March 27, 2013: Mason Bees to the Rescue: Gentle Pollinators Emerge to Solve Food Crisis

When gardeners talk about bees, the buzz is usually about honeybees. After all, honeybees pollinate fruit blossoms and produce sweet amber honey. But with colony collapse disorder decimating their numbers, gardeners are turning to an unsung heroine, the native mason bee. These gentle, solitary bees are pollinating powerhouses. One mason bee can do the pollinating work of 100 honeybees. A local mason-bee entrepreneur has taken note. All he needs are bee-raising partners to help increase their population and ensure the nation’s food supply.

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March 18, 2013: Puget Sound Energy’s Green Reputation Gets A Black Eye: Sierra Club Sues Utility Over Ownership in Coal-Fired Power Plant

Why is the state’s largest electric utility with a reputation for clean energy burning coal for 20% of its power supply? The Sierra Club and Montana Environmental Information Center are asking the same thing. The two are seeking a court order requiring Puget Sound Energy and other owners to install modern pollution controls at the Colstrip Generating Facility in eastern Montana. The coal plant is one of the biggest greenhouse gas polluters in the West.

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March 5, 2013: A Multi-Million Dollar Military Expense Not in 'Budget Talk': Construction of a 2nd Explosives Handling Wharf at Bangor Nuclear Submarine Base 20 Miles from Seattle

One military expense that’s not discussed in budget talks is construction of a $715 million dollar explosives handling wharf at the Navy’s Bangor Nuclear Submarine Base. The base occupies five miles of shoreline on the northern edge of Hood Canal, Puget Sound’s western arm. It manages the third largest collection of nuclear warheads in the country. A National Environmental Policy Act lawsuit was filed against the Navy last summer. Legal wrangling kept the case on hold. But last week the 9th Circuit said its first responsibility was to resolve issues raised by the suit and the case would move forward. Martha Baskin has our story.

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February 25, 2013: Legislation to Ban Tris Flame Retardants Hits Snag: Third Try by Toxic Free Legacy Coalition to Remove Its Use in Sofas and Children’s Products

Of the estimated 80,000 chemicals used in everything from sofas and mattresses to baby bottles and car seats, only 200 have been assessed for health risks. Individual states have succeeded in banning chemicals one at a time. In Washington, foes of the toxic flame retardant Tris have proposed legislation to not only ban its use, but make sure manufacturers find less toxic alternatives.

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February 15, 2013: Can Farms Save Puget Sound Shellfish?

An unusual new program is using upriver sustainability measures to improve conditions for salmon and shellfish downstream.

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February 5, 2013: Solar Comes to Washington With Grassroots and Non-Profit Efforts

One of the grayest corners of mainland USA, is slowly going solar, one community at a time. Solarize Washington, a program of Northwest Sustainable Energy for Economic Development (Northwest SEED), couples non-profit know how with grassroots energy. First a community finds interested homeowners, then Solarize Washington hosts a workshop complete with group discounts and know-how from solar installers. Martha Baskin has our story.

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January 24, 2013: Raising Elijah: Protecting Our Children In An Age of Environmental Crisis - Interview with Author and Biologist Sandra Steingraber

Fifty years ago, Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring carried warnings of the dangers of pesticides. Yet toxic chemicals are still on the market today. In her book, Raising Elijah: Protecting Our Children in an Age of Environmental Crisis, acclaimed biologist and author Sandra Steingraber lays out a plan to get chemicals out of our lives and reform the industry once and for all. Martha Baskin caught up with Steingraber via phone from her home in upstate New York where she’s engaged in a citizen uprising against hydro-fracking.

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