Susan Margaret Barrett
Kermit the Frog sings, “It’s not easy being green.” But for Charlotte and Luke Lundemo, being “green” is an everyday way of life. “We’ve been involved in Earth Days for several years now, both on planning committees and through participating.
The first Earth Day was held on April 22, 1970, and it inspired and activated 20 million Americans from all walks of life. That event, initiated by Gaylord Nelson, a U. S. Senator from Wisconsin after he saw the devastation from the 1969 oil spill in California. That event is seen to have launched the modern environmental movement. Environment acts such as the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act and many other groundbreaking environmental laws soon followed. The Earth Day Network (EDN) now works with over 22,000 partners in 192 countries to broaden, diversify and mobilize the environmental movement. More than one billion people now participate in Earth Day activities each year, making it the largest civic observance in the world.
The Lundemos practice what they preach on Earth Day in all aspects of their lives. Luke is one of the founders of the Tougaloo Rainbow Organic Garden. “It’s a teaching garden, where people can learn organic gardening practices,” Luke said about the garden, which also features honeybees, a walking trail and composting stations. “Just spending time with volunteers there and sharing information is great. I learn something new every time I go to the garden.” The garden supplies produce to Tougaloo, High Noon Café, Rainbow Grocery and to the volunteers.
To learn even more about organic gardening and sustainable living, the Lundemos recently attended the Food Summit & Sustainable Living Conference in Oxford. Presented by the Gaining Ground Sustainability Institute of Mississippi, the conference featured policy makers and producers who spoke about how to deliver healthy food from the field to Mississippians’ tables.
The couple, who manage the Computer Coop inside Rainbow Plaza in Fondren, also attended a three-day training with Al Gore in Nashville a few years ago. “The training was on climate change and what we can do about it,” said Luke, who is secretary of the Fondren Business Organization, as well as the head of the Green Team. “We promote energy efficiency in area businesses, and we schedule regular clean-up days in Fondren.”
A few years ago, the couple took the lead in environmental travel by purchasing a Honda Insight Hybrid. “It got 56 miles per gallon,” Luke marveled. Charlotte said she is still driving her Honda Civic, which is much greener than other vehicles. But the newest car they have is the Nissan LEAF, an all-electric car. “We’ve already driven it 9,000 miles without the first drop of gas,” Luke laughed. “We simply plug it in at home each night and it’s ready to go the next day.” The Lundemos have seen a rise in their power bill of about $10 to $15 a month. “But compare that to the price of a tank of gas each week and the savings are very apparent.”
Robbie Wilbur, communications director with the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, said his department serves the state by protecting our air, land and water. “We have lots of programs, but they revolve around those goals,” Wilbur said. According to Wilbur, there are all kinds of things people can do to protect our environment. “We need to stop littering, and we need to start recycling, reusing, donating items rather than throwing them away; using events for hazardous household waste and e-waste disposal. We also need to recycle oil, ensuring that chemicals such as lawn fertilizer or oil don’t go into storm drains.”
For more information on waste reduction, re-use and recycling programs or ideas, Wilbur suggests folks contact their local solid waste department, Keep Mississippi Beautiful affiliate, County Extension Service agents or the MDEQ. “There are so many simple, common sense steps that can provide an inexpensive and enduring gift to our natural resources, as well as leaving more ‘green’ in your checkbook.”
Alice Perry, now director of the MDEQ, developed and implemented the first curbside recycling program in the Jackson area. “That was an important issue to me at that time,” she said. “I also tried to promote community-wide composting.” Waste Management handles most of the solid waste disposal for the metro Jackson area. Lisa Dexter with Waste Management, said that items picked up curbside from recycle bins are sorted and taken to a recycling center. “We pick up paper products, including newspapers, catalogs, scrap paper, magazines, phone books and cardboard; plastics marked one through seven, and aluminum, including steel and tin cans.”
The company also provides a mail-in service for items that may contain harmful mercury, including light bulbs and batteries. “We don’t want that mercury in the landfills. Customers can go to www.thinkgreenfromhome.com to find out how to mail those items in for recycling.” Dexter said that for those residents who do not have curbside recycling in their areas, drop offs can be made at Recycle America Alliance at 841 Palmyra Street in Jackson.
Recycled paper is used to make such products as toilet paper, greeting cards, computer paper and much more. Recycled plastic is used to make a wide variety of items, including building materials, clothing, school lunch trays and school supplies and chairs.
Keeping our waterways clean is also a big issue, and John Sigman, executive director of the Pearl River Valley Water Association, takes it seriously. He was just awarded the Soil, Water and Air Conservationist of the Year by the Mississippi Wildlife Federation for his leadership in improving the Reservoir ecosystem. “The Ross Barnett Reservoir covers 50,000 acres, with 33,000 to 34,000 acres under water,” Sigman stated. “We also manage 10,800 acres of pure forest and have a full time forester on staff.” With several million visitors coming to the reservoir each year, Sigman says it is critical for people to mind their environmental Ps and Qs. “Some folks don’t always treasure the resources we have. They’ll litter or cut trees, and that can ruin it for others.” The good news is that educational efforts are paying off, and the last two years have been better. “By and large, the public is taking up the challenge, and you can see the results.”
One of those public groups is Keep the Rez Beautiful. “Groups like Keep the Rez Beautiful mobilize families around the kitchen table, so to speak,” said Sigman. “If the kids and moms see the importance of doing the right thing, the dads will, too.”
Jeannine May is the volunteer executive director of the organization, which is an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful. “It took us three years to get certified by Keep America Beautiful,” said May. “We’re the only affiliate in the nation focused on a reservoir. We have 29,000 people in the area, and we had to conduct a litter index survey. We’ve got friends at Keep Mississippi Beautiful, and they helped us.”
Originally from Pearl, Miss., she moved to Forest Point subdivision more than a decade ago. She loves living at the reservoir and wants to see the quality of the water and the neighborhoods continue to improve. In addition to doing work for Keep the Rez Beautiful, May works as the state public affairs specialist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service, a sub-agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
“I loved living on the water, but I didn’t like the way the water looked so muddy and trashy in my backyard. I started complaining and learned that you can’t stop sediment coming in from other properties. I learned that silt nets needed to be installed.” The organization has instituted a recycle drop-off at the fire stations at the Reservoir, and they’ve hosted several events, including clean-up days and “Project Rezway,” a fashion show that featured “haute couture” made entirely of recycled items. “The work we are doing is ongoing, but every little bit helps,” said May.
In recognition of the 43rd annual Earth Day, the Mississippi legislature passed Resolution 532 to designate April 22, 2013, as "Mississippi Earth Day 2013: What are you doing to protect the planet?" and urged all state agencies and citizens to be energy stewards and to focus on this critical national issue.