Another Green Monday: Spokane River Clean-Up
It seems so quick but one of my favorite events is upon us: The 8th Annual Spokane River Clean Up is coming this September 25th. Last year more than 800 volunteers collected eight tons of debris from along the banks of the Spokane River, and recycled two tons of it. I’ve volunteered for this event as a Team Leader the last several years and it becomes more fun everytime. Here’s your chance to get involved and help make this another smashing success because the Spokane River Clean Up needs volunteers for key positions that make the event possible. To volunteer for any of the roles described below, please call Stephen Barbieri at (509) 953-6437 or Shawna Sampson at (509) 951-0608. If you simply want to participate in the clean up, please preregister (starting August 30) at www.friendsofthefalls.org.
Team Leaders (70): On September 25, from 8:30 – 12:30: supervise a team of about 30 people within their assigned area, helping to make sure volunteers follow guidelines for handling recyclables, flag and call–in trash that needs special handling, and make sure trash is left only in the designated pick up areas. Familiarity with the outdoors is a plus. Basic first-aid knowledge is helpful, but not required. We need about 70 team leaders this year!
Team leaders must attend an orientation meeting a few days before the clean up (Sept 22, 6 p.m., location to be determined), where we review the overall plan and discuss guidelines for handling trash and recyclables, and dealing with hazards. Then we work together to assemble the gear bags that are distributed to volunteers on the morning of September 25. This meeting will last about 2 hours.
Parking Attendants (3): On September 25, from 8:15 to 9:15 a.m., greet clean-up participants as they park in the west lot at Spokane Falls Community College and provide each participant with a free bus pass for the STA shuttle. Participate in the clean up from 10 – noon if desired. Attendance at the September 22 orientation meeting is optional.
Take Down Crew (4): On September 25, from about 2 – 3 p.m., help clean up after the clean up! Working in either High Bridge Park or the U District, take down chairs and tables, load unused supplies, etc. Attendance at the September 22 orientation meeting is optional.
Happy birthday Global Warming. Um, hooray. Did you know? On Aug. 8, 1975, the phrase was first published in scientific literature. Wally Broecker presciently asked "Are we on the brink of a pronounced global warming?," published in Science. He wrote: “The exponential rise in the atmospheric carbon dioxide content will tend to become a significant factor and by early in the next century will have driven the mean planetary temperature beyond the limits experienced during the last 1000 years.” Don’t party too hard. Full story HERE.
Crop killer. Washington is such an ecologically diverse state that what works east of the Cascades on crops doesn’t have a chance in the west. But could this have been avoided altogether? Farms in Whatcom County are finding their crops failing, and researchers have found traces of a herbicide mainly used in Eastern Washington. They’ve lost hundreds of thousands of dollars so far According to Crosscut, a WSU researcher found the earlier problem stemmed from a powerful and long-lasting herbicide that made its way into compost, and he said he had feared the state's failure to ban spraying the herbicide on hay and wheat might lead to a new round of trouble. Full story HERE.
Time for some action. Following the worst oil disaster in history, I would’ve thought climate legislation would’ve been a relative slam dunk. Wrong. The Senate has not yet passed a bill that would create badly needed jobs, hold polluters accountable, and reduce our dependence on oil. Last week, Senate Majority leader Harry Reid announced that - with every single Republican Senator blocking the way - the Senate will not vote on clean energy or climate legislation before the August recess. Perhaps the best way to celebrate global warming's birthday with a gift: Send a message via the Sierra Club to your senators letting them know that we expect our leaders to protect our economy, our health, and our environment, not polluter profits. You can do so HERE.
