Friday Funny

A couple of “jokes” for this Friday…

A climate scientist and a climate denier walk into a bar...

The bartender says "What'll ya have?"
The climate scientist says, "I'll have a beer."

Turning his thumb towards the climate denier, he adds,

"This jerk will have an extra strong hurricane. And no ice."

Climate change denier joke; written by Mark Jeantheau and Skyenne Belland

Through energy use the average home emits more harmful CO2 gas than the average car.  That’s probably because at home your battery doesn’t die if you leave the lights on.

Tree Thursday - Golden Shower Tree

Golden Shower Tree

Cassia fistula

The Golden Shower Tree is originally from India where the tree has special significant. It is the state flower of Kerala in India and the tree is depicted on a 20 Indian rupees stamp.  The Golden Shower Tree is also important in Thailand, where it is the national tree, and its flower is Thailand's national flower.  The yellow flowers symbolize Thai royalty.  You can find the Cassia fistula scattered throughout Fort Lauderdale and South Florida.  The pictures below come from Riverland Park taken on May 29, 2013. 

The Golden Shower tree is a medium to large tree growing to about 30 to 35 feet tall.  The tree flowers in the spring and early summer with the peak flowering in June.  The fragrant flowers are very attractive to bees and butterflies. In parts of the world, the Cassia fistula is often used as a highly effective moderate laxative that is safe even for children. However, in large doses, the leaves and bark can cause vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain and cramps. In Brazilian herbal medicine, the seeds are used as a laxative and the leaves and/or bark is used for pain and inflammation.  Some of these characteristics have lead to the common name “Purging Cassia”. 

Growth Rate – Fast

Salt Tolerance – Medium

Drought Tolerance - Medium   

Photographs below - Young C. fistula at Riverland Park; flower of C. fistula, flower clusters of C. fistula; leaves of C. fistula; trunk of C. fistula; more C. fistula flowers

For more information:

http://www.floridagardener.com/pom/cassiafistula.htm

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

http://www.rain-tree.com/canafistula.htm

11 Things You Should Repair Instead of Replace

I can’t send this one out without thinking of my dad.  He could fix almost anything. Of course, he grew up in a time when you had to fix it because you didn’t have the money to buy a new one and it was frown upon to just throw something away. 

11 Things You Should Repair Instead of Replace

As seen on ABC News Now! Fixing things saves money and helps the planet. It's easy!

Some people seem to have an uncanny ability to fix things just by touching them (or even just by looking at them), most of us aren't so lucky. Still, there are many benefits to fixing things rather than tossing them out and buying new replacements, from money savings to our own pride and knowledge, not to mention the environment.

It shouldn't surprise you that fixing things rather than buying new can save you a lot of money. In many cases simply sewing on a missing button, touching up a nicked paint job or gluing on a broken corner can get your possessions back up to snuff with only minimal effort and very low expenditure. The trouble is, these days many of us fail to go beyond the easiest small repairs, instead opting to buy new at the smallest sign of trouble.

There are other benefits to fixing things, including learning more about how things work, gaining a sense of accomplishment, spending bonding time with children and family members, and preserving heirloom and unique items. You can also buy better quality things, since you'll have more confidence to know that you can repair them and get more value from them.

Here’s a list of eleven things that you should repair instead of replacing.  One thing you need to think about though is purchasing goods that are worth repairing in the first place!

1.       Shoes

2.       Clothes

3.       Luggage

4.      Cars

5.       Accessories

6.      Home goods

7.       Electronics and appliances

8.       Plants and trees

9.       Building materials

10.   Furniture

11.   Leaky faucets and toilets

For more information on repairing the above items, go to http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/repair-things-461109?src=spr_FBPAGE#slide-1

Read more: Repair Things – Fix Stuff - Repairs - The Daily Green

Bamboo

Home Style Trend: Eco-conscience bamboo

Nature's wonder grass is making inroads into home décor.

May 16, 2013

Bamboo is having a moment. Everywhere you look, nature’s wonder grass is making inroads into home décor. And why not? Most manufacturers use fewer chemicals in the growing and treating process; it’s durable and easy to clean; and it’s one of the few renewable materials found in nature. “In the West, we tend to think of bamboo as a flimsy stick,” says Endrit Hajno, senior designer for Core Bamboo. “But the U.S. is starting to learn from the many ways people in Asia have been using bamboo in design for centuries.”

Need a bamboo fix? Try:

BogoBrush’s natural toothbrush is made from 100% biodegradable bamboo and nylon bristles. (bogobrush.com, $10)

Hang your bath towel on the Bamboo Wall Towel Coat Rack. It won’t warp, smell or retain moisture (bambooki.com, $29.99).

Traditionalists will like Core Bamboo’s collection of bowls hand-spun by Vietnamese artisans and painted in vibrant colors (corebamboo.com; $18-$120).

