Watching Our Water Ways

A new cartoon character, named DJ ChloroPhil, is described as a hipster urbanite devoted to living in harmony with the planet. The trouble is, he is not quite as harmonious with nature as he thinks.

DJ ChloroPhil

One night while burning some mysterious “eco-friendly” incense, Phil unwittingly summons the spirit of a polar bear who becomes his no-nonsense guide to a better way.

The series, called “Green Shaman,” was launched a month ago on Planet Green. Each 90-second clip offers a personal tip about the environment, starting with a video questioning whether Phil’s purchase of bottled water is an environmentally sound practice.

If that’s not enough, check out Phil’s blog, in which he offers his thoughts related to his experiences.

The creator of the series, Troy Hitch, is best known for his work on the humorous series “You Suck at Photoshop,” which shows fictional character Donnie Hoyle offering offbeat tutorials in the field of photo alteration.

Spirit polar bear

Following are the Green Shaman videos. (I haven’t figured out how to bypass the commercials.)

“Again from the Tap”

“Greeno Vino”

“Power Nap”

“Pedal of Honor”

“Smells like Green Spirit”

“Shirt’s So Good”

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I’m happy to share this space today with Kitsap Sun reporter Steven Gardner, who offers his personal perspective on orcas.

BY STEVEN GARDNER

Journalists received what might be deserved suspicion of being haters of George W. Bush. If it’s true, I don’t think it’s for the reason most people surmise, that we’re all socialists at heart intent on killing every American Amendment that isn’t the first one.

If we disliked Bush the younger, it had more to do with his reported statement to Joe Biden that he doesn’t “do nuance.”

Reporters dance in nuance. We eat it. For the purposes of this blog, let’s say we swim in it. When we retire, the hardest thing to unload is all the “other hands” we’ve considered. Dunagan has a file cabinet full of them. When Bush said he didn’t do nuance, it was like he was insulting all our mothers.

Dabbling in nuance gives us room to partake in things we might not otherwise do were we among those who take stands. In late 2007 I took my family to SeaWorld in San Diego. In my heart I’m really troubled by the idea of watching animals that can travel entire oceans confined to pools a little bigger than the one I had in my backyard as a kid. But it was when I was a kid that my affection for orcas began, because of a splashing I got from Shamu.

Growing up in Southern California, it was the only way I was going to see orcas in person. As the years went on, I managed to see probably a dozen dolphin shows. I don’t think I grew to have any angst about it until I was working construction during a summer off from college and was sent to a house in an exclusive neighborhood in Laguna Beach. There, on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, I could see a school of dolphins (Maybe they were porpoises. I couldn’t swear under oath that they weren’t two-liter soda bottles with fins.) swimming by beyond the waves.

It sounds cliche, but something can happen to a guy like me who suddenly sees something in a different context, particularly a natural context. Not only did it make me feel good about them, it made me feel good about myself, that I live in a world where animals can be in a place they’ve been for thousands or millions of years, that we haven’t institutionalized all of them. It’s not a thought that comes naturally when you spend most of your days winding your way through asphalt and concrete.

That elation came again when I moved here and the Orcas visited Silverdale. Then on Christmas Day in 2004 I was on a ferry to Seattle and saw an orca off in the distance. That chance sighting was better than the sure thing you get in San Diego.

Still, I thought maybe my kids would appreciate the SeaWorld show. They did.

I, on the other hand, had much the same reaction Steve Lopez from the Los Angeles Times did when he went.. I wouldn’t say I was creeped out, but I was uneasy.

I expected a fun, maybe funny presentation. What you get is a full-on, well-orchestrated production that clearly had been crafted following the pressure that must have come once Free Willy was released in theaters.

And yet months later, when another friend shared pictures of her daughter being one of those who got to go out and touch the whale, I was genuinely happy for her.

Of course the idea that she could have been yanked by her pony tail into the water — something that has apparently never happened in the wild — changes all that.

I’d rather see all those Shamus out in the wild. I would have felt so relieved if SeaWorld officials would have said, “We get it now.” On the other hand, maybe the Tacoma Pocket Gopher wouldn’t have vanished in 1970 if someone had made money by teaching a few of them to jump through hoops. On the other other hand, maybe these animals should matter to me even if I never get to see them.

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Washington state has done it again, being the first state in the country to take a legal stand against a toxic chemical.

The Legislature this week voted to phase out cooper in brake pads, provided there are reasonable alternatives and that research continues to suggest that brake pads are contributing significant amounts of toxic copper. The bill is Senate Bill 6557.

