Showing posts with label environment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label environment. Show all posts

Plastics are getting into everything-- Let’s try out Plastic Free July

Sunday, July 10, 2022

Photo by nataliya-vaitkevich on pexels
By Sarah Phillips

Plastics are showing up in fish we eat. Microplastics come from larger items including plastic bags, clothing, plastic bottles, utensils, and gloves all break down into tiny bits that are eaten by fish we eat.

International Environment journal has found that plastics can pass through the placenta barrier and are showing up in newborn babies.

What you can do to reduce your use of plastics
  • Reduce plastics when you food shop
    • Put your reusable bags in the front seat of your car, or by the door so you don’t forget them.
    • Put your mesh vegetable bags inside your larger bag. Then you don’t need the plastic bags.
    • Don’t purchase items that are over packaged.
Be a responsible consumer

Costco has a sustainability responsibility which they define as: Operate efficiently and in an environmentally responsible manner.

You might want to send the Chief Executive of Costco a friendly note about packaging. Buying in bulk helps reduce the amount of packaging, however many products Costco sells still have lots of plastics. W. Craig Jelinek is the Chief Executive Officer cjelinek@costco.com 

You can thank them for not using any bags for customers at check out.

And, for a little good news, California just passed legislation requiring producers to recycle single use plastics.
“The costs of recycling infrastructure, recycling plants and collection and sorting facilities, will be shifted to packaging manufacturers and away from taxpayers, who currently foot the bill.” (New York Times, July 1,2022)

Ridwell, a local recycling organization, is supporting Plastic Free July

They suggest you bring your own cup and water bottle. There are so many places you can get a refill without using a single use cup. 

When ordering out, you can bring your own reusable bag and forget the utensils. Don’t you have a drawerful of utensils?

What can you do to reduce plastics this month?



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4,000 new native plants at Ballinger Park

Thursday, July 7, 2022

New lakeside plantings at Ballinger Park
Photo courtesy City of Mountlake Terrace

These are the new lakeside plantings and erosion control areas at Ballinger Park. These three areas contain 4,000+ native plants, including 10 Western Red Cedars, and fencing to protect those plants.

Please stay out of these areas so they can thrive!

The newly refurbished Ballinger Park is located at 23000 Lakeview Drive in Mountlake Terrace, just north of Shoreline.

--City of Mountlake Terrace



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Climate Action Shoreline: Supportive Saturday

Shoreline Farmers Market at the 192nd Park n Ride
Photo by Steven H. Robinson
By Diane Lobaugh

I started my weekend by taking a neighbor to the Shoreline Farmers Market. There I saw two old friends, a few Shoreline activists, some great vendors, and some folks we know from the neighborhood and dancing. Then once home, I walked around our circle and visited with more neighbors, as the sun came out. It was a day rich with contact and hope.

Building relationships and connections is key to growing the climate change movement. When people come together as friends, neighbors, allies, and listen to each other, incredible things can happen. We can have fun and figure things out. We can have all of our minds thinking about the future.

Photo by Diane Lobaugh

Climate Action Shoreline began when my neighbor and I started talking together about the climate crisis. We gathered a few more friends, then started to meet regularly, talking and listening to each other.

Together we developed a brochure about the climate emergency and daily actions we can take from our own home, like “Supportive Saturday.” Hopefully last month you read about and tried “Fossil Fuel Free Friday.”

As climate change and other crises worsen, many of us may be feeling stressed, maybe doubting our minds and questioning whether we can find solutions. Some of us are grieving or feeling discouraged. To move forward we need each other. Going it alone does not build resource. But connecting with others does.

Our minds are good, and the act of listening is very powerful. We can each build a network of people listening to each other, and thinking about solutions, organizing, learning and supporting each other. We can be the listener, hearing the successes and the struggles of the people around us. And we can ask to be listened to. All of us can think about our goals and next steps in our lives, our community and world. Listening to each other will keep us thinking and working together.

