Hospitals GO Greener to Improve Bottom Line

Composting, recycling can cut their costs

By CHERIE BLACK
P-I REPORTER

Jim Overton admits he isn't very popular at home when his two daughters want to go somewhere.

From his Bothell home, he rides his bike the few miles to work as a registered nurse at Evergreen Medical Center in Kirkland -- and pretty much everywhere else he needs to go. So, he expects his girls, ages 13 and 10, to do the same or walk.

"I've tried to scale back on that and drive them places more," Overton said.

When he went to Evergreen 12 years ago, Overton was impressed that some of the hospital floors had recycling systems. But other floors didn't, and he discovered it was individuals making the effort.

So Overton began sending e-mails. First to co-workers, then to department heads and other hospital administrators, suggesting ways to do more. Last spring he formed the "Green Team," three registered nurses who met quarterly to develop environmental programs for the hospital. Now, 10 of his co-workers are members of the voluntary team.

Hospitals have long been seen as one of the top waste-producing industries. In 1998, the American Hospital Association and the Environmental Protection Agency agreed on goals to reduce the effect of health care facilities on the environment. The goals included nearly eliminating mercury-containing waste by 2005 and reducing hospital waste 50 percent by 2010.

Evergreen and other hospitals in the Seattle area are taking steps to not only protect the environment, but cut costs, as well.

Overton's "Green Team" expanded the hospital's battery recycling program and collected 1,200 pounds of batteries during the past year. The hospital also collects used and unused-but-opened medical supplies, such as oxygen and blood tubes considered "contaminated" under U.S. regulations. The supplies are sent to Third World countries where they are sterilized and reused for patients there.

The team put up more recycling signs and bins and got the hospital's recycling container emptied three times a week instead of two. Containers for used needles are sterilized and reused, instead of being thrown away with the needles.

Overton started an internal Web site so staff could learn to become more environmentally friendly.

The team gives a monthly "Green Stewardship Award" to a staff-nominated co-worker who gives extra effort to the hospital's environmental progress. Local restaurants donated gift certificates as prizes.

Other Seattle-area hospitals are improving their bottom line by going greener.

Virginia Mason Medical Center's cafeteria has no garbage cans, since 100 percent of the cafeteria's waste is recycled, said Steve Grose, administrative director for process improvement. The hospital composts 750 pounds of food a day instead of grinding it in garbage disposals, which had needed 4,000 gallons of water a day. The water savings pays for the bags and composting, he said. In January, Virginia Mason began recycling 70 percent of the plastic used in about 70 surgeries a day.

The hospital hopes to eventually eliminate garbage cans throughout the hospital and recycle everything.

The University of Washington Medical Center recently started a paper-shredding program with Weyerhaeuser that the hospital estimates will save $70,000 a year. Surgical instruments are now disinfected with a less hazardous chemical. In 2006, the medical center began buying 100 percent renewable energy from Seattle City Light, which cost the hospital an extra $40,000 a year, but was worth the added expense, said hospital officials.

In two years, a water reuse system at UW Consolidated Laundry has saved 12 million gallons of water for a cost saving of $140,000 in water and $79,000 in natural gas.

Swedish Medical Center estimates saving more than $ 1 million since 2001 by recycling, said Michael Smith, the hospital's waste compliance manager. Swedish eliminated blood pressure monitors containing about 180 pounds of mercury -- and recycles all paper, cardboard, metals, batteries, lamps and printer toner cartridges, he said.

Food composting will begin at the end of March. It is working on a better way to dispose of expired medications and chemotherapy waste.

Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center recycled more than 40 tons of computer monitors in 2006 and composts food, saving about $8,000 on water a year. Using new technology for cleaning and sterilizing surgical instruments, which uses more high heat and steam, Children's saves 4,100 gallons of water per day and more than $18,000 per year.

At Evergreen, Overton said even though progress has been slow, and the hospital hasn't kept records to compare its improvement, administration has been responsive to his efforts.

Next week, he will propose a part-time position dedicated to making the hospital greener. He has been voluntarily implementing the current programs in his spare time.

"I call it baby steps -- you come up with an idea and you don't hear back right away," Overton said. "They're business people and that's their first focus when it comes to the hospital. I'm passionate about health care, but I'm also passionate about the environment."

P-I reporter Cherie Black can be reached at 206-448-8180 or cherieblack@seattlepi.com. Read her To Your Health blog at blog.seattlepi.com/toyourhealth.

Selling Green Homes Isn't Golden Yet!

(Photo from the Washington Post)

Builders who are adding increased efficiency and eco-friendly features into homes attract lookers but not many buyers.

By Jim Carlton
The Wall Street Journal

More builders are adding "green" features to their new homes. It is a strategy born out of necessity.

In October, the Trilogy division of Shea Homes rolled out a program dubbed Shea Superiology for its 1,500 to 2,000 new homes this year. The homes will have environmentally friendly features such as increased insulation and energy-efficient electronic appliances. KB Home this year also began including appliances awarded the federal Energy Star rating for high energy efficiency as standard in homes, even though they cost more than those without the designation. And Pulte Homes Inc. is adding more insulation and energy-saving appliances at some of its subdivisions in the southwestern U.S.

Interest in green homes was high at the International Builders Show in Orlando, Fla., where the National Association of Home Builders declared Feb. 14 "Green Day" and announced a national green building program that enables builders to achieve certifications they can advertise to the public. The numerous environmental sessions included: "Ride the Green Wave or Be Swept Away."

The push for environmentally friendly construction comes as the housing industry remains mired in a deep and protracted slump, with single-family housing starts off more than a third from 2005 and widely expected to keep sliding this year. To stand out from the crowd, big home builders are going green for the first time or are expanding their existing programs -- a departure from previous practice, when environmentally friendly building was mainly limited to a niche of smaller builders. But results so far are mixed: some developments report increased traffic but no pickup in sales. Other builders say sales are on the upswing but it is too early to tell whether it is at a faster pace than their comparable, nongreen developments. And the higher cost of green construction is proving a hurdle for some companies.

Overall, as much as 10 percent of all housing starts, at a market value of $38 billion, are expected to include environmentally friendly construction by 2010 -- up from 2 percent of starts, or $7.4 billion, last year, according to the National Association of Home Builders. The trend is also getting a boost from the federal government: The Department of Housing and Urban Development has in the last year sponsored "concept homes" in Omaha, Neb., and Charleston, S.C., that include various green features.

"We definitely think (green building is) a selling point, and we think it's here to stay," says Jeffrey Mezger, president and chief executive officer of Los Angeles-based KB Home, which built about 23,000 homes last year.

