“This is Freedom—as a good a name as any,” Thomas Young said, gesturing to a mature bald eagle perched within a large wire cage. “Freedom is going to have his freedom if I have to sell my soul to get his wing fixed.”

Discovered in Cairo, Oklahoma, Freedom suffered from two bullet wounds, and Young, a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, master falconer and ornithologist, received the injured eagle from the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission. As Director of the Arkansas Native Plant & Wildlife Center at Queen Wilhelmina State Park, Young oversees the care, rehabilitation and release of hundreds of animals, including native wildlife such as black bears, deer, cougars, bobcats, wolves, coyotes and, of course, birds of prey like Freedom.

In a fundraising effort to finance Freedom’s wing surgery, Young enlisted another resident raptor named Micro, an American kestral, which is the smallest and most common of falcons. Three sparrows were trapped inside the Wal-Mart in Mena, and the store’s owners promised a generous donation to the Center pending Micro’s successful disposal of the feathered intruders.

Young upheld his promise, setting free a mended Freedom in January and marking the 23rd bald eagle release of his career. In addition, he has released 12 bears, 18 golden eagles and thousands of hawks and owls during his 19 years of wildlife rehabilitation work.

“Tom is one of the most dedicated persons I know,” asserted Joyce Tinsley, Park Superintendent of Queen Wilhelmina State Park. “His every waking moment is consumed with the Wildlife Center, rehab work and keeping his dream alive! I am very impressed with what he is accomplishing with the Center. Our guests have reported ‘life-changing’ experiences due to Tom’s vision and one-on-one visits with Tom and the animals.”

With over 100 injured, ill and orphaned wild animals in his charge, Young’s days are filled with administering veterinary care and physical therapy, feeding, medicating, exercising and pre-release conditioning his charges. “The goal here is to release everything that I can before it gets any colder,” he declared. On the other hand, some animals are ineligible for release yet provide the Center with valuable research or become educational aids for awareness programs.

One such animal at the Center is a black bear named Harold. As a cub, Harold was kidnapped from his den and given parvo and distemper vaccines meant for dogs; now Harold, infected for life because of his previous owner’s ignorance, must remain in captivity. Other mammalian inhabitants include a razorback named Razor, a bobcat called Tigger and Sheena, a formidable mountain lion and Young’s favorite wrestling partner.

Currently, the Center houses 57 birds of prey. Genghis, a red-tailed hawk, is a falconry bird that hunts on behalf of the other raptors at the Center. While Young drives down the road at 60-70 mph, Genghis eyes prey from the road, namely crows, and then darts from the window of the moving truck, returning with a fresh supply of food.

Buzzy is an uncanny black vulture, born on Black Fork Mountain but raised at the Center. “The darling of the park” according to Tinsley, Buzzy fledged and was released, but he never left the park. He frequents the lodge when the Center is closed, and he is famous for befriending guests and tirelessly following Young. “Buzzy is highly underrated as far as intelligence. I’d put him up there with a 3-year-old child,” commented Young. “He’s the zoo’s jester. He’s always up to something.”

Young also cares for a pair of Harris hawks. Naturally social birds, these hawks are unusual because they hunt in pairs or even groups. Referred to as the “Cadillacs of the falconer’s world” by Young, Harris hawks are ideal for falconry meets because they cooperatively hunt prey without killing one another.

Snow, a precious gift to the Center from a falconer in Wisconsin, is one of very few white peregrine falcons in the world. Birds like Snow average life spans of 80 to 100 years. “Snow is 32,” remarked Young, supporting the beautifully pristine bird on his right hand. “I’m 34, so he’ll outlive me easily.”

Clyde is an 8-year-old alligator that Young discovered at Lake DeGray. During the winter months, Clyde stays in one of 3 temperature-controlled reptile houses with more than 70 hibernating snakes, including a huge state-record rattlesnake and a pygmy rattlesnake.

Raised from a baby, Bunny is a full-grown squirrel, but Young is waiting to release him until the time is right. “All the squirrels from last year have been spending all summer gathering acorns to last through the winter. He doesn’t have that stash, so he has to wait until spring.” Releases must be planned for the appropriate season, weather, habitat and location.