For quality, material should be laminated and joints constructed properly, Hajno says. Aesthetically, it’s all about the grain. Wide-grained items tend to be cheaper. Thin-grained items use more stalk slices to create patterns but are costlier.

http://www.usaweekend.com/article/20130517/LIVING05/305170014/Home-Style-Trend-Eco-conscience-bamboo

Uses of Bamboo - 1000 Things Made from Bamboo

An Asian saying; "A man is born in a bamboo cradle and goes away in a bamboo coffin. Everything in between is possible with bamboo!"

It's true though, from edible bamboo shoots to construction, medicine, bamboo fabric or biofuel it is all been done before. For the past 10 years, bamboo experts have been experimenting with the multiple uses of bamboo and are still discovering new applications, bamboo fiber for the garment and automotive industries, flooring boards, veneers as thin as 0.2 mm, are just some of many examples.

The challenges we face today is to further improve and innovate the uses of bamboo. Since bamboo is the fastest growing plant on earth and a sustainable building material, it could easily substitute all known wood applications without having to cut down entire bamboo groves or plantations. Better yet, bamboo continuously grows after harvest without having to re-plant it. Bamboo also converts about 35% more CO2 into oxygen than a regular tree.

Read more: Uses of Bamboo | 1000 Things Made from Bamboo

Friday Funny

http://www.ahajokes.com/crt577.html

With all the tree pollen in the Spring, some people might have thought about this! 

Tree Thursday - Lignumvitae

Lignumvitae

Guaiacum sanctum

For the second week in a roll I’m featuring a tree with blue flowers.  Like I said, they are rare in nature.  The Lignumvitae is an extremely slow-growing native tree.  Lignumvitae trees are uncommon in the landscape due to the slow growth, not being widely available commercially and can be expensive when compared to other trees.  While one article I read mentioned they can mature at 30-40 feet tall, the largest specimens I’ve seen in landscapes are about 12-15 feet tall.  After the 9-11 attacks, I used the Lignumvitae (Tree of Life) as a memorial tree for the victims.  You can find one near the south side entrance of Fort Lauderdale City Hall and one in Colee Hammock Park (1500 Brickell Drive).  There is also a very nice specimen in the native garden at Esplanade Park across from the Museum of Discovery and Science.  Pictured below is the Colee Hammock Park Lignumvitae in bloom.  I took that photo on April 26, 2013. 

In the Florida Keys, there is Lignumvitae Key Bontanical State Park that has many naturally occurring Lignumvitae trees.  The oldest one is estimated to be 1500 years old and if I remember right, it’s only about 20 feet tall and 8 inches in diameter.  The park is a wonderful place to visit but you do have to take a boat to get there.  I believe the State still offers boat tours to the key. 

Guaiacum sanctum is the national tree of the Bahamas and Guaiacum officinale, also known as Lignumvitae, is the national tree of Jamaica.  Lignumvitae is a great medium for carvings. Lignumvitae wood was used in the past to make ball bearings because its extremely high resin content makes it self-lubricating. Another place that Lignumvitae were used was in United States courtrooms, where the judge's gavel was traditionally made from this fine wood.

The Lignumvitae would make a great addition to almost anyone’s landscape!

Growth Rate – Extremely slow

Salt Tolerance – High

Drought Tolerance – High

Colee Hammock Park Lignumvitae                                           Lignumvitae seedpods

Example of form                                                                                              Lignumvitae Flower

Gene Dempsey, City Forester

Office of Sustainability

Office - (954) 828-5785  Fax - (954) 828-4745

GDempsey@fortlauderdale.gov

Live Burrowing Owl Cam in Broward County

Dear Habitat Stewards,

Please see the announcement from our partner Kelly Heffernan, Director South Florida Audubon Society’s Project Perch:  

To the friends of the Burrowing owls:

Some of you may know that I have been working with the Broward County Schools and James Currie of Birding Adventures to have an EarthCam installed so we could watch the Burrowing owls. The EarthCam and Birding Adventures 24/7 video feed is live and you can access it at http://www.owlslive.com and the owls have their own Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/burrowingowlcam .  

Will you be the first one to see owlets emerge from the burrow? Peek in on the daily life of a Burrowing owl colony living at a school. While the children are away, watch the owls play! Catch them bringing back breakfast or dinner from the school’s edible garden or see them napping and hanging out during the busy school day.

This amazing partnership between EarthCam, Birding Adventures, SFAS, NatureScape Broward and the Broward County Schools allows the students to put the spotlight on their Burrowing Owls, a threatened species. They hope to raise awareness and increase protection efforts for Burrowing owls everywhere and want children everywhere to be able to watch them, like they can.

You are all invited to start watching with us.  So please join us!

 Follow us on Twitter @BrowardResource

Regards,