October kicks off the start of National Energy Awareness Month, and Energy Efficiency Day falls within the first week. To celebrate, we’ve compiled some helpful tips and resources to help you make your home energy efficient, and likely save you money while doing so. Did you know? Buildings and homes generate 63% of our region’s … Continued
Our calendar is starting to fill up with dates for fall volunteer events. We have tree plantings, habitat restorations, recycling shifts, and litter clean ups galore! Fall is a busy time at BTG, and we’d love to get you involved. Here are a few reasons why volunteering this fall is a great idea. 1.) Enjoy the weather. You … Continued
Climate scientists predict an increase in the number of extreme heat days for the KC metro area in the coming years, and this summer seemed to align with that forecast. Two of our programs, Heartland Tree Alliance and the KCMO Recycling Drop-off Centers, take an informal measure of its impact on their work over this past … Continued
I’m a tough old bird, but when I got the news that the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) had passed through the House and Senate—projectile tears. For the first time, the United States government is putting what in my opinion is the proper priority on the threat of climate change to the web of life on … Continued
Kristin Riott, BTG’s Executive Director and a passionate gardener, shares her experience and knowledge from years of gardening with native plants at home. I have loved wildflowers since I was a child, picking armfuls of purple phlox and enchanted by the tiny pairs of pants called Dutchman’s Breeches, in a deeply wooded ravine near my … Continued
Land is constantly undergoing development throughout the Kansas City area. Apartments are built on formerly “vacant” lots, farmland is turned into suburbia, ranch-style homes turn into mansions, garages are added, driveways are repaved, irrigation is installed and patios double in size. Whatever the reason for construction, let’s observe what is on our land first to … Continued
Have you noticed trees with brown leaves and what looks like spider webbing all over them? The culprit is most likely the mimosa webworm (Homadaula anisocentra)! These caterpillars are occasional pests of the mimosa tree and several varieties of honey locust. Life Cycle: This pest produces two overlapping generations per year. The first generation typically … Continued
We recently chatted with Cassandra Krul, a program analyst and green team leader, to talk about the EPA’s focus and her background in sustainability. Cassandra Krul has worked at the Environmental Protection Agency Region 7 for over three years. During her career there she has managed grants, led and assisted with special projects, in addition to leading … Continued
Bridging The Gap is proud to announce that thanks to our Program Director Kechia Smith’s leadership, we’ve been chosen as one of only 49 community-based, climate-justice organizations nationally, who are applying local knowledge and wisdom to find solutions to the climate crisis. Anchored in love and service, the Justice40 Accelerator is a 12-month program that … Continued
It’s that time of year again – adult Japanese beetles (Papillia japonica) have emerged! In short time, you’ll likely notice significant feeding damage from these pesky beetles. We field a lot of concerns about the Japanese beetle each year, but oftentimes they are not detrimental to plants. Your plants will likely survive damage Japanese beetles … Continued
Meet a member of our Green Business Network! Redbud Refillery is Kansas City’s mobile source for refillable and sustainable household cleaning products, with a mission to reduce single-use plastic by refilling already existing containers with sustainable plant-based cleaners. Currently, Redbud Refillery dispenses laundry detergent, dish soap, and all-purpose cleaner from its mobile van using a … Continued
Most people are “Tree People”, valuing trees in one way or another; for tree fruit or shade, for example. Heartland Tree Alliance has met many of these people. Through this series, we’ll call attention to friends who have dedicated much of their lives stewarding one of earth’s greatest organisms – trees. Beth Welsh is a … Continued
The field of arboriculture includes many career pathways, from nursery management to urban forestry to tree climbing. Heartland Tree Alliance is fortunate to have many friends (“Tree People”) in the field. We recently chatted with one of our friends, Bridget Tolle, Urban Forestry Specialist for Prairie Village, Kansas about her experiences and insight in the … Continued
Trees are beneficial in so many ways, including improving human health. Trees can filter the air we breathe, reduce heat-related illness, provide us with nutritious food, speed up the recovery process, improve immune systems and encourage us to go outside and engage in recreational activities or socialize with neighbors. In addition to all of those … Continued
On April 7, Bridging The Gap celebrated our 30th anniversary while drawing attention to the significant need for energy justice in our community. Thank you to the hundreds of people who attended and/or donated online to our silent auction – with your help we raised critical funds to support our programs, which work to make … Continued
There are a variety of tools that can be used for pruning, from hand pruners to chainsaws. We’ll share which tools Heartland Tree Alliance uses while pruning young trees in Kansas City. A word to the wise: Pruning is intentional wounding for a specific purpose. Improper pruning can severely damage, stress or even kill trees. … Continued
Hey Kansas City. It’s Jacob here, the coordinator for Kansas City WildLands’ Seed Team. We’ve spent the last year out in the field searching for and collecting seed, or in the barn cleaning and sorting our harvest. Finally, the seed has found its destination – public lands undergoing restoration. Places in our city that are … Continued
We recently chatted with Andy Savastino, Chief Environmental Officer for the City of Kansas City, Missouri, to learn more about what the city is currently working on and its goal for a resilient future. Savastino has worked for the city for 28 years and has been the Chief Environmental Officer for about 2 1/2 years. … Continued
In celebration of Black History Month, we’re reading the works of leading Black authors bringing environmental justice issues to the forefront for conversation and action through their personal stories. Check out this list of recommended reading. We encourage you to purchase these books through independent Black-owned bookstores like Bliss Books and Wine or borrow from … Continued
According to Kansas City area arborists Last week, the Heartland Tree Alliance team attended the 66th annual Shade Tree Conference hosted by the Kansas Arborists Association. This event brings together tree care professionals, arborists, foresters and friends from Kansas and surrounding states to catch up and learn. We asked some Kansas Certified Arborists why they … Continued