During May and June, the Center “gets boxfuls of baby squirrels, raccoons and skunks,” revealed Young. With up to 1,000 bottle babies, Young and a team of volunteers work constantly to nurture the newly born animals. Young keeps an arsenal of the following items during this busy season: 15 cans of goat’s milk, customized formulas, kitten milk replacement, puppy milk replacement, 10 gallons of produce, 15 pounds of dog food and bottles of vitamins A, B, C and D.

Normally the Center’s weekly average cost for food is $146.00, which covers corn and grain for the herbivores as well as meat and fish for the large mammals and raptors. However, during the spring and the following months, costs can increase to $8,129.48 in perishables over a solid 5-month period.

A non-profit organization, the Center operates largely on donations and offers wildlife programs and educational tours. To learn more about wildlife rehabilitation, inquire about volunteer opportunities or schedule a visit to the Center, contact Thomas or LaVonda Young at 479.437.3750 or 479.243.0976.

Please send tax-deductible donations to the following address:

Arkansas Native Plant & Wildlife Center
307 Westmoreland Drive
Mena, Arkansas 71953
479.437.3750

About the Author

Copywriter/editor Jeannette Balleza is Co-Owner of Vulcan Creative (http://www.vulcancreative.com), a creative agency specializing professional graphic design and web development services. She also owns Scribe Marketing, Inc., which offers content development and refinement. jeannette@vulcancreative.com

VFD-Double-Stage High-Efficiency Vacuum Insulation Oil Purifier
Application VFD series is mainly used to improve the properties
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insulating oil of high voltage and super high voltage
transformer. Additionally, it is suitable for treating low
viscosity lubrication oil.

Would you care to offer an opinion on what a person should do with his obsolete cell phone? Now, now… We don’t want to hear about what you thought that guy who was talking on his cell phone during the movie should do with it… The bad manners of a few people aside, cell phones do pose a significant waste disposal problem for society.

INFORM, an environmental research organization partly funded by the EPA, has estimated that cell phones are typically used only for about 18 months before being replaced. Calling plans are often packaged with free or low-cost cell phones, which often makes keeping your current phone economically disadvantageous. Thus, many cell phones face their demise before they have become technologically obsolete, and the waste stream gets not only the cell phones that are truly unusable, but also those that are simply no longer the best deal for the owner.

As of 2001 (the last year figures were available), there were 129 million cell phone users in the US, with 400 million users worldwide. In the coming years, as population and market penetration for cell phones both increase, the number of cell phones destined for the waste stream will continue rising. With such a short average lifespan for each cell phone, it’s easy to perceive the magnitude of the cell phone disposal problem. INFORM estimates that by 2005, nearly 130 million cell phones will be discarded every year in the United States.

How does this affect the environment? In addition to the volume of landfill space that cell phones could take up, they also contain toxic chemicals such as:
- arsenic (used in some semiconductors)
- brominated compounds (used as flame retardants)
- lead (used in the solder that attaches components to circuit boards)

These and other cell-phone toxins enter the environment when discarded cell phones are incinerated or when rainwater leaches the materials out of landfilled phones. Many of the toxic compounds in cell phones are found on the EPA’s list of “persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic chemicals.” EPA warns that these substances can cause a range of adverse human health effects, including damage to the nervous system, reproductive and developmental problems, and cancer. Eek! Call a doctor!

So, what is a highly mobile, well connected cell-phone lover to do with a phone they no longer need?

Well, if you could go back in time, you could reconsider the waste issue when evaluating your current cellular-service package. True, you can’t do that; but here in the present, you can include the disposal issue when considering whether or not to renew your current plan or go with a one. If your phone still works fine, choosing a plan that allows you to keep it is the best option from an environmental standpoint. If you do decide you want a new phone, you can still take the waste issue into account to avoid finding yourself in the same situation a year later. Don’t accept a plan where the economically intelligent thing to do again will be to throw away a perfectly functioning phone.

