On this Earth Day 2026, I feel so grateful for all the people that I’ve met (and others whom I haven’t met but do admire) who are making a positive difference in this world! Would you agree, one of the most important qualities we can have is being curious? What if we could all be even more curious and observant for how dependent we are on our Mother Earth?
Here are some recent examples of my activities and observations:
Yesterday, I took our Pomeranian dog Moka to the Jordan Pointe dog park. As he made the rounds to pee on several trees, I curiously noticed a maple tree with beautiful yellow “candleflame” lichens (shown in the photo). However, the pine trees did not have any lichens. I found on the internet that symbiotic lichens form a partnership between a fungus and green algae which prefer maples over pines due to smoother, less acidic bark. Lichens indicate excellent air quality. Maples benefit from lichens by capturing nutrients like nitrogen from air and water.
This morning I met Anthony Scott who works as a Stormwater Specialist with the Town of Apex. A orange plastic tree barrier fence got buried in watershed sediments in my neighborhood. The developer failed to remove it about six years ago so I recently collected the decomposed pieces of plastic. Anthony shared his curiosity on a range of topics including nuclear power and possible waste disposal from black fungus that consumes radiation (BBC)!
Last Saturday, I took a tour of the Harris Nuclear Power Plant for an annual community day. I met about a dozen employees from the VP to several engineers and community relations specialists. I felt most impressed by the curious questions of a 6-year old boy when we got a control room simulator tour. The popular event attracted hundreds of visitors.
Many towns around the country are voting for a one-year moratorium on AI hyperscale data center proposals! Mother Jones reports that Maine is the first state to enact a statewide ban and a dozen more states are considering moratorium bills. Here in North Carolina, where the state gives tax subsidies to big tech companies, towns and counties are individually having to oppose data centers. Last week, the Town of Apex council voted unanimously to enact a one-year moratorium (see Indy Weekly). We must keep politicians curious and accountable by asking questions and demanding actions that protect us and our planet!
As we pray for peace and ending violence, I’m curious to see if the world oil crisis will make any permanent changes to people’s consumption and travel habits. I’ve heard some Asian countries and European airlines have less than a month supply of petroleum products. Decreased oil supplies are destroying demand according to Investing.com.
Update April 24, 2026
Regarding the 988 megawatt (MW) nuclear power plant and withdrawn 300 MW data center proposal in Apex-New Hill, I learned of an important comparison in terms of backup diesel generators. The Sharon Harris NPP only needs 3 backup generators to supply a total of 6 MW of which only 2 MW are needed to supply power to the control room. It’s outrageous to consider how much power hyperscale data centers are depleting from the grid as well as backup generators using 100’s of diesel (or natural gas turbine) generators!
Last night, I attended the Apex CommUniversity “Spring into Sustainability” event. Three speakers discussed various environmental topics.
Kelsey Sosa from Wake County shared ideas for eco-friendly residential landscaping with resources available from NC State Cooperative Extension. I learned that many people excessively water their plants which typically in our area need one inch of water per week to soak in the ground to a depth of six inches.
Brandon Roberson, Solid Waste Manager for the Town of Apex, discussed the 2024 Sustainability Action Plan with three main initiatives: Facilities & Energy, Clean Mobility, and Environmental Impact and Waste Management. The regional South Wake Landfill receives over half a million tons per year and may be filled to capacity by 2040. We all need to remember the 3R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle! The Sonoco recycling facility in East Raleigh collects over 100 thousand tons per year of materials from Apex and 3 million tons per year for the entire area!
Nora Skinner, Environmental Programs Coordinator for the Town of Apex just began the new solo role about a year ago and already is making incredible progress with numerous initiatives including Pollinator programs, Bee City, Monarch pledge, Habitat certification, invasive species removal, Science Across NC, Creek week, Tree City, Plant the Peak, Natural heritage trail, Heat Action Plan, EarthFest (tomorrow), and National Water Quality Month (in August).
I plan to join these folks and hope to see you at the Apex EarthFest tomorrow in downtown from noon till 4:00 pm!