- [Narrator] This program is made possible in part by the Backlund Charitable Trust, established to educate and create awareness of environmental issues.

- Welcome to our fall edition of "EcoWatch" on WTVP.

I'm Mark Welp.

This program is dedicated to bringing you the latest environmental stories impacting our area and the state of Illinois.

We're going to introduce you to people finding unique ways to make the land of Lincoln a better place for mankind and animals by protecting plants, water, soil, and crops.

Let's get started.

(dramatic music) (dramatic music continues) On our fall show, we'll show you how Central Illinois's largest school district is going green, then how to turn your yard into a safe haven for wildlife, and how you can compost inside your home.

First, through a $6 million federal grant, the Peoria Public School District is buying 15 electric school buses.

The Environmental Protection Agency says the Clean School Bus Program will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, save money for school districts, and produce cleaner air.

At first, two areas of Peoria will benefit from electric buses.

Those ZIP codes were chosen because they have shorter routes and they are in traditionally poorer areas, where studies show more kids ride school buses and there's a greater concentration of air pollution exposure.

- We're gonna be using them in the 61605 ZIP code primarily, 61605, 61603.

So it helps, should help improve air quality in those areas, definitely while the students are riding on the bus.

So we're excited about that.

- [Mark] Peoria Public Schools Director of Transportation Josh Collins says the new buses will replace some of the older buses that run on fossil fuels.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, school buses running on gas, or diesel can lead to significant health risks for students.

Children are more susceptible to air pollution than healthy adults, because their respiratory systems are still developing, and they have faster breathing rates.

Asthma is the most common long-term childhood disease in America, making newer, cleaner buses an urgent priority.

Research has shown that students and bus drivers inside the vehicles can be exposed to certain pollutants at even higher concentrations.

Numerous studies have linked these diesel-related pollutants to negative health and academic performance outcomes, such as higher rates of absenteeism and lower test scores, a higher incidence of asthma attacks, and worsened problems with bronchitis and other respiratory illnesses.

Even with all the benefits of electric buses, there are concerns.

Each bus runs $375,000 compared to $140,000 for regular buses, and infrastructure improvements are needed before they roll out.

- There's going to be some savings on fuel and maintenance, but then that can be offset right now by the costs of the vehicles, the infrastructure upgrades necessary to support those vehicles.

I don't think that sitting here right now not actually operating the vehicles can we say there will, or will not be cost savings.

- [Mark] At Peoria's bus barn, this section of parking lot will have to be torn up to run power to the new charging stations.

Another concern is the range of the electric buses.

They can only go 100 miles on a charge.

- [Josh] There's always going to be need for long range vehicles for field trips, athletics, different events that we do.

So I don't think you'll ever see 100%.

But starting out with about 10% of our fleet is about what the national average is for getting started with EVs.

- [Mark] A few districts in Central Illinois, including Pekin and Hollis, have electric buses.

Josh Collins has spoken with other school districts, and says there are mixed reviews.

- Some districts have had great success with 'em.

Some districts have not had a good deployment with 'em.

A lot of the issues around the EVs are in regards to the charging.

So it kind of depends on the way the charging was set up, making sure that the drivers are plugging them in, things like that.

But it tends to be, the issues that districts are having tend to be centered around the charging.

- You'll also see more electric buses in Peoria County.

CityLink has received a $14 million grant to buy 10 electric buses.

There are currently three in the fleet.

Now, for your "EcoWatch" news update, back in February, we told you about a controversial CO2 pipeline project in Central Illinois being put on hold.

Well, now all pipeline plans in the state are on hold.

In May, state lawmakers passed the Safety CCS Act.

It includes regulations for the carbon capture industry, including a moratorium of up to two years on pipelines transporting CO2, or until federal authorities pass new pipeline safety guidelines.

Governor Pritzker just signed the bill.

Several companies had planned to run CO2 pipelines through Central Illinois, including Wolf Carbon Solutions, which withdrew its application with the Illinois Commerce Commission.

