Earth Share of Washington

Earth Saving Tips for Summer - Water Conservation

Water Conservation in and around your home helps to keep more water in our rivers and streams, ensuring the health of our fish and wildlife. Although resevoir levels in Western Washington are relatively high, this year's snowpack is all but gone, nearly a month ahead of a normal year. Snowfall this past winter was well below average, heightening the risk of a late summer drought. The possibility of a late season drought might have some people worried, but poses a far greater risk to migrating salmon, as witnessed by the massive salmon die-off on the Klamath River in Oregon last year. The good news is that there are many steps that you can take to conserve water, and most of them are really easy!

Inside Your House:
Did you know that bathroom facilities claim nearly 75% of the water used inside your home?

• Verify that your home is leak free. Many homes have hidden water leaks. Read your water meter before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used. If the meter does not read exactly the same, there is a leak.
• Repair dripping faucets by replacing washers. If your faucet is dripping at a rate of one drop per second, you can expect to waste 2,700 gallons per year. This adds to the cost of water and sewer utilities and adds to your water bill.
• Retrofit all household faucets by installing aerators with flow restrictors to slow the flow of water.
• Install a toilet dam or displacement device such as a bag or bottle to cut down on the amount of water needed for each flush. Be sure installation does not interfere with the operating parts. When purchasing new or replacement toilets, consider low-volume units which use less than half the water of older models. In many areas, low-volume units are required by local building codes.
• Take shorter showers. Replace your showerhead with an ultra-low-flow version. Some units are available that allow you to cut off the flow without adjusting the water temperature knobs.
• Operate automatic dishwashers and clothes washers only when they are fully loaded. Set the water level for the size of load you are using.

In The Yard:

• Instead of cleaning off driveways and patios with the hose, use a broom instead.
• If you have a lawn and sprinkler system, adjust sprinklers so only the lawn is watered and not the house, sidewalk, or street. Do not water on windy days. Check and maintain your sprinkler system regularly. A heavy rain means you don't have to water at all. Teach the family how to turn off an automatic sprinkler system in case a storm comes up during the sprinkling cycle.
• Water your lawn every third day (or go for "the golden look" and never water). Always water during the cool time of the day to minimize evaporation. Early morning is best, and the peak water consumption hours (4 p.m. - 9 p.m.) should be avoided.
• Minimize grass areas in your yard because less grass means less water demand. Replace with low-water use landscaping.
• Buy a rain gauge to determine how much rain or irrigation your yard has received.
• When mowing, raise the blade on your lawn mower to at least three inches high, or to its highest level. Closely-cut grass makes the roots work harder, requiring more water. Also, use a mulching mower to leave grass clippings on the lawn.
• Using a layer of mulch around plants reduces evaporation and promotes plant growth. Water-retaining basins also allow water to be concentrated around the plants.

By implementing just a few of the water saving tips, you can make a huge difference in your water consumption, and save a few salmon in the process. Imagine the impact of water conservation if everyone participated!

Environmental Education in Washington State

- by Liz Banse from ESW member Washington Foundation for the Environment

Summer is here and high school graduates have tossed their hats high in the air. While there is much to celebrate, debates over education funding point to a crisis in education. One part of every public school student's education that must be protected is environmental education curricula.

Washington's environmental education programs are nationally renowned for their quality. Our schools have practiced "environmental education" since the 1950's. Back then, "environmental education" meant an annual field trip to a park or outdoor residential center. In 1985, the state legislature requested the appointment of a task force to assess the needs and status of environmental education in the state. This led to passage of legislation requiring schools to provide environmental education. In 1990 the State Board of Education expanded the law to require environmental education at all grade levels in an interdisciplinary format. This act catapulted our state to the national forefront in environmental education.

One nationally award-winning environmental education curriculum developed in this state more than ten years ago, and now involving more than 600 schools, is called "Salmon in the Classroom." This program teaches students about water quality and habitat issues. Students raise salmon in their classrooms and learn about relationships between species and explore conditions within a given watershed.

