Salmon Success!

Salmon days has come and gone, we helped out putting up, taking down, and meeting some awesome people at Salmon Days!

In other news, our new website is up!! Check it out! www.eosalliance.org

Also, be sure to come to Duamish Alive on Saturday and our 10/10/10 even in Beacon Hill on Sunday.

Gearing Up for Salmon Days!!

The sustainability team spent this morning gearing up for Salmon Days by getting our hands dirty (or wet) at the Issaquah Hatchery. We helped out the best we could by catching salmon...WITH OUR BARE HANDS! It was a blast, met some cool people, helped propagate some Salmon. It happens every Tuesday morning, be sure to come check it out next time. Be sure to come by Salmon Days too, which is October 2nd and 3rd in Issaquah.


We got a tour before they threw us to the fish







The end goal.



Duwamish Alive!! Habitat Restoration--Be a Part of Making Seattle Green!

Twice a year, EOS partners with the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition and People for Puget Sound to host one of Seattle’s largest environmental stewardship events, “Duwamish Alive!” 

The EOS Alliance, in partnership with CleanScapes sponsors and hosts volunteers at a cleanup site located at Gateway Park on 8^th Ave S, in Georgetown. Coupling the mission of EOS Alliance we encourage a zero waste policy and will have recycling and composting facilities at all cleanup sites along the Duwamish River.  With members of the Georgetown Community Council and CleanScapes, on Oct 9^th we’ll be rolling up our sleeves to plant native species, eradicate invasives and pick up trash along the river.  There will free food, both breakfast and lunch, and hopefully some late fall sunshine.  SAVE THE DATE!

When: Sat, Oct 9, 10am-2pm

Where: Gateway Park (South end of 8^th Ave S)

Who: YOU!

What: Plant native species, pull up weeds and invasive species, pick up litter, and EAT DELICIOUS LUNCH!

Read on for more about the fascinating Duwamish River:

The Duwamish River has been heavily polluted for over 100 years by industry along the shore. Toxins in the Duwamish include PCBs, Lead, Mercury, Phalates and a long list of other chemicals dumped or buried in the river sediments (many of which are cancerous). Negligent and ignorant practices along the shore went on for decades before the EPA stepped in. In 2001, the River was declared a Superfund site—one of the most polluted sites in the country—and a plan was implemented to begin restoration. Only 2% of the original Duwamish wetlands exist today and while we can’t expect to completely restore the original habitats of the Duwamish, steps are being taken to cleanup toxins and create a healthier environment.

For more information or to find an event in your area visit: Duwamish Alive! or RSVP tflynn@eosalliance.org

Things are happening!

Here at EOS Alliance things are happening! We got a fresh batch of AmeriCorps volunteers, and we are gearing up for our next event! We will be hosting a work party at our habitat restoration site in Beacon Hill on October 10th. This is going to be a part of the 350.org movement, which is coordinating over a thousand events in over a hundred countries to raise awareness about carbon emissions and climate change. BE A PART OF IT!

We will be having a rockin' work party from abut 10 to 2, then there will be time for food, drink, and having fun!

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, let us know, and we hope to see you there!

You can also check our our Facebook event page here, and keep up to date with us on twitter!

Happenin' on the Hill

The EOS Alliance AmeriCorps team has been working to restore the Maple School Natural Area of Beacon Hill to its native habitat. To mark the end of our term and introduce our neighbors to the hottest hidden forest this side of the Duwamish, we want to invite everyone to come celebrate with us out in the sun on Saturday, July 10th! We will have food, tours of the site, activities for kids, and a raffle of sweet prizes! At 12:30 Erick McWayne, Executive Director of EOS Alliance will be speaking, and immediately following will be Richard Conlin, president of Seattle city council. Hope to see you there. This is going to be good, folks!

Demanding Change

The BP oil spill crisis in the Gulf of Mexico is stunning. Not only because of the extent of the damage, but due to the question “How did we let this happen?” To see the Gulf revisited with another tragedy so soon after Hurricane Katrina is heartbreaking. Drilling a mile deep may have once been lauded as brilliant; now the world is watching our arrogance take a toll on Louisiana’s fragile wetlands. Apart from the obvious sealing of the leak, two issues need to be resolved: there must be justice for the injured parties and we must make sure this does not happen again.