There is some evidence that the green push is working. In KB's Orlando division, for instance, officials say 35 percent more buyers have opted for upgrades such as better-insulated rooftops and higher-efficiency washing machines since the program started.

Consumers have also responded favorably to Shea Homes' new green program. Although sales prices of the homes with environmentally friendly features run 3 percent to 4 percent higher than those of comparable properties, buyers told the Scottsdale, Ariz., builder in surveys that they would be willing to pay more for a green home in return for energy savings. In one Phoenix-area subdivision, Encanterra, Trilogy officials say they have sold 83 homes since opening it in November, or twice as fast as the local market.

And in California, OCR Solar and Roofing Inc., a contractor that installs solar panels, says that at least two of its builder customers switched to making solar power a standard feature rather than an upgrade when they were each midway into building tracts in Northern California late last year.

But home builders face substantial financial hurdles. KB Home, for instance, posted a 32 percent drop in revenue to $6.4 billion in 2007, and analysts expect revenue to decline 41 percent this year. A spokeswoman for Shea's Trilogy, a unit of J.F. Shea Co., Walnut Creek, Calif., says it is too early to compare sales against nongreen Shea homes.

Among other obstacles, green building can be costly. Industry experts figure that features such as energy-efficient appliances and better insulation can add 3 percent to 5 percent to the cost of a home. Ed Nardi, president of Cresset Group, is constructing three condominium projects in the Boston area with features including thicker windows and less power-consuming heating and air-conditioning systems. But he says the Boston market is so soft that his company is unable to pass on its added 2 percent to 3 percent costs for going green.

Such costs have taken a toll. Pardee Homes, a Seattle-based builder that is owned by forest-products giant Weyerhaeuser Co., is backing off a green program it started last year to include Energy Star appliances as a standard feature in its homes. It costs about $50 more for an Energy Star dishwasher than a conventional model. Dan Fulton, Weyerhaeuser's president, cites falling home prices for the move, although he stressed the company remains committed to an overall green strategy.

Environmentally friendly building doesn't always result in immediate new sales. At its 78-home Timber Creek development in Las Vegas, which opened in April, Pulte Homes had retrofitted in January the models to be certified as green under local green building standards. Features include ultraefficient air conditioners, dual-pane windows with a metallic coating that blocks out the sun's heat and low-flow toilets.

The Bloomfield Hills, Mich., builder says visitor traffic to the development has since increased, with customers drawn in part by estimated monthly savings of $60 to $80 on their power bills because of increased insulation in the Nevada heat. Still, Pulte officials say it is too early to tell what impact the move will have on sales; to date, 50 of the homes in the Las Vegas development have sold.

Overall, Pulte remains on a downward track, with analysts expecting another 27 percent drop in revenue this year after a 35 percent decline in 2007 to $9.3 billion.

Meanwhile, some environmentalists accuse builders of hypocrisy in labeling homes as environmentally friendly. Authorities suspect ecoterrorism in fires Monday that gutted three homes and damaged two others under construction in a Seattle suburb where the builder was promoting the green practices used in constructing them. The development in Woodinville, Wash., had been opposed by some residents and environmentalists for being too close to sensitive areas like a pristine stream.

Nonetheless, a whole cottage industry has sprung up to help builders design green. Hilltribe Homes, an Ontario, Canada, green designer, said that after starting business in December, it has signed a contract of approximately $500 million to provide services for a development of 6,500 green homes in Victoria, B.C.

Meanwhile, Cherokee Investment Partners, a private-equity fund in Raleigh, N.C., in December opened a show home that has been certified by the builders' association as the first green home built in an existing development. Officials of the equity fund, which specializes in socially-responsible investments, say they built the five-bedroom, $500,000 home with traditional-looking designs to show other builders it could be done.

Among its features: a wheat kitchen cabinet coated with a cherry veneer, and solar shingles that match the look of shingles of older homes in the neighborhood. Jonathan Philips, senior director for the firm, has moved into the home and says builders from all over the country have come to tour it.

"This green revolution is coming, whether the builder likes it or not," says Ed Sullivan, chief economist for the Portland Cement Association, an industry trade group based in Skokie, Ill. "The consumer wants it."

Clean Water and a Thriving Economy

GUEST COMMENTARY

By Diana Gale

Dozens of organizations and hundreds of volunteers are working to restore and protect the Snohomish River estuary and the Stillaguamish River Watershed. It's a race against the clock as Snohomish County's population is projected to grow by more than 50 percent during the next 20 years.

The Snohomish River basin is an abundant ecological system. More than 1,700 rivers and streams drain 2,000 square miles of terrain. The Stillaguamish River Basin is the fifth-largest tributary draining into Puget Sound. Both provide habitat for birds, fish and animals -- and jobs, natural resources and recreational opportunities for people.

But after a century of human intervention, these rivers are suffering. They pick up pollution -- chemicals and toxins -- from roads and roofs, and carry them to Puget Sound. Habitat has been lost to dikes, levees and canals that create farmland and protect homes.

What is ailing these river systems is what is ailing all of Puget Sound -- too much pollution over too much time by too many people.

That's why Gov. Chris Gregoire and the Legislature created the Puget Sound Partnership: to figure out what's wrong, and create an Action Agenda that leads to a clean and healthy Puget Sound.

Many initiatives have aimed at Puget Sound environmental issues, and progress has been made. But work has been uncoordinated and results uncertain. So we are doing something never before attempted: Our Action Agenda is a long-range, broad-based strategy for all of Puget Sound -- from the snow caps to the white caps.

Government cannot do this alone. Everyone must be part of the solution. The Snohomish Basin Salmon Recovery Forum, the Stillaguamish Implementation Review Committee and the Marine Resources Committee serve as examples of the cooperation we need to apply throughout Puget Sound.

The scale and complexity of Puget Sound demand that to be successful, our entire region must work together. There are 2,500 miles of shoreline. Fourteen major rivers, and thousands of streams, feed into its waters. It is home to literally thousands of species of wildlife and marine life.

Despite its size, this vast estuary is ecologically delicate; and hidden from our picture postcard views are signs of serious trouble.

Maybe you remember walking or boating around Whidbey and Camano islands when you were a child -- and seeing herons, sandpipers and other shorebirds. Today there are far fewer marine birds -- nearly a 50 percent decline in the past two decades.

Commercial shellfish beds are closed because the clams, mussels and oysters aren't safe to eat. Some beaches aren't safe for swimming. Our local icons -- salmon and orcas -- are barely surviving.

For more than 100 years we relied on streams, rivers and Puget Sound to dispose of our waste -- everything from industrial byproducts to raw sewage.

Nearly 4 million people live around the Sound now, and 1.5 million more are expected in the next 15 years. With all these people, our need for food, houses, roads and jobs is putting stress on Puget Sound.