This last point about research — about the need to know more about the alternate states of copper in the environment — was raised by Silverdale resident Bob Benze. I covered his questions and success in adding an amendment to the bill in the March 1 edition of the Kitsap Sun.

Even at low levels, an ionic form of copper has been shown to affect the sense of smell in salmon, which can lead to confusion and reproductive failure. It has become a major concern, especially in urban areas. Here’s a fact sheet from the Washington Department of Ecology.

Ivy Sager-Rosenthal of the Washington Toxics Coalition supports the Puget Sound Partnership’s call for a full assessment of toxic chemicals flowing into Puget Sound and an increased focus on eliminating sources of such pollution.

Last week, Ted Sturdevant, director of Ecology, testified before Congress about actions taken by state governments, generally because the federal government has been slow to act. He and 12 other state environmental officials are calling for reform of the federal Toxic Substances Control Act.

Washington was the first state to draft a formal policy phasing out persistent bioaccumulative toxics, or PBTs. This led to state laws phasing out mercury and toxic flame retardants. The latest legislation, finalized this week, will ban bisphenol-A in baby bottles and sports bottles.

Sturdevant spelled out three guiding principles for addressing persistent toxic chemicals:
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All the pieces are nearly in place for Kitsap County residents and planners to begin examining the ecosystem at the edge of the waters encircling the Kitsap Peninsula.

Beyond beauty, shoreline environments contain vital ecosystems. (Click to enlarge)
Kitsap Sun photo

Oh, yes, lakes and a few streams are part of the picture.

Kitsap County commissioners last night appointed a 20-member citizen task force to take a central role in the planning effort. For the first time in county history, regulations will be based on ecosystem values. See the story I wrote for today’s Kitsap Sun listing the members.

Similar planning efforts are under way in Kitsap’s cities as well as various communities throughout the Puget Sound region. I wrote a story for the Kitsap Sun Feb. 27 regarding the effort for our cities.

In the past, shoreline regulations were based on existing land uses. Buffers — including the current 100-foot buffer for rural areas — were uniform throughout the entire county. Previous rules never took into consideration the particular types of shoreline or their ecological values. For example, an estuary with a highly productive marsh and a stream running through it was treated exactly the same as a rocky outcropping pounded by waves.
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The Washington State Senate this morning approved an amended bill banning bisphenol-A (BPA) from “sports bottles” as well as from baby bottles and sippy cups used by children. See Senate Bill 6248.

Manufacturers of various kinds of containers were ready to accept a ban on baby bottles. In fact, major producers — including Gerber and Playtex — are no longer using BPA in infant products sold in the United States.

But the amendment (added by the House and approved today by the Senate) shows that industry representatives were unsuccessful at drawing a line for BPA in adult products. The argument is that young children are more vulnerable to endocrine-disrupting chemicals, because their immune and reproductive systems are still forming.

Jan Teague, president of the Washington Retail Association, was quoted in the Puget Sound Business Journal as saying manufacturers are “ready” for the state to ban BPA in baby bottles, sippy cups, and other containers used by children, but adult products are another thing.

“The bill is about children’s safety—not adult sports bottles,” Teague told reporter Kaitlin Strohschein. “I think we’re going to be fine on the baby bottles and stuff but not on the sports bottles.”
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It’s time to revisit our old friend Flow Man, who always finds a way to “cut through” the most complex problems.

In his latest video, Flow Man comes to the rescue of a snowboarder. This particular athlete is about as far from an Olympic medalist as you can get. Flow Man’s nonsensical, but amusing, answer is to put a ragged edge on the snowboard.

When I first started posting the Adventures of Flow Man, I didn’t know that the corporate headquarters for the company responsible — Flow International Corporation — was located in Western Washington. The company was started by former Boeing engineers who saw the advantages of cutting with high-pressure water jets.

With its corporate headquarters in Kent, Flow employs more than 700 people in offices in Indiana, Michigan, Canada, Brazil, Germany, UK, Sweden, Spain, Italy, France, Taiwan, Japan, and China.

As for the benefits of water-jet technology, Wikipedia is running a well-written, basic article about the history, technology and benefits of high-pressure water. What is impressive is that jets of water can make cuts as fine as a human hair. One of the strong selling points is the low temperature, since most cutting techniques generate heat that can damage the cutting material. See this video overview of the technology.

What can’t be cut? According to the Wikipedia article, water jets don’t work for tempered glass, diamonds and some ceramics.

Other recent Flow Man videos ask these questions:

Can water cut a rug?

Can water cut a cheeseburger?

Can water cut a bowling ball?

