Greenspeak

Why should we care about the environment? Why should we do anything about it?

Each person will give you a different answer to those questions, but the young people of the world are the ones who will be most affected by the decisions that are being made now. We may not feel like we have any power over the decisions being made about the environment and society, but we do!

The Road Ahead

Did you know that the United Nations has specifically identified 'youth' as a key group for being involved in the decisions of the future? The UN says that "it is imperative that youth from all parts of the world participate actively in all relevant levels of decision-making processes" and that youth “bring unique perspectives that need to be taken into account" (United Nations Agenda 21).

There are many organisations that are dedicated to giving young people a voice on what they want their governments to do, especially in relation to the environment. In Australia for example, GetUp! and the Australian Youth Climate Coalition have given power to young people and created real changes for environmental and social sustainability (click here to find out What is sustainability?).

Unfortunately, it may be awhile before changes at the government level will take effect. The good news is that there are easy ways you can make a real difference right now.

There are so many ways to live more sustainably simply by carefully choosing between the options you already have. The decisions you make will literally make a world of difference, and the more you do the bigger the difference. But no one can do everything, and no one can be entirely "green" so don't feel that it's too hard to try. Anything you can do is more than not doing anything and you'll find that once you start, the road to being green is easier than you think!

Making a few changes in your everyday choices will quickly generate rewards for yourself, the environment and society that will far outweigh the initial effort. There are easy changes you can make from what you buy, to what you do in the home and school.

For example:

• Turn off all lights, TVs, computers and other electronics when no one's using them - if you're not coming back within five minutes it doesn't need to be on! Appliances that aren't turned on will draw energy from the wall socket, so turn them all off at the wall. A computer will use nearly as much energy off as it does when you're using it if it's still plugged in (750kg greenhouse gases from standby power – that’s heavier than a grand-prix race car!) For more information, see Standby Saturday.
• Ride your bike to your friends house rather than someone drive you in the car - it's great exercise, gives you more independence and you'll produce less pollution.
• Buy a metal water bottle and refill it when you're out. It'll save you money, and did you know that producing a bottle of water uses three times as much water as it can hold? Not to mention the 17 million barrels of oil or the 2.5 million tons of CO₂ resulting from plastic bottle production each year.
• Reducing waste is always the first goal, and with reusing being the next step and finally recycling when you can’t reuse any more.
• Change your default computer settings to be more environmentally friendly - set your default document settings to print double-sided, have narrower margins and re use your printer paper. You need only do it once and you’ll half the weight of paper you carry in your school bag!
• Ask what kind of environmental programs are at your school - can you think of a better one? Tell your favourite teachers your ideas and together you can create a "greener" school. And you'll get the credit! Check out more tips on how to green your school
• Don't be a litterbug - rubbish on the street ends up in our creeks and oceans to choke marine life. Do you want to be swimming next to someone else's waste? It's your rubbish, be responsible for it. If there's no bin, just put it in your pocket or bag until you find one.
• Start a worm farm - despite what mum says, it's not smelly, messy, or dirty! For information on how to start one, see the Greenspeak article on worm farming.
• These are just a few ideas - what are yours?

The most important sustainability tool? Your brain!

Greenspeak programs are inspired by the idea that if you experience something then you will care about it. If you care about something, then you will be interested in protecting it.

Think about your favourite animal: you probably know a lot more about them than about other animals. You probably heard some weird facts about them and that made you interested enough to learn more. Then the more you learned the interested you became!

Have you ever turned on the television, seen a documentary showing, and then changed the channel as quick as you could? Next time that happens, why not give the show a chance and watch it just for two minutes (you can time yourself). The natural world is an amazing place, and all animals are weird and wonderful creatures. Did you know that there is a species of sea slug called Nudibranchs that are brightly coloured, have gills on their backs like feathers and toxic to predators? Or that there are giant insects that have evolved to look exactly like sticks and leaves? Learn a little more about our natural world and impress your friends and family!

Remember, anything you can do is more than doing nothing. Small steps accelerate to giant leaps so have a think about what kind of world you'd like to grow up in, see what you can do to make it happen, and you will inspire other people around you to do the same.

