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Heritage Conservancy Hosts Fifth Annual MLK Day of Service

February 4, 2013 By
Heritage Conservancy Hosts Fifth Annual MLK Day of Service

 

Honoring the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a National Day of Service on Monday, January 21st, approximately 40 volunteers from Bristol Borough High School, Greenbelt Overhaul Alliance of Levittown, US EPA Region 3, local residents and staff from The Nature Conservancy and Heritage Conservancy joined forces for the fifth consecutive year to help clean up a regional natural and cultural resource: the Bristol Marsh Preserve. Heritage Conservancy, an accredited not-for-profit conservation organization that specializes in preserving our natural and historic heritage, organized the event in collaboration with Bristol Borough and The Nature Conservancy.

Located adjacent to Historic Bristol Borough’s Waterfront Park, the 33-acre Bristol Marsh Preserve contains a freshwater tidal marsh and forest habitat with unique ecological significance. An asset to this area, the marsh helps protect the Delaware Riverfront from some of the impacts of flooding and stormwater pollution. Fresh water tidal marshes contain critical natural features that support a wide variety of plants, birds and animals. It is a unique and important environmental resource.

A large part of the marsh is owned by Bristol Borough and is under protection of conservation easements held by The Nature Conservancy. For the past five years, in many different weather conditions, this cleanup has been co-sponsored by Heritage Conservancy, Bristol Borough and The Nature Conservancy to raise awareness of the site’s unique historic and natural features. Heritage Conservancy’s restoration and educational programs in the marsh are financed, in part, through a Federal Coastal Zone Management Grant, administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

“Our community volunteers and borough staff have been doing such a thorough job these past five years that I was concerned there wouldn’t be enough trash to cleanup,” said Susan Myerov, Senior Planner for Heritage Conservancy.  “This beautiful area is unfortunately used as a dumping ground for some. Thanks to our wonderful volunteers and the staff of Bristol Borough public works, we hauled away a significant amount of trash and debris.”

“This annual day of service at Bristol Marsh is part of an on-going initiative to partner with community leaders, public officials and the public toward a common goal of good will to each other and the environment,” said Linda Cacossa, Chief Operating Officer for Heritage Conservancy. “Thank you to the volunteers who participated. Through their effort, we are better able to ensure the preservation of our land and natural resources.”

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Filed Under: Doylestown Observer News, Going Green Tagged With: , , , , ,

Don’t despair, the kids are doing their part

December 11, 2012 By

submitted by Mark Bortman, Exact Solar, mark@exactsolar.com

A few days before writing this, I was feeling like a crotchety old man. You know the type – he walks around grumbling about the do-nothing generation of kids these days. To be fair (and to the relief of my daughter) however, my pants were not pulled up to my chest.

Well, I needn’t have despaired.

On November 30th, my spirits were lifted by a great conference hosted by the Delaware Valley Green Building Council (DVGBC) at Bucks County Community College. It was titled the “Green Your School Workshop.” Four different schools from the area reported on what they are doing to make their schools more sustainable, i.e. “greening” their school.

In addition, there were a couple of interactive exercises aimed at giving the students an impetus to do more. The workshop was attended by 180 students from the region and about 70 school administrators, teachers, and other interested adults.

The part that I really enjoyed was that the adults got out of the way, and let the students be the ones to present what they’ve been doing.

The activities were as varied as the students. Energy efficiency training and watershed education are built right into the curriculums at Bucks County Technical High School and Radnor Middle School. Truman and Bristol High Schools have a Green Jobs Club that constructed an outdoor classroom and performed other service projects.

Lisa Grayson, the chairman of the Bucks-Mont branch of the DVGBC, was thrilled with the level of participation from so many schools – both in attending and presenting their programs and success stories.

According to Lisa, “The event exceeded our expectations and we plan to keep the momentum moving forward so we can reach more schools and students with more programs similar to this!”

For more information on the DVGBC and the great things they are doing, check out their website, www.dvgbc.org.

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Filed Under: Going Green, Yardley Voice Columnists Tagged With: , , , ,

Simple things you can do to reduce your environmental footprint

November 6, 2012 By

submitted by Mark Bortman, Exact Solar, mark@exactsolar.com

Hey you! You with the turkey!

Yeah, it’s that time of year. Time to take a step back and think about the things for which we should be thankful but which we usually take for granted.

Let’s face it – the impact that people have had on the natural environment is huge and getting bigger. This impact has been growing ever faster over the past 50 years as population growth and consumption levels have accelerated.

If this continues, the ability of the natural resources to be able to fulfill the demand will eventually be overrun. The clean water that sustains life, the clean air that vital for health, the diversity of plants and animals throughout our ecosystems are important elements that we should be thankful for.

Unfortunately, too many of us don’t think about them – we just assume that they will always be there.

Many natural resources are finite. Once they are used up or ruined, they are gone forever. It may not happen in our lifetimes, but if the rate of change that we’ve seen recently continues, it may well happen in our children’s or grandchildren’s lifetime.

