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Featured Threatened Michigan Animal

The Canada Lynx is a threatened species that can be found in Michigan, specifically on Isle Royale and in the Upper Peninsula. These carnivores are not often spotted in Michigan but do show their faces once in awhile. They thrive in snowy areas and primarily hunt snowshoe hares, according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. You can learn more about these remarkable animals at the USFWS website: www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/es/canadaLynx.php
      
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Canada Lynx. Photo Credit: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
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For the 2021-2022 patches, we have chosen the endangered Canada Lynx, which can be found in Michigan.
                                  
All official Michigan green schools are entitled to use our logo in all their websites and yearbooks.

Monthly Ideas March

Energy Idea 
Plan your landscaping for energy conservation.  Planting shrubs and trees on the west side of buildings saves energy dollars.  Starting a rain garden along parking lot perimenters cuts down on water pollution to our rivers and lakes.

Green Idea 
Experts say now is the time to plan for your school garden.  Here are some new native plant suggestions that will help support Michigan wildlife including bees which are still under serious threat.  Showy Goldenrod, Butterfly weed, Aromatic aster, Meadow Blazing Star, Anise Hyssop, and done forget native grasses like big and little bluestem. Find a native plant dealer in your area and reserve your order now.
  

Websites We Love

  • ​https://www.b4usa.com/ - You can find almost anything on this website that is American made. Buying products made in the USA is environmentally wise because it decreases the energy used and greenhouses gases released because of shorter transit distances, and it means the products have to meet the safety and toxicity standards of the United States. Also check out americanmadestore@yahoo.com.
  • https://4ocean.com/ - Pull 1 lb. of plastic out of the ocean with each purchase from this great organization. They are taking tons of plastic out of river outlets and oceans! 
  • https://therainforestsite.greatergood.com/ - Just click once (it's free!) each day, and you can save about 21 square feet of rainforest! 
  • www.ecologyfund.com/ecology/_ecology.html - With a few more free clicks each day, you can protect endangered species, reduce pollution, and more! 
  • shop.arborday.org/donate-fire.aspx - The Arbor Day Foundation will plant trees in the United States for your school for as small a donation as $25. 
  • Alliance for The Great Lakes is an excellent school resource.  They have lesson plans, info on Great Lakes pollution, action plans for all ages, events.  We highly recommend you visit their website.
  • www.1treemission.com/ - By purchasing one tree-themed bracelet, you ensure that 1 Tree Mission will plant a maple, an oak, or one of several other tree varieties to help restore wildlife habitats and reforest our Earth. Check out their website to learn more and see the different bracelet options they have.

Green Did You Knows

    .  There are still 2500 coal fired plants operating.  They produce 1/3 of all greenhouse gases.
       China is biggest polluter followed by India and the United States.                                        
  • It takes 450 years for plastics to decompose. Paper or plastic shopping bags? Paper is a better environmental choice, and reusable cloth bags are even better! 
  • The average American throws out 82 lbs. of clothing a year! 
  • Lake Erie is starting to be called the new Dead Sea. Lake Erie tested out for 1.7 million plastic particulates per square mile. These particulates harm people and animals through the release of BPA, a toxic chemical. Many marine animals also fatally swallow larger pieces of plastic. 
  • 22 billion plastic bottles are thrown away annually; that's enough to circle the earth four times!
  • The EPA has a list of EPA-tested, recommended cleaners and other maintenance items. Your school can start using these once it uses up what it already has. Look for the Safer Choice Label for an easy way to know that the product meets the EPA standards on toxicity. To learn more, visit www.epa.gov/saferchoice.
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Rapid City Elementary, Kalkaska Public Schools, show off their Michigan Green School reusable water bottles.
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Students have fun learning about bees at Go Like the Wind Montessori School in Ann Arbor.
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An Allegan High School student tests water quality in a local river that feeds into Lake Michigan. Great Lakes protection is a top goal of Michigan Green Schools.
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Students at Interlochen Arts Academy constructed a compost bin.
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3rd grader from Pentwater schools poses beside a Honey Locust Tree cutting on a field trip to the Halcyon Nature Center in Pentwater.
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Preparing an area for a butterfly garden in Ann Arbor. Planting dill will bring in Yellow Swallow Tail butterflies.
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Students from St. Clair Middle School are featured with artwork created from recycled bottles.
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Michigan is in the Great Lakes Basin, which is a watershed that spans beyond Michigan's state borders.

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Updated March 5, 2021