Earth Share of Washington

Earth Share Notes - December 2004

Monthly perspectives from Earth Share of Washington staff members on activities and trends.

Dear Reader:

Many people feel overwhelmed, paralyzed to act, or simply too discouraged by environmental issues. It may seem impossible for one individual to make an impact on the climate, for instance. In fact, if everyone took a few steps to save energy in their home, or curb greenhouse gas emissions, we could collectively do a great deal to help fight global warming. According to K.C. Golden from Climate Solutions (featured in our CLIMATE CHANGE article, below), "People caused it, people can fix it."

The theme of this month's Earth Page is 'a few simple steps to make a difference.' Please consider taking one small step this month to be more engaged in protecting our health, our children, and our quality of life - all affected by environmental issues. Opportunities abound this month from volunteering, to making conscientious holiday shopping purchases. It might even be as simple as learning more about an issue you care about. See our website for more ideas - www.esw.org.

Never underestimate the power that one inspired individual has to lead others by example.

Happy Holidays!
Dave Manelski
Program Coordinator

Climate Change (Part 2 of 2)

Policy, Action, and Opportunities

University of Washington environmental studies majors Ara Clark and Emily Raforth spent their summer taking part in an Environmental Journalism internship for Earth Share of Washington. Their interest in climate change and environmental ethics stems from their coursework through the Program on the Environment at the UW. This is the second installment of their 2-part series exploring the physical and social implications of climate change in the Pacific Northwest.

After spending part 1 of our series confronting the harsh scientific reality of climate change, in part 2, we wanted to highlight opportunities for businesses, government, and individuals. Our vision for this article is to make climate policy and solutions accessible. We wanted to know what our government is doing to protect our environment and us. What do people need to know about climate change politics? What are some positive solutions to the global warming crisis and what is being done in the Pacific Northwest? What can the average citizen do to make a difference?

For policy information, we approached two Washington congressmen who are actively involved in climate change issues, Jay Inslee (House of Reps - Dist. 1) and Jim McDermott (House of Reps - Dist. 7). Surprisingly, both congressmen lamented that the public is "light years" ahead of policy with respect to climate change.

There appears to be a vicious cycle between public indifference and political inaction. The public trusts that if an issue were serious enough, the government would be doing something about it. Without public pressure and support, the government is reluctant to forge ahead and we are left with a stagnant environmental policy. However, there has been a positive shift within the political arena towards embracing the science and recognizing the opportunity for economic growth and energy independence.

In October of 2003, Senators John McCain (R-Ariz) and Joe Lieberman (D-CT) introduced the bi-partisan Climate Stewardship Act came up for a vote in the U.S. Senate. Although it did not pass, 43 senators supported the McCain-Lieberman bill, demonstrating much greater support than just a few years before.

Congressman Inslee is leading the New Apollo Energy Project, "designed to bring the same type of optimistic and visionary leadership to [the climate change] effort that Kennedy brought to the space race." The New Apollo Project hopes to revolutionize our national energy policy. We spoke to the Congressman over the phone and he explained that, "the three goals [of the Apollo project] are 1) to break our addiction to Middle Eastern oil, 2) to stop, or at least slow down, global climate change, and 3) to grow new high-tech jobs in America rather than in Japan, Denmark, and Germany."

For a non-partisan political opinion, we turned to the advocacy group Climate Solutions, a non-profit organization dedicated to researching and promoting "practical and profitable solutions to the global warming crisis." We spoke with their policy director, K.C. Golden, whose optimistic attitude can be summarized with the mantra, "the climate change issue is big, but not overwhelming. People caused it, people can fix it."

Being a supporter of the Climate Stewardship Act, Golden believes that "a sound energy and climate policy" are essential steps towards a positive solution. Golden's idea of a sound energy policy is based on converting from our fossil fuel-based market, to a clean energy economy with responsible limits on global warming pollution. Golden's advice to policy makers is to "recognize the truth of the science in policy."

Can we really break our fossil fuel addiction, and is it even worth it? Inslee, Golden, and McDermott stressed the potential economic benefits of energy independence and the necessary switch to alternative energy sources. Golden surprised us by saying, "wind is now the fastest growing alternative energy source worldwide. It is cost-competitive with the cheapest fossil fuels." All three spoke of the potential for employment opportunities associated with the growth of alternative energy industries. According to Jay Inslee's official web site, "a 'New Apollo [Energy] Project' would stimulate $1.4 trillion in new gross domestic product (GDP), and add $953 billion in personal income and $323 billion in retail sales. The Northwest is very well positioned to benefit economically from such an initiative."

"Already, energy efficiency and utility incentives have saved the people of the Pacific Northwest $500 million," said Golden. And there is the potential to double this amount.

