Spring 2013 Newsletter - Clean Water Action Council
Transcription
Spring 2013 Newsletter - Clean Water Action Council
O F j C E L E B R AT I N G 28 N O R T H E A S T W I S C O N S I N YE ARS OF WORKI NG TO P ROT EC T PU B LIC H EA LTH A N D TH E EN V IR O N MEN T IN N O RTH EA ST W ISC O N SIN i SPRING 2013 THE GREENING OF NORTHEAST WISCONSIN A Look at Efforts to Make Our Communities More Sustainable The Man from Clear Lake, Gaylord Nelson, Still Inspires the Green Movement. By Charlie Frisk Without the leadership of Gaylord Nelson, from 19631981, the efforts to make northeast Wisconsin a greener place today would be much more challenging. While Gaylord Nelson is best known as the founder of Earth Day, his environmental accomplishments go far beyond that. What led Gaylord Nelson to start Earth Day? In his words, “It had been troubling me for several years that the state of our environment was simply a non-issue in the politics of the country. I knew that the public was far ahead of the political establishment in its concern for what was happening to the environment. The signs of degradation were everywhere—polluted rivers, lakes, ocean beaches, and air. The goal of Earth Day was to inspire a public demonstration so big it would shake the political establishment out of its lethargy and force environmental issues onto the national political agenda.” The first Earth Day exceeded almost everyone’s expectations, possibly even Gaylord Nelson’s. During the same year as the first Earth Day in1970, the Federal Clean Air Act was passed and the Environmental Protection Agency was created. In 1972 the Federal Clean Water Act was passed, and in 1973 the Endangered Species Act was passed. President Nixon vetoed the Clean Water Act, but the Senate overrode his veto with a 100-0 vote in favor of the act. It is almost impossible to imagine a vote such as that happening today with the extreme partisanship that has developed in both state and national politics. Although Nelson is not listed as a co-author on any of those pieces of legislation, he is thought to have been the major author of both the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act. Other politicians who had presidential aspirations wanted their names on the bills, so he let them take the glory. That is another example of how the political climate in regard to environmental issues has changed. Today, among most politicians there seems to be an irrational fear of being labeled an environmental extremist, and it could be difficult to find signers for environmental bills. Nelson was a pioneer in speaking out about the problems associated with the rapidly growing human population and the increased demand for resources, particularly from the wealthier nations. He was one of the few politicians willing to speak out about the demand for resources created by immigration into the U.S. Nelson said, “We’ve talked about the exploding world population. What is not generally recognized, however, is that the U.S. population is the fastest growing of any industrialized country and is unmatched in its consumption of resources. At the current rate considering both birth rate and immigration, the U.S. population will more than double by the end of the 21st century. We will need to double almost everything, meaning more sprawl, longer commutes, bigger cities, and at least double the pressure on every resource we have.” Nelson also took on those who argued that environmental protection and a strong economy were mutually exclusive. “Look at it this way,” he said. “The economy is a wholly owned subsidiary of the environment. 2013 Membership Renewal is Due! See pg. 13. Thanks! Tickets are NOW ON SALE for our Annual Banquet and Dance. See pg. 11 for details. Clean Water Action Council News j 1 All economic activity is dependent upon that environment and its underlying resource base of forests, water, air, soil, and minerals. When the environment is finally forced to file for bankruptcy because its resource base has been polluted, degraded, dissipated, and irretrievably compromised, the economy goes into bankruptcy with it.” We need politicians willing to talk like that today! Nelson fought to the end of his life to protect our environment. I can recall listening to him speak at the Brown County Library within a year of when he passed away. His body and his voice were much weaker, but his spirit and passion were as strong as ever. He passed away during the G.W. Bush years. The saddest thing was that he went to his grave not knowing whether Bush would be successful at undoing his era’s most important accomplishments. This country needs another Gaylord Nelson, or even better, several of them; so that we can move out of the trench warfare we have been fighting on the environmental front, and actually start moving ahead. We need to demand more from our state leaders. Under our current governmental regime, when mining corporations are allowed to write their own environmental regulations, and a real estate executive is head of the DNR, it can be difficult to remember that there was a time when Wisconsin was known as an environmental leader. Author: Charles Frisk Sources: The Man from Clear Lake by Bill Christoffersen, © 2004 Beyond Earth Day-Fulfilling the Promise by Gaylord Nelson, Susan Campbell, and Paul Wozniak, © 2002 Zero Waste Group Forms in Brown County By Dean Hoegger CWAC’s Summer 2012 newsletter theme “Moving Toward Zero Waste: A Goal for Northeast Wisconsin to Embrace” and the accompanying articles inspired a small group of citizens to form an action group. Led by Pittsfield resident, Linda Patzke, the group quickly grew to over 25 concerned citizens from northeast Wisconsin including elected officials, government employees, representatives from the Oneida Tribe of Indians, and local environmental groups. The group’s mission is to move communities toward a zero waste future through education, advocacy, and consumer empowerment. The group, formed in December in 2012, named itself N.E.W. (northeast Wisconsin) Zero Waste Coalition. The coalition is working under the direction of a steering committee, supported by the enthusiasm and organizing skills of Patzke. Numerous meetings have already occurred and a schedule is being developed for presentations. The first one, “An Introduction to Moving toward Zero Waste,” was held at the Brown County Library, on February 7. Amy Spears, environmental specialist from the Oneida 2 i Clean Water Action Council News Nation, presented an introduction to zero waste concepts and CWAC president, Dean Hoegger, presented examples of communities on the path to zero waste and how they are reducing the threat of ground water pollution and global warming. Due to the winter storm that night, the program will be repeated at 6:00 p.m. on March 7, and will be followed by a presentation by Mark Walter, Facility Manager for Recycling and Household Hazardous Waste, Brown County. Walter will teach participants about Brown County’s recycling program and how residents can make the program more effective. The N.E.W. Zero Waste Coalition is also networking with the Food Waste Task Force sponsored by the East Central Wisconsin Planning Commission located in Menasha. Linda Patzke attended the January meeting where the coalition made plans to set a goal to reduce the amount of food waste sent to a landfill by a set percent in 2013. They