Walker Nature Center
A LOOK INSIDE
• Calendar 4 • Winter Survival 6 • Land Conservation Gifts in Reston 7
BRANCHING OUT
Nature Notes We’re Going Digital DECEMBER By Pam Findley
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American Goldfinches are active. American Holly have red berries. Groundhogs hibernate. Christmas Fern and Running Cedar are evergreen. Dec. 21 – Winter Solstice – First day of winter.
JANUARY • • • • •
White-tailed Deer bucks drop their antlers. American Witchhazel blooms. Watch for new birds at feeders as snows come. Sweetgum trees drop spiky, round seed pods. January 3-4 – Quadrantid meteor shower peaks.
By Ken Rosenthal
You are reading the final issue of Branching Out to be printed as a hard copy. Beginning in 2025, we will be moving to a digital format. This provides us more flexibility with our writing and includes opportunities for interactive content, while still allowing for on-demand printing. We will still produce a printed calendar of events that can be picked up at Nature House and RA Member Services. The calendar will also be available digitally for download and printing at home.
Paper production uses a lot of resources and releases a lot of carbon. The pulp and paper industry is a significant emitter of greenhouse gases, and the fourth largest industry in consuming energy. It takes 17,000 gallons of water to produce one ton of paper. Carbon dioxide is released at many steps of the paper production process – the cutting of trees, production of the paper, cutting the paper, printing, and transportation of the paper goods.
Moving to content that is primarily digital increases our sustainability while lowering our carbon footprint. For direct impact, digital publishing reduces the use of paper which conserves trees and protects habitat. More than 40% of the world’s industrial logging directly goes toward making paper. Pulp and paper production continue to be one of the highest growing sources of paper consumption. The relatively recent increases in online shipping and takeout food consumption have directly contributed to these increases. Printed media also continues to be a significant contributor.
Reducing the amount of paper also reduces the amount of paper waste. In the United States, the amount of paper waste thrown away every year equals approximately 1 billion trees. The average American uses 650 pounds of paper annually, and that is roughly 85 million tons of paper collectively. We could heat 50,000 homes for 20 years with the paper and wood products disposed of annually. To bring it back to newsletters, the average household throws away 13,000 pieces of paper each year. The majority of that refuse is junk mail and packaging.
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FEBRUARY • • • • •
Eastern Bluebirds and Wood Ducks start looking for nest sites. Snowdrops are in bloom. Bald Eagles and Great Horned Owls nest. Marginal Wood Fern is evergreen. February 12—Full moon known as the Snow or Hunger Moon.
Winter | 24-25 |