The pipeline would've run 280 miles from Archer Daniels Midland facilities in Iowa to Decatur via Peoria and Tazewell Counties.

CO2, or carbon dioxide, is a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming.

Under this plan, CO2 would be transported in underground pipes to be stored permanently underground.

Now, there was a lot of pushback from people living near the proposed route.

They cited safety and eminent domain issues.

In LaSalle County, sand mining expansion will not be happening in the near future.

The Sierra Club reports the US Army Corps of Engineers has withdrawn the application from US Silica.

That company currently mines sand on property between Ottawa and Starved Rock State Park.

The proposed expansion would've been closer to the park.

Opponents of the mining are concerned about the destruction of wetlands, habitat loss, and water issues.

A Freedom of Information Act document shows US Silica did not provide additional information as requested from the Army Corps of Engineers.

Therefore, the permit process was stopped.

US Silica can reapply in the future if the requested information is submitted.

Well, there are ways you can help the environment and animals and spruce up your yard at the same time.

- Everybody loves purple coneflower.

It's wonderful as a cut flower, but also great for many of our species of bumblebees and the goldfinches love it in the fall.

- [Mark] Ecologist Kim Erndt-Pitcher is giving us a crash course in native Illinois plants, but she didn't take us to the middle of nowhere for the lesson.

We're at First Presbyterian Church in Normal, right off busy College Avenue.

There are dozens of native plants here, which attract all kinds of pollinators and parishioners.

- Some people will say that worship begins outside looking at the gardens before they walk through into the sanctuary.

And then we have a little preschool, and they utilize this garden as a teaching garden, and if we see caterpillars, we let them know the caterpillars are here.

They've even done butterfly releases.

So it's been a wonderful thing for them also.

- [Mark] Barbara Gaffron is a member of the church and a master gardener.

In 2014, she asked to make a few changes to the church's landscaping, and 10 years later, the work of volunteers has bloomed into a Certified Wildlife Habitat.

- We have to plant native species to Illinois because then we're going to get the native bugs, bees, ground bees, not just honey bees, but ground bees that are native, birds.

You know, the birds come in here, the goldfinch, everything comes in here.

We've even had a turtle.

We've even had a frog, unbelievably.

I don't know if some kid released it, or not, but, so it's important to create this healthy bionic community.

- And Joe-Pye-weed is a late season bloomer, and these flower heads get huge when they're in full bloom, and they are a butterfly magnet, and they will stay in bloom for about three to four weeks.

They're an incredible native plant for pollinators.

It will be covered in bees and butterflies as well.

Here, because this is a little drainage system here and a little rain garden, this is button bush, another native species.

We can find this when we're out in a river, along the river edges, and in marshlands, but it can also be planted in your yard in a wet area.

- [Mark] Kim Erndt-Pitcher is the director of ecological health at Prairie Rivers Network, a statewide conservation organization and a National Wildlife Federation affiliate.

She helps people, businesses, and even churches grow wildlife habitat on their property that can become Certified Wildlife Habitat.

- It's very simple.

They ask you a series of questions, but some of the things that you have to have in your habitat is 75% of your plantings need to be native species to Illinois, and they also need to be species that are going to provide nectar, and food, and seed resources throughout the growing season.

So starting with early spring, ephemeral plants that bloom early and provide that nectar and pollen early in the season, and then continual blooms throughout the year, so that even late into fall, there's still food resources for wildlife.

You also have to have places for cover and a water resource, and that could be a fountain, that could be a bird bath, that could be a creek, or a pond.

And then for cover and shelter, that could be places that you just don't disturb over the winter.

In larger areas, it could be areas of brush, brush piles.

Many of our small mammals and birds need those places in the winter to hide and to just stay protected from the weather.

Additionally, many of our native bee species use woody stems and brush piles to create their nests for their young.

- [Mark] Other qualifiers, you need a water source, which could be something as simple as a bird bath.