References

• United Nations Agenda 21: Chapter 25 http://www.un.org/esa/dsd/dsd_aofw_mg/mg_chilyout.shtml).
• Standby Saturday - http://www.standbysaturday.com.au/
• Grist “On battling (plastic) bottled-up rage” http://www.grist.org/article/tastes-great-less-landfilling/
• Associated Content “Save Paper by Changing Your Default Document Margins” -
• http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1673843/save_paper_by_changing_your_default.html?cat=15)
• Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tasmanian_Devil
• Environmental Graffiti “The Seven Smelliest Creatures in the World” - http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/ecology/the-seven-smelliest-creatures-in-the-world/904

by Rebecca Evered, Leader, Curriculum & Content Development

Phasmids (pronounced faz-midz) are insects that are camouflaged to look like leaves or sticks. They are usually green or brown but may have brightly coloured parts under their wings that can be seen when they fly. They have developed many unusual shapes to camouflage themselves to avoid detection by predators. This group of insects includes the longest insects in the world.

These insects inhabit many of the warmer part of the world, with about 150 species of phasmids being found in Australia. They usually live in gum trees but are sometimes found in gardens, but because of their excellent camouflage, they are quite hard to spot. When disturbed, a phasmid may sway, imitating a dead leaf or stick swaying in the breeze.

In many species, female phasmids do not need to mate in order to produce eggs. This is a special form of reproduction called parthenogenesis and all the eggs produced will hatch into females. If the females do mate with a male before producing eggs, the babies (called nymphs) may be male or female.

Spiny Leaf Insects

One interesting Australian phasmid is the Spiny Leaf Insect. The females of this species have very large bodies but very short wings and are unable to fly. The males are long and slim with fully developed wings. Spiny Leaf Insects are popular pets in Australia and also overseas.

Female Spiny Leaf Insects are not only larger than the males, but also live longer, surviving for up to 18 months, while males generally live 6-8 months.

by Rachel Spinks, Environmental Educator and Drayco's mum

Central Bearded Dragons (like our favourite mascot Drayco) can survive in the harshest of environments: they live in the arid woodlands and deserts of Australia. Due to the extreme nature of these environments, the lizards have evolved some rather unique adaptations. The desert will often reach temperatures of 50 degrees Celsius and to prevent from being overheated the bearded dragon will bury itself underground. In other climatic extremes such as drought, they can withstand long periods without water, generally getting the moisture they need from their food.

In the mornings, central bearded dragons can be found basking on rocks in the hot sun, gaining their energy for the day. Once they have warmed to a certain temperature and kick-started their metabolism, they will begin hunting for insects, but will occasionally snack on vegetation. Central bearded dragons are territorial and display impressive gestures to one another to communicate such as bobbing their head and waving their forearms. When a male is angry, he will puff out his beard and open his mouth. When they are frightened they will flatten their body and try to camouflage with the ground.

Females are typically half the size of a male, both reaching sexual maturity between 8 and 18 months. Females will lay a clutch of about 20 eggs, hatching approximately 55 to 75 days later. Newly hatched central bearded dragons are miniature versions of the adults and are very agile. As they age however, they become much more mellow and rest for longer periods at a time. Bearded dragons are skilled climbers and jumpers, but prefer to spend most of their life on the ground. With their tough, adaptive nature and inhospitable choice for a home, central bearded dragons are relatively resilient to the human-induced changes in the climate and are thankfully under no immediate threats.

by Ashleigh Wyett, Environmental Educator

Nudibranchs are an extremely beautiful and diverse group of shell-less marine molluscs with over 3000 different species identified. Australia is home to over 300 of these. The word ‘nudibranch’ comes from the Latin word nudus meaning ‘naked’ and the Greek word brankhia meaning ‘gills’. This is because nudibranchs breath through external gills arranged along either the sides of their body or in a cluster on their back called a gill plume. It is this feature that makes them different from other sea slugs.

Nudibranchs live at almost any depth of salt water and range from 2 to 60cm long but reach their greatest size and variation in warm, shallow waters. So far the long longest life-span recorded was a year.

Their head offen has two pairs of tentacles. They have a mouth opening at the end of a short snout and a tentacle on each side. These tentacles help the nudibranch with their sense of touch, using them to feel it’s way around. The second pair of tentacles are called rhinophores and are regarded as a sort of nose, with sensory receptors helping them find food. Rhinophores are in constant danger of being nibbled by predatory fish! To protect them, most nudibranchs can withdraw their tentacles into a special pocket in their body. Often there is a raised flap around each pocket which can be clamped shut when it is disturbed for even greater protection.

The eyes are very small and usually invisble, but can sometimes be seen as little black dots hidden deep beneath the skin behind the rhinophores. Nudibranchs can’t see clear images like humans do, but are able to distinguish between light and dark. They can therefore detect shadows, and can tell the difference between day and night.