Despite relatively little action on behalf of the federal government, some states and industries are taking their own initiative to combat the effects of climate change. While we were doing research, news headlines everywhere announced that California approved revolutionary new vehicle emissions standards targeted specifically at reducing global warming. Automakers are already gearing up to repeal the decision that will cut approximately 30% of California's CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions. If all goes as planned, the new standards will go into effect in 2009. California has the nation's largest auto market, accounting for 20% of national sales, making this one of the most important anti-global warming actions on the state level. This forces automakers to comply and will allow smaller states, such as Washington, to mandate similar standards.

Refusing to be passive bystanders, Pacific Northwest ski resorts are banding together to fight climate change that could be the ruin of their industry. The Keep Winter Cool Program is a coalition between the National Resources Defense Council and the National Ski Areas Association designed "to raise visibility and public understanding of global warming and spotlight opportunities that exist right now to start fixing the problem." Skiers, for example, may have the option to purchase Green Tags along with their lift tickets for a few extra dollars. Green Tags are a mechanism by which the purchaser can offset their personal carbon dioxide emissions by investing in alternative energy sources.

So what can the average citizen do? There are so many opportunities to make a difference in the fight against climate change. "For your next car, buy a hybrid. My whole family drives hybrid cars," declared McDermott during our interview. For Golden, "the first step is wasting less." So we compiled our own Top 10 Simple Solutions that individuals can do to help combat climate change.

Top 10 Simple Solutions

1. Support local "green power" through your local utility
2. Modify your transportation - buy a hybrid, carpool/vanpool, walk, bike, use public transportation
3. Support climate policy - be an informed voter, write your elected officials
4. Make your home energy efficient - install triple pane windows, low flow water devices, proper insulation, and long-life light bulbs
5. Spread the word! Educate yourself, your kids, and everyone else
6. Waste less - reduce/reuse/recycle
7. Get Involved - volunteer, find out what people in your community are doing
8. Save water!
9. Support local economies - such as farmers markets
10. Buy Green Tags to offset your personal carbon emissions from driving, flying, etc.

The Pacific Northwest has the potential to be a leader in climate change policy and related industries. We must first dispel the myth that being environmentally responsible is expensive and prohibitive. Rather, it can bring hope and vitality to local communities while addressing a global issue at the same time. Having an emotional and intimate connection to the problem encourages people to make themselves part of the solution.

For more information about how to be part of the solution, please visit the website of Earth Share of Washington organization Climate Solutions - www.climatesolutions.org.

Burnin' the bean

My story about converting to biodiesel
- by Dave Manelski, Earth Page Editor and Earth Share of Washington Program Coordinator

No, this bean burning is not some sort of new recreational drug. In fact, the bean in question is none other than the soybean, and biodiesel is a clean-burning renewable fuel derived from the North American soybean (Glycine max). In keeping with the theme of the December Earth Page on climate change, I would like to share my story of purchasing a new car, one of the ten simple steps mentioned above.

BACKGROUND

Through my work at Earth Share of Washington, I've become acutely aware of the impending climate crisis, and the dangers associated with runaway greenhouse gas emissions.

Instead of falling prey to this impending sense of doom, my wife and I decided to take a proactive step to be a part of the solution. Since automobiles are the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, we wanted to make a conscientious decision about our new car purchase.

Before exploring the options, let me first explain what features we valued in a new car. We wanted a car that fit our lifestyle, that wasn't overly difficult to maintain and refuel anywhere in the country. It had to be big enough to accommodate our two dogs, and sturdy enough to make the occasional ski and camping trip. Finally, it had to limit our greenhouse gas emissions, and reduce our reliance on foreign oil.

Fortunately, there are many "green" options available in the vehicle marketplace today. The perfect storm is brewing to propel alternative fuels and high fuel efficiency vehicles into the mainstream:

1. Oil prices recently surged to record highs due to high demand, political strife, and predictions by renowned economists and scientists that oil production is peaking or will peak in the near future. One thing is certain however; oil is a finite resource.
2. The depressed rural economy has forced farmers to search for new markets for their products.
3. To meet consumer demand for cleaner, more fuel-efficient vehicles, automakers have developed many profitable new technologies, including alternative fuel vehicles and hybrids.
4. New laws are being proposed and enacted to provide incentives for alternative fuels and fuel efficiency.

