Cape Fear’s Going Green • Winter 2023

Letter from the Editor

October 2022 marked our magazine’s 15th Anniversary! I was hoping to throw a big anniversary party for the community but decided it would be safer to give COVID-19 another year or so to calm down. Our current plan is to celebrate in the fall of 2023 by throwing ourselves a Sweet Sixteen party! Stay tuned for details.

Between now and then we’ll share some of our favorite articles from earlier years—those with topics still relevant today. For this anniversary issue, we revisit articles by Andy Wood and Jill Peleuses. Going Green intern Beth Ackerly interviewed me to learn a bit about the history of the magazine and what I’ve learned along the way. That article appears starting on page 10.

I’ve rounded up a few favorite photos to illustrate some of the adventures I never would have had, had I not been publishing this magazine. Fifteen years ago I never dreamed I would zipline over The Swamp Park in Shallotte, canoe the Black River to visit the Three Sisters, test-drive electric vehicles, attend green expos in Oregon, meet Vandana Shiva or climb an oak tree using professional arborist gear. We’ll run a few of these photos in this issue, and more throughout the coming year.

In honor of our anniversary, we created a sparkling new version of the goinggreenpublications.com website, thanks to the design expertise of Cordelia Norris of Luna Creative and the programming expertise of Barry Tonoff of altREVOLUTION. We now have a blog! The first entry is the Letter from the Editor that I wrote for the premier issue, which still serves as the roadmap for the kind of information we present to you. Have a look, and let me know what you think!

Throughout the year, we’ll be adding our entire set of back issues online so you can read the ones you missed and refer to those you enjoyed.

Our thoughts are with the citizens of Ukraine.

— Valerie L. Robertson Editor

Contents

3 Why Saving Whales Can Save the Planet

5 Complex Questions, One Simple Answer: We Need to Pick Up After Ourselves

6 Want More Bluebirds? Here’s How

8 Your Ecological House™ Climate Action Falls to the States—For Now

9 Ladybugs: Why We Love Them and Why They Need Our Help

10 Publisher Reflects on 15 Years of Going Green

14 Where Are They Now?

15 The 2022 Marine Debris Accomplishment Report

16 Crossword

17 Meet the New Plastic Ocean Project Education & Outreach Coordinator

20 Environmental Book Club Selections for 2023

Front Cover:

A selection of magazine covers illustrates the variety of topics that have been covered in the pages of Cape Fear’s Going Green . Cover photographers, from left: Valerie Robertson, John Sutton and Mary Robertson. Mary picked the produce from her own garden.

Where to Find Cape Fear’s Going Green

You can read our issues online or pick up a print copy in the community. See the box on page 19 for more information and to learn how to subscribe.

Cape Fear’s Going Green is a quarterly publication promoting eco-friendly resources and lifestyles in the Lower Cape Fear River Basin.

Publisher & Editor in Chief: Valerie Robertson

Contributing Editor: Shelby Diehl

Eugene Contributing Editor: Mary Robertson

Interns: Caitlyn Andrews, Rachel O’Connor

Advisors & Editorial Contributors: Lisa Andrée, Martha Burdette, Chuck Carmack, Shelby Diehl, Morgan Greene, David Hoolahan, Kristin Llaso, Sally Smits Matsen, Quinten O’Rourke, Jill Peleuses, Philip S. Wenz, Kelly Windhaven, Andy Wood and iNaturalist contributors Morgan Freese and bellumknight.

2010 YWCA Women of Achievement Award for the Environment

Sister City: Eugene, Oregon (Voted “Greenest City” 2006 by The Green Guide)

Cape Fear’s Going Green Going Green Publications

P. O. Box 3164 • Wilmington, NC 28406 (910) 547-4390

publisher@goinggreenpublications.com

www.goinggreenpublications.com

Editorial: If you have story ideas or calendar items to suggest, email us at editor@goinggreenpublications.com, or call (910) 547-4390.

Advertising information: Email ads@goinggreenpublications.com.

Cape Fear’s Going Green is distributed free throughout Brunswick, Columbus, New Hanover, Onslow and Pender counties. A partial map of locations appears at https://arcg.is/1WWi0y. If you have a business and would like to receive multiple copies for the public, please contact us. The views and opinions expressed in articles in this magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official position of this publication.

photo by Quinten O’Rourke

The entire Robertson clan assembled at Halyburton Park to celebrate the magazine’s three-and-a-half-year anniversary. From left, Adeline Robertson, Eugene Contributing Editor Mary Robertson, Valerie Robertson, Haeworth Robertson and Alan Robertson.

Why Saving Whales Can Save the Planet

by Lisa Andrée

The slogan “Save the Whales” became popular in the 1970s when a concerted global effort brought attention to their drastically dwindling numbers. Bumper stickers, tee shirts and a bestselling album called “Songs of the Humpback Whale” all served to educate the public. This inspired modifications to fishing gear, marine traffic patterns and a subsequent ban on commercial whaling, greatly improving the situation. Fast-forward 50 years and the need to protect these majestic marine mammals is greater than ever. While the ultimate goal is to prevent the extinction of a species, few realize that “saving the whales” may be key to saving the planet.

In 2019, the Wilmington, North Carolina-based nonprofit, Plastic Ocean Project (POP) began making a full-length documentary film, “If the Ocean Could Talk: A Voice for the North Atlantic.” The film’s goal is to explore how human interaction impacts marine life, including the severely endangered North Atlantic right whale.

Filming off the NC coast near Beaufort in November of 2020, POP researchers and its production crew set out to document migrating whales but instead learned of a deceased whale, just days old. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the highly anticipated birth of this healthy newborn calf had brought the North Atlantic right whale’s population up to 356. Today, just two years later, that number is hovering around 326, which is alarmingly low. A species is classified as endangered when there are fewer than 2,500 mature individuals. What’s worse is less than one quarter of today’s existing right whale population is female.

The unexpected death of the newborn whale had a profound impact on POP’s team and led them to create a separate documentary short, “356,” which has now been accepted into seven film festivals including L.A.’s prestigious Awareness Film Festival and Portugal’s Vila Real film fest. The short film features cameo commentary from numerous experts in the field including world-renowned marine biologist and ocean explorer, Dr. Sylvia Earle; marine ecologist and author, Dr. Carl Safina; ocean advocate and singer-songwriter, Jack Johnson; and esteemed economist, Ralph Chami.

