Think green this holiday season

It has been said that between Thanksgiving and New Years, Americans throw away an extra million tons of garbage each week. This trash includes wrapping, packaging, cards, food, paper plates and napkins, party decorations, bottles and cans, and more. That is a lot of garbage! Have you thought about ways you can reduce, resuse, and recycle this holiday season? We have!

Each year we like to provide our visitors and followers with simple tips on how to be more conscious of our planet while joining in the holiday spirit. You may remember some of these tips from last year because they are too important to leave off the list. We have also added some new tips to help you go green, and hopefully even save a little green this month.

When decorating:

• Buy a potted or “balled” Christmas tree and replant it after the holidays. You can create a year-round habitat for local wildlife.
• If you purchase a cut tree, recycle or mulch the tree for use in gardens and playgrounds. Avoid discarding it in a landfill.
• Trim your tree with edible ornaments like popcorn, cranberries or gingerbread cookies! Later, move your tree into the yard to give the birds a holiday treat.
• Conserve electricity by installing a timer on holiday lights. Even better, invest in LED holiday lights which use 90% less electricity.
• Choose candles made from beeswax or soy. Because paraffin wax candles are made from petroleum and release the equivalent of diesel exhaust when burned, you can save fossil fuel resources, improve your indoor air quality, and reduce your exposure to carcinogens by using beeswax or soy candles.

When gift giving:

• Replace plastic bows with reusable cloth ribbons, and save gift wrap and ribbons to decorate next year’s gifts.
• Wrap gifts from colorful pages of torn magazine, the Sunday comics, or last year’s calendar or old maps and posters.
• Instead of buying wrapping paper, use decorative tins, baskets, or fabric bags. Their reuse will double the gift!
• Send internet greeting cards or send traditional cards made from recycled paper.
• Give holiday gifts of “time” to your family and friends. Nothing is more valuable!
• OR give the gift of an aquarium visit or behind-the-scenes tour.
• Check out consignment stores for gently used (recycled) gift items.
• Use rechargeable batteries for toys/games.

When eating:

• Be healthy and enjoy a delicious cup of organic hot cocoa this holiday season. Cocoa contains twice as many antioxidants as red wine!
• Keep it local. Try to incorporate locally raised food into holiday menus.
• When entertaining be sure to recycle afterwards and cut down on the use paper products.

Everyone can be doing something to help conserve this holiday season. If you have any of your own suggestions, please share them with us!

How much does the Aquarium recycle?

Sunday, November 15 is America Recycles Day, the only nationally recognized day dedicated to encouraging Americans to recycle and to buy recycled products. Celebrating its 12th year, it has grown to include millions of Americans pledging to increase their recycling habits at home and work and to buy products made with recycled materials.

Recycling is a standard practice at the National Aquarium. With 1.4 million visitors a year and a staff of nearly 300, there is plenty of waste to be recycled at the Aquarium. We are committed to recycling and each year our efforts grow! In honor of America Recycles Day, we are holding a special recycling themed contest.  For a chance to win an Eco-Aquarium prize pack, please read below:

How much does the Aquarium recycle?

Here are some of our recycling numbers from 2008:

• 56 tons of plastic, glass, aluminum recylced through Waste Management.
• 21,832 lbs of cardboard recycled through Waste Managment.
• 200 lbs of techotrash through Green Disk. Together with Green Disk, the Aquarium recycles CDs, DVDs, floppy disks, cords, handheld devices and other pieces of technological garbage. For more information,
• Hundreds of pounds our old computers, tvs, printers and other electronic devices were given to charities through CDM eCycling in Baltimore -Second life cycle program.

If you noticed, one very important item is missing from that list. Paper! Can you guess how many pounds of paper the Aquarium recycled in 2008?

Please post your guess in a comment to this post. The contest will end at noon (12:00 p.m. EST) on Monday, November 16. The person with the answer closest to the actual amount of paper recycled will win an Eco-Aquarium prize pack that includes an Aquarium themed reusable bag, water bottle, and lunch tote!

Good luck and happy recycling!

Climate change, do kids get it?

Climate change is a complex issue that is a major concern to the public. The topic sparks debate and is gaining major attention around the world. Climate change is so popular that it’s this year’s theme for Blog Action Day, an annual web event held on October 15th that unites the world’s bloggers in posting an issue on the same day to trigger discussion.  So today we’d like to share what we know about kids and climate change.

In a recent study done by the Ocean Project, it was found that most people do not associate climate change and carbon pollution with ocean health. When the truth is, climate change is adversely affecting the marine environment in particular—evident through sea level rise, elevated water temperature, coral bleaching, and acidification.

At the Aquarium we spend a lot of time educating visitors on environmental concerns through our exhibits and outreach events, and we also spend a lot of time educating children, and listening to children. We know that general public awareness about the critical role the ocean plays in the Earth’s climate system is low but, strangely, we have found that youth seem to be more connected  to this issue than adults. More importantly, they are committed to understanding and talking about climate change.

Now serving, red lionfish

The National Aquarium’s DC venue recently teamed up with several east coast eateries to introduce a unique sustainable seafood menu item, lionfish, whose taste is distinctive as its story.  

 The Red Lionfish is an invasive species with strong defense mechanisms in its venomous pectoral spines.  It preys on fish, shrimp and crabs and have even been observed feeding on fish more than half their total size!

The National Aquarium’s research team has observed a tenfold increase in lionfish numbers in the Bahamas from 2005 to 2007, with ongoing spread throughout the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico.  In 2009, researchers were dismayed to confirm the arrival of the Red Lionfish in the Florida Keys. Ongoing research continues to determine what effects these invaders are having on native marine ecosystems.

At a time when concerned vendors, restaurateurs and diners are seeking sustainable seafood choices, the Red Lionfish may provide a commercial opportunity as well as a means to controlling an invasive species in the Atlantic. With so many fish stocks over exploited, the lionfish offers a great-tasting fillet (similar taste and texture to Tilapia) and a new product for the Atlantic- based fishing industry. 

Rainforests of the sea

Last week the U.S. House of Representatives advanced an important ocean-related conservation measure called the Coral Reef Conservation Act Reauthorization and Enhancement Amendments of 2009 (H.R. 860). The amendments will bolster America’s coral reef conservation efforts by promoting international cooperation to protect coral reefs and codifying the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force. 

You probably know corals for their beauty! But do you know why they are so important? Coral reefs are integral components of tropical and subtropical marine ecosystems.  They protect shorelines from incoming storms, provide habitat for innumerable species of fish and invertebrates, and generate important tourism revenues for many coastal countries.  But like many ocean habitats, they are becoming increasingly threatened by growing coastal populations and a variety of human activities. Congresswoman Madeleine Z. Bordallo (D-GU) introduced the bill, and stated that “coral reefs are truly the ‘rainforests of the sea.’  That statement couldn’t be more true.

The National Aquarium is involved in coral reef conservation project called SECORE, a unique initiative that is addressing coral conservation issues by bringing together public aquariums and zoos and marine scientists to share knowledge and practical skills in coral husbandry and coral research. The National Aquarium’s DC venue has been a key partner in the SECORE project for 4 years. In 2008, staffers ventured out on a research and collection trip, and they are currently propagating coral polyps at the facility.

You can see wonderful coral exhibits at the National Aquarium’s DC venue.  And if you believe in this issue, please write your elected officials and urge them to support this crucial bill that will help preserve our rainforests of the sea. Click here for more information.