As of today, it’s been 20 years since the Exxon Valdez oil spill. In that time, Puget Sound has experienced the equivalent of 10 Exxon Valdezes–due to runoff from cars and trucks.*
*Yes, I know that buses cause runoff, too–but at least it’s less per person. Bikes? Feet? No runoff at all.
A couple of weeks ago, I spent a sunny Saturday afternoon at Green My Ride, that alternative transportation fair in Phinney I told you about. It was a great event, and not just because there were two different booths selling cookies the size of my face. It was well-planned, informative, and fun, with tons of information and encouragement to help people change their transportation habits.
My favorite part of the fair was the Environmental Jeopardy (pun intended, I assume) game at the Seattle Parks booth. Bill from the Piper’s Creek Watershed Project played host, presiding diplomatically over my bitter (if not unexpected) loss to Bus Nerd. I swear, the man beats me at every contest we undertake, be it physical or mental. It seems that the only thing I can do better than him is speak French, and that’s just because I had a substantial head start. But I digress.
The game was fun despite my loss, and I learned a lot (more) about the environmental impacts of driving. A statistic of particular note: Each year, through stormwater runoff from roads and parking lots, Puget Sound experiences an oil spill that is over half the size of the Exxon Valdez (roughly 7 million gallons). Talk about a good reason to ride!
I would have told you about this sooner, but I never got around to contacting Bill to get his source. Fortunately, he remembered to contact me–and to send me the Seattle Times article where he found the information. It’s worth taking the time to read.
It’s also worth taking the time to find out more about the Piper’s Creek Watershed Project, an effort largely responsible for restoring the salmon population in Carkeek Park.
The Piper’s Creek Watershed is a drainage basin in the northwest corner of the City of Seattle, including parts of the Greenwood, Crown Hill, Broadview, and Blue Ridge neighborhoods. Although some water comes from underground springs, most of the water in Piper’s Creek (in Carkeek Park) comes from stormwater … running off the roofs and pavement in these neighborhoods. In 1990, after three years of work, a dedicated committee … completed the Piper’s Creek Watershed Action Plan. Since then, the work directed by this plan has resulted in many improvements in the Piper’s Creek Watershed.
After you’ve read the rest of the project’s annual report (on the bus, of course), you can sign up to receive e-mail updates from Bill and his cohorts. Then, you can use your newfound knowledge to make more Watershed-friendly choices–or at least to give Bus Nerd a run for his Environmental Jeopardy money.