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Washington Women Fighting to Protect Our Environment
by Roberta Greenwood

Sue Joerger, the Puget SoundKeeper, steers her small craft around an industrial site on the seemingly pristine waters of Lake Union and looks for telltale signs of chemical spills and pollution. She poses a question: Know what you get if you take copper, mercury, a handful of PAHs, add some PCBs, and mix in a little arsenic and tributlytin? A toxic soup washing into our lakes and rivers, contaminating our beaches and compromising our marine life.

Joerger has been conducting the same weekly search for five years. She joins hundreds of women throughout the Seattle area committed to protecting and preserving the natural resources of our region.

Joerger sees the result of growing populations on the waterfront areas she patrols: A third of her patrols uncover some type of toxic discharge. The Clean Water Act of 1970, intended to stop the dumping of pollutants into our nation’s waters by 1985, has been thwarted by increased pollution, corporate nonconformity and increased population density, says Joerger.

Puget Soundkeeper Alliance, a member of Water Alliance, an organization founded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to preserve our nation’s water resources, operates weekly patrols on Lake Union, Elliott Bay and the Duwamish River. Joerger captains a small fleet of boats and kayaks that monitor activity on the Sound. A former timber industry executive, she decided in 1999 to begin her “giving back” campaign by addressing the growing pollution of her beloved Puget Sound. She lives on her sailboat and starts her mornings with a walk at the Ballard Locks.

“It’s incredible to see the variety of marine life at the Locks; it’s so serene and beautiful. I’ve always been connected and passionate about our marine environment. It’s a privilege to get up every day and protect something that I love.” But below the surface attractions, a nightmare looms, says Joerger. “We have species of fish that are now disappearing from our waters; liver lesions are beginning to show up in other species, and it’s hard to believe, but all King County beaches are closed to shellfish harvesting due to pollution.”

A 2003 Washington Department of Ecology report states, “There is a very strong perception that we live in a state rich in clean, abundant water. This perception is simply not true.” The Puget Sound Action Team’s “State of the Sound” overview of 2004 cites storm water runoff as the primary cause of increased pollution reaching Puget Sound, concluding that “while Puget Sound appears as beautiful as always, its rich web of life is at risk. The building blocks of a healthy environment – clean water, sufficient habitat and an intact food web – continue to come under serious pressure.”

Joerger contends the number one step we can all take to protect the Sound is to monitor and improve the way we handle storm water runoff. Washington’s abundant rainfall runs across land and pavement, carrying with it untreated pollutants and toxins that pour into our marine waters.

Joerger says we can do simple things – watch what we dump into our drains, curtail illegal dumping and rethink the way we use pesticides in our gardens. Her cadre of volunteers, nearly half of whom are women, not only searches the waters of the Sound for violators but also educates others about the dangers of runoff. Even “charity” car washes need to be reconsidered, Joerger states with a faint smile. She educates schools on the better plan – sell tickets to a facility that recycles and treats the used water. “It’s not sexy, not exciting, but storm water runoff is something we can all become more informed about.” Joerger continues, “We need to ‘walk our talk’ – make individual choices to do the right thing, while working with industry and the legislature to craft laws that will protect the Puget Sound for years to come.”

Megan Blank-Weiss, field organizer for WashPIRG, couldn’t agree more. A 2004 graduate of Boston College, she’s been politically active since her mother introduced her to campaign strategy as a teen. She intended to become a professor, believing she was a better teacher than leader – until she spent a summer as a canvasser for MassPIRG.

“That turned me around. I became engaged in talking about the environment and I saw small, state-level victories. It changed my mind and my direction,” says Blank-Weiss. She now mobilizes grassroots campaigns in Washington, with 2005’s legislative goals focused on the Clean Air Act.

“The federal clean air standards are the current default position, but California and seven other states have enacted stronger protections, and Washington is poised to follow suit,” Blanc-Weiss says. “There are countless health ramifications tied to the quality of our air – for example, Seattle and Spokane record a higher percentage of asthma cases than at the national level. People may not always vote based on environmental issues – but they care. The environmental community needs to think about how we talk about issues – we need to make a compelling argument for people to take action.”

Action in Blank-Weiss’s world of grassroots campaigns often looks like e-mail alerts, urging Washington residents to contact their representatives. With a 17,000-member e-mail network in place, weekly alerts go out and taking action is as easy as hitting the “send” button. “We had a huge response just last week – over 1,000 e-mails went out to elected officials concerning the Clean Car initiative. I’m incredibly optimistic about people’s understanding of the issues.”

WashPIRG and other major environmental organizations throughout the state, including People for Puget Sound, League of Women Voters of Washington, 1000 Friends of Washington and the Transportation Choices Coalition, have established the following issues as “Priorities for a Healthy Washington” in 2005:

• Saving Hood Canal and Puget Sound
• Banning toxic flame retardants
• Passing legislation for cleaner cars and cleaner air
• Encouraging sustainable and efficient green building.

To find out more about these environmental concerns, visit www.environmentalpriorities.org. This collaborative effort not only supports new legislation aimed at cleaning up our marine water, making new investments in programs to prevent pollution, requiring new cars sold in Washington to emit less toxic pollution by 2009, and banning all PBDEs (polybrominated diphenyl ethers) by 2006, it also strongly opposes any attempts to roll back existing protections.

Naki Stevens, Sound Solutions coordinator and director of programs for People for Puget Sound, understands the need for legislative response. “We have a very good opportunity in 2005; it’s abundantly clear that the people of Washington state want environmental protection. Now it’s up to us to convince decision-makers that this can be done – that they can make a difference.”

