Page 26 - Sonoma County Gazette - June 2018

Honoring Andy Lopez - After five years of organizing and plan- ning, the day has finally arrived to inaugurate Andy’s Unity Park with “Una Celebración Comunitaria Para Paz, Salud, y Vida.” This free community event honors the memory of Andy Lopez, the 13-year-old boy who was fatally shot by Sonoma County sheriff deputy Erick Gelhaus on October 22, 2013.
Addressing Climate Change through ZERO Waste
By Caitlyn Thomasson and Tish Levee
The 2nd annual Sonoma County Zero Waste Symposium in May galvanized this gathering of leaders committed to reducing waste. It offered an opportunity for those active in managing post-fire resources to share the importance of perpetual emergency preparedness and collaboration as future issues arise with climate change. We can apply what was learned from the fires as a model for community resiliency and sustainability going forward.
All presentations from the event are at: zerowastesonoma.org/presentations.
Landfill is the last place for these resources - Zero Waste—nothing going to the landfill or incinerator. Garbage contains valuable, recoverable, and recyclable materials as potential resources. Valuable waste incorrectly disposed of creates greenhouse gas emissions harmfully impacting the climate. Each person in Sonoma County creates approximately 4.9 pounds of waste daily, up from 3.2 pounds in 2012. Fortunately, a recently created Zero Waste Task Force is helping address the increasing waste issue.
The “Age of Plastic” - Keynoter Captain Charles Moore stated that we’re living in the “Age of Plastic;” we must come to terms with plastic pollution for both human health and environmental reasons. Making it very clear plastic pollution has become a human health issue, he noted the rapid increase of micro-plastics ingested by animals in the aquatic food chain, ending up on our dinner plates. Plastics break down into smaller and more numerous particles
as they weather from the effects of ultraviolet rays, wind, and wave action, resulting in micro-plastics. The toxins these plastic particles carry end up in our food, disrupting our bodies’ endocrine systems.
On June 2nd, there will be a bicycle ride and caravan from Bayer Farm to the park site at 3399 Moorland Avenue. The dedication ceremony of Andy’s Park begins at 1pm. All afternoon, until 5pm, there will be family activities, music, dance, art making, and food.
According to County of Sonoma officials, “Andy’s Unity Park grew from a community’s commitment, perseverance, and belief in the healing power of a park. The plan for the park remembers the life of Andy Lopez, who was tragi- cally killed at the site and also celebrates community unity and youth empow- erment while providing a much needed neighborhood park with a variety of features for neighborhood residents and families to gather and play.”
China’s National Sword - Sara Bixby, Deputy Executive Director at Solid Waste Association of North America, said that since China announced their “National Sword Policy” last July, which increases inspections of recyclable imports and limits imports of contaminated recyclable materials, more material is stockpiling at recycling centers, solid waste facilities, and is disposed in landfills. Recent updates to China’s policy have made the problem worse.
Supporting Palestine - Last month, Santa Rosa was one of the many sites that saw people gathering to protest the slaughter of Palestinians. The North Coast Coalition for Palestine (NCCP)—a local organization—has been key in disseminating information about this issue. KBBF supports this cause and will host an upcoming program about Palestine. For more informa- tion, consult the station’s Facebook page or NCCP’s page.
Homeless in Santa Rosa and Sonoma County - Last month, RadioLand reported on the protest that took place at the Roseland encampment when the police arrived to evict the people living there on April 19th. This eviction is symptomatic of a larger problem: there are over 2,000 homeless people in Santa Rosa. With the lack of adequate shelter beds and af- fordable housing, they encounter many challenges. KBBF’s Elaine B. Holtz, the producer and host of Women’s Spaces, responded to this issue. She interviewed Santa Rosa City Councilwoman Julie Combs as well as Adrianne Lauby, one of the founders of Homeless Action. What ensued was an informative discus- sion about what the Santa Rosa City Council has attempted and still needs to do with its Homeless Encampment Assistance Pilot Program. The conversa- tion also touches upon the May 1st civil disobedience arrests that took place at the City Council chambers. Listen to the archived show at the Women’s Spaces website at the link: womensspaces.com/ArchiveWSKBBF/WSA180514.html.
Election Day is June 5 - On June 5th, we go to the polls to elect a new Sheriff for Sonoma County. For the first time in decades, there are more choices. Elaine B. Holtz conducted a special interview with the three candidates. Listen as they respond to the county’s pressing concerns at: wom- ensspaces.com/2018%20Political.html. Remember to vote!
KBBF in the Aftermath of the October Fires - Alan Bloom reports, “I spent a full day at the transmitter site on Mt. St. Helena. The scale of the fire damage is amazing. There were skeletons of burned trees on both sides of the access road most of the way up...All the Manzanita around our transmitter shed apparently burned. It’s amazing we didn’t suffer any damage.” Bloom and other station volunteers have spent the ensuing months re-installing the station’s backup transmitter and performing necessary maintenance with the main transmitter.
Support KBBF - People can support KBBF through the website by becoming sustaining donors. The cost is $4.99 per month, or there is the option to make a one-time donation. Visit us online, at KBBF.org, for more information.
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The plastic pollution crisis calls for action at the speed and scale necessary
to ensure that future generations live in a toxin-free world. Chris Grabill from Sonoma County Conservation Action, managed the debris after the fires; it’s now a model for perpetual preparedness. By taking what was learned from the fires, we can cope with future issues of plastic pollution and climate change.
Overall waste reduction through reuse and recycling is key.
Many speakers stressed that education and outreach to ensure proper separation, cleaning, and best practices for reduction in waste overall is critical, with slogans such as: “use less,” “when in doubt, throw it out,” “recycle often, recycle right,” “buy recycled,” “REDUCE.”
Supervisor Lynda Hopkins emphasized that single-use plastic containers are relics of the past, pointing out that the City of Santa Rosa has great purchasing power and can use it to create less waste in the environment.
Other speakers spoke about food waste, noting America wastes 40% of
all food produced and emphasizing reclaiming food for the hungry and composting organic material. Sunny Galbraith and Guy Tillotson, shared
their work with schools in addressing this issue. Sunny, a teacher at Orchard View School, shared, with some of her students, their implementation of a composting program keeping lunch-food scraps out of landfill. Guy, the waste diversion technician at SRJC, shared how he’s engaging college students, moving to a Zero Waste campus.
While throwaway plastics have increased dramatically over the last 20 years, systems to contain, control, reuse, and recycle them haven’t kept pace. Not enough plastic in the US is being recycled. We need to move towards a management model that considers the entire life-cycle of materials.
We need to shift our consciousness to get to Zero Waste, changing our thinking about waste—realizing it’s not waste; it has VALUE. Looking at discards as a resource can preserve resources, allow better use of land than landfills, and create Green Jobs, where waste workers and recycler become first responders in getting to Zero Waste.
It’s not a question of the environment vs. the economy. Taking care of the environment is good for the economy.
Tish Levee and Caitlyn Thomasson are recent graduates of the Center for Climate Protection’s Climate Action Fellowship. Caitlyn, a student, is the president of the EcoLeaders Club at SRJC. Tish writes the Gazette’s column, “For the Planet.”