earth day 2016
inspire act educate
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b a i n b r i d g e i s l a n d r e v i e w n o r t h k i t s a p h e r a l d
2 | EARTH DAY 2016 | TREAD MORE LIGHTLY
Random acts of green-ness
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PUBLIC DOMAIN
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BY KARI PELAEZ
have always loved being outside in Nature. Salt water, giant cedars, mossy ceilings, and barnacle-y rocks were an integral part of my childhood.
I have raised my children to love trips to the beach at low tide and walks on dirt trails which, in my opinion, are part of growing up in the Pacific Northwest. I always considered myself a lover of the environment and nature but not necessarily in an active “I’m an environmentalist” way. I became involved at Stillwaters Environmental Center in Kingston through a Watershed Camp that my son Charlie and his best friend Ben attended, where they thoroughly immersed themselves in the science, the beauty and the environment of Stillwaters. A couple years later, in 2006, I joined the staff at Stillwaters as an AmeriCorps intern. It
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was then that I started calling myself an Accidental Enviromentalist. As I learned about environmentalism, conservation, and sustainability at Stillwaters, I began to realize that, without trying, I was an environmentalist. For example, as a busy single parent of two young boys, we had a lot of dirty clothes in the hamper. And, mostly because of time and energy limits, I always did large, full loads of laundry. I was saving water and resources — how GREEN of me. I grew up experiencing environmentalist strategies without knowing it. When I was young, my dad was a frequent shopper at secondhand stores around the city. He brought home a lot of excit-
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ing finds before it was cool to go thrifting or before the term “vintage” was used in a way other than to describe wine. To this day, I still like to lurk around Goodwill or an antique mall in the hopes of finding a treasure to repurpose. Reduce, reuse, repurpose — sounds like an environmentalist to me. I suspect other people may be doing accidental acts of environmentalism as well. Do you use cloth napkins because they are aesthetically more pleasing or cost less than paper napkins? Are you compulsive about turning out lights? Do you scoop your pup’s poop (please say yes)? See PELAEZ, Page 3
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TREAD MORE LIGHTLY | EARTH DAY 2016 | 3
Reduce our planet’s burden T
he average person generates 4.3 pounds of waste per day, up from 1.6 pounds in 1960, according to a Duke University study. And according to the U.S. Environmental ProtectionAgency, approximately 55 percent of the 220 million tons of waste generated each year in the United States ends up in one of the more than 3,500 landfills. Solid-waste landfills are the secondlargest source of human-related methane
emissions in the United States. You can reduce your contributions to landfills by making a phone call or clicking on a mouse. The Kitsap County Public Works Department website, www.kitsapgov.com/ sw/recycle.asp, lists places that accept: Ammunition, explosives and fireworks; appliances, audio equipment, automotive equipment and vehicles; batteries, bicycles, bilge water; cameras and camera film, common household recyclables, con-
struction and demolition debris; electronics, flourescent lights, fixtures, glass; grease and oil, hazardous waste, metals; outdoor household items, pallets, paper, plastic; sharps, Styrofoam, tanks, and textiles. Many of these items can be recycled, restored or repurposed. Make the call and help keep these items out of our landfills. The earth that sustains us will appreciate it.
Pelaez
ite shoes? Does the thought of wasting kitchen scraps send shivers down your spine? I think you might be an Accidental Environmentalist. The thing is, regardless of your motivation, you are already doing something wonderful for the environment. If any of the above sounds like you, perhaps, you may want to take your quirky habits a
step further and make some conscious decisions to do better for the environment. You can create a small compost area for the kitchen scraps, or save them for a friend with chickens. Turn some of your grass lawn into drought-tolerant plants. Find a tutorial on how to fix the broken toaster. It can be simple to be an Accidental
Continued from page 2 Maybe you don’t keep your lawn perfectly manicured and plush in the summer — that’s OK, you’re saving water. Do you attempt to fix things rather than replace them? Do you long to find the perfect cobbler to re-sole your favor-
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Environmentalist. You may already be one. — Kari Pelaez is program assistant at Stillwaters Environmental Center. For more information on how you can lighten your impact on the environment — and volunteer opportunities at Stillwaters — contact her at 360-297-1226 or kari@still watersenvironmentalcenter.org.
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4 | EARTH DAY 2016 | REDUCE YOUR FOOTPRINT
Benefits of recycling
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ecycling paper, plastic and other products obviously benefits the environment, but it’s important to look at the tangible data to see just what kind of difference it really makes.
