Earth Share of Washington

Stopping Global Warming through Environmentally-Minded Economic Development

- by Patrick Mazza from Earth Share of Washington member Climate Solutions

Greenhouse gases are a good thing in proper measure. Existing as trace elements in the atmosphere, they create a heat-trapping blanket that makes life on Earth possible. But too much of a good thing turns into its opposite. Humans are now thickening the blanket, primarily through greenhouse emissions released in the burning of coal, oil and gas. The result is a warming climate. 2002 was the second warmest year on record, and 2003 is on its tail.

The good news is that we can reduce greenhouse emissions. The critical need is new energy sources. Some people object to moving in this direction, claiming it will damage the economy. Earth Share of Washington member Climate Solutions takes the opposite approach: Development of clean energy technologies represents a staggeringly large economic opportunity. Those who step out in the lead will prosper mightily in coming decades. Climate Solutions is building alliances to make the Northwest a clean energy leader. The effort has two thrusts.

One goes under the banner of "Clean Energy=Economic Opportunity." The goal is to build a Silicon Valley-like clean energy cluster in the Northwest capable of exporting technologies throughout the world. The region already has an impressive line-up of companies in the field. In 2001, Climate Solutions assembled a consortium of Northwest utilities and economic development agencies to commission a global market analysis, Poised for Profit, which concluded the region could have 32,000 people working in clean energy technologies by 2020 with proper policy support. The report is available at www.climatesolutions.com. A report on one of the most promising areas of energy technology, the use of information technology to improve energy efficiency and integrate new clean energy resources, The Smart Energy Network: Electricity's Third Great Revolution, will be available in early June. To learn more contact joelle@climatesolutions.org.

The second major thrust is harvesting clean energy. Climate Solutions is building the Harvesting Clean Energy Network of Northwest farm groups, rural development organizations, public utilities and clean energy advocates to realize the rural Northwest's potential to generate clean energy including windpower, biofuels and bio-gas. This is a win-win for both the environment and for jobs and new revenues in areas that greatly need them. The Network gained a victory in the past legislature with passage of four bills aimed at building biofuels markets and production in Washington State. Overwhelming support from both sides of the aisle confirms that environmentally-oriented economic development is an all around winner. Sign up for the Harvesting Clean Energy E-Bulletin to stay abreast, peter@climatesolutions.org.

The Northwest has a huge stake in climate protection. Our forests, salmon, rivers and mountain snowpack depend on a stable climate. Fortunately, we can act and make a globally significant contribution by creating a new, climate-friendly energy industry, and in the process build a new tech sector that could eventually rival software and aerospace in size. Climate Solutions is fully engaged in bringing about this win-win for global climate and the regional economy.

Low Impact Development: A Promising Stormwater Strategy

- submitted by Jim Dawson from ESW member People For Puget Sound

The beauty and bounty of Puget Sound has attracted millions of people to make this region their home. This continuing population growth, accompanied by suburban sprawl, has been the driving force in the urbanization of watersheds throughout the region. Stormwater, runoff from streets, parking lots, roofs, and other surfaces, is a major threat to stream habitat and the health of Puget Sound.

In pristine watersheds the forest floor acts like a sponge, absorbing rainwater, and either the roots of plants and trees suck it up or it slowly trickles into the ground, feeding wetlands and streams such that water levels rise and fall slowly.

As the land is cleared of trees, the soil is compacted and covered with impervious surfaces, such as rooftops and pavement. Stormwater quickly runs off the land and into wetlands, lakes, and streams. These large volumes of fast moving water can power-wash streams of critical salmon habitat and erode stream banks. As more water runs off the land, less is filtering into ground water, causing streams to dry up in the summer and threatening our drinking water supply. As water runs off impervious surfaces it picks up pollutants such as pesticides, animal waste from lawns, oil, grease, heavy metals, dirt and dust. This runoff has emerged as one of the largest sources of pollution in Puget Sound, contributing to restricted shellfish harvesting, un-swimmable waterways, and dwindling fish and orca whale populations.

Low Impact Development (LID) is a blend of measures that includes conservation, minimization of impacts, maintaining historic, pre-developed runoff rates, integrated management practices, and pollution prevention techniques. Together, these form a holistic approach to site design and stormwater management that better protects the environment, often costs less, and improves our quality of life.

While you may not be in the market for a new LID home, the beauty of low impact development techniques is that there are opportunities, big and small, to get involved both in your home and in your community:

In Your Home:

• Landscape with native plants, or re-plant partly with native evergreen trees.
• Add soil amendments to your lawn: www.soilsforsalmon.org.
• Install a rooftop rainwater harvesting system: www.rdrop.com/users/krishna/rainwatr.htm
• Consider re-roofing with a green roof: www.greenroofs.com

In Your Community:

• Participate in your local land use planning process at the county and city level.
• Propose a stormwater ordinance to your city or county council that removes barriers to Low Impact Development. (For a draft ordinance contact Jim Dawson at (360) 754-9177 jdawson@pugetsound.org)

Staying on the Leading Edge

- by William Borden, Earth Share of Washington Executive Director

"I don't get it," sighed the culinary student, "I've tried everything, but I can't seem to find the technique!"

"Perhaps," said the instructor discreetly, "you should sharpen your knife."

So it is with organizations. Earth Share of Washington honed the knife recently by adopting a new mission statement and a new strategic plan.

Until recently, Earth Share of Washington's (ESW) sole purpose was to raise and disburse money to support the environmental programs of its member organizations. Then, beginning in 2001, ESW staff and board members conducted in-depth interviews with 19 CEOs and community affairs directors in companies throughout King County. We heard the following perceptions about environmental organizations:

• they do not respond to human needs
• they're out of touch with local communities
• they're too narrowly focused
• their missions and programs too often overlap
• they're elitist and lack socioeconomic diversity
• they don't relate to business needs.

An unfortunate chasm of mistrust and misinformation divides these two sectors. How can the conservation community build credibility and trust with people in business? As this state's principal liaison between the environmental community and workplace employees, Earth Share of Washington intends to do something about it.

To help build bridges between conservation organizations and community, Earth Share of Washington re-structured its board, altered its mission and adopted a strategic plan, all within the past year. The plan capitalizes on our existing relationships with the business community. Simply put, we propose to motivate and inspire employees to care for the environment, and to do something positive to help.

So, if funding permits, we intend to embark on an outreach program, in which Earth Share of Washington will link Puget Sound area corporations with leading conservation and environmental organizations. What would employees find useful and engaging ... conservation breakfasts? Lunchtime presentations? Volunteer work parties?

What are your ideas?

At Earth Share of Washington, a dull knife doesn't cut it. We intend to stay on the leading edge, and we will keep you apprised of this program periodically in The Earth Page. Let us know your thoughts at eswinformation@esw.org.

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