hope to do this by developing programs for homes and businesses to send their food waste to composting facilities, on or off the site. The coalition organized several sub-committees to make progress with their goals. For more information on either of these groups, e-mail us at contact@cleanwateractioncouncil.org Sustain Door Returns Sustainability Fair to Door County April 27 With a beginning dating back to 2005, when Mary Rehwald presented “Sustainable Sweden and Its Lessons for Northern Wisconsin” to about 25 community members, Sustain Door formed shortly afterward and now continues to be an active force for sustainability in Door County. Monthly meetings, study circles, field trips, community projects, and an annual sustainability fair most years are used to educate the community and inspire participation in the organization whose mission is to promote the social, economic, and environmental sustainability of Door County. This year, a pre-fair event will be held on Friday night, April 26. A presentation on safe lawns will be given by Paul Tukey at Crossroads at Big Creek, Sturgeon Bay, at 7 p.m. on Friday. The Sustainability Fair begins on the following day, April 27, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Graham and Martin Parks along the harbor in downtown Sturgeon Bay. Fair goers will find interactive activities, local food, and knowledgeable vendors from throughout the region. CWAC will also have a booth at the fair. David Lea, chairperson of Sustain Door, explained the group’s origin and purpose. “We started our work based on the movement from the late 1980s, The Natural Step. We define sustainability as ‘development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.’ ” Lea said, “This program was developed by Dr. Karl-Henrik Robert along with leaders in business, science, government and education in Sweden.” “We have used this framework and definition for what we do to help create a way of life in Door County based on the interdependent ‘triple bottom line’ of economy, society and environment, making decisions that address our needs in a long-term sustainable way to ensure our future generations have the same opportunities.” “Our society today faces many challenges to our health and long-term prosperity with many finite resources we depend on diminishing, such as precious metals, fossil fuels, pure air, clean water, forests, top soil and fisheries.” Lea added that, “Some 31 counties, cities and towns in Wisconsin to date have adopted The Natural Step concept of ‘Eco-municipalities’ to make sustainable lifestyles their goal. With study of further concepts such as “Appropriate Technology”, “Transition Towns” and “Permaculture”, we are working to make our day-to-day decisions promote a healthy environment and a resilient community. With the Fair, we offer folks from all walks of life a chance to network and explore the options for living in a more sustainable way.” This year’s Fair is being co-sponsored by the nonprofit Lakeshore Natural Resource Partnership. For further information, contact www.sustaindoor.org or www.LNRP.org. Submitted article Green Bay’s Bird City Recognition Leads to Avian-Related Successes By Nancy Nabak “Bird City” sounds like something out of an Alice in Wonderland adventure. Birds hustling off to work, kissing their baby birds goodbye, governing the town and creating bird holidays, but Bird City Green Bay is far from fiction. In 2011, Green Bay applied to Bird City Wisconsin to become one of the inaugural 15 Bird Cities in the State. (Bird City Wisconsin follows along similar lines as the Tree City USA program, but began through a grant from the Toyota Together Green program and the Milwaukee Audubon Society). To become a Bird City, an application must be filled out, meeting seven criteria out of five categories. Green Bay easily met the requirements in the first year and flew to “High Flyer” status in its second year, meeting five additional requirements. This year, we have once again applied for “High Flyer” status. Since the inception of Bird City in Green Bay, incredible avian-related successes have occurred. One of our first visible projects was to build a “backyard demonstration area” to show individuals what they can do to attract local and migrating birds to their yards. This project was planned as a 3-phase program. In Phase 1, dedicated volunteers and high school students helped plant 30 trees, involving a wide variety of bird-friendly species, across from the Wildlife Sanctuary entrance. In Phase 2, a rain garden and butterfly garden were planted in the same general area. We are now on to Phase 3, which consists of putting up educational signage regarding the demonstration project as a whole. Three signs will be posted, as well as labeling of the various tree species. Our goal is to educate, motivate and inspire others to do the same— attract beneficial insects, butterflies and birds to their own backyards. We’ve also been very successful in drawing attention to the declining Chimney Swift. For the last two years, we’ve been conducting Chimney Swift surveys with “The Swift Night Out Program”. Last year, with the help of nearly 30 volunteers, 2,000 Swifts were monitored in the downtown area. Because this migrating bird is in such great decline, Bird City Green Bay committed to building a man-made tower in hopes of attracting a nesting pair and to offer a Swift roosting site. The gorgeous tower is now up. In the spring/summer, we hope to have our camera installed which will feed directly into the Wildlife Sanctuary, and an educational kiosk will be built with the help of NWTC students. In the future, keep your eyes open for updates on such projects as kestrel platforms, the Pollinator Corridor, and the Second Annual Big Bay Birdathon to be held in May. Birds are flying high locally because we have a community that cares and volunteers that get active. If you’d like to learn more about Bird City and its programs, please visit www.BirdCityWisconsin.org or contact Nancy Nabak at nnabak@sbcglobal.net. Nancy Nabak has been voluntary Chairwoman of Bird City Green Bay since its inception. She is also on the Sustainable Green Bay Committee and volunteers for the Pollinator Corridor and Leadership Green Bay. She is a nature enthusiast who happens to believe that a thing which has a beating heart and beating wings deserves a piece of sky. Clean Water Action Council News j 3 Green Bay Pollinator Corridor Creates Chain of Native Landscape Gardens by John Hermanson A group of local concerned citizens has created a project to support the greening of northeast Wisconsin. The Green Bay Pollinator Corridor Project’s plan is to create a chain of native-landscape gardens no further than a half-mile apart spanning Brown County. Habitats for pollinators and other beneficial insects have been on a decline due to habitat loss and other environmental factors. Franklin Middle School teacher, Ned Dorff, along with other teachers and community members including Wild Ones members have worked to establish native plant gardens at three elementary schools and three middle schools, as well as two prairie restorations on both sides of town. Other native plant gardens are being identified and mapped in hopes of inspiring refugee corridors for beneficial insects and the other ecological services native plants provide. Further information on this subject