CARDBOARD Recycling one ton of cardboard saves 390 kWh of energy, 1.1 barrels (46 gallons) of oil and 6.6 million BTUs of energy. When recycling cardboard, prepare by removing all other materials in the box, such as plastic wrap, polystyrene peanuts and other packing materials. Then, break down cardboard boxes to save storage space. Try to keep cardboard dry and free from food waste. GLASS Recycling one ton of glass saves 42 kWh of energy, 0.12 barrels (5 gallons) of oil, 714,286 BTUs of energy, 2 cubic yards of landfill space and the release of 7.5 pounds
of air pollutants. Prepare glass containers for recycling by rinsing out with water. Labels on glass containers do not have to be removed because they are removed during the crushing process and/or burned off during the melting process. Avoid breaking the glass and mixing broken colors together, as this may make the glass unacceptable for recycling.
PAPER Recycling one ton of paper saves 4,100 kWh of energy, 9 barrels (380 gallons) of oil, 54 million BTUs of energy, 3.3 cubic yards of landfill space, the release of 60 pounds of air pollutants, 7,000 gallons of water and 17 trees. Recyclable paper
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includes magazines and catalogs, telephone books, direct mail, brochures, pamphlets and booklets, in addition to cereal, cake, chip and cracker boxes.
from the plastic containers being recycled and rinse containers with water. Crushing containers will help save space while storing them.
PLASTIC Recycling one ton of plastic saves 5,774 kWh energy, 16.3 barrels (685 gallons) of oil, 98 million BTUs of energy, 30 cubic yards of landfill space. Remove plastic tops
ALUMINUM Recycling one ton of aluminum saves 14,000 kWh of energy, 39.6 barrels (1,663 gallons) of oil, 237.6 million BTUs of energy and 10 cubic yards of landfill space.
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Where to recycle particular hazardous waste items. www.kitsapgov.com/sw/recycle.asp
Energy-efficient home
T
YOUR HOME | EARTH DAY 2016 | 5
An event you should not miss
hough you can buy a new home sporting a ton of high-tech energyefficient accessories, there are affordable changes you can make to get your existing home closer to a green lifestyle.
HGTV recommends a few lowcost ways to get started.
inexpensive addition that can save money and water.
HIGH-EFFICIENCY SHOWER HEAD
HIGH-EFFICIENCY LIGHTS A typical 100-watt floodlight can consume up to $40 of electricity over the course of a year and produce as much as 400 pounds of carbon dioxide, depending on where you live. Outside, replace older floodlights with compactfluorescent versions. They should be just as bright but will use onefourth the amount of energy. Low-wattage halogen landscape bulbs also can be replaced with
A high-efficiency shower head can save as much as 3,000 gallons of water per person per year. You also can save $50 in energy costs. These shower heads are specially designed to conserve water while still providing a water flow that matches a traditional head. Many systems work by dispersing the water more evenly, while still using less water. Sinkaerator attachments are also an
LED models, which can cut energy use by as much as 80 percent while lasting for 10 or more years. Another way to lower usage is to install motion sensors on existing lights so they’ll only kick on when you need them. Aftermarket kits can be installed fairly easily on existing lights. Inside the home, replace older lights with dimmable compact fluorescents. The sticker price is higher than typical bulbs, but they use less energy and are designed to last for years.
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CHECK YOUR WATER HEATER SETTINGS If you’re not up for installing a tankless or solar water heater, you can make a few tweaks to your existing set up that can cut carbon emissions by as much as 25 percent. Reduce the temperature of your water heater to 120 degrees, then wrap it in a water-heater insulating blanket and insulate the first 3 to 6 feet of hot and cold water pipes.
Windermere Real Estate offices on Bainbridge Island and in Kingston, Poulsbo and Silverdale, will host an Electronic Recycling and Document Shredding event 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 23. They will accept desktops, laptops, monitors and TVs for recycling. They will also accept gently used clothing and small household items. Buy a hot dog lunch at the event and benefit the Windermere Foundation, which assists low-income and homeless families in our communities.
6 | EARTH DAY 2016 | HEALTHY PLANET, HEALTHY YOU
Walk or ride your bike
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here are an estimated 253 million vehicles on the road in the United States, and the carbon footprint left behind is massive. How can that be reduced? The first step is to drive less.
The U.S. Census estimates that about half of all Americans live within five miles of their workplace. If all those people opted to bike to work every day instead of drive, total household emissions would be reduced by approximately 6 percent. According to National Geographic, motor vehicles produce more than 30 percent of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions, more than 80 percent of the nation’s annual carbon monoxide emissions and about half of the nation’s annual nitrogen oxide emissions. Much of those emissions are created when a vehicle is warming up, meaning those emissions could be avoided by walking or biking. Public transportation is another option to help reduce the carbon footprint created by driving.
