Not all trees and plants need to be aesthetically pleasing to serve an important purpose. In fact, many of the “ugly” or less visually attractive trees are vital for maintaining a healthy environment. While society often celebrates the beauty of flowering trees and lush, ornamental plants, it’s the less glamorous species that can have a more profound impact on the ecosystem. Some of these “ugly trees,” with their gnarled shapes, spindly branches, and non-descript foliage, are unsung heroes in the battle against climate change. Many of them are among the most efficient at producing oxygen and absorbing carbon dioxide, both of which are crucial for maintaining the planet’s balance. They may not win beauty contests, but they play an integral role in sustaining life.

Large Beautiful Trees

Take, for example, the black walnut tree. While its large, dark leaves and rough, untidy bark may not be considered attractive in the traditional sense, the black walnut is an incredibly efficient oxygen producer. It’s also a powerhouse for absorbing carbon dioxide and improving soil quality. Its deep root system helps prevent soil erosion, and its dense canopy provides essential shade in hot climates, cooling the environment and improving air quality. The black walnut’s ability to produce oxygen, combined with its role in supporting biodiversity, makes it an invaluable tree for the environment.

Environmental Benefits

Another tree ugly that serves a significant environmental purpose is the red maple. Red maples may not have the lush green foliage associated with traditional tree beauty, but they are incredibly hardy and thrive in a wide variety of conditions. Their rapid growth and high photosynthetic activity help to trap carbon dioxide and reduce the overall amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Red maples are also essential for supporting local wildlife, offering food and shelter for a range of animals, from birds to insects.

Similarly, the willow tree, with its twisted branches and weeping habit, may not be a typical symbol of beauty, but it is crucial for improving the environment. Willows have a deep, extensive root system that prevents soil erosion and helps stabilize riverbanks. Their ability to grow quickly and absorb excess water makes them an excellent choice for areas prone to flooding. They also produce large amounts of oxygen, contributing to cleaner, fresher air, especially in wetland areas.

Evergreens & Oaks

On the opposite end of the spectrum, evergreen trees such as the Douglas fir and pine trees, while often more stately, may also not win beauty contests. However, their role in the environment is irreplaceable. Evergreen trees are among the most efficient at absorbing carbon and providing oxygen throughout the year, unlike deciduous trees that only do so during their growing season. Pines, in particular, grow in harsh conditions where other trees may not survive, and their ability to filter pollutants from the air further enhances their environmental value.

Oak trees—which might appear gnarly and untamed in their older age—are often considered the backbone of many ecosystems. They support a wide variety of wildlife and contribute significantly to biodiversity. Their large, expansive root systems improve soil structure, while their massive canopies help absorb significant amounts of carbon. Oaks, despite their often uneven, rugged appearance, are invaluable to the environment.
In conclusion, beauty is not always the most important characteristic when evaluating trees and plants for their environmental benefits. Even those that may not be considered conventionally attractive have crucial roles to play in maintaining a healthy planet. Many of these “ugly trees” are among the best at producing oxygen, sequestering carbon, and supporting diverse ecosystems, which ultimately benefits not only the environment but all of humanity. It’s essential to appreciate the full spectrum of plant life, recognizing that beauty comes in many forms, and that every tree—no matter its appearance—offers something vital to the earth.

How much do you rely on power when traveling? Not just the kind that comes from your car battery, but a smartphone, your tablets, and other devices that you or your family may have? Most people have quite a bit of things that they want to power. Things once dead are hard to bring back especially considering how smartphones tend to be slow charging when pulling from your vehicle. It is this concept that we are focusing on when we talk about conserving power while on the road.

The Many Things We Power

Your vehicle has more than enough power to handle its own needs unless there is an underlying problem with its battery. With that being said, it often isn’t able to handle charging a device that isn’t part of its system. Therefore, it may charge slowly. This also depends on what your device needs. Many of today’s smart phone’s have enough battery to last a day. Their pull on the car will be great, so they tend to take longer than smartphones from a few years ago.

What do you have to do to keep up? We turn to the idea of portable power banks, inverters, and other options. It provides us with some satisfaction and does not do as much to wear down our vehicle.

Are They SAFELY Effective?

The concern is that portable battery banks and such are not “Green”. The truth is, you can look around and there are many “green” rechargeable batteries available. These batteries recharge so that you do not have to toss them away. You can have not only the battery banks, but all other sized batteries. Most cannot be charged in the car, which can pose a problem, but it means your vehicle can power other, more important things.

For instance, if you are not concerned about preserving your phone’s battery while running GPS or music apps, you can use a thermoelectric plug in cooler. It is better to use this type of cooler over ice or ice packs and promise to keep things just as cold, or colder.

Will Plug In Coolers Conserve Power?

When considering coolers that plugin vs Ice, you will soon find that there are many benefits. You will no longer have to deal with ice water getting into your foods or sticking your hands into ice water for a soda. It is also “greener” because you will have nothing to throw away if it busts open. They pull every little power from your vehicle and can keep things cold for a weekend outing without depleting your vehicle’s battery.

Can you think of a potential downside to it?

How much is your average power bill each month? If you are like most people, with their central heat and air units, home computers, washers and dryers, and more; it is likely quite a bit. Most people have a heat and air unit for their comfort, refrigerators are required if we want to keep foods fresh, and then we have other appliances that do other things. The one thing all of these appliances have in common is that they jack up a power bill quickly. Therefore, it is important that we start thinking about conserving electricity through efficient appliances.