But it is also we, the people who live here and care about Puget Sound, who can restore it. Our population is a resource -- full of smart, creative people who know a clean and healthy Puget Sound improves our quality of life and supports our economy.

The Puget Sound Partnership is a community effort of elected and public officials, tribal and business leaders, scientists, environmentalists, parents, friends and neighbors -- all of whom are committed to an effective Action Agenda for a cleaner Puget Sound.

The Partnership is a comprehensive effort that includes local input from every part of Puget Sound. It is a strategic effort that uses science to inform decisions and focus limited resources. And it is a responsible effort with built-in accountability to ensure our cleanup and restoration efforts achieve the intended results.

With a coordinated and strategic effort, we will define what is needed to make Puget Sound healthy again, and create a roadmap for how to get it done.

Your input is important. On Wednesday, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., we will hold a public meeting in Everett about the status of Puget Sound's health and the greatest threats to it. More information can be found online at www.psp.wa.gov/actionagenda3.html.

Everything around Puget Sound is connected: How we build our homes and businesses, protect our streams and forests, and react to climate change will affect how we leave Puget Sound for future generations.

Working together, we can have both a thriving economy and healthy Puget Sound waterways.



Diana Gale is a member of the Leadership Council, the Puget Sound Partnership's governing body.

We Can't Put the Fire Out with Gasoline

By Dave Somers and Valerie Steel


The choices made now in local land-use and zoning plans, about where our growing population will live and work and how we will get around, will lock us into development patterns that will determine our contribution to rapid, extreme climate change.

According to numerous studies, vehicle emissions comprise half of the state's greenhouse gases that fuel global warming. As Washington continues to grow, it is essential that we devise ways that allow us to live prosperously while driving less. Car-dependent sprawl is the leading cause of decreased farm and forest land, and depletion of carbon-cleaning, oxygen-producing vegetation is another factor in global warming. In the U.S., residential and commercial buildings account for approximately 65 percent of electricity consumption, 36 percent of energy use and 30 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. Integrating sustainable building design along with smart land use planning can reduce this consumption by up to 50 percent.

Transportation, farm and forest conversion, car-dependent land use planning and outdated construction techniques are serious issues in Snohomish County. Last year in Snohomish County, 18 percent of all new homes were built out in our rural areas, eating up valuable rural lands, creating conflicts with working forests and farms, and creating longer commutes and clogged roads. Unfortunately, the trend in rural development is increasing, not decreasing.

In order to achieve the state's goal to significantly reduce global warming pollution, fact-based, responsible decisions need to be made now so we may thrive in a way that reduces driving and meets the increasing demand for sustainable neighborhoods that are walkable and bikeable, well served by mass transit, employ low-impact development techniques and are a joy to be in.

Land use is at heart a local issue and local leadership is essential if we are going to reduce greenhouse gas emission related to how we live on the land. There will be no national solution to this part of the problem. We must come up with solutions here in Washington -- in our own communities, cities and counties.

Fortunately, local jurisdictions representing nearly 70 percent of the state's population have committed to major reductions in their carbon footprints, including Everett and Edmonds. Additionally, Snohomish and six other counties have joined ICLEI -- Local Governments for Sustainability -- which seek to implement local solutions to global problems like unnatural climate change.

Because Washington has already adopted smart growth strategies through the adoption and implementation of the Growth Management Act, we are poised to be national leaders in figuring out sustainable land-use policies that will help reduce global warming emissions. The GMA recognizes the state's diversity from urban to rural and east to west and puts forward statewide goals that require cities in more populated areas to plan for future population growth, establish urban growth areas, ensure adequate infrastructure, protect environmentally critical areas and preserve agricultural and forest lands for local renewable resource production. The GMA is an excellent framework for tackling atmospheric calamity at both the state and local levels.

The challenge of successfully confronting global warming -- reducing our future emissions, adapting to anticipated impacts and possibly reversing damage -- will require coordinated effort and support statewide. That is why we are working to pass a bill during this year's legislative session, Local Solutions to Global Warming (SHB 2797 and SSB 6580), which will provide local governments with the tools and support needed to address and reduce land-use contributions to global warming pollution.

Specifically, the bill adds a goal to the GMA of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to expected impacts of global warming. It directs the state to provide cities and counties with a tool to inventory, measure and estimate land-use-related greenhouse gas emissions. Through a competitive grants program, funds will be available for municipalities that are already taking action or are interested in beginning to address climate change through land use and planning.

To learn more about Local Solutions to Global Warming and to read the bill in its entirety, please visit: www.futurewise.org/LocalSolutions.

We urge the Legislature to pass this bill and support local governments so we can stop adding fuel to the fire and before we all get burned.



Dave Somers is a Snohomish County Council member, representing District 5. Valerie Steel owns Greening Properties, a real estate firm in Everett.

Native Plant Society Course 2008

WA Native Plant Society stewardship course this Spring in Everett. I wanted to let
you know about it in case you or a co-worker, friend or neighbor might be interested in learning about native plants, local westside ecosystems and restoring them. I've enclosed the news release and a flyer.

The course runs Fridays, April 4 - June 6 from 8:30am-4:30pm.
Applications are due by March 12 at 5pm, It's 100 hours of free, expert
training in exchange for 100 hours of volunteer service restoring or
monitoring urban forests, wetlands, or streamsides plus participating in
some community educational events.

Please feel free to pass on the information. Thanks for helping spread
the word!

Donna Gleisner, coordinator
Native Plant Stewardship Program
Snohomish County
425-252-4185

Step to Make State Greener

Bill orders firm steps to make state 'greener'
It targets miles driven, gases emitted, boosts earth-friendly jobs
By LISA STIFFLER AND CHRIS McGANN
P-I REPORTERS

After last-minute, closed-door deal-making that included arm-twisting by Gov. Chris Gregoire, the state House took a step Tuesday toward ushering in what some are calling the "sustainable revolution."

Brushing up against a deadline for bill passage, lawmakers approved legislation to cut greenhouse gas emissions and provide more "green economy" jobs. It would prepare the state for a regional climate initiative in which pollution rights potentially worth billions of dollars could be traded.

The legislation would provide a framework and goals, including one to cut the number of miles driven by state residents. Details would be worked out later.

Drawing parallels to the Industrial Revolution at the turn of the 19th century, those for and against the legislation predicted big changes in the economy as cities, states and nations try to slash their greenhouse gas emissions. The pollutants are blamed for warming the planet, resulting in higher sea levels, shrinking glaciers and more wildfires.

"We are moving into a sustainable age, and all those industrial folks are worried, but at this point, they're basically just worried about the unknown," said Rep. Hans Dunshee, a Snohomish Democrat and prime sponsor of the legislation.

