Community members attend the Somerset Community College 2012 celebration. Photo credit Somerset Community College 2012 Earth Day Celebration.

At Somerset Community College in Somerset, Kentucky, the Earth Day celebration has grown to include over 750 college students and community members in 2012, up from just 100 participants in 2005. The 2012 celebration included a farmers market, resources about solar panels and electric vehicles, as well as free compact fluorescent light bulbs and reusable grocery bags for attendees. Somerset CC comments, “at the heart of the event is the aim to educate the community about sustainability, which includes caring for the environment and reducing the amount of energy and natural resources consumed.”

Bridgewater State University in Bridgewater, Massachusetts challenged students to a “Top Sustainability Chef” competition as part of their Earth Week 2012 schedule. Three students crafted dishes using all organic ingredients, including the “not-so-secret clean food ingredient,” organic mushrooms, in 30 minutes for judges including a “clean food” cookbook author. “Top Sustainability Chef” participants produced Thai chicken curry, asparagus and mushrooms and raw corn and avocado soup during lunchtime in one of Bridgewater’s dining halls, thus promoting organic and local foods to over 300 passersby.

UNH SEAC will celebrate the 20th annual Solarfest, a solar-powered music and arts festival this year. Photo credit Abigail Gronberg.

And now for a personal favorite! This year, the University of New Hampshire’s Student Environmental Action Coalition will host the 20^th annual Solarfest—an all-day, solar-powered music festival in Durham, New Hampshire. Each year around Earth Day, the Sunweaver solar bus rolls up to UNH with its 800 watt solar array, providing power for nonstop music from 11 am to sunset for thousands of students and community members. Solarfest is a way for students to unwind before finals and to culminate a typically jam-packed Earth Week. The event also features local cuisine, artists and businesses, student organizations and community environmental resources.

How are YOU celebrating Earth Day? Earth Week, Earth Month, Earth Year, Earth Century…Earth Millennium?! Comment below, and share photos of your events with Campus Ecology on facebook throughout the month of April.

More Earth Day resources:

• My favorite collection of photos from across the nation on Earth Day 1970
• Watch Earth Week 1970, a CBS News special with Walter Cronkite, in 15 parts on YouTube (I promise this is just as awesome as it sounds)
• Search the NWF Campus Ecology Campus Sustainability Case Study Database for Earth Day and other “green” events at colleges and universities

Music of Nature’s Website

Here are a few resources that I’ve found myself using–but please, if you know of others, share them in the comments!

Bird Songs

• eNature has a section on the site called “Bird Audio” that allows you to select different calls to play. They also offer various free bird call ring tones. Once you’ve studied all these it may be fun to take their bird call quiz… I’m too chicken (ha!).
• Birdjam not only offers up free songs to listen to, but also has playlists for certain habitats, as well as apps you can download for a small fee. I love the idea of bird call playlists by habitat!
• The Cornell Lab of Ornithology offers free bird call noises and downloads with an exchange of an email address. They are always sending helpful information, so it’s a worthy trade.

for wildlife?

Frog Calls

These suckers are a little tricky to track down. I’ve found it useful to search your area for “frog calls” based on state or region and not just the generic search. This works with bird calls too… Also—if you’re already interested in frog calls and identification, I highly recommend getting involved with Frog Call USA (if you’re in the U.S., that is).

• Cleveland Museum of Natural History has Ohio’s frogs and toads
• U.S. Geological Survey’s Midwest Region has downloadable calls
• The Western Soundscape Archive has one of the most comprehensive lists of amphibians.
• The Cornell Lab of Ornithology also has an impressive amphibian downloadable list for what it’s worth.
• I heavily rely on Virginia Herpetological Society’s amazing website for ID/calls so finding your local chapter may be the way to go!

Insects Noises

• Music of Nature – Master species insect list. (Hat tip to About Insects for reminding me of this.)
• Nature Songs has a few of the generic songs.
• Bug bytes by the USDA would be a bit of a better resource if it was more user friendly.

While I haven’t tried a “frog call channel” on Pandora, I will say there are a few albums of nature sounds on Spotify if you look hard enough. A few of the compilations worth searching for on Spotify are:

• “Sounds of North American Frogs” (keeping in mind this collection came together in 1958 so the scientific names are sadly incorrect in a few cases)
• “Wild Tones Bird Calls”
• “Song birds: Parks and Gardens” – or another variation 

I have been unable to locate insects songs on Spotify, but hopefully some will be available soon. I’ve also been silly and made animal playlists by themes (one of my favorites is “Reptiles and Amphibians”) with songs that include a species in their title.

Do you listen to wildlife sounds? What sites do you use?

The author, on the trail at five. Taking kids camping is a great way to encourage them to explore the outdoors and connect with nature. (Photo: Mary Burnette)

When I was young, my parents took me and my two older sisters for three weeks of backpacking in the high country of Yosemite every summer. Yosemite was my Dad’s Mecca. My father rented two burros from the stables in Yosemite Valley to carry our gear and off we went.

I think I was about 4 when I joined this family tradition and was allowed to let the burro carry me when my legs got tired of hiking (my sisters were always jealous).

When my own children were young, every Columbus Day weekend we would head off  to Assateague Island National Seashore to join the wild ponies at a great campout on the beach. Assateague is an island on the coast of Virginia. My kids still remember the year we woke up early one morning to the sound of ponies munching away on a bag of apples I had put in the screened section of our tent. The ponies used their hooves to tear the screen so they could gain access to a tasty breakfast.