Stevens has been making a difference since the Vietnam War era. A peace activist, she began working to protect the environment in 1973. “I’m extremely fortunate and blessed that my life’s work is so meaningful to me,” she says. “Everyone can’t say the same. I get exhausted, sometimes frustrated, but I remain hopeful. It’s all about perspective; there will be years like we’re seeing now at the federal level – trying our resolve. But we’re lucky here; our state is far better, with leadership at all levels understanding the environmental issues and the impact they have on the economy and our health.”

Priorities for a Healthy Washington evolved over a period of almost four years. Initially, 10 environmental concerns were identified as legislative priorities; issue papers were written, discussed and debated, and through a consensus process, the four emerging priorities were adopted. Stevens thinks the 2005 legislative session holds promise for the enactment of several important bills. She believes the political climate in Olympia is receptive. Although it’s unusual to get a bill passed the first year, Stevens feels the environmental community has done a good job of improving the understanding our decision-makers have of these common sense priorities.

For Debbi Brainerd, founder and chairperson of IslandWood, environmental understanding begins with early education; it starts when a child, learning to conserve and protect the environment while conducting experiments in a wilderness setting, begins to understand the web that connects all living things. Brainerd says, “My long- term interests have been providing educational opportunities to at-risk youth. I’ve always been in love with the outdoors, which is how I came up with the idea for IslandWood.”

Founded in 1998, IslandWood began when Brainerd and her husband Paul purchased and dedicated 255 acres on Bainbridge Island. “The reason we have invested so much time and resources into its creation,” Brainerd continues, “is because we learned that kids in our poorer communities were not getting the same residential environmental education experiences that kids from wealthier communities and schools were getting on an annual basis.”

The property not only supports diverse ecosystems but also sustainable green buildings, all created to support teachable moments. Flooring is made from sustainable materials, including cork and salvaged fir planks; an onsite treatment system called the “Living Machine” provides tertiary treatment of water; bathrooms feature recycled glass tiles and waterless urinals; and photovoltaic panels supply half the lighting and electrical needs of the classroom. Students visiting IslandWood are immersed in the vision that began with a walk in the woods for Brainerd.

“What makes IslandWood so special is the energy that Debbi brings to the project; it’s her inclusive style, her drive, her belief – it’s an intuitive thing,” says Stella Ley, a Bainbridge resident and former director at Qwest who now volunteers at IslandWood. She credits the quality of the instructors and educators Brainerd brings to IslandWood for the quality of the programs offered in science, technology and the arts. “She [Brainerd] makes sure every child is treated respectfully – because that’s how they’ll learn to respect the environment. It’s central to her vision.”

Students can participate in single, day or residential programs, staying in cabins that feature individual windows offering each child a forest view, and studying in the “tree house,” a unique classroom developed from suggestions made by children recruited during the design stage of IslandWood. Courses in “ethno botany” teach about interactions with plants, and a team-building course teaches the value of working together while supporting a strong sense of self.

“Working together” is the theme of IslandWood; Brainerd’s passionate belief in community building are evident throughout the property. Tours begin at the Main Center, a beautiful lodge-like building, created with sustainable materials and housing various interactive teaching tools including videos depicting the history of Bainbridge Island and the forced internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II, the Native People’s presence in the region, and current ecological problems that face our state. Visitors can move between the sites, learning about the amazing variety of wildlife on the property and the various ways we can live to care for the earth.

Reverence for our past and respect for the needs of the future define the women who direct their energy to environmental causes throughout Seattle and beyond. Perhaps no one represents this high level of passion better than Polly Dyer. A conservationist since the 1950s, she joined a select group of activists to form the North Cascades Conservation Council (NCCC) which fought to protect and preserve the wilderness area around Glacier Peak. Most environmentalists agree that without Dyer, the state map would look considerably different. A Seattle Times story in 1994 credited Dyer with “a leading role in the 1964 Wilderness Act, which preserved millions of acres throughout the nation – almost 10 percent of Washington’s land mass.”

In September 2004, Dyer was honored by more than 300 activists gathered in Washington, D.C., to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Wilderness Act. In recognizing her, Director Joshua Reichart remarked, “Polly has mentored, inspired and nurtured three generations of wilderness activists and leaders in the Pacific Northwest. She’s fed them, given them a place to sleep for the night when they needed one, encouraged them and urged them on. Polly Dyer embodies all of the best qualities of wilderness advocates in this country.”

Entering her fifth decade of service, she continues her work with the Sierra Club and other organizations, most recently accepting a leadership role with the Olympic Coast Alliance. OCA works with the Washington Environmental Council to protect the Olympic National Park and its coastal strip, a lifelong project for Dyer.

“I grew up around water,” she recounts. “With my dad in the Coast Guard we were always stationed in ports. I learned to appreciate the water and value it.” Dyer sees the need to broaden the knowledge of all Puget Sound residents on the importance of respecting the shorelines of Washington. “People should understand that we have problems protecting the ocean bottom; things that happen on shore affect our oceans.”

Dyer says women bring their enthusiasm, education and dedication to environmental issues. As Sierra Club leader Dick Fiddler remarked, “John Muir founded the Sierra Club in 1893 and most of the rest of us can’t figure out how he did it without Polly.”

Says Sue Joerger, “Polly’s the model for all of us – active, committed, informed. We can all make a difference; at SoundKeeper, we’re turning off pollution one pipe at a time – every small step we take improves our world.” Naki Stevens concurs. “Take the first step. Join an environmental group that supports your concerns. Get involved!”

“Women understand the importance of a healthy environment and providing the basic needs like clean air and potable water for their kids and families,” says IslandWood founder Debbi Brainerd. “Without these two things, the world as we know it would change dramatically forever.”

For further information about the organizations mentioned:

Puget Soundkeeper Alliance
WashPIRG
People for Puget Sound
Islandwood
Sierra Club

©2005 Caliope Publishing Company