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Natural Awakenings Central New Jersey

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Waste-to-Energy ‘Matterhorn’: Sustainable Power With a Recreational Bonus

Ingus Kruklitis/Shutterstock.com

Copenhagen has dramatically refashioned the look and function of a power station with a new state-of-the-art, waste-to-power plant that powers 200,000 homes and doubles—actually, sextuples—as a ski slope, a climbing wall, a viewing tower, a hiking and running trail network, and a bar and restaurant. Named Copenhill, “It is the cleanest waste-to-energy power plant in the world,” says architect Bjarke Ingels. “It is a crystal clear example of ‘Hedonistic Sustainability’ because a sustainable city is not only better for the environment, it is also more enjoyable for the lives of its citizens.” The building, 278 feet tall at its apex, has a glass elevator for viewing the inner workings of how the city’s trash is transformed into both electricity and heating, as well as the best view in town of the harbor. It has three ski lifts that serve a one-third-mile course coated with a special “plastic grass” that provides the perfect friction for both skiing and snowboarding. It even features the tallest climbing wall in the world, designed with overhangs and ledges of white, like an icy mountain. Ingels says 97 percent of Copenhagen residents get their heating as a byproduct of energy production from an integrated system in which the electricity, heating and waste disposal are combined into a single process. Copenhagen has a goal of becoming the world’s first carbon-neutral city by 2025.
Tick Talk

Spring officially sprung on March 21. We have turned our clocks ahead. We are looking forward to warm winds, sunny skies and the smell of fresh cut grass. The daffodils and tulips have recently bloomed and we are just starting with the yard work that comes with the warmer weather.  Sadly, another season has started ramping up.  Tick season.

•             The best form of protection is prevention. Educating oneself about tick activity and how our behaviors overlap with tick habitats is the first step.

•             According to the NJ DOH, in 2022 Hunterdon County led the state with a Lyme disease incidence rate of 426 cases per 100,000 people. The fact is ticks spend approximately 90% of their lives not on a host but aggressively searching for one, molting to their next stage or over-wintering. This is why a tick remediation program should be implemented on school grounds where NJ DOH deems high risk for tick exposure and subsequent attachment to human hosts.

•             Governor Murphy has signed a bill that mandates tick education in NJ public schools. See this for the details.  Tick education must now be incorporated into K-12 school curriculum. See link:

https://www.nj.gov/education/broadcasts/2023/sept/27/TicksandTick-BorneIllnessEducation.pdf

•             May is a great month to remind the public that tick activity is in full swing. In New Jersey, there are many tickborne diseases that affect residents, including Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, Powassan, and Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis.

•             For years, the focus has mainly been about protecting ourselves from Lyme disease. But other tick-borne diseases are on the rise in Central Jersey. An increase of incidence of Babesia and Anaplasma are sidelining people too. These two pathogens are scary because they effect our blood cells. Babesia affects the red blood cells and Anaplasma effects the white blood cells.

•             Ticks can be infected with more than one pathogen. When you contract Lyme it is possible to contract more than just that one disease. This is called a co-infection. It is super important to pay attention to your symptoms. See link.

https://twp.freehold.nj.us/480/Disease-Co-Infection

A good resource from the State:

https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/tickborne.shtml

 

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