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RESTORE | Restore NOLA |
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In Restore NOLA, we give you information about programs working for coastal and urban restoration- including a guide on how to recycle, reduce and reuse. We also want your thoughts in our Bright Ideas Forum. Please join the discussion!
Save Our CypressSave our Cypress is on a important mission to prevent valuable cypress in the wetlands from becoming mulch.
Just say NO! to cypress mulch.
Though Louisiana's wetlands face serious threats from coastal land loss and development, widespread clear cutting of cypress forests is also a very imminent danger. In the past, cypress mulch used to be a by-product of lumber mills. This is no longer true. The mulch purchased today comes from wide spread clear cutting of entire ecosystems. Loggers are operating with little to no oversight. No state laws exist to protect Louisiana's state tree; some that are more than 1,000 years old. Why we need cypress: Cypress forests provide tremendous environmental, cultural, recreational, and economic value to Louisiana. Cypress protect coastal communities by buffering against hurricanes and absorbing storm surges and flood waters. They naturally filter pollutants and excess nutrients before they contaminate swimming and fishing areas. Cypress provide critical habitat for wildlife, including threatened and endangered species such as the Louisiana black bear, the bald eagle, and the recently rediscovered ivory-billed woodpecker. They also sustain freshwater and coastal fisheries and minimize the impacts of global warming. TV is bad for the environment, too!
WHY GO GREEN?
Back before there were plasma screen and liquid crystal display (LCD) tubes, we were all watching our Super Bowls and sitcoms on cathode ray tubes (CRT). The CRT model provided room for all your switches and wires in a box behind the screen, but it also stored a lot of lead.
Approximately 20 percent of CRTs are comprised of lead, equivalent to between four and eight pounds per unit. Combine this with the fact that the FCC is going to require all televisions to run a digital signal by February 19, 2009, and we could be looking at a lot of lead headed for landfills. Even the smallest amounts of lead can be a serious issue, and we’re talking about eight pounds per unit.earth911.org
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