Chami, an assistant director in the International Monetary Fund’s Institute for Capacity Development, recently attended COP27, the U.N.’s Climate Change Conference in Egypt. “When it comes to saving the planet, one whale is worth thousands of trees,” says Chami.

Here’s why:

• Whales accumulate carbon in their bodies throughout their lifetime, and when they die a natural death and sink to the bottom of the ocean, an average of 33 tons of CO2 is sequestered, taking that carbon out of the atmosphere for centuries. Meanwhile, a tree absorbs only up to 48 pounds of CO2 a year.

(Source: the International Monetary Fund (IMF).)

• The decomposition process takes decades and provides a concentrated food and nutrient source for a variety of marine life.

• Whale poop fertilizes phytoplankton, the food source for all marine food chains in the ocean, which covers 70% of the planet. Phytoplankton produces 50% of the world’s oxygen supply and absorbs an estimated 40% of all carbon dioxide produced, or four times the amount captured by the Amazon rainforest.

Since November of 2022, twenty-three whales have washed up along the Eastern Seaboard.

—NOAA, February 2023

Why Saving the Whales Can Save the Planet

(continued from page 3)

The goal of “356” is to create awareness and lead to sweeping action towards saving these majestic creatures. Ultimately, it’s only when whales are not threatened by ship strikes, recreational boat traffic, fishing gear entanglement, marine microplastics

debris, chemical pollution or noise pollution that interferes with their communication will they have a better chance for survival.

“In 1990 the number of right whales dropped to 270, but new protections and increased consciousness brought their population back up to 500 by 2010,” says Bonnie Monteleone, Director of POP. “We can do it again, but only if everyone understands how important this effort truly is so that we can all work together!”

Plastic Ocean Project’s mission is to find solutions to plastic pollution through:

• Education through Research

• Outreach through Art

• Solutions through Collaboration

The nonprofit’s ultimate goal is “to create a more sustainable world for future generations.”

Want to support Plastic Ocean Project? Then consider becoming a member, volunteering or attending POP’s “For the Ocean Gala.” The 2023 benefit gala will be hosted on Saturday, March 25 at the new Lumina Resort at Wrightsville Beach. See the ad on this page for QR codes leading to details and tickets. To learn more about POP’s work and ongoing initiatives, visit plasticoceanproject.org.

Sources:

National Geographic, September 24, 2019

National Geographic Resource Library

International Monetary Fund

Lisa Andrée is POP’s Communications-Fundraising-Membership coordinator. She’s a North Carolina native, UNCW grad and dedicated to creating awareness for POP’s mission and its ongoing initiatives. She enjoys paddle boarding and time spent with her husband on board their sailboat, Slow by Slow.

photo by Uryadnikov Sergey. Adove stock

A Humpback whale raises its powerful tail over the water of the ocean. Scientific name: Megaptera novaeangliae.

andy wood—the naturalist’s corner

Complex questions, one simple answer: we need to pick up after ourselves

Complex Questions, One Simple Answer: We Need to Pick Up After Ourselves

by Andy Wood

smoke cigarettes. He blew a bit of smoke into the jar, closed it up and we watched in rapt interest as the larvae quickly died. My brother, now a curator with a New England historic museum, recently told me that he sometimes finds bits of tobacco inside pockets and between layers of old fabric artifacts. In the 18th century, tobacco was placed in folded fabrics during storage as a deterrent to moths and other fabric-eating insects. “Not as sweet as lavender, but does the job good as cedar,” he says.

that nicotine is poisonous to wildlife, and to humans. We know from recent studies of used cigarette filters in water that filter contents are harmful to ecosystem health, beginning near the bottom of the food pyramid, upon which higher life forms depend.

The above picture reveals a Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis) nest in a rural part of Pender County, where one would expect to see few cigarette filters. And yet, the nest includes frayed filters (far right front), along with bits of fibrous insulation, fresh moss, pine straw, mammal hair and other natural materials. This mixture of anthropogenic (human origin) and nature’s materials is common with chickadee nests. However, after witnessing several chickadee nest failures over the past several years, I have begun wondering if there is a connection between chickadee nestling survival and the presence of cigarette filters; owing to the fact that used filters contain large amounts of nicotine, a toxic compound with a long history as an effective insect and mite pesticide.

I’ve long been interested in nicotine as a pesticide, probably because my father conducted research in the late 1950s to prove spider mites develop resistance to nicotine at the genetic level.

I recall as a kid, an experiment one of my brothers conducted on mosquito larvae in a jar of water. It was a simple demonstration to show why I should not

Nicotine as an effective poison prompted an aquatic scientist in the 1990s to examine the potential biohazard of used cigarette filters in freshwater ecosystems. The research involved placing used cigarette butts in different volumes of water containing live Daphnia, Crustaceans related to shrimp and lobsters. The study found that, when soaked in two gallons of water, enough nicotine and other toxins leached out of one used cigarette filter to kill Daphnia outright. Because small fishes and other aquatic animals depend on Daphnia for food, this easily replicated study proves that improperly discarded cigarette filters pose a threat to ecosystem health.

Getting back to the chickadee nest containing used cigarette filters, I wonder if there is a connection between the presence of used filters and resulting egg and nestling mortality. I have seen nestling chickadees fledge in seeming good health despite having been raised in a nest with used cigarettes, but I have also found chickadee nests with a full clutch of dead eggs nestled in a fluffy cup of shredded cigarette filters. So this is an issue that clearly needs more investigating.

There may even be a selective advantage for chickadees living with cigarette filters: if the nicotine acts as a pesticide to bird lice, mites and ticks without killing the chicks or parents, their overall health may be enhanced, but there is likely a fine line between “the treatment being worse than the ailment.”

The scientific process is essential to help answer such complex questions. We know from centuries of use as a pesticide

The first Earth Day, celebrated in 1970, drew attention to air and water pollution, endangered species, and litter. These issues are still with us. With the expansion of plastics as a replacement for paper and glass containers, the lifespan of today’s litter far outlasts the people who generate it. Cigarette filters may seem inconsequential until you consider some 360 billion cigarettes are smoked in this country each year. Over five trillion cigarettes are smoked worldwide. Today, cigarette filters are the most common item collected during organized beach cleanups.

Discarded cigarette filters may seem a trivial subject for discussion in light of our other global challenges—including climate change, energy issues, water shortage, wars and social unrest. But there are many acts each one of us can perform daily to help improve our global condition. Paying attention to the little things, like improperly discarded cigarette filters, can help us ensure we are not overloading our planet. Andy Wood is Education Director of Audubon North Carolina, and is author of Backyard Carolina.

Andy Wood is the Director of Coastal Plain Conservation Group, and is author of Backyard Carolina.

Proceeds from the book support his work to protect two critically endangered species of freshwater snails, both endemic to southeast North Carolina. Learn more about his work at coastalplainconservationgroup.org.

Proceeds from the book support his work to protect two critically endangered species of freshwater snails, both endemic to southeast North Carolina. His commentaries can be heard every other Monday on WHQR 91.3FM.

photo by Andy Wood

This nesting box has one side removed to show nesting material chosen by the chickadee, which includes a layer of moss covered by shredded cigarette filters.

Chickadees are opportunistic nest-builders, and will incorporate anything they find into their homes.

Want More Bluebirds? Here’s How

by Jill Peleuses

Ask any enthusiast about bluebirds, and most every one has a favorite story or experience to share. With its beautiful color and cheerful, warbly song, the Eastern Bluebird continues to be one of our most beloved songbirds. Although it can be found in our area any time of year, the bluebird was just recently a rare visitor. Thanks largely to grass-roots efforts, bluebird populations are on the rebound today.

Due to a series of factors, by the mid1950s the population of Eastern Bluebirds was in serious decline. Widespread pesticide use, the introduction of non-native species like the House (English) Sparrow and European Starling that compete with the bluebirds, and loss of nesting habitat all contributed to the plummeting bluebird population. Guided by groups like the North American Bluebird Society, citizenscientists and backyard birders began

trying to support bluebirds by the late 1960s and by the mid-1980s the population had begun to rebound. The most significant factor in the recent population recovery is volunteerism—people putting up and monitoring nest boxes, spreading the word and encouraging others to get involved.

There are several steps one can take to help support the Eastern Bluebird, and one of the most effective is the creation and placement of suitable nesting boxes. The Eastern Bluebird is a cavity nester and naturally chooses dead trees to build their nests. As the human population increased and more land was developed, there were fewer choices available for nest-building. Providing a “Bluebird Trail,” or series of nesting boxes strategically placed to mimic the lost nesting habitat, can be of great help.

Nesting boxes make excellent homes because they can be placed in areas that

While it is true that bluebirds are territorial of other bluebirds, they do not seem to mind other species in nest boxes closer to their own. We found this to be true in our yard when the brown-headed nuthatches wanted to use our bluebird house. The nuthatches usually won in my yard because they seem to nest a week earlier then the bluebird. We put another bluebird house about twenty feet away from our original bluebird house and within days we had two families—the happy little nuthatches and the soughtafter bluebirds. Both nests were successful and we have had this situation repeat itself in many nesting seasons since. This is one of the best tricks to getting nesting bluebirds—put out additional houses.

—Jill

can be maintained and safe from predators. Bluebirds are looking for a house that is situated in the most open space available. During nesting season these birds become very territorial. In order to protect their home, they stand on the roof of their house and look around at a 360-degree angle to make sure no predators are near. So houses located on freestanding poles with a predator guard or baffle tend to be the most successful. However, bluebirds may still choose a house that is placed on a tree or a fence post.

Bluebirds often return to the same nesting box year after year, so it’s important to maintain the boxes and to clean them routinely to minimize any mold, moisture or parasites that might affect future broods. It’s also possible to add a “nesting cup” to nesting boxes to make cleaning simpler.

Nesting behaviors can start as early as February and go all the way into August, with some pairs having three broods of chicks in a year. Not all bluebirds nest at the same time; some may not start their first nest until April or May. The female lays one egg a day for several days, then the eggs must incubate for about two weeks before hatching. Once hatched,

Article reprinted from Winter/Spring 2013 issue (continued on page 7)

photo by Chuck Carmack

Chuck Carmack visited a retention pond behind Wilmington Mayfaire Cinema, hoping to find ducks he could photograph. He was surprised to see 200–300 bluebirds. Eastern Bluebirds are very territorial during nesting season, but in winter may bunch together for protection.

birds

Attracting Bluebirds (continued)

the young will stay in the house for two to three weeks and the parents will feed them insects, mealworms and sunflower chips. After the birds have fledged and left is a good time to clean out the box; if done right away the parents may start building a new nest there within a week.

Another strategy for encouraging bluebirds is maintaining a year-round food and water supply—this can be in the form of native plant species or bird feeders. Bluebirds are primarily insect eaters, and planting or keeping native species in your area helps provide habitat for the insects that these birds need when raising their young. Native berries are a particular draw for the birds. Bluebirds will also eat insect suets, which are cakes of food that are high

Would you like to share your message with our readers? Contact us for information on advertising rates and editorial guidelines.

in fats and proteins. The main seed that they prefer are shell-free sunflower chips. They also love mealworms and will fill their beaks and take them into the bird house to the young. In winter the bluebirds are not as territorial and you may see multiple individuals eating worms together.

Many other birds enjoy the same diet, so if mockingbirds or others are scaring away your bluebirds, placing feeders in the

open where bluebirds can see them but away from shrubbery where mockingbirds like to nest may help. There are also special feeders designed with a 1.5-inch diameter entry hole so larger birds cannot enter but the bluebirds will be able to feed freely. And, as always, squirrels enjoy a plate of free food, so a baffle or weight-sensitive addition may help keep them out of the bluebird feeder.

Water is essential to all songbirds, and a shallow birdbath—less than three inches deep—is recommended for all birdfriendly yards. Birds love clean, moving water, and arranging for the water to ripple or move also cuts down on the possibility of housing mosquito larvae in summer. A bottle suspended above the birdbath with a small hole for dripping can provide enough movement to attract birds and discourage mosquitos.

Combining habitat, food and water will greatly increase chances to attract nesting birds. And, as the last few decades have shown, providing nest boxes can help the populations of songbirds continue where habitat loss and development have squeezed them out of natural surroundings. Bluebird trails have been highly successful and continuing to place more nesting boxes will help ensure nesting success in the future.

Jill Peleuses is co-owner of Wild Bird & Garden, Inc. in Wilmington and co-founder of the Cape Fear Bird Observatory. (See www. capefearbirdobservatory.org.) She sponsors educational events on bird habits and habitat and leads birding hikes in Airlie Gardens.

photo by Chuck Carmack

Although this Carolina Chickadee has already established a nest in this bluebird nesting box, the approaching Eastern Bluebird will drive it away and take over the space for its own use.

your ecological house™

Climate Action Falls to the States—For now

The less we do about climate change now, the more regulation we will have in the future.

