What is Clean Sweep?

Clean Sweep is a place to bring hazardous household materials such as Oil-Based Paints and Paint-Related Products, Pesticides & Poisons, Household Products Containing Organic Solvents, Ignitables, and Aerosols, and Rechargeable Batteries.

Why Clean Sweep?

By providing the public with a free opportunity to safely dispose of such hazardous products, we keep these products out of landfills and lower the environmental risks associated with such improper disposal. The payoff is a cleaner, healthier environment.

Click here for more info, maps and drop off hours.  Happy Recycling!

This home grown effort, which you can find at the Madison Recycling Away from Home website, is ripe for change. If you’re into fun events, believe in sustainability, like community involvement, can help coordinate volunteers, or volunteer some time to reduce waste going to the landfill, then you’re a prime candidate for our team!

Currently, we have a group analyzing options for east side festival waste reduction. These are Waterfront Festival, La Fete de Marquette, Atwood Summerfest, Orton Park Festival, and the Willy St Fair. Options include added recycling, composting and refilling fluid containers. People are needed to investigate options as well as engage the community. We also need help developing signage and publicity for this purpose.

We’ll also still need help with Recycling Away from Home at this year’s events including Waterfront, Orton Park, and the Willy St Fair. Assistance is needed reaching out to find volunteers and entering names into a web based database – which you can do from the comfort of your own home. It’s simple, but training will be offered.

Lastly, but not leastly, we need crews of energetic volunteers at these three events to remove full bags and replace them with shiny new empty ones. For your trouble, you’ll receive not only our everlasting gratitude (not everyone gets that, you know!), and an invite to the volunteer party (ditto), but some complimentary refreshments of your choice at the festival! Ya can’t beat that!

Have ideas or want to assist with any of this? Contact Don Ferber at 608-222-9376 or
d_ferber@sbcglobal.net.

by Sierra Pope

Scientific evidence overwhelmingly supports anthropogenic climate change—in other words, human activities such as greenhouse gas emissions and deforestation are causing potentially dangerous changes to the earth’s climate. Despite this, there are still efforts to  deny or undermine the findings of the scientific community. These voices of denial are loud  and well funded, and they can lead to uncomfortable conversations with friends, family, or strangers at the grocery store who turn out to be in climate change denial. Usually these conversations begin innocently, with remarks about a particularly cold winter day, or how much snow had to be shoveled yesterday, or a neighbor’s new hybrid car. Then an offhand,
“I mean, so much for that global warming nonsense, am I right?” and you get that prickly-hair empty-gut realization that you are talking to one of them. What then? What can you possibly say?

It can seem an overwhelming task to stand up to this denial. It can also seem easier to just write people off as lost environmental causes. However, we cannot expect changes of opinion or ownership of the issue by voters and policy makers unless we respond to this denial with clear, well-reasoned arguments. So this first installment of “Conversations with a Climate Change Skeptic,” presents some of the most common arguments made against the science of climate change, and how to refute them.

Skeptic: “Look at us all, in our hats and mittens! This is the coldest winter here in years! There’s no way that global warming can be real.”

Counter Argument: “It is true that some places are experiencing more extreme winters. However, in order to draw conclusions about the long term, we have to look at many years of climate data, measured at hundreds of sites all over the world. These tell us that the average temperature of the earth increased by over a degree in the 20th century, and computer models predict that it will rise 2 to 11 degrees in the next century. So on average, the globe is warming.”

Skeptic: “That doesn’t explain why there was snow this year in early October! It ruined my cabbage.”

Counter Argument: “Yes, individual places will likely experience strong variations and weather out of season. Weather patterns are in part related to local features: for instance, a nearby lake may make for colder or windier temperatures, or an urban paved space may absorb heat from the sun at a higher rate than the surrounding countryside, making it really sizzle mid-May. In fact, warmer air in the earth’s atmosphere ‘holds’ more moisture (think of those muggy August days!). So some places will experience more precipitation (be it rain or snow). This is why scientists now favor the term ‘climate change,’ which includes all of these changes to the earth’s climate and weather systems. As you found with your suddenly snowed-in garden, and as low-lying communities are finding with more frequent flooding, these weather extremes will inconvenience and disrupt our way of life.”

