Green Tip of the Month

Eastside Audubon’s Green Tip of the Month

Written by Jeannine Sielinski

Let’s talk toilet paper…

The environmental impact of traditional toilet paper production is significant with millions of trees harvested annually and the use of chemicals contributing to water pollution. However, there are sustainable alternatives that can help reduce this footprint. Recycled and bamboo toilet paper are excellent options. For instance, brands like Betterway Bamboo Toilet Paper and Who Gives A Crap offer eco-friendly products that are not only gentle on the environment but also on the skin. These companies are committed to practices like using Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certified bamboo and donating a portion of their profits to environmental and sanitation projects. Additionally, the use of bidets can further decrease the reliance on toilet paper, offering a cleaner and potentially more hygienic solution while also being environmentally friendly.

Making these small changes in our daily lives can contribute significantly to the conservation of our planet's resources and the betterment of global sanitation conditions. It's a step towards a greener and more sustainable future for all.

Our family has been buying Premium Bamboo toilet paper from Who Gives A Crap for the past several years and love both the company and their product.  Who Gives A Crap donates 50% of their profits to build toilets in Third World Countries and is a B Certified Company.

Additional resources:  The Best Eco-Friendly Toilet Paper (treehugger.com)

See you next month!

Greener Living Classes From City of Bellevue!

Greener Living Classes From City of Bellevue!

Learn how to live more sustainably!

City of Bellevue Utilities are pleased to offer free, interactive Greener Living in-person and live-virtual Zoom classes.  Participants are welcome to attend a single class, any combination, or all of the classes.  Attendees will receive a digital kit of resources, tips, and tools after each virtual class or tools to take home from in person classes. All ages are welcome; however, these classes are geared towards adults and children over seven. 

Registration is required to receive the link to the class.

To register contact the City at recycle@bellevuewa.gov or 206-949-1787. You may also find more information at www.bellevuewa.gov/greener-living-classes

Bellevue City Council Candidates Climate and Environment Forum

Bellevue City Council Candidates Climate and Environment Forum

Hello fellow climate activists.

Thank you all very much for your support of the Bellevue City Council Candidates Climate and Environment Forum on Tuesday! If you were not able to make it to the event, you can watch the recording below.

Together we made this event a huge success!  

• Together, we got over 100 people to attend in person!

• Together, we showed future council members (plus mayor Robinson, who was in the audience) how important climate change and the environment is to Bellevue residents!

• Together, through our questions, we helped to educate five of the seven future city council members on some important details of our concern!

• Together, through our questions, we also helped to educate the audience! 

Please also consider the future power of the coalition that we formed. Together we can do a lot more!

For example, right now, Bellevue city officials are updating the comprehensive plan for future growth. Together, we can influence how this update is tailored to address climate change and the environment.  We urge you to email city officials in support of the attached comp plan recommendations which People for Climate Action Bellevue sent to city officials in August.

Here are the email addresses that we suggest people send their supporting comp plan messages to:

Planning Commission:    planningcommission@bellevuewa.gov

City Council:                  council@bellevuewa.gov

City Manager:                  bmiyake@bellevuewa.gov

Planning Dept. Director:  mkatterman@bellevuewa.gov

Asst. Planning Director:   eaking@bellevuewa.gov

Watch the recording of the Bellevue City Council Candidates Climate and Environment Forum

Tree Snags: When Decay and Death Mean Habitat and Life

Tree Snags: When Decay and Death Mean Habitat and Life

Written by Mary Johnson of the Sammamish Stewards

Several years ago, during a routine visual inspection of the trees in our yard, the arborist noticed a crack in the bark near the base of one of our Douglas-fir trees. A subsequent resistograph test, which looks at the condition of a tree’s internal structure, revealed significant decay. This structural defect meant potential trouble, given that the tree was growing close to our house. Even worse, it stood between our house and the direction of the prevailing winds, which often blow fiercely from the southwest during the fall and winter months.

Northern Flicker looking out from atop the snag.

We made the difficult decision to remove the tree. But instead of having the 125-foot tree cut down to its base—the usual approach to solving the problem of a hazardous tree—our arborist encouraged us to snag it. Snagging involved reducing the tree in size to about 30 feet, a height where it was unlikely to fall over or break under a windload as it slowly decayed over time. 

We further learned that creating a snag, or a standing dead tree, would provide essential habitat for birds, small mammals, and other wildlife. In comparison, cutting the tree to the ground meant destroying habitat and losing all the vital ecosystem services the tree had been providing over its lifetime. Snagging made sense. Especially when so much habitat is being lost in our urban areas due to building construction.

