by Renee Kjartan and Environment News Service

HOLIDAYS: TIME TO CONSUME LESS

Many environmental groups stress the importance of consumingless. A big step toward this goal is to simplify the holidays. Thetons of wrapping paper, boxes and stuff discarded after the Decemberholidays—and the often needless things acquired at this time—representa squandering of the Earth’s resources and energy. Groups such as theCenter for the New American Dream [www.newdream.org] suggest givinghome-made food, IOU’s promising to run errands, babysit, take someonefor coffee or share a walk in the park. These gifts enhance community,not consumption, and help protect the environment, the groups say.

PUGET SOUND SAYS YES TO MASS TRANSIT

Seattleites are steadily finding their way to mass transit, asridership statistics show. In its first year of operation, the SoundTransit commuter rail known as Sounder ran two round-tripsMonday-Friday between Tacoma and Seattle. Passengers increased from alittle over 5,000 per week to more than 12,000 per week.

PIERCE COUNTY WATER QUALITY IN QUESTION

Along a county road in Eatonville, a new landfill has opened,despite years of opposition by local residents. Budget pressures onPierce County and corporate pressure by Land Recovery, Inc. (LRI),owners of the landfill, were the driving forces in the creation of thewaste dump. The landfill is situated on a wetland, whose undergroundaquifer supplies drinking water for nearly 700,000 people. The projectnever had the blessing from the US Army Corps of Engineers and the USEnvironmental Protection Agency, both of which objected to the projectbecause of environmental concerns. [see the Free Press scoop inour Sep/Oct 2000 issue] Since operations began, the company has nowadmitted a severe leakage of water from the aquifer into its storagecells at 12 times the expected rate.

(Source: High Country News, Paonia CO; Vol 33, no 17, viaThomas Eppel)

VOLUNTEERS AID WHATCOM SALMON

According to the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association inBellingham, recent efforts by volunteers have helped salmon recoveryalong the Nooksack river and its forks. Volunteers have planted 35,000trees near streams to prevent erosion. Nearly one million nativespring chinook were acclimated to the rivers last spring. Contractorshave installed sediment-reducing structures on forest roads to preventrunoff into the streams. Also, 1200 students from Whatcom Countyschools have rehabilitated streams in their neighborhoods.

(Source: Whatcom Watch, Bellingham WA, via Thomas Eppel)

FIGHTING FOR WILD HORSES

(ENS)-The Fund for Animals filed suit recently in US DistrictCourt over the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) failure to respond totwo Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests seeking recordspertaining to wild horses being sold for slaughter over the past twoyears. The Rocky Mountain Coordinator for The Fund stated: “BLM wouldhave us believe all is well in its wild horse adoption program...[But]wild horses are still being sold to slaughter, and the public has aright to know about it.” The Fund’s complaint is available at307-859-8840 or alococo@wyoming.com

COYOTE DERBY SHOOT

A contest to see who could shoot the most coyotes was held inWashington this spring by the Mule Deer Foundation, according to theHumane Society’s Pacific Northwest Regional Office [5200 UniversityWay NE, Ste. 201, Seattle WA 98105]. The foundation says it shootscoyotes to reduce deer predators. But the Humane Society says “acoyote hunting contest is not likely to affect either coyote or deerpopulations....Contest hunts are inhumane and inappropriate methods ofwildlife management that promote...disrespectful treatment ofWashington’s wildlife.” The hunt was approved by the Washington Dept.of Fish and Wildlife [WDFW]. People can write Dr. Jeff Koenings, WDFW,600 Capitol Way N, Olympia, WA 98501-1091, to protest sport killing ofanimals.

TOXIC SLUDGE ON CROPS

(ENS)-The Swiss government is pushing to end disposal of sewagesludge on agricultural lands by the year 2005. Switzerland is the onlyEuropean country to attempt to end recycling of sewage sludge, whichalmost always contains toxic metals and other harmful ingredients, oncrops.

PAY AUTO INSURANCE ACCORDING TO MILES DRIVEN

The present insurance system in the US is “an incentive totreat driving like an all-you-can-eat buffet: once you’ve paid theprice you may as well gorge,” says Northwest Environment Watch. NEWsays charging insurance by the mile could “cut total driving by 5-15percent, and quotes one expert as saying mileage-based auto insurance“may be the biggest free lunch around in reducing greenhouse gasemissions.” Now, the Oregon House of Representatives has passed a billoffering tax credits to insurance companies that offer mileage-basedinsurance to consumers (HR 3071).