Skeptic: “I read that carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are supposedly responsible for warming temperatures. But I learned in Biology that there are a lot of natural ways CO2 gets into the atmosphere. So who says it’s because of human emissions? It might not even be our fault.”

Counter Argument: “There are natural forms of GHG emissions. For instance, plant decomposition produces CO2, and swamplands release methane (CH4). However, the magnitude of GHGs produced by human activity, including large-scale farming and livestock production, and burning of fossil fuels, is much higher, and unprecedented. Since the 1850s, when manufacturing started running intensively on fossil fuels, CO2 in the atmosphere has risen dramatically from 280 parts per million (ppm) to 390 ppm. These increases are undeniably human-caused. Over that same period of time, temperatures have risen by more than a degree, with the highest recorded temperatures occurring in the last decade. So no, we are not the only factor influencing climate change, but we are a very powerful, disproportionate one.”

Skeptic: “Well fine, maybe climate change is happening, but who’s going to complain about it being warmer around here? Shorter winter and a longer growing season would be good for everyone, right?”

Counter Argument: “I like seeing fresh asparagus earlier in the spring as much as the next person, but let’s think about other places and species for a minute. If temperatures increase by 3 more degrees, more than a third of the species on the planet will face extinction. Many low-lying cities around the world are in danger of flooding because of rising sea levels. The extreme weather we talked about earlier could lead to more frequent heat waves, droughts, floods, and wildfires, which is good for no one’s crops.”

Skeptic: “Well, I’ll have to think about all of this. In the mean time, where are you getting all of these facts? I’d like to do some reading of my own.”

Counter Argument: “You are absolutely right to ask for references! It’s so important to check sources and science behind statements about climate change. Here are some links to downloadable documents about climate change, and answers to some common questions about it.

• Understanding and Responding to Climate Change
  
• How to Talk to a Climate Sceptic

• If you want to dig a little deeper, I would recommend taking a look at the report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change or
• the National Academy of Science report “Climate Change Science: An Analysis of Some Key Questions”

Skeptic: “… Humbug.”

We may not have convinced them yet. Check our upcoming newsletter and this blog for Part 2 of “Conversations with a Climate Skeptic,” where we will disarm arguments about carbon sinks, the ‘hockey stick’ diagram, and the reliability of computer climate models.

The future of the Penokee Hills, threatened by a wildly destructive open pit iron ore mine, appears to have been secured for now.  Gogebic Taconite has kept its promise to abandon the proposal if legislation gutting environmental protections was not passed. GTac announced it was quitting the state the day after an amended version of the Strip Mine Giveaway bill (AB426/SB488) was rejected by the full Senate and sent back to committee where it appears to be dead for this session. In a courageous vote that bucked his GOP caucus, State Senator Dale Schultz joined all 16 Democratic Senators voting to reject the bill and we are grateful for his vote.

Since its introduction in December, the bill attracted unified opposition from virtually every state environmental and conservation organization. Widespread media coverage of the issue motivated residents statewide to mobilize against the mine and the legislation.  This is a major victory for our chapter and everyone who worked so hard on the issue. The fact that GTac decided to pack up is icing on the cake.  We dodged a bullet for now, but this bill was only the first shot in what could be a longer fight to save the Penokees and Lake Superior.

The John Muir Chapter opposed the Strip Mine Giveaway bill and consistently stated that the current state regulatory program has proven capable of judging the environmental impacts of any type of mining proposal.  Outrageous, stunning, and unbelievable are just a few of the adjectives used to describe the bill and the actions by GOP legislators to rush it through. The bill is Gogebic Taconite’s (GTac) wish list for deregulation to make the proposed open-pit strip mine cheap, easy and dirty and we should expect to see this bill again in the next session.  That the bill is likely to come back underscores that this fight will continue to be a factor in upcoming recall and fall legislative elections.

The bill took a tortured and twisted path to the Senate floor before being rejected.  Two weeks before the vote, Senate Majority Speaker Scott Fitzgerald detoured it with actions that stunned veteran legislators and the public. Fitzgerald disbanded the Senate Mining Jobs Committee and referred the bill to the Joint Finance Committee (JFC), where the GOP holds a strong majority of the votes. The “official” justification for this unprecedented move was that the GOP could wait no longer to pass the bill.