can be found on the Wild Ones website (http://wildonesgreenbay.blogspot.com), Bringing Nature Home, by Douglas W. Tallamy, and The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation (www.xerces. org). You can also find a recently published inspirational illustrated book, The Pollinators Corridor, a graphic novel by Aaron Birk. Reference: Green Bay Public Schools Green Team receives “Green Gift” from Cellcom - www.nsightnews.com. Local City Ordinance Supports Native Landscapes By Margaret Gerhard The city of Green Bay approved a revised city ordinance allowing taxpaying property owners to grow natural landscapes of native plants, and front yard herb and vegetable gardens. The revised ordinance has parameters, like setbacks and registration requirements. This welcome change has been enthusiastically supported and embraced by urban gardeners and environmentalists. Over 20 years ago several citizens approached the city council asking to allow native plantings and natural landscapes. It was Lorrie Otto, founder of Wild Ones, who since the 1960’s encouraged folks to transform their monoculture turf lawns into natural, native gardens for environmental reasons. With the current environmental state of the planet, Ms. Otto’s “radical” ideas of the 60’s are making even more ecological sense! The water issue alone vouches for this truly greener landscaping approach! The benefits of natural landscapes, rain gardens, and edible yards, known as yardening, are multiple and diverse. Besides obvious economic benefits, eco-friendly landscapes 4 i Clean Water Action Council News boost tourism, increase interest in the area, enhance water quality, and increase property values. These greener areas restore biodiversity, create habitat and food for wildlife and support healthy soils for a vibrant ecosystem. Natural landscapes mean less CO 2 emissions from noisy polluting lawn mowers, weed whackers and leaf blowers, and improve air quality and climate. They reduce ground level wind velocities, absorb solar radiation and reduce winter drifting. This also means lower heating and cooling bills. Your water bill is lower with a natural landscape, your aquifer is recharged, algae blooms are decreased and water quality is improved. Rain gardens are proven to reduce flooding. There are also social and educational benefits of natural landscapes, including psychological and emotional benefits. Besides enhancing local biodiversity, they promote community education and stewardship of natural resources. These naturalized urban landscapes are living field laboratories. They can provide privacy, block street noise and buffer vehicular pollution. They increase environmental awareness and appreciation, and encourage creativity. CWAC member Margaret Gerhard is an artist, teacher, student, dreamer and awardwinning environmentalist, dedicated to saving the planet by artistic recycling!! Sustainable Farming is Promoted in Northeast Wisconsin By Lynn & Nancy Utesch Sustainability is the ability of the current generation to meet its needs, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs. - United Nations, 1987 Sustainable farming is the practice of farming that does not deplete your soil, water or air. It operates on the values of environmental stewardship that nurture the land and maintain fertility, enabling the farm to produce for generations without suffering the ill effects of overuse, depletion and degradation that would ultimately render the farm barren. Good stewardship is basically a “do no harm” mentality in farming. Protection and preservation of naturally occurring ecosystems is not only wise, it is essential to the vitality of the farm, and the web of life that depends upon these systems. Tree lines, hedgerows, buffers, cover crops, rotational crops, and overall diversity sustain the farm, along with the natural benefits of insects and wildlife that flourish under this model. While many farming models today extol super-sized equipment, technology, and “sound science,” a wise farmer knows that technology cannot replace natural systems. Mother Nature’s ultimate role in farmer’s lives is paramount. Farmers know that their livestock, crops, and bottom line are supremely ruled by nature, with weather playing a great role in cycles of rejuvenation, restoration, and regrowth on the farm. Nature always bats last, despite beliefs that bigger, better, genetically-altered or other means will dictate success. Here in northeast Wisconsin, there are several organizations that promote and educate both farmers and the general public about sustainable farming. GrassWorks is an organization that believes in the use of managed grazing. Managed grazing is a farming method that allows livestock to graze through numerous pastures, then allowing those pastures to rest and re-grow. By using this technique, the farmer works with nature and biological processes to eliminate the need for many off-farm inputs. This preserves natural resources, protects habitat for wildlife, keeps farm animals healthy and productive, produces high quality meat, eggs, and dairy products, and secures a high quality of life for farmers and their families. These practices can restore and maintain healthy rural communities. Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES) is an education-outreach organization working to promote sustainable and organic agriculture. MOSES serves farmers striving to produce high quality, healthful food using organic and sustainable techniques. These farmers produce more than just food, they support thriving ecosystems and vibrant rural communities. Tsyunhehkw^, the Oneida Nation’s 80 acre organic farm, is a cultural-based community program of agriculture committed to education and sustainability. They promote holistic health through the production of high quality foods including their heirloom white corn, grass-fed beef, pastured poultry and eggs, organic fruits, vegetables, and berries. Tsyunhehkw^ also has a cannery which produces several products with their white corn, as well as salsa, pickles, and many other items. Educational workshops and tours in food preservation and processing are also offered. The Tsyunhehkw^ store is located on Packerland and Larson Avenues in Green Bay, where they sell many of these items. To find farms and products that are grown in an earth friendly sustainable way, check out the Farm Fresh Atlas of Eastern Wisconsin which is published yearly and is a directory of farmers and farms in this locale. You may view the Farm Fresh Atlas online at: www.farmfresheastwi.org Support your local, sustainable farmers! N.E.W. Plastics Corporation Brings Sustainability to Lumber Industry By Dean Hoegger With a simple beginning in 1973 under the direction of company founder, Irvin Vincent, N.E.W. Plastics became the first company to turn milk jugs into plastic decking. Company employees gathered milk jugs from home in order to produce a new product out of what was then deemed trash headed to a landfill, according to company representative, Ron Madlem, during a recent tour given to CWAC. Every 112 milk jugs became a ten foot long 2x4 explained Madlem. They have the capacity to divert up to 26 million pounds of plastic annually from reaching our landfills. Today, the recycled plastic needed to produce the lumber is purchased from brokers. Nonetheless, the company continues its commitment to