Nudibranchs are hermaphroditic, which means they have both a female and male set of reproductive organs, however they can rarely fertilise themselves. Mating pairs inject sperm into each other by a penis and mare ost nudibranchs then deposit their eggs in a jelly-like spiral. Most juveniles are free-swimming and have a tiny shell, which they lose as an adult. They swim around between shallow and deeper water until they are ready to settle on the bottom.

Because adult nudibranchs have bad eyesight and no shell, they need other ways to protect themselves. Bright and complex colour patterns act as a warning sign that they are toxic and distasteful to predators such as fish, which have well-developed vision. Another reason for their colour is camouflage. This means they can hide by matching the colour of the food they eat. A few nudibranchs appear plain but actually have bright colour patterns which they can display quickly to startle and frighten off a predator.

References:

By Rachel Spinks, Greenspeak Science Educator

Polar Bears are some of the few animals that can withstand extreme environmental conditions, like that of the Arctic. They have close relations to the Brown bear, yet what separates the two species apart are the special characteristics that polar bears posses, allowing them to survive in below freezing habitats. These unique creatures are also the largest land carnivores on our planet with their primary food being seals,  which they spend most of their life hunting on the sea ice. However, with the ever rapid onset of global warming, it appears the arctic is melting away. Each year, the sea ice is melting more rapidly than the year before, and this means less time for hunting their prey. Global warming is now considered the most significant threat to polar bears.

By Rebecca Evered, Curriculum & Content Director, Greenspeak International

Kangaroos are marsupials, meaning (among other things) that they have a pouch to carry their young. They are endemic to Australia, are well adapted to the harsh, dry climate. This means that they exist in large numbers, although some of their smaller cousins (like wallabies) are endangered.

Kangaroos are not farmed, but wild kangaroos are shot for meat and skins, and to protect grazing land for sheep and cattle. Although there is some controversy about killing a national icon, harvesting kangaroos for meat has many environmental and health benefits over sheep or cow.

Kangaroos are strictly herbivorous, eating grasses and some shrubs. Many species are nocturnal, with main periods of activity being at dawn and dusk. They have few natural predators, with most of Australia’s large carnivores being extinct. Dingoes are the only remaining native predator, and some introduced species like foxes and feral cats also pose a threat. Kangaroos are strong swimmers, and often flee into rivers if chased. If pursued into the water, a large kangaroo may use its forepaws to hold the predator underwater to drown it.

Kangaroos are shy and retiring by nature, and normally present no threat to humans. Despite this, male kangaroos often "box" amongst each other for dominance, or in competition for mates. Their forepaws are used in both punching and grappling with their opponent, but the real danger lies in a serious kick with the hind leg, which can disembowel a competitor.

The Eastern Grey Kangaroo (Macropus giganteus) is the most commonly seen, as its range covers the more fertile eastern part of the continent. They grow up to approximately 30 kg in weight and one meter high living for 4-6 years. They have soft grey fur with a lighter belly, a small deer-like face, large hind legs and a muscular tail. They move by hopping, and can reach speeds of up to 70 km/h (44 mph). They cannot walk normally due to their big feet, so when moving slowly they use their tail and arms.

References

By Shawna Manske, Leader, Greenspeak Canada

Black Bears – Though the name says otherwise, these bears found in North America can come in many different colors (including black). It is the most common species of bear in North America, and can be found through most of the continent, specifically in Canada. They are generally about 150-180 cm in length (5-6 ft), and 76-91 cm high (2.5-3 ft). They have a large body, rounded ears, a short tail, a long snout, and an excellent sense of smell. Although bears usually walk on all fours, you can sometimes see them up on their two hind legs to track a scent. They also have strong claws and powerful paws that can tear, dig, and climb. They are found in a variety of habitats, but prefer forests and shrubby areas. Bears use the trees for food (berries), shelter, bedding, and coverage, and climb them to escape danger.

