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Is use of Bathroom Tissue an Environmental Issue?

by Don Corrigan

“I used to spin that toilet paper like I was on Wheel of Fortune. Now I turn it like I’m cracking a safe.” Several readers sent this piece of humor to me about a month ago. Unfortunately, it’s still relevant in the continuing age of the 2020 Pandemic.

I shopped at several grocery stores just in the last week. The squeeze on Charmin supplies is still ongoing. The cupboards were bare at several stores, except for a sign about rationing – only one package of Charmin, Angel, Coronet or Cottonelle per customer.

Toilet paper is still one of the most coveted items for care packages being assembled at local food banks and beyond. Rolls of paper are gladly accepted at Webster-Rock Hill Ministries. State Rep. Deb Lavender, D-Kirkwood, has put out a call for this essential commodity for those in need on so many levels.

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Posted on May 14, 2020 in Environment, Home, Opinion

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Flood Recovery Advisory Working Group to Meet May 13: Public Comment Period Included

City of St. Charles’ Frontier Park. Photos by Holly Shanks.

The Flood Recovery Advisory Working Group will meet at 1 p.m. on May 13. Out of caution surrounding the spread of COVID-19, participation in this meeting will be online only at dnr.mo.gov/videos/live.htm. When the public comment period begins, which will take place near the end of the meeting, the host will announce the call-in number individuals should use to comment.

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Posted on May 11, 2020 in Environment, Home, Local Events

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All Gassed Up — Nowhere To Go

BP station at the corner of Big Bend Boulevard and South Elm Avenue in Webster Groves. Photo by Ursula Ruhl (WKT)

Carl Campbell, editor of Carl’s Climate Letters, tells Don Corrigan that gas prices will continue to nosedive. He says the era of fracking is over due to the collapse of oil prices. 

 

By Don Corrigan

All gassed up, and nowhere to go. That’s a common refrain right now. Gasoline is cheap, but concert sites, sports stadiums, and amusement parks across the country are shuttered, thanks to the worst pandemic in America in over 100 years.

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Posted on May 8, 2020 in Environment, Home

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St. Louis Cardinals Recognized For Sustainable Food Management

Cardinal Nation’s Kenny Chang, a 2008 Lindbergh High School grad in St. Louis, shows off some fan wear for the sustainable-conscious St. Louis Cards.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognized the St. Louis Cardinals with a 2019 Food Recovery Challenge Regional Award.

“Food Recovery Challenge participants are leaders in showing how preventing food waste and diverting excess wholesome food to people is an environmental win and a cost-saving business decision,”said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “Their accomplishments serve as excellent examples to other companies, governments, organizations and communities.”

As part of EPA’s Food Recovery Challenge, organizations pledge to improve their sustainable food management practices and report their results.

“We applaud the St. Louis Cardinals for their continued commitment and success in reducing food waste from their operations, said EPA Region 7 Administrator Jim Gulliford.“Thanks to their initiative and innovation, the St. Louis Cardinals have helped the greater community reduce hunger, while also protecting our environment by diverting food waste from landfills.”

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Posted on May 5, 2020 in Environment, Home

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Q&A: How COVID-19 Is Impacting The Food Supply Chain and Animal Welfare

Graphic courtesy Purdue University

Purdue University’s College of Agriculture offers the following questions and answers to provide background and insight into how COVID-19 is impacting the food supply chain and animal welfare. The information is provided by Jayson Lusk, distinguished professor and head of the Department of Agricultural Economics, Purdue University, and Candace Croney, professor, animal behavior and well-being, and director, Center for Animal Welfare Science, Purdue University.

If there’s a surplus at the farm, why is there a shortage in the grocery store?

See answer and more below.

