island Effect | US EPA." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, 29 Aug. 2013. Web. 17 Feb. 2015. http://goo.gl/1JENuX

  Let's be honest one of the reason's a lot of people don't have rain barrels is their lack of curb appeal.  

Well, the CEE is involved in an environmental art project to fix that problem!

 2015 Rain Barrel Painting Event and Benefit Auction Project

The CEE is painting not 1 but 2 rain barrels.  

These rain barrels will be on display at the Cincinnati Zoo during April and then will be auctioned off in a silent auction during Party for the Planet on April 23rd.   Proceeds will go to education programs focused on the reduction of stormwater runoff and promotion of healthy habitats.  

We have gotten our rain barrels and have put on the first coat of primer paint.  We are excited to begin the background next.  Check back to watch our progress and don't forget to go to the zoo during April to see ours and all the other 49 rain barrels on display.  Remember, if you need a pretty rain barrel the auction is April 23rd.    

Without further ado, let me introduce to you our two projects.  They might look like twins that are wall flowers but come back over the next couple of weeks and see how they develop into their own personalities.  

The one on the left is Pollock - a type of fish, and artist :-)

The one on the right is  Ara -  which means  "Brings rain" in Persian (thinkbabynames.com)

2nd Annual Rain Barrel Art Project

Artists are needed to participate in the 2nd Annual Rain Barrel Art Project, hosted by the Regional Storm Water Collaborative and the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. This joint effort continues to educate the community about water conservation and pollution caused by storm water runoff. A great way to reduce that runoff is to harness rainwater in your very own rain barrel. Typically, rain barrels are a drab color, but with the touch of the artists, they come alive with scenes of nature, wildlife, Cincinnati, and many other designs, making them much more appealing to install on the side of your home. Utilizing a rain barrel could save a homeowner up to 1000 gallons of water in just one summer. - See more at: http://blog.cincinnatizoo.org/2013/12/27/calling-all-artists-2/#sthash.OnhJOCzz.dpuf