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"It's Easy Being Green!"Archives (2007-2008) Invasive plants come in the forms of vines, plants and trees, each through its vigorous growth pattern, taking the place of native species. No doubt, over years our forest will change due to invasions of insects, disease and climate change, but do we want the change to be from a few invasive trees? Two trees that trees that are aggressively invading natural and disturbed open areas are the Bradford pear and the Norway maple. Many streets, residential developments and parking lots, are lined with the Bradford pear. It was introduced to the United States from China in the early 1900’s. The original tree had sterile fruits, but this tree tended to split and fall apart under conditions of snow and wind. A hybrid was developed whose fruits are not sterile. The Bradford pear easily escapes plantings and is invading natural habitats in the eastern United States. The leaves are simple, shiny green and leathery. They turn mahogany-red and sometimes bright orange-red in late autumn. The flowers are showy white in the spring. Seeds are spread to new locations by starlings and other birds. To prevent the rapid spread of this tree, seedlings and shallow rooted plants are easily pulled when the soil is moist. Small trees may be cut or dug. Large trees need to be cut and the stumps treated or ground to prevent resprouting. The best prevention is DO NOT PLANT BRADFORD PEAR. The Norway maple was introduced for use as an ornamental landscape plant. It is found in 13 states in the eastern United States, from Maine to Virginia. Norway maple has escaped cultivation and invades forest, fields and other natural habitats. It forms monotypic stands that create dense shade and displaces native trees, shrubs and herbs. The Norway maple can be confused with many maples species, especially the sugar maple, because of similar looking leaves. It can be distinguished from native maples by the presence of a milky white sap that oozes from the leaf veins and stalks when broken. It is easily spotted in the autumn when its leaves turn yellow late in the season. Again the best prevention is DO NOT PLANT A NORWAY MAPLE. State and National Project Chair It’s Easy Being Green Gardeners and hopefully everyone else knows about invasive plants. Some that are well known in the Northeast are the Oriental Bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus), Japanese Barberry (Berberis thunbergii) and Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum sakucaria). Along with these three celebrity invadors we need to become familiar with the Mile A Minute Plant (Polygonum perfoliatum), so named for its very rapid growth pattern. Mile A Minute, sometimes called, Devils tear thumb is native to India, Eastern Asia and the islands from Japan to the Philippines. It has a long history in the United States, first introduced to Portland, Oregon in 1890 then to Beltsville Maryland in 1937. It did not become established in either site. In 1930 an introduction to a nursery site in York County Pennsylvania was successful and in all probability is the source of this invasive plant that is now found in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States. It often invades open disturbed areas, such as fields, forest edges, stream banks, wetlands and roadsides. What does this plant do that makes is an invasive that we want to eliminate? As it name indicates Mile a Minute grows so rapidly it quickly covers existing native plants limiting their photosynthesis, which can and frequently leads to their death. You will need only a brief description to identify Mile a Minute: it is a vine that has delicate reddish stems armed with downward hooks or barbs. A funnel shaped leafy structure called OCREAE surrounds the stems. The leaves are light green and shaped as an equilateral triangle with barbs on the underside. The leaf is alternate on the stem. You will have to look for the flower, as it is very small and inconspicuous, but its fruits are metallic blue and segmented, each segment contains a glossy black or reddish black seed. Birds are probably the carrier of long distant transport. Native ants and water carry the seeds short distances. Seedlings and vines are easy to pull by hand as long as gloves are worn. Pulling vines with mature fruit will spread the seed. April seems to be the month of choice for manual removal. If a chemical is used it must be mixed with a surfactant due to the waxy nature of the foliage. Educate the public about this vine which is the current celebrity of invasive’s. Information from: Plant Invaders of Mid- Atlantic Natural Areas, by the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service State and National Projects It’s Easy Being Green The cost of filling up either the gasoline tank in our automobiles or the oil tank that will deliver heat to our homes this winter has brought a new awareness of conservation. If weather forecasters are near their projections we who live in the North East will once again learn the dependency on fossil fuels is a no win situation both to our pocket books and to the environment. The question remains, how can I