By Jenny Zenner

Through the fall and winter as I read of the various occupy demonstrations across the country and weekly drove past the Seattle encampment, I challenged the unrest, envisioning in the trenches action. Action through volunteerism. My business school graduation coincided with the last recession, and I found myself living in a new city without a job and since subject to two downsizings. During my chapters of under- and unemployment, I made the choice to volunteer versus lament the ills of society. Admittedly my actions were substantially motivated by self-interest. The science shows it. Volunteering makes people feel good, and I am no different. It got me out of the house, connected me with like-minded individuals and gave me a platform to address decision makers in places where I wanted to work. At the same time, I made a difference.

New to Seattle, I scanned the low end of the FM radio frequency and found 88.5 KPLU, what I thought was the local NPR station. It was the spring fund drive, so without a job committment I offered my services to answer phones. It did cross my mind how odd it was that a city the size of Seattle didn’t have an NPR station within its city limits. Only after I’d committed myself did I manage to scan to 94.9, discovering in fact there was a more local NPR station at the University of Washington. As a WSU alum, I rationalized the 50 mile commute by admitting I’d rather fundraise for Pacific Lutheran than my alma mater’s greatest rival. I did my shifts and became better acquainted with Seattle, seeking other ways to engage. Seattle Works offered a systematic approach through The Bridge, a training for serving on nonprofit boards that matches participants with organizations seeking young talent. I subsequently became president of both the local University of Virginia alumni club and the newly re-org’d Network for Business Innovation & Sustainability, a nonprofit dedicated to the triple bottom line of healthy people, profits and the planet.

So as the #occupy influence continues to deliver an impact on ethical business practices, I invite individuals, especially job seekers to embark on impacting through local action. To quote  Matthieu Ricard  who spoke in October 2009 at the Mind & Life Educating World Citizens event in Washington, DC – “Ethics isn’t about what to do. It’s about how to be.“  Of everything said over those proceedings, his words were what stuck with me. Not just a sound bite, Ricard’s words summarize the school of thought of virtue ethics, the perspective promoted in the Handbook of Positive Psychology’s chapter on ethics. Typical business school cases follow a formula: Enter manager pondering choice. Background presented. Questions posed. Students sit in semi-circle theatre and discuss what the manager should do. I’m proud to say I’m an alum of the Darden School of Business, recently recognized as the leading MBA program in business ethics that addresses what kind of people managers should be. I had the pleasure of taking multiple courses with leading ethicist R. Edward Freeman who espouses stakeholder theory, taking into consideration the bigger picture for sustainable capitalism.

For those who say they don’t have the time to commit to volunteering, I challenge you. The Girls Night Out group is a prime example of ways to support causes without writing big checks or committing huge chunks of time. Purge your closet for foster kids, other job seekers or teens heading to prom respectively through orgs like Treehouse 4 Kids, Dress for Success and Ruby Room, or get yourself in shape and make your friends write checks to help cure cancer through the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

You can make a difference. Do your homework and find a group that matches your interests and likely your talents will be welcomed. If by chance you are a sustainably minded attorney in the greater Seattle area…NBIS wants you. Come visit at our networking event on February 23rd at PATH. We have a board seat waiting for you.

Note from Jen Pennington: If you have property in Washington, learning from our local foresters is a great way to really understand your land and how to manage trees, wildlife, and even take advantage of tax incentives. Having taken the course a few years ago, (see the article,”Becoming a forest steward“) this was the best, most inexpensive class with knowledge that will last you a lifetime. The classes don’t come to Whidbey that often, so take advantage of it now.

Wind Damage Workshop

November is here. This means it’s time for our annual parade of late fall storms, some of which can pack some powerful and destructive winds. We are offering a workshop for woodland owners on how to reduce the risk of wind damage to trees and properly clean-up tree damage after a storm to prevent further problems.

The workshop will be held from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm on Wednesday, November 16th at the Pacific Rim Institute near Coupeville on Whidbey Island. Topics covered will include trees and power lines, management techniques for wind-firm forests, forest health issues with wind, and how to properly care for trees both before and after the storm. The workshop will be taught by experts from WSU Extension, the Washington Department of Natural Resources, and Puget Sound Energy.

