Sunbury-Galena Town Money Saver | April FOM 2021

How to win...

The winning entry will be drawn from correct entries received on or before APRIL 19, 2021

Photo copies are acceptable. Multiple entries can be mailed in same envelope. One entry per person please. Upon entry submission, winning participants automatically authorize publication of their name in the following issue of Town Money Saver. Winners will be contacted via phone.

Tell

HOW EARTH DAY & ENVIRONMENTAL CONSCIOUSNESS HAVE EVOLVED

REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE is a mantra for many people. It’s di cult to imagine that just 50 years ago awareness of the state of the environment was not part of the collective consciousness. An emerging public consciousness about the planet began amid environmental issues like increased air pollution and massive consumption of fossil fuels in the 1960s. e bestselling book “Silent Spring” by Rachel Carson also raised public concern for living organisms and the links between pollution and public health. e push for environmental reform gained even more momentum on April 22, 1970, when the rst Earth Day was celebrated. en-Senator Gaylord Nelson from Wisconsin put Earth Day on the national stage following a large oil spill that struck o the coast of Santa Barbara, Calif. Before this disaster, recycling was not a word in the popular lexicon. But when the disaster struck, people began to reason that changes would have to be made to save the planet.

Since the rst Earth Day 50 years ago, many strides have been made in the environmental movement. is grassroots initiative gave rise to the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act. Environmental awareness has become much more mainstream and is a less polarizing issue than it was in the 1970s, although there are still debates about the reality of climate change and other risk factors. Public demand for environmental safeguards

grew in the second half of the twentieth century, and those demands have grown stronger in recent years. Legislation is continually evolving to protect the air, land and water. Sustainability has joined the buzzwords of the movement, and most industries now have a vested interest in changes that can minimize risk to human health and the environment. Mitigating or avoiding environmental e ects, proper waste disposal, reduction in water discharge, and emphasis on reducing, reusing and recycling have become important components of environmental wellness. And people are being educated at earlier stages on the importance of environmental mindfulness. For example, core subjects of the environmental movement are increasingly covered in elementary schools. Twenty million people turned out for the rst Earth Day in the United States. Today, more than 190 countries are engaged and more than one billion individuals are mobilized for action every Earth Day, advises the Earth Day Network. To mark the 50th anniversary, the most pressing topic for the year is climate change. Climate Action is the 2020 Earth Day theme to engage the global public. ere is still work to be done, but great progress has been made since 1970. 

13 SEER, up to 2 Ton. Permits not included. Code update not included. Must mention coupon with scheduling. Not valid with other o ers or discounts. Must have existing air conditioner. Some restrictions may apply. Expires 4/27/21.

TMC-421-1

16 SEER, up to 2 Ton. Permits not included. Code update not included. Must mention coupon with scheduling. Not valid with other o ers or discounts. Must have existing air conditioner. Some restrictions may apply. Expires 4/27/21.

TMC-421-2

IWAVE-R AIR CLEANER

must schedule before April 14

Some restrictions may apply. Expires 4/14/21.

TMC-421-5

TMC-421-6

(Includes $300 Columbia Gas Rebate)

614.541.3295

RETURNING MIGRANTS AND YEARROUND RESIDENTS BEGIN NESTING!

Families opting to stay close to home this spring and summer won’t have to travel any farther than their backyards for fun and entertainment. Across the country, millions of adult wild birds have begun returning from their long migration treks. Westerville is abuzz as bird feeding enthusiasts are excitedly watching for hummingbirds, House Wrens, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Baltimore Orioles and other migrant sightings throughout the area. Many of the returning migrants are favorites that signal the arrival of warmer weather and sunny days.

Our extremely popular Ruby-throated Hummingbird has been migrating between North and Central America for thousands of years; a round trip in which millions of hummingbirds instinctively participate. ese smallest of birds are very easy to attract; they will feed from brightly colored owers that are tubular in shape and catch small ying insects in your yard. Another easy way to attract hummingbirds is to place feeders with nectar in your yard. It’s very important to keep the nectar fresh, since a feeder with soured nectar will arouse suspicion therea er. Be sure to get a feeder out soon; a food source is a great way to attract hummingbirds as they set up nesting territories. Migrants will continue to arrive through early May, and then a er nesting their young will be searching for food as well. Hummingbirds will begin heading back to Mexico and Central America in late summer.

Courting has begun in earnest as many birds including the Red-bellied Woodpeckers are starting to nest. Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers, chickadees, titmice, and nuthatches have begun incubating, so they are less likely to be at feeders. And some birds, like early nesting bluebirds, may already have young and are busily feeding their brood lots of insects & mealworms.

As the nesting season progresses and birds begin to edge, if you watch closely you’ll be able to tell the young from the adults as they harass their parents for food. e young birds will chase the parents and make lots of noise to get their parents to feed them. e ever patient parents will teach their young how to nd food for themselves, o en visiting reliable feeding stations. e color of the young is usually a little o as well, or their feathers are pristine as opposed to their parents, especially so with cavity nesters!

So as you are doing your spring chores and out playing in your yard, watch as all of these activities of Spring unfold around you and enjoy the wonders of nature!