the green revolution by producing extruded plastic lumber and components from its RENEW Plastics division. The RENEW division produces EVOLVE PVC and BPH free plastic lumber and custom extrusions from up to 94% recycled plastic. Unlike treated wood lumber, which has limited recycling options and is often landfilled, the EVOLVE product is made from 100% high density polyethylene (HPDE) and is completely recyclable. RENEW accepts used and scrap EVOLVE lumber and will convert it into new products. N.E.W. Plastics website and literature reassure their customers that all of their products are BPA and PVC free. BPA, or bisphenol-a, is a chemical used to make polycarbonate plastic. BPA is known to seep into food and beverages from the plastic and according to the Mayo Clinic, the Food and Drug Administration is taking steps to reduce human exposure to the chemical. PVC is difficult to safely recycle and is known to release dioxin, a serious carcinogen, in its production. Being BPA and PVC free also makes the N.E.W. workplace a safer work environment for the over 200 employees at their Luxemburg, Wisconsin facility. More about the company’s products and operations can be found at www.newplastics.com Clean Water Action Council News j 5 Gardner Town Board Seeks to Regulate CAFOs By Peter Sigmann There are not many townships left in northeast Wisconsin without at least one concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO). While the town of Gardner in Southern Door County is one of them, it has nevertheless been the recipient of millions of gallons of animal sewage from Brown and Door County, which euphemistically is called “liquid manure” and spread on hundreds of acres of leased fields. Evidence indicates that excess nutrients—and probably many unmeasured substances—rapidly appear in the groundwater and in Little Sturgeon Bay. The town’s financial base lies primarily on coastal real estate values. Any increase in phosphate pollution would be a serious threat for the local economy. When the town supervisors received advice from the Wisconsin Towns Association to establish a local Livestock Facility Ordinance, the decisionmaking was agonizing. Local towns and communities are left with very little power to control their local environment, as the result of the Livestock Facility Siting Law that was enacted in 2004 with rules made by the Agriculture Department in 2006. This law paved the way for factory farms in Wisconsin. The state law has the primary objective to regulate livestock facilities in a uniform manner. However, it fails to protect natural resources, public health, and quality of rural life. It prevents communities from controlling CAFO locations with protective ordinances or zoning and prescribes an application and approval process to be followed by local government. The state says that a properly completed application must be approved by the local government thus removing local control. What then are the benefits of a siting ordinance? The town comes into possession of the proposed facility’s application, including details on location, odor and air emissions, nutrient management, waste storage and runoff management. The state presumes compliance with state standards as long as the application says so. Local ordinance can be more stringent than state standard only if it can be shown by reasonable and scientifically defensible findings of fact that stricter standards are needed to protect public health and safety. Another benefit of local involvement in permitting is the opportunity to monitor a CAFO’s compliance with its permit. Having feet, eyes and noses on the ground should be more effective than infrequent and casual visits by state inspectors. While reasons for townships to refrain from passing a local ordinance include limited financial and manpower resources, it may still be worthwhile for them passing such an ordinance. Being “in the loop” is especially useful in the event that a suit has to be filed against a facility 6 i Clean Water Action Council News that violates the conditions of its permit. This is a case where something may be better than nothing! For more information, see this review by Midwest Environmental Advocates: http://midwestadvocates.org/assets/resources/An_Overview_ of_the_Livestock_Siting_Law.pdf CWAC member Peter Sigmann lives on the shore of Little Sturgeon Bay. He enjoys being on the water and has led environmental initiatives of the Little Sturgeon Property Owners Association The Action in CWAC Clean Water Action Council board members took a variety of actions on behalf of the membership and the community of northeast Wisconsin since the Winter 2013 newsletter. Membership dues, our annual meeting fundraiser, and donations are paying the expenses for this work, including printing, mailing, annual fees, posters, media campaigns, fees associated with legal actions, and limited travel to hearings, action events and conferences. This is why your participation is so important. Your 2013 paid membership will help us continue to take these actions and to keep you informed. If your address label has a ’13 after your name, we have received your 2013 membership dues. Your volunteer check-off will help CWAC connect you to volunteer opportunities. Our Green Bay office is a great place to work on issue research and communication projects. Also, please call or email us when issues arise that are of special concern for you. Listing your e-mail address in the Action Alerts box on the membership form will keep you informed of environmental issues, actions we have planned, and ways you can participate. Read below about actions we have taken in the last three months. Be sure to contact us if environmental issues arise in your community. CWAC is here to support citizen action. The following are our most significant activities since December. Judge Rules Against Gasification Plant Developers Who Now Look Elsewhere By Dean Hoegger After an 18 month effort to get the truth known about the Oneida Seven Generations Corporation’s (OSGC) gasification incinerator, CWAC, Incinerator Free Brown County, and area citizens were finally rewarded for their tireless efforts. Residents were greatly relieved to have this project out of their community, but now must remain vigilant for a startup elsewhere. The ruling on January 9 by Brown County Circuit Court Marc Hammer against the Oneida Seven Generations Corporation’s claim that the city of Green Bay arbitrarily rescinded their conditional use permit is a victory for all citizens no matter their opinion of gasification incineration. The judge found the Oneida Tribe’s LLC had made significant misrepresentations in the application process. Allowing any company to proceed with development after discovery of a fraudulent application would have set a bad precedent for all of Wisconsin. This ruling strengthens the expectation that applicants must make a full and accurate disclosure in a permit application, protecting the integrity of the permit process! This ruling was especially gratifying to opponents of the project who had questioned Oneida Seven Generations about the accuracy of the information they were providing to the public in their presentations, on the company’s website, and in media releases. Questions regarding emissions were repeatedly dismissed by the LLC’s spokesman by saying there would be no pollution because