We wrote last week about the Draft Action Agenda that the Washington State government-led Puget Sound Partnership developed.  This week, a private nonprofit organization, People for Puget Sound (PPS), called for people to actively make our voices heard.  "The Partnership’s Action Agenda is a golden opportunity to carry out a recovery plan that is accountable, effective, transparent and decisive with sustained funding that will restore this national treasure to health by 2020." 

They would like us all to weigh in.  It will take a few minutes but far less that a couple hours volunteering on a political campaign took last month and we were glad to do that. 

1) Read or skim through the Draft Action Agenda on the PPS Website.

2) Take a look at the PPS's thoughts about what to focus on:

A group of local Snohomish County organizations, working together as the nonprofit, Qualco Energy Corp., has developed a biomass digester, designed to consume waste from local dairy cows, prevent runoff into local streams and provide electric power to local utilities.  The plant has been built south of Monroe in the Tualco Valley between the Skykomish and Snoqualmie River floodplains.  The digester is processing manure from 1600 cows from three local dairy farms. 

The Puget Sound Partnership released a draft Action Plan last week to save Puget Sound. The Action Plan is a roadmap for protecting, restoring and cleaning up the Sound.  The report starts with an analysis of the state of the Sound now.  It's not good.  From a press release, the Partnership gives the details:

Last month, Michael Pollan, author of the book, “In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto”, wrote a thoughtful letter (well, really a long article) in the New York Times to the man who would be elected President.  He talks about the issues impacting our food system.  He says food policy will wind up occupying much of the new President's time, not something that has been the case almost anytime in the past.  He says we are about to be reminded that "the health of a nation’s food system is a critical issue of national security".

The new California Academy of Sciences building in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco is one of the most unique buildings in the world.  The Academy, which houses an aquarium, planetarium, natural history museum and research institution, is housed in a building with a living roof that features 1.7 million plants and 7 hills. 

The latest Sunset magazine has a spread with some gorgeous photos.

"The Academy's new home is expected to be the world's largest public LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum building. An innovative solar canopy will generate up to 10 percent of its energy; portholes let natural sunlight into the exhibits and also open and close for ventilation."

In addition to carbon dioxide, there are now two other worrisome greenhouse gases on the rise.  The two gases, methane and nitrogen trifluoride, contribute less to climate change.  However, since neither are included in the usual equations that predict future impacts to the atmosphere, increases are of concern.

Methane comes from landfills, natural gas, coal mining, animal waste and decaying plants.  The decaying plants have mostly been frozen for thousands of years, trapped in permafrost and in the ocean floor.  As the Arctic warms, the billions of tons of methane are thawing out and being released into the atmosphere.