August 24, 2004

Environmental Watch: Tacoma city employees get LEED

TACOMA — Two employees in the city of Tacoma's Public Works and Environmental Services Department recently earned accreditation through the U.S. Green Building program LEED, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

Jim Parvey is a division manager in science and engineering. Bill Smith manages resource conservation and sustainability programs. The department works on surface water, wastewater and solid waste utilities programs. For more information about LEED, visit http://www.usgbc.org.

Small environmental grants available

OLYMPIA — The Puget Sound Action Team will award grants of up to $4,500 in SEEDs, Small Environmental Education Dividends. A total of $40,000 is available to Washington state individuals, organizations, businesses, watershed and salmon groups, tribal and local governments, and schools.

Eligible projects include: cleaning contaminated sites, reducing pollution or toxic contamination, protecting shorelines, or conserving orca, salmon, forage and ground fish.

The Action Team is a partnership of governments and tribal groups. This is its second round of SEEDs. Applications are posted at http://www.psat.wa.gov/Programs/Education.htm. Deadline is Sept. 14. Grantees will be named this fall.

New green group holds forum Thursday

SEATTLE — Sustainable Development Advocacy Committee hosts a forum with Rep. Hans Dunshee (D-Snohomish), on Thursday from 4 to 6 p.m. at Sellen Construction, 227 Westlake, in Seattle. Dunshee chairs the state House capital budget committee and will hear what attendees have to say about sustainable building.

The Sustainable Development Advocacy Committee was formed by sustainable design professionals who met through the AIA Committee on the Environment and the U.S. Green Building Council's Cascadia chapter.

The group's goal is to increase communication on green design at the policy level. The forum will be the committee's first event. Attendance is free, but limited. Anyone planning to attend should RSVP to allisonc@eboxwood.com.

4,000 TVs recycled through pilot program

SEATTLE — Good Guys stores in Lynnwood, Southcenter, Bellevue and Puyallup collected and recycled 4,042 TVs, more than twice what had been anticipated, as part of a recent electronics waste recycling campaign. Small electronics can still be recycled for free through Sept. 6 at Office Depot stores (see http://www.officedepot.com/recycle). Items can be PCs, digital cameras, cell phones or small televisions.

Electronics waste contains lead, cadmium and mercury that can pollute air, land and water. More than two-thirds of heavy metals in landfills comes from discarded electronics. Consumer electronics account for 40 percent of lead in landfills. King and Snohomish counties run a year-round network to reuse and recycle computers, TVs and household electronics. See http://dnr.metrokc.gov/swd/takeitback/index.htm.

New class for green building advisors

SEATTLE — Certificate programs in sustainability begin this fall in Seattle and Portland. A "Sustainable Building Advisor" certificate program starts in October at Seattle Central Community College. Cost is $1,950. Graduates are expected to be able to advise clients or employers on strategies for sustainable design.

For more information, visit http://www.cityofseattle.net/light/conserve/sustainability/cv5_scc.htm or contact Seattle Central Community College's office of continuing and professional education at (206) 587-5476.

Portland State University will offer a similar certificate for working professionals. Community experts will instruct on sustainability strategies for business, government and nonprofits, as well as share ways that they can set up sustainability programs. Cost is $1,000. For more information, contact Jennifer Allen, associate program director, at (503) 725-8546 or e-mail jhallen@pdx.edu.

Idaho Water Center to be research hub

BOISE — Four agencies that will become the first tenants of the new Idaho Water Center will host a free public tour and panel discussion, "Working on Water," on Sept. 2 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. The center is at 322 Front St.

Idaho Water Center is expected to become a hub for research on water and ecosystems. The six-story facility will house state, federal and university research. Occupants will include the University of Idaho Boise, Idaho Water Resources Research Institute and the Idaho Department of Water Resources. Laboratories will include a high-elevation flume for river simulation, hydro-informatics and computing to analyze lab results and field tests. Satellite technology will be used to transmit field data.

Clean Air Northwest seminar Sept. 9

SEATTLE — Law Seminars International will present a workshop, "Clean Air Northwest," at the Renaissance Seattle Hotel in Seattle on Sept. 9. The workshop provides an update on the region's air quality since the New Source Review reform package was released one year ago.

Topics covered include greenhouse gas emissions, air toxins, transportation and indoor air quality.

Law Seminars International presents continuing education programs in the U.S. and Canada. For more information, call (206) 567-4490 or (800) 854-8009. Also e-mail registrar@lawseminars.com or visit http://www.clenews.com/LSI/04/04airwa.htm.

Firms pay $56M for Indiana cleanup

GARY, Ind. (AP) — Eight companies have agreed to pay $56 million to help clean up several miles of a polluted river near a rare habitat of sand dunes, prairie and swamp, officials said.

The deal over pollution in the Grand Calumet River, which flows into Lake Michigan, follows years of investigation by environmental regulators, Gov. Joe Kernan said.

U.S. Steel Corp., which operates North America's largest steel mill in Gary, will pay $21.5 million, with chemical company DuPont Co. paying $10.5 million and steelmaker Ispat Inland Inc. paying $8.3 million. The five other companies will pay smaller shares over the next five years.

Toxic algae shuts down Oregon lake

SELMA, Ore. (AP) — A Southern Oregon lake contains the highest levels of toxic algae ever found in Oregon, tests show. Park officials were scheduled to close Lake Selmac to the public last week after discovering a bloom of green algae. The lake hosts about 400 campers each week, said Michael Strahan, parks superintendent for Josephine County.

Water tests showed the highest concentration of algae cells — two million per milliliter of water — since tests on Oregon lakes began, said Ken Kauffman of Oregon's department of health and safety. Hot, stagnant air warming shallow water causes algae outbreaks. It dies in cooler weather, releasing harmful toxins. Exposure can cause liver or nervous-system damage for humans or kill pets.

Making landowners liable for fire costs

BEND, Ore. (AP) — Deschutes County is poised to become the first county in Oregon to implement a new law requiring property owners to secure their homes against wildfires, if they live in fire-prone areas.

State and county officials are expected to approve a map this week categorizing the wildfire risk for homes within the so-called wildland-urban interface, or developed areas adjacent to forests, in Deschutes County.

The certification program is the result of a law passed by the Oregon Legislature in 1997, and intended to protect the urban interface from wildfire and reduce the rising costs of fire suppression.

Homeowners will have two years from the time they receive notification to make sure their properties comply with wildfire-safety recommendations.

If a wildfire ignites on a property that the owner has not certified as "fire safe," the owner could be held responsible for up to $100,000 of fire suppression fees, according to the law.

Firms pay $56M for Indiana cleanup

GARY, Ind. (AP) — Eight companies have agreed to pay $56 million to help clean up several miles of a polluted river near a rare habitat of sand dunes, prairie and swamp, officials said.

The deal over pollution in the Grand Calumet River, which flows into Lake Michigan, follows years of investigation by environmental regulators, Gov. Joe Kernan said.

U.S. Steel Corp., which operates North America's largest steel mill in Gary, will pay $21.5 million, with chemical company DuPont Co. paying $10.5 million and steelmaker Ispat Inland Inc. paying $8.3 million. The five other companies will pay smaller shares over the next five years.