— Bill Nye (The Science Guy)

As part of recovering from my gloomy mood caused by the recent one-two punch landed by the federal government against our future, I forced myself to think about the remaining avenues for fighting climate change. Those “punches” were the Supreme Court’s decision, in West Virginia v. EPA, to kill the agency’s program to phase out coal-fired power plants and replace them with gas-fired models; and the failure, once again, for a climate bill to pass in the Senate. Both developments are moving us closer to the global climate disaster’s point of no return.

These events were no doubt celebrated in some quarters, where it now appears that the unhindered burning of fossil fuels, especially coal, can proceed apace. I would caution those folks to watch out what they wish for.

Although the Supreme Court is preventing the EPA from enforcing its policy of encouraging the transition from coal to gas and, ultimately, to renewable power generation, it has not prevented the agency from simply regulating coal-fired plants. Likely, it cannot do so because Congress expressly has given the EPA the

power to regulate them, and the Court’s entire rationale for nixing the “encouragement” policy is that Congress had not specifically mandated it.

So, the EPA can simply tell the coal-fired plants to clean up their act and, unable to offer them positive alternatives, let them figure out how to do it—enforcing a far-more-costly transition in the long run. Preventing that would require a much deeper foray into the legal morass of adjudicating Congress’s regulatory intent than the Court probably should have waded into in the first place.

Meanwhile, the climate battle is shifting to the states, where there are numerous possible points of attack.

For example, transportation is the largest source of U.S. greenhouse gases. While the EPA is empowered to regulate vehicle emissions nationally—in order to set a single standard for the country—it has for decades granted California a waiver to set its own standard above that of the EPA’s roughly 38 MPG baseline. (This exception was granted, initially, to fight the pervasive smog in the Los Angeles basin.)

Accordingly, California has mandated a statewide 51 MPG emissions requirement for most new vehicles sold after 2025. Other states are free to adopt California’s standards—the EPA’s requirement is a minimum—and to date 17 states, including all of the West Coast, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and most of New England, have done so, setting a de facto national standard.

“A good little bookstore… is a laboratory for our coming together.”

Ross Gay

“I love walking into a bookstore. It's like all my friends are sitting on shelves, waving their pages at me.”

Tahereh Mafi

pomegranate books ZOLA

a waterways and ocean friendly, plastic free business roasting organic, shade grown and small farm coffee lots

4418 PARK AVE

910.452.1107

Meanwhile, several of the world’s largest automakers, which for decades fought federal emissions regulations, in 2020 ignored lawsuit threats from the Trump administration and signed a voluntary binding agreement with California to meet its standards. They include Ford, Honda, BMW and Volkswagen. Recently, General Motors, Toyota and Volvo have also committed to working “cooperatively and constructively” with California. Encouragingly, in January of 2022 Ford announced it was doubling production of its new F150 all-electric pickup to try to keep up with surging demand.

And California’s Governor Gavin Newsome recently unveiled an executive order proposing a requirement that 35% of new 2026 car sales in the state be zero-emission models.

Predictably, the attorneys general from the mostly fossil-fuelproducing states who filed the West Virginia case are now suing to overturn the EPA’s right to grant the “California exception” to its national emissions standards. But even if they prevail, the EPA can up its national standards to equal California’s.

By the time that’s litigated, auto makers will be producing the lower-emission vehicles and people will be buying them. I smiled when I realized that some ships have already sailed at our ecological house.

Philip S. Wenz is an environmental researcher and writer. Read more articles from his series Your Ecological House on his website at firebirdjournal.com.

© Philip S. Wenz, 2023

nature

Ladybugs: Why We Love Them and Why They Need Our Help

by Morgan Greene

Whether they’re Squash Lady Beetles, American Five-Spotted Lady Beetles, Spotted Pink Lady Beetles or any of the other hundreds of North American species, it’s hard to think of many insects more beloved than ladybugs. 5 About as popular as butterflies and lightning bugs, these brightly colored beetles are almost always a welcome sight. In fact, some say it’s good luck when a ladybug lands on you!

One reason why ladybugs are so widely adored is their agricultural importance. Apart from their dashing good looks, ladybugs are well known in the farming world for guarding apple orchards and other crops from pests such as mites, mealybugs and aphids. In fact, a single ladybug may consume up to 5,000 aphids in its lifetime.1 Because of their aptitude for pest predation, some farmers and gardeners will purchase ladybugs as an alternative to chemical pesticides.

If you’re considering buying some ladybugs for your own garden, however, you may want to think twice: it can be hard to ensure that the beetles you’re buying are a native species. For example, the convergent ladybug (Hippodamia convergens) is native to North America, but Asian lady beetles (Harmonia axyridis) are not and can interfere with local ecosystems. Additionally, many commercially sold ladybugs are wild-caught, and moving ladybugs out of their natural environment not only disrupts wild populations but can unintentionally introduce diseases

and parasites that our local insects are not prepared to deal with. 2

Fortunately, there are other ways to entice ladybugs to your home garden. In addition to eating common pests, ladybugs are also pollinators attracted to dill, parsley, geraniums and other similar plants. They’re also fond of dandelions, so there are plenty of benefits to letting your yard run a little wild. 3 Providing shade or a shallow water source is also a good way to entice ladybugs to stop by, but using pesticides can hurt them or drive them away.4

Sadly, native ladybug populations in the United States have started to decline over the past couple of decades, and no one is quite sure why. 5 To keep track of the ladybugs and try to figure out why this is happening, Cornell University launched the Lost Ladybug Project, a fun citizen science project that anyone can participate in. All you have to do is take pictures of the ladybugs you see, and upload those pictures to the Lost Ladybug Project at www. lostladybug.org, where you can find more information about the project as well.

Ladybugs, lady beetles, ladybirds— whatever you call them, these polka-dotted beetles are certainly wonderful in more ways than one. Let’s hope we can figure out where they’re going and find a way to bring them home. To everyone grabbing their phones to go find some “lost ladybugs,” good luck and happy hunting!

Links:

1. content.ces.ncsu.edu/lady-beetles

2. www.gardenmyths.com/ buy-ladybugs-garden/

3. bee-effect.co.za/white-clover-honey-bees/

4. www.masterclass.com/articles/ how-to-attract-ladybugs-to-your-garden

5. Ladybugs of the US · iNaturalist

Based on: Lovable Ladybugs, from The ArthroBlogger blog, by Morgan Greene.