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Posted on May 1, 2020 in Environment

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Mo State Parks Implement Reopening Measures

Missouri State Parks, a division of the Department of Natural Resources, announced phase one of a phased approach to resuming normal operations.
While the vast majority of Missouri state parks and historic sites have remained open for day use, Missouri State Parks has implemented a number of measures designed to maintain required social distancing and protect visitors and team members.  
Based on current conditions, Missouri State Parks is implementing the following measures in phase one of the return to normal operations:
  • On May 4, concession-operated lodging, dining, marina and retail operations will begin reopening at the discretion of the individual concessionaires and following Governor Parson’s recommended guidelines.
  • On May 11, Castlewood State Park, Elephant Rocks State Park, Watkins Woolen Mill State Historic Site and State Park and Weston Bend State Park will reopen for day use only.

See more below.

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Posted on April 30, 2020 in Local Events, Outdoor/Nature

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St. Louis County To Reopen Several Public Parks

St. Louis County will reopen some public parks effective April 28. For a listing of what parks will be open and the parks that will remain closed CLICK HERE.

For a map of the open and continued closures of St. Louis County parks CLICK HERE.

Continue reading below for additional information from St. Louis County Parks and Recreation.

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Posted on April 28, 2020 in Home, Local Events

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How Do You Feel About Squirrels? Friend or Foe?

Check out the latest squirrel debate with Don Corrigan and Rebecca Now, host of What’s Up With Business (on Radio 63119, 92.9 FM), with the Webster Groves/Shrewsbury/Rock Hill Area Chamber of Commerce.

The discussion, and a few chuckles, stem from Don Corrigan’s latest book, “Nuts about Squirrels.” Corrigan, is a longtime journalism professor at Webster University, Editor-in-Chief of the Webster-Kirkwood Times, Inc. newspaper group and the author of noted outdoor and environmental books.

https://soundcloud.com/whatsupwithbusiness/whats-up-with-business-106-01-don-corrigan

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Posted on April 24, 2020 in Home, Nuts About Squirrels, Podcasts

“Bee-Friend” Native Pollinators, MDC

Posted on April 24, 2020 | Leave a comment
Photo courtesy MDC
Bee House
 

Spring and summer months bring both the buzz of lawnmowers and bees. These fuzzy flyers are important pollinators, playing a crucial role in the production of many favorite fruits and vegetables. The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) encourages the public to “bee-friend” these valuable native pollinators.

“Missouri is home to around 450 species of native bees, but it’s not uncommon for more to be identified each year,” said MDC Urban Wildlife Biologist Erin Shank. “There are several common bees Missourians will encounter, including the bumblebee, carpenter bees, sweat bees, and the leafcutter bee.”

Most native bees only live about one year. They emerge in the spring as adults, visiting flowers and buildings nests. Many species, such as bumblebees, make their nests underground, while others, such as leafcutter and mason bees, will set up shop in small cavities found in wood or in the pith of plant stems.

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Posted in Home, Outdoor/Nature

Don Corrigan’s Top 10 Earth Day Songs!

Posted on April 22, 2020 | 2 comments

By Don Corrigan

This is pitiful. It’s Earth Day Week. It’s Earth Day Month. And it’s dangerous to be outside and too dangerous to be too close to each other. A lot of us are sad and angry. We are angry because we are too smart for this. We were warned. We had time to prepare. We knew this could happen. We could have staved off the worst of this. We are sad, because we know this can and will happen again. Or will it? Maybe we will learn something. Or maybe we will point fingers and tear each other apart. So, it will be worse next time.

These songs are about degradation of the Earth. They are songs about losing our planet, because we did not take care of it. I think we need to face the music. I know there are those who will say that these songs are all too depressing. Why not, “The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow” at a time of despondency and pandemic. Well, I don’t like Annie and her little dog, Toto, even after the witches have melted and there’s cotton candy at the baseball game. There’s not going to be cotton candy at a Cardinals’ game for a good while, so I am putting together my Top 10 songs about saving our planet. Some of them I listened to 50 years ago. I am not sure we are any closer to saving our earth, or ourselves, then in 1970. Isn’t that when  the first Earth Day began?

See the top 10 list of songs below.

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Posted in Environment, Home