CommonCents
SHELBY COUNTY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION’S
for Kids & Teens!
MARCH 2016 NEWSLETTER
Facts About Our
National Parks
Celebrating Our National Parks
and Monuments!
National Park Week April 16 - 24
Across America, there are 51 million acres of iconic, treasured and sacred places protected in over 400 designated National Parks and
Monuments – and it all belongs to us! These breathtaking
areas of pure wilderness have been protected from
development and commercialization by National Parks
Services for people to revel in the rugged beauty of the
United States, while protecting the landscape, plants,
and animals for future generations.
The establishment of national parkland started more than
140 years ago when the United States created the world’s
first national park. In 1872, congress set aside 3,400
square miles of land in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming to
establish Yellowstone National Park.
Hot Springs
Today, our national park system includes 401 park areas
where people can snorkel, ride horses, bike, ski, hike, climb,
spelunk, kayak, camp, see geysers blow, relax in hot
springs, get close to a volcano, and so much more.
Sixty-percent of the parks represent the America’s history
and prehistory with the inclusion of important historical
Death Valley
sites such as battlefields, memorials, and historical homes.
Plus, you can see ancient dwellings, petroglyphs, and pictographs from earlier cultures.
While some of the more popular national park areas like Mount Rushmore, The Grand
Canyon, Yosemite, Yellowstone, Smoky Mountains, and Rocky Mountains are pretty far
from Memphis, there are several national park areas that are less than a day’s drive: Shiloh,
Natchez Trace, Hot Springs National Park, and Stones River National Battlefield. If you’re
looking for an adventure with your family, then take off to one of these amazing parks to
learn, explore, camp and enjoy our natural assets.
National Park Service sets aside
land for all of us to enjoy in its
natural state. How much, you
ask? 51 million acres! About the
size of Kansas.
The world’s first national park,
Yellowstone, was created in 1872
by President Ulysses S. Grant. Its
caretakers were the cavalry.
The smallest national park is Hot
Springs National Park in Arkansas
at about 5,500 acres. The biggest? Wrangell – St. Elias National Park in Alaska has an area of
over 8.3 million acres and is larger than each of the nine smallest
states.
Death Valley National Park, which
has the lowest elevation in the
U.S. at 282 feet below sea level, is only 76 miles from Mount
Whitney, the highest point in the
contiguous U.S. at 14,505 feet.
The Yellowstone Caldera, in Yellowstone National Park, is a super
volcano that is responsible for
three of the world’s six biggest
volcano eruptions. It is on pace
to blow about 100,000 years
from now. So come see it while
you still can!
Your savings federal insured to at least $250,000 and backed
by the full faith and credit of the United States Government
NCUA
National Credit Union Administration, a U.S. Government Agency
Why Is Earth Day Important?
Earth Day will be celebrated on April 22 to reflect on ways to protect our planet and to create
a healthy environment. Here are some startling facts about waste and its impact on Earth to
illustrate why recycling and thoughtful use of our planet’s resources are imperative.
The average American produces more than four pounds of garbage per day. Over the course
of a year, that is more than 1,600 pounds of garbage per person. Almost half of the food in the
U.S. goes to waste - approximately 3,000 pounds per second.
In 2012, the U.S. produced 32 million TONS of plastic and only 9% was recovered for recycling.
It takes about 450 years for plastic beverage bottles to break down in a landfill. The energy
saved by recycling one plastic bottle can power a computer for 25 minutes.
It takes approximately 1 million years for a glass bottle to break down in a landfill. The energy
saved from recycling one glass bottle will operate a 100-watt light bulb for four hours. Producing glass from new materials requires 30% more energy than using used glass.
Americans use about 69 million tons of paper and paperboard each year. Preventing one ton
of paper waste saves between 15 and 17 mature trees. By recycling 1 ton of paper, we save
enough energy to heat a home for six months.
Almost 97% of the world’s water is salty or otherwise undrinkable. Another 2% is locked in ice caps and glaciers. Only 1% is usable for agriculture, manufacturing, and personal needs. The average American uses about 100 gallons of water per day and more than 100,000 gallons of water per year. Every
square mile of the oceans contains more than 46,000 pieces of floating plastic. About 8 million metric tons of plastic goes into the ocean each year.
8 Easy Ways to Help The Earth
You can help our planet thrive by making some simple changes in your every day habits. Educate
your family on easy fixes that will actually save money and help save the Earth!
Change Light Bulbs
Replace regular bulbs with a more energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulb.
Drive Less
Walk, bike, use public transportation like a subway, bus or even car pool to conserve
fossil fuels. Talk to your parents about considering a hybrid, or alternative fuel vehicle.
And keep your tires inflated properly so that when you do use a car, you use less
gasoline.
Recycle More
Think before you throw away trash and recycle instead. Cut down on how much you
throw in the trash, which ultimately ends up in a landfill. And be sure to take e-waste,
like computers, cell phones and hazardous waste to a special recycling facility.
Avoid Products With Excessive Packaging
When it comes to your shopping habits, consider buying products that are better for the
environment or that are made from recycled materials, and have less or no packaging. When it
comes to food, support local farmers markets. The Memphis Farmers Market in Downtown has
been rated as the #7 farmers market in the whole country!
Use Less Hot Water
It takes a lot of energy to heat water.
Install a low flowing shower head
and wash a full load of clothes in cold
or warm water.
Adjust Your Thermostat
Moving your thermostat down 2
degrees in winter and up 2 degrees
in summer can save a lot of energy.
Ask your parents if your local utility
company offers alternative power. If
so, consider switching.
Drink Tap Water
Thanks to our aquifer, Memphis
has the best tap water in the world!
Instead of using disposable plastic
water bottles, get a cool thermos
and stay hydrated with our delicious
Memphis H2O straight out of the tap!
Shop With Reusable Bags
Cloth bags eliminate the need for plastic bags that tend to wind up in landfills. Most grocery
stores will pay customers a small amount to use their own reusable bags and some are even now
charging customers for plastic bags.
Redesign of the $10 Bill
The Treasury Department has decided to redesign
our currency, starting with the $10 bill, to celebrate American democracy.
Treasury Secretary Jacob
J. Lew has decided that the
new $10 note
should feature
a woman
who was a
champion for
our inclusive
democracy
and will
announce
his selection later this year. The
new ten is expected to be unveiled in 2020, the
100th anniversary of the passage of the nineteenth amendment, which gave women the right
to vote.
This is a pretty big deal. The last time a new
portrait was featured on currency was in 1928.
So which iconic woman will be featured? The
person should have made a significant contribution to or impact on protecting the freedoms
on which our nation was founded. By law, only a
portrait of a deceased person may be included on
banknotes. Some candidates are Eleanor Roosevelt, Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks and Cherokee
Nation chief and Native American activist Wilma
Mankiller. For fans of Alexander Hamilton who is
currently featured on the $10 note, he will still be
featured in some way on the bill.
NO EXCUSES!
NEVER TEXT AND
DRIVE!
It can wait.