Although people may think that they can’t make a difference, that is not the case. Just as one raindrop is not responsible for the flood, a flood of small actions will bring about big results.

Fortunately, there are many simple things you can do to reduce your environmental footprint and live more sustainably:

  • Increase your insulation;
  • Turn down your heat;
  • Think about what you buy and whether you really need it;
  • Compost;
  • Re-use what you can;
  • Carpool;
  • Plant native plants in landscaping;
  • Use cloth towels and napkins instead of paper;
  • Install low-flow showerheads;
  • Refill water bottles;
  • Keep tires inflated, car tuned-up.

If everyone does his part, we’ll be sure to have our natural resources for many generations and that is something to be thankful for.

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Filed Under: Going Green, Yardley Voice Columnists Tagged With: , , , , ,

Silver Lake Nature Center’s fully sustainable, carbon-zero building project update

October 22, 2012 By

Silver Lake Nature Center’s “Biotecture Structure” based on architect Michael Reynolds’ Earthship designs is coming along wonderfully, thanks to all of the volunteers and supporters (individuals, groups, and businesses) who have been helping to make this happen!

This fully sustainable, carbon-zero building is being built with recycled products, will be able to heat and cool itself, gather its own water, recycle its own waste, and produce its own food. It will also be the first public use building of its kind on the East Coast – right here in Bucks County, at Silver Lake Nature Center!

So far, volunteers (including individuals, unions, groups, and businesses), have installed the silt fencing designating the construction area, prepared the ground surrounding the structure, started a handicapped accessible path to the building, installed temporary electric for the workers, finished the formwork, installed sleeves for plumbing, poured concrete for the foundation, completed building 7.5 (of the nine required) rows of the tire walls, and are building a berm.

Building the tire walls is not an easy task. Each tire gets filled with dirt, then pounded with a sledge hammer so that more dirt can be added, then pounded again until they are full – weighing about 300 pounds each. Once they have finished “pounding” the nine rows of tire walls, they will begin the next phase, which will include building a roof and installing the glass walls.

If you would like to contribute to this project (physically, financially, and/or both), contact the Project Coordinator, Lorraine Skala, at 215-785-1177 or llskala@co.bucks.pa.us to find out how. The project is now moving along quickly.

You can visit www.silverlakenaturecenter.org at their Building Project link for updates/information.

For additional information on Biotecture Structures, visit www.earthship.com.

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Filed Under: Going Green Tagged With: , , , ,

Great coffee – heated by the sun!

October 9, 2012 By

submitted by Mark Bortman, Exact Solar, mark@exactsolar.com

How would you like to have your cup of coffee made with water that has been heated by the sun? Well, at the Green Line Café in Philadelphia, that is just what you get.

According to owner Dan Thut, “Our solar water heating system is a great way for us to show that we are good neighbors. By not burning fossil fuels, we are helping our environment. In addition, it is saving us money.”

When people hear “solar energy,” they usually think about the solar panels that generate electricity. These are called photovoltaics or PV. You’ve probably seen these popping up in fields, on roofs and even on telephone poles in New Jersey.

Solar water heating systems, however, use a completely different technology to capture the sun’s heat. These systems are called solar thermal systems and they use the energy from the sun for heating water and space heating.

Around the world, solar thermal systems are much more common than photovoltaics. They are relatively low cost and are very efficient at converting the sun’s energy into heat that we can use.

Back in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, there was a big push for solar thermal systems in this country. There was even a solar water heating system installed on the White House!

Many of those systems are still in place in our area, are still generating lots of hot water and saving money.

Think of all the places you use hot water. Certainly you use it at home for showers, dishwashing and laundry.

In addition, many businesses and other places need hot water as well – hospitals, restaurants, health clubs, hotels, laundromats, even prisons.  All of these places would be great locations for solar water heating.

Demand for solar water heaters is increasing as PECO rates and oil prices rise. The addition of a rebate (good until the end of the year) and a federal tax credit and the cost of a system is reduced by an incredible 50%.

Many people don’t realize it, but water heating typically accounts for 15-25% of your overall utility bill. With a relatively small upfront investment, you can reduce your utility bill and help the environment.

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Filed Under: Going Green, Yardley Voice Columnists Tagged With: , , , , ,

Employee Garden helps Philabundance, Aid for Friends

October 9, 2012 By

As a part of its “Going Green” initiative, American Heritage Federal Credit Union’s Green Team recently worked with staff members to establish Employee Gardens on the grounds of the credit union.

And to not only help the planet but the local community as well, the vegetables these dedicated employees grew were actually sold back to employees in the credit union lunch rooms with all proceeds going to Philabundance and Aid for Friends.

American Heritage’s gardens also took part in two different contests, the “Best Employee Garden” and the “Best Scarecrow Contest.” Guest judges visited the gardens on August 14th and 15th and selected the winners.

The criteria for Best Garden Judging was based on overall maintenance of the garden, variety of plants, use of color, and use of space. The criteria for Best Scarecrow was based on overall creativity and appearance.

Congratulations to the Call Center and New Britain Office for winning “Best Employee Garden” and to First Heritage LLC, the Human Resources/Training Department and the Horsham Office for winning “Best Scarecrow.”

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Filed Under: Going Green, Langhorne Ledger News Tagged With: , , , , ,

Silver Lake Nature Center launches watershed monitoring project

September 25, 2012 By

Friends of Silver Lake Nature Center has announced the inception of a watershed monitoring program for the Silver Lake watershed.

The watershed for Silver Lake encompasses Silver and Magnolia Lakes, Mill Creek, Black Ditch Creek, Queen Anne Creek, and all the streams that feed into them. These waters flow through heavily industrialized and residential areas from Levittown and Fairless Hills, east of Langhorne, down into Bristol Borough, and into the Delaware River.

Many people are not aware that the storm drains for the neighborhoods and businesses within the watershed empty directly into the watershed so that any pollutants resulting from manufacturing and business processes and residential activities – from petroleum products to the soap we use to wash our cars – end up in the water.

Volunteer monitors are doing monthly chemical assessments of the water at key points in the watershed, and several times a year they will be surveying the aquatic insects of the watershed. These activities will help set baseline statistics against which the Friends can measure the health of our watershed and alert us to changes that might indicate inputs of pollutants.

Already a sewage leak has been discovered which was reported and repaired immediately.

The Friends will be conducting presentations to the public and local governments about their efforts and the information they discover. Their goal is to encourage the community to find practical ways to avoid adding pollutants to the watershed as well as to improve the quality of the environment.

Silver Lake plays host to a remarkable variety of animals, some of which are endangered.

Red Bellied Turtles, Blue Herons, Night Herons, Northern water snakes, Great Horned Owls – these are just a few of the species that call Silver Lake and its tributaries and wetlands home.

If you would like more information on this program and/or to sign up to help out, contact the Watershed Monitoring Coordinator, Vail Ryan, at 215-785-1177 or at silverlakenaturecenter@co.bucks.pa.us.

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Filed Under: Going Green, Langhorne Ledger News Tagged With: , , ,

Silver Lake Nature Center’s fully sustainable, carbon-zero building project

September 14, 2012 By

Silver Lake Nature Center’s “Biotecture Structure,” based on architect Michael Reynolds’ Earthship designs, is coming to fruition, thanks to all of the volunteers and supporters who have been helping to make it happen.

This fully sustainable, carbon-zero building will be built with recycled products, be able to heat and cool itself, gather its own water, recycle its own waste, and produce its own food. It will also be the first public use building of its kind on the East Coast – right here in Bucks County!

The building is being constructed on the former site of the Nature Center’s Pond Shed. The Pond Shed was an old garage that was renovated into a classroom back in 1984 when the Visitor Center Building was in the current Intern Cottage.

[Read more...]

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Filed Under: Going Green, Home Tagged With: , , , ,

DVC students do their part for clean water

August 10, 2012 By
Storm Water

 

Recent additions to the Mercer Museum in Doylestown involve more than meets the eye.

New storm water regulations called for the installation of three unique storm water control best management practices.

In addition to a green roof and a row of porous pavement, you might have noticed a large garden growing along Green Street.

As part of an effort of several dedicated Delaware Valley College students, that “rain garden” is looking great and making a difference in the amount of clean water that is available to us.

Rainfall that cannot recharge (soak into the ground) because it falls on parking lots or buildings runs into storm drains which go directly to local creeks and streams. Any pollutant, trash, road salt, fertilizer etc., that might be on the ground gets carried directly into our water.

Rain gardens hold rainwater for a period of time and allow this water to soak back into the ground where plants filter out water pollutants.

As part of a community service project, students of the Environmental Club met to weed the garden this spring.

Under the direction of Colin Chamber, their advisor, students learned about the benefits of best management practices and then joined Mary Ellen Noonan of Bucks County Conservation District to help tidy up the garden.

PHOTO CAP: Pictured in the back row, Colin Chambers, Mary Ellen Noonan and Doug Dolan (Executive Director of the Buck County Historical Society) with students in front of the garden on Green Street.

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Filed Under: Doylestown Observer News, Going Green Tagged With: , , , ,

Newtown Borough receives $4,854 recycling grant

August 6, 2012 By

State Rep. Steven J. Santarsiero, D-Bucks, recently announced that Newtown has been awarded a $4,854 state recycling grant.

The grant was awarded by the Department of Environmental Protection under the Recycling Performance Grant Program and is based on the 339.1 tons the borough recycled in the 2010 calendar year and the borough’s population.

The Recycling Performance Grant Program provides incentives to help Pennsylvania communities increase the amount of materials recovered through recycling and promote economic growth in the Commonwealth through job creation and market expansion.

“This support for our municipalities’ recycling programs will help to raise public awareness about recycling and enable all of us to reduce what we throw away,” Steven said.

Steven said this grant is in addition to the funds that DEP allocates to municipalities to establish and maintain recycling programs.

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Filed Under: Going Green, Newtown Gazette News Tagged With: , , ,
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