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Washington state’s salmon managers provided so much interesting information on Tuesday that I could not fit it all into my story in yesterday’s Kitsap Sun.

Pat Pattillo, salmon policy coordinator for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, deserves recognition for his patience with me and the numerous sport and commercial fishers who ask him questions. He and WDFW Director Phil Anderson are two of the most mild-mannered guys you will ever know, and yet they manage to work through tough salmon negotiations year after year.

Let me recount some of the issues expected to come up over the next few weeks, with a focus on things not covered in my story.
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The 712-foot container vessel Horizon Tacoma is towed between Bainbridge Island and Seattle Tuesday afternoon. This photo was taken from the Seattle's Sunset Hill Park about 3:30 p.m. The ship, with the Crowley tug Hunter on the bow and the Garth Foss at the stern, was headed to the Port of Tacoma. / Photo courtesy of © Fred Felleman

Never be embarrassed to ask for help. That’s the take-home message from an incident Tuesday night when a 712-foot container ship had engine trouble. Sure, the ship might have made it to Tacoma, but what damage would that have caused to the engine, and how safe would that be moving through our relatively narrow waterway?

The following is the story I prepared for the Kitsap Sun’s Web site and tomorrow’s newspaper. Thanks to Fred Felleman for shooting the photo.

Washington Department of Ecology officials are praising the captain of a container ship for seeking assistance from a rescue tug east of Neah Bay and taking no chances Tuesday night.

The 712-foot Horizon Tacoma experienced engine problems at about 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, said Curt Hart, spokesman for Ecology. Although the ship was not entirely disabled, the captain chose to shut down the main engine to prevent further damage and called for tug assistance. The ship still had use of its thrusters and directional navigation, he noted.

“This is how we like things to happen,” Hart said. “That had to be a tough call for the company, but we think it was a good call. The ship could have limped in … but this ensures safety to prevent a maritime hazard.”

The state’s emergency-response tug at Neah Bay, called the Hunter, was about a half-hour away and quickly responded. The Coast Guard, which was in charge of the operation, gave permission for the Hunter to tow the ship to its destination in Tacoma but directed the ship to engage a second tug.

The tug Garth Foss met the ship near Port Angeles on Wednesday and joined the Hunter in towing the ship down through Puget Sound. The vessels were expected to be off the east side of the Kitsap Peninsula on Wednesday and reach Tacoma sometime Wednesday evening.

Because the Hunter is occupied with the long tow, another Crowley tug, the Valor, is standing by at Neah Bay for other possible emergencies.

Since 1999, the publicly funded rescue tug has stood by or assisted 44 vessels. The maritime industry is scheduled to take over funding of the tug this summer.

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A cultural image for all time: African women carrying water in pottery vessels resting on top of their heads.

It is such an indelible image that anything else seems amusing — such as watching African women roll blue plastic barrels filled with water. The video at right tells a labor-saving story with music, style and a touch of humor, but the serious importance of this product should not be underestimated. (If you would like to see a version of the video that plays better at full-screen, go to Hippo Water International.)

These plastic barrels, named Hippo water rollers, move so much more water than the old way that these women are saving hours in their day — hours that they can spend with their children or on other chores.

The Hippo water rollers are so innovative and time-saving that they have been included among products considered part of a “design revolution” that could change the world. See the book “Design Revolution: 100 Products That Empower People.”
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With our widespread affection for killer whales in the Northwest, it is not easy to hear the news about the death of a human who worked closely with these powerful and intelligent animals.

If you haven’t heard, a veteran orca trainer at Seaworld Orlando, 40-year-old Dawn Brancheau, was apparently petting the whale, named Tillikum, when the incident occurred.

Witnesses told the Orlando Sentinel that the whale grabbed Brancheau by the arm, tossed her around in his mouth and pulled her under water during a scheduled program about 2 p.m. today at Shamu Stadium.

Reporter Jason Garcia of the Orlando Sentinel described how Tillikum, a 12,000- pound male known as “Tilly,” was considered a dangerous whale. Only select trainers were allowed to handle him, and nobody was allowed to swim with him.

Chuck Tompkins, in charge of animal behavior for SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, told Garcia that Tilikum worked well with Brancheau. “He knew her, and he liked working with her,” Tompkins was quoted as saying.

But many killer whale advocates were quick to argue that orcas don’t belong in captivity and that their confinement in close quarters can lead to psychological problems for the orcas.

The following are statements from OrcaNetwork of Washington state and Lifeforce of British Columbia, followed by a couple of opinion polls on this issue and links to the most informative news reports.
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