Morgan Greene is a senior at UNCW majoring in biology with a concentration in freshwater and terrestrial conservation. She enjoys sharing fun facts about insects and other tiny animals on her blog, The ArthroBlogger, found at thearthroblogger.com.

ild ird W B G & arden arden Imagine

Sat., May 22: Painted Bunting Workshop

Imagine

Sat., May 22: Painted Bunting Workshop

Wild Bird & Garden Hanover Center 3501 Oleander Drive Wilmington NC 28403 910-343-6001

www.wildbirdgardeninc.com

Your Backyard

Wild Bird Garden

www.wildbirdgardeninc.com

Wild Bird Garden

9 Cape Fear’s Going Green • Winter 2022–23 www.goinggreenpublications.com 15th Anniversary Issue

An Asian Lady Beetle photographed in downtown Wilmington in 2019. Observation © Morgan Freese, inaturalist.org/photos/51293142. No changes made.

A Seven-Spotted Lady Beetle photographed at Kure Beach in 2021. Observation © bellumknight, inaturalist.org/photos/128088261. No changes made.

15-year anniversary

Publisher Reflects on 15 Years of Going Green

by Beth Ackerly

Going Green intern Beth Ackerly interviewed publisher Valerie Robertson about the history of Cape Fear’s Going Green.

Q: When and why did you start Cape Fear’s Going Green?

A: I’d tried to earn a living in the solar field in the 1980s, when I lived in Maryland outside Washington, D.C. When the incoming administration removed Jimmy Carter’s solar panels from White House, I changed course and sought work that would let me hone my editorial skills, hoping to return to solar or a related field in the future.

Q: What do you hope the magazine accomplishes?

A: The magazine’s mission is to make sustainability mainstream in my home community. True success will be having the magazine become irrelevant, as the concepts of behaving more mindfully in care of our earth and its resources becomes second nature to everyone. This will require a cultural shift away from the extractive nature of so much of what we do.

Q: When did you first become aware of being mindful about resources?

A: My first memorable first-hand exposure to the concept of re-use was when I was age 13, visiting my aunt and her family in Oslo, Norway. I was helping in the kitchen—or trying to—and I crumpled up a piece of used aluminum foil and threw it in the trash. My aunt told me that it was too expensive to throw away after just one use, so we retrieved it and she washed it in order to use it at a later date. This was around 1966 or 1967, and the world I lived in at the time was enjoying the advent of products offering convenience and timesaving, in the form of TV dinners in little aluminum trays taking the place of cooking from scratch. I think of my aunt every time I wash a piece of aluminum foil, which I did again this morning.

Q: When did you first become aware of the importance of avoiding toxins?

A: Visiting a friend in college, I noted that he used Arm & Hammer laundry detergent because, he said, it introduced fewer toxins into the wastewater. This was the same friend who would, when his houseplants shed a leaf, place the leaf on the soil supporting the plant so the nutrients would return to the soil, instead of “cleaning it up”

by removing the dead leaf. My first exposure to, if not permaculture, the concept of nutrients working in a cycle.

Q: Who are some of your heroes?

of plastic, come up with creative ways to use renewable energy. I think the unsung heroes are the people who are working to improve conservation of resources and protect the flora and fauna of their home community. It’s not “sexy” to make a home more airtight or better insulated, but it goes a long way to reducing unnecessary waste of energy. Protecting a local snail or insect might not be as flashy as saving the whales or the elephants, but if everyone were committed to protecting what’s found at home, we’d all be better off. I’m also inspired by Jane Goodall, Rachel Carson and other women scientists who’ve had challenges to having their work taken seriously.

Wilkes Burdette treated our publisher and her canine friends to a ride in his electric canoe, which he had converted to be battery-propelled. The ride in an electric canoe is silent, making it the perfect vehicle for photographing wildlife without startling the subject. The battery is visible mid-canoe. From left, Taffi, Valerie Robertson and Macy.

A: Anyone who is devoting their professional or volunteer life to some aspect of making our world a cleaner, more logical place. I’ve met innumerable people who are working diligently to promote localism, reduce our use

Q: What changes have you seen in the fifteen years you’ve been publishing?

A: Earth Day Festival and other exhibitor events let me assess what questions the general public is asking. When I started in 2007, people were asking about green building and green renovations. When the bottom dropped out of the housing market in 2008, people shifted to questions about food. This varies slightly from year to year, but includes variations on the

(continued on page 11)

photo by David Hoolahan Robertson (left) visits with Karen Linehan, Environmental Education Coordinator at the newly-opened Longleaf Center for Environmental Learning at Friends School of Wilmington.

photo by Martha Burdette

15-year anniversary

Reflections (continued)

themes of, Is it better to eat organic food? How do I grow my own food? Composting is now available as a service, to reduce the volume of stuff we send to our landfill, which is filling up too fast. Now, people are asking what they can do to combat climate change.

Q: Do you write all the articles yourself?

A: Increasingly, articles and accompanying photographs are contributed by members of the community and Going Green interns. Accepting volunteer submissions helps promote the community feel of our magazine. My sister, Mary, wrote our “Contributor Guidelines” to show people how we write for our target audience.

Q: Where do you get it printed?

A: I wanted to print on newsprint, both for the cost savings and to avoid printing on glossy bleached paper. Newsprint is too flimsy to run sheets of it through a regular sheet-fed printing press. Blank newsprint comes on huge rolls; only a web press is able to print on long rolls of paper and then trim the pages to size and fold them. We’ve always printed at the family-owned BNPrinting (formerly Benson Newspaper Printing), Benson, North Carolina. Now that Wilmington’s StarNews is printed in Fayetteville, Benson’s is the web press closest to us.

Q: What has been your favorite moment as editor of CFGG?

A: I think my favorite moment was opening the very first bundle of the first issue of

Sign up for the Going Green newsletter! We’ll send you updates to let you know when a new issue is available. Let us know by email if you’d also like to be on the email list for Environmental Book Club news. Email Publisher@ GoingGreenPublications.com or sign up directly on our website: GoingGreenPublications.com. Questions about Book Club? Call (910)547-4390.

the magazine. All of a sudden, this project seemed possible!

Q: Can you share an important moment where a reader let you know how you or your magazine had impacted their lives?

A: I often get feedback from readers saying they’ve learned something from the magazine. The response that has surprised me the most, however, is hearing several people tell me that when they were deciding whether to move to Wilmington, they discovered the magazine, and seeing an environmentallyminded publication alerted them that “it would be OK to live here,” since Wilmington could support such a publication.

Q: What has been your biggest challenge and how did you solve it?

