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WHIDBEY ISLAND GREEN GUIDE Thursday, April 10, 2014 • The Whidbey Examiner

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By JESSIE STENSLANDA large, craftsman-style

house in Langley is proof that environmentally friendly residences can be beautiful, functional and comfortable.

Rebecca Stults and Barbara Banfield, a married couple, have been living in their new, 3,200-square-foot home for about a year and have found that it is an extremely pleas-ant atmosphere.

The couple had been liv-ing in an old, drafty home in Seattle and decided to move to Whidbey Island a few years ago. To help them build their dream home, they turned to Damon Arndt, a Langley-based designer-builder and owner of Next Generation Design Build. He focuses on quality and environmentally responsible homes, accord-ing to his website.

They worked with him to design and build a two-story house that utilizes both pas-sive and active solar energy and features many re-used items and materials.

Whidbey Sun and Wind analyzed their property before they purchased it to maximize the solar energy potential by the siting of the house. They had to remove just a couple of trees on the property to make it work.

As Banfield explained, the house has many large, south-facing windows, which cap-ture heat from the sun in the winter.

The windows have over-hangs, which block the sun when it’s higher in the sky in the summer, keeping the house cool.

The roof is covered with solar panels, which con-vert photons from the sun to energy. Under a Puget Sound Energy program, they get credit for the extra energy the panels produce beyond what they need and it is “banked” against their energy bill, Banfield said.

“We didn’t have to start paying anything until January,” she said.

The house is also well-insu-lated. Structural insulated panels, known as SIPs, line the roof. They consistent of insulating foam sandwiched between two boards; they have very high insulating properties.

As a result, the house stays cozy.

“We didn’t need to turn on the heat until the middle of November,” Stults said.

The house is heated with a wood stove in the living room and old-fashioned, hot-water radiators. They didn’t want forced air heat-ing, which can be harsh and blow dust around, so they found some old radiators at a second-hand shop. It took a lot of elbow grease to clean them up, but they agree it was worth it.

“It’s a gentle heat that just envelops you,” Banfield said.

Stultz, who worked at Boeing her entire career, incorporated a piece of the company into the house.

The large beams criss-crossing the ceiling come from historic Boeing Plant 2, which was demolished a few years ago.

The handsome floor is

salvaged myrtle wood from Oregon. The fixtures in the house come from second-hand shops.

The basement is below ground level, so it stays at a constant, cool temperature. It makes it perfect for their exercise room and root cel-lar, which doubles as a wine cellar.

A nature-friendly home that’s comfortable

Jessie Stensland photos

Above: A Langley home owned by Rebecca Stults

and Barbara Banfield uti-lizes both passive and active solar energy. Right: Barbara Banfield stands in the giant

kitchen of the eco-friendly house that utilizes salvaged

materials.

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By JANIS REIDFamous as the plant that

killed Socrates, poison hem-lock is one of several dan-gerous plants that grow on Whidbey Island.

While strides have been made through education and volunteer work to rid the island of these invasive plants, more can always be done, according to Janet Stein, noxious weed coordi-nator for Island County.

“Here it’s really going to take a community effort,” Stein said.

As a smaller county, Island County does not have the inspectors and removal teams that other larger coun-ties might have.

So for Island County, Stein said, education is key.

“The thing about Island County is we don’t have a big budget for our program here,” Stein said.

And the game plan is not always cut and dried.

Noxious weeds are unde-sirable non-native plants that have economic, eco-logical or aesthetic implica-tions, according to the WSU Extension Service. Noxious weeds are often highly destructive and extremely competitive with native

plants, making them very dif-ficult to control.

The impact of these plants varies, but can be quite dam-aging. For a farmer, noxious weeds can ruin crops and grazing lands.

For city dwellers, the weeds can overcome gar-dens and pathways, and decrease home values. They can also destroy valuable nat-ural resources like wetlands and animal habitats.

Depending on which of four classifications noxious weeds fall in, landowners could be required to simply control the plant or com-pletely eradicate it whenever possible.

Class A weeds are plants whose presence in Washington is still limited. Preventing new infestations and eradicating existing infestations are required by law. Class B weeds are lim-ited to certain areas of the state. Class C weeds are the noxious weeds that are already widespread and con-trol enforcement is allowed on a county level, if desired.

