Mitchie-Poo and The Tribble-Toupeed Do Earth Day, Repug Style

A fertilizer plant?  Five days after one exploded, killed 12 people, injured 200 and flattened a town?  Really?

Why don't you just pour arsenic into Louisville's water supply?

James Bruggers at the Courier:

Kentucky’s two senators will observe Earth Day Monday by helping to open a $13 million sulfur fertilizer manufacturing facility at LG&E’s Mill Creek power plant, LG&E and KU Energy said Friday.

LG&E claims this plant is "green" because it supposedly turns waste from coal-burning electric plants into fertilizer, but it's just another iteration of the long-debunked "clean coal" myth.

Some may question taking coal-combustion byproducts that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is considering regulating like hazardous waste and turning them into a fertilizer for crops such as corn and wheat.

Like the bumper sticker says:  "Clean coal is like dry water."

SUL4R-PLUS soil amendment: the next best thing to sprinkling coal dust on your breakfast cereal.

Earth Week in Kentucky

Feeling cynical about the 43rd Earth Day? Find both confirmation and reason for hope in this article from The Nation.

Meanwhile, Earth Week in Kentucky once again ignores the giant Big Coal elephant in the room.

Governor Steve Beshear has proclaimed April 22-28, 2012, as “Earth Week in Kentucky.” This year’s celebration focuses on the Division of Forestry’s 100th anniversary with the theme of “Celebrating Kentucky’s Forests.”

“Forestry’s monumental milestone of serving Kentuckians since 1912 is certainly something to celebrate and reflect upon,” said Gov. Beshear. “Historically, the division has enforced forest fire protection laws; provided fire suppression and technical assistance to private landowners and maintained a tree seedling service.

“Today, the division also provides public education, timber harvesting and forest health inspections. It’s appropriate to celebrate Kentucky’s forestry division that creates additional public awareness of how we can become better stewards of our forests.”

For Earth Week activities:

The Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission (KSNPC) is partnering with the Kentucky Society of Natural History, Frankfort Parks and Recreation and the Kentucky Native Plant Society to celebrate Earth Week in Kentucky, April 22-28.

On Saturday, April 21, KSNPC botanist Tara Littlefield and the Kentucky Society of Natural History (KSNH) will host a 2- to 3-hour wildflower hike through Pine Creek Barrens in Bullitt County. This hike is rated as easy to moderate. Signups and questions can be directed through the KSNH website: www.ksnh.org.

KSNPC ecologist Brian Yahn will lead an easy to moderate “wildflower walk” through the mesic forest of Cove Springs in Franklin County on April 22. Everyone is invited to join Brian and Frankfort Parks and Recreation on a search for a wide variety of spring wildflowers. The walk begins at 2 p.m. and will last until approximately 3:30 p.m. No registration is required. Participants should meet at the large picnic shelter near the parking lot 15 minutes prior to the start of the hike. For more information, contact either KSNPC Ecologist Brian Yahn through email at Brian.Yahn@ky.gov or by phone at 502-573-2886. You may also phone Debbie Bramlage, Frankfort Parks and Recreation Outreach Coordinator via email: nanstheman@Yahoo.com or phone 513-300-8500.

The 32nd Annual Wildflower Weekend will be held April 27-29, in conjunction with the Kentucky Native Plant Society, at Natural Bridge State Park Nature Preserve in Powell County. This event offers activities for the entire family.

On Saturday, April 28, KSNPC staff members will host hikes of varying levels of difficulty in search of spring wildflowers. Those interested in participating will need to sign up for the hikes after their arrival at Natural Bridge.

For more information, contact park naturalist Brian Gasdorf by e-mail at brian.gasdorf@ky.gov or call Natural Bridge at 606-663-2214 or toll free at 800-325-1710, ext. 2104.

Your Tax Dollars at Work

They may not be be Earthrise, but they're well worth the cost and your time nonetheless.

via TPM:

In honor of Earth Day, NASA has compiled some of their most beautiful and captivating images of the third planet from the sun.

See them here.

Change the World on Earth Day: Plant a Garden

Friend of mine went out to the yard a few weeks ago to enjoy some early spring warmth and sunshine. Unfortunately, the lawn company had just sprayed the place with the poisons used to create an unnatural perfection. My friend ended up seriously ill for almost a month. It's unprovable, but there's no doubt it was a reaction to the chemicals poured on the yard.

Honor Earth Day tomorrow by firing your lawn company (yes, even the ones that claim to be "green." If they're spraying anything other than compost tea on your lawn, it's poison. All chemical fertilizers, weed-killer and pest-killers are also made from petroleum sold by mooslin terists.)

Organic lawn care is easier, healthier and far, far, FAR cheaper.

Or make it really easy, healthy and cheap by turning that unproductive grass into delicious, fresh organic vegetables or gorgeous flowers.

If you plant heirloom flowers and vegetables, you need to buy seed only once - save the seeds and plant them again next year. The best source is Seed Savers Exchange.

You don't even need an actual yard. Try container gardening on your porch, balcony or roof.

As I wrote two years ago:

This year, try thinking beyond the usual annual borders and weeded-and-feeded grass carpets.

How about maintenance-free groundcovers that never need to be mowed? Some have tiny flowers or a pleasant scent.

Instead of annuals you have to drive to the garden center to buy and replant every years, flowering perennials are more expensive up front, but once established keep blooming for years. Check the UK Horticulture Department, or your local Cooperative Extension Office, for ideas.

Or try native wildflowers and wildlife habitat gardens through the Salato Wildlife Center's Native Plant Program, or global-warming-fighting native shrubs and trees. Outside Kentucky, your local Cooperative Extension Office can help.

For great alternatives to lawns, plant lists, step-by-step instructions and fabulous photos, try the most popular gardening magazine in the country.

The key, and the first step, is to stop thinking of your yard as something that has to be maintained, and start thinking of it as a place to be enjoyed.

Not to mention saving the planet.

Cross-posted at They Gave Us A Republic ....