Photo by Diane Lobaugh

Certain groups of people in our society have not been listened to well and have much to say and teach about the present and the future. Indigenous people, who saw this climate crisis a long time ago, are leading us here and throughout the world. Young people are leading us. They care deeply about the future and have lots of good ideas and dreams.

It is also so important to listen to the people already deeply impacted by climate change. Many are facing extreme effects of climate change, such as heat, drought, hunger, flooding, extreme weather, war and loss of their homelands. Hearing these stories has helped me understand the impact of my actions, as contributing to the crisis, or as part of the solution.

We belong to the earth. For many of us in this corner of the world, facing the climate crisis is still a choice. For those of us with a lot of resource, and access to so much, we can consume less, especially less fossil fuels. There are many people working to protect and heal the earth, including here at home. Let’s join them and support each other--together.

See you next month, and maybe at the Farmers Market.



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Echo Lake Neighborhood to hear about Shoreline's Climate Action Plan (CAP) update

Sunday, June 19, 2022



...and Echo Lake...

Surface Water Program Specialist Christie Lovelace and Surface Water Utility Manager John Featherstone will join us for a brief look at Echo Lake Surface water management issues and cattail removal from Echo Lake.

Cameron Reed, Environmental Services Program Manager, will address the Climate Action Plan Update. 

The city of Shoreline is updating Shoreline's Climate Action Plan (CAP). The CAP will outline key actions the City will take to reduce community-wide greenhouse gas emissions and prepare our community for the impacts of climate change. 

The CAP will identify climate action strategies that also improve equity, increase community resilience and protect ecosystems in Shoreline.

The meeting is Tuesday, June 21, 2022 from 7 - 9pm on Zoom. To receive a link to the meeting or be added to the email list, contact ELNA at ELNABoard@gmail.com



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Share your opinion on draft strategies for Shoreline's Climate Action Plan

Saturday, June 18, 2022



The City of Shoreline is updating its Climate Action Plan (CAP). The CAP will outline key actions the City will take to reduce community-wide greenhouse gas emissions and prepare our community for the impacts of climate change.

The CAP will identify climate action strategies that also improve equity, increase community resilience and protect ecosystems in Shoreline.

Your voice is important and will help us make sure that the actions we take to fight climate change benefit everyone in our community.

Share your Feedback!

Take the 5-minute survey to share your feedback on the draft strategies for the Climate Action Plan. The survey will be available only until Sunday June 19.

If you live or work in Shoreline, we want to hear from you!

Take the Climate Action Plan Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ShorelineCAP



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Wash your car on grass - not concrete

Wednesday, June 15, 2022

Photo courtesy City of Shoreline

The City of Shoreline shares this environmental reminder:

Washing your car in your driveway sends oils, grease, and heavy metals into the nearest storm drain and our natural waterways.

To wash your car at home, do so on a grassy area where dirty wash water will get filtered through soil and not harm Shoreline’s waterways and wildlife.



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King county rolls out battery-electric heavy duty trucks

Friday, June 10, 2022

Battery-electric heavy duty truck for King county solid waste division
Photo courtesy King county

King County became the first organization in the state to roll out a new model of battery-electric heavy-duty trucks manufactured at Kenworth’s assembly plant in Renton, opening a new market for zero-emission fleets.

It will be one of the first Class 8 battery-electric trucks in North America operated by a waste management agency. Along with King County Metro’s progress toward electrifying its bus fleet, King County is a leader in the transition to zero-emission vehicles that reduce air and noise pollution.

“We are once again catalyzing new markets to accelerate the transition to zero-emission fleets, this time with reliable heavy-duty trucks built right here in King County,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine. 
“By leveraging the purchasing power of one of the nation’s largest counties, we are proving to manufacturers that there is strong demand for vehicles that cut greenhouse gas emissions, lower maintenance costs, improve air quality, and reduce noise pollution.”

King County’s Solid Waste Division will use the new zero-emission commercial truck to haul materials from its Enumclaw Recycling and Transfer Station to the Cedar Hills Regional Landfill in Maple Valley. 

The pilot project will provide staff members with operational experience while measuring the performance of the battery-powered tractor-trailer combination for transferring solid waste.




