global briefs

global briefs Flawed Fragrance

Polluted Air Stumps Bees and Butterflies

Robbie Girling, an associate professor of agroecology, and other researchers at the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology at the JJ Gouin/AdobeStock.com University of Reading and the University of Birmingham discovered that air pollutants can confuse pollinators that use odors to navigate and move around and communicate. A study they published in Environmental Pollution shows that ozone and diesel exhaust significantly reduce the presence of pollinators, the number of times pollinators visit plants and how many seeds the plants produce. James Ryalls, one of the authors of the study, says, “Some bugs might get the first sniff when chemical compounds from a flower land on their antennae. They then follow that odor plume like a treasure map back to the plant.”

After feeding, Girling says insects such as honeybees learn which compounds lead to the tastiest flowers and return to them. But ozone and diesel exhaust can muddy those perfumes. “The [pollutants] can degrade the signal that they use, so they might not be able to find the flower anymore. Insects are under a lot of pressure at the moment from human influence, and when you start to push at things from all different directions, at some point, they can’t stand up to it. And they collapse.”

Indigenous Efforts Use Hemp to Remove Forever Chemicals From Superfund Site

The former Loring Air Force Base, in Limestone, Maine, on the Canadian border, closed in 2007, is now owned by the Aroostook Band of Micmacs. The superfund site is so polluted that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency gave it a waiver, deeming it technically impractical to clean, being loaded with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), cancer-causing compounds commonly known as “forever chemicals". PFAS tend to bioaccumulate, building up in soil, water, animals and humans; they can persist for hundreds or thousands of years and have been linked to kidney and testicular cancer, liver damage and suppressed immunity.

In the spring of 2019, the Micmac Nation, nonprofit Upland Grassroots and their research partners began an experiment. Hemp is a good candidate for phytoremediation because it grows fast across much of the country. Its roots are deep and profuse to better absorb pollutants from the soil. By 2020, researchers discovered that the hemp plants were successfully sucking PFAS out of the contaminated soil via phytoremediation and hope that their example may help farmers that have discovered their soil is tainted. Micmac Chief Edward Peter-Paul says, “Anything we can do to contribute to making the environment better, we want to be a part of.”

canva.com

EEASC: Shaping the Sustainable Minds of Tomorrow

by Odell Williams

Late American cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead once wisely said: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.” This statement truly resonates in the minds and hearts of so many that understand the critical importance and value of environmental stewardship. Our planet is facing a very sobering sustainable forecast—finite natural resources are dwindling, greenhouse gases and carbon dioxide levels continue to rise at alarming rates, while land, water and air pollution, unfortunately, thrive in many areas around the globe.

Without question, the Earth needs us. More specifically, the greater Midlands community needs, as Mead put it, “a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens” that can “change the world” by shaping the fertile minds of today’s youth, knowing full well that they (through decision-making, conviction, buy-in and responsibility) hold the true key to sustainable success. They represent our future, and the world depends on them. Fortunately, we have such a group in our area: the Environmental Education Association of South Carolina, commonly known as EEASC.

Formed in 1977 from the Environmental Education Advisory Council, EEASC is a nonprofit association with a leadership role in environmental and natural resource conservation education in South Carolina. This crucial Midlands organization is comprised of environmental educators, both formal and non-formal, and people, organizations and businesses that support environmental education in South Carolina.

A vital component of EEASC’s initiatives is the S.C. Green Steps Schools program, established in 2003 in partnership with Keep the Midlands Beautiful, Sonoco Recycling, and the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control’s Office of Solid Waste Reduction and Recycling as part of S.C.’s Resource Conservation Challenge. The Green Steps Schools program encourages K-12 schools to take annual steps toward establishing and maintaining model quality sustainability projects. Schools qualify for awards by working with qualified mentors and submitting videos or pictures with detailed captions showing their students engaged in learning, doing and teaching others about their sustainable projects. In addition, EEASC hosts gatherings and events, both informal and formal, designed to encourage its stakeholders within its “green community” to share information, ideas and resources, while often recognizing and rewarding local students, teachers, legislators and industry leaders for outstanding contributions to the advancement and positive impact in the field of environmental education.

From Thursday, June 9, through Saturday, June 11, EEASC hosted its annual educational conference at the University of Georgia’s Savannah River Ecology Lab, in Aiken, South Carolina. Approximately 70 educators from across the state gathered for this event. This year’s conference theme was Educating Outside the Box. A powerfully interactive learning and training experience, the event featured sessions on the ecosystems, flora and fauna of the Savannah River Basin. A number of Midlands area EEASC “green community” partners and contributors received awards and honorable recognitions at the conference as well, including Outstanding Environmental Educator, Chanda Cooper; Outstanding Green Business, Sal’s Ol’ Timey Feed & Seed; Outstanding Youth, Isaac Brewer; Outstanding Legislator, Nikki Setzler; and Outstanding Nonprofit, the Watershed Ecology Center.

There is no doubt that EEASC’s great work in the areas of sustainable partnerships and education is making a huge impact throughout the local communities of South Carolina.

For more information about EEASC, Green Steps Schools, partnerships and initiatives, visit eeasc.org.