The benefits of environmental education go beyond raising environmental awareness. Students in environmental education programs "earn higher grades and score better [on standardized tests] in reading, writing and math," according to a study conducted in 1998 by the State Education and Environment Roundtable (SEER). The SEER study also revealed that these students had fewer attendance, attitude and discipline problems than their peers in traditional classrooms.

It has not always been smooth sailing for environmental education in this state. Public funding for environmental education has been criticized. Several years ago, an Arizona-based anti-environmental education activist, Michael Sanera, backed by the Competitive Enterprise Institute, began working locally with the Evergreen Freedom Foundation to undermine our state-funded environmental education programs. In response, a coalition of civic organizations, the education and environmental communities, parents and public officials formed a group called Citizens for Environmental Education to protect the laws requiring environmental education in the public schools.

As our region goes through cycles of water shortages, species loss and other environmental dilemmas, it is even more crucial that our populace has the ability to understand complex environmental issues. Strong environmental education programs will deliver this skill to the next generation of environmental stewards.

Historical information on environmental education in Washington State provided by Audubon Washington.

The Washington Foundation for the Environment supports environmental education and innovative projects focused on environmental awareness. (www.wffe.org)

Learning to Leave No Trace on Puget Sound Shorelines

- by Indi McCasey from ESW member Washington Water Trails Association

In an effort to promote low impact sea kayak camping, the Washington Water Trails Association (WWTA) offered a Leave No Trace (LNT) Trainer Workshop to members and volunteers on June 14th and 15th. Nine kayakers earned certifications as LNT Trainers during a two-day, overnight course at the Cascadia Marine Trail Site on Blake Island. This followed the spring release of the booklet and curriculum by the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics on skills and ethics specific to sea kayaking.

Ranging in age from 25 to 65, the group taught each other the seven Leave No Trace Principles: Plan Ahead and Prepare, Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces, Dispose of Waste Properly, Leave What You Find, Minimize Campfire Impacts, Respect Wildlife and Be Considerate of Other Visitors. Connie Davis, the LNT State Advocate for Washington, fielded questions such as: What do we do with the drained spaghetti water? Answer: Strain it with a screen to be packed out, then disperse the remaining liquid below the high tide line.

WWTA plans to offer future LNT trainings to spread the word about how paddlers can reduce their impact on our local aquatic environments.

For more information visit www.lnt.org and www.wwta.org.

How will you light your home?

- by Lisa Noble from ESW member NW Energy Coalition

When you flip the light switch at your home or work place, do you wonder where the power comes from? The energy sources used to create our electricity make a real difference to our lives, our future and our planet. Poor choices over the past several years have resulted in soaring bills for utility customers.

Planning for the future. Puget Sound Energy's proposal for meeting its customers' future energy needs is presented in what's called a least-cost plan. In 2002, about 31 percent of the electricity Puget Sound Energy (PSE) sent its retail customers was generated from coal, 20 percent came from plants fueled by natural gas, and 46 percent came from hydroelectric power. Very little came from non-hydro renewable sources, like wind, or from conservation.

Time to diversify. Hydropower is unpredictable, due to variable water levels, and constantly pits power generation against the survival of salmon and other endangered wildlife. Natural gas prices are highly unstable. Coal is an ecological disaster from cradle to grave: It must be dug up, transported to a power plant, burned (releasing a wide range of toxins), and then disposed of as dangerous ash.

The good news. PSE's least-cost plan calls for increasing the ratio of non-hydro renewable energy - currently less than 1 percent of its supply mix -- to 5 to 10 percent by 2013. This is certainly a step in the right direction. Protecting customers over the long term requires a diversified pool of energy resources to draw from, including the kinds of energy efficiency measures that helped keep the lights on in Washington during the 2001 energy crisis. PSE will decide its future level of energy efficiency in August.

See Upcoming Events (below) for further details on a PSE hearing scheduled for Monday, July 21.

For more information, please visit www.nwenergy.org or email lisa@nwenergy.org

Job Seekers List

Email: agarzon@esw.org

Are you looking for a non-profit job in the Puget Sound region? You're in luck! ESW's own Campaign Director Ana Garzon maintains a non-profit job seekers email list. She sends out job opportunities via email as soon as she receives them. If you would like to join this list, please email Ana (agarzon@esw.org) with your name and email address to signup.