"There is tremendous opportunity for Washington businesses and Washington workers," said Becky Kelley of the nonprofit Washington Environmental Council. "There are good jobs to be had. There's economic development to be accomplished. That's a very hopeful message."

Others saw the situation differently.

"I'm a little bit more cynical than that," said House Minority Leader Richard DeBolt, R-Chehalis. He pointed to unfilled promises of a booming biodiesel industry fueled with Washington-grown canola.

"The sound bite is great," DeBolt said. "The implementation is different."

"We've got big changes coming our way, and they're going to be really, really expensive," warned Grant Nelson of the Association of Washington Business. "Consumers should be ready for the prices of their goods and services and electricity -- which has been historically lower than most any other state in the nation -- brace yourself for some significant cost increases."

The legislation, which Gregoire supports, now goes to the Senate, where approval is expected.

Gregoire got involved at the last minute when it appeared that the legislation was bogged down over how much power was to be granted to the state Ecology Department to take action to meet climate-change goals. The final version would reduce the department's authority.

A prime goal of the bill is to prepare the state for working with the Western Climate Initiative, a coalition of seven states and two Canadian provinces trying to cut greenhouse gas emissions regionally.

This summer, initiative members will negotiate a regional, market-based approach for cutting carbon dioxide. It likely will be a cap-and-trade system that sets emissions limits and allows polluters to barter for the right to pollute above those limits. State lawmakers must approve the system before Washington participates.

With Tuesday's legislation, "we are giving the negotiators the strongest hand possible so they can design a cap and trade that works for the Washington economy while reducing the negative impacts of global warming," said Cliff Traisman, lobbyist for Washington Conservation Voters and the Washington Environmental Council.

House Bill 2815 would give the Ecology Department the authority to require the state's largest polluters to report their emissions beginning in 2010, a key component of cap and trade.

The reporting rules would apply to at least 80 businesses and utilities, including refineries, pulp and paper mills, cement kilns, lumber mills, large manufacturers and food processors.

The reporting rules also apply to motor vehicle fleets producing at least 2,500 tons of carbon dioxide, which equals about 250,000 gallons of fuel burned annually. That includes truck and delivery fleets, rental car companies, phone and cable companies and government-agency fleets.

How much these different entities would be allowed to pollute will be hammered out by the Western Climate Initiative.

One of the biggest battles over the legislation was waged by the timber and agriculture industries. Because plants and trees capture carbon dioxide, lobbyist for those industries asked for their sectors to be given credit explicitly for those benefits.

"We are not emitters. We are net positive for carbon. We help make up for others." John Stuhlmiller, director of state affairs for the Washington Farm Bureau.

But Rep. Dunshee said he didn't want to establish specific rules before the whole thing is worked on by the Western Climate Initiative.

Another controversial matter was a set of goals for reducing the number of vehicle miles driven by state residents, which could take some of the pressure off industry for reducing emissions. Critics questioned the logic of a total-miles-traveled approach for cutting carbon dioxide.

"Vehicle miles traveled does not distinguish between a hybrid and a Hummer," said Todd Myers, environmental director for the Washington Policy Center, a conservative think tank.

The legislation also sets a goal of increasing the number of "green economy" jobs to 25,000 by 2020 by investing in worker training. There are currently as many as 6,000 workers in that sector in the Puget Sound region, said Steve Gerritson, a green technology expert with Enterprise Seattle, a nonprofit promoting job growth.

"This is just exploding, this particular sector," Gerritson said.

He gave much of the credit to sustained high oil prices. Environmentalists say the creation of a cap-and-trade market will spur it on further.

"The whole idea here is getting the market to work and to create incentives" by limiting emissions, said Kelley of the Washington Environmental Council. "We're talking about remaking the economy of the nation, the whole globe."



AT A GLANCE

House Bill 2815 lays an important foundation for addressing climate change statewide. The House approved it 64-31 Tuesday and moved it to the Senate. Gov. Chris Gregoire supports the legislation. Here's what it would do:


Require the state to meet greenhouse-gas reduction goals set last year.


Give the state Ecology Department the authority to require the largest producers of greenhouse gases to report their emissions beginning in 2010.


Instruct Ecology to come back to lawmakers later this year with the state's part of the Western Climate Initiative's plan for reducing carbon dioxide release (likely some form of "cap and trade").


Create an initiative for increasing the number of clean-energy jobs through job training.


Set statewide goals for cutting the amount of miles driven per person.


P-I reporter Lisa Stiffler can be reached at 206-448-8042 or lisastiffler@seattlepi.com. Read her blog on the environment at datelineearth.com.

Storm Water Poisoning Puget Sound?

Storm water poisoning Puget Sound

Associated Press

OLYMPIA -- Pollution pours into Puget Sound every time it rains.

There's oil and grease from parking lots, driveways and roads, fertilizers and pesticides from lawns, heavy metals from the wear and tear on brakes and tires, and animal waste.

Storm water runoff is considered the No. 1 pollution problem for the urban Puget Sound region.

"In the face of population growth and development, storm water may be the biggest challenge we face in the effort to clean up and protect Puget Sound," state Department of Ecology director Jay Manning told The Olympian newspaper.

The state Department of Ecology has estimated that storm water runoff sends more contamination into Puget Sound than any other pollution pathway. It delivers 22,580 metric tons of oil and petroleum each year, more than 20 times the volume of direct oil spills entering the sound.

Toxic storm water is a problem for about one-third of the state's water bodies that don't meet federal Clean Water Act standards. Marine sediments near storm water discharge pipes in urban bays are among the most polluted in Puget Sound.

Severe storms, like the one that walloped Western Washington in early December, create storm water runoff that overwhelms regional sewage treatment plants, sending untreated human waste into Puget Sound.

Storm water erodes stream banks, especially after heavy rains. It dumps sediment in the water and scours gravel from streams, hampering efforts to recover salmon and the 40 other imperiled species in Puget Sound.

As heavy metals and other pollutants build up in salmon, they have trouble reproducing or fending off predators. The accumulating toxins place humans at risk when they eat contaminated fish and shellfish.

"We need to address storm water pollution, if we are to have any hope of restoring the Puget Sound ecosystem," said Bruce Wishart, policy director for the conservation group People for Puget Sound.

Forested property and other undeveloped land soaks up most rainfall. Cut down trees, scrape away and pave over the vegetation, add rooftops, parking lots and driveways, and the storm water problems mount.

"Once you've cleared the site, you've lost the battle," said Tom Holz, an Olympia-area storm water engineer. "It's very unlikely we will meet Gov. Chris Gregoire's goal of a clean, healthy Puget Sound without some radical changes in land use."