You also can't use pesticides, herbicides, or any other poison.

And whether you're planting acres, or just a small patch in your backyard, every little bit helps.

- I think people in general are becoming more aware of the need for native plants, and, you know, we are faced with a decline of insects nationally, and particularly of our pollinators, and pollinators are incredibly important.

And anything that we can do, even small places like this that have a diverse array of flowers and plants, can help those pollinators and native insects, which in turn help other wildlife, like birds, and small mammals, and amphibians.

- [Mark] The National Wildlife Federation website has more information on the program, and even has a native plant finder that will show you what plants are native to Illinois and where you can buy them.

And if you need a little inspiration, you can always check out First Presbyterian Church in Normal.

- [Barbara] It's a public place.

So we hope people feel comfortable coming here and walking the gardens, finding peace here, and maybe finding a little bit of education, things that they wanna do in their own space, because the more people who plant milkweed, and Solidago, and all these things, coneflower, and on and on it goes, the better the Earth is going to be health-wise.

- During our "EcoWatch" programs, we wanna let you know about events where you can learn more about the environment, and/or volunteer.

The fourth annual Kickapoo Creek Festival is August 9th through the 11th at Wildlife Prairie Park in Hanna City.

Most of the activities are on Saturday, and all are free.

Two conservation groups are teaming up for the event, Friends of Rocky Glen and Friends of Kickapoo Creek.

You can learn about the importance of the Kickapoo Creek Watershed, which covers 2,000 square miles in Peoria County.

There will be interactions with animals, a native wildlife aquarium display, camping, and a lot more.

You can visit friendsofrockyglen.org and friendsofkickapoocreek.org for more information.

You can learn more about Illinois's 4.8 million acres of forest land without leaving your home.

The University of Illinois Extension presents the Forestry Stewardship Series webinars.

Sessions in the series are free, and available from 2 to 3 p.m. on Wednesdays through August 28th.

You can learn about the impact of agricultural natural areas and get solutions for managing pesticides, explore legal protections for Illinois's woody invasive plants and whitetail deer.

To register and learn more, go to extension.illinois.edu/events.

Next, we're traveling to Normal to learn more about a special way to compost.

It's cheap, easy, and you can do it inside your home, business, or apartment.

I'm here with Katie Vogler, who is the education coordinator at the Ecology Action Center.

Thanks for taking time out for us today.

As we talk about vermicomposting, let's just talk about regular composting to start.

What are some of the benefits of composting?

- Yeah, so a lot of people don't recognize that landfills are actually a huge producer of methane.

When we look at what is main producers of methane, landfills are actually number three.

So when we think about methane, the problem with it is as food breaks down in an anaerobic environment, so in a landfill without oxygen, it produces methane, carbon dioxide, and both of those are greenhouse gases, and we know that greenhouse gases trap heat, and then make our Earth warmer.

And so, by reducing the amount of waste and the amount of food waste and organics going into our landfill, we're actually also reducing the amount of methane going into our environment.

And so, by composting, we're taking what could be methane and carbon dioxide, and instead switching it over to carbon dioxide, water, and the nutrients for new plants to grow.

- Okay, well, people, when they think of composting, may think of a big pile in their backyard, but today we're talking about vermicomposting, which is a lot smaller.

Give us an idea of what all this entails.

- Yeah, so the nice thing about vermicomposting is it can happen in containers just as small as this one.

Vermicomposting is also going to occur in your home.

So when you think of backyard composting, you're gonna have a pile in your backyard.

You're gonna add your greens, your brown, so your carbon and nitrogen rich elements.

But with vermicomposting, your worms actually want to be room temperature.

So there are about 9,000 species of worms.

Seven of those are suitable for composting, and only one of them is native to North America, and that's the red wiggler.

So that's what we use, and they survive in temperatures between 59 to 77 degrees, so room temp.