Inevitably, at some point you will probably have a still-working but money-stupid cell phone on your hands. If so, you may be able to give it back to the manufacturer for reuse or recycling. Two major cell phone manufacturers, Nokia and Motorola, offer take-back programs. Or you can donate your phone to certain charitable organizations that can put them to good use. Two such organizations are:
- Collective Good (http://www.collectivegood.com)
- Donate A Phone (http://www.wirelessfoundation.org/DonateaPhone/index.cfm)

There are other donation options, and new ones are likely to come up in the future. To find out how else you might find a good home for your old cell phone, or to figure out how to just recycle it, visit:
- The Wireless Foundation (http://www.wirelessfoundation.org/)
- The cell phone industry’s recycling site (http://www.recyclewirelessphones.com/)

In grocery stores and restaurants, in traffic, and even sometimes while sitting on the can, cell phones are becoming an essential part of an efficient lifestyle for many people. Only you can prevent the flushing of perfectly good cell phones!

Finally, we just want to mention that it’s not true that our cell phone has the president on speed-dial #1. We did for a while, but the Secret Service made it clear that our “ideas for putting more humor into governance” were not welcome.

For jokes, cartoons, and more great environmental information, visit http://www.grinningplanet.com .

© 2003 by GrinningPlanet.com
You have permission to publish this article electronically or in
print, free of charge, as long as the bylines are included. Must
be published complete with no changes. A courtesy copy of your
publication would be appreciated.

About the Author

Mark is a writer, financial analyst, web developer, environmentalist, and, as necessary, chef and janitor. Grinning Planet is an expression of Mark’s enthusiasm for all things humorous and green, as well as a psychotic desire to work himself half-to-death. Hobbies include health foods, music, getting frustrated over politics, and occasionally lecturing the TV set on how uncreative it is.

Kermit the Frog might think it’s only natural to be green during
the holiday season, and maybe you can too by making a couple of
easy changes to reduce spending and waste. For many people the
holidays signify stress and over-spending. This year you can
take a couple of easy steps to enjoy the holidays more and
reduce the impact on our environment. Between Thanksgiving and
New Year’s Day, 5 million extra tons of trash are produced in
the U.S., not to mention the extra energy used during this
period. Below are some simple ideas on how to help you to remain
green during the holidays.

Gifts Ideas:

1) Purchase gifts that are consumed like food, beverages, mixes,
sweets.

2) Purchase recyclable gifts like books and magazine
subscriptions.

3) Purchase consumable gifts like candles, natural body creams
or soaps.

4) Purchase gift certificates to the person’s favorite
restaurant, book store or clothing store. You are giving twice
with a certificate. Once when the person receives the
certificate and again when they use it.

5) Give an “experience” like a massage, tickets to the theatre
or music event, day at the spa, movie tickets, etc. This works
for kids too. Kids love going to the movies or a music event.
You could also share this experience and go with the person.

6) Purchase a membership to an environmental organization like
Clean Wisconsin that helps the environment year round. (Visit
www.CleanWisconsin.org or call 1-608-251-7020).

7) Get together instead of giving gifts. The holidays are a
great time to spend time with friends and relatives. Instead of
exchanging gifts, spend some quality time together.

Wrapping Ideas:

1) Buy recycled gift wrap. There are few options for recycled
gift wrap, but www.smithandhawken.com has three varieties.

2) Make your own gift bags and reuse them.

3) Wrap gifts with brown grocery bags and decorate them. This is
a great family activity. Kids love drawing, stamping, coloring,
etc on the packages. Other materials could be used to wrap the
gifts too - i.e. comics, newspaper, etc.

4) Reuse ribbons and bows.

5) Use your holiday cards from the previous year as gift tags
for the current year. Cut portions of the cards out, hole punch
and add ribbon. This could be a family activity.

Holiday Cards:

1) Purchase cards on recycled paper only.

2) Purchase cards with a purpose. Most charities sell holiday
cards where part of the proceeds goes directly to the charity.

3) Make your own cards. Again this could be a great family
activity - get the kids involved.