The county’s most com-mon noxious weeds include tansy ragwort, a yellow flow-ering plant that is toxic to livestock; purple loosestrife,

a wild flowering plant that is known to take over and destroy wetlands; spartina, a grass-like plant, that takes over shorelines and requires eradication; and Canada this-tle, which grows pink flower-ing pods and can take over farmer crops.

While some are more common than others, Island County’s noxious weed list spans to pages and lists more than 100 plants.

“I think everybody has to be aware,” Stein said. “Even small lots can be a source of the weed seeds.”

Stein said the noxious plants are often introduced quite innocently, like seeds

stuck on clothing or a gar-dener bringing a plant home from a trip abroad.

While not all non-native plants are bad for the island, Stein said some behave bet-ter than others.

The state has required landowners to control the noxious weeds within their property since 1881. But not until 1969 was there active enforcement of that require-ment.

Island County has its own Noxious Weed Control Board that implements laws and guidelines of the state code and works in collabora-tion with Washington State University Extension to pro-

vide education to landowners and the community.

The WSU Extension web-site provides information and pictures of all the noxious weeds so that landowners can identify them and find out how to deal with them. Stein said people are also wel-come to contact her office with questions or e-mail her a picture of the plant in ques-

tion.Landowners can then work

with the WSU Extension office to implement the cor-rect controls. In some cases, a small amount of state fund-ing can be acquired to assist property owners control or eradicate the weeds.

Questions about noxious weeds can directed to 360-678-7992.

LABOR OF LOVEKey to ridding island of noxious weeds is

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Photos provided

Above: Workers remove the noxious weed Hairywillow. Right: Maybe one of the most well-known noxious weeds in the area, scotchbroom is known for its bright yellow color.


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By RON NEWBERRYBeauty is in the eye of the

beholder.For Carol Goldberg, her idea

of beauty in her garden is a few notches taken out of leaves and tall grasses left to wither and turn brown.

These are signs that her garden is healthy and doing its part to pro-vide a more natural environment friendly to insects and wildlife.

“Once you discover that one of your bushes is being eaten by cat-erpillars, you get bragging rights,” Goldberg said.

Goldberg is strong advocate of environmentally-friendly garden practices, and backs it up in her hilly landscape at home on North Whidbey.

A former high school biology teacher, she preaches the benefits of native plants and other yard fea-tures that appeal to certain insects and small animals alike.

A sign in her yard reveals that her property is a National Wildlife Federation certified “Backyard Wildlife Habitat,” meaning it pro-vides the four basic habitat ele-ments that allow wildlife to thrive: food, water, cover and places to

raise young.Nowhere on her property is

there a lawn.“Lawns are basically sterile of

support for biodiversity,” Goldberg said. “They don’t support any of our native animals.”

Goldberg can’t stress enough to gardeners the importance of incor-porating native plants into their landscapes.

She was a speaker at the Whidbey Gardeners Workshop earlier this month in Oak Harbor, where she gave a presentation on creating wildlife habitat with native plants and the conservation ben-efits of doing so.

She is trying to dispel myths about insects and provide facts about their vital place in the food chain and value to birds, in par-ticular.

“More than one-third of all ani-mal species worldwide are insects that eat plants,” Goldberg said. “They convert plant tissue to insect tissue, which in turn are eaten by omnivores, and the preda-tors eat the omnivores. It works up the chain.”

That’s why Goldberg gets excit-ed when she sees a few munch marks on a plant’s leaves.

With bird populations declining significantly in the past 40 years, she said insects should no longer be looked at as the bad guy.

“Birds time their reproduction to peak caterpillar reproduction,” Goldberg said. “Caterpillars have more protein than beef. But when the insect population diminishes, so does the reproductive success of the birds and of their predators.”

Ron Newberry photos

Although they aren’t native to the area, an assortment of mosses and grasses cover some of the garden beds at Carol and Marshall Goldberg’s home. The quarter-acre property has no lawn, only pathways that lead to large expanses of a landscape that features tall grasses, perennials and water features.

Gardening for the environmentWildlife, bugs welcome at one Whidbeyresidence

Carol Goldberg, a former high school biology teacher, preaches the benefits of native plants in landscaping At her home on North Whidbey, her garden includes lots of native sword ferns and a ground covering shrub with red ber-ries called Arctostaphylos uva ursi. The plant produces white or pink blooms.

SEE WILDLIFE, PAGE 5


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Goldberg plants certain native plants in her garden to try to attract specific species of moths and butterflies.

