President’s Column
You know, you really should do something about your parents
Those of you that still live at home with your parents might not control the family budget, but you probably control your parents more than you know. If you're reading this you probably care about the environment already. So, how would you like to do some good things for your environment, maybe reduce your work around the house, have some fun, and best of all, improve your parents behavior?
Lawn: Early in the last century a guy named Scott said that the mark of civilization was a well-kept lawn. Not coincidentally a company by that same name tells people to put chemical fertilizer and pesticide, a major cause of urban water pollution, on lawns. The goal is to make them look like astroturf, provided you mow it. Now nothing is wrong with a patch or strip of lawn here and there, but why make it a major feature that messes up our waterways?
Three-ton vehicles: Suddenly many folks my age think they need a large gas guzzling SUV to go shopping. Did they forget that they grew up and survived, went camping, shopping and vacationing with moderately sized two-wheel drive cars? Just think how the extra money spent on four wheel drive and gas could be spent on good gear for you instead. What rhymes with gas and gets big when you sit on it too much? Walking is a great way to enjoy the outdoors.
Bad plants: Want to attract rats to your house? Try Ivy and pampas grass. Rats are not only a threat to public health but eat bird eggs and nestlings. There are lots of varieties of native plants that are good ground covers or shrubs that don’t attract rats and take less care. Once again, you come out a winner on the yard care angle.
Corvids: AKA Crows, Ravens and Jays. These birds have increased drastically in the urban and agricultural areas of Humboldt County. Garbage such as a dropped French fry, attracts them and once they are here they eat the eggs and nestlings of songbirds. Help control the corvid population by not allowing them to feed on garbage and pet food. You can use half the time you used to spend on yard chores to pick up corvid food.
Local Food: Encourage your parents to buy locally grown and caught food when they can. It helps the local farmers and fishers and takes less fuel to haul it to our area. Locally raised grass fed beef (for you omnivores) is better for you and the land and does not harbor the kind of E. coli that makes people seriously ill, like grain fed beef does.
Use parent coercion techniques (PCT) effectively: Eye rolling, groaning, pleading work well if not used to excess. Don’t forget to reward your parents with praise when they do good. Remember, your parents could be a bit set in their ways, so be patient.