Earth Share of Washington

2008 Pro Bike / Pro Walk Conference

Hundreds of people dedicated to developing and supporting bicycle and pedestrian friendly communities will convene to meet others and learn from experts on a wide range of topics at the 2008 Pro Bike / Pro Walk conference, sponsored by the City of Seattle and the Bicycle Alliance of Washington.

The Westin Seattle will be the headquarters for the September 2-5, 2008 event. Attendees have opportunities to get out and see first-hand examples of the facilities and programs that are making Seattle and the Puget Sound models for the roles bicycling and walking can play in our 21st century communities. Seattle is the only American city to host the conference twice; the Puget Sound region is recognized for making progress and leading other regions in efforts to support community bicycle and pedestrian programs, and the National Center for Walking and Bicycling is calling out the region by again hosting the conference here. In particular, the City of Seattle’s creation and plans to implement a Bicycle Master Plan has drawn national attention.
Conference participants include bicycle, pedestrian, active living and climate change advocates, elected and appointed officials, bicycle and pedestrian specialists, transportation experts, land-use planners, safe routes to school coordinators, public health practitioners, and many more who want to make our cities and communities more walkable and bicycle-friendly places.

To learn more about this conference, visit the National Center for Biking and Walking website. Conference registration is on-line.

And even if you miss registration, you still have an opportunity to attend by helping as a volunteer. The Bicycle Alliance is one of the hosts, and coordinating volunteers for a variety of roles. Contact the Bicycle Alliance of Washington at www.bicyclealliance.org or Board member King Cushman at k-kcushman@comcast.net

Puget Sound's Spring Clean Report

The Problem with Litter
Litter is more than unsightly. Animals can mistake small bits of plastic for food. In addition, discarded nets, and rope can ensnare or strangle wildlife. This is the same problem that has created the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” - an area in the central North Pacific Ocean halfway between California and Japan that accumulates incredible amounts of floating trash. This patch is said to be the size of Texas, and growing.

These bits of plastic do not biodegrade, instead they photo-degrade, which means that sunlight helps break them down into smaller and smaller bits of plastic that enter the food chain. To add to the problem, plastic also lasts decades or longer in the environment. The Puget Soundkeeper’s Alliance (PSA) volunteers and partners are stepping in to make a difference.

The most popular projects for businesses, school groups or clubs involve a waterway cleanup. Our waterways are collection points for all types of solid waste in addition to toxic stormwater runoff. Cleaning up trash is something that anyone can do, and the sight of a large pile of debris that has been removed from a waterway is very rewarding at the end of the day.

Sponsored by institutions as diverse as the Port of Everett, AVEDA and Gary Manuel Salons, Safeco, and Washington Mutual, the early months of 2008 saw an unprecedented interest in cleanup projects from area businesses, organizations and clubs.

Click here for upcoming volunteer events to keep the sound clean.

Featured Business - Responsibility: McKinstry's sustainability

When presidential candidate Barack Obama visited the Northwest in February, he toured McKinstry and called the company a leader in the “green economy.” Companies routinely hire “sustainability coordinators” and give them authority in corporate decision-making. From time to time, Earth Share of Washington will highlight these companies, and the steps they take to practice what they preach.

Long before “LEED” and “green” were haphazardly spoken buzzwords, before energy prices were rapidly rising, Seattle building contractor McKinstry was creating efficient and long-lasting products. In the last 50 years, McKinstry has grown out of its humble roots: from a plumber to a national leader in building services and Washington CEO Magazine’s “#1 Best Company To Work For.” Throughout its lifetime, McKinstry Company has understood that designing, building, and maintaining a structure to perform efficiently for generations simply makes good business sense. “There is a company culture here that has been devoted to highly efficient and sustainable buildings since before words were around to describe it,” says Ash Awad, McKinstry’s Vice President of Energy.

“Our engineers are focused on total cost of ownership driven decisions that consider the longevity of the solutions we are recommending, “says Awad. “We’re trying to outfit buildings with technologies that won’t be obsolete in five years.” McKinstry began retrofitting buildings for higher energy efficiency more than ten years ago, around the time that the company adopted the slogan, “For the Life of Your Building.”

The clean and efficient technologies implemented into today’s buildings vary depending on the location of the structure, according to Awad. “Solar Photovoltaics make more sense where tax incentives are in effect. Biomass energy is not applicable in a downtown corridor, but works well in rural areas. Passive solar could be widely used in many buildings.” Many of McKinstry’s latest technology research and development efforts are geared toward how and where LED (lighting) technology will be beneficial, and the use of advance building remote monitoring systems that can reduce building energy. They are also looking at thermal storage systems, which store heat through electricity that is generated at night (when it is less costly) for use during the day. Awad does not gloss over the risks associated with some new technologies, however, stating, “new technology with no proven track record that is difficult to maintain can create significant inefficiencies, so we need to be careful.”

With the passing of Washington’s Green Jobs bill, and the market for energy services growing daily, Awad believes that good competition will be healthy. In his opinion, “as we formulate green jobs, we should be thinking about new efficiency standards—about the highest possible standards of how buildings and businesses perform, not just how they’re being built.”

Read more at Climate Solutions