Although black bears do eat meat (about 10-15% of their diet is animal matter), most of their diet consists of nuts and berries. Bears also eat a variety of insects, including bees, wasps, termites, and yellow jackets. Some bears also prey on small mammals such as white-tailed deer and moose calves. Bears also consume a lot of fish, and can often be seen in Canada along the rivers in search of food. There are a variety of subspecies of black bears in Western Canada, including the Queen Charlotte Black Bear, the Olympic Black Bear, the Vancouver Black Bear, and the Kermode (or Spirit) Bear. This last subspecies is incredibly important to Canada’s First Nations mythology. Believed to have special powers, these white bears are rarely seen and highly valued. Native mythology explains that these spirit bears were made white by the Creator to remind us of the Ice Age. There are many threats to American Black Bears. Poaching (illegal hunting) of black bears is at the top of the list of threats to the population, often for use in Asian markets for their alleged medicinal properties. Another serious problem for bears is habitat destruction, as many bears’ homes are being destroyed to make way for road construction or other manmade development. Though many myths surround bears as dangerous and destructive, it is important to note that bears only become aggressive to protect themselves. They have been trained to fear man, and so have been known to protect themselves when in contact with them. It is important to learn about these animals in order to understand them better and improve our relationship with these majestic creatures.

References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirit_bearhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Black_Bear

By Shawna Manske, Leader, Greenspeak Canada

Totem Poles – Totem poles are a very important part of Canadian culture, especially on the West Coast. The coastal First Nations, or indigenous, groups of Canada carved large sculptural monuments out of cedar found along the coastlines and used these as a vital part of their daily lives. Totem poles can be found all over the Pacific Northwest, designating a families territory and telling very significant stories of the clan.

The word "totem" is comes from the Ojibwe word odoodem, which means "his kinship group". Each totem was made by a specific clan and was often erected as part of the house, as memorial structures, as funeral containers, or as mere designation of a clans wealth and prestige. Ceremonies were held to erect totem poles, known as “potlatches”, and were a chance for local families and clans to come together and celebrate.

Totem poles tell stories important to First Nations mythology. Often decorated with the heads and bodies of animals, totem poles show what animal was important to that particular clan. In oral cultures such as the Pacific Northwest First Nations groups, totem poles are an important means of carrying on stories and information from generation to generation. These objects were never worshipped, but used to represent stories and complex lineages. Today totem poles are still highly valued as part of First Nations and Canadian culture, and are popular tourist attractions to those traveling from afar that want to understand more about traditions in Western Canada.

References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Totem_pole

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potlatch

By Shawna Manske, Leader, Greenspeak Canada

By Rebecca Evered, Curriculum & Content Director, Greenspeak International

The Tawny frogmouth (Podargus strigoides) is an Australian bird common throughout the mainland and Tasmania. Males and females look similar, and are 35–50 cm long.They have yellow or orange eyes and a wide beak topped with a tuft of feathers. They make clacking sounds with their beaks and emit a loud booming call. Their feathers are grey or brown in color, and provide excellent camouflage, blending in with tree bark.

By Rebecca Evered, Curriculum & Content Director, Greenspeak International

Thorny Devils (Moloch horridus) are a type of lizard that is found in the deserts of Australia. They are camouflaged, with patches of grey and brown to blend in with their surroundings and have spikes over the top side of their body. The species lives in arid scrub and desert over most of central Australia. In particular, it inhabits spinifex (a type of dry grass) and sand deserts within the interior. They eat ants and can consume more than a thousand in one day.

They grow up to 20cm long, and can live to be 20 years old. Females are larger than males, and lay a clutch of three to ten eggs in September-December (Australian spring-summer) in a nesting burrow about 30 cm underground. The eggs hatch after an incubation of three to four months.

Thorny Devils have many adaptations to help them in their desert life. In addition to being camouflaged with defensive spikes, they have a false head on the back of their neck that they show to predators. These include birds such as buzzards, and large carnivorous lizards called goannas. They can collect water from all over their body, as there are special channels between their spikes that direct the water towards their mouth.

By Rebecca Evered, Curriculum & Content Director, Greenspeak International

The Blue-ringed octopus (Hapalochlaena lunulata) is one of 3 or 4 species of octopus living in rock pools of the Pacific Ocean. The octopus is 5-10cm long with brown or yellow skin. Its name comes from the bright blue rings that appear when it is alarmed. Despite being small having a non-aggressive nature, they are one of the world’s most poisonous animals. Poison is delivered from the small beak located on the octopus’ underside, in the centre of its legs.

The octopus is carnivorous, hunting small crabs, shrimp and mollusks. They may bite attackers, including humans, if provoked (such as by being stepped on or picked up). Their venom is deadly to humans and there is no know anti-venom. If bitten, humans become paralyzed and die of heart or lung failure. It is possible to survive a bite if the patient can be kept breathing long enough for their body to rid itself of the toxin.

These organisms only live for a year, during which the females produce one clutch of eggs. This happens in late autumn. The female will incubate the eggs for 6 months, during which she will not eat. After the eggs hatch, the female dies, her young mature and are able to mate the next year.