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Streamside Restoration Webinar June 22 on Zoom

Thursday, June 9, 2022

Register now for a streamside restoration Zoom webinar on Wednesday, June 22, 2022 from 6 - 7pm sponsored by the King Conservation District.

Learn from restoration experts about managing your yard to support both the environment and your own needs.




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Puget Sound Energy launches Renewable Natural Gas program with landfill gas production

Friday, June 3, 2022

Roosevelt Regional Landfill is the 4th largest permitted landfill in the United States. The landfill accepts two million tons of waste a year. It is permitted for 120 million tons. Photo courtesy Klickitat PUD

Puget Sound Energy (PSE) has announced the launch of a voluntary Renewable Natural Gas program (RNG), a key part of its proposed pathway to reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2045. Through RNG, renters, homeowners and businesses can replace a portion of their conventional natural gas usage with carbon neutral renewable natural gas.

PSE’s RNG program will offer utility customers the option to replace an equal amount of their conventional natural gas use with renewable natural gas. For every block of RNG a customer purchases, they see a credit on their bill for an equivalent amount of conventional natural gas not used. Already, more than 1,200 PSE customers have enrolled in RNG since its launch in December of 2021.

Supply for RNG comes exclusively from a long-term contract with Klickitat Public Utility District. Methane from a Washington landfill is captured, processed into pipeline quality gas and transported to PSE’s natural gas system.

The H.W Hill Landfill Gas Project is located near Roosevelt, Washington, on one of the largest landfills in the nation. Operated by Allied Waste Services, a subsidiary of Republic Services, this landfill provides the ideal site for a generation facility. Photo courtesy Klickitat PUD

“If not captured and refined into renewable natural gas, methane from the landfill would otherwise leak into the atmosphere,” said Will Einstein, PSE Director of New Product Development. “Instead, RNG gives customers a way to benefit from innovative technology and reduce their carbon footprint at the same time.”

As part of PSE’s aspirational Beyond Net Zero Carbon goal, PSE aims to reach net zero carbon emissions for natural gas used in customer homes and businesses by 2045, with an interim target of a 30 percent emissions reduction by 2030. 

Complementary energy systems — electricity and piped energy — are critical to ensuring customers have reliable, affordable and clean energy, especially at times of peak demand, such as a cold winter day. RNG is a key part of PSE’s strategy to reduce carbon emissions, as is the development of clean fuels like hydrogen.

To learn more about RNG or to sign up, visit pse.com/rng. For more on PSE’s work to support clean fuel development for electricity generation and in the pipeline delivery system, visit pse.com/cleanfuels.

How the RNG works

PSE gas customers can purchase up to three blocks of RNG for $5 per block. Each block is the equivalent of 3.2 therms of conventional natural gas use – or about 5 percent of the average residential customer’s monthly gas use. Customers receive a small bill credit – approximately $1 per month – per block for the commodity cost of the conventional natural gas they’re replacing.

What is renewable natural gas?

The decomposition of plant and animal material at waste landfills, water treatment plants, livestock farms and more produces methane that can be upgraded to pipeline quality and used as a replacement for conventional natural gas.

Updated wording 6-7-22


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Share your feedback for Shoreline’s Climate Action Plan update

Wednesday, June 1, 2022


The City of Shoreline is updating the Climate Action Plan and is looking for community feedback on actions the City can take to address climate change. 

Take their 5-minute survey to share your feedback on strategies related to clean buildings, sustainable transportation, community resiliency, and healthy ecosystems. 

The survey will be available from June 1 – June 19 and is open to anyone who lives, works, or spends time in Shoreline!

Take the Climate Action Plan survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ShorelineCAP.

To learn more about the Climate Action Plan update, please visit www.shorelinewa.gov/climate.



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Climate Action Shoreline: Fossil Fuel-Free Friday

Sunday, May 29, 2022

Photo by Chris LeBoutillier on Unsplash

By Diane Lobaugh 

Last month on Earth Day I wrote about “Start over every Sunday.” It is a day to stop and notice and connect with our neighbors and the natural world around us. This month my focus is Fossil Fuel-Free Friday.