Most new development in the region must capture storm water, then either treat and infiltrate it back into the ground, or release it slowly. That practice has been in vogue only since the mid-1980s.

While new storm water management techniques are debated and litigated, older developments send the storm water they generate to the nearest ditch or stream. "Older developments and neighborhoods are sitting out there like a bleeding sore," Holz said.

There's no official estimate of what it would cost to retrofit older developments to control storm water.

Simply replacing a storm water pipe serving one development, Tanglewilde near Lacey, with grass-lined ditches to soak up the water would cost an estimated $750,000.

The storm water from Tanglewilde contributes bacteria and nitrogen to lower Henderson Inlet, a public and environmental health problem that makes shellfish unfit to eat. It also contributes to oxygen-robbing algal blooms in the marine waters of South Sound.

There are hundreds of developments with similar storm water problems stretching from Olympia to Bellingham. The state highway system is another major source of storm water runoff.

The damage and economic costs of storm water runoff in the Puget Sound region will total at least $1 billion in the next decade, according to a 2006 study by the University of Washington's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Those costs include degraded water quality, landslides, flooding, shellfish harvest closures and habitat losses and repairs.

"We can't keep stripping land bare and then paving it over," Wishart said. "We need to do land-use planning in a different way that takes into account water quality."

LID Storm Management Workshop

Greetings! We would like to invite you to our first LID stormwater management workshop. Please forward this email to your colleagues or associates who would be interested in attending.


City of Puyallup and Washington State University-Puyallup

Low Impact Development

Stormwater Research and Demonstration Workshop

March 6, 2008

WSU Puyallup Allmendinger Center 8 AM – 1PM



Join us to determine research needs and help develop research plans to assess the performance of low impact development stormwater management practices at WSU Puyallup. ATTENDANCE IS LIMITED and pre-registration is required. So please register for “Puyallup Event” at http://www.ogrd.wsu.edu/workshops.asp



8:00-8:25: Registration



8:25- 8:30: Welcome, Jon Newkirk, Director, WSU - Puyallup Research

and Extension Center



8:30-8:45: Overview of WSU Puyallup Storm Water retrofit project,

Curtis Hinman, WSU Extension Faculty



8:45-9:30: Overview of Low Impact Development Research in the

Puget Sound, Curtis Hinman, WSU Extension Faculty



9:30-10:30: Overview of Rain Garden Research in Wisconsin, Nick Balster,

Assistant Professor, Department of Soil Science, University of

Wisconsin



10:30-10:45: Break and site walk around



11:00-Noon: Small group research brain-storming



Noon-12:45: Lunch provided



12:45-1:00: Wrap-up



1pm: Departure


City of Puyallup/WSU Stormwater Management Implementation Grant Project Summary:



The City of Puyallup, in partnership with the WSU Puyallup Research and Extension Center has received a Department of Ecology grant to significantly reduce stormwater volumes and improve water quality treatment at the Center using low impact development (LID) management practices.

The retrofit project includes a significant research / monitoring component to measure the impacts of various LID practices. We are inviting interested parties to take place in a collaborative planning process to gather input and outline specific areas where research is needed.

The Center has been in operation for over 100 years. No stormwater flow control or treatment exists on the site and stormwater is discharged directly from these surfaces to Woodland Creek which confluences with Clark’s Creek and eventually the Puyallup River. Clark’s Creek is a salmon bearing stream and is a 303(d) water body. LID integrated management practices including bioretention and permeable paving will be installed to reduce impacts to receiving waters, as well as provide performance monitoring and public education for the Puget Sound region. The location of the WSU Puyallup Center affords the Puget Sound region with a sustainable opportunity to continually research and demonstrate LID stormwater management methods by viewing a system at work.


Tanyalee Erwin

Project Manager

Washington State University Puyallup Research and Extension Center

Solutions for the region; programs for its people

7612 Pioneer Way E.

Puyallup, WA 98371-4998

253-445-4504

253.445.4571 fax

terwin@wsu.edu

http://puyallup.wsu.edu

Advanced Buildings Core Performance

February 28, 8:00AM - 12:30PM
Snohomish PUD

Everett, Washington

Participants in this half-day workshop will learn how to use Advanced Buildings Core Performance. Core Performance is the enhanced prescriptive path for commercial buildings that results better energy performance without the time and expense of modeling.

The Core Performance Guide includes a set of strategies, related to building envelope, lighting, HVAC, power systems and controls, that when taken together provide a prescriptive path for design teams to create buildings up to 30% more energy efficient than ASHRAE 90.1 2004.

Core Performance has also been adopted by USGBC as a prescriptive option for up to five LEED points. Presented will be the energy-saving benefits of using Core Performance as well as non-energy benefits such as corporate productivity, occupant satisfaction, risk management and environmental stewardship.

Case study examples will focus on the Core Performance path to high performance buildings. The Advance Building Core Performance Guide, a $95 value is included in the $99 workshop fee.

Register for this event!


http://www.advancedbuildings.net/training.php

Wastershed Steward Snohomish County

Craig Young, South County Watershed Steward,
Snohomish County Surface Water Management


Craig Young has been a watershed steward for Snohomish County for 17 years. He is a subcommittee member for the American Public Works Association working toward developing new standards and regulations, and propose projects and activities to achieve water quality and sustainable watershed health.

He co-founded, is on the executive board, and has been Project Technical Advisory Group leader on the Sustainable Development Task Force for 5 years, promoting Low Impact Development (LID).

Why Not plan Low Impact?

Scott Pesznecker, Herald Writer reports Builder has plans for Japanese Gulch and this alerts preservation advocates in Everett and Mukilteo.

EVERETT -- Runners, bicyclists and hikers who live in Mukilteo have spent years encouraging city leaders to preserve Japanese Gulch, a steep swath of woods and wetlands.A development company in California has other plans.

The company, Birtcher Development & Investments, wants to build a light industrial park by Japanese Gulch on the edge of Everett city limits, said Jim Edwards, senior vice president for the company's Northwest region.The proposed development would be built on roughly 55 acres of a 160-acre site on the west side of the gulch.

That's an area where nearby residents have trespassed for years to enjoy a network of trails on privately owned land.Birtcher Development already has an agreement in place to buy the land from four property owners, assuming the company likes what it sees from an ongoing feasibility study.

The study has been under way for six months, Edwards said."We're pursuing our original intent, which is to buy and develop the property," Edwards said.The company specializes in building state-of-the-art industrial and business parks to be sold or leased, and is responsible for developing thousands of acres of land on the West Coast, Edwards said.Mukilteo City Councilman Kevin Stoltz is among the avid runners who frequent the trails and slopes of Japanese Gulch. He jogs through the woods there about four times a week, and almost always encounters four or five people along the way.