A: My biggest challenge has been finding enough hours to create issues of the magazine seasonally and also perform all aspects of running the business and community outreach. I keep having to reassess how much time I can spend attending events and interacting with people since it represents time away from the computer. I won’t claim to have solved this, but it’s certainly helped to have assistance from an enthusiastic pool of students and members of the community.

Q: What is your favorite issue or article in the magazine? Who were some of your favorite people you interviewed?

A: Wow—this is a hard one, because I’m interested in everything we publish! One of my favorite articles was in the Spring/ Summer 2021 issue featuring the nature artwork of Robert Johnson, who had spent time in every North Carolina State Park and created nature journals and artwork from each one. An exhibit of his work was displayed at the Cameron Museum of Art. I missed the art-focused tour led by a docent, attending instead the tour given

photo by Valerie Robertson

Macy loved to help entertain passersby when we exhibited at events. She was particiularly pleased if she could do a little shopping while there. On this day, at our exhibit at Paw Jam, she was delighted that this was the table right next to ours! May 7, 2011.

15-year anniversary

Reflections (continued)

by Chris Helms, Park Superintendent at

Carolina Beach State Park. Mr. Helms has worked in multiple of our state parks, and so his lecture was filled with insider information on what one would experience if actually in each park: how that fox squirrel in the painting might behave, or what you’d see if you looked over the ridge. (Read the Spring/Summer 2021 issue at issuu.com/capefearsgoinggreen.)

Q: How have you changed as a person since you started Going Green?

A: I’m more aware of how the natural world works, and more aware of how behaviors of mine might impact my environment. I’ve changed some of my behaviors as a result. I’m less cavalier about using singleuse plastics, or throwing things “away” (i.e., into the landfill), or eating meat and tropical fruit. I was never a good student in science classes, but now I attend multiple science lectures a week—I can’t get enough of them. My attitudes have shifted, too—instead of wishing for a newer model of car or computer or whatever, I feel proud of working to get the most use possible out of what I already have.

Q: What is something about the green lifestyle that most people don’t know about or don’t think about that you think they should know?

A: I’m currently reading Inconspicuous Consumption, by Tatiana Schlossberg. The author researched a handful of areas where we often don’t realize we’re using resources, creating waste or emitting greenhouse gases. How much water does it take to make a pound of denim? When you take into account all the variables, is shipping food from far away sometimes the less harmful environmental choice? It’s hard to find this ”total impact” information. But my choices as a consumer make a difference, even if my impact is indirect so it’s not obvious to me. This is the book

we’ll discuss in the October meeting of our Environmental Book Club. [See back cover for details —Ed.]

Q: What are your best tips for people just starting out on their sustainability/”green” journey?

A: A good place to start is to find a group of people who share one or more of your interests. There are dozens of groups in the (continued on page 13)

contributed photo Valerie Robertson learns to propagate plants at a native plant workshop taught by Alistair Glen at Halyburton Park in June 2011.

15-year anniversary

May 1 2023

is the Deadline for the next issue of Going Green

Give us a call for Advertising Rates or Editorial Guidelines

Reflections (continued)

area, and almost all welcome guests. Some are advocacy groups, some are educationoriented and some are groups of people who like to participate in gardening or kayaking or birding or lobbying for change. Our website has a list of area resources to help you find a group you might like to try. Being mindful of your individual choices at home makes a difference: I maintain that if you behave environmentally responsibly and explain why, you become a role model for the people in your circle, whether you realize it or not. However, acting as a group gives you access to additional information and to people who care about the things you do. It may enable you to effect more change than if you were acting alone. Beth Ackerly is studying environmental science at UNCW and will graduate in May 2023. She is interning with Going Green in the Spring. She enjoys hiking, writing, music and spending time with her 6-year-old daughter.

Old Books on Front Street has designated this the “Environmental Chair.” It’s the first place to look for books to be discussed in monthly Book Club meetings. (See back cover for the 2023 selections.)

photo by Valerie Robertson

green walls

COREWhat’sat

transitions

Where Are They Now?

space. One of the tenants will be the Wilmington-based software company Untappd, creator of the popular beer app.

tray. The plants will grow towards the light, so maintenance of the wall will include a monthly task of removing each pot by hand, turning it 180 degrees, and putting it back in place.

Green Wall – continued from the City of Wilmington Tree Commission for Outstanding Function Design at the New Hanover Regional Medical Center Betty Cameron Women’s and Children’s Center (a rooftop garden using green wall technology in Wilmington. But he was confident tion on how it was created. What he’d really like is to put together

It’s Mott’s hope that, through the success of this green wall, they will grow in popularity in our area. And that way, more building occupants will enjoy the health and aesthetic benefits of systems like these in the near future.

Although Steve Mott has once again proclaimed himself to be retired, you may be able to reach him through his website, www. mottlandscaping.com.

After three and a half years, Audrey Dunn has left Cape Fear River Watch (and Wilmington), having accepted a position as the Communications Manager at the Harris Center for Conservation Education, located in Hancock, New Hampshire. Founded fifty years ago, the Harris Center promotes understanding and respect for the natural world through education of all ages, direct protection and stewardship of the Monadnock region’s natural resources, conservation research, and programs that encourage active participation in the great outdoors.

Dunn is sad to leave behind the marshes and swamps of coastal North Carolina (and her incredible coworkers at Cape Fear River Watch) but excited to explore a new, slightly colder, landscape. She will, of course, continue to cheer on the River Watch’s work from afar.

UNCW graduate Avery Owen has moved to New Mexico, where she has accepted a role with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management in Carlsbad, New Mexico. Her job contract there will last at least a year —longer, she hopes, depending on funding availability.

Sierra Coomer, SHRM-CP, has started a new position at Brunswick Electric Membership Corporation (BEMC) as an HR Specialist. She reports, “I’m grateful for the warm welcome I received and a supportive team. Looking forward to experience what the future holds at BEMC!“

Do you have a new environmental job? Let us know!

E-mail us at editor@goinggreenpublications.com.

May 1, 2023

is the deadline for the summer issue of Going Green. Call (910) 547-4390

photo by Valerie Robertson

A scissor lift was used to allow placement of the plants. The lift only reached 22 feet, so Mott had to place a ladder on top of the platform shown at the top of this photo, in order to reach the last several feet of wall.

The 2022 Marine Debris Accomplishment Report

Throughout the course of 2022, The North Carolina Coastal Federation (NCCF) in partnership with several other organizations made huge strides in removing marine debris from the North Carolina coast.