of the closed-looped system. After learning similar misrepresentations were also made to the city, opponents brought that information to the city council in April, 2012. At that time they voted to have a rescission hearing. The subsequent vote to rescind the permit gave residents a renewed confidence in local government. Council members listened to their constituents and acted on information which they verified in the public record. However, Judge Hammer’s decision did not stop OSGC from going forward with a gasification plant elsewhere. The company is now trying to site a facility in Oneida and is making inquiries with the Morrison Town Board. In Oneida, they have asked for and received a zoning permit change on reservation property referred to as the Tower Foods site. CWAC was contacted by tribal members asking for our support of their efforts to stop the project. CWAC wrote to the Oneida Land Commission urging that the zoning change not be made due to the nearness of the Turtle School, tribal organic gardening businesses, and a pristine wetland. CWAC also pointed out that OSGC was not fully releasing the details of their project, which alone was cause for not rezoning. Although the zoning change was granted, CWAC continues to work with these members to prevent the plant from being built. Two strategies are currently being employed. Several tribal members gathered signatures of enrolled tribal members which they say are sufficient to require a full tribal council vote on the matter. Sources within the tribe indicate many members were reluctant to sign for fear of losing their jobs with tribal businesses. If enough signatures are confirmed, a council meeting will be held in May to take up the matter. In the meantime, tribal members have proposed a boycott/buycott, as they have called it. Since the Tsyunhehkw^ Herbs and Organics farming business is close to the proposed site, the idea is to boycott those products due to contamination concerns from a gasification plant. On the other hand, those supporting the opposition could agree to buy products if no plant is built. Should this boycott/buycott be implemented, CWAC will e-mail an alert, unless OSGC releases their plan and an evaluation of the project indicates an alert to be unnecessary. Tribal member, Leah Dodge has also written to the Oneida Tribe’s Business Committee revealing further false statements made by OSGC and how their project conflicts with at least one of the Tribe’s resolutions. In The Oneida Tribe of Indians Resolution 12-08-10-B, there are numerous false statements; the most egregious include misleading information about emissions. They are as follows: “WHEREAS, emissions from this facility are comparable to a natural gas generator and will be limited to the four generators that will send the energy to WPS,” and “WHEREAS, this facility will meet strict federal Environmental Protection Act guidelines for air emissions and will not have smoke stacks, will not produce excessive noise or emit toxic gas or odors.” Both of these statements fail to identify that smokestacks would be needed to disperse the over 18 toxic air emissions the WDNR reported the plant would release, including dioxin. The potential for dioxin release conflicts with another resolution, The Oneida Tribe of Indians Resolution #1108-00-B, Dioxin and Persistent Organic Pollutants. This resolution calls on the federal government to pursue ending the production and release of dioxin because dioxin is a “known carcinogen” and dioxin is linked to severe health effects. The resolution further notes that tribal families are disproportionately exposed to dioxin because of their landbased culture and subsistence practices. OSGC also presented information to the Morrison Town Board for what appears to be a gasification plant. A representative from Incinerator Free Brown County (IFBC) covered the event and has received a videotaped portion of the meeting. E-mail CWAC for a copy of the video segment. IFBC also sent a letter to Morrison Town Board members informing them of the past misrepresentations by OSGC and raising many issues that board members should consider in determining if the project is appropriate for Morrison. CWAC will keep you posted through an e-mail alert and our Facebook page if there are further developments. 2013 Membership Renewal is Due! Thank you! See pg. 13 Clean Water Action Council News j 7 Clean Water Action Council Staff Attends Recycling Meeting By Carla Martin, CWAC Intern Protesting the Dairy Business Association and CAFOs By Samantha Francar, CWAC intern Although the morning of February 19th was filled with freezing temperatures and heavy snowfall, that didn’t stop the passion of local citizens and the members of Kewaunee County’s Citizens Advocating Responsible Environmental Stewardship (Kewaunee CARES) who demonstrated against the Dairy Business Association convention at the KI Center that day. Kewaunee CARES organized a protest to voice their opinions on the Dairy Business Association’s “Diary Expansion Symposium” where corporate dairy farms met to plan expansion of factory farms in Wisconsin. These factory farms not only use confined animal feeding practices , but they also produce hormone-infested waste filled with contaminates like E.coli, making drinking water unsafe and polluting bodies of water like the rivers and lakes in the state of Wisconsin. Nancy Utesch, a farmer in Kewaunee and a member of Kewaunee CARES, was one of the picketers at the CAFO protest. “We live in Kewaunee County, and there are 16 animal factories, each in various stages of expansion. With each expansion, our water is threatened more, our air quality, our futures, and our quality of life. We’re concerned about what’s happening. We believe that we already have expanded for what the people can tolerate and the tolerance of the land.” The people who came out to protest showed dedication and excitement, bearing the cold and the whiteout snow. Drivers rode by and honked in support, and each picketer held their signs with pride and satisfaction knowing that they would not only reach out to the factory farms in objection, but to their local neighbors and future generations to protect themselves from harm along with the environment that they live in. Thank you to all who came and rallied. Your actions are very much appreciated. 