Lately, Stoltz said, he's noticed survey flags and other indications that the gulch is under study."The whole area up there is full of trails," he said. "That would really impact people greatly who have been using it over the years."Birtcher Development representatives have been discussing their plans with Everett and Mukilteo officials for the past few months. Although the gulch property is in Everett, the land can only be accessed through Mukilteo.

A group of Mukilteo residents who are determined to try to prevent development in the gulch recently voiced their displeasure at an Everett City Council meeting.If the developer winds up dropping its plans to build an industrial park, the citizens group wants the city of Everett to have a plan in place for keeping the gulch green."We realize that other developers have looked at this property over the past 30 years, and they've all backed out, but it might turn out that some developer won't," said Mukilteo resident Richard Emery, the group's leader. "We realize that may be this developer, and we may have waited too long."Everett Mayor Ray Stephanson and

Council President Drew Nielsen said they would prefer that the site be preserved as open space. However, they said they will not commit money for a park there because doing so would not fit into Everett's long-term parks plan. Everett's plan focuses on using land that already is public, such as utility rights-of-way and school sites.

The developer has offered to give the Japanese Gulch acreage that it can't build on to be used as parkland by the city of Everett."We understand the Mukilteo citizens' appreciation for the woods that they've enjoyed for a long time. We're not insensitive to their feelings about it," Edwards said.

Everett officials said they would be willing to clear the way for Mukilteo to annex Japanese Gulch land now in Everett, but only if Mukilteo officials pledge to preserve the land as a park.Mukilteo still would have to come up with the money to buy the land, and that is a problem, Mukilteo Mayor Joe Marine said.Also, most of the land the developer has offered to provide the city of Everett is either wetlands or steep hillside, and could not be used as a park, Marine said."The area they can't develop is basically the gully part," he said. "It doesn't matter whether they gift it to Everett or keep it for themselves. It's trees. It's a slope."Preserving the interior of the gulch would be better than nothing, Stoltz said. He believes there is support on the Mukilteo City Council to find a way to obtain the land if plans for the industrial park fall through.

There is definitely support in the community to preserve the gulch, Emery said."There's nothing like it in south Snohomish County at this point," he said. "If it goes away, it's irreplaceable. It never comes back."

Carbon Studies Explain Role Forests Play

Kate Ramsayer from The (Bend) Bulletin
SISTERS, Ore.

In the ponderosa pine forest near Black Butte, a skinny scaffolding tower rises above the trees.From the top of the 100-foot-tall tower, the panoramic views of the butte and Three Sisters in the distance are some of the best in the area. But the instruments attached along the span of the tower are providing scientists with information about an unseen side of nature.

The equipment measures how much carbon dioxide is passing back and forth between the atmosphere and the trees, shrubs, soils and dead vegetation in the forest. It's one station in a nationwide network that, when the data is compiled, helps scientists investigate how much carbon dioxide forests across the continent remove from the atmosphere every year.And in this era of concern about global warming, it's information that interests researchers and forest managers alike.

For instance, the data from stations in Oregon has shown that forests take in the equivalent of between 30 percent and 50 percent of carbon released statewide annually in fossil fuel emissions.And through measuring this carbon exchange in the Metolius Basin and other types of forests, Bev Law and others hope to understand more about their role."We call it 'the breathing of the biosphere,'" said Law, a professor at Oregon State University in Corvallis and the science chairwoman for AmeriFlux, the network of more than 100 such carbon measuring sites across the United States and other countries.

Through their studies, the researchers can figure out when forests start acting as storage sites for carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, and how much of that gas is released into the atmosphere when forests burn or are cut down."The goal of the program is to be able to quantify and understand the role of terrestrial ecosystems in the global carbon balance," Law said.The Metolius Basin was the site of one of the first stations in the AmeriFlux program, which started in 1996. Law, who had previously done work across Oregon, chose the site because of its ponderosa pines."We were intrigued by ponderosa pine because it's very widely distributed globally, so it's an important species," she said.And by placing these towers and instruments near the Metolius, Law and her colleagues have been able to determine differences between young and old forests, between wet and dry years, and also contribute to regional studies of the movements of carbon dioxide.

The instruments collect information about the precise levels of carbon dioxide in the air, recording measurements as many as 20 times a second. But the equipment on the tower also gathers other kinds of information.The researchers are studying water vapor as well, to see how it relates to carbon dioxide levels, Law said, and are looking at different layers of wind speeds and temperatures through the forest canopy.

Wind speed is also measured because it can affect how much carbon dioxide can be picked up by the instruments, said Christoph Thomas, a research associate with OSU who works on the project.From all this information, researchers can get results about how much carbon the forest is absorbing or releasing.

Trees absorb carbon through photosynthesis, Law said, but they also release it through respiration.And then there's the rest of the organic matter in the forest, like soil, roots and vegetative litter being chewed up by microbes, which people sometimes forget about when they think of carbon cycles in forests, she said.

One question that scientists had been considering, she said, was how long it takes a new forest to go from being a carbon source, where it releases more carbon to the atmosphere than it takes in, to being a carbon sink, where the ecosystem absorbs more carbon than it releases.Through studies at the Metolius sites, Law and her colleagues have found that in a ponderosa pine forest that has been disturbed by fire or harvest, the length between those phases can be considerable."

It took those sites somewhere between 15 and 20 years before they became carbon neutral again," she said.From there, forests continue taking in increasing amounts of carbon until they're between about 70 and 150 years old, Thomas said. At that point, they still store more carbon than they release.But that doesn't mean older forests are no longer useful for storing carbon."People need to understand that these old-growth forests are very important," Thomas said.Studies in both Western and Eastern Oregon have shown that after a major disturbance in a mature forest, like a catastrophic fire or a clearcut, it could take between 100 and 200 years to get back the amount of carbon that had previously been stored in the ecosystem, Law said.

Information like this can be useful on multiple levels, Thomas said. It answers some scientific curiosity about such things as what happens in forests of different ages.But when information from across the AmeriFlux network is compiled, it can also be used to help answer larger-scale questions, he said, such as how much carbon dioxide forests across the continent remove from the atmosphere every year.

Determining when carbon is stored in trees and how much is stored there is a complex question, said Brian Tandy, silviculturist with the Sisters Ranger District.But it's something that people could start thinking about, he said, adding that he recently had a conversation about the possibility of setting up a carbon credit program, where people could reforest areas and get a credit for the carbon that would be absorbed by the trees in future years."It's a huge thing that I don't know anybody has a handle on," he said, "but there's lots of stuff to consider."