The real reason behind the move was that some Senate Mining Jobs Committee members were uncomfortable with parts of the bill and the process issues raised by lack of consultation with the Bad River Tribe and others. Most importantly, one Republican Senator, Dale Schultz, stated publicly that he would not vote for AB 426. That one vote margin proved to be the key to killing the bill.

Senator Bob Jauch worked with Sen. Schultz to introduce a substitute amendment to AB 426 that restores environmental protections for iron ore mining and deletes some of the most egregious language, such as the provision that removed contested case hearings from the process. GOP leadership promptly pronounced the Jauch/Schultz amendment dead-on-arrival and refused to take a vote on it when the bill was heard in the Senate.

Schultz and Jauch demonstrated remarkable leadership by responding to public concerns, unlike their GOP colleagues in the Assembly, and we appreciate their efforts to work in a responsible and bipartisan way.  While their substitute amendment is a major improvement over AB 426, we would not be able to support the amendment due to our concerns with some aspects and our stated goal of maintaining the current regulatory protections.

Meanwhile, GTac never got around to submitting a mining permit application, which means that we are still in the dark about nearly all aspects of the proposal. This is another reason for our opposition to changes in existing standards; there is no scientific or policy justification for changing state law to benefit this proposal.  The amount of money and effort exerted by GTac and its supporters, like Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce and the Wisconsin Mining Association, demonstrates that developing this deposit is a priority for them. It is very likely we will continue to see efforts to develop a mine there.

Regarding GTac’s proposal, the John Muir Chapter has asserted that only the highest and most protective standards should be used to judge the largest mine ever proposed in Wisconsin, which would be located in a sensitive and pristine watershed feeding the Bad River and Kakagon Sloughs and Lake Superior. The sloughs are a unique and irreplaceable cultural resource for the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe.  Due to efforts by the Wisconsin Wetlands Association, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has recently designated the Kakagon and Bad River Sloughs a Wetland of International Importance, or Ramsar site. In March of this year, the Ramsar Secretariat announced that the Sloughs were designated as America’s 31^st Ramsar wetland on the List of Wetlands of International Importance. Thanks to Wisconsin Wetlands Association for this great work!

One update to our Environmental Track Record of Taconite Mining report: Northshore Mining, owned by Cliff’s Natural Resources in Silver Bay, MN was recently fined $240,175 by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency for air pollution violations. Announced on February 8, Northshore Mining was fined for more than 30 violations for exceeding emissions standards for fine particulate matter at its taconite processing plant between May 2010 and November 2011.  Monitoring found that Northshore was generating excessive taconite dust, a federally regulated pollutant that can cause serious heart and lung ailments for both workers and the public.  This is just one more recent example of how modern taconite mining continues to be an unsafe and dirty industry.

Finally, huge thanks to everyone who worked so hard on the mining issue so far, including our staff, and thanks also to the Sierra Club members who attended the recent mining education benefit concert. We learned more about the GTac proposal and impacts from former journalist and current historian, writer and Associate professor at UW-Madison Patty Loew and heard some great music from Tom Neilson. All proceeds from the show will go to benefit education efforts on mining by the John Muir Chapter and the Mining Impact Coalition of Wisconsin.  This fight isn’t over and we must remain vigilant and involved beginning with the elections this spring and again this fall.

Today the Four Lakes Group announces endorsements for the Dane County Board of Supervisors for the April 3 election.  The Four Lakes Group endorsed 17 incumbents and 9 new candidates based on their pro-conservation and environmental stances and voting records.

The Sierra Club endorsements are our recommendations to our members and the public for candidates who will strongly support policies protecting clean water and air, sound land use planning, and safe and efficient transportation priorities if elected.

For complete details, visit our Political Page.

Not only does this bill place areas of Wisconsin and people at risk, the process being used here to try to push a terrible bill through quickly is perhaps even worse, and is part of disenfranchising the public and severely limiting debate on this critical issue. If you can, please stop by to at least register in opposition to this bill. We expect the hearing to go on well after work hours, and just by adding your name to those who oppose the bill will help send a message that this is not what we expect from our elected officials in Wisconsin on process or substance.

Thank you.

Neilson, 2011 Winner of the People’s Choice Song of the Year for Social Action, uses the power of folk music to effect change. Cathy Gilbert of the Miami Dade Green Party said after a concert, “Tom is fabulous; politically cutting-edge, incisive, warm, and very funny. His raucous political satire and social commentary, quick wit, and pointed humor had everyone laughing and engaged.”

