Yesterday I found myself in a garden supply shop and I passed the bat house collection. I figured, hey, why not give it a shot? After my mosquito control post last year, I thought I should practice what I preach.

There were only three to choose from at the shop, but since it was an impulse buy, that was good enough for me. Upon doing some research when I got home, I didn’t make the wrong decision, but I kind of bought the single family of bat shelters as opposed to the luxury condo development.

I ended up with the Audobon single chamber cedar house. It has a wooden landing platform already built in and it does look well made.

A few tips I picked up when researching where to install this thing.

1. Ok, makes no sense if you don’t live near a water source. This is for the Beacon house. We live within 10 blocks of the Hudson. We really wanted one for Brookyn, but Bed Stuy may be too far from water.

2. The home should be placed at least 15-25 feet above the ground to keep the bats safe from predators.

3. Mounting the box in a tree may not be the best idea as the home should be in direct sunlight.

4. No shade means not under eves or in the shadow of your home.

5. Here’s the paradox. Ok, so you want it in direct sun, but you should not put it near any lights or reflective surfaces. I get that the sun is for heat, but if lights bother them, why is the sun ok?

6. Keep it away from air conditioning or any vents that may blow air or smoke.

7. Likewise, keep it away from noise. Not close to the road or loud, barking dogs.

8. Bats and hornets do not get along. The shelter should be inspected at least once a year for hornet nests. Um, protect yourself when doing this. I’ll do so by sending my husband in.

9. It may take up to 3 years to attract bats! They do sell bat guano, which may or may not be a gimmick.

10. Bats are cool as shit, even though they scare the bejesus out of me. You can adopt a bat from the Batworld rescue site.

 

Hey kids, when I was paying my bill online this morning, I noticed that Con Ed is sponsoring a bunch of Earth Day events throughout the city this month.

Events take place in just about every borough, plus Westchester. There are activities in parks, zoos and museums for youngsters and adults.

Check it out! Should be oodles of fun. And who doesn’t want to save the planet?

Author: Joe from Asbestos.com

Considered the birthplace of the asbestos industry in America, citizens of New York are no strangers to asbestos. In the beginning of the industrial revolution, asbestos manufacturers mined and produced the mineral for automotive, construction, insulation and later, aerospace purposes.

The state of New York contains three naturally occurring locations of asbestos. According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, the deposits are located in Jefferson county and the New York/Rhode Island state line. About 400 public facilities, job sites and oil refineries are still known to have asbestos exposure issues. These cities include Brooklyn, Bronx, Long Island, Manhattan, Albany, Rochester, Staten Island and others. Homes and buildings built prior to 1980 still may contain asbestos-containing materials. If you are a potential home buyer or are seeking to remodel older homes in New York, you should be aware that asbestos exposure can cause many health concerns.

The inhalation of airborne asbestos fibers has been found to cause serious ailments such as asbestosis and mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is an aggressive form of asbestos lung cancer for which the only known cause is asbestos exposure. Accounting for three percent of cancer diagnoses in the U.S., steps should be taken to avoid exposure. Mesothelioma metastasis can occur when the illness spreads through the lymph nodes or the blood stream. This happens in the disease later stages as it can take anywhere from 20 to 50 years for mesothelioma to develop, making it extremely difficult for physicians to accurately diagnose this disease.

The amount of serious asbestos-related injuries and incidents in the last century has lead to mesothelioma law firms advocating victims’ rights. The asbestos industry was well aware of its health hazards back in the beginning, but continued the manufacturing anyways. This century old scandal has lead to millions of civilians, workers and military personnel wrongfully victimized by asbestos.

The New York Division of Safety and Health oversees the abatement of toxic hazards such as asbestos during remodeling, reconstruction or demolition. They enforce state and federal laws regarding the safe disposal and removal of asbestos. Prior to hiring an abatement contractor, an inspector can determine if any suspected asbestos should be removed or left undisturbed. Not all asbestos is considered dangerous, so leaving it undisturbed is recommended.

Once the removal is finished, green alternatives should be considered as replacements. These options include the use of recycled building materials like cotton fiber, cellulose and lcynene. The use of these eco-friendly materials will also result in a decrease in energy costs. The United States Environmental Program states that that cotton fiber insulation can reduce costs anywhere from 25 to 35 percent annually. Not only do these alternatives save you money, they allow a lifestyle free of health corroding materials.

 

Photo by Dave Wild

I have my “Why I’m A Vegeterian” list of reasons prepared for when people ask. My husband gives some great scientific examples such as rain forest destruction and water consumption while I say “It’s icky to eat dead things.” He’s also better at the “Why we don’t have kids” argument. My best reason is “I’m not gonna carry that thing in my belly for 9 months and than squeeze it out my vagina!” But I digress…..

Meat. Oh yeah…Did you see the NY Times yesterday? Direct quote: “The trillions of farm animals around the world generate 18 percent of the emissions that are raising global temperatures, according to United Nations estimates, more even than from cars, buses and airplanes.” It goes on to say that this is not the case in the United States. Not for a good reason though. We just produce such high levels of emissions in other areas that this pales in comparison.

