Current Event 9/30 - Urban Biomimicry

http://www.greenbiz.com/article/looking-forests-urban-water-solutions

Polluted water runoff is a loaded environmental issue that poisons marine ecosystems and wildlife all over the world, but even more so on a local level here in the Puget Sound. This article details how urban environments could possibly be constructed to synthesize the time-tested solutions of natural ecosystems - a process known as biomimicry. According to the article, 50 percent of rainfall in Pacific Northwest forests is evapotranspirated - "used by the plants and then returned to the atmosphere". If urban planners could mimic this natural evaporation through building design and construction, there is a major potential to reduce pollution runoff into the Puget Sound. A company, Urban Greenprint, is starting to question and develop some ideas about implementing this on a large scale. Some of the innovate ideas they have suggested include: utilization of hydrophillic and hydrophobic surfaces, similar to moss, on the outside of buildings to hold onto rainwater and provide a greater opportunity for evaporation. Another idea they've been considering is pooling water in staggered trays off of downspouts of buildings to act in a similar manner to leaves on a tree.

This is really innovative thinking and the employees of Urban Greenprint are interested in any ideas, designs or solutions the public may have to offer. Contact them at www.urbangreenprint.org if you've got a cool idea!

Ecological Footprint Data

Reduction Plans:

1) I will reduce my consumption of meat products, by having 2 meatless days a week.

2) I will do my best to purchase produce and meat products from local, sustainable businesses.

3) I will carpool, bus or bike to the river during the salmon runs.

After completing my ecological footprint quiz, I discovered that, if the global population undertook my lifestyle, we would need 3.7 Earths to support life and provide sufficient resources. This is pretty disheartening. I try and do my best to live a sustainable lifestyle, but it is still too harsh on this planet. I started thinking about how I could reduce my impact given the data I received from the quiz and came up with the reduction plans listed above. I definitely eat too much meat and purchase too many groceries associated with high transportation and packaging costs. With that, I am going to reduce my meat consumption to five days a week and purchase more locally-sourced food from the Coop and farmer's market. My final reduction commitment has to do with my severe addiction to fly fishing. Salmon are pushing their way into the river systems at the moment and I plan on going out to the Nooksack or Skagit most weekends through the rest of the year to fish. I am going to try and carpool every time I go out with members of the fly fishing club at Western or my roommates. Hopefully, these reductions will help eliminate some of my impact on this planet. Talk to me in class if you want to fish!

Here's a bonus picture of a nice bull trout I got last

weekend. Caught and safely released!