The North Carolina Marine Debris Action Plan (Action Plan) provides a strategic framework for the prevention and removal of marine debris along the North Carolina coast. After three years of implementation, over 75% of the plan has been completed, with another nearly 15% of the work outlined in progress or ongoing.

Over the course of the last year, Action Plan partners are proud of the accomplishments through coordinated efforts that were made. Accomplishments by the numbers:

• 326.59 tons (652,180 pounds) of large marine debris were removed from public waterways.

• 7,651 k–12 students were educated about marine debris along with 2,560 educators and professionals.

• 1,200 pounds of marine debris were removed coastwide by volunteers over the course of multiple cleanups.

• All three Topsail Island towns and the Town of Wrightsville Beach now prohibit using unencapsulated polystyrene, commonly called Styrofoam, for floating docks, piers and walkways.

• The Lost Fishing Gear Recovery Program removed 1,983 lost crab pots with the help of 48 commercial fishermen and women.

• Microplastic research conducted through 90 water samples at 15 stations located throughout the Neuse River watershed found microplastics in every sample.

• “Tangled in Trash” was launched - the first reporting tool designed to document when and where marine debris harms animals in the Carolinas and Georgia.

Education, clean-ups and marine debris removal efforts were all done through the many partnerships that make up the Marine Debris Action Plan, including the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality, North Carolina Sea Grant, The North Carolina Aquariums, The United States Coast Guard, The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, Coastal Carolina Riverwatch, N.C. Coastal Reserve, the Albemarle Pamlico National Estuary Partnership, The Plastic Ocean Project, N.C. Coastal Federation and many others.

To read the Action Plan, visit the NCCF website, https:// www.nccoast.org/project/north-carolina-marine-debrisstrategy/. To read the full North Carolina Marine Debris Action Plan Accomplishment reports, visit www.nccoast.org/project/ north-carolina-marine-debris-strategy/.

About the North Carolina Coastal Federation

The North Carolina Coastal Federation is a nonprofit membership organization that has worked since 1982 to keep the coast of North Carolina a great place to live, work and play.

Through a variety of programs and partnerships, the Federation works with people from all walks of life for clean coastal waters, living shorelines, thriving oysters, effective coastal management and a coast that is free of marine debris.

The Federation has offices in Ocean, Wanchese and Wrightsville Beach, N.C. To learn more, please visit nccoast.org or call (252) 393-8185.

Wilmington Gets Its First Trash Trout Litter Collection Device

Wilmington will install its first Trash Trout on Burnt Mill Creek on Friday, July 15. The passive litter collection device will be installed by Cape Fear River Watch in partnership with the Waterkeepers Carolina as part of a statewide plastics reduction effort funded by the North Carolina Department of Justice’s Environmental Enhancement Grant.

The Trash Trout is fabricated by Asheville Greenworks, an Asheville-based nonprofit, as part of their litter prevention program. The device is a large cage with a wide mouth that floats on pontoons. Booms are anchored upstream on each bank to direct floating debris into the mouth of the cage. Large pieces of floating trash and plastic are trapped inside the Trash Trout, while smaller organic matter passes through and fish and other aquatic wildlife pass below the device.

According to Eric Bradford, Asheville Greenworks’s Director of Operations, roadside littering accounts for approximately 75% of the trash in the nation’s waterways. “Each time it rains, trash is funneled through our storm drain systems directly into our creeks,” explains Bradford. “Since most municipal stormwater systems lack filters or other mechanisms to keep the trash from

entering our waterways, these Trash Trouts are necessary tools for our communities to clean up our rivers.”

The Trash Trouts are part of Cape Fear River Watch’s larger microplastics program. Learn more at capefearriverwatch.org.

Earth Day and VegFest Festival Weekend

Mark your calendars and save the dates: Wilmington will have back-to-back festivals April 22 and 23, 2023.

April 22 from noon to 6p.m. the Wilmington Earth Day Festival will be held in Long Leaf Park in Wilmington. This free festival will offer more than 60 exhibitors sharing environmental information and fun activities for the kids. www.wilmingtonearthday.org.

April 23 from noon to 4p.m. Wilmington VegFest returns to Legion Sports Complex in Wilmington. Thsi celebration is free, but a donation of $5 or more is welcome. If you’re curious about a plant-based diet, or want to try new foods, or want to be more health-conscious, come enjoy the food trucks, educational speakers, live music and vegan beer. wilmingtonvegfest.com.

All the words in the crossword can be found somewhere in the pages of this issue. The answer key appears on page 18.

Crossword

Down

1. A light silvery-gray metal used to make foil.

2. An American plant with nicotine-rich leaves.

4. The active immature form of an insect.

7. A North American bird with a distinctive black cap and throat.

8. A substance used for destroying insects or other organisms that are harmful to plants and/or animals.

10. Bivalve mollusks with rough irregular shells farmed for food and their pearls.

3. Plankton consisting of microscopic plants.

8. Acronym for a local nonprofit dedicated to mitigating plastic pollution.

9. Surname of the Editor and Publisher of Cape Fear's Going Green.

11. A rule or directive made and maintained by an authority.

12. Public support for or recommendation of a particular cause or policy.

13. A biennial plant used as a culinary herb and as garnish.

14. Building or occupying a nest.

5. A county in southeastern North Carolina.

6. Continuing in a course of action despite difficulty or delay in achieving success.

Crossword by Shelby Diehl.

Meet the New Plastic Ocean Project Education & Outreach Coordinator

Sam Athey received her B.Sc and M.Sc from UNCW, where she founded the first university chapter of Plastic Ocean Project (POP). She has recently returned to Wilmington after earning her PhD in Earth Sciences from the University of Toronto, where she investigated the sources and solutions to microplastic pollution. She has accepted a job as Education & Outreach Coordinator for Plastic Ocean Project. Athey is also an active member of the Environmental Book Club organized by Cape Fear’s Going Green. In the photo to the left, Athey is participating in a clean-up and outreach tabling event at Surfer’s Healing, the original surf camp for children with autism. (Learn more at surfershealingnc.org.)

Welcome back, Sam!

Going Green welcomes editorial contributions from the community. If you have an environmental story you’d like to tell, contact us and we’ll email you our “Contributor Guidelines.” Email Publisher@GoingGreenPublications. com or call (910) 547-4390.

photo by Kristin Llaso

Sam Athey and her sea turtle friend sahred information at this outreach tabling event at Surfer’s Healing.