Wealthy, environmentally conscious countries (no, not us) have started experimenting with Beyond the Thunderdome solutions. I’m tellin’ ya, that Mad Max writer was a prophet!

Anyway, read the article if you want to get the facts. Stop here if you just want my opinion on why vegetarians are superior and should rule the earth.

Photo lifted from Renovation Therapy 

No, I don’t mean late night clubbing. Am I showing my age? Do the young folks still call it “clubbing”? NYCWildlife.org has posted detailed information on what to do should you find injured wildlife in the city. This includes birds, squirrels and other wild mammals. 

It’s a right pain in the arse to try to figure out what to do with a fledgling bird or wandering chicken when you’re in the midst of the situation. Study the list and bookmark it! Do as I say! 

 

For the first time in it’s history, the Humane Society Legislative Fund has endorsed a presidential candidate.  The board of directors, made up of both Democrats and Republicans, voted unanimously to endorse the Obama-Biden ticket.

President of the HSLF, Michael Markarian says that “As an Illinois state senator, he (Barack) backed at least a dozen animal protection laws, including those to strengthen the penalties for animal cruelty, to help animal shelters, to promote spaying and neutering, and to ban the slaughter of horses for human consumption.  In the U.S. Senate, he has consistently co-sponsored multiple bills to combat animal fighting and horse slaughter, and has supported efforts to increase funding for adequate enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act, Humane Methods of Slaughter Act, and federal laws to combat animal fighting and puppy mills.”

OMG, I think I’m weak in the knees. Obama had me at “I’m not a Republican” but the only thing that could top this would be if he was that tree hugging, ufo spotting, vegan, Kucinich himself. And I know that guy hasn’t a chance.

According to the HSLF, Joe Biden has been a friend to the animals during his long career. McCain has been lukewarm. And we all know where Palin stands. That moose killing, polar bear dissing, wolf shooting, PTA hockey mom, nasal, Tina Fey wannabe is the reason they felt the need to oppose the Republican ticket.

Click here for article including the lovely photo of Miss Sarah with her freshly killed moose and small child by her side. How sweet.

 

Ok, I have to write fast before my computer dies again. Basically, I was told that it’s an $800 fix, so I’m just going to run this thing into the ground. The Mac doctor showed me a way around my problem, but let me know I should back everything up every chance I get. And I should live each day as if it’s the last because we don’t know when it’s going to happen, but it’s going to happen. Could be a day, could be six months, but my computer doesn’t have long to live.

So anyway, back to the post subject: Green Home Huddle! The site is only 5 months old and it’s looking pretty mahvelous. There’s a lot going on there…. eco-friendly product reviews, wiki and forum. It’s a fun way to waste time, but since it’s totally informative, you can do so without the guilt. So go check it out now because your laptop is not going to last forever. Make each moment count.

I’m sure we’ve all chosen our Presidential pick already but it’s always fun to look at comparative charts to assure ourselves we’re making the right decision. Grist charts Obama, McCain, Nader, McKinney and Barr. And here’s a fact sheet on Biden. Obama has been accused time and again of making vague promises. Interestingly enough, the O Man is a lot more specific than his opponent on this subject matter.

I’m not a crazy PETA person or anything (Ok, yeah, I am) but I don’t like killing anything. Not a mouse. Not a cockroach. Not even a mosquito. But I am thoroughly aware that they are annoying little mofos and one should not readily befriend them. We have a major problem with those nasty tiger mozzies in our Brooklyn backyard and my husband wants to annihilate them. I say if we’re going to cause them an untimely death, let’s at least do it in a humane way.

The best thing to do is keep them from breeding in the first place. That means get rid of standing water! It can collect in drains, gutters, birdbaths or just about anywhere.

The female of the species is the only one who bites as she searches out nourishment for her eggs. Mosquitoes find their prey using a combination of sensory signals including light, shape, color, heat, movement and other by products of human activity. Contraptions like the Mega Catch or Lentek Mosquito Trap mimic a mammal by emitting carbon dioxide, heat and moisture. The mozzies are attracted to the unit and get sucked in where they eventually dehydrate and die. There is also a DIY method which will save you the $300. All you need is a coke bottle, sugar and yeast. My husband wanted to do this, but it was the slow death part I didn’t like.

Zappers will kill them instantly. There are bug zappers and mosquito zappers. They each have pluses and minuses. The Mosquito Power Trap uses the CO2 approach to attract biting pests only (supposedly), so you’re not going around killing pretty little butterflies and fireflies. This runs on propane though. There are zappers that just plug in. Less energy is used, but you’ll kill everything in site. The cost of compassion is steep. The Power Trap is $400 as opposed to the free coke bottle/yeast set up.

But here is my favorite idea: BATS! If you build it, they will come. You can attract them by installing bat houses in your backyard. After hours of research and thinking this was the direction I was going to take, I realized that you have to be close to a source of water. Bed Stuy is not. Yes, we can install a pond or even a small pool will do, but isn’t that just going to breed mosquitoes?