Springtime Science: Earth Day

Earth Day is celebrated every April to remind us of the need for environmental awareness. Astronomers may have discovered thousands of rocky planets but there is only one Earth & our only home for the foreseeable future. You need only look outside your window to appreciate the diversity of life. Take a moment out of your busy, stress filled day to simply pause, observe, reflect and admire how important our world is to us.

For science inclined, folding pocket magnifiers are handy tools for studying & identifying bugs and plants in their natural habitats. They are a natural tool if you are researching Earth-environment day project ideas. One of our customers, Natural Resources Solutions Inc. took this one step further by having us custom imprint their logo on 10X doublet loupes to make them into unique branded gifts for their employees. Read more about them in their own words.

2018 was a great year for Natural Resource Solutions Inc. Our Waterloo-based consulting company was celebrating its 20^th anniversary and moving to a much larger office. We needed some exciting swag to hand out as a thank-you to our hard-working staff. We were searching for something attractive, thoughtful and practical. Something that people would want to hang on to, and we wanted to have our logo on it. A branded 10X loupe (magnifier) from Indigo Instruments met our requirements.

At NRSI, we are biologists with expertise in aquatic, terrestrial and wetland biology. Throughout the year, our 45 full-time and 20+ co-op and contract staff are in the field, river or forests studying wild plant and animal species, and undertaking habitat rehabilitation, construction monitoring, natural resource management and renewable energy development. The logo-embossed, 10 x 23mm doublet loupe was an item that would serve both as a keepsake and as a useful tool for fieldwork.

Biologist Pat Deacon provides this input:

“A loupe is a tool of the trade for botanists allowing for close inspection of minute features and textures of a plant which are key to an accurate species identification. The loupes we received from Indigo are high quality and a meaningful contribution to the work we do everyday.”

Like NRSI, Indigo Instruments is a local independent company & they were very pleased with our responsive service, quick delivery, and the quality of the product.

Earth Day Activities for Schools

Field trips require planning & cooperation from the weather. So, why not build a simple terrarium & make every day Earth Day in your classroom? All you need is a large flask with a cork stopper, perhaps some long forceps, a magnifier & you’re good to go. This compact & self-contained environment can support plants & with a bit of creativity animals (insects, worms, etc.) as well. Study your unique ecosystem at your leisure & record your observations. A great exercise for the budding scientist.