BIKING CUTS HEALTHCARE COSTS, MAKES YOU HEALTHIER Along with a healthy diet, proper exercise is one of the most important
things a person can do to live a healthy life. Cycling fits nicely into that formula and could potentially save billions in healthcare costs. According to Discovery, a recent study focused on the upper Midwest noted that if half the residents chose to take their car trips by bicycle, health care costs would drop by $7 billion. Air quality also would improve, which would be another contributing factor to a healthy region, leading to 1,100 fewer deaths each year. Jonathan Patz, a public health scientist at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, told Discovery, “If you have a city with good biking infrastructure, the potential gain in health benefits compared to risks could be, like in Europe, quite significant. “Our study, which shows the incredible health benefits that are possible, gives that much more impetus to make our cities safer for biking.”
Specialty publications editor : Leslie Kelly
earth day 2016
inspire act educate
Regional advertising director: Donna Etchey Sales representatives: Sharon Allen, Tawna Grisham, Jessica Martindale, Marleen Martinez, Bill McDonald, Ariel Naumann Creative services: Bryon Kempf, manager; Mark Gillespie, Kelsey Thomas, John Rodriguez, Vanessa Calverley, Johanna Buxton
Copyright 2016 Sound Publishing
Cover photo: Courtesy of Stillwaters Environmental Learning Center
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New life, new uses for older items
DO YOUR PART | EARTH DAY 2016 | 7
D
ata shows that Americans can be among the most wasteful people on the planet, buying new things while tossing the old higher and higher into landfills.
One way to stop the cycle: Give an item a second (or third, or fourth) life by reusing or repurposing it.
LIBRARY OR USED-BOOK STORE Most people love to read, but what about after you’ve finished that dogeared paperback or hardback? If you don’t like to keep books piling up on a bookshelf, donate them to your local library or sell them to your local bookstore. On the other side of that coin, if you’re looking for something new to read, take a chance on a used edition. It gives that book a second use and is usually quite a bit cheaper than picking up a new copy. Local libraries are also excellent sources for new hits and old classics. Your tax dollars typically pay for that library; why not get your money’s worth? THRIFT STORES AND YARD SALES As for clothes and other household items, before heading to the big box or
department store, check out thrift stories and yard sales. You can potentially save an item from the trash bin and save some cash in the process. From vintage or little-worn clothes to interesting furniture, thrift stores have grown into an excellent shopping option for a variety of items.
REPURPOSE OR UPCYCLE It’s amazing how an old item can become something new again, with a completely different purpose. n Empty toilet paper rolls can be used to store and organize cords. n Old ketchup bottles can be used to dispense pancake batter. n A bent wrench can become a wall hook. n Old doors and windows (and even suitcases) can be turned into new coffee and kitchen tables. n Old bottles can be turned into light fixtures. n Old lightbulbs can be turned into candles.
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Rethinkhome homeyard yardprojects projects Rethink to protect Puget Sound. to protect Puget Sound. See our new guide about rain gardens, See our new guide about rain gardens, cisterns, permeable paving and much more. cisterns, permeable paving and much more. www.CleanWaterKitsap.org www.CleanWaterKitsap.org bit.ly/enhanceyouryard
8 | EARTH DAY 2016 | DO YOUR PART
50 Square Miles and Counting‌ Thank you to our partners! With your help we have put an additional 415 acres of land into conservation since the last Earth Day, preserving special places and maintaining working forests. That brings our total to over 50 square miles since 1998. Stay tuned for more good news from 2016! Grovers Creek 175 Acres North Kitsap County Great Peninsula Conservancy, Partner
Photo by Don Willott
Tarboo Slopes 240 Acres Jefferson County Department of Natural Resources & U.S. Navy, Partners Photo by Jefferson Land Trust
Kitsap Forest and Bay Community Campaign, coming in 2016
This summer, the Kitsap Forest and Bay Coalition, a partnership between Pope Resources and 30 community organizations, will be mounting a major campaign to raise money for the acquisition of the Port Gamble Forest. The forest, encompassing an area three times the size of Central Park (nearly seven times the size of Discovery, Blake Island, or Gazzam Lake Parks) is one of the largest lowland forests in the Hood Canal watershed. This low elevation allows bikers, hikers, birders and equestrians, year round access to trails. It will preserve public access to the popular trails that are on private timberlands and add a 200-acre family friendly mountain bike park, as well as long term plans for the Sound to Olympics Trail. The community fundraising effort will be led by a diverse local coalition and managed by Forterra. Photo by Greg Preist
Pope Resources 19950 7th Avenue NE, Suite 200 Poulsbo, WA 98370 www.orm.com