Green for Food

Green for Good is a new community and network of sites to connect people and companies. We are committed to providing information, ideas, entertainment and products aimed at encouraging a sustainable, healthy, ecologically robust planet. Our business practices follow the philosophy of doing minimal or no harm, while at the same time promoting a more hopeful vision of life. Steps need to be taken immediately in order for the planet to continue to sustain life as we know it. Humans are capable of great, positive change when faced with an unmistakable crisis, and GFG fosters an environment that provides information and the necessary resources to facilitate these changes.

Please join us a www.greenforgood.com! After you have visited the site, please email me and let me know what you think and pass this email on to your friends and family!

Sincerely,
David Kaufer,
Founder & Chief Green OfficerGreen for Good

REI LEED Store in Round Rock Texas

From Boulder to Round Rock – REI to Open Second Prototype Store

Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI), a national retail cooperative providing quality outdoor gear and clothing, today announced that Round Rock, Texas will be the second location for the company’s prototype store initiative that aims to test retail design and green building concepts. Expected to open in the fall of 2008, the new store will complement the co-op’s commitment to community involvement, environmental stewardship and providing a gateway to the outdoors.

The two-story, 32,700 square-foot store at University Oaks Shopping Center follows REI’s first prototype location in Boulder, Colo., which opened in October 2007. For the store’s design, the co-op has again partnered with Gensler, a leading global design, planning and strategic consulting firm. Round Rock is the second REI store to be built using the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) for Retail rating system, which is currently in pilot. It also joins six other Texas REI locations, including two stores in Austin.“Our increased focus on green buildings and the community began with our Seattle flagship store in 1996.

Since then, we’ve continued to develop stores that represent our dedication to the outdoors by reducing the environmental impacts of such buildings and helping to inspire outdoor recreation,” said Brian Unmacht, REI’s senior vice president of sales, store development and logistics. “Boulder helped bring our commitment to the next level, representing a new REI standard for sustainability.

Round Rock will build upon that even further, continuing our efforts to better align our stores with the co-op’s overall mission.”As part of its commitment to the outdoors, the store will feature a mezzanine level devoted to the local community. This space is intended to help connect co-op members and customers to resources for regional recreational opportunities, outdoor and conservation clubs and non-profit organizations, and service projects to help protect local natural spaces.

To lessen the building’s carbon footprint, several of the planned green building features include the use of natural lighting and energy efficient systems, solar hot water, sustainable materials and water reduction measures.“We’ve received positive feedback from the Boulder community thus far and are eager to incorporate the insights from our experience into the new store in Round Rock,” said Doug Ludlow, REI’s senior project manager of store development. “While our first prototype store was a remodeled and expanded one-story space, Round Rock provides us the opportunity to experience the process of opening a two-story location in a new community from the ground up.”

REI first announced its prototype initiative in May 2006 to help the company determine where it can enhance the store experience for both employees and customers, lessen its environmental footprint, make more sustainable business decisions and better align its stores with the values of the co-op. The company will analyze the Boulder and Round Rock locations extensively prior to opening a third prototype store currently targeted for 2010.

Findings from these stores will help REI make decisions on how it approaches store design and construction in the future.For the construction of all new REI buildings, the company uses the LEED point system to measure success, looking to meet or exceed LEED standards whenever possible. In 2004, REI’s Portland, Ore. location became the first retail store in the country to earn a LEED Gold rating for Commercial Interiors, followed by REI’s Pittsburgh store with LEED Silver for Commercial Interiors in 2006. REI Boulder is anticipating a LEED Silver rating for the Retail – Commercial Interiors pilot program.

The company’s second distribution center, which opened in November 2007 in Bedford, Pa., was built to achieve Silver under LEED for New Construction.Information on REI’s comprehensive environmental initiatives is available at www.rei.com/stewardship, including its focus on carbon footprint reduction, green building design and construction, responsible paper purchases and usage, waste reduction, and the design and manufacturing of more sustainable products and packaging. In April 2008, the co-op will release its second annual stewardship report, a review of the company’s social and environmental impacts.

read more about http://www.gensler.com/sustainability/index.html

Recyclable Hotel

An Eco-Friendly 'Recyclable' Hotel
UK (TGW) – The British hotel chain Travelodge is building what they claim to be the first ‘recyclable’ hotel.

click here to read more

Phinney Ridge Home Design and Remodel Fair

HOME DESIGN AND REMODEL FAIR : Imagine, Explore, Build Sunday, January 27, 2008 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Admission: $6 for PNA members, $9 for the general public, children under 12 Free
The 11th annual Home Design and Remodel Fair will offer local homeowners a chance to meet with trained professionals and get advice on remodeling and home improvement projects.
More than 75 exhibitors ranging from general and specialty contractors to landscape professionals to architects and designers were on hand to offer advice and resources needed to complete any home improvement project. Many of the exhibitors have a "green" emphasis.Hear from the Experts: Short Presentations Presentations are located in Room 3 on the main floor (enter from the NW corner of the lobby). Talks are about 25 minutes and include a Q & A session at the end.
10:30 am -- Choosing & Hiring a Contractor presented by Wayne Apostilik, NW Homecrafters
11:10 am -- Expand Up or Down? presented by Tom Kayser, Architect
11:50 am -- Working with an Architect presented by Betty Torrell, Architect
12:30 pm -- FSC Certified Wood Product presented by Stewart Matthiesen, NW Natural Resource Group
1:10 pm -- LEED and BuiltGreen Certification presented by Lise Glaser, Cascadia Consulting Group
1:50 pm -- Insulation Options presented by Scott Finley, Atmosphere, Inc.
2:20 pm -- Green Interior Finish Choices presented by Alicia Silva, Synergy Design Studio
3:10 pm -- Financing Your Remodel presented by Bob Fish, HomeStreet Bank Click here to see a list of the 2007 exhibitors.(2008 exhibitors will be listed soon.)

Businesses interested in participating, click
here for the href="../PDFs/homefair/2008 Business Invite.pdf">invitation and href="../PDFs/homefair/2008 Business App.pdf">application form.
Non-profit or governmental organizations, please use this href="../PDFs/homefair/2008 Non-Profit Invite.pdf">invitation and href="../PDFs/homefair/2008 Non-Profit or Gov App.pdf">application
For additional information, contact Judith Wood at (206) 783-2244 or e-mail judith @ phinneycenter.org.

Mudslides and Logging.....

