Environment – Puyallup Tribal News

20 May

Slow fashion helps reduce landfill waste and carbon footprint

Environment, Puyallup Tribe of Indians, slow fashion

Submitted by the Sustainability Working Group Did you know that sustainability doesn’t only include the food we eat and the garbage we throw out? Sustainability also encompasses the clothing we buy and wear. There is a movement called slow fashion which encourages fashion designers to pledge or launch clothing lines that are sustainable, reducing landfill waste and carbon footprint. Fast fashion is inexpensive clothing produced by mass market retailers. As a reaction to fast fashion, slow fashion is more holistic, intentional and thoughtful. We have all been guilty of mindless retail consumption. Have you gone into a store intending to…

29 Apr

Complete the cycle with compost

Compost, Environment, Puyallup Tribe of Indians, sustainability

Submitted by the Sustainability Working Group Composting plays a vital role in sustainability by cutting back on food waste and drastically reducing environmentally unfriendly fertilizers that run down storm drains and into our rivers and streams. What is compost? • Compost is a natural process of recycling organic matter like leaves and food scraps into nutrients that enrich soil and helps plants to grow. • Microorganisms like fungi, bacteria, and other microbes decompose food and other materials using biodegradation, which is the process of breaking down materials into smaller pieces. Why is compost good? • Composting reduces the food waste…

04 Feb

Volunteers clear Tribal beaches of trash and debris

beach cleanup, Environment, Fife, Port of Tacoma, Puyallup Tribe of Indians, Tacoma, tideflats

By Lisa Pemberton, Puyallup Tribal News Editor The Puyallup Tribe of Indians partnered with Citizens for a Healthy Bay and the Port of Tacoma on Jan. 18 for a community beach cleanup at the Canoe Landing site and other locations along Marine View Drive. The four-hour event was a day of service project in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy. From left: Khadijah Tividad, a Clean Water Educator with Citizens for a Healthy Bay, poses with Puyallup Tribal Member and Land Use Planner Jennifer Keating during the beach cleanup event. Volunteers masked up and spread out along the…

19 Jan

Help protect Puget Sound from stormwater pollution

Environment, Puget Sound, stormwater, sustainability

Submitted by the Sustainability Working Group What is stormwater? Stormwater is rain or melted snow that runs off rooftops, paved streets, sidewalks, and parking lots. The rain or melted snow picks up pollution as it runs off these surfaces, empties into drains like the one pictured above, and is deposited into rivers, lakes, and the ocean. This type of stormwater pollution is not treated and is the leading threat to aquatic habitats. Polluted stormwater runoff can: • Harm salmon and their habitat. • Contaminate swimming areas. • Pollute shellfish beds. • Contaminate the groundwater we drink. What can you do…

25 Nov

Statement from Puyallup Tribal Council on EPA’s decision to sue over Electron Dam

Electron Dam, Environment, Salmon

Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency filed suit against Electron Hydro LLC for the unlawful pollution of the Puyallup River. Electron Hydro’s foolish actions are well-known by now. It put waste field turf pulled from a roadside dump into the home of endangered salmon. To no one’s surprise, cubic yards of crumb rubber soon washed out over 40 miles of the river system. The river and its fish already were suffering from Electron Dam before this deliberate act. We appreciate the EPA’s quick movement under the Clean Water Act to hold the owners accountable for the damage they have caused.…

16 Nov

Take what you need, leave the rest this holiday season

Environment, Puyallup Tribe, sustainability

Submitted by the Sustainability Working Group As the holidays approach, we reach for warm sweaters, electric blankets, and comfort food to get us through the dark days and cold weather. This Thanksgiving, try to reduce the wasted food that gets thrown away after your family dinner. Food waste takes up more space in landfills than anything else. In 2010, Americans threw away $161 billion and 133 billion pounds worth of food. Wasted food also wastes water, energy and labor. You can help reduce food waste. • Reduce: Make a list before you go to the grocery store and get only…

02 Oct

Puyallup Tribe issues notice of intent to sue Electron Hydro

Electron, Environment, Puyallup River, Puyallup Tribe of Indians

Tribe cites ongoing violations to Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act TACOMA—The Puyallup Tribe on Thursday provided notice that it intends to sue Electron Hydro over its intentional ongoing violations of the Clean Water Act and Endangered Species Act. The Tribe gave notice that it will file a lawsuit in federal court in 60 days against Electron Hydro and the collection of corporations that own, finance and control the hydropower company. The Tribe also asked that Electron abandon its plans to construct an unpermitted and unplanned rock dam structure on the Puyallup River during the next few weeks, or the…