reduce my personal consumption of energy? The Branford Garden Club’s conservation committee put their heads together and prepared a booklet for their members to give them pertinent information on many levels that will reduce their carbon footprint and improve the environment, They chose ‘Living Green, gentle solutions for the Home and Garden’. The introduction states that the best way to have an impact on our environment is to have as little impact as possible. Suggestions and facts for conserving home energy are, replace incandescent with compact fluorescent light bulbs. Laptop computers use three quarters less electricity that a desktop. Turn computers off when not in use. Unplug cell chargers when not in use. All chargers constantly draw electricity. Each degree down on the thermostat saves 3% of heating cost. A programmable thermostat to adjust heating or cooling will save energy and money. A microwave oven uses 90% less energy that a conventional oven. Check and replace air conditioning and furnace filters at least once a month. Permanent filters can be washed and reused. For the garden some suggestions are, use a soaker hose, which saves 70% of the water due to evaporation instead of a sprinkler. Bring back the lovely sound of the rotary blade lawnmower, and use environmentally friendly plants. The booklet lists the rules for recycling which decreased the amount of waste to landfills by 75%. Another suggestion given is to buy vintage diamonds. To produce a I caret diamond, 175 gallons of water and 35 kilowatt hours of electricity plus 1 gallon of petroleum is used. Branford Garden Club has given their members an important tool that will educate and enable them to live well using practical and useful information with little environmental impact. It’s Easy Being Green September a month of anticipation, filled with thoughts of learning and new beginnings. Something new is what the FGCCT will be bringing to you on September 22-24. With the tireless efforts of our President, Maria Nahom the first FGCCT Environmental Studies School will take place. Garden Club members and non-members are welcome. Like all the Schools sponsored by the FGCCT the curriculum is established by the National Garden Clubs, it will include Ecology, Environment Science, Life On Earth, and Stewardship activities. The NGC Environmental Studies committee vets each instructor for this unique course of study. The first Environmental Studies School (ESS) was held in 1993 by the state of Wisconsin, since that time fifteen states have held schools. Though several years have passed since the first school FGCCT will still be among the first states to hold an ESS. With the shortage and high cost of fossil fuels, which contribute to our carbon footprint, the ESS suddenly becomes more important to Garden Club members. The Mission Statement of the ESS is to teach environmental literacy, to cherish, protect and conserve the living earth. There are several goals, but one which covers much of what will be taught is as follows: to develop a citizenry that is aware of, and concerned about, the total environment and its associated problems, and which has the knowledge, attitude, motivation, skills and commitment to work individually and collectively toward solutions of current problems and the prevention of new ones. If you have never attended a FGCCT school let me assure you that you will be most welcome and will make many friends who share the same interest. Sometimes we are under the false impression that environmental solutions never happen. The EPA recently reported that with a few isolated exceptions the Hudson River is now swimable. Through years of work by environmental scientist, engineers, involved citizenry and officials this once extremely polluted water is swimable. Not instant gratification, but diligent work by knowledgeable people. Looking forward to seeing you at school. It’s Easy Being Green Buffer Gardens have grown along waterways and streams since the beginning of time preventing erosion and acting as a natural filter. Manmade lakes and ponds that are used for industrial, agriculture and recreational uses often present a problem. The beauty of skaters on an ice-covered pond often awes us in the winter only to find the same beautiful pond has turned to green slime in the summer. Many ponds and lakes are found in highly developed areas surrounded by well-kept lawns and many paved areas. One such pond that I have observed over the last seven years has done a complete turn around. This particular pond is in a large condominium complex. One side bordered by a busy state road, the other side is parking and an expansive green lawn. In this instance concerned citizens from many organizations along with the homeowners removed invasive plants, then planted its banks with switch grass, Joe Pye weed and other native plants and grasses which form a natural filter for runoff. It also attracts many birds, butterflies and honey bees. This pond is an asset to the entire village and is beautiful every season of the year. Another example of community involvement happened this spring when the homeowners of a large lakeside community had a model buffer garden planted along a portion of the lake, so they could duplicate it on their own property. Many industries plant buffer gardens, often referred to as greenbelts, below their waste treatment plants to ‘polish’ the water before it enters the streams and rivers. The Buffer Garden is a simple and inexpensive way to protect our waterways from run off and erosion. It also gives the benefits of housing many valuable creatures that enhance our environment. State and National Project Chair ‘It’s Easy to be Green!’ How many of the catalogues that reach your home, are used? Eight million tons of pulpwood is used in the production of catalogues each year. Even though trees are renewable it takes a great deal of energy to go from the tree to the catalogue. CatalogChoice.org is a free service that helps you cancel unwanted catalogues. We hear a lot about the carbon footprint these days and wonder just what it means and how does it apply to me, a member of a garden club in our beautiful state of Connecticut. The Carbon Footprint is the amount (in tons) of greenhouse gases that are released into the atmosphere each day to support our life style. An example is the oil burner, which seems to run a lot these winter days to keep the 63 degree temperature in my home. I have to think of not just the burning of the oil today, but of its removal, shipping, refining and the delivery to my oil tank. That is a big footprint. Bill McKibben author of “Fight Global Warming” describes the carbon footprint of a ham sandwich. It starts even before the pig is born. We must stay warm, and we must have food to keep our human machines running, but we can reduce our personal carbon footprint a great deal in relatively simple ways. An easy way for gardeners to decrease their carbon footprint is to plant a vegetable garden and patronize the local Farmers Markets. We all know fresh vegetables are better tasting and better for us than those picked rather green, then shipped long distances. Another way to reduce the Carbon Footprint is to put the old Yankee proverb into action. “Buy it good, and make it last.” Presently the most important thing we can do to protect our environment is to educate the public and ourselves. Our President, Maria Nahom, has taken a giant step in that direction; the first Environment Studies School sponsored by the FGCCT is scheduled for September 22-24. Talk this school up in your club and arrange a carpool. The United State ranks second among the industrialized nations in greenhouse emissions. Won’t we be proud of ourselves when we can say by education and hard work our great nation is at the bottom of the list? One by one we can make a difference. State and National Projects Chairman Anita Wardell of the Suffield Garden Club is sharing what the SGC has done to involve the community in a very important environmental issue. Last year Anita said their club chose “to instill respect for the environment” as their theme. Working with the Public Works Department they co-sponsored a Hazardous Waste Day. To bring more emphasis to the Hazardous Waste Day they provided the These special days that collect Hazardous Waste are very important in keeping our natural water resources and our drinking water safe. People want to dispose of Hazardous Materials properly. But are often at a loss as to what is hazardous and then how to get rid of it. It appears the Suffield Garden Club answered these needs in several ways. First they set a date for the Hazardous Waste Day, then they educated the public about what constitutes Hazardous Waste. They worked with the Junior Gardeners teaching the children signal words like caution, dangerous, or hazardous. The children were given a survey to take home to look for products in their home and see if they were stored properly. Anita said this was such a success they plan to repeat it again this year. To complete their theme “to instill respect for the environment,” their Conservation Committee planned a community workshop on Green Cleaning. They talked about alternative cleaning products which could be purchased at their local stores. Everyone likes workshops, and at this one a green window cleaner and a green furniture polish was made for the participants to take home. They passed out recipes for Green Cleaning and are most willing to share them with you. Gentle Window Cleaner
For more recipes for Green Cleaning, check www.suffieldgardenclub.org Thank you Anita and the Suffield Garden Club for sharing a successful body of work. Remember Its Easy Being Green, It was a pleasure to hear NGC President, Barbara May, speak at our Awards Meeting. She gave a great deal of information concerning her project, Nuture the Earth, Plant Natives. The School Yard project she spoke of, is practical for clubs of all sizes. It’s Easy Being Green! The FGCCT are working hard throughout the state on innovative green projects to improve the environment. The North Haven Garden Club involved the community by holding a contest in the Middle School and High School. They used ‘Pitch In and Pick Up” as the slogan for a poster contest at the Middle School and a bumper sticker contest in the High School. The bumper stickers were made available to the public