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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Alli Kingfisher encourages us all to better use our resources

Alli Kingfisher is interested in helping people in this area, especially builders learn more about Green incentives, but encourages everyone to learn habits of conservation and living simpler. (Jillian Wilson / DowntoEarthNW.com)
Jacob Livingston DowntoEarthNW Correspondent
Alli Kingfisher has always been guided by an altruistic internal compass. From a childhood spent gaining an appreciation for the outdoors in the woods of Washington, Oregon and Texas, to a career based around those same natural resources, Kingfisher has been a stalwart supporter of the greater good. “I’ve always had an interest in the environment,” she says. Since becoming a Washington State Department of Ecology sustainable building specialist 3 1/2 years ago, she has helped grow the program beyond its waste management beginnings, which focused on preserving construction sites and managing solid waste, along the way becoming a locally minded beacon of knowledge for the environmentally mindful movement. She also serves on the board of the Northwest EcoBuilding Guild, which encourages the concept of an ecological, healthy, and sustainable built environment. Today, the University of Colorado graduate fields many commercial, and some residential, inquiries in her state-funded role as a cost-free liaison on how to better build green. That means sustaining and promoting local resources, working around regulatory barriers – such as water rights – and saving people and businesses money in the long run. It’s a sort of a holistic approach, which can sometimes means organizing meetings between together project developers and third-party specialists. Other times she points out sustainable signposts on the somewhat daunting roadmap of conservation alternatives, like the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System. Some of her more straightforward suggestions include “passive” ideas, like incorporating deciduous plant species in landscaping and factoring in natural daylight and shade in the building’s layout. Got a question on Spokane-area green building standards? How about national eco-friendly programs? If she doesn’t know herself, Kingfisher is a part of an extensive network that can find an answer. “One of our biggest goals is to help build demand for green building, both on the commercial and residential side — it’s educating people, telling them that it’s not an impossible process.” The former Peace Corps volunteer who spent time in Jamaica as an environmental education instructor also taught English overseas to youth in Taiwan and the Czech Republic. Wherever she’s at and in whatever her capacity, though, Kingfisher tries to make a difference and do some good. How have your “green” practices improved your life? I don’t do things because they are “green” – I do things because they fit with my values. I pay attention to what ingredients are in the products that I buy and by doing so I protect the health and safety of myself, my family and my pets. It is amazing how many products are out there that can have an adverse effect on health. Many ingredients have not been required to go through any governmental assessment of health impacts. We need to pay attention to what is within not only products we use in home repair projects (paints, sealants, adhesives, carpets) but also personal care products like shampoos, lotions, make-up, shaving cream, etc. What’s the easiest thing you do that is a good ‘Green’ thing? Buy less stuff. Before any purchase I ask myself “is this really something I need?” or just really want. I try to make sure it is well made and durable so I won’t have to replace it within a year. I also try to buy things used (“previously-owned”) as much as possible – most of my clothes come from thrift stores and most of my furniture I have gotten off of the Internet. I just built a deck this summer and I managed to find some of my decking material at the Habitat for Humanity Re-store. This is not only the “green” thing to do, but it saves money, which makes it green twice over. What do you think is the best way to get people to think “environmentally”? You have to make it as easy as possible for people to do the right thing. People generally want to do the right thing but you have to help by figuring out what the barriers are and addressing them. Think about your choice of “paper or plastic” we have been offered in stores. The real response should have been is “Neither – I have my own.” Now it is easier to make that choice as more stores offer reusable bags for a modest fee. Of course we still have to remember to bring the bags. Of course some places are “encouraging” this behavior by charging for bags. In Seattle you pay 20 cents for either a paper or plastic bag. Ikea is no longer providing disposable bags. This certainly changes behavior. I spent a year in the Czech Republic where you had to bring your own bag because they didn’t have any for you. After one misadventure where I struggled to carry home all of my groceries in my arms I never forgot a bag again. Have you always been committed to making the planet a better place? I have been interested in green since my grandparents introduced me to backpacking in the Cascades at age 10. This interest has always been what has motivated my career choices. I majored in environmental science and geography at the University of Colorado at Boulder. I spent two years in the Peace Corps doing environmental outreach with 4-H clubs in Jamaica. It’s important to me to know I am making a difference in the places I live. If you had a magic wand and could automatically get programs running and people involved, what would you wish for? I would love to see the City of Spokane develop a green building resource center to assist construction activities with making good solid choices in their project design and development. On a larger scale, I would love to see building codes move towards requiring net-zero energy on all new construction. Net-zero is when a building creates as much energy as is uses. A policy such as this would help ensure our energy security in the future. A great resource on this issue is www.architecture2030.org If there’s something related to the sustainable world people should know more about, it’s… In Spokane city limits you can request a special blue garbage can for all of your mixed paper. Junk mail, cereal boxes, and computer paper – it can all go in. What is amazing is how much it reduces your trash. I have gone down to a 20-gallon can and I would go smaller if the city offered something. Because I don’t fill up the mixed office paper recycling can every week I have offered it to some of my neighbors. Make it a community endeavor. It can help offset the $6.13 monthly fee for a 30-gallon cart. People should also know more about green building certification programs. There are standards out there that can help ensure you are buying healthy energy and water efficient home. They’re worth checking out. This yar, I’d like to … Begin construction on my net zero energy home on my vacant lot in West Central Anything else you want people to know about you? Nobody is perfect. We all have our secret eco-confessions. I love to take international trips although I just recently learned that air travel – especially long-haul international travel – creates a very large carbon footprint. So large it makes all my composting, recycling and minimally heated home in the winter seem rather small. I have a trip planned for Vietnam this fall and I’m going have to figure out how to offset my carbon footprint for this trip. But I would be hard-pressed to give up travel. You should ask around – it’s always fun to learn what people’s secret eco-confessions are. Whether it’s owning a hot tub, loving red meat, driving an SUV or not picking up dog poop, we all have barriers we need to overcome to creating a more sustainable community.