Appliances with the Highest Electricity Usage

As a general rule, anything you have in your home that runs 24/7 is going to be a big energy hog. For that reason, your refrigerator and/or freezer is definitely going to consume a lot of energy. In fact, refrigerators are at the top of the list, closely followed by stand-alone freezers. People who live in the south or in areas where it rains frequently, may use a dehumidifier. These appliances also use a lot of electricity, since most of them are considered high-wattage appliances and most people use them constantly to keep the humidity down in their home. Air conditioners, heaters, and water heaters are also highly wasteful when it comes to electricity. They all run for hours each day, if not all day, and many of us do not know how to use them in an efficient way.

Increasing Efficiency

If you are tired of high power bills, your first step should be to look at the energy rating on your appliances. Even appliances that are a few years old may have affordable replacements that are more energy efficient. If buying new appliances isn’t something you can afford to do, there are other things you can do to increase efficiency in your home. For instance, your refrigerator needs to have its temperature settings turned to the most optimal setting. The freezer should be set to where it is 0-5 degrees and the fridge can be 36-38 at its coldest. You can also check to make sure it is sealed good and avoid holding the doors open while you search for something inside. If you have a central AC and still feel warm during the heat of the day, you could get a portable AC to help keep you feeling cool. Some, like this Whynter Model, are very energy efficient and it will make it easier to cool the hot spots in your home rather than turn down the thermostat to cool the entire house more.

Search for More Ideas

High power bills are a constant issue for most people. A lot of power companies will give you tips and ideas on how to make your home more efficient. They may also offer you discounts if you make simple upgrades to your home, such as solar panels. You could also consider putting your hot water heater on a timer so that it isn’t keeping water hot while you are at work or on vacation. In short, there are many things you can do to cut out on your electric bill while keeping the appliances that you need. Even if it means changing out your light bulbs for more energy efficient options; its still something positive. You simply have to look around for solutions that will work for your family.

True adventure and nature lovers spend a lot of time in the great outdoors. However, one of the best places to play and explore according to most is a body of water. Lakes, streams, rivers, and more are all uniquely different. They also change constantly because of erosion and other things that happen naturally. Therefore, it is important that we respect water, especially fresh water, and all the animal and plant life that thrive there. As a true nature lover, you wouldn’t want to have a negative impact on the natural order of things in that area. Do you know how to get on the water in an eco-friendly manner?

The Beauty of Water

Lakes and large rivers or streams are all beautiful areas of our world. They deserve to be respected. The animals who live in them only have one home. They cannot uproot their “school” to find another home to rent. Exploring what nature provides is a favorite pastime of a lot of outdoors-men, but most all of them use boats to do so. Boats with larger motors are great for speed, but they also come with issues that could make fish wish for a cleaner home. They often discharge exhaust, oil, fuel, and other toxins into the water, especially if you have an older motor that hasn’t been tuned up in a while. Batteries can also leak out if they are not marine specific batteries that have special seals and boxes to ensure that they are able to resist vibrations.

Keeping Water Clean

Water is one of our most valuable resources. Only a very small percentage of our water on Earth is fresh water and a sad truth is that without it, plants, animals, and we would not survive. This is why so many freshwater lakes and other areas recommend that you leave the motor boats at home and discover new ways to explore the water. For instance, you could go kayaking or stand up paddle boarding. If you do not want to paddle your kayak to the middle of a large lake, you can always look into a trolling motor. You only need a battery that will fit inside a box, with just enough power for kayak trolling motor and maybe a small fish finder if you hope to go fishing while out in the water.  The small battery size will also ensure that you have plenty of room for whatever you want to do on the water.

Leave Nothing Behind When You Go

In forests all across the world, you are encouraged to leave nothing but your footprints behind. Although no one can walk on water, it is a good practice in this area as well. It goes beyond trash and such when you are in the water. Keeping oils, battery acids, and other toxins are just as important as keeping plastic out of the oceans where turtles and large fish may become hurt by them. It is all about preserving the area for those who come after you and conserving a natural resource that is in limited supply.

As a world, there are a lot of things that we use that comes naturally from the land that we live on. There are natural gases that can be used as fuel to heat and cool our homes, there are ores and minerals that are formed over thousands of years that we can harvest, and more. Conservation of these natural resources is extremely important for our future generations. What you may not know is that the one thing we absolutely need to work on conserving is our water supply. It is the one thing that we absolutely cannot live without.

The Importance of Water Conservation

Even though our world is made up of a lot of water, fresh water is something that is in limited supply. In fact, only about 3% of our water is drinkable and this amount often dwindles during times of drought. Of the 3% much of that fresh water is located within frozen glaciers and other ice formations. The rest of it is located underground. If all the drinkable water in our world disappeared at one time, we would all be dead within a matter of days. To prevent this from happening, we often filter out salt and other minerals to create more fresh water, but it is a process that is costly and time consuming.

Benefits of Conserving Water

Beyond saving the world from certain death, there are a lot of other benefits to putting more effort into water conservation. One of the biggest is the ability to help you save money since most areas charge you for the water that you use in your home. This is because creating more fresh water via treatment facilities is expensive for all areas of the world, but it is also because you can mess up your septic system by using a lot of water and this could cause ground water contamination if it overflows. Other benefits are much larger. It involves saving our aquatic environments and allows us to continue to grow food and raise animals for food.

Reclaimed Water?

One thing many are doing to help conserve fresh water is to reclaim water, but is it really “reclaimed”? Can we drink it safely? The truth is, reclaimed water is wastewater that we use for irrigation. It is clear and odorless but can also be cleaner than the water we have in our wells. There are some areas of the US that are trying to use reclaimed water as a part of the “drinkable” water supply. However, until it is absolutely certain that we can use reclaimed water for drinking and our survival, perhaps you should consider using it as a way to save fresh water around your home. For instance, there are companies like Earth Stone Water that help you decrease the fresh water use around your home. It is done by setting up tanks that catch water, filter it, and turn it into water that you use for landscaping. You save and put water into the ground where it can be filtered further naturally. Is this something you would consider doing?