And so, you can have this in your home producing compost in a very short amount of time by just a couple of pretty easy steps.

- And you can do it year-round?

- Yup, you don't have to trudge through the snow to get to your compost, not through the rain.

You just have it under your sink, in a heated basement, in a backyard, wherever you want.

- Very cool, well, give us an idea of how it works, what the process is.

- Yeah, absolutely.

So the first thing you wanna do is you wanna get a bin.

It really just depends on how much food you're producing to how much space you need.

Once you have your bin, the biggest thing is we want to have air.

Worms are living beings.

They need air, and as we know, we want it to be an aerobic process, not an anaerobic process.

And so, what I have here is my bin, and I have a bunch of holes, which I've taped over with some mesh just to keep the worms from getting out.

Then when I open it up, you'll see all of this shredded newspaper.

This is what's called bedding.

You can use shredded newspaper, shredded cardboard, even coconut core could work.

Once I have under this bedding, and the reason I have the bedding on top is because I don't want smells, and I also don't want fruit flies to be coming in, if I take this bedding off, you'll notice that I've got some compost kind of ready here.

But if I go underneath just a little bit, you'll see that I start getting worms.

And so, these are my red wigglers.

So they're a little smaller than you might expect them to be.

- Okay.

- But they produce a lot of compost in a very short amount of time.

So they can eat about 25% of their body weight per day.

- Wow.

- Yeah.

And so, you can have as little as, you know, 200 of these, and then all of a sudden, they produce more and more in your bin, 'cause they produce quite quickly, and you can get a whole process started.

And you can see I've got a big one here, but here's a little baby worm.

- Now, where do people find these worms?

- So they can actually be found online, but you are gonna wanna make sure that you do have red wigglers.

We use Uncle Jim, and you can get them off Amazon, or off their website.

- Are they expensive?

- Not really.

I mean, so we have workshops at the Ecology Action Center, and as a nonprofit, we break even on everything.

And so, our workshops cost, I think, $35, and that covers the bin, the workshop, as well as the worms.

- Very cool.

Now, if someone's starting brand-new, what is the best way for them to do this?

You gotta get the worms.

You talked about the bedding.

- Mm-hmm.

- Is there a specific way you need to start your composting?

- It's pretty easy.

So you're gonna wanna add your bedding first, because you wanna make sure they have something that they can, you know, wiggle around and worm around with.

Then you're gonna add your worms, which if you get them online, they'll come in kind of coconut core, and you'll have to rehydrate them, and then you're gonna wanna add your food waste.

The way that I like to do this is I like to kind of move over a section, add my food waste there, cover it, and then you're always gonna wanna cover it all with your bedding to make sure that nothing gross happens, because if we're composting correctly, there shouldn't be a smell at all.

It should just smell like dirt.

- Smells like dirt.

- Yeah.

Then once you've covered it all, I would just let it sit either a week, two weeks, half a week, depending on how much food you put in, and then kind of recheck, and see how the worms have done, and that will help you understand how often you need to be putting food in.

Now, the food that we're gonna put in our vermicompost bin is a little different than the food that we put in a backyard compost.

So we know that both backyard and vermicomposting, we can't put in meat, we can't put in dairy, we can't put in any prepared, or processed foods, can't put in fish, or bones.

But we also need to make sure for our vermicomposting that we're not putting in too much citrus, because they have a certain pH range they like.

Not saying you can't put an orange, or two in there, but maybe a whole bag of Cuties isn't the thing we should do as well as anything that's high in salt, ammonia, alcohol, those kind of things.

But other than that, you can put basically the same amount of things.

But unlike backyard composting, you don't have to worry about that ratio, and making sure you have enough leaves to the amount of food waste you're producing.

You just have to put your food waste in, cover it, and then let 'em eat.

- Well, Katie, that's all great information, and it seems easy enough for people to do at home, and like you said, not that expensive.

- Yeah, not at all, and you produce a lot of compost, which is fantastic for your garden.