throughout the town. As a final phase of the campaign to keep New Haven clean and litter free they cleaned the Jewish Cemetery and Tuttle Brook. Hat’s off to committee members Barbara Brow, Barbara Esposito, and Cathy Watts along with all the members of the East Haven Garden Club. Caring for our environment is being aware and diligent. It is important to read labels on all purchases, whist it is a food item or an appliance. Questions you might ask yourself, is the product made of recycled materials and can I recycle it? Does this save energy? Do you know what the ingredients are that are listed on a food item or on a bag of fertilizer? Knowledge is a powerful tool in the protection of our environment. Passing by a beautiful wooded property along one of our Connecticut roads, which is being developed into a commercial area, I noticed it was being cleared or ‘clean cut’. To quote from Joni Mitchell’s 1960 lyrics, “Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you be got till its gone ----they paved paradise and put in a parking lot”. State and National Projects Chairman Many clubs have begun an environment program or project and are excited about the enthusiasm they are getting from their club members and communities. The following is an update on activities of some of our Clubs. The Wilton Garden Club has been very busy these last few months with their environmental endeavors. They helped sponsor a community forum on energy saving and green living. The Key Note speaker was Jerre Dawson, their President, who is a passionate proponent of “Green Living”. Jerre told about renovating her historic home using green technology. Her home was on the spectacular Flower Show and Kitchen Tour, held in late September. The Milford Garden Club is designing a garden using Native Plants for the new Coast Guard Building in New Haven. Danbury is selling cloth shopping bags, with their logo on them. This is a good project and an excellent way to let your neighborhood know about your club. Caudatowa choose Its Easy To be Green for the title of their yearbook. Green awareness is scattered throughout the schedule. A publication, edited by Timothy M. Abby of The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, for the Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group, entitled Alternatives for Invasive Ornamental Plant Species would be excellent tool if planning a garden using native species. This publication is available from the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, P.O. Box 1106, New Haven, CT 06504-1106. Facts about Invasive Species: Invasive Species are spreading over approximately 1,729,730 acres per year of United States wildlife habitat, and cost our economy $35 billion in damages and treatment each year. Let us hear what your club is doing to improve our environment. Remember! “Its Easy Being Green”. State and National Project Chairman State Project (from the July-August 2007 NEWS) Lee Bauerfeld, former President of the FGCCT and member of the Branford Garden Club, is the FGCCT liaison to the Connecticut State Parks. As more land is developed in our state, the State Park system grows in importance. As you read what Lee has written you will realize the part our State Parks play in our changing environment. FRIENDS OF CONNECTICUT STATE PARKS Mission Statement: The Friends of Connecticut State Parks is a volunteer organization whose mission is to support State Parks and Forests through education, advocacy and public awareness. The Friends politically and publicly advocate for sufficient Legislative funding to operate and maintain our parks and forests through events such as “No Child Left Inside”, “The Great Park Pursuit” and through publications such as “A Shared Landscape”, published by the Friends in 2004, which describes 128 State Parks and Forests through pictorials, narrative and maps. The Friends also undertake projects to improve the appearance and condition of the State Parks and Forests. The idea of a “park” immigrated to America with fundamental changes in transit. When laying out what would become Boston, the first thing our Puritan ancestors did was to reserve a central common for the use of all colonists. The Revolutionary War was still a century and a half in the future, but the American park began as a refuge for the citizenry, not for the King. Our parks are reserved for the exclusive use of everyone. Connecticut is extremely small by national standards. No point in the state is more than two hours from any other point. Nevertheless, we enjoy an amazing diversity of terrain and biology that puts much larger states to shame. Between our mountains, beaches, exotic bogs, rivers, shorefronts and forests, there are a myriad of recreational choices. Our State Parks welcome the public in various activities such as fishing, hiking, swimming and boating. Unlike many other states, we have no national parks in the traditional sense and no county parks. State Parks provide the only large scale system of natural resource based recreation lands. The underlying philosophy of the selection process for out state parks was and is still valid today, to identify those unique elements of our landscape that are