When it comes to drinking water, Portland is an odd duck. Since 1956, voters have consistently rejected adding minuscule amounts of fluoride to their water supply to prevent tooth decay. They again flocked to the polls in May to kill the latest ballot measure.
America is a fluoride nation. In 1945, Grand Rapids, Mich., became the first city in the world to add fluoride to its water supply. As of 2010, the nation’s 30 most populous cities include fluoride in their water supply.
More than 220 million Americans drink fluoridated water every day — except for the 900,000 Portlanders who draw their drinking water from the Bull Run River flowing from Mt. Hood. read more »
The Washington Department of Ecology is seeking public comment on Kitsap County’s recently updated shoreline master program.
Ecology will host an open house and public hearing on the Kitsap County shoreline program proposal on June 20 in the Commissioners’ Chambers at the Kitsap County Administration Building, 619 Division St., Port Orchard. Officials from Ecology and county staff will be available to answer questions. The open house will begin at 5:30 p.m., followed by the public hearing at 6:30 p.m.
The proposed updated shoreline program will guide construction and development within shoreline areas throughout the county. Kitsap County has extensive marine shorelines, along with a notable amount of freshwater, lake and stream segments that also qualify as shorelines of the state. read more »
Business Wire
A new all-time high output of solar power was achieved with the generation of 2,071 megawatts (MW) on June 7 in California. That amount of energy is enough to power more than 1.5 million homes.
“This new record is remarkable considering the amount has more than doubled since last September when solar peaked at 1,000 megawatts,” says Steve Berberich, California ISO president and CEO. “We are excited by this trend and expect to hit more record peaks on a regular basis.” read more »
Business Examiner
Sediments in the bottom of Central Puget Sound show declining environmental health over a 10-year period, according to a just-released report from the state Department of Ecology. This is the area from Tacoma Narrows to Whidbey Island, including industrialized and urbanized Commencement Bay, Elliott Bay, Sinclair Inlet and Bainbridge Basin.
“The overall decline in sediment health is important because it is an indicator of the health of Puget Sound,” said Valerie Partridge, Ecology’s lead author for the report. read more »
OLYMPIA — The Washington State Board of Natural Resources has approved the transfer of 405 acres of state trust land on the Kitsap Peninsula to conservation status. The properties, approximately 12 miles northwest of Bremerton, will become part of the Stavis Natural Resources Conservation Area (NRCA), managed by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
The parcels are part of an exceptionally high-quality example of the forest community once native to the Puget Sound Trough. These mature forest stands also contribute to salmon recovery efforts on the Kitsap Peninsula.
The funds to acquire the trust property for the NRCA are provided through legislative appropriations to the Trust Land Transfer (TLT) Program. read more »
Gig Harbor’s annual Garden Tour is in its 16th year, and tickets are on sale for the two-day self-guided tour showcasing outstanding gardens in the area on June 29-30.
Tickets are available in Gig Harbor at The Garden Room, Wilco, WildBirds Unlimited, Rosedale Nursery, Ace Hardware stores, Tacoma Community College, Sunnycrest Nursery.
The featured speakers for the tour are regional gardening expert Ciscoe Morris, who will give a presentation on Great Plants with “Oh la la” Appeal on June 27 at 7 p.m. at Kensington Gardens; Riz Reyes, who will discuss Collector’s Plants for the Novice Gardener on June 29 at 2 p.m. at Sehmel Homestead Park; and Creative Gardener owner Sue Goetz at Ace Hardware on June 30 at 2 p.m. read more »
When you think of ozone — if you ever do — maybe what comes to mind is “Lost in the Ozone,” the swingin’ country rock song from 1971 by Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen.
No?
Perhaps it’s more likely you recall environmental concerns in the 1970s and ’80s over a hole in Earth’s protective ozone layer caused by chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which were eventually banned.
But ozone’s no blast from the past for the 34-year-old president and co-founder of a Bainbridge Island company that recently received Seattle Business magazine’s 2013 Manufacturer of the Year award in the Small Firms category. read more »
There’s an old saying that oil and water don’t mix. That may be true, but apparently they coexist quite well.
Traveling through Sweetwater in west Texas, you see an interesting mix of irrigated farming, cattle ranching, oil production and wind energy.
Farmers draw water from wells to irrigate fields and provide drinking water for people and livestock. Scattered across those same fields are traditional oil wells that have been pumping crude since 1921.
Less than 10 miles from Sweetwater is the Roscoe Wind Farm - 627 wind turbines standing in irrigated cotton and hay fields, wheat fields and cattle pastures. The $1 billion project is one of the world’s largest wind farms with a capacity of 781.5 MW — enough to power 250,000 homes. read more »
Stillwaters Environmental Center in Kingston will host its annual Ecofest on June 8 from 11 a.m to 4 p.m.
The community event will include food vendors, live music and other entertainment, and eco-education booths offering information on topics such as backyard farm animals, gardening, energy conservation, Styrofoam recycling, rain barrels and rain gardens, and much more.
Also, the Stillwaters Native Plant Nursery will be open during the event.
For more information about Ecofest or other summer activities at Stillwaters, call 360-297-1226 or email info [at] stillwatersenvironmentalcenter [dot] org.
