Wednesday, July 30, 2014 • The Islands’ Sounder
WWW.ISLANDSSOUNDER.COM
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Orcas Fly-in this weekend Free electronics recycling, new prices at Exchange Everyone is invited to come out to the airport for the 31st Annual Orcas FlyIn from Aug. 1 to 3. Sp ons ore d by Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 937, the event brings together airplanes and pilots from around the West and Canada each year for flying and camaraderie. Airplanes begin arriving on Aug. 1 around noon, and most stay until Sunday morning. Volunteers are needed to be “wing-walkers” on Saturday to help park the incoming airplanes. Call Dwight Guss at 317-5970 or Gil Blinn at 376-6579 if interested. Activities include a fly-by of the Blackjack squadron of RVs (small experimental aircraft) from Arlington around noon on Saturday. Alan Anders and Craig Nelson will be flying their military planes in formation. The volunteer firefighters will hold their annual pancake breakfast
CLIMATE FROM 1 overall we should be concerned about the planet. He referred to earlier research that suggested climate models were too sensitive and therefore pointed to more extreme predications. “I want to make it clear global warming is happening,” he said. “It’s just slower than predicted.”
The pause Mass calls the media portion of his talk “the fun part.” Over the years, Mass has watched incorrect reporting of science from major mainstream news sources. “Much of the media information is downright wrong,” he said. For example, the lack of global warming in the past decade, also known as “the pause,” has been used in the media to prove that climate change is not occurring. “Pauses are expected,” Mass said. He explained that humaninduced warming is not strong enough to overcome natural periods of cooling. A recent lull in sunspots, El Ninos and volcanoes has also contributed to the lack of warming. “Eventually, humaninduced warming wins,” Mass said. As for the overall question of why the media is failing, Mass believes too
Sammy Payne photo
both Saturday and Sunday mornings beginning at 7 a.m. at the Firehouse across the street. Hamburgers and hotdogs will be sold on Friday and Saturday at the fly-in, along with ball caps and tee shirts that feature a drawing of Richard Bach’s airplane, Puff. Frank Loudin will also have his artwork on display. There is no charge to attend the fly-in. Nearby, the Orcas Road Classics will host its 15th annual Car Show on Aug. 2.
The show is free for all, but they use this opportunity to help the food bank so a $10 donation per car is suggested. All cars, trucks, motorcycles and anything on wheels are invited to attend. The show starts at 10 a.m., will wrap up at around 3 p.m. and is located at the Airport Park on the corner of North Beach Road and Mt. Baker Road. Entrants need to park and register between 8:30 a.m. and 10 a.m.
many media outlets do no take the time or have the time to fully research science issues. After a quick Google search, this author found several well-researched articles pop up from the Scientific American and the Economist about this very issue and the reporters made the same assertions as Mass about “the pause.” According the Economist, “ Like the Terminator, global warming will be back.”
that SSA Marine, which operates an export terminal at the Port of Seattle and others worldwide, is seeking to build at Cherry Point, just north of Bellingham. The facility, as proposed, would store coal transported by rail from Montana and Wyoming’s Powder River Basin on coal-train caravans, each more than a mile long, circulating daily through the plant. The coal would then be shipped through the Salish Sea and San Juans by cargo ships, many of which measure more than three football fields in length, to Asian markets, where it would be sold as fuel. Mass told the crowd that coal and oil trains are a bad idea because of the potential for an oil spill in the water.
Coal The main problem, as Mass sees it, is that fossil fuel production is increasing at a much higher rate than renewable energy. After an audience member asked what we can do in our community for the environment, Mass answered: “Change China and the rapidly growing number of coal emissions. To change China, we must develop energy technologies.” In the meantime he agrees with the many islanders who have said no to the nearby proposed coal terminal. If approved, the $650 million Gateway Terminal would be the largest bulk export facility on the West Coast, perhaps in the nation. At full capacity, it would be capable of exporting up to 54 million metric tons of coal a year from the plant
The Exchange/Orcas Recycling Services implemented a new price list on July 21 with adjustments to some of the garbage and recycling services they offer. Many of the changes to the price list are for new services that The Exchange/ ORS has introduced since taking over operation of the Orcas Transfer Station in September. These include collection of batteries, used cooking oil, green waste and fluorescent tubes. “Our job is to serve the community by managing our waste stream with the best practices possible,” ORS Director Pete Moe said. “We are excited to be offering new services, and we will continue to do so. We are a community-driven nonprofit committed to the sustainable, responsible management of Orcas Island’s waste stream.” Other regular services have had price adjustments. Recycling of most electronic devices previously cost $15. After becoming a member of a statewide e-cycle program, The Exchange/ORS can now offer this service free of charge for TVs, CPUs and computer monitors. Televisions and computer monitors contain toxic substances such as lead, cadmium, mercury, and arsenic. One television contains After speaking for nearly an hour about global warming, media reporting and coal production, Mass closed his lecture by making it clear that global warming is happening. “This is a serious issue and we are mucking around with this planet,” he said.
five to eight pounds of lead. These toxic substances contaminate groundwater when put directly in the landfill. The Exchange/ORS is also introducing two new pilot programs: Free aluminum collection and discounted “clean green” yard waste collection. You can now drop off your aluminum cans and other pure aluminum for free at the transfer station. Clean green waste – totally free of any other garbage, animal waste and noxious weeds – will be accepted at a 66 percent discount ($100/ ton). This material will be composted. Participants will need to be certified to be involved in this program. Certification details are available at the transfer station. In addition, the prices for dropping off garbage and recycling have increased.
A 32-gallon can of mixed recycling now costs $4 and a can of garbage is $9. There will be no change in the price for self-haulers using the scale. “The board of The Exchange/ORS worked very hard on a mid-year budget revision that was driven by the changes in the increased cost of recycling and our improved understanding regarding the realistic costs of managing our island’s garbage,” Board President Tim Blanchard said. “These new prices get us on a stable footing while remaining significantly lower than what we were all paying before we took over the operation last fall.” A complete list of the new prices can be found at The Exchange and ORS website: www.exchangeonorcas.org.
2014-2015 Gear Up For Our Schools
Islanders Bank Teams are sponsoring the 5th Annual Gear Up For Our Schools 2014-2015 campaign from Monday, July 14th Wednesday, August 20th. ®
Help support our students and their teachers by donating supplies. Please visit your branch for details.
OUT OF THE CLOSET! Sat. Aug 2 FRANK LOUDIN’S CLOSET
10-4
ARTWORK COLLECTION AT SPECIAL PRICES
*ORIGINALS*STUDIES*PRINTS*CARDS
ONE DAY ONLY AT THE ORCAS FLY-IN