characteristic to Connecticut and set them aside for public ownership. Our parks are the treasures for all to enjoy. Our state parks not only promote recreational usage, but they are and integral part of our state’s history. Fort Griswold State Park in Groton is the historic site where British forces, commanded by the infamous Benedict Arnold, captured the fort and massacred 88 of the 165 defenders stationed there. Dinosaur State Park in Rocky Hill is a 200 million year old archeological jewel with hundreds of dinosaur footprints. Gillette Castle State Park in East Haddam was the fantasy home of actor William H. Gillette, who build the castle between 1914 and 1919, adding the tower in 1923. It is made of local fieldstone, sits atop a steep hill about 200 feet above the Connecticut River and looks more like it grew from the cliff than was built there. The castle is unique, the grounds are beautiful and the Friends of Gillette Castle State Park are currently refurbishing the “one of a kind” Railroad. Friends of the Connecticut State Parks was formed in 1995 by a group of individuals from six different volunteer state parks Friends groups who saw the need for a unified voice to speak on behalf of all state parks. Each volunteer State Parks Friends Group (currently 21) has a different orientation as to their activities, though all have a common goal of improving the quality of their particular state park. Each group provides services that enhance the state park experience for their users. Our State Parks are held in public trust for all of us to enjoy, The investment we have made in our natural legacy can only be protected if we as individuals take a personal stake in its future, There are many individual garden club members who are active with various “Friends” groups. There is a State Park near you that needs help and the mechanisms are in place - - BE INVOLVED. For additional information about our State Parks you may contact Lee at Leedickbau@sbcglobal.net. Do consider a State Park or your local park in your clubs' environmental awareness program. Take your club, your family or your friends for a pleasant outing, explore, enjoy, and as Lee said, “be involved”, and remember It’s Easy Being Green. Sandra Dickinson, State Project Chairman “ITS EASY TO BE GREEN’ (from the June 2007 NEWS) Throughout our great State, villages, towns, and cities have sponsored a “clean-up’ day. Federated Garden Clubs spearheaded many of these events. If your town does not participate in a spring-cleaning, perhaps, the following narrative will inspire to do so. Beth Yanity, Caudatowa Garden Club’s Conservation Chairman tells how “Rid Litter Day” has become a town tradition. Ridgefield’s anti-litter story began in 1964 when the Marine Corps League conducted a roadside trash pickup on the three main arteries of the town. Trucks, which were available from a nearby Armory, would lead baseball players, and boy scouts who would fill them with items homeowners placed by the road. Items left were tires, washing machines and other household items. The roads looked great, but there was still litter in parking lots, ball fields, schools, and parks. In 1991, as Conservation Chairman of the Caudatowa Garden Club, I felt that a town-wide litter clean-up, involving the whole community and all the roads would be great. ANTI-LITTER was a “hot topic” for our state clubs at this time. I approached our First Selectman and the director of Parks and Recreation to plan a campaign for an annual town-wide clean-up along with the Marines Roadside Pick-Up. We chose the slogan “Let’s Make A Clean Sweep of Ridgefield” on Rid Litter Day. A local artist created a logo, a broom sweeping the letters LITTER. I contacted twenty organizations, schools and business for their participation and explaining the impact of litter reaching storm drains then polluting rivers and streams and eventually Long Island Sound. Through grants, safety vests were ordered and printed with Ridgefield Litter Patrol and the Broom logo. Clear plastic bags for bottle and can recycling, and opaque ones for other litter were donated along with pick-up point signs that were printed with the sponsoring organizations. Five School Parking Lots and a Lake Assoc. was the selected pick up areas. The Ridgefield Schools permitted us to send flyers home with the students. Posters were displayed in the windows of the local business and The Ridgefield Press printed an editorial promoting our first Rid Litter Day listing all the necessary information for the event. Rid Litter Day was successful and the town looked pristine for several months, but by fall, litter had accumulated. To promote additional awareness Caudatowa Garden Club waded through a little “red tape” and placed signs at the towns entrances stating; “KEEP RIDGEFIELD BEAUTIFUL – PLEASE DON’T LITTER” Thank You, Caudatowa Garden Club. The program has been very successful, along with the Adopt a Street/Spot Program litter in our town has all but disappeared. Let us hear about your successful environmental projects, if we all work together it will be easy to be green. Sandra Dickinson, State Project Chairman |
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