In 2008, a report concluded that pollution from Texaco Petroleum (Texaco’s Ecuadoran affiliate) has led to 1,401 deaths from cancer. A lawsuit filed in Ecuador alleges that Texaco deliberately disposed of 18 billion gallons of toxic oil production waste in unlined pits. Chevron (Texaco’s current owner) has still not addressed its crimes in Ecuador. Exxon said they would be fully accountable for the effects of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. That never happened. BP has been convicted for environmental crimes 3 times in 10 years. They are now responsible for the largest oil spill in U.S. history. This same company has been described as having a “corporate attitude of noncompliance.” BP has paid little attention to human life, the environment, or economy of coastal Louisiana. They need to be held accountable for every life lost in the accident, all environmental damage caused by this spill, and their destruction of livelihoods of Louisiana residents. That is justice and as a nation, we have a responsibility to hold BP to nothing less.

Likewise, we have a duty to come away from this tragedy smarter and more diligent. America uses 25% of the world’s oil, yet we only have 3% of the reserves. This shows absurd national policy, and I’m sorry, but this policy will not be solved if you bike to work or buy a Prius. There needs to be legislative action taken in this country. I do think it is very important that we are environmentally responsible and genuine in our personal lives, but given the extent of the greater environmental crisis we are facing, our country needs change at a national level. And just like we can buy “green” products or minimize our CO2 footprint, we can affect this process. Contact your local, state, and national representatives.

A Gallup poll found that only 17% of their sample of Americans belong to an activist group or contacted an official about a green issue. And if we don’t speak up in our government, we know who will. A report by the Department of the Interior Inspector General found that staffers of the Lake Charles, Louisiana Materials Management Services district office accepted sport event tickets, lunches, and other gifts offered by gas and oil production companies. The “BP Oil Spill Response Plan – Gulf of Mexico” is “studded with patently inaccurate and inapplicable information but was nonetheless approved by the federal government”. Industry lobbyists have no shortage of money or motivation to guide the American government and nation in a “profitable” direction. The only thing public officials may care more about than money is getting re-elected. That is why we have power and responsibility to have an impact on our nation. We can use our voice to demand the change America needs. I challenge you to consider contacting a politician who represents you as being equally important as choosing to buy organic food or all-natural cleaning products.

If you are a West Coast resident and looking for a place to start, look no further than S 3358/HR 5213 which seek to permanently ban offshore drilling on the outer Continental Shelf off the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California. Contact Congress, and be a voice for the justice you desire. Move away from being a passive dreamer; become an active force in your country. Don’t just hope for change, demand it.

EOS Alliance presents two Eisenhower Fellows

EOS Alliance is pleased to present a special evening with Eisenhower Fellows Dr. LI Hongwei (Beijing, China) and Michael Voordeckers (Brussels, Belgium). Both will be speaking on low carbon sustainable development practices in China and the European Union. The presentations will be followed by a moderated panel discussion where the audience can ask questions and interact with both speakers.

About the speakers:

Dr. LI Hongwei
Global Environment Institute
Chinese Society for Sustainable Development

Dr. Li is a teaching secretary at the China Central Party School (CCPS) who focuses on environmentally sustainable development and a low carbon economy. She is an inaugural Fellow in a new partnership launched by Eisenhower Fellowships with the CCPS, an influential and widely-respected Chinese institution that also functions as a policy generator. Dr Li is positioned to influence leaders among China's power elite through her courses on sustainable development and eco-civilization. Her fellowship will focus on U.S. environmental policy development and regulation, as well as clean energy development.

Michael Voordeckers
European Affairs Advisor
Federation of Enterprises in Belgium (FEB)

As the FEB's climate change expert, Michael Voordeckers promotes Belgium business interests at U.N. international climate change conferences, and represents Belgian employeers at BUSINESSEUROPE. Mr. Voordeckers was previously city counselor in Ghent, and is a regular columnist in journals and newspapers. With a background in law and business, he has also worked in the cabinet of the Belgian Minister of Justice, where he oversaw new commercial law and intellectual property legislation development, and advanced Belgian interests in working groups of the European Council.

Registration: FREE!! Please let us know if you plan to attend by dropping an e-mail to rsvp@eosalliance.org.