Cost is $20 per person or $25 per couple. Registration information is available at http://snohomish.wsu.edu/forestry/wind11.htm or by calling 425-357-6017. Space is limited, and pre-registration is requested.

Forest Stewardship Coached Planning

The flagship, popular and powerful program is coming to Whidbey Island in January. This 10-session practical, hands-on course will guide you through the development of your own stewardship plan with “coaching” from the top natural resource professionals in the state. In the process of creating a forest plan unique to your property and objectives, you’ll go in depth with us both in the classroom and in the field covering a wide range of forestry topics. Things we’ll cover in detail include ecology, silvics, soils, wildlife, forest health, fire, applied silviculture, water resources, aesthetics, regulations, special forest products, working with contractors, and more. The class includes nine evening classroom sessions, a Saturday field trip, a personal site visit to your property from a professional forester and/or wildlife biologist, and a forest stewardship notebook packed with information.

Your completed forest stewardship plan may qualify you for significant property tax reductions, as well as qualify you for a whole range of cost share and other assistance programs. It will also provide you with a road map for maximizing your enjoyment of your land and minimizing the costs of ownership. The class is open to all, regardless of how many acres you own or what your ownership objectives are. Space is limited, and registration is open for both classes:

The class will be on Wednesday evenings starting January 18th at the Pacific Rim Institute near Coupeville. Registration is open and the class is already beginning to fill. Details and registration information are available at http://snohomish.wsu.edu/forestry/CP12Coupeville.htm or by calling 425-357-6017. This class is made possible in part by a grant from the Whidbey Island Conservation District.

2012 Native Plant Sales

Whidbey Island:
March 2 and 3, 2012
Pre-Order 11/15/2011 – 1/30/2012
http://whidbeycd.org/plantsale.aspx
360-678-4708

Photos by Robert J. Pennington

Headlines often focus on climate change, energy policy, and the economy. But you know what? All of these issues are, in part, symptoms of how we use materials. If we want to address the issues behind the headlines, we need folks, especially business persons, like By-Product Synergy NW participants, who are willing to address the material foundation of our economy. In fact, as we know deeply, the thriving of future life for people and all living things depends upon how we relate to the Earth — how we use materials.

NBIS and By-Product Synergy Northwest are champions of sustainability. This is our Spirit, but the foundation of this work is based upon materials and how we use them. As we expand our program’s problem-solving work, I want to highlight its urgency and importance. We can pursue materials management and By-Product Synergy with more effective zest if we hold our work in the context of a vision that begins with the Earth as the beginning and end of materials flow –

the material that flows through all of Life,
including wood, minerals, fuels, chemicals,
agricultural plants and animals, soil, and rock;
the full range of materials flowing
through our economy and businesses,
and then returning to the Earth.

What do we know about the present status of material flows in our global and national economies and communities?

The overview is one of crisis and promise:

On the crisis side, our exponentially increasing use of materials is challenging the capacity of the Earth – air, water and land – to sustainably support the thriving of Life as we now know it. On the promise side, we are beginning to practice lifecycle management, learning how to reduce the materials that run through our economy, discovering how to decouple mass and toxins from added value.

Given that most of us don’t get urgent about making changes until threat is upon us, here are Down-to-Earth indicators that it is time for innovation in our use of materials.¹

• In the past 50 years, humans have consumed more resources than in all previous history.
• With less than 5% of the world’s population, the US was responsible for about one third of the world’s total material consumption in 1970 – 1975.

I recall a few decades back when U.S. was responsible for 40% of the world’s total material consumption! But now, the rest of the world is consuming more and catching up!