She knows that a certain type of red alder will attract a Pale Tiger Swallowtail butterfly.

A Mourning Cloak butterfly likes Red Stem Dogwoods.

Although some insects are able to feed from a variety of plants, there are others that can only digest a few related plants or one specific species of plants, Goldberg said.

That, she said, is a critical point.“If the native plants disappear, so

do the insects that feed on them,” she said.

Goldberg doesn’t prescribe a yard exclusively bearing native species of plants. Her own yard is full of more common, non-native species that add color and beauty to her landscape.

But she maintains a blend, try-ing to help with biodiversity.

Goldberg said she also doesn’t fret about tidying her garden too much, knowing dried grasses offer shelter for wildlife such as salamanders and perhaps nesting material for birds.

Ken Bevis, a wildlife biologist with the Washington Department of Natural Resources, said creating

structural diversity in your garden is a good way to encourage wildlife.

Planting shrubs with berries such as Huckleberry, Elderberry, Cascara and Mountain Ash are good attractants for birds.

He suggested leaving taller snags on your property for birds to feed in and create cavities to nest.

Making a jagged cut, and not flush, leaves the snag looking more natural and appealing to the eye, Bevis said.

“You’d be surprised how quickly woodpeckers and birds use it as a feeding post,” Bevis said.

The more natural the setting, the more in harmony it is with nature.

To get her property certified as a back-yard wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation, Carol Goldberg needed it to provide food, water, cover and places to raise young. The quarter-acre property on North Whidbey features all of that. She doesn’t fret about grasses that turn brown and wither, knowing they might provide a temporary hideout for a salamanders, frogs or other crea-tures. Goldberg isn’t so concerned about a plant’s beauty than its function. She is often delighted to see a notch taken out of one of her plants, knowing that it might’ve served a caterpillar or moth that depends on that species.

FROM WILDLIFE, PAGE 4


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By JUSTIN BURNETTIt’s estimated that

140,000 pounds of toxic chemicals make their way to Puget Sound every day, from pollutants such as petroleum, copper and lead to zinc and polychlorinat-ed biphenyls, commonly knowns as PCBs.

About 75 percent of those toxins make their way to Puget Sound by stormwater runoff from roads, drive-ways, rooftops, even peo-ple’s yards.

Local harbor seals are seven times more contami-nated with PCBs than those in Canada’s Strait of Georgia, and transient and southern resident orcas are believed to be among the most PCB-contaminated mammals on the planet.

The above are all facts listed on the website of Puget Sound Starts Here, a grass-roots open source campaign that aims to educate and empower the public to do their part in cleaning up the region’s waterways.

“It’s from snowcaps to whitecaps,” said Alicia Lawver, a spokeswoman for

Puget Sound Partnership. “We’re all part of the problem and part of the solution. We can all make a difference.”

Puget Sound Partnership, a state agency, is one of about 750 Western Washington organizations partnered with Puget Sound Starts Here.

Essentially a coalition or network, it was created as a mechanism to unite past efforts of individual public and private agencies under a single and cohesive banner, all of which are working to improve water quality across the region.

An open resource for the hundreds of different part-ners, information is shared through a structure that is more bottom-up than top-down.

“It’s less an organization and more of a movement,” Lawver said. “It’s a way of thinking.”

It’s also a shot in the arm for local and like-minded groups, such as Whidbey ECO Network, which is composed of 20 different organizations, from various Washington State University Extension programs and

Pacific Rim Institute to non-profit groups like Orca Network, Goosefoot and the Whidbey Audubon Society.

While Whidbey ECO Network has many local part-ners — it’s one of 11 net-works around the region — Puget Sound Starts Here and the Puget Sound Partnership are an important educational and financial resource.

A $10,000 grant is helping Whidbey ECO Network fund Whidbey Earth & Ocean Month, which takes place in April.

“They are a vital partner,” said Susie Richards, coor-dinator of Whidbey ECO Network.

Another arm of the cam-paign is to directly reach the public and is accomplished largely through the Puget Sound Starts Here website, which is managed by Puget Sound Partnership.

The online resource focus-es on efforts everyone can do at home, from encouraging the sparing use of fertilizers and pesticides and keeping your car in tip-top shape to

limit leaking pollutants to picking up pet waste.

“It’s simple everyday things that can really make a difference,” Richards said.