WHOLE WATER SOLUTIONS

wholewatersolutions.co 910.622.5620

delay in achieving success.

6. Continuing in a course of action despite ficultydif

5. A county in southeastern North Carolina.

4. The active immature form of an insect.

2. An American plant with nicotine-rich leaves.

1. A light silvery-gray metal used to make foil.

Crossword

Quality drinking water in our community is the heart and sou Whole Water Solutions We pro bottled water quality drinking w at your tap affordably, so you c feel good about the water you'r drinking and the plastic waste you're avoiding.

Under sink RO system with inst $415

Local Residential Reverse Osmosis You Can Count O

Calling All Birders

Global Big Day is an annual celebration of the birds around you. No matter where you are, you can participate virtually on May 13, help celebrate World Migratory Bird Day, and use eBird to share the birds you find.

Participating is easy—you can even be part of Global Big Day from home. If you can spare 5 or 10 minutes, report your bird observations to eBird online or with the free eBird Mobile app. If you have more time, you may submit as many checklists as you like throughout the day.

eBird is a citizen science tool used by birders and aspiring birdwatchers to record what birds they see, along with the date, time and place of the observation. You can record what you see while “in the field” or note what you see to record later in the day.

Because eBird is a global tool, it is a powerful way for scientists and citizens alike to learn more about bird populations around the world. In 2022 more than 51,000 people from 201 countries submitted 132,000 checklists on eBird, setting new world records for a single day of birding.

To get the most out of the experience, go online prior to May 13 to get familiar with the program and see what the eBird site can tell you about bird populations in your area. Set up a free account and you can use eBird any day of the year to record birds you see, from home or on your travels. Your observations will become part of the global database that assists scientists.

Visit ebird.org to learn more.

Source: https://ebird.org/news/global-big-day-2023.

Contact us today to learn more: (910)547-4390 or advertising@goinggreenpublications.com.

Where to Find Cape Fear’s Going Green

Read It Online

Read the most recent issues on issuu.com/capefearsgoinggreen.

In the Community

Pick up a free copy at one of the locations listed below or at in-person meetings of environmental groups as they return to meeting live.

Arboretum/New Hanover County Extension Service, Aunt Kerry’s Pet Stop, Lovey’s Market, Old Books on Front Street, Pomegranate Books, Tidal Creek Co-op, UNCW, Shelton Herb Farm and many area Food Lion and Harris Teeter locations. See https://arcg. is/1WWi0y for a map.

Subscribe

For the price of postage and packaging, you can receive the next four issues in your own mailbox. Mail a check payable to “Going Green Publications” in the amount of $24 to P. O. Box 3164, Wilmington, NC 28406.

Back issues of Cape Fear’s Going Green are available by calling us at (910) 547-4390.

Sign up for our email list to be alerted when each new issue becomes available. Write us at publisher@goinggreenpublications.com.

We wouldn’t be here without our advertisers, and you could become one of them!

Cape Fear’s Going Green Environmental

Book Club!

The second Tuesday of every month. Come join us 6–8 p.m. at Old Books on Front Street • 249 No. Front Street • Wilmington

Now in its twelfth year, the Environmental Book Club is organized by Cape Fear’s Going Green and hosted by Old Books on Front Street. Our Book Club meets the second Tuesday evening of the month inside Old Books on Front Street. Social time is at 5:30, discussion begins at 6:00 and runs approximately two hours. The bookstore closes at 8:00 p.m. There’s no longterm commitment: you can come when the book being discussed is a title that interests you! (We do hope you’ll read the book before you come, as it enriches the conversation.)

We will continue offering a hybrid Zoom + in-person gathering while the pandemic continues. The first ten people to RSVP can attend in person if they wish. (We follow or exceed local guidance on masking and distancing.) Anyone wishing to join via

Zoom is invited to do so: RSVP and we’ll send you the meeting log-in details. RSVP by email to Valerie_L_ Robertson@msn.com or call (910) 547-4390.

Sign up for the Going Green newsletter, and let us know if you’d also like to be on the email list for Environmental Book Club news. Email Publisher@GoingGreenPublications. com or sign up directly on our website: GoingGreenPublications. com. Questions about Book Club? Call (910) 547-4390.

Old Books on Front Street offers a discount on new copies of our Book Club selections (and to anyone arriving by bicycle). Call ahead to make sure they have your book in stock: (910) 762-6657.

NOTE: Any changes to schedule (whether for weather or any other reason) will also be posted on our online calendar, so please check the day of the event to make sure. Just go to the online calendar at www. GoingGreenPublications. com and click on the meeting date to pull up details. Or call us, at (910) 547-4390.

Sign up for the Environmental Book Club mailing list, and we’ll share details about this year’s books as well as tips for accessing them as audiobooks or eBooks through New Hanover County Public Library, using Hoopla or Libby.

2023 Book Titles

January 10, 2023

The Journeys of Trees:

A Story about Forests, People, and the Future

Zach St. George

February 7 (A FIRST Tuesday this month only)

On Fire:

The (Burning) Case for a New Green Deal

Naomi Klein

March 14

Saving Us:

A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World

Katharine Hayhoe

April 11

Scientist:

E. O. Wilson: A Life in Nature

Richard Rhodes

May 9

Saving the Wild South:

The Fight for Native Plants on the Brink of Extinction

Georgann Eubanks

June 13

Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law

Mary Roach

July 11

Fresh Banana Leaves: Healing Indigenous Landscapes Through Indigenous Science

Jessica Hernandez

August 8

The World Is Blue: How Our Fate and the Ocean’s Are One

Sylvia A. Earle

September 12

A Blue New Deal:

Why We Need a New Politics for the Ocean

Chris Armstrong

October 10

Inconspicuous Consumption: The Environmental Impact You Don’t Know You Have

Tatiana Schlossberg

November 14 (two books this month)

Fen, Bog and Swamp: A Short History of Peatland Destruction and Its Role in the Climate Crisis

Every fall our group selects the books we’ll discuss in the coming year. Here are two titles we thought looked very interesting, even though we didn’t have room for them on the current year’s list. Perhaps in the following year?

Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation that Starts in Your Yard

Douglas W. Tallamy

Green Metropolis: Why Living Smaller, Living Closer, and Driving Less Are the Keys to Sustainability

David Owen

Annie Proulx, & The Great Dismal

Bland Simpson

December 12

The Control of Nature

John McPhee

January 9, 2024

The Insect Crisis: The Fall of the Tiny Empires That Run the World Oliver Milman