January 21, 2003

Environmental Watch: Callie Ridolfi wins state ACEC honor

Ridolfi

Ridolfi's goals and the mission of her company, Ridolfi Inc., are to build a sustainable culture and restore natural resources.

"I’ve never classified myself as an environmentalist, but my heart is really in restoring polluted lands and waterways to uses that enhance public good," she said.

Her work includes award-winning projects for habitat restoration at Commencement Bay in Tacoma and the Moon Creek reclamation project for the U.S. Forest Service in Idaho. She also works on water-quality assessments, remediation plans and environmental mitigation projects for federal agencies throughout the West.

Last year, Ridolfi’s firm was recognized with the Seattle Mayor’s Small Business of the Year Award for creative use of financial resources, strong business planning and problem solving, human resources practices, creative marketing and community involvement.

Nordin joins Berryman & Henigar

SEATTLE -- Dennis Nordin has been named project manager at Berryman & Henigar's Seattle office.

The company provides municipal management consulting, civil engineering, public finance, building safety, asset management, and program and construction management services to public agencies.

Nordin has experience in planning and designing water, wastewater and solid waste projects. He began working as an engineering technician for the Minnesota Highway Department and most recently spent 20 years as a project manager with Earth Tech.

He is currently a design team member for the new leachate facility for Refuse Area 6 at the Cedar Hills Landfill, and he is completing wetland mitigation work for the Sultan Local Improvement District.

Who is the greenest of them all?

SEATTLE -- The Business and Industry Resource Venture invites organizations to apply for its second-annual BEST Awards.

BEST stands for Businesses for an Environmentally Sustainable Tomorrow. The application deadline is Feb. 21.

The awards celebrate notable "green" achievements by companies in the Seattle area. Categories include waste prevention and recycling, water conservation, energy conservation, stormwater pollution prevention, sustainable building, innovation and environmental leadership.

The Business and Industry Resource Venture is a partnership between the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce and Seattle Public Utilities.

Any Seattle business is eligible to apply. The water conservation award is open to customers of the 26 water providers in the Saving Water Partnership, which includes the Seattle metro area.

Companies can apply at http://www.resourceventure.org/app.htm or through an application requested from the Resource Venture by telephoning (206) 389-7304.

Partnership to provide environmental classes

SEATTLE -- King County Executive Ron Sims has announced a new partnership between the county and Nature Vision, a non-profit organization, to continue environmental education classes in schools.

The county's budget deficit forced it to cut its interpretive programs for 2003. Among the targeted programs was an environmental science school program, Nature Connections. By cutting Nature Connections, the county estimates it's saving $40,000.

Three former county naturalists, Clay Heilman, Shelley French and Sheila Dearden, started Nature Vision in Redmond to offer the classes they once put on as county employees. Heilman said their fees now will be paid for by PTSA's.

California miscalculates vehicle emissions

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- California air quality officials have underestimated vehicle emissions by almost a third and now worry they won't be able to clean up the pollutants by 2010, the year mandated by federal law.

Reduction measures are being taken across the state, but progress at easing the levels of ozone and haze, two of the most abundant pollutants, is slower than the officials had hoped.

"I'm not ready to give up, but we need to move as aggressively as possible," said Jack Broadbent, director of air programs in California for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. "I have concern and alarm."

The revised vehicle emission levels were reported in a preliminary draft of the 2003 air quality management plan, the blueprint for clean-air efforts for the Los Angeles region. The final draft, to be released at the end of January, will be sent to the EPA.

Southern California, home to about half of the state's population, is known to have some of the nation's dirtiest air. Pollutants common to the region are known to cause headaches, asthma, heart attacks and cancer, air-quality officials said.

Solar power arrives at the White House

WASHINGTON -- Evergreen Solar last week announced the installation of a 9-kilowatt photovoltaic system at the White House for the National Park Service. The solar roof is the first solar electric project on the White House grounds, according to Marlboro, Mass.-based Evergreen Solar.

"It's an important milestone in building awareness for solar energy usage in residential and commercial buildings, and a step in the right direction in promoting energy independence," said Steven J. Strong, president of Solar Design Associates, which designed and oversaw installation on the roof of the main building used for White House grounds maintenance.

The system feeds solar-generated power into the White House grounds' distribution system, providing electricity wherever it is needed. Two solar thermal systems, one to heat the pool and spa and one to provide domestic hot water, were also installed.

E-community events coming up

SEATTLE -- The following courses and hearings have been announced: