Environment

More and more backyard gardeners are discovering the benefits of composting, from reducing waste going to landfills to providing rich organic matter for healthier and more productive plants.

Local author Michelle Balz has recently published a comprehensive guide for gardeners, "Composting for a New Generation: Latest Techniques for the Bin and Beyond."

Earth Day is this Sunday, April 22. Started in 1970, Earth Day is now a global event, with groups and individuals celebrating and raising awareness of our environment by promoting conservation and sustainability efforts.

Earth Day Network, the organization that leads Earth Day worldwide, has announced this year's focus will be to end plastic pollution.

Greater Cincinnati's Earth Day celebration happens on Saturday, April 21 at Summit Park in Blue Ash.

In 1996, the environmental group American Rivers included the Mill Creek on its list of America's Most Endangered Rivers. But thanks in large part to the efforts of two local organizations, last November the Mill Creek was removed from the most endangered list.

The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden will present its Sustainable Urban Landscape Symposium on March 22. This year’s symposium is almost entirely focused on landscaping and gardening for pollinating insects.

Buying young plants from a greenhouse is a nice shortcut for home gardeners, but with the right selection, proper preparation and a little patience you can successfully start your garden from seeds. And there is a far greater variety of fruit, vegetable and flower seeds available locally and online than the plants you can typically find at your garden center.

The Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO), was established in 1948 to control and abate pollution in the Ohio River Basin. ORSANCO sets pollution control standards for industrial and municipal waste water discharges to the Ohio River, and tracks certain dischargers that can seriously impact water quality.

The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden’s 2018 Barrows Conservation Lecture Series begins March 7. Since 1993, the zoo has invited naturalists and scientists to speak on wildlife issues and global conservation efforts. As a preview of this year's series, Cincinnati Zoo Director Thane Maynard recently talked with each of this year's speakers. For information and tickets to the 2018 Barrows Conservation Lecture Series, click here. 

Dr. David Morgan is co-director of the Goualougo Triangle Ape Project, a research program to monitor and document great ape health and behavior and examine ape population dynamics within the changing conservation landscape of the Congo Basin. He is also a Research Fellow with the Lester E.

One of the best ways to get through the cold, gray days of winter is to think about spring. That comes easier for gardeners, who spend January and February planning and preparing their gardens, buying seeds, cleaning and sharpening tools and taking horticulture classes.

Ken Muithya Mutinda works with the Mutinda Wildlife Education Center in Kenya, which is funded in large part by the Rotary Club of Troy, Ohio. The center provides educational programs for youth and visitors about wildlife and nature conservation. Ken Muithya discussed his work with the Cincinnati Zoo’s Thane Maynard.

Though we have been experiencing amazingly nice weather lately, temperatures are expected to drop down to the 20s and 30s by late next week and winter may finally settle in. But that doesn't mean you have to stop gardening. There are several ways to extend the outdoor growing season, winter crops that do well in our region and a wide variety of plants you can grow indoors.

The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden will present its sixth annual Native Plant Symposium this Saturday.

In 2015, the Cincinnati Police Department dedicated its new District 3 Police Headquarters. It was the first Net-Zero Energy police station in the United States, and carries a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum certification.

The weather was perfect for being outdoors this weekend, it made even raking leaves enjoyable. Which is a good thing, because getting those leaves off your lawn is just one of the many chores to be done before the cold temperatures set in.

The Yellowstone population of grizzly bears was designated as an endangered species in 1975, but this June, the Department of the Interior announced the bears would be removed from the Endangered Species List. 

Terry Tempest Williams is an American author, naturalist, and conservationist. With more than a dozen books published, Williams has been called "a citizen writer," who speaks, and speaks out, eloquently on behalf of an ethical stance toward life. She recently talked with Cincinnati Zoo Director Thane Maynard about her work and writing. 

The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden will present its annual Plant Trials Day symposium on August 31. The all-day event provides information on the plants proven to do well in our region, along with presentations by horticulture industry experts.

Mid-summer is a busy time in the garden, crops planted this spring are ready for harvest and gardeners are putting in vegetables they will be able to enjoy this fall. 

Yesterday was the official start of summer, and we are already experiencing our typical summer weather pattern of hot, humid days and frequent heavy rainstorms. 

Lydia Millet is a bestselling novelist, an op-ed writer for the New York Times and a staff writer for the Center for Biological Diversity. She joins the Cincinnati Zoo's Thane Maynard to discuss the work of the Center and the impact of her environmental opinion pieces in the New York Times.

In March, 2014, Hamilton County Park rangers at the Oak Glen Nature Preserve discovered an underground pipeline running through the preserve had ruptured, releasing approximately 20,000 gallons of crude oil. Cleanup began almost immediately and most of the oil was recovered, but the preserve's habitat was severely damaged and restoration efforts are still underway.

Pollinators such as butterflies, moths, honeybees, native bees, hummingbirds and many different types of flies and wasps are responsible for much of the food we eat and play a critical role in ensuring the production of seeds in most flowering plants.

We are finally experiencing warmer temperatures and have reached the point where it seems safe to put in even delicate plants and flowers. It's also time to plant peppers, tomatoes, celery and other vegetables.

Azzedine Downes is the President and CEO of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) whose mission is to rescue and protect animals around the world. The IFAW works around the globe to save wildlife by working in tandem with native populations towards a greater good. Mr. Downes talked with Cincinnati Zoo Director Thane Maynard about the IFAW's projects, taking place in more than 40 countries.