Pollution in Puget Sound isn’t from a single contributor and the solution won’t come from a single organization

either. The problem is cumu-lative and the result of daily life, Lawver said. Cleaning will take wide-spread action on a community scale.

“And it starts with every one of us,” Lawver said.

“We all need to work together.”

Puget Sound starts hereAgency aims to educate and empower public on regional waterways

Photos provided

Above: Washington State University Beach Watchers of Island County leads students to the beach at Camp Casey Conference Center to help them learn about Puget Sound through direct experience. Right: The artwork is from a third grade student whose class with Service, Education & Adventure (SEA) stud-ied important things the public can do to protect Puget Sound.


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School group taking steps to help ecology

By BEN WATANABE Students at South Whidbey High School

have small plans to make a big difference in the environmental health of Whidbey Island and Puget Sound.

Their goal: encourage and empower their peers to find simple ways of reducing waste.

About 20 active members of the school’s Green Team, backed by the environ-mental group Whidbey ECO (Education, Communication, Outreach) Network, are working to get students to give up paper and plastic lunch bags in favor of reusable boxes.

“We’ve noticed a lot of people, since it’s convenient, take their lunches in plastic grocery bags and paper bags,” said Sophie Nilsen, the Green Team’s vice president. “That’s a waste.”

They have been assembling a collection of metal lunch boxes and reusable lunch bags, including thermal ones that keep foods cold, that students can buy from them at a nominal cost.

So far, their collection ranges from a simple green thermal bag with a zipper to elaborate collectible metal boxes with “The Muppets” on them. said Caitlyn Workman, Green Team club president. They noticed a growing trend for students using vin-tage metal boxes and wanted to use it as a springboard for a small environmental change.

That’s just a small example of what Whidbey ECO Network has done in schools on Whidbey Island. In April, the network has plans to work with several schools as part of the Whidbey Earth and Ocean Month ahead of Earth Day.

At South Whidbey High School, they will work with the Green Team to put speak-ers in every science class that will focus on Whidbey’s environment and the Puget Sound ecology.

“If we don’t connect to young people, what’s the point,” said Susie Richards, the network’s coordinator.

“Children, they have a role,” she later added. “They can be marginalized then sud-denly expected to know what it means [to be environmentally conscious].”

Whidbey ECO Network brought stu-dents from Broad View Elementary School in Oak Harbor to the South End of the island for a week of lessons. Richards, a former teacher, described the network as a “go-to resource” that offers field trips and lessons to schools. Students can use its website as an online research tool for reports and papers.

“It’s meeting education content needs but also introducing students to real issues,” she said.

The South Whidbey Green Team, which partnered with Whidbey ECO Network this year — its second as a club — has caught the spirit of environmental outreach. Nilsen and Workman said the club visited South Whidbey Elementary School earlier in the school year to speak with students about what recycling is, how to separate recy-clable materials and spoke about “Garbage

Whidbey ECO Network finds student support

Three tips from Whidbey ECO Network coordinator Susie Richards for helping Whidbey and Puget Sound’s ecology:1. Scoop the poop: Dog and pet animal feces have caused problems in Puget Sound, such as a shellfish ban in Holmes Harbor. Keep a small plastic bag or a corn-based bag that more easily breaks down in landfills to pick up after a dog when going for a walk. 2. Be aware of what goes down the drain: People should be informed about what they flush. Even though much of Whidbey Island uses septic systems, the stormwater still flows out to Puget Sound. For motivation, Richards said to look at the debris that gets stuck or tossed in stormwa-ter ditches, and don’t add to that pollution. 3. Grow gardens: Edible lawns are in fashion, such as replacing grass in the front lawn with a raised garden to plant tomatoes and beans.

Island,” the floating mass of plastic bottles in the Pacific Ocean that is estimated to be as large as Texas. They laughed when recalling the impact high school students had on them as elementary school-age children.

“A couple of them were really interested, which gives me hope,” Workman said.

Ben Watanabe photo

Whidbey ECO Network coordinator Susie Richards meets with South Whidbey High School Green Team club president Caitlyn Workman and vice president Sophie Nilsen to present the school’s reusable lunch bag and water bottle program.

By CELESTE ERICKSONLangley artist John Long is used to

working with fine materials. He is known for creating Northwest coast-style carvings and masks with precision and symmetry.

But, in the past few years Long has experimented with materials outside of his normal set — mostly from the dump.