So compost is gonna help reduce soil toxins.

You can make it into compost tea, which is basically when you kind of steep it in water, and that water, you can, you know, even put on house plants.

It's a leaf suppressant, or a leaf disease suppressant, and it's really gonna help with water retention, and a lot of other great things, as well as being a natural fertilizer, so you don't have to use as much chemicals.

- Great stuff, Katie.

Thanks for the information.

- Absolutely.

- If you'd like to learn from the experts, the workshop costs $35 to participate in, and space is limited.

The workshop fee includes all materials you need to start vermicomposting.

Registration is required, and closes one week before the workshop date.

You can go to ecologyactioncenter.org for more information.

An important and infrequent event is coming up in September.

A household hazardous waste collection will be held in Bloomington, and it's open to all Illinois residents.

It's happening Saturday, September 28th at the Interstate Center.

Registration is required, and spots will fill up quickly.

To sign up and see a complete list of accepted and unaccepted items, go to hhwmclean.org.

You can also call 309-468-6449 with questions.

Some of the items you can drop off include oil-based paint, used motor oil, old gasoline, lawn chemicals, and more.

Finally, we've got a new segment we'll be sharing with you on "EcoWatch."

We're profiling endangered, or threatened animals in Illinois.

Dr. Mark Davis with the Illinois Natural History Survey tells us about the Indiana bat.

- Yeah, so the Indiana bat was one of the first species federally listed under the Endangered Species Act.

It is a species of bat that is native to the Midwestern United States that historically occurred in very large numbers, and Illinois had the unique distinction, as we traverse along the western edge of the state into our karst region, where we have a lot of mines and caves, Illinois historically has harbored some of the largest overwintering colonies of Indiana bats in the world.

So these bats will all congregate together in mines, abandoned mines and caves, to spend their winters in large groups.

They're very social animals, highly communicative, and historically, bats have been a fairly maligned organism.

There is and has been a lot of fear about rabies transmission from bats, and in the '40s, '50s, '60s, and '70s, that led to people going into these caves with millions of bats overwintering, and not necessarily in Illinois, but in other parts of the range, and burning the bats to death, burning them alive, and eliminating entire colonies, and this caused some fairly precipitous population declines.

You throw on top of that, certainly here in Illinois, we had for a long period of time lost a lot of forest habitat in converting it to agriculture to support our agricultural economy, and that's impacted the Indiana bat as well.

And then on top of it, in 2013 here in Illinois, a new fungal disease showed up called white-nose syndrome.

It's a disease that impacts bat species, including the Indiana bat, and that impacted their populations as well.

And so, they remain endangered to this day.

- [Mark] What are some, and I'll probably ask you the same question as we go through these different examples, what are the benefits of having a creature like the Indiana bat around?

- As a science nerd, the first thing to me that comes to mind is just how cool bats are in general.

These are the only mammals that have evolved powered flight.

They have a very intense form of communication.

They are vocalizing it on the landscape.

They're using it to procure resources, their food, their meals.

They are incredible animals.

Just from kind of that evolutionary ecology standpoint, they're simply remarkable.

But here in Illinois, bats in general, Indiana bats specifically, are vital to our agricultural economy.

These bats are out there hoovering up bugs in the landscape, and that includes agricultural pests, that includes mosquitoes that are driving us nuts right now.

These things are voracious insect predators, and they provide a lot of value to the state for pest control.

And so, having strong, healthy bat populations is a huge benefit to our agricultural economy, but also for, you know, our general enjoyment of the outdoors, as they're helping control our mosquito populations.

- Thanks for joining us for "EcoWatch."

If you'd like to watch again, or share with a friend, just look for us at wtvp.org.

I'm Mark Welp.

See you again soon.

(dramatic music) (dramatic music continues) (dramatic music continues) (dramatic music fades) - [Narrator] This program is made possible in part by the Backlund Charitable Trust, established to educate and create awareness of environmental issues.