What are fossil fuels? Coal, oil and natural gas or methane, called fossil fuels, are extracted from the earth by drilling, mining, or fracking. Fossil fuels are formed naturally inside the earth’s crust from the remains of dead plants and animals over millions of years. This is carbon from deep in the earth. Extracting, processing, storing, shipping and then burning these fossil fuels cause pollution to the land, the air, and water.

Fossil fuels are currently primary sources of energy for heating and transportation. The atmosphere around the earth acts like a blanket, keeping in heat that would normally escape to space. As fossil fuels burn, carbon dioxide (and other gases) released into the atmosphere, thicken the blanket and trap excess carbon dioxide and heat. This is causing global warming to increase to dangerous levels.

We are not yet feeling the extreme effects of climate change locally, yet our corner of the world uses a LOT of fossil fuels daily. Our actions contribute to the climate crisis in the world, such as extreme heat, drought, food and water shortages, and more. We must make major changes in how we live, even as we still have easy access and dependence on fossil fuels.

Most of us have gas-fueled cars, many live in homes that use gas for heating, water heaters and cooking. We live near airports and military bases which use a lot of fossil fuels daily. Many commercial buildings still use fossil fuels. Some of us support the fossil fuel industry by our investments, even without knowing it.

Our cities are working to transition to electricity and renewable energy for heating and transportation. The sun, the wind, and water can be used to power electricity for less cost and damage to the earth. 

A roof lined with solar panels

What can we do at home? Fossil Fuel-Free Fridays. 
  1. Use public transportation, walk, bike, share rides. 
  2. Park gas-fueled cars for the day.
  3. Try to run any necessary errands with friends, using public transportation, or in an electric vehicle if possible. 
  4. Notice how much fossil fuel was used to supply the food and products we use daily. 
  5. Stop deliveries using gas-powered vehicles. 
  6. No flying or planning air travel.
  7. Learn about energy use at home. What powers your heaters/furnaces, stove, clothes drier, appliances? Is switching to electric an option in your home?

A small bird peers in the driver side window

And for the future? 
Plan to stop driving gas-fueled cars or trucks. Make sure your home is air-tight so less energy is needed for heating/cooling. When replacing furnaces, water heaters, tools and appliances, switch to electric. Consider using a heat pump heater and water heater.  Get rid of anything you own that burns fossil fuels as soon as possible.  

Heat pump water heater
Find out if you have investments or retirement plans that support the fossil fuel industry. Can you divest? What about supporting renewable energy?

Attend webinars about the climate such as Electrify Now, offered last week through the City of Shoreline. There is a lot of information and help available to us. Watch for new programs providing financial help to buy and install heat pumps. 

Work with friends and neighbors to share rides, combine trips/errands, and share electric tools. Talk and listen to each other about what it is like to decrease our use and dependence on fossil fuels. 

Changing habits and overuse patterns can feel hard at first, and inconvenient. But there are so many benefits, such as connection with our neighbors locally and world-wide. The earth and sun give us heat, water, wind, trees, plants, and so much life. What if we use with gratitude what is given to us, and not dig into the earth to take more?


There are many people working to protect and heal the earth, including here in the Shoreline area.  Every one of us is needed as we face this climate emergency. I am glad we are doing this together.

See you next month, and in the neighborhood.   



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King County experts have identified the best opportunities to restore access to the most salmon habitat

Thursday, May 26, 2022

Photo courtesy King county
A three-year study conducted by King County scientists and engineers has identified the best stream locations to remove barriers that prevent salmon from swimming to high-quality habitat, putting the county in a strong position for new federal infrastructure investments.

The field team of experts inspected more than 3,000 locations where habitat is possibly blocked by county-owned roads and trails. 

They ranked more than 700 of the identified barriers and determined that completing 50 restoration projects would restore access to at least half of the habitat that is currently blocked.

The inventory and prioritization will make King County highly competitive for local, state, and federal grants – including the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill – that fund projects to restore access to high-quality habitat, which is critical to the survival of native salmon and southern resident orcas that rely on them as a food source.