HELPING HAND TO PREDATORS

Sinapu is an organization dedicated to the recovery andprotection of native carnivores in the southern Rockies. Named afterthe Ute word for wolves, the organization has received funds from theTurner Foundation, Patagonia Fund for Wild Nature, and others. Toreceive Sinapu’s excellent three-times-a-year magazine, send $35 oSinapu, 2260 Baseline Rd #212, Boulder, CO 80302; www.sinapu.org;303-447-8655

MERCURY CARS

The Clean Car Campaign says cars and trucks currently on theroad contain some 200 tons of mercury. This highly toxic substance isreleased into the environment from metal recovery facilities when carsare recycled, says Environmental Defense. Furnaces that meltautomotive scrap metals are the second greatest source of mercurypollution after coal-fired power plants. Many groups are calling onthe auto industry to stop using mercury in convenience light switchesand antilock brakes....From 1970 to 1999, passenger car milesincreased by 71 percent and truck/SUV mileage jumped 225 percent, saysE/The Environmental Magazine. Transportation uses 25 percent ofall energy consumed. North America produces 15 percent more CO2 than adecade ago, the magazine says....Of the 63 advisors to the Bush EnergyTask Force, 62 are connected to oil, coal, or polluting industries,according to the League of Conservation Voters [www.lcv.org]

TIME FOR AN INTERSTATE BIKEWAY ACT?

The Marin County Bicycle Coalition [www.bikeadelic.com/mcbc]says in 1956 there was the Interstate Highway Act, and now it’s timefor the Interstate Bikeway Act. The group is a national model for theSafe Routes to Schools program that persuades students to walk or biketo and from school. The group is also pressing for a Bicycle Freewayalong Highway 101. Says a spokesperson for the group: “It’s time toshow that bike transit is a cost-effective, traffic-busting solution.”The Centers for Disease Control recommended recently that Americansuse bicycles more and cars less. Obesity among adults has increasednearly 60 percent, the CDC said, and one out of four children isoverweight. The CDC said poor diet, little exercise, communitiesdesigned for cars and not people are the main causes of obesity in theUS. The World Watch Institute says a four-mile round trip by bicycleinstead of by car equals 15 pounds of pollutants not dispersed intothe atmosphere….South Africa is aiming to provide a million bikes tolow-income citizens during the next 10 years. Helping in the project,says the League of American Bicyclists [www.bikeleague.org] is theInstitute for Transportation and Development Policy, founded in the USin 1985. The ITDP says “the bicycle is the transportation solution forthe 21st Century” because it promotes sustainable mobility at a lowprice. IDTP is at 115 W 30th St., Suite 1205, New York, NY 10001;mobility@igc.org;www.itdp.org

WHAT’S IN THAT FERTILIZER?

The EPA is studying whether to regulate toxic waste infertilizer, thanks to a lawsuit brought by the Washington ToxicsCoalition and the Sierra Club. The WTC newsletter, Alternatives, (Vol. 20, Number 1) outlines the problem: Industry is allowed toturn its hazardous waste into fertilizer if there are some nutrientspresent. Thus, for example, metal waste is dumped into the fertilizerstream due to the presence of zinc. WTC says steel-mill waste shouldbe banned. Between 1990 and 1995, over 2 million pounds of lead weresent from Oregon steel mills to Bay Zinc of Moxee City, WA, to beadded to fertilizer. “High levels of dioxin…have been found insteel-mill wastes,” says WTC, 4649 Sunnyside Ave N, Suite 540,Seattle, WA 98103; info@watoxics.org

organic farms growing fast

Organic farms in Washington have increased from 5480 acres in1995 to 25,000 acres in 2000. These farms avoid chemicals and biotechingredients, and are better for health and the environment.Nevertheless, says the Washington Toxics Coalition, the state’s mainag institutions, Washington State University and Washington StateDept. of Agriculture, funnel the lion’s share of resources toindustrial agriculture. The Washington Sustainable Food and FarmingNetwork, WTC and other groups are working to promote alternatives.Contact brice@televar.com. The groups ask that people tell Gov. Locke to supportsmall farmers and sustainable agriculture:

Gov. Locke, POB 4002, Olympia, WA 98504-0002; governor.locke@governor.wa.gov.

CONSERVING LAND AND FARMS

A coalition of environmental groups is calling for the 2002 USfarming bill to incorporate conservation as a key element of farmlandsupport. American Farmland Trust President Ralph Grossi testified that“it is time for federal policy to recognize that through improvedstewardship of the land, farmers and private forest owners can providenot only food and fiber, but also clean water, habitat for nativewildlife, a barrier against sprawling development and other publicbenefits.” AFT asks people to write their representatives to tell themto put conservation in the next farm bill. The AFT is at 301 2nd AVENE, Suite B, Puyallup, WA 98372; 253-446-9384.