Long has used his skills as a carver to create whimsical birds out of repurposed materials. The birds are made from a wood base and finished with materials he finds

from various sources. “It’s fun for me, going out and finding

other materials, it’s what makes it interest-ing,” Long said.

He started his creations after longtime friend and fellow woodcarver Roy Foster inspired him to try something different with his art and work with different materi-als.

After seeing photographs of sculptures made from various objects, Long decided to create his own work made from repurposed materials.

To date, Long has created three bird sculptures and is working on the fourth. His first three include a crow, pelican and vulture.

A far cry from the fine cedars of his carv-ings, Long used everyday firewood as the base for the three unusual bird sculptures.

But carving the base is the easy part. For Long, what takes the most time is finding the best material to adorn the bird. Long considers everything from the feathers to the beak to the environment of each bird.

One easy source for materials was bicy-cle shops. Long sought them out to find inner tubes to cut and lay flat for feathers of

his crow sculpture called “Thief 2.” “The bike shops were thrilled because

they just dump them out anyway,” he said. “I have enough inner tubes to last a life-time,” he said jokingly.

For the crow, Long wanted to craft a scene depicting the bird’s nature of thiev-ery. Long used materials such as a zipper and soda can tab to surround the crow.

“I found those by hanging out in junk shops,” he said.

Long also used found objects such as bicycle tire tread, an angler’s net, fabric and rebar in the other sculptures.

“I don’t try to make them beautiful,” he said. “I want to make them funky and


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artist’s work comprised of ‘found’ materialsLeft: John Long carves out the body of a kiwi bird for his fourth sculp-ture featuring repurposed materi-als. Long is known for his work in Northwest coast style carvings and masks, but has found a new joy creating his whimsical birds. Below: John Long’s work called “Thief 2” features a crow made from bicycle inner tube as the feathers, rebar as the legs, and “stuff” a crow would gather. Long sought materials from bike shops, thrift stores and in nature.

SEE ART, PAGE 9

Celeste Erickson photos


humorous.”Long is currently starting his fourth

bird, a kiwi. He said he is excited to show the bird’s personality, which he described as “a funny bird.”

For this sculpture, Long’s biggest chal-lenge is finding the best material to illus-trate the kiwi’s fur-like feathers.

The top contender is a roll of twine he died orange and plastic twine.

For the beak Long found an antique curling iron from the 1920s from his hair-dresser.

Finding a way to use his found objects are moments Long enjoys.

“Beaks are particularly fun for me in contrast to the body,” he said.

For him, the birds have become a way to counterbalance his creativity from the carvings.

“The birds were completely out of

nowhere,” said Long’s wife Camille. “It’s fun to see him be creative with materials.”

Camille Long works at Whidbey Art Gallery and hears viewers’ responses to his work.

Long said people are surprised to figure out the materials used on each bird, and often find the bike tires cool.

“It’s fun to see that reaction,” she said. That response from viewers is exactly

what Long set out to achieve. “I want to make it in a way for viewers

to say ‘How did you do that?’ and ‘I never would have thought of that,’ ” Long said of his creations.

“It’s playing, really,” he said. “Being in my own world, it’s like my little grown-up sandbox.”

Long’s repurposed work is currently fea-tured at Whidbey Art Gallery, 220 2nd St., Langley. For more information visit www.whidbeyartists.com or call 360-221-7675.

Above: John Long’s work called the “Bone Collector” features a vulture made from bicycle tire, feathers, Thera-band and pop rivets. Long scavenged for the materials at bike shops, thrift stores and in nature. Right: John Long’s work called “Gone Fishing” features a pelican made with bicycle tires, a shelf bracket, angler’s net, fabric, nails, rebar, zip ties, wire and fishing lures. Long said it was a challenge finding a material for the beak and pouch.

“I want to make it in a way for viewers to say, ‘How did you do that?’ and ‘I never

would have thought of that.’”John Long, artist

FROM ART, PAGE 8

Simple WAYS to takebetter care of your planetSimple WAYS to takebetter care of your planet

Leaky faucets can waste thousands of gallons of water each year, like money down the drain. Repair or replace

old or damaged � xtures. Serving All of Whidbey Island

DON’T BE A DRIP-FIX THAT LEAK

Whidbey Island Plumbing

New ConstructionRemodels

Service & RepairResidentialCommercial

[email protected]

Lic. #WHIDBIP922CS • Bonded • Insured

If you leave your car at home two days a week, you’ll

reduce CO2 emissions by 1,590 pounds a year.

