LQ Lions Help Restore Wetlands

Lions Year 2013 Recycling

This Lions year seems to be going well. Recently, at the Region I Meeting in Mathews, I think I heard someone say that it was attended by over 300 Lions. That is awesome for a Region Meeting. Although, the fried oysters might have helped.

There have not been any reports from the Lions Clubs in District 24-D. I do know that my club continues to collect cans, glasses, and hearing aids. We emphasize recycling everything that is recyclable. It would be nice if some clubs could send pictures of recycle activities. There is a page attached to this blog that shows pictures of recycle efforts by a couple of clubs.

Recently, a lady come help me straighten out the garage. She and her sister collect all kinds of metal to recycle. They make a tidy sum each month for their efforts. She told me that the no longer working coffee pot, crock-pot, and other small appliances have metal parts. They take them apart to sell the medal, then throw the other parts in their recycle bins. This could even be a fund raiser for your club. They get paid for all kinds of medal, not just copper. All medal should be recycled instead of filling our landfills.

There is a empty plastic coffee container in my sink to put kitchen scraps in. There is a barrel in the back yard where scraps dumped. It is usually covered with dirt or leaves to prevent flies. Although, if you put scraps in just before a cookout, the flies tend to go to the compost barrel than joining us for dinner.

DO NOT FORGET TO BE MINDFUL OF WHAT CAN BE RECYCLED!

SEND ME EMAILS LETTING ME KNOW ABOUT YOUR CLUB'S 

RECYCLING OR LEAVE COMMENTS

PLEASE JOIN THIS BLOG FOR UPDATES

Trees Planted

Million Trees Planted

I have not seen the data for the District at this point, but I think our clubs are participating in this environmental project. Click on the link and it will take you to the page on the Lions International Website.

The Incoming District Governor will be taking office at the International Convention in Korea in July 2012. It is Past District 24-D Governor Stan Furman. He has asked me to step into the position as Environmental Chair again. I am so excited. As far as I know there hasn't been another site started for environmental.

I love the idea of being green. I have been composting for years and try to do what I can to preserve what we have. I am not sure that it will matter in the long run. I think the big corporations that provide farmland and food will have put in so much genetic  materials into our food and the food of the animals that eat it, we may become extinct before the world ends. We will continue to try our best to be good stewards of this earth. Help me if you have anything you would like to present on the environmental pages. I will be glad to publish.

Check out the District 24-D Facebook page.
Yours in Lionism,
Lion Barbara Duke
Lions District 24-D Environmental Chair 2012-2013

Have you seen the Lions Board I have on Pinterest? Click the link.

How Safe is your Food?

Enviironmental Blog for District 24-D

Due to our District 24-D recent election of a new District Governor, this blog  will become the official Blog of District 24-D Environmental for the Lions Year 2012-2013 (as of July 1, 2012). As Environmental Chairman for the District, I would love to collect club pictures from all our clubs on this blog.

I will be doing the update from now on. 

• We are saving cans to raise charity funds.
• We are conserving water whenever we can.
• We all recycle whenever we can. 
• We are looking for ways to help in our community.

Plastic is everywhere in our lives. It is a huge convenience in our lives, but it also creates a major problems: how do we get rid of it.   Due to advances in recycling technology, we don’t have to—we just need to be aware and committed enough to recycle properly.  Recycling is really simple; all it takes is a sense of awareness about your waste.

The Container Recycling Institute report http://www.container-recycling.org/media/topics/plastic.htm

Recycling is easy once you get into the habit.  Make a conscious effort to pay attention to which bins you throw your bottles and containers into and soon it will become second nature!

Environmental Photo Winner is in 24-D

District 24-D has won the 2011 MD 24 Environmental Photo Contest.  It has been sent on to the next level at LCI.  The Photographer is our own Lion Hauser Weiler. It is in the Weather Phenomena Category.

Lions Go Green to Protect Planet

Link to Lions Clubs International
http://www.lionsclubs.org/EN/index.php
Link to Lions Club International Blog
http://lionsclubsorg.wordpress.com/

LIONS ARE READY!