The are 5 major green car technologies available today - compressed natural gas (CNG), biodiesel, ethanol, fuel cells, and hybrids. All 5 options are designed to either decrease pollution, increase fuel efficiency, or curb carbon dioxide emissions - the primary greenhouse gas. Of them all, CNG is the cleanest burning. It is a popular fuel for fleet vehicles, including Pierce Transit buses, and some Washington taxicabs. However, storing compressed gas has obvious safety concerns, and there are only a few cars on the market that are designed to accept this fuel. Because of the limited availability of vehicles and fuel stations, we quickly ruled out a CNG vehicle. Ethanol is a renewable fuel derived from corn. Although it is clean burning, its production is fairly energy intensive, vehicles need modifications to run ethanol, and it has a limited distribution network. And while fuel cells might be the most promising long-term solution, there are currently no cars available for sale. Why, you ask? Because most fuel cells require hydrogen as fuel, which is not found in its pure form on our planet. Currently, it requires more than twice the energy to produce hydrogen than the fuel cell produces.

DECISIONS DECISIONS...

After ruling out CNG, ethanol, and fuel cells, we were left with two options - biodiesel and hybrids - both excellent green vehicle options, and both readily available. First, a bit about these two:

• Hybrid - Hybrid vehicles run on a gasoline engine and an electric motor. They use batteries to store energy from the engine and recapture the energy of motion when braking, called regenerative braking. These batteries then drive electric motors, which assist the gasoline engine, and allow it to operate more efficiently. Because the energy needed to run a vehicle is recaptured and stored, these vehicles use much less gasoline than their non-hybrid counterparts. There are quite a few hybrid vehicles on the market right now, including popular cars like the Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, Ford Escape SUV, and many others coming soon.
• Biodiesel - While there aren't any biodiesel vehicles per se, biodiesel runs without modifications in any new diesel vehicle, and can be blended with diesel fuel in any mixture. Diesel cars are inherently more efficient that gasoline cars because the fuel holds about 20-30% more energy, resulting in higher miles per gallon. While diesel has a dirty reputation for being smoky, smelly, and loud, biodiesel burns much cleaner, and releases nearly 80% less carbon dioxide. Most North American biodiesel is produced from soybeans and these plants soak up carbon dioxide throughout their lifespan. There is a growing network of fuel distributors around the country, and many diesel vehicles on the market.

We could not have gone wrong with either option. Both offer significant gains in fuel efficiency, multiple vehicle options, ease of maintenance & refueling, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. What ultimately drove our decision was reducing our reliance on foreign oil. Because biodiesel is produced in the U.S., we would be supporting U.S. farmers instead of shipping our money overseas, and supporting an oil infrastructure that threatens the environment in many different ways - from oil spills to arctic drilling.

In October of this year, my wife and I purchased a 2005 Volkswagen Passat Wagon TDI (diesel). We buy B100 (100%) biodiesel from a station in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood - Dr. Dan's FuelWerks (www.fuelwerks.com). Although biodiesel costs more than conventional diesel and gasoline, it's worth every penny to feel confident that we are part of the solution to mitigate the effects of climate change. As an aside, the first biodiesel tax incentive was signed into federal law in October, promising to grow this blossoming industry, and reduce prices at the pump.

GREEN CARS FOR EVERYONE

The most important lesson that I learned in my research is that there are dozens of green vehicle options for every lifestyle. In the 1970's, fuel efficiency was associated with small cars and dirty diesels. Today, green vehicles are available in all shapes and sizes, from SUVs, to pickup trucks, to station wagons, like our Passat. Alternative fuels that were once hard to find, and on the fringe of eco-lifestyle, are now widely available. In fact, the largest consumer of biodiesel in Washington is King County Metro, who recently adopted the use of a biodiesel blend in all their buses.

Burnin' the bean is hardly a new drug, but it sure is addictive!

RESOURCES

Green Car Congress
www.greencarcongress.com

BiodieselNow
www.biodieselnow.org

National Biodiesel Board
www.biodiesel.org

Puget Sound Clean Cities Coalition
www.pugetsoundcleancities.org

Dalco Passage Oil Spill Wildlife Response

- by Mary Schilder from PAWS Wildlife Rehabilitation Center

After receiving word of a large oil spill in Dalco Passage this October, PAWS Wildlife Center immediately prepared its hospital facility to provide emergency care for oiled wildlife. PAWS staff and volunteers monitored a 1-800 line that was put in place by the State Department of Fish and Wildlife to receive calls about oiled wildlife. The wildlife center was reconfigured in anticipation of an influx of affected animals. Fortunately, very few animals appeared to have been oiled in the spill, so a large influx never came.

PAWS did receive a few victims, including a Western grebe, that was first stabilized at a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife mobile oil response unit before being sent on to the wildlife center. Shortly after arriving at PAWS, the grebe was washed to remove all traces of oil from his feathers. Watch the video. Following this thorough cleaning, the staff reintroduced whole fish to the grebe and then placed him in an indoor, enclosed pool where he furiously preened his feathers to rebuild the waterproofing crucial to survival in an aquatic environment.