4) Send electronic cards to as many family and friends as
possible. If Americans sent just one out of every ten holiday
cards electronically, it would save over 30,000 trees.

Decorations:

1) Purchase your Christmas tree from a vendor that uses
sustainable forest practices. Or buy a potted tree and plant it
after the season.

2) Go artificial. It can be used year after year, doesn’t leave
a huge pile of needles on your carpet and it help protect our
forests.

3) If you need to purchase new decorations for the tree this
year, use biodegradable decorations like cranberries and
popcorn.

4) Use compact fluorescent/ LED light bulbs. Or use small bulbs
on outside lights. Smaller bulbs equal lower wattage which
consumes less energy and gives off less heat, making the lights
safer. Also purchase light strands that are wired in parallel
which have separate circuitry. With separate circuitry if one
bulb blows the other bulbs will continue to shine.

5) Use a timer on your outdoor and indoor lights.

The holidays are a great time of year. Most people are in such
a mad rush to get things done, buy gifts and entertain that they
don’t take the time to enjoy the moments with friends and
family. The holidays are meant to be enjoyed and with some
thoughtful changes, you can create memories with your family and
be a more environmental-friendly consumer. Being green isn’t
difficult during this holiday season. A couple of simple changes
can help you reduce stress, create lasting family memories and
protect our natural resources.

Clean Wisconsin, an environmental advocacy organization,
protects Wisconsin’s clean water and air and advocates for clean
energy by being an effective voice in the state legislature and
by holding elected officials and corporations accountable.
Founded in 1970 as Wisconsin’s Environmental Decade, Clean
Wisconsin exposes corporate polluters, makes sure existing
environmental laws are enforced, and educates citizens and
businesses. On behalf of its 10,000 members and its coalition
partners, Clean Wisconsin protects the special places that make
Wisconsin such a wonderful place to live, work and play. Phone:
608-251-7020, Fax: 608-251-1655, Email: info@cleanwisconsin.org,
Website: www.cleanwisconsin.org.

Used coffee grounds have been discarded as trash by millions of
people around the world. Is there another use for your used
grounds? The answer is “yes,” and the more you learn about the
used coffee grounds the more sense it makes to use them as a
fertilizer. My Grandmother taught me years ago the secret of
used coffee grounds. She said that the grounds give your plants
more life. I always wondered what she meant by more life. Then
as I watched her plants grow I seen some amazing things. Her
tomato garden was huge, and much larger than our neighbors.
Tomatoes the size of a softball grew in her garden and at a fast
pace. When the neighbors would inquire as to her secret she said
I have rich soil. She did not lie; because due to those used
coffee grounds her soil was rich indeed.

Used coffee grounds are a great fertilizer for gardens because
of their high nitrogen content. Of all the mineral nutrients in
the soil, nitrogen is generally the most difficult for plants to
acquire. The reason plants have difficulty is because of the way
they acquire the nitrogen. It is primarily thru their roots,
which are buried in the soil. Most plants depend on mineral
forms of nitrogen in the soil, and this is where your coffee
grounds come into place. Your used grounds give your soil the
added nitrogen that your plants need. Coffee grounds also
contain potassium, phosphorus, and many other elements that aid
in plant development. Many rose gardeners report that used
coffee grounds aid in their roses development. Reports also add
that when used coffee grounds have made their roses more
colorful and larger than normal. In fact, when added to a
compost pile used coffee grounds compost very quickly.

Nitrogen is a component of all proteins, and is crucial to
life. In several studies, plants that have a nitrogen rich soil
grew faster and larger then plants that grew in natural soil. It
is clearly wiser to save those used coffee grounds and use them
in your gardens or household flowerpots. If you are not using
used coffee grounds you are wasting a great resource.

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Chewing gum pollution exists almost everywhere. It is impossible
to go almost anywhere without witnessing chewing gum soiling.
But when the chewing gum problem is present in casinos, it seems
to mar the very glitzy image that casinos are trying to portray.
Gum removal in casinos is very important in preserving the image
of a high-class place to gamble. Proper gum removal in casinos
creates a more comfortable and wealthy atmosphere. And that mean
more people coming into the casino to spend their money.