To makereservations, call

(360) 679-4003 or(877) 679-4003

or visitwww.seatacshuttle.com

WALK, BIKE,CAR POOL OR USE

MASS TRANSIT

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The average North American family uses 1,000 plastic

bags every year, 80 percent of which come from food

stores. Taking your own bags considerably reduces the

amount of disposablebags used.

PRAIRIE CENTERMON-SAT 7AM-9PM • SUN 8AM-9PM

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TAKE YOUROWN BAGS


www.Zero-EnergyPlans.com (360)969-2363

For over 24 years, Whidbey Island's clear leader in environmentally excellent construction. Now specializing in Net-Zero and Positive NRG™ Homes. CLIFTVH972C5

CLIFTON VIEW HOMES

Some of your Neighbors can now Power their Cars with the Extra Energy producedby their House! Can Your House do that?

Growing the future• Organic pea patches available• Organic CSA produce shares available• Extensive walking trails• Loganberry Festival July 26 & 27 “Back to the Farm”• New Rainwater Catchment & Rain Garden projects

Wonn Road & Highway 525 • Greenbank360-678-7700 • www.greenbankfarm.org

CONTACT US TO LEARN MORE

Help Keep Whidbey’sWatersheds Healthy!

• Help us restore and maintain special places for fi sh & wildlife

• Learn how to use native plants• Be a volunteer teacher at the

Maxwelton Outdoor ClassroomAll ages and school districts welcome

Whidbey Watershed Stewardswww.whidbeywatersheds.org • (360) 579-1272

[email protected]

It’s the simple, everyday choices in life that can have the most impact on the envi-ronment around you.

For those who want to save energy, reduce their carbon footprint and aid in the overall movement of improving the environment, there are steps you can take everyday to make that hap-pen.

Melody Kuschnereit, coordinator for the Sustainable Whidbey Coalition and outreach partner for the Community Energy Challenge sends out regular tips called “Green Bites” to her mem-bership.

While Sustainable Whidbey’s membership is composed mostly of busi-nesses, she said she likes to share ideas and facts that anyone can use, whether it’s at home or in the office.

“Smaller things are more achievable,” she said.

Green Bites include information on how to save energy, using less-toxic products, tips for reducing waste and more.

The Sustainable Whidbey Coalition is a network of leaders directly involved in fostering sustainability on Whidbey Island. The coali-tion was formed in 2007 as a collaborative response to global climate change and local implications.

Sustainable Whidbey pro-motes the Whidbey Green Seal, which is a free certifi-cate program that publicly recognizes organizations that actively implement resource conser vation measures, demonstrate a culture of environmental awareness in their opera-tional activities and proac-tive social responsibility in the community.

Tips on making ever-day “green” choices:

n When cleaning out your office, keep in mind that Island Recycling accepts televisions, monitors, com-

puter towers and laptop computers free of charge as a part of the E-Cycle Washington Program.

n Use non-toxic clean-ing solutions whenever pos-sible. Non-toxic cleaners are available at almost all of Whidbey’s grocery and hardware stores. You can also search online for easy ways to make your own non-toxic cleaners.

n Reduce fax-related paper waste by using a fax-modem and by using a fax cover sheet only when necessary. Fax-modems allow documents to be sent directly from a computer, without requiring a printed hard copy.

n Make sure your fau-cet has an aerator. Aerators reduce water flow by 25 percent while producing a water stream that is every bit as good for washing dishes, hand, or fruits and vegetables.

n Screen-savers gener-ally do not save energy. In fact, certain graphics-intensive screen savers can cause the computer to burn twice as much energy, and may actually prevent a com-puter from entering sleep mode.

n Plants can serve as nat-ural air filters.They improve indoor air quality by remov-ing pollutants such as form-aldehyde (which is found in carpeting, upholstery, particle board and electron-ics). Some plants that work well in an office environ-ment include: Boston Fern, Dracena, English Ivy, Peace Lilly, Philodendron, Snake Plants and Spider Plants.

n Turn off your engine when you stop for a minute or two. It is a myth that it’s more fuel efficient to leave your engine running for a few minutes rather than turn it off and restart it.

n Nickel-metal hydride (Ni-MH) batteries and Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) rechargeable batteries are the most highly recom-mended, longest lasting batteries you can buy.