The top of our snag was made to look like it had been broken in a storm. It’s since become a frequent perch for northern flickers, who have a 360-degree view of their territory. 

Pileated Woodpecker working on the bark of the snag.

As the wood began to decay and the early decomposers set up shop, it wasn’t long before we began to see pileated woodpeckers dropping by on insect-hunting expeditions, making their characteristic rectangular-shaped holes in the bark as they excavated. 

Smaller and rounder excavation holes started to appear up and down the trunk, evidence of the northern flickers and other woodpeckers at work. Eventually, some of these holes will deepen and become cavities—in short supply in the urban landscape—providing needed nesting sites for chickadees, nuthatches, and other cavity nesters.* 

Just the other day, we witnessed an avian drama play out as a pair of chestnut-backed chickadees arrived and began to peck away at a starter hole, working diligently through the morning to enlarge it wood chip by wood chip. Suddenly a northern flicker appeared on the scene, driving the chickadees away, and taking over the hole. In the end, the hole was abandoned—for now anyway.  

And then there’s the occasional brown creeper that drops by and spirals up the trunk as it probes the bark crevices for insects using its long, downward-curving bill. As the bark continues to loosen, will this tiny bird one day find a suitable nesting spot under it? 

As the decay progresses, the fungi are thriving too. Recently, an impressive clump of mushrooms sprouted near the base of the trunk. 

Fungi sprouting from the decaying snag.

For now, the snag in our yard is a vertical habitat. Eventually though it will fall to the ground, and an entirely new ecosystem will begin. The downed log will provide food and shelter to plants and animals as it rots and recycles nutrients back into the soil.  

Snagging a tree might not be a viable option in all circumstances. But when it is, a standing dead tree is a wise investment in habitat creation and helping to maintain biodiversity. 

*According to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, west of the Cascade Mountains 39 species of birds and 14 species of mammals depend on tree cavities for their survival. “Living with Wildlife. Snags – The Wildlife Tree. The Importance of Snags in Your Neighborhood.” Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, 2011.

Photo Credit: Red-breasted Nuthatch by Jerry McFarland.

The Difficult Trek to Using Less Plastic

The Difficult Trek to Using Less Plastic 

Written by Lori Danielson

More than two years ago, I wrote about my journey to reduce plastics in my life. I want to reduce my contribution to the problem of plastics in the environment that kill birds and sea life, pollute land and oceans. I’ve learned that it’s probably impossible to avoid all plastic and it’s difficult to even reduce it, so there’s still a lot of plastic in my life. The pandemic made it even harder. But I thought I’d share a few of the changes I’ve made to stop buying plastic. 

Early on, I learned the best way to avoid plastic around food is to buy at farmer’s markets, locally-owned bakeries, butchers and seafood shops, bringing your own clean cloth or glass containers. They are the vendors most likely to sell unpackaged food and willing to put it into your container. So I have located my favorite local shops and buy as much as possible from them.

Finding a grocery store near you that sells food in bulk is also a good way to avoid plastic. The pandemic stopped most self-serve bulk food, but stores are starting to resume now. My own clean glass jars (with the tare weight recorded on the outside by a store clerk) or paper bags are how I transport the bulk food home, where I store it in glass containers.

I avoid single-use produce bags by bringing reusable nylon mesh or cloth bags for store-bought vegetables and fruit, and washing the bags after use. I look for things like peanut butter, mayonnaise and salad dressing packaged in glass jars or bottles. My glass jars take on a second life at home by storing many of the bulk food products or else they get recycled. I also store food in beeswax-coated cloth wraps and bags in the fridge and freezer to avoid plastic wrap and zip lock bags.

You may have deduced that I cook a lot from scratch to avoid plastic-wrapped food, and you’re right. Nearly all ready-to-eat and prepared food comes in plastic, so I made a commitment to cook more like my grandparents and great-grandparents did. It’s an important part of the effort.  

Besides food, lots of plastic enters my life from products used in the bathroom, such as soap, shampoo, toothpaste, floss and cosmetics, and this plastic is even more difficult to avoid. But bar soap and shampoo bars have become my new habits, as well as using silk floss and brushing my teeth without toothpaste. I know that sounds a little radical. Each of us needs to decide what is acceptable for ourselves. 

An internet search for “plastic free” or “zero waste” will result in many online stores, articles and blogs about how to reduce plastic use. I’ve found the products at etee.com and zerowastecartel.com have helped me in my journey. I’d love to hear your tips and favorites too. Write me at president@eastsideaudubon.org.