Letters to the editor for Sept. 26
YMCA demonstrates social responsibility through parking lot project
The South Sound YMCA removed our beloved cherry trees at the Briggs YMCA and replaced them with other varieties of trees recently. Not because we wanted to, but because it was the responsible thing to do.
The particular type of cherry tree planted at Briggs has a notoriously shallow and broad root system – not the best species of tree for parking lots. The older they got, the more damage occurred. After two decades, the damage was considerable and dangerous.
Beyond just the property damage caused by the trees, people were injuring themselves at the Y tripping on roots and broken curbing. We needed to act.
Our first goal was to transplant the trees. However, the age, condition and commonality of trees made that impossible. We did plant 33% more trees than before, along with a colorful variety of shrubs and ground cover – all native, hardy, drought-resistant and parking lot friendly. The species of new trees include Tupelo, Locust, Hornbeam, Maple and Magnolia.
Once a plan was developed and contractor hired, we notified our members six weeks in advance of the work through a variety of means – emails, signage, website, social media and newsletters.
We are confident current and future generations will enjoy what we have recently created at our facility. The public trust and goodwill our community finds in the Y goes far beyond our parking lot and is evident in the impact we have in the lives of kids and families each day.
Fee and Dividend approach
On Friday at the climate change rally I was confronted for carrying a sign to adopt Fee and Dividend. The woman who confronted me seemed to think I was advocating for some kind of corporate dividend.
I would like to clear up what I was advocating for and perhaps begin a discussion. Fee and Dividend is an alternative to Cap and Trade. James Hansen has written a full description of what he has come up with. He worked for the federal government until Trump fired him.
Briefly, the Fee part is a charge to companies for extracting fossil fuels. This would take place at the well head or the mine, etc. The Dividend part is that the Fee will be returned to the public. Perhaps everyone who has a Social Security Number. As with all such things, the devil is in the details.
The contrast is that Cap and Trade imposes a floor on carbon emissions. That is the Cap becomes the minimum pollution. Fee and Dividend establishes a ceiling. The incentive is for the users to reduce their Fee, thus causing less pollution. Again the devil is in the details.
I suggest Googling Fee and Dividend for further details.