n Don’t just throw it away. Unwanted household and office items — furniture, books, appliances, office sup-plies, electronics and more — can be donated to help your local environment and local community. Donations made to local second-hand stores support local non-profits in your community and help the environment by reducing waste.

n To save your colored printer ink when printing a black and white docu-ment, go to “printer proper-ties.” Click the “Color” tab. Check the box for “print in grayscale” and then click the box for “black print car-tridge only.”

n LED bulbs last up to 25 years, use up to 80 percent less energy, are dimmable and produce the same qual-ity and brightness of light that customers are used to getting from old incandes-cent bulbs.

n If you have a manual thermostat or no thermo-stat at all, one way to save energy and money this fall and winter is to install a programmable thermo-stat. When installed and used with the four pre-programmed temperature settings for weekend and weekdays, you can save about $100 each year while staying comfortable.

n In the colder months when the windows are closed, indoor air qual-ity becomes more of an issue. Make it a policy to buy furniture, carpeting and paint that are free of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and won’t off-gas

toxic chemicals.n Consider shopping

online, if you really can’t find everything on your list locally. To have 10 pounds of packages shipped by overnight air uses 40 per-cent less fuel than driv-ing yourself round-trip to the mall, according to the Center for Energy and Climate Solutions.

n Adjusting the thermo-stat by just two degrees is the equivalent of losing 2,000 pounds of carbon emissions annually and almost $100 in energy costs.

n Check air ducts to ensure that as much warm air as possible is delivered through your central sys-tem, check the ductwork and wrap any leaks with duct mastic. Distribution losses (what’s lost while air is transported from your furnace through ductwork to the vents) often amounts to 30 percent. Sealing duc-twork could increase effi-ciency and the warm air received considerably, keeping you warmer and making the furnace work less.

n If you have a wood-burning fireplace, save your ashes in a tin instead of throwing them away. Cold wood ashes can be mixed in your compost heap to cre-ate a valuable soil amend-ment that provides nutri-ents to your garden.

n Reduce your carbon footprint. Leaving your car at home twice a week can cut greenhouse gas emissions by 1,600 pounds per year.

n Did you know: For every trash can of waste you put outside for the trash collector, about 70 trash cans of waste are used in order to create that trash. To reduce the amount of waste you produce, buy products in returnable and recyclable containers and

recycle as much as you can.n Don’t heat your freezer.

Site heat-producing appli-ances away from refrigera-tion equipment. It is not uncommon to see grilling or frying equipment next to coolers and freezers.

n Did you know most paper plates and napkins are compostable? If there’s anything worse than plastic plates, it just might be their Styrofoam counterparts. One of the easiest things you can do to go green is to reach for biodegradable plates, cups and cutlery when you’re shopping for your soiree this summer.

n Residential irrigation and other outdoor uses can account for up to 40 per-cent of water consumption.

For more efficient watering practices, consider collect-ing rainwater and use native plants and drought-tolerant plants in your landscaping.

n Winterize your vehicle by checking air filter and fluid levels, tires for tread wear and proper inflation, and the condition of your windshield wipers. Ensuring your vehicle is ready for weather changes will reduce damage, which prevents waste from broken parts.

n Select cold-start com-pact fluorescent, high-pressure sodium, or metal halide lights for outdoor lighting. If you leave lights on all night, use light-sen-sor controls that automati-cally turn the lights on at dusk and off at dawn.

Making ‘green’ choices in everday life is easyHow do you earn a Whidbey Green Seal?If you own or run an organization with a public location on Whidbey Island, you can fill out an application online at sustainablewhidbey.org/proj-ects/greensealThe program includes 7 categories of which suc-cessful applicants qualify by meeting at least 50 percent of the criteria in at least four categories.

What are the qualifying categories?1) Energy 2) Transportation 3) Water Conservation 4) Waste and Toxic Pollution Reduction 5) Community 6) Local 7) Purchasing

What can I do/ How can I get involved?Membership: Organizations directly involved in fostering sustainability on Whidbey are invited to become a member of the Sustainable Whidbey Coalition (SWC). Membership forms are available on our website.Affiliate Membership: Anyone who wants to financially support the SWC, but does not other-wise qualify as a full Member is welcome to join as an Affiliate member. Affiliate forms are avail-able on our website.Shop Local: When you are doing your shop-ping, try to stay local. Shopping locally supports your friends and neighbors, reduces carbon emis-sions from traveling, and keeps your tax dollars local. When you really can’t find what you need on Island, try shopping online. Shop Green: Remember to bring your own bag, and look for the Whidbey Green Seal!


