During April, in honor of Earth Day, the Superior Watershed Partnership in cooperation with the Cedar Tree Institute and more than 150 Earth Keeper congregations are asking Upper Peninsula residents to just stay home!
In past years, Earth Keeper events were focused around getting communities to bring in household hazardous waste, old electronics and unwanted pharmaceuticals. This year, the Earth Keeper effort is coming to the homes of area residents.
The effort involves Earth Keeper participating congregations confronting climate change by conserving energy in their homes. This doesn’t involve traveling to a collection site; it involves staying home, gathering together with family and assessing home energy consumption patterns.
The event is designed to be low or no cost, and will make it easy for individuals to do their own small part for the planet.
The Upper Peninsula is not immune to the impacts of climate change. Scientists have confirmed gradual increases in ambient air temperatures, dramatic increases in Great Lakes water temperatures, loss of rare plant species and changes in animal distribution, habitat and migration.
This could be interpreted as a doom and gloom scenario, but there is a positive side. Society is waking up and beginning to see how people’s actions can also be part of the solution.
The SWP has developed a simple checklist to help participants in conserving energy and water at home. The checklist will be available to the public and distributed to all Earth Keepers congregations — Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, Episcopal, Presbyterian, Jewish, Unitarian, Buddhist, Bahá’í and Quaker — and highlights no-cost and low-cost steps to reducing energy consumption.
Participants will receive two copies of the checklist, one to keep and one to fill out and return. Simply take the checklist home, walk through the house (involve everyone in the family, if applicable) and start checking off any energy conservation actions recently taken or that will be implemented in the near future.
Then, during April, return a filled-out copy to an Earth Keeper congregation or directly to the Superior Watershed Partnership. The SWP will then compile the data and calculate the total carbon reduction (in tons) for the Upper Peninsula.
In past years Earth Keepers events have collected tons of waste. In 2005, more than 45 tons of household hazardous waste was collected in a one-day event.
In 2006, the same kind of event yielded more than 320 tons of electronic waste. And last year, more than a ton of old and unwanted pharmaceuticals were collected and properly disposed of.
To obtain a checklists or more information, contact the SWP at 228-6095, visit www.superiorwatersheds.org , or via mail from SWP, 1030 Wright St., Marquette, MI 49855.
Editor’s note: This article was submitted by the Superior Watershed Partnership.