Four of the most implemented Lions environmental projects are:

• Community clean-ups
• Tree Plantings
• Recycling
• Education

The following entries in this blog were taken from the Lions International Brochure.
Form IAD-219 03/09
Program Develepmont
Lions Clubs International
300 W 22nd Street
Oak Brook, Il 60523-8842 USA
E-mail: programs @lionsclubs.org
Phone: 630-571-5466

LIONS ENVIRONMENTAL PHOTO CONTEST

To illustrate the beauty of nature, every Lion (from a club in good standing) can enter a photograph of his or her immediate surroundings into the club-level Lions Environmental Photo Contest. The photo categories are:

• Animal life
• Plant Life
• Urban or natural landscape
• Weather phenomenon
• A special annual theme

2009-2010 Winner of Photo Contest

DEVELOP AN ENVIRONMENT PROJECT

• Evaluate community needs
• Partner with local organizations
• Determine the best project for the community
• Review Lions Green Team resources
• Plan the procedures, materials needed, and a budget
• Submit the plan to Lions Club, District, and/or Multiple District leaders for approval

Once  approved, the project chairperson should:

• Obtain municipal permits
• Place event posters throughout the community
• Recruit Lion volunteers (or prospective Lions)
• Provide protective clothing for volunteers
• Create Large Lions signs for the project
• Invite the media to witness - or participate in - the Lions environment project through press releases
• After the project:
• Provide a certificate of appreciation for participants
• Update local media on the success of the project
• Thank all sponsors
• Submit final report to Club, District, Multiple District and International Headquarters.

ENVIRONMENTALLY-FRIENDLY ACTIONS

Automobiles:

• Drive your car 10 miles less per week and save 500 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions per year
• Keep car tires inflated for fuel efficiency
• Air conditioning leaks are a major source of chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) release into the ozone
• Purchase a fuel=efficient or hybrid automobile

Home:

• Adjust heat/air conditioning thermostats two degrees to save 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year
• Insulate your home. Have and energy audit
• Purchase energy-efficient appliances
• When not in use, turn of electrical appliances
• Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact florescent light bulbs to reduce energy consumption 60%
• Install water-saving devices in showers and toilets
• Wash only full loads of laundry
• Wash clothes in warm or cold water. Use low phosphate laundry detergent
• Use cloth baby diapers
• Use cloth dishtowels and napkins instead of paper towels and napkins
• Plant a vegetable garden
• Purchase locally grown produce
• Purchase items in bulk
• Use reusable string or fabric shopping bags
• Give excess paint to a friend
• Pay bills online.

EDUCATION PROJECTS

Lions can inform the public about environment issues:

• Sponsor a hybrid car exhibit
• Sponsor an environment contest
• Raise funds for an environment project
• Encourage schools to teach an environment curriculum
• Sponsor a school-based ecology club

RECYCLING PROJECTS

Recycle at Lions events. A few Lions recycling projects are:

• Eyeglasses and hearing aids
• Paper, books, magazines, telephone books
• Aluminum, metal keys, metal coat hangers
• Plastic products
• Motor oil, paint
• Cellular telephones, computers, inkjet cartridges
• Rubber-soled athletic shoes
• Organic matter in a compost pile

Reuse projects include:

• Clothing drives
• Collection of canes, crutches, wheelchairs, and other medical supplies to donate to those in need.

TREE PLANTING PROJECTS

Trees absorb carbon from the atmosphere, conserve soil and water, provide homes for animals, shade for humans, and are a source of food and medicine.

• Trees can serve as a living memorial of a club anniversary or a member's birthday
• Some clubs have planted Lions memorial forests.
• Other clubs have sponsored contests. 
• The grand prize was a tree planted in honor of the contest winner.

Tree planting tips from the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP):

• Dig a hole twice as wide as the root ball. 
• Slightly loosen the root ball. 
• Place the tree in the hole.
• Cover the hole with soil.
• Water the tree.
• Remove weeds around the tree.
• Protect the tree from animals.

COMMUNITY CLEAN-UP PROJECTS

Community clean-ups are a great way to improve the environment:

• Adopt-a-highway, waterway or park. Maintain its litter-free appearance.
• Clean a waterway; restock it with fish.
• Remove graffiti from a public place.
• Improve a playground or athletic field.
• Landscape a public area.
• Check lead levels in school drinking fountains and replace pipes if needed.
• Encourage the use of organic instead of chemical fertilizers.