“Thanks to outstanding work by our team of leading experts, we know precisely where we can produce the best results for the most salmon habitat as quickly as possible,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine. 
“The field team’s solid recommendations – based on their inspection of more than 3,000 potential barriers to upstream habitat – makes our region one of the most shovel ready in the country for new federal infrastructure investments.”

More information here



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Executive Constantine announces plan to rapidly accelerate protection of the last, best 65,000 acres of forests, trails, rivers, farmland, and greenspace

Sunday, May 22, 2022

King county executive Dow Constantine
King County Executive Dow Constantine has announced a proposal for the November ballot that would rapidly accelerate the county’s capacity to protect open spaces, including forests, trails, river corridors, farmland, and urban greenspace.

The proposal – which would cost the owner of a median-value home less than $2 more per month – would fully restore the local Conservation Futures Program to its original rate in 2023. 

It would accelerate the Land Conservation Initiative, a regional partnership of communities, cities, farmers, businesses, and environmental leaders to protect 65,000 acres of the highest conservation-value open space.

If approved by the Budget and Fiscal Management Committee, the County Council will vote this summer on whether to put the proposal on the November ballot.

"This is our generation’s moment to protect the last, best places - forests, trails, rivers, farmland, and greenspace - before they are lost forever,” said Executive Constantine. 
“By accelerating land conservation throughout King County, we will confront climate change by protecting mature forests, improve habitat for native salmon, strengthen our local food economy, provide more recreational opportunities, and ensure more equitable access to the outdoors.”
More information here



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AG Ferguson files lawsuit against Postmaster DeJoy for violating bedrock environmental law

Friday, April 29, 2022


Photo by Steven H. Robinson
OLYMPIA — Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced today a lawsuit against Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) asserting that they violated federal environmental law when deciding in February to replace up to 165,000 vehicles with primarily gas-powered models rather than making a larger switch to electric vehicles.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, asserts the Postal Service and Postmaster General Louis DeJoy violated the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), often referred to as the “Magna Carta of environmental law,” during a deficient review process. 

For example, USPS chose a manufacturer, signed a contract and put down a substantial down payment for new vehicles months before it released any environmental review of a decision. When USPS published its environmental review, it did not consider reasonable alternatives, like buying a majority of electric vehicles and opting for gas vehicles where electric vehicles were infeasible. 

The Postal Service also ignored key environmental impacts, like the effect of continued poor air quality in already-polluted communities. USPS also did not consider whether purchasing a majority of gas-powered vehicles was consistent with climate policies in states like Washington.

Instead, the Postal Service’s environmental review depended on a contactor with no experience making electric vehicles, ignored reasonable alternatives, discounted the air quality and climate effects of a new fleet of gas-powered trucks and relied on an assumption that any upgrades to its vehicle fleet would be environmentally beneficial.

USPS has one of the largest civilian vehicle fleets in the world, consisting of approximately 212,000 vehicles that are on the road delivering mail at least six days per week to nearly every community in the U.S. Most of these vehicles were manufactured between 1986 and 1994 and are now beyond their intended service life. As a result, they are increasingly expensive to operate and maintain.

In February 2021, DeJoy, a Trump Administration appointee, chose Wisconsin-based Oshkosh Defense to build the replacement fleet. USPS will spend billions of dollars over the next decade to replace its aging vehicles. Oshkosh does not currently manufacture any electric vehicles.

When making its decision on the replacement fleet, Ferguson asserts, USPS ignored or discounted the environmental impacts — including air quality in communities already burdened by pollution, environmental justice and other climate harms — by simply assuming that any upgrade to its vehicle fleet would be positive.

More information here



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Don't ruin summer fun - skip the spring fertilizer and keep Echo Lake clean

Wednesday, April 27, 2022

Echo Lake covered with green scum last summer
Photo by Gidget Terpstra
Did you know spring lawn fertilizers can ruin summer fun at Echo Lake? 

