April 4, 2006

Environmental Watch: 17 REI stores to run on green power

Photo courtesy of Eckert & Eckert REI will buy enough green power over the next year to fuel 17 of its 82 retail stores.

SEATTLE — Recreational Equipment Inc. announced last week it will buy 10 million kilowatt hours of green power over the next year, enough to fuel 17 of its 82 retail stores.

That represents 20 percent of the outdoor cooperative's total energy usage nationally.

The retail cooperative will buy wind power, solar power and landfill gas from sources in Oregon, Colorado, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Texas and Pennsylvania for stores located in those states. As green power becomes available in other states, REI will purchase more of it, said spokesperson Randy Hurlow.

"We are taking a close look at our business practices to reduce our environmental footprint," said Hurlow.

Military camp near Sunriver may get cleanup

PORTLAND — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers wants to conduct a site investigation near Bend, Ore., at Camp Abbot, a former military installation used to train combat engineers during World War II.

The property is now part of Sunriver Resort, which bought it in 1965.

There may be hazardous, toxic and radioactive waste at Camp Abbot, which the Corps must clean up to comply with local and federal environmental laws. “There were shooting ranges on the site,” said Corps spokesperson Mike McAleer.

The Corps hopes to begin the investigation in July, once the property owner grants permission for the testing. Shaw Environmental, an international company with headquarters in Baton Rouge, La., has been hired to conduct the tests, which may include soil and water sampling.

A public information meeting about the Corps’ plans for Camp Abbot will be held tonight at the Sunriver Resort from 7 to 9 p.m.

Skagit Land Trust honors City Light

SEATTLE — The Skagit Land Trust has given Seattle City Light its Outstanding Partnership Award for buying ranchland at Iron Mountain and maintaining its current uses.

Some of the Iron Mountain property borders salmon and steelhead trout spawning grounds at the Skagit River, and Seattle City Light is restoring the riparian vegetation on the shore. The remainder of the 236-acre property is farmland and will remain farmland. The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation helped Seattle City Light to purchase the property.

Spokane's Kendall Yards wins national award

OLYMPIA — The Kendall Yards project team in Spokane is getting a national award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for working collaboratively to clean up a brownfields site.

The 77-acre Kendall Yards, which used to be a Union Pacific railyard, was cleaned up in only 12 months despite large quantities of heavy metals. GeoEngineers of Spokane was the lead geotechnical engineer and Envirocon, Inc. of Missoula, Mont., was cleanup contractor.

Coeur d'Alene developer Marshall Chesrown owns Kendall Yards and expects to break ground early next year on a 10-year, $1 billion mixed-use development. His company, Black Rock Development, paid for more than half of the cleanup and obtained EPA loans for the rest.

The Kendall Yards project team includes representatives from EPA Region 10, the state Department of Ecology, the Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development and the Spokane Area Economic Development Council. On April 19 in Washington, D.C., they will receive EPA's Outstanding Brownfields Team Award.

King County offers grants for water projects

SEATTLE — King County is offering grants of up to $50,000 to schools, non-profits and local governments for projects that show the benefits of clean water, protecting salmon and preserving wilderness areas.

Grants of up to $50,000 are available for projects about water quality, and up to $10,000 for projects concerning forestry or upland habitat restoration.

May 1 is the deadline to apply for grants of more than $2,500. For more info call (206) 296-8265 or visit http://dnr.metrokc.gov/wlr/pi/grants.htm.

Alt-fuel vehicles will rally on Earth Day

SEATTLE — Owners and vendors of cars powered by alternative fuels will gather at Seward Park on Earth Day to talk about why they made the switch to biodiesel, hybrid or electric power.

The city of Seattle is sponsoring the rally to educate its citizens about environmental stewardship. It will be held on Saturday, April 22, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the tennis court parking lot.

Jaime Lerner coming to Seattle

SEATTLE — Brazil's sustainable growth champion Jaime Lerner will speak at a forum at Benaroya Hall next week sponsored by the Seattle Department of Planning and Development.

Lerner helped design the city of Curitiba, Brazil, as a young architect and was then appointed mayor by the military government. As mayor, he turned the downtown shopping district into a pedestrian zone, organized street vendors into a mobile fair and solved the city's flood problems by diverting lowland water into lakes in new parks.

Lerner will speak on Monday, April 10, from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at Benaroya Hall, 200 University St. For more info, contact Gary Johnson at (206) 615-0787 or gary.johnson@seattle.gov.