Gum removal in casinos helps them maintain their image.

Most people, even those who do not gamble, no longer view
casinos as seedy places where mob bosses meet. No, today the
casino is very much a part of our society’s culture. They have
luxury hotel rooms, they offer fine dining and good (often
wholesome) entertainment. And the high rollers especially expect
a great deal of beauty and excellence. Without efficient and
prompt gum removal in casinos, this image of worldly
sophistication is damaged, as people see only a gross
manifestation of an establishment’s inability to maintain
cleanliness.

Chewing gum removal is vital to the casino; its image depends
upon the idea that casinos are clean and very high class. Even
if someone is not a high roller, there is something about being
in a well-kept casino that makes one feel like a high roller
(even if she or he is losing). Gum removal in casinos helps
contribute to this feeling. Additionally, the absence of gum
indicates a higher class of clientele: one that is not always
chewing gum as a cow chews grass.

The right cleaning product makes all the difference to gum
removal in casinos. Try to remove gum from carpet using
commercial cleaners that freeze the gum, and you can chip away
at it for hours before actually removing the chewing gum from
the carpets, and risking causing damage. Additionally, having to
purchase a whole aerosol can of gum remover for every couple of
wads can get expensive. But it needs to be done, so there is no
choice. The house loses on this one.

But it does not have to be that way. Gum removal in casinos can
be made easier with the use of a product called Gum-Out,
available at http://www.chewing-gum-removal.com. Gum-Out, which
has been on the market for 20 years, is a major contribution to
cleaning technology. Gum-Out release agent is applied by a
special plastic injector and breaks the bond between the gum wad
and the surface into which it is stuck. Each bottle with
applicator can treat up to 125 wads of gum, making chewing gum
cleaning much easier. And as long as one keeps up with the
cleaning, the casino retains its image. Each bottle of Gum-Out
if used as directed will remove up to 125 lumps of chewing gum.

Sustainability Today

Achieving a sustainable lifestyle today is of paramount
importance for the health of future generations. The devastation
of our natural environment by individuals and corporations who
carelessly pollute the water and air, clearcut forests, and
destroy topsoil and natural habitats is in many cases
irreversible. Those of us living an urban or suburban lifestyle
may just be beginning to feel the repercussions of our
industrial lifestyle in the form of climate change. However, the
perpetuation of anti-environment practices is sure to cause
consequences that we cannot even imagine.

The world in which we live is a system in which all elements
interrelate and coexist in a harmonious balance of creation and
destruction. Nothing exists or functions in isolation.
Everything is interconnected and every act affects the future of
countless other elements. This concept, also known as systems
thinking, is easy to see when observing an ecosystem, especially
when the harmony of that ecosystem is disrupted. The extinction
or reduction of one species rebounds through the entire food
chain, causing havoc on the lives of the rest of the species.

A sustainable lifestyle is one that seeks to harmonize with the
elements of the natural world. We can use the forces of nature
to our advantage, without abusing them and causing as little
disturbance to the natural environment as possible. One such
example is harnessing the energy of the sun. Solar energy can be
captured in a variety of ways. The most basic way, passive solar
energy, refers to the type of construction materials used and
their placement. For example, a house designed to face the south
allows the heat of the sun to warm the house all day long. Add
to that other passive solar features such as thermal mass and
the house is already well on its way to energy-independence.

Industrialism and the Information Age have provided our society
with the tools it needs to reverse our current path of
environmental degradation. Solar panel technology and the
multitude of other inventions for collecting the energy of the
sun are constantly improving and becoming more affordable. We
may also gather energy from the wind, water, ground and even our
own waste products.

The key to becoming sustainable as individuals and as a society
is our own willingness to change and to be creative.
Permaculture is a design system that guides us to build and
manage sustainable living and working environments in which all
of the elements overlap and interrelate to create a functioning
whole. Combining our knowledge of ecological principles with our
earth-friendly technology we have only to succeed in achieving a
more sustainable lifestyle today, and a brighter future for our
children and grandchildren.