Letters to the Editor, Week of April 20, 2022

Editor,

Your Point Bob article left out one of its really great assets — the airport. And, yes, it could be easily missed as it only has a 2,200-foot grass strip that may look more like a cow pasture than a runway. But, hey, it’s an airport that kinda puts the frosting on the cupcake (Pt. Bob is too small to give it a full cake measure). What more could you ask to have on a small spit of land — a marina, a golf course and a really cool grass strip airport?

You Go, Bob.

Joel Martin

Bellingham

Editor,

My attention was caught by an article appearing in the Bellingham Herald several weeks ago concerning Sanitary Service Company’s plan to test out the feasibility of reducing their carbon footprint by eliminating the separate pickup of kitchen and yard waste, along with the jobs associated with it. Thus, the kitchen waste would now be integrated with the garbage.

Let’s step back here for a little review of Composting 101. Aerobic (with oxygen) composting vs. anaerobic (without O2).

The latter produces methane, CH4, whereas the former does not. Methane is 26 times more potent than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas. Composting kitchen and garden waste is an aerobic process whereas commingling these with the garbage results in the anaerobic, methane-producing stinky piles found around the world such as the piles in Mumbai where the marginalized pick over the piles for valuables. These people eventually get habituated to the stink since one can get used to almost anything. Global emissions from garbage waste have almost doubled since 1970.

Composting organic matter (i.e. kitchen and garden waste along with garbage) is a “good” recipe for a local version of the Mumbai piles where CH4 is created in large quantities with very little effort. If you attended UW football games in the ’60s you would have observed methane flames emanating from the landfill that eventually became the sport complex and parking lot of today, on the north side of the stadium. Go Huskies. 

My suggestion to SSC is to take a long look in the mirror. It won’t be a very pretty picture you encounter. It’s time for SSC and the rest of us to forge a sustainable path forward and hand a better community and world off to those who follow us.

I have seen the most recent musings of the County Council to tiptoe down the same anaerobic path leading to the proverbial carbon dump rat hole and will have another missive ready for next time. For more details regarding composting visit: enquiries@agric.wa.gov.au.

Craig Keyes

Bellingham

Editor, 

Re: “Blossom blowouts, Greek myths and Earth Day,” April 13.

At the risk of sounding strange, whenever I see recorded footage of the Earth from an orbiting source, I think I actually feel a sense of love for the planet below, everyone’s sole spaceship. 

The perspective-changing awe experienced by astronauts when gazing down at Earth makes me wonder: If a large portion of the planet’s most freely-polluting corporate CEOs, governing leaders and over-consuming/disposing individuals rocketed far enough above Earth for at least a day’s orbit, while looking below, would it have a sufficiently profound effect on them to change their apparently unconditional political/financial support of Big Fossil Fuel? 

Frank Sterle Jr.   

White Rock, British Columbia

Editor:

I was pleased to read Dr. William Lombard’s guest essay in CDN. From personal experience, I can attest to the importance of Advance Care Planning for oneself and for a person’s loved ones for end-of-life care.

My husband and I had not adequately addressed what medical interventions he would have been willing to submit himself to until it was too late. While he was in the intensive care unit, I was anguished over making the right decisions for him when he couldn’t speak for himself. If I had read an article such as Dr. Lombard’s, it could have been the catalyst to “have the conversation” and, as a consequence, soften my grief.

For that reason, I urge everyone over 18 years old to make a plan. Consider an advance care plan as a gift of love.

Also, I urge Cascadia Daily News to publish (at least) monthly articles on health-related topics such as Dr. Lombard’s. Essays by medical professionals would be an incalculable benefit to our community.

Delores Davies

Ferndale