Contact Information:Todd Heppner360-333-8805PO Box 1344

Coupeville, WA [email protected]

GARDENSERVICES, LLCSUMMIT

360-333-8805

SERVING ALL OF WHIDBEY ISLAND

LIC.# SUMMINGS871NE BONDED & INSUREDFacebook@SummittGarden

GARDEN RESTORATIONMAINTENANCEPRUNING / ALL TYPESMULCH / GRAVEL / STONE INSTALLATION

BRUSH / GRASS / WEED CLEARINGDEBRIS HAULING

AND…Much More!

After

Before

After

Before

www.summitgardenservicesllc.com


For more details:www.whidbeyearthday.org

ScienceWhile

Sippingjust a sample of our

half-hour talks over drinks• Thursday, April 10, 6 pm, Greenbank

Bar & Grille Native Bees & Local Brews

• Friday, April 11, 5:30 pm, Ott & Murphy Tasting RoomCatastrophic Spills from Exxon Valdez to Deepwater Horizon

with Dr. Nat Scholz, NOAA Scientist

• Thursday, April 17, 5 pm, Blooms Taste for Wine & ArtNoxious Weeds: What are they? Where are they? Why care?

Saturday, April 19, 11 am – 5 pm Welcome the Whales Festival & Parade

1:30 pm Parade (downtown Langley)

3:00 pm The Friendly Whales of San Ignacio Lagoon: Early Research

lecture by Mike Bursk, Ocean Institute, Dana Point, CA

United Methodist Church in Langley

visit www.orcanetwork.org for more complete details.

EARTH DAY: Tuesday, April 22, 7 pmScreening of the movie

Thin Ice: The Inside Story of Climate ScienceClimate science has been under increasing attack. In response, geologist

Simon Lamb took his camera to climate science colleagues around the world to fi nd out what’s really going on.

+ networking and information displays

South Whidbey High School Auditorium

Whidbey’s Earth and Ocean Month is organized by representatives from: Citizens Climate Lobby–Whidbey Chapter, Goosefoot, Orca Network, Service, Education & Adventure (SEA), South WhibeyTilth,

Whidbey ECO Network, and WSU Extension/Island County.

More events and details at www.whidbeyearthday.org

Thursday, April 10, 6:30 pm

A Brief History of the Salish Sea: How We Got to Where

We’re GoingLecture with Elliott MenasheClinton Community Hall, Clinton

Sponsor: Friends of the Clinton Library

Monday, April 14 through Tuesday, April 22Nine Days of Prayer to Honor Creation

Each day’s refl ection and meditation focuses on Whidbey Island.

Visit www.whidbeyearthday.org for information on how to pick up or download a copy.

Origina

l Artw

ork by

Sus

ie Rich

ards

Presented by Greening Congregations: Langley United Methodist St. Augustine’s Episcopal St. Hubert CatholicUnitarians of Whidbey IslandplusWI Jewish CommunityWI Friends/Quaker Society

Saturday, April 1212 - 3 pm

Scotch Broom Removal Bayview Recycle Center

Sponsor: Island County Noxious Weed Program

Sunday, April 13, 1 - 5 pm Field Trip: Birds and Marine Mammals

meet in Oak Harbor; various locationsLed by Steve Ellis, Whidbey Audubon Society

Saturday, April 269 am

Field Trip: Birding and Weed Watching!at the Maxwelton Outdoor ClassroomLed by Janet Stein and Kim Shepard

For more details:For more details:www.whidbeyearthday.orgwww.whidbeyearthday.org

Monday, April 14 through

Nine Days of Prayer to Honor Creation

Each day’s refl ection and meditation focuses on

Sponsor: Island County

Field Trip: Birds and Marine Mammalsmeet in Oak Harbor; various locations

Led by Janet Stein and Kim Shepard

our media partners:

RECORDSOUTH WHIDBEY

Saturday, April 269 am - 12 noon

Invasive Species Removal from Saratoga WoodsSponors: Whidbey Camano Land Trust and Greening Congregations.

Friday, April 256:30 pm

Going GreenPBS documentary screeninghosted by UUCWI

go green - whidbey island green guide 2014

Documents

solar panels

active solar energy

solar energy potential

solar season

house cool

twostory house

positive energy

extra energy