Panel hears testimony on mudslides, logging
By RACHEL LA CORTETHE ASSOCIATED PRESS

OLYMPIA -- Logging practices, as well as the state's oversight of clearcutting on steep slopes, came under scrutiny Thursday at a special legislative hearing on whether logging and development might have played a role in December's devastating Southwest Washington floods.
The hearing, before the Senate Natural Resources, Ocean & Recreation Committee, was sparked by a Seattle Times photograph showing severe mudslides on a steep Lewis County mountain slope that had been clearcut near a Chehalis River tributary.

Numerous slides crashed into Stillman Creek, adding to the mix of mud, wood debris and floodwaters that inundated homes and farms in the Boistfort Valley west of Chehalis.
"I felt it was imperative to make sure the committee was taking a look at this," said Sen. Ken Jacobsen, a Seattle Democrat who chairs the committee.

Officials with Weyerhaeuser Co., which owns more than 2 million acres of commercial forestland in the region, said a combination of snow, wind and rain from the December storms created a "rare and extreme magnitude" weather event that dropped as much as 20 inches of rain in some areas.

And they displayed another photo of the same hilltop depicted in the newspaper photo, but taken from a different angle. The second photo showed a mudslide in an area covered by trees.
"Landslides are going to occur," said Bob Bilby, senior scientific adviser with Weyerhaeuser. "They're going to occur regardless of what type of management you do on the land."

Eric Schroff, region manager for the state Department of Natural Resources' Pacific Cascade Region, told lawmakers that a majority of landslides occur "in direct relation to these intense winter storms" and that the effect of timber harvesting is "highly variable."

But David Montgomery, professor of geomorphology at the University of Washington, argued that current forest practice rules don't protect against major landslides.

Snohomish County's To-Do List

Snohomish County is catching its breath. Job growth is down from hyper toward normal. The housing market cooled and inventories are up. An opportunity to tidy up after the party.

Following a dizzying growth spurt, and expecting more, the county is settling in to work on long-haul issues that shape the future: the link between land-use decisions, population pressures and affordable housing, and a commitment to agriculture as a sustainable part of the economy.

The topics are not new, of course, but county-level politics have whipsawed regulations and standards back and forth between partisan majorities and grumpy party politics for the past half-dozen years.

The 2007 election allowed 2008 to blossom with the spirit of rapprochement. A nifty word, eh?
County Executive Aaron Reardon breezed to a second four-year term without breaking a sweat. I will take a risk here and go way out on a limb: I suspect he has higher political aspirations. No, really.

The path to wherever his Democratic instincts and opportunities lead him will be shaped by the next four years. His political career is well-launched beyond the Gee-Whiz phase of his youthful ascent to a need to produce demonstrable results that build a case for higher office.

Every new resident drawn to Snohomish County as an attractive place to live, work and raise a family sharpens the tension between affordability, density and open space. The county is living with egregious planning that shoehorned more units onto building sites if transparently easy development requirements were satisfied. No sidewalks, packed roads.

If Reardon can point the County Council toward a longer view of land-using planning and move it away from annual, selective tinkering with the comprehensive plan, that will be a constructive start.

Pursuit of affordable housing has meant helping mobile-home dwellers to buy their homesites, working smarter on density issues, and avoiding past, shameful mistakes. A recent loud "no" from the County Council helped make the point.

Nothing promotes as well as success, especially by solving problems everyone struggles with. Reardon is intent on making Snohomish County a model for leadership on climate change. His enthusiasm for biofuels is a good example. Reardon is moving the county vehicle fleet to a healthy diet, but also working to make Snohomish County an ally in biofuel crops and manufacture.

All that circles back to the county's agricultural economy. Four years ago, as Reardon puts it, there was a recognition the county could not have farms without farmers. They needed economic incentives, which took the county toward promotion of buying local, organic offerings and ethanol production. The county teamed nicely with initiatives by Washington State University's county extension programs.

Now, Reardon says there is renewed recognition the county cannot have farmers without farmland. Efforts to preserve farms through transfer or purchase of development rights have a new burst of energy. For the first time in years, there is a measurable increase in farming activity. The industry adds an estimated $127 million to the county's economy.

A key to success on all these fronts is the prospect of a better working relationship between Reardon and the Snohomish County Council. In the past, there has been a layer of frost separating them, regardless of the weather. Some of it was blatantly partisan; a lot was personalities plus a healthy measure of sensitivity over turf and prerogatives.

The election added two Democrats to the council to cinch an unambiguous Democratic majority. The new chairman, David Somers, a wholly reasonable fellow, expresses a willingness to move ahead with the executive, but quickly adds the effort must cut both ways.

Yes indeed, Reardon explains, he worked closely and successfully with Brian Sullivan and Mike Cooper on complex issues in the Legislature. Topics infinitely more complicated than those facing the ... well, nevermind. Let us be an instrument of peace.

Here is a no-brainer to kick-start work toward common goals:
Going into the 2008 legislative session, the county executive and council can draft and sign a strong, clear resolution of support for a four-year university in Snohomish County.

Lance Dickie's column appears regularly on editorial pages of The Times. His e-mail address is ldickie@seattletimes.com; for a podcast Q&A with the author, go to Opinion at seattletimes.com

A Walking Tour of High Point, a Built Green Community

Saturday, January 12^th, 2008, 11 AM

Meet at High Point Public Library
3411 SW Raymond Street, Seattle

High Point is a vast in-city redevelopment that has received many accolades and both national and international awards. The first phase is nearly complete and almost fully occupied. It is located within the city limits in West Seattle.

Get an up-close and personal look at the environmental aspects of this Built Green certified community:

~ Bioswales
~ Porous streets and sidewalks
~ Community gardens
~ Pocket parks
~ Pond and waterfall features

If you would like, you can tour available models and resale homes currently on the market on the day of the walk.

The organizer and tour guide, Wendy Hughes-Jelen, is a licensed real estate professional and hold the designation of Built Green® Certified Agent. She has lived in West Seattle for over 10 years. When she saw the new HP she sold her home to move there. She also writes a blog called Green Spaces Real Estate.

An Energy Efficient mortgage professional will also be here to answer questions about special financing available for these new kinds of homes. (Amelia K Dickson, Entrust Lending Group, LLC)

Natural Step Training January 23, 2008

IINNOVATE LEAD

THE NETWORK FOR BUSINESS INNOVATION
AND SUSTAINABILITY
and
THE SUSTAINABLE LIVING INSTITUTE

Present
A One‐Day Intensive Workshop
SUSTAINABILITY USING
THE NATURAL STEP
FRAMEWORK

Featuring
OREGON NATURAL STEP NETWORK
Duke Castle & Regina Hauser
THE SUSTAINABILITY ADVANTAGE
Bob Willard

WEDNESDAY
JANUARY 23RD, 2008
8:00AM TO 5:00PM
The Everett Station
3201 Smith Avenue
Everett, Washington

Register NOW