Spring rains wash fertilizer off lawns and into storm drains, which ultimately flow into nearby streams or even straight into Echo Lake.

Toxic algae on Echo Lake 
Photo by Ann Michel
Fertilizers feed lake weeds and, combined with warm summer temperatures, can spawn toxic algae blooms. 

Last year, the lake was closed for several weeks due to toxic algae blooms.

How to have a healthy lawn AND protect summer fun on the water? Skip the spring fertilizer completely!

Instead, spread a thin layer of compost and leave grass clippings on the lawn. Grass clippings will break down and naturally fertilize your lawn.

Warning sign. Photo by Marla Tullio
If you need to fertilize, choose a slow-release organic fertilizer and apply it in the fall. 

Not only do these protect water quality in our streams and lakes, but they help build the healthy soil that your lawn needs to grow!

Water from rain, lawn watering, and wash water that flows off our properties and into streets picks up any pollution it touches, like fertilizers, car leaks, and pet waste. 

Most of this water flows into storm drains and ditches, where it is then piped to the nearest natural waterway. This water is not cleaned, meaning pollution the water has picked up flows straight into our streams, lakes, and Puget Sound. 

Water runoff from rain, garden watering, and wash water can harm natural waterways across the City, even if you do not live right next to a stream, lake, or Puget Sound.

Christie Lovelace
Surface Water Program Specialist
City of Shoreline


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Panel discussion at Thornton Creek Alliance Spring Meeting

Tuesday, April 26, 2022

Thornton Creek photo by Janet Way


Thornton Creek Alliance SPRING MEETING

April 28, 2022 - Thursday 7pm on Zoom

The Zoom link for the meeting will be sent to you.


ADVOCACY, AGREEMENT, ACTION: HOW TO MOVE THE NEEDLE

When housing and transportation goals conflict with environmental protection, how can volunteer non-profits make a difference?

Hear from our Panel of experts

Representative Gerry Pollet has represented the 46th District, including the Seattle portion of Thornton Creek, since 2012. 

Well known for his work on cleaning the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, he has been a leader in many of our region's major environmental efforts. 

Gerry champions legislation that would increase density near transit and require steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while preserving open space, mature trees, and watersheds. 

Gerry chairs the House Local Government Committee and is a co-author of the Growth Management Act.

Katherine Lynch is an Aquatic Ecologist with Seattle Public Utilities, specializing in urban creek restoration for over 20 years. She works on floodplain reconnections as a component of Seattle’s green infrastructure, participating in all stages from planning, through design, construction, and performance monitoring, the latter in collaboration with regional researchers.

David Moehring, architect, is a Capital Planner at the University of Washington Bothell. He is a member of the Seattle Urban Forestry Commission, serving in the Development/Architect position. 

He chairs the Land Use Committee for the Magnolia Community Council and is an advocate for Seattle’s Green Canopy goals. He is committed to assisting the community in preserving the balance of urban form and nature that are unique to Seattle.

The meeting will conclude with election results and the introduction of the new TCA Board.



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Town Hall on Climate Resiliency Saturday

Friday, April 22, 2022

Celebrate Earth Day online 
with Town Hall on Climate Resiliency

The second Lake Forest Park Town Hall Meeting on Climate Resiliency is this Saturday, April 23, 2022, from 10:00am to 2:00pm, via Zoom.

Celebrate Earth Day by thinking about and planning what you can do about climate.

Speakers:
  • State Representative Davina Duerr, District 1 update on climate action in 2022 legislative session
  • Sarah Jaquette Ray, author of A Field Guide to Climate Anxiety: How to Keep Your Cool on a Warming Planet speaking on Harnessing Climate Anxiety for a Better Planet
  • Heather Price, examining individual and community actions to address the fossil-fueled climate crisis
  • Youth Panel high school students sharing their concerns and their efforts on behalf of the climate
Breakout sessions:
  • e-bikes technology and climate solutions
  • e-vehicles working toward gas free vehicles
  • How to talk to your friends and neighbors about recycling
  • Home weatherization
  • Forest stewardship
  • Reading through the climate crisis

Pre-Registration Required, REGISTER HERE



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Climate Action Shoreline: Start over every Sunday


By Diane Lobaugh

I love living in Shoreline. In the 90’s I lived near the Crest, then moved to our house in Echo Lake 24 years ago. I live here with my husband and daughter who will soon graduate from Shorewood.

