EvCC Sustainability

Have you noticed the lime scooters scattered all around Everett before? Electric scooters have been around for a long time but there are still issues with them. An electric scooter generates less emissions than an SOV (200 grams of carbon dioxide per mile compared with nearly 415.) They also don’t produce any C02 or polluting emissions themselves. A study from North Carolina State University (https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ab2da8) found that roughly two thirds of the time, electric scooters generate more greenhouse gases than other forms of transportation. It was found that trips on these scooters did not often replace a car, ride sharing service, or bus ride. Another large contributor are the transportation emissions used to collect these scooters for charging and distributing them across an area. The manufacturing process and raw materials used in scooters contribute to their emissions as well. The scooters often have low life spans on the street. These lead to electric scooters not being very sustainable.

Electric scooters are only sustainable when they replace other forms of transportation that create more emissions and pollutants. Work needs to be done to make them a good part of a sustainable transportation system. Ways this could be done include making changes to the manufacturing process (such as recycling old scooters and materials to make new scooters), improving the collection process (reducing distance between collection and storage points), improving the charging infrastructure (such as having them charge on a renewable energy grid and charging them when they are fully depleted), and requiring users to return the scooters to docks rather than leaving them in random places.

Thanks to a student from Learning Haven (an online elementary school) for bringing this important topic to our attention. Visit this link they found to learn more about the fascinating history of electric scooters:  https://www.carcovers.com/resources/a-history-of-electric-scooters/, as well as this link to learn more about Learning Haven: http://learninghaven.org/

It’s a great time to explore many of the exciting trails in our beautiful state. But it’s important to hike responsibly so we are respectful to the environment and the trails. A great framework to look at are the Leave No Trace Principles. Some of these principles include disposing of waste properly (pack in and pack out all your trash like food waste), staying on the trails to protect the landscape, not feeding wildlife, and always make sure to plan ahead for the specific area you’ll be visiting. Also remember to respect social distancing rules and bring masks during this time. Visit these links to learn more about proper trail etiquette and Leave No Trace: https://www.wta.org/go-outside/trail-smarts https://lnt.org/why/7-principles/

We all use energy everyday from everday actions like turnng on lights, driving, washing clothes, etc. Most of the energy we useally use is dervied from the burning of fossil fuels which produce greenhouse gas emissions(GHGs) like carbon dioxide which are released into the atmosphere. We need GHGs in our atmosphere to survive as they trap heat and absorb energy, but too much of them can lead to devestating impacts on our health, economy and the environment.

A carbon footprint is the total amount of GHG emissions produced directly or indirectly by an individual, household, organization, etc and the size of it depends on many factors like home size and types of vehicles used. You can calculate your carbon footprint and see what actions you can take to reduce it by using a carbon footprint calculator like this one: https://coolclimate.org/calculator

At the 8th annual Possession Sound Student Showcase and Talks (PSSST), EvCC ORCA (Ocean Research College Academy) students presented many interesting oceanic research studies. The keynote presentation from Dr. Christopher Krembs of the Washington Department of Ecology as well as posters of these studies can be viewed at the following link: https://sites.google.com/view/possessionsoundstudentshowcase

The Adopt a Stream Foundation (AASF) needs your (and up to five volunteers) help removing blackberry roots at one of their stream restoration sites on a tributary of Quilceda Creek. Invasive blackberries have taken over this site which has caused the native vegetation to become displaced. This work will help restore over one acre of native riparian vegetation and lead to improved water quality and enhanced fish habitat.

This event will be happening on July 16-17th and will take place in Arlington. Park at the shoulder 162nd St NE near 16207 67th Ave NE Arlington, WA 98223(this is the address closest to the worksite). Email  walterr@streamkeeper.org for more information, or call at 425-316-8592

Cleantech Alliance and the NW Innovation Resource Center (NWIRC) are teaming up with 8 cities in Northwest Washington to sponsor Amazon Catalyst competitions themed around creating innovative new ideas and plans to tackle specific issues. There are lots of very interesting ones such as Arlington’s Cleantech Competition with an emphasis on sustainability. Visit https://competition.nwirc.com/ to learn more about this, how to participate, and learn about upcoming webinars related to the competition themes and entrepreneurship!

Here is a link to a webinar related to the competition hosted by Eric Berman about recent innovations and progress seen in the clean tech sector and clean tech’s relationship with sustainability. More webinars are coming up this month! : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGeE1qU0zKs&feature=youtu.be

This exciting webinar will guide viewers on how to use D-tags(sound and movement tags for marine animals) to help track and record data about endangered orca (killer) whale behavior. Visit https://www.streamkeeper.org/ for more details on how to attend the event and go to https://killerwhaletales.org/resources/ to download the data and D-tag sheets.

The Washington Conservation Council (WEC) and Washington Conservation Voters (WCV) are looking for applicants for the Community Engagement and Campaign intern positions. This internship will consist of doing online campaign work to help elect candidates passionate about the environment and support WEC and WCV’s other efforts. To find out more about this internship opportunity and see how to apply for it, visit this link https://wecprotects.org/jobs/paid-community-engagement-and-campaign-internship/    

The Northwest Stream Center and Adopt a Stream Foundation are looking for internship applicants interested in wetland, forest, and stream ecology research. Visit https://www.streamkeeper.org/internship-opportunities for more information and to learn how to apply. Often there are other volunteer opportunities available beyond just these internship positions, so make sure to check out https://www.streamkeeper.org/ for more information about AASF.

The Northwest Stream Center will be having a virtual class webinar about native bees on June 25th with local environmental educator Demarus Tevuk. Visit streamkeeper.org to find out how to pay and reserve a seat.

The Sno-Lisle Food Co-op is a local Everett grocery store collectively owned and managed by over 8,000+ families that strives to operate in an eco-friendly manner. They have lots of organic, non gmo, fair trade, and sustainably sourced fruits, vegetables, dairy, cleaning products and more.

Sno-Lisle Food Co-op works with local farmers and also donates to nonprofits and organizations focusing on food and nutrition, environmental conservation/preservation, sustainable and community building issues. If you would like to learn more or become a member visit https://www.snoislefoods.coop/