8 i Clean Water Action Council News The Clean Water Action Council staff attended the Wisconsin Council on Recycling meeting on February 21, 2013 in Green Bay. The Wisconsin Council on Recycling is a citizens group, appointed by the governor, to advise the governor, legislature and state agencies on solid waste reduction, recovery and recycling policy. The council is staffed by the Department of Natural Resources. The agenda for the meeting covered the topics of recycling plastics, pharmaceuticals, tires, and carpet. Cynthia Moore with the WI DNR stated that, “$64 million dollars’ worth of plastics went into Wisconsin landfills in 2009”. This opens opportunities for new technologies and emergent markets. A presentation was made on tire recycling programs in other states, as well as a presentation from a representative from Carpet Landfill Elimination and Recycling (CLEAR) about initiatives to recycle residential carpeting. For more information visit: http://dnr.wi.gov/ topic/recycling/council.html CWAC Will Mail Open Burning Warnings Upon Request By Dean Hoegger With spring just around the corner, rural residents can expect an increase in the use of burn barrels and open burning. By state law, only leaves, plant clippings, nonrecyclable paper and cardboard, and clean, untreated wood may be burned. However, burn barrels often contain far more dangerous materials which are largely unknown to an observer. Open burning permits may be issued locally for the purpose of burning brush, leaves, and untreated lumber. But often painted or treated lumber, plastic products, carpets and pads, and other unwanted materials will also be burned in violation of the state law and the local permit. Open burning is responsible for nearly two-thirds of the dioxin released in the U.S. each year. These methods also release furans, acid vapors, carcinogenic tars, and heavy metals including lead, cadmium, and chromium. Even when the burning is over, problems with toxins persist. The ash remaining can cause immediate exposure problems or persist over time as rainfall causes these pollutants to enter the surface or ground waters. Open burning is clearly hazardous to one’s health. Whenever possible, report these violations to a local authority first, such as county law enforcement, which is likely to send an officer to the scene. Also report the violation to the DNR Tipline at 800-847-9367, who will have a warden make a follow-up call to you. For non-emergency responses, whether it is just the use of a burn barrel or on the ground burning violations, CWAC will mail a WDNR open burning information sheet to your neighbor with a cover letter from CWAC. You provide us with the name and address of the recipient, and we will do the mailing without identifying you. Maribel Residents Still Monitoring Digester Proposal By Dean Hoegger CWAC board members Charlie Frisk and Dean Hoegger attended a meeting of the Ledge Guardians in Maribel on January 22. Residents were told that there has been no new zoning change request to site a digester since the previous request was incorrectly submitted in 2012. However, they were also told that it remains a Maribel Village Board meeting agenda item each month. The previous application was for rezoning a site that is a designated environmental corridor as identified by the Village of Maribel 20-Year Comprehensive Plan. Results of water testing were also shared as well as information about how to interpret the results. The testing was completed to obtain a baseline of water quality if a digester was permitted at the site. The greatest potential threat to groundwater from a digester would be the spreading of the leftover material on nearby fields, many having little topsoil to absorb nutrients. Frisk and Hoegger were invited to share information about the mission and activities of CWAC including our work with Kewaunee Cares. CWAC Attends Algoma Water Forum Organized by Kewaunee CARES Members of CWAC’s Kewaunee CARES committee organized a forum to examine the effects of concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) on human health and the environment in Kewaunee County. Lynn and Nancy Utesch and James Olson hosted the event with numerous speakers scheduled by William Iwen. Andrew Werthman, of the PEW Environmental Group explained that besides the threat to groundwater and human health, CAFOs are negatively affecting local economies. This industrial animal product production transfers costs to local communities while at the same time reducing money spent locally. With fewer farms, the services and equipment become more specialized, and are not often found within the community. With greater concentrations of animals, CAFOs require more feed than what is raised locally, and is therefore often shipped in from great distances. Several presenters discussed legal and political actions including Susan Turner from Jo Daviess County, Illinois. Turner spoke about how the organization she helped found, Helping Others Maintain Environmental Standards (HOMES), through grassroots organizing and fundraising, was able to affect the departure of A.J. Bos Industrial Dairy Farm from her county. More about the group’s success can be found by searching H.O.M.E.S. where you will find their Facebook page, lawsuit, and related articles. Another political resource is found at the PEW website: http://www.pewenvironment.org/campaigns/reformingindustrial-animal-agriculture/id/8589940398/ Here you will find many resources including an online petition urging the EPA to make pollution from CAFOs among its national enforcement initiative. Midwest Environmental Advocates director Kim Wright spoke about the importance of reporting possible violations to the DNR Tipline at 800-847-9367. She also noted that it is important to report any threats or intimidating behavior toward environmental activists to local law enforcement. She said threats are not entirely uncommon and should be taken seriously. CWAC board members Bev Watkins and Dean Hoegger also attended the forum. Kewaunee CARES Continues Surface Water Testing By James Olson CWAC continues to sponsor surface water testing in Kewaunee County to obtain baseline data on water quality in an effort to monitor the efforts of concentrated animal feeding operations in the county. The Kewaunee CARES committee is conducting the study. On January 22, following some mild temperatures and some snow melt, water testers sampled two locations near a field where winter spreading of manure had occurred. The first location was at the corner of County S and Maple Road in Lincoln Township of Kewaunee County. This is one of the routine locations used since testing started last September. Samples taken were tested only for coliform bacteria and E. Coli bacteria The lab was asked to test at a higher sensitivity than previous samples in order to get a clearer understanding of the degree of pollution happening. Total coliform at this site was 5790cfu/100 ml and E. Coli at 530cfu/100ml. Actual testing last October was much higher for both, most likely because manure applications were greater and testing followed a 3-inch rain event. However, the site tested 1/8th mile to the east, along a ditch near the field where manure was applied, revealed a level of 19,863 cfu/100ml for total coliform bacteria and 355 cfu/100 ml for E. Coli. The high level of coliform bacteria is indicative of the presence of manure in the water. Observations of ditches and streams in the area that day showed significant flow of dark brown water. As soon as snow melting starts again in the spring, more samples will be taken at these and other locations in the county. You can follow their water testing and CAFO concerns at: kewauneecares.wordpress.com. Clean Water Action Council News j 9 CWAC Submits Written Testimony Opposing Wisconsin Strip-Mining Bill By Dean Hoegger In support of the Bad River Band of Chippewa Indians, CWAC submitted hand-delivered written testimony to the Joint Finance Committee on January 17, the only day scheduled for public comment. The bill was essentially written by Gogebic Taconite, the mining company wanting to strip-mine iron ore near the Bad River Band’s reservation and traditional rice-growing wetlands. While the bill contained many provisions that failed to safeguard the environment and human health, CWAC primarily commented on how the bill would reduce or eliminate public participation. On