Then there is my husband’s family camping tradition, affectionately called “Mud, Blood and Beer.” I’ve now been part of this tradition for 27 years. My husband grew up on a cattle farm in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.  There is a river that runs through the bottom land of the farm.

Every summer the family gathers for a long-weekend camping adventure on the banks of the river.  It started with my husband and his siblings over 50 years ago. Over the years wives, children and a bunch of friends and their families have joined the festivities. I think last year we counted 40 people and about 15 tents in all. Grandkids can’t be far behind. The favorite activity is riding the rapids down the river on a float when the dam up river from the campsite lets out water about every 2 hours.

Singing Around the Campfire

As I think about these camping traditions, I’m reminded that music was always an important part of the experience. My father played the harmonica and I can still hear its jaunty sound when Dad would play as we gathered to watch the sun set over the majestic Sierra Mountains. At Assateague, there always seemed to be a neighboring campfire where someone played the guitar and all were welcome to join in to sing the old children’s classic campfire songs like “She’ll be Comin’ Round the Mountain,” “Do Your Ears Hang Low,” “Down by the Bay” and “Frogie Went A Court’n.”

Music at Mud, Blood and Beer is always a treat. My brother-in-law is a talented musician and some of the friends he brings camping are equally musically inclined. There are always several guitars, a banjo, a mandolin and a fiddle. One year Henry even brought his giant base along. The music plays on through the night, depending on how much “libation” we have all enjoyed. Sometimes I conk out earlier than the others and there is nothing better than snuggling down in a sleeping bag and dozing off to the sounds of great campfire music being played in the background.

Another group of talented musicians and story tellers was recently brought to my attention. “The Okeedokee Brothers” and their CD “Can You Canoe” would make the perfect accompaniment to any camping trip when live music isn’t an option. Songs like “Campin Tent” and “Thousand Star Hotel” capture the magic that sleeping under the stars is all about.

Joe Mailander and Justin Lansing spent summers at their neighborhood creek, building makeshift rafts, fishing for crawdads, and dreaming of great river adventures. In 2011 those dreams came true when they spent 30 days canoeing down the Mississippi River from Minneapolis to St. Louis. During their journey they camped, canoed, filmed and most importantly, composed the songs that make up their album for kids and families. They hope their project and songs will inspire kids to take an active role in their lives, get outside and make their dreams realities.

The Gift of Camping

The OkeeDokee Brothers exemplify what NWF’s Be Out There campaign is telling parents: give kids time to explore the outdoors and connect with nature to encourage creativity, and let kids play with their own imaginations and gain a respect for the natural world, all while having fun and engaging in activities that benefit their health.

Giving kids a tradition of camping is one of the best things parents can do for their children. A perfect place to start is by participating in National Wildlife Federation’s Great American Backyard Campout on June 23. The Campout web site is loaded with ideas and tips to make your camping experience one that your family will want to repeat year after year.

Click here to view the embedded video.

So, will a waterproof mp3 player and a collection of AC/DC songs protect you from Jaws this summer? Probably not, but at least you can rock out, too.

AC/DC: You Shook Me All Night Long

Click here to view the embedded video.

Eco-Schools USA staff with Whitelees School of Rock musicians and music director

During today’s morning sessions at the National Operators Meeting in Edinburgh, we learned more about the Eco-Schools Scotland program, as well as imagining what common criteria and processes might be useful for all countries when determining Green Flag awardees.

In Scotland, the government supports the Eco-Schools program financially, educationally, and environmentally. Since 2002, the country has registered virtually every school in the nation as an Eco-School – that numbers around 3,800!

Of the registered Scottish Eco-Schools, about 1,100 have been awarded the prestigious Green Flag at least once. Scotland is committed to lowering its CO₂ emissions by 42 percent by 2020, and by 80 percent by 2050. The people want a low carbon, sustainable economy, and it is estimated that 60,000 green jobs can be created here by 2020—and young people need to be equipped to enter that green work force. Very progressive – and impressive.

Whitelees School of Rock performs Imagine, with a twist

At today’s luncheon, we were entertained and inspired by an amazing group of students from the Whitelees School of Rock.  The members use music as a way to communicate environmental ethic and literacy. The musicians travel around Scotland and have received permission from John Lennon’s widow, Yoko Ono, to use the famous “Imagine” song and change the lyrics to as follows:

Imagine
(Music: John Lennon; Lyrics: Whitlees School of Rock)

Imagine no pollution, it’s easy if you try
No fumes around us, above us only sky
Imagine all the people, caring for the world.

Imagine there’s no litter, a countryside that’s clean
Clear rivers flowing, what a lovely scene
Imagine all the people, working as a team.

We all say “go greener” but there’s work to be done
We could join together and save the world as one.

Imagine we recycle, everything we can
Conserving energy, a woman, child, and man
Imagine all the people, following this plan.

We all say “go greener” but there’s work to be done.
We could join together and save the world as one.

Associate Director Liz Soper and I are lucky to be here among such incredible students, along with Eco-Schools staff from other countries – listening and learning from each other about how we can make our program even better, and take Eco-Schools to scale in the United States and around the world.

Read my blog post from the first day of the Eco-Schools National Operators Meeting