Letters to the editor for March 1

Companies, please contribute

I’m heartened that numerous companies are leading the way in mitigating climate change and supporting serious environmental action. Thousands are becoming certified B-Corporations, raising the standards for treatment of workers and the environment. Thanks to business leaders like these, who are using their profit to help heal our planet. For example, the outdoor company Patagonia manufactures many of its clothes from recycled or organic materials and has donated millions of dollars to environmental organizations.

However, some companies still have a ways to go. Cargill, in particular, has caused alarming deforestation to meet its palm oil supply needs. I call on Cargill, PepsiCo and other major corporations to commit to sourcing their palm oil from 100% certified sustainable suppliers. I also encourage these businesses to mitigate their ecological impacts by investing in regenerative agriculture and providing grants to farmers to allow them to adopt more “carbon-farming” techniques like cover-cropping, no-till and rotational grazing.

Finally, I hope they will purchase carbon offsets and/or renewable energy credits to cover the parts of their energy footprint that’s leftover after implementing these other strategies. Not to mention, Cargill and others, please begin composting and recycling in all company buildings.

With a little effort, global business practices can help regenerate ecosystems. For the sake of a viable future economy (and a livable planet), it’s time that businesses take responsibility for their impact. Customers like myself expect nothing less.

The truth about the Nisqually River flood of 2020

The Nisqually River flood was caused by Tacoma Power. Residents along the river had very little warning. On Feb. 12, a Sheriff’s deputy handing out evacuation notices said we’d be fine; 24 hours later, another said we had to evacuate, the 1996 flood was coming again. The first officer was right, the second caused panic. My nerves are still rattled.

Residents heard different stories from different officers. Where was the state? Thurston County? All we had to go on were rumors and a few newspaper articles. On Feb. 14, a news crew from Q13 showed up and asked if we needed anything. Sand bags, we replied. They made a call and a half hour later the county dropped off 200, then left. Not their job to help us, apparently — the disabled (like me) and working poor people living here were truly on our own. The sand bags were a big help, and kept part of our apartment complex from flooding — thank you Q13!

It also wasn’t the county’s job to warn residents about contaminated water. Some of my neighbors drank it and got very sick.

Other dams in the area were prepared and didn’t flood. Tacoma Power knew we had a warm winter and that forecasts said January would have a lot more rain than normal. Other dams raised their river water level to prepare their reservoirs for the extra water, but those of us who live by the Nisqually can confirm that the water was no higher than normal. It’s basic math: higher-than-normal temperatures plus higher-than-normal rainfall should have meant more water being released earlier. It didn’t and those of us who live by the river paid the price.

What is true is that this was preventable and we were left on our own.