Monday, February 25, the bill passed the budgetwriting finance committee by a 12-4 vote, and as of our press time, it was headed to the Legislature where it is expected to easily pass on party lines. Has money had an impact on how quickly the bill is being pushed through the Legislature? According to Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, a broad coalition of promining business interests made $15.6 million in campaign contributions to officials who control the bill’s fate. During the same period, mining opponents gave state officials $25,544 in campaign donations. CWAC Office Becomes a Busier Place The Green Bay office is busier than ever with interns and volunteers working to keep members well-informed on issues and engaged in public meetings statewide and here in northeast Wisconsin. A membership drive was completed and research needed to update the website is well underway. And of course, the CWAC newsletter was completed and sent to the printer last week. Please look for your newsletter at the beginning of the month of each change of seasons. You will see the Summer 2013 issue the first week of June. The office is also graced with the presence of two UWGB interns, Carla Martin and Samantha Francar.Carla comes to us with a bachelor of science degree in Environmental Policy and Planning and a certificate in Environmental Sustainability and Business plus a two-year internship as the renewable energy intern at Wisconsin Public Service Corporation. She worked extensively on the SolarWise for Schools program while with WPS. Carla is taking the lead in many areas including research for updating our website. Samantha is in her junior year in the Environmental Policy and Planning program and brings a youthful perspective to our organization. She, too, is doing research for the website update and is bringing a younger crowd to our Facebook page, which she has updated. We are looking for patrons to fund student internships. Contact us for the details. If you are interested in volunteering your time and talents, please contact us to volunteer or to be on the weekly office hours and projects update. 10 i Clean Water Action Council News Join the Mother Earth Water Walkers for an Event on May 5th By Kim R. Diaz The water that runs through the bays, the lakes, the rivers, the streams, and the creeks is the same water that runs through our bodies. The spirit of the water is sacred and it gives us life. We are all connected to the waters of the earth and they to us. We have a responsibility to the waters and all the living things on the earth that depend on the waters. In 2003, two Anishinawbe grandmothers began walking for the water. They were concerned about the pollution that was finding its way into the waters from human activity. They began walking to pray for the healing of the waters. Each step is a prayer of thanksgiving for all the waters of the earth. The grandmothers and a group of supporters began walking around the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River. In March of this year, the Mother Earth Water Walkers will be walking along the Mississippi River. They walk in the spring because that is a time of renewal for the waters of the Earth. Last year a group of women came together and walked for the water of Green Bay in support of the grandmothers. They walked along the western shore of the bay of Green Bay. This year on May 5th, the walk will take place along the eastern shore of the bay. They would like to invite those who are interested to join them. The walk will begin with a water ceremony for cleansing, followed by the walk, and will end with a feast and music. The Mother Earth Water Walkers will then present the Environmental Hero Award to a very special warrior for the water, Dean Hoegger. Please watch for details on times and locations at: http://www.motherearthwaterwalk.com/index.php/about-us http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/02/19/ fundraiser-women-walking-length-mississippi-river-147758 Legacies, memorials, and direct gifts to CWAC are deeply appreciated. Please contact our treasurer, John Hermanson at tug3@centurytel.net for more information. pril 6 A , y a d Satur :30 Social: 5 :30 5:30 - 8 : n o i t c Art Au 6:00 Dance & er n in D Dinner: DOOR 0 ! 0 : 7 : PRIZES Program 7:30 Dance Dance: e& Zoomi Silent ion! rt Auct A :30 5:30 - 8 For free posters, please e-mail us at contact@ cleanwateractioncouncil.org or call Dean @ 920-495-5127 cs ami n y D e th allrBoayom B e d i s r Rive 560 Main St., Green 1 cil er for n Coun heast Wisconsin r Actio rt an Wate vocacy group in No The Cle ad ental is A fundra : , E-MAIL CKET INFO cil.org NCED TI un FOR ADVA eanwateractionco 27 cl 5-51 contact@ Dean @ 920-49 or call vironm Your en Dance for the Environment and Membership Dinner Saturday, April 6 @ 5:30 p.m. Our annual membership meeting and dinner will be held at the Riverside Ballroom at 1560 Main St., Green Bay, followed by the dance at 7:30. There will Door Prizes, a Silent Art Auction, and will feature Zoomie & the Dynamics for the dance. Please consider ordering a block of tickets to sell to friends. Paid members are eligible for door prizes at the dinner! Ticket Order Form for $15 Advance Tickets # of tickets_______@ $15 each for a total of $_______ Please indicate the # of your dinner preference(s): ( ) Parmesan Chicken ( ) Vegetarian Lasagna ( ) Gluten-free Chicken _______ Yes, I have an item for the silent art auction/door prizes. I will bring it by 5:00 or call Dean at 495-5127 for prior pickup. (Please place your order by Monday, April 1) Send tickets to (name/address): __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ Phone #: ____________________ (in case we have a question) Please include payment with your order. Checks payable to: Clean Water Action Council P.O. Box 9144, Green Bay, WI 54308 Please send any nominations for CWAC Board Member elections to us prior to the annual meeting. Clean Water Action Council News j 11 m MARK YOUR CALENDAR! m Meetings, Events and Happenings m Thursday, March 7 ~ 6:00 - 6:45 p.m. Introduction to Moving Towards Zero Waste, at The Brown County Central Library Amy Spears, an Oneida Nation Environmental Specialist and Dean Hoegger, President of the Clean Water Action Council will introduce key concepts, principles and practices that are key to the Zero Waste movement. m Thursday, March 7 ~ 6:45 - 8:00 p.m. “Waste Not…Want Not”, at The Brown County Central Library Following the Zero Waste presentation, Mark Walter, the facility manager for Recycling and Hazardous Waste for Brown County, will give a Power Point presentation, “Waste Not…Want Not,” with a show-and-tell, and will answer questions after the presentation. Bring some household plastic containers to find out if they are recyclable. m Thursday, March 7 ~ 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. New Leaf Foods and Sustainable Green Bay team up to sponsor the Incredible Edible Landscapes at the Brown County Central Library Auditorium. New Leaf Foods and Sustainable Green Bay join up to sponsor the Incredible Edible Landscapes panel discussion with local experts on growing food in an urban landscape. Topics include: Yardening, Permaculture, Heirlooms & Diversity, and Nutritional Landscaping. More info can be found on Facebook or on the website. Volunteers are needed. Please sign-up if you are interested: http://www.newleafmarket.org m Saturday, March 9 ~ 9:00 a.m. The Round River Alliance’s first Nature Hike at Point Au Sable The Round River Alliance is a student organization at UWGB and is hosting a nature hike. The hike will focus on birding, invasive shrub IDing and info, and current and future restoration projects taking place at Point Au Sable. m Thursday, March 28 ~ 4 - 8:00 p.m. Environmental Compliance Workshop at the Brown County Central Library CWAC will host a workshop on investigating industrial facilities for compliance with anti-pollution requirements. Attendees will get an overview of the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts, learn how to gather information on industrial facilities using online databases and public records requests, review actual permits and compliance records for a Green Bay facility, and learn what steps they can take to reduce industrial air and water pollution in our communities. Jamie Saul, an environmental attorney with McGillivray Westerberg & Bender LLC in Madison, will lead the workshop. Register for this free workshop by contacting Dean at 920-495-5127. m Thursdays this Spring ~ 6:00 p.m. The Helfenstein Soup Council is hosting a Food Film Series and Discussion at 6 p.m. at The House of Tawet, 601 North Broadway, Green Bay. The Helfenstein Soup Council is hosting a food film series and discussion on the last Thursday of the month. These films explore the topic of how food production is a big piece of our 12 i Clean Water Action Council News pollution problem. “Fresh” on March 28, “End of the Line” on April 25, and “Our Daily Bread” on May 30th. m Saturday, April 27 ~ 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. The Greater Fox Cities Area Habitat for Humanity ReStore is sponsoring the Fox Cities Community Wide Earth Day Celebration The Earth Day Celebration will be held at 3000 East College Avenue in Appleton, WI. This event is free for the whole family. The Fox Valley Sierra Club is seeking Appleton Earth Day volunteers. Please contact Dale Schaber, 920-739-6041, dschaber@ athenet.net. m Saturday morning, April 20 ~ Baird Creek Clean-Up, Green Bay. Check in at Triangle Hill and sign up for a location along Baird Creek to clean up! Bring gloves and bags. Local environmental groups will be there with booths and information about their organization and things they are doing and how you can get involved. m Tuesday, April 2nd ~ 7:00 p.m. UWGB hosts the iPat film, “Vegucated” at the Christie Theatre. The film will be followed by a short informational session with a local expert and time for questions from the audience. The series is free and open to the public. iPat stands for impact=popu lation*affluence*technology. m Saturday, April 6 ~ 5:30 - 11:00 p.m. CWAC Banquet, Silent Auction, and Dance featuring Zoomie and the Dynamics, at the Riverside Ballroom, 1560 Main Street, Green Bay. Social begins at 5:30, silent art auction 5:30-8:30, dinner with entrées of chicken parmesan, vegetarian lasagna, and gluten-free chicken at 6:00, program at 7:00, followed by music and dancing from 7:30-11:00. $15 advance tickets are available from board members, at the CWAC office, or by calling Dean at 920-4955127. Advance dance-only tickets are also available for $10. m Sunday, May 5 ~ The Mother Earth Water Walkers Event, along the eastern shore of the bay of Green Bay. Watch for details at: http://www.motherearthwaterwalk.com/index.php/about-us m Saturday, May 11 ~ 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. The Answers to Energy Eco Expo, Shopko Hall, Green Bay PMI Entertainment Group and Cumulus Broadcasting have joined together and created the Answers to Energy Eco Expo. Expo Features: • Educational seminars and hands-on workshops • Saturday morning Farmers’ Market • Organic and locally grown cuisine provided by local restaurants • Family and children’s activities • Regional vendors and resources who are excited to show the easy ways to be more “green” in your daily life For more information visit: http://ecoexpowi.com/ ✂ Join or Renew Your Membership to Clean Water Action Council! Date______________ ( ) $20 Individual ( ) $30 Family (this amount would really help) ( ) $50 Sustaining ( ) $100 Donor ( ) $500 Benefactor ( ) Non-member donation of $ __________for______________ ( ) Other $________ Provide your e-mail address below for an eco-friendly version sent privacy protected, but please include your street address also: E-Mail_________________________________________________ Name(s)________________________________________________ Address________________________________________________ City_____________________________ State______ Zip_________ Phone_________________________________________________ Please send me, privacy protected, occasional action alert e-mails to this e-mail address: E-Mail_________________________________________________ PLEASE VOLUNTEER! (BE SURE TO NOTE PHONE NUMBER ABOVE) the newsletter events work at office joining or leading one of the committees mailings All contributions are tax-deductible. COMMITTEES Non-Point Pollution: Charles Frisk Special Events: Bev Watkins Public Health: Dean Hoegger Membership, Finance and Fundraising: John Hermanson Renard Island: Tom Neuser Kewaunee Cares: Lynn Utesch Phone numbers are listed under Board Members Find us on Facebook for updates on hearings such as the Oneida Trash to Energy Project and current or upcoming events. www.cleanwateractioncouncil.org Dean Hoegger, President 920-495-5127 Tom Neuser, Vice-President 920-468-4105 John Hermanson, Treasurer 920-845-5479 Jane Blameuser, Secretary 920-468-1509 Charlie Frisk 920-406-6572 Drew Hoegger 920-606-9388 Bev Watkins, Newsletter 920-866-3648 Lynn Utesch 920-388-0868 UWGB INTERNS: Carla Martin Samantha Francar other Send check or money order to: Clean Water Action Council P.O. Box 9144 Green Bay, WI 54308 BOARD MEMBERS CONTACT US By phone: 920-421-8885 If you leave us a message, we will try to get back to you within 24 hours. By mail: Clean Water Action Council P.O. Box 9144 Green Bay, WI 54308 By e-mail: contact@cleanwateractioncouncil.org a The newsletter, “Clean Water Action Council of N.E. WI” is published quarterly by the Clean Water Action Council of Northeast Wisconsin, Inc., P.O. Box 9144, Green Bay, WI 54308, a registered nonprofit charitable, educational organization. All contributions are tax-deductible. ON CI AC TI L CL ER N WAT EA COU Clean Water Action Council of Northeast Wisconsin P. O. Box 9144 Green Bay, WI 54308 N of Northeast Wisconsin 013 Your 2 enewal R ership Memb e! See pg. 13 is Du in this issue... Page 1: • The Man from Clear Lake, Gaylord Nelson, Still Inspires the Green Movement. Page 5: • N.E.W. Plastics Corporation Brings Sustainability to Lumber Industry Page 2: • Zero Waste Group Forms in Brown County • Sustain Door Returns Sustainability Fair to Door County April 27 Page 6: • Gardner Town Board Seeks to Regulate CAFOs • The Action in CWAC Page 3: • Green Bay’s Bird City Recognition Leads to Avian-Related Successes Page 10: • Join the Mother Earth Water Walkers for an Event on May 5th Page 4: • Green Bay Pollinator Corridor Creates Chain of Native Landscape Gardens • Local City Ordinance Supports Native Landscapes • Sustainable Farming is Promoted in Northeast Wisconsin Page 11: • Dance for the Environment Information and Ticket Order Form Page 12: • Mark Your Calendar!