The staff continued to give the grebe proper nutrition to restore his weight, then re-acclimated him to the natural elements in an outdoor pool and monitored him closely to ensure successful waterproofing. At the end of this rehabilitation process, the grebe was given a clean bill of health. It was time for him to go home. On October 25th, the grebe was released back into the chilly Puget Sound waters where he belonged-free as a bird should be.

1.5 million Americans Send Mandate to Forest Service to Protect Roadless Areas

- submitted by Tom Uniack from Earth Share of Washington organization Washington Wilderness Coalition

Diverse Local Coalition Energizes Washington Citizens during public comment period

Four months after the U.S. Forest Service proposed a controversial plan to effectively repeal protections for nearly 60 million acres of roadless federal forests, the comment period closed with a bang.

Nationwide, more than 1.5 million Americans weighed in to oppose the plan, supporting the existing protections for roadless forests that were put into place in 2001. In Washington State, alone, more than 60,000 citizens wrote, faxed or e-mailed their comments into the Forest Service. Washington's total is expected to be as high as the third largest of any state.

The Forest Service's proposal fails to guarantee existing protections for two million acres of wild and roadless national forest land located in Washington State. If finalized, the proposal would require governors to petition the U.S. Forest Service to "re-protect" national forest roadless areas located in their state.

The original Roadless Rule was finalized in January 2001 after years of scientific study, 600 local public meetings. The balanced policy protects 58.5 million acres of national forests across the country, while allowing temporary road construction in order to fight wildfires, ensure public safety, and protect forest health. Roadless areas provide habitat for more than 1,600 threatened and endangered species and safe and clean drinking water for 60 million Americans.

In Washington a local coalition of sportsmen, religious leaders, businesses, recreational users and conservationists capped off an impressive visibility and grassroots campaign with three-quarter-page ads in the Seattle Post Intelligencer and Seattle P-I.

Washington Wilderness Coalition led the diverse coalition which included Cascade Chapter of Sierra Club, Washington Trails Association, The Mountaineers, Trout Unlimited, Washington Wildlife, Republicans for Environmental Protection the Outdoor Industry Association and the Washington Association of Churches.

To learn more about the Roadless Forest issue visit Washington Wilderness Coalition's web site at http://www.wawild.org/.

In Brief: Safe and Active Routes to School, ShoreWatch Program at Raab's Lagoon

Safe and Active Routes to School - Volunteers Needed
One priority of the Bicycle Alliance, a statewide advocacy organization, is to get more children in Washington State biking and walking to school. Fewer automobiles heading towards and queuing up in school drop off zones would significantly improve the air quality in any neighborhood with a school. Additionally, the more active the mode of transportation taken (think biking and walking), the more health benefits accorded to the children. That said, the Bicycle Alliance has been able to partner with a few state agencies on a project to assist schools in their efforts to encourage parents and others to stop driving children to school.

With support from the Department of Health and the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, the Bicycle Alliance has begun a Safe and Active Routes to School program at schools around the state. The project will mean more children will be able to choose the healthier - for themselves and the environment - habit of actively getting to and from school.

The Bicycle Alliance is fortunate to have "safe routes" financial partners but it will also need help from people with the time and energy to make this happen. Volunteers are needed! Would you like to help a school near you develop a Safe & Active Routes to School program? Available to interested schools is technical assistance as well as mini-grants. For more information and to sign up to help, contact Dave Janis at davej@bicyclealliance.org or 206.784.7176.

ShoreWatch Program comes to Raab's Lagoon
Maury Island residents gathered in a neighbors living room on a late summer morning, for a passionate conversation about living on Raab's Lagoon. Earth Share of Washington organization People For Puget Sound gathered the neighborhood together to discuss preserving the natural shoreline of Raab's Lagoon, and protecting the wildlife that call it home.

When asked "What is your favorite wildlife sighting on Raab's Lagoon?" residents shared stories demonstrating their love for their home on the water. The conversations included a desire to care for the lagoon's health, including questions about best approaches for saving the lagoon and preventing tidal erosion of the dam at the lagoon's outlet to Quartermaster Harbor.

The neighborhood gathering was held as part of People For Puget Sound's ShoreWatch Program. Based on the successful "Block Watch" program, ShoreWatch involves neighbors working, learning (and playing!) together to address shoreline protection and restoration. If you live on or near shorelines and would like to host stewardship events in your neighborhood please contact Mary Beth Dols or Daoud Miller at 206-382-7007, visit www.pugetsound.org/shorewatch, or email shorewatch@pugetsound.org.