Climate change and increasing damage to the earth has been occurring since before my lifetime. While learning about the growing climate crisis, my daughter had an idea that helped me take climate action seriously. She wanted to get people to go one day without using fossil fuels. I started talking with a neighbor about how we could organize a day like this locally. She invited a few other friends from Shoreline to join us. We listened and shared ideas with each other.

Our initial focus on fossil fuels expanded to include water use, food, plastics and recycling. We did a lot of learning and networking, including visiting Recology, exploring the information provided by the City, and tapping the knowledge of the group members and others. We wrote a calendar of daily activities from home: what to do, to not do, to learn, and found a graphic artist who designed a colorful easy-to-read brochure. We became Climate Action Shoreline, my daughter designed our logo, and we printed 1000 copies.

Cedar tree in Shoreline. Photo by Diane Lobaugh

We shared our brochures at a school science night, to environmental grade school students and to our Echo Lake Neighborhood Association. We planned for more outreach at farmer markets and festivals, with the goal of listening to people and sharing our brochure. We received an environmental mini grant from the City of Shoreline that paid for more brochures, t-shirts for volunteers, and a banner. (PHOTO)

Our ideas for sharing our brochure publicly, ended with COVID. Many of us did stop driving and flying, decreasing the personal use of fossil fuels. We currently share our brochure with environmental students. Writing in the Shoreline Area News is a wonderful new opportunity to inspire our community to climate action.

People always ask me: What can I do? Will anything I do matter?

Everything we do makes a difference. We can focus on having clean air, water and soil for ourselves and future generations. People do a lot of good in the world. People also do a lot of damage, often without knowing it. Our actions have had a global impact. We can learn and change, in our homes and neighborhoods. Maybe our actions will spread to the 55,000 residents in our city. Why not try?

OUR BROCHURE begins with: Start every Sunday:

Do enjoy your home, your neighbors, and the many forms of life and beauty that surround us. The earth is bursting with life: the fragrant spring air, the singing birds, the new buds, blossoms and leaves everywhere. Take a few moments to notice. And chat with a neighbor or two.

Think about who has lived on and cared for this land before you. Learn what it could mean to reconnect with and give back in gratitude to the earth. This Cedar that lives just around the corner was here long before we were.

We get to face the future together, connected to our neighbors, and to the natural world around us. There are many people working to protect and heal our earth. We can join them.

I look forward to sharing another action with you next month. See you then… and in the neighborhood.


 

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LFP author launches debut novel Friday at Third Place Commons

Thursday, April 21, 2022

“Colorful characters animate this magical tale 
with an environmental message.” Kirkus
Long-time Lake Forest Park resident, Luanne C. Brown launches her debut novel, “Once in a Pink Moon” on Earth Day, Friday, April 22, at 7:00pm in the Anne Stadler Room at Third Place Commons in Lake Forest Park.

This Young Adult Fantasy is a twist on the Frog Prince tale set here in the Pacific Northwest against the backdrop of climate change.

You are kindly requested to wear a mask. Thanks!

Anne Stadler Room at Third Place Commons
17171 Bothell Way NE, Lake Forest Park, WA



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Wondering how to celebrate Earth Day?

Friday, April 15, 2022

Wondering how to celebrate Earth Day?

Making the planet climate friendly is something everyone can do.

Here are five things you can do around the house. Each is a small step –together they make a difference.
  1. Replace old light bulbs with LED ones
  2. Use tap water to refill water bottles
  3. Shop at Farmers Markets (LFP Farmers Market opens on Mother’s Day)
  4. Buy or rent electric or rechargeable battery tools
  5. Turn down your thermostat one degree
  6. Plant a tree
Want to learn more? Register for the Zoom LFP Town Hall on climate resiliency.

REGISTER HERE



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