First and foremost, it is important to not place yourself into harm's way. If you discover what appears to be a hazardous material, or if you encounter someone actually polluting, dumping a substance, or engaged in an activity you feel may be illegal, call 911. Keep yourself at a safe distance and avoid the temptation to investigate. Try to note any characteristics or information about the person or material and report it to the authorities.

If you find an environmental condition that isn't immediately life threatening but is concerning, please call Washtenaw County Environmental Health at 734-222-3800 and file a complaint.

Leon Moore, Environmental Health Administrator

What's the face of climate change? Perhaps an image of extreme weather? Or, you might envision the face of a small child in the developing world.

Today is Earth Day. The first Earth Day occurred on April 22, 1970, organized as a “national teach-in on the crisis of the environment.” It was proposed by Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson. He made his announcement to the U.S. Senate and it appeared in the October 8, 1969, Congressional Record. (Here’s a story about the origin and current breadth of this worldwide holiday.)

This week’s main question is: Forty-three years later, where do we stand on the environment? Please, leave a comment below. As you consider your response, here’s more information to get you thinking.

The event will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. Monday and participants are asked to meet in the nature area parking lot, just off Fuller Road across from Huron High School.

It’s time for one of the most popular OurValues series of the year: Our forecast of Top Values Issues for 2013. Care to flash back one year? Here’s the start of our 2012 series, but — to save you time — I’ll cut to the bottom line: Last year, extreme weather was on the back burner. Until …

Until—Hurricane Sandy slammed into the East Coast and New York City’s politically neutral mayor endorsed President Obama for re-election, explaining that Obama seemed more likely to help the nation cope with extreme weather.

And in January 2013? It just snowed several inches in Jerusalem. Jan. 7 was the hottest day in Australian recorded history. Beijing is locked in sub-zero cold. Brazil has experienced an all-time heat record. The list of extreme weather goes on and on (which you can see here).

Is climate change for real?

Arriving in the world just in time for 2013, Geethanjali Mathias and the rest of the children in Washtenaw County hope you will consider a green New Year’s resolution or two this year.

Here are 15 New Year's resolutions for a greener 2013:

• Safety services and utility operations will maintain 24-hour schedules.

• Trash and recycling will not be picked up on Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2012, or Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2013, due to the holidays. Solid waste collections will be delayed one day both weeks, and occur Wednesday through Saturday.

• Recycle Ann Arbor’s Drop-off Station at 2950 E. Ellsworth will be closed on Christmas Day and New Year's Day.

Although we strive to be green, no one wants to give up their new electronic gadget, visit to Grandma in Florida, Secret Santa exchange, Christmas tree, or Hanukkah bash, but the environmental cost of such luxuries can be mitigated through mindful choices that reduce waste and fossil fuel consumption during the holidays.

Here are 10 suggestions for being greener during the holidays:

1. Get to chopping your tannenbaum
Unless you plan to reuse an artificial Christmas tree for 20 years or more, or you drive hundreds of miles to chop the perfect, wild fir, a “real” tree is the sustainable choice. Farmed Christmas trees fix carbon during the growth phase, provide wildlife habitat, support local jobs and economies, and can be recycled, while the production, importation and disposal of plastic trees generates harmful pollutants. With Michigan ranking third in Christmas tree production, local farms offer a wide variety of live conifers, some organically grown. You might also choose a living potted tree which can later be planted on your property, donated or given away. In Washtenaw County, cut trees can be left in a secluded corner of the yard for wildlife habitat, or they can be dropped off for recycling through Jan. 31 at:

1.Once again the parking lot adjacent to the Drop-off Station at 2950 E. Ellsworth near Platt Road will be available for 24/7 holiday evergreen tree drop-off.

Three park locations have been added this year to provide more local recycling options for city residents. These sites are available during normal park visitation hours from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. The collected trees will be chipped on a weekly basis at the park sites. The park locations for Christmas tree drop-offs are:

Mary Mathias is a Media Outreach Coordinator for Washtenaw County, reporting on environmental topics for NPR’s “Issues of the Environment” program on WEMU 89.1 and AnnArbor.com. She can be reached at mathiasm@ewashtenaw.org.

Macabre superstitions have given bats a shuddersome reputation. Dark, ominous, and spooky, they are iconic emblems of Halloween, but according to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) our fears are unfounded. Rather than fear bats we should be afraid for them.

White Nose Syndrome (WNS) — a fatal fungal infection that decimates bat colonies during hibernation — is likely to arrive in Michigan sometime this winter. Although no infected bats have been detected in the state so far, WNS was discovered in Ohio bats earlier this year, less than 150 miles from Washtenaw County. Diseased bats were also found in Ontario, Canada in 2010.

With WNS on our doorstep, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment (MDNRE) is asking Michigan residents to report any encounters with bats that are showing symptoms of WNS or behaving oddly. Here's what to look for:

• flying in the daytime during winter
• difficulty flying
• white fuzz on the face or wings
• six or more dead or dying bats near a hibernaculum, such as a cave or mine

Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis) Illustration by Mary Mathias The Indiana bat is the only endangered mammal in Washtenaw County. The advent of the WNS epidemic threatens to extirpate Indiana bats from Michigan, and they may become extinct.

Observations should be reported online or called in to the MDNRE Wildlife Disease Laboratory at 517-336-5030.