• In 1900, 41% of the materials used in the U.S. were renewable (e.g., agricultural, fishery, and forestry products); by 1995, only 6% of materials consumed were renewable.
• Our reliance on minerals in the manufactured products used in the U.S. – including cell phones, flatscreen monitors, paint, and toothpaste – requires the extraction of more than 25,000 pounds of new nonfuel minerals per capita each year.
• Heavy demand for “rare earth” minerals is a potent cause of labor exploitation (including children) in underdeveloped countries.
• Ecosystem damage caused by the rapid rise in material use includes habitat destruction, biodiversity loss, overly stressed fisheries, and desertification.
• Freshwater withdrawals have doubled between 1960 and 2000; rivers including the Colorado, Yellow, Genghis, and Nile do not reach the ocean in dry seasons. Water scarcity is fueling conflict between nations.
• Roughly 42% of US greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to climate change, are associated with the provision of materials and goods.
• The crisis is escalating – Projections are that between 2000 and 2050,
  • world population will grow 50%,
  • global economic activity will grow 500%,
  • global energy and materials use will grow a whopping 300%.

Unless economic growth can be dramatically decoupled from resource use and waste generation, environmental pressures will go off the chart!

Opportunity as well as threat

The opportunities presented by life-cycle approaches to using materials are being demonstrated in many places today. During the past several years, many companies, including By-Product Synergy NW members, have discovered ways to do what was previously thought improbable or even impossible. By changing the ways they use materials, they have found ways to lighten their environmental impacts significantly while increasing profit. They are becoming more competitive with products that are recognized as more sustainable.

Approaches² to reducing system-wide material use include:

1. Prioritize the use of renewable materials and those that can be used in closed loop systems
2. Increase material efficiency in the supply chain (eliminate materials waste, utilize by-product synergy opportunities to extend life and use of materials)
3. Utilize industrial and product redesign opportunities to reduce mass, material use, packaging, lifecycle energy requirement, and toxicity
4. Reduce transport in the supply chain – increase efficiency
5. Emphasize consumer products that are less material intensive, made with recyclable components, and more durable
6. Substitute services for material-intensive services and products
7. Join By-Product Synergy NW – get smart and innovative in keeping materials in the economy by finding new uses and extending the use of materials across this network of industries.³

¹Sources for the following indicators are cited in “Sustainable Materials Management,” EPA document (2009).

²Approaches summarized in “Sustainable Materials Management,” (EPA 2009)

³By-Product Synergy Northwest is one of a growing constellation of regional networks associated with the US Business Council for Sustainable Development

When we purchased our property, I always knew I wanted to get it certified as a stewardship forest. I loved seeing those cool little green and brown signs along someone’s private drive. How do you get one of those things? I had heard about some elusive short course class but could never find it. Then one day I finally stumbled across it and signed up. When we realized the initial location of the class was going to be at the top of Whidbey Island, this would be a challenge. It can take two and a half to three hours to get to class when you live in Seattle.

But we were determined to do our part as stewards of the environment even if it meant driving for two months every Thursday night 100 miles to get there. The irony of knowing how much gas we would use to take the class is not lost on us. I was also amazed at the mass of paperwork you receive during class. It’s as if each student receives a full tree by the end of the term. That said, I still have every piece of literature in my bookcase.

Chick with chainsaw

When I first went to class my goal was to preserve all the trees on our land in any way shape or form. My mantra was “no wood leaves the property.” Cutting a tree down was something we would do only if we had to. I was determined to only use the firewood from naturally, downed trees. Little did I know the forestry class I would take would change that mindset entirely and make me feel like such a wuss.

In my altruistic ignorance (and I was not the only one), the class taught us how to manage our lots and make our forests healthier. We created plans and learned how to more accurately identify the health of the trees and plants on our lands. We learned how to selectively thin to allow others to grow stronger. I no longer have a sense of horror when we have to take down trees and each of us has our own set of his and her chainsaws. I can sincerely say, I am no longer a forest wuss.

Clearing the trees with a friend for our house site put everything we learned to the test. Twenty-two large Red Alders were felled and trimmed up along with a few hemlocks and some fir. Friends helped us chip the limbs and branches, and we hired a great guy to stack all our logs. We have since purchased a small portable sawmill and this year will finally mill the alder for trim wood and cabinetry for inside the house we are building.

Out of the class came more than just lessons on trees. We got a sense of empowerment that comes with getting to know our land so intimately. We participated as part of a community and made some wonderful new friends. The stewardship plan we developed has given us a great sense of accomplishment. That cool little green and brown sign…we got us one.
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We took our Forest Stewardship Coached Planning class through the extension at Washington State University.

A whole lot of clean up on the house site