Neilson has won awards for song writing and performance since 2004, and has agreed to do a special show with all proceeds going to the Sierra Club and Mining Impact Coalition of Wisconsin. The event will educate people more about mining issues, and how to help protect Wisconsin’s environment and retain Wisconsin’s historically strong mining regulations.

Four Lakes chair Dave Blouin said that he is “excited about the educational benefit concert to raise awareness of the taconite mine proposal in the Penokee Hills.” Blouin also said that he thinks this will be a terrific way to spend an afternoon and evening enjoying fine music and the company of many other like-minded folk while learning about environmental issues.

Refreshments are available at the theater. After the show, join special guest Tom Neilson for dinner and drinks at the Great Dane, 123 E. Doty St., 3 blocks east of the theater.
The Sierra Club is an international environmental group headquartered in San Francisco. The Club is America’s oldest, largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization. For more about Tom Nielson and his music,  visit the Four Lakes website home page.

Sierra Club Position on the Gogebic Mine

By Four Lakes Group Sierra Club Chair, Dave Blouin

The Sierra Club recently voted to oppose Florida-owned mining company Gogebic Taconite’s (GTAC’s) proposed development of the largest-ever mine in Wisconsin in the Penokee Hills.  After careful review, we concluded that the massive open pit, tailings waste dumps, and overburden covering over 6 square miles will permanently degrade the exceptional Bad River Watershed, which includes the Bad River – Kakagon Sloughs, the largest freshwater estuary on Lake Superior.

We noted that Governor Walker and some state legislators are rushing to gut mining safeguard laws to benefit GTAC, a company with no experience mining taconite.  Cline, GTAC’s owner, has been cited 25 times for violating water quality standards at coal plants it operates.  We reviewed the track record of taconite mining and found a polluting industry that has damaged streams, wetlands, forests and air with mercury, arsenic, selenium, and other pollutants.  The decision to oppose the proposed mine was not difficult.

Governor Walker and his cronies in the legislature have introduced AB 426 – a far-reaching bill written by the mining company itself and designed to nearly deregulate taconite mining to pave the way for the GTAC proposal.  This bill builds permit deadlines that are impossible for regulators to meet by limiting the science needed to carefully assess impacts from mining.  It assumes granting permits for taconite mining is a right rather than a privilege and allows for destruction of critical wetlands, lakes and streams, and expanded pollution of groundwater.

To justify weakening our environmental standards, GTAC and its supporters claim taconite mining in Minnesota and Michigan is a clean industry, and that Wisconsin’s mining laws should be changed to reflect neighboring states’.

These claims don’t hold up under scrutiny.  Virtually all iron ore production in the U.S. comes from nine taconite mines in Minnesota and Michigan.  A survey of permit records from the just the last eight years (2004-2011) shows that all of these operations have air and/or water permit violations resulting in nearly $800,000 in civil fines plus cleanup orders costing another $9.1 million.

Moreover, seven Minnesota mines account for the bulk of fines and violations.   These mines operate under Minnesota’s ferrous mining law established in 1993, now being touted as an example for Wisconsin.  Is Minnesota’s track record of failure one we should emulate?

This race to the bottom is made worse by the fact that our DNR has suffered under years of budget cuts and chronic under-staffing.  Dedicated and talented employees are retiring in droves, having been forced out by the Walker administration’s attacks on public workers.

The good news is that with less than one week’s notice after the bill was introduced, hundreds of citizens plus local and statewide conservation groups descended on a hearing in Milwaukee – hundreds of miles away from the proposed mine – to oppose the bill.  Assembly Republicans attempted to create the illusion of support for the bill by holding in southeast Wisconsin but it backfired completely.  Just as we saw with the Crandon mine proposal, Wisconsin citizens are forming a movement against irresponsible mining and other unsustainable development that threatens our natural resources, the rights of tribal nations, and democratic process.

Wisconsin clearly needs jobs, but some politicians have turned their backs on a 21st century economy by rejecting clean technologies and thousands of long-term, sustainable jobs, from recycling to renewable energy to transit.   Instead they’re chasing a return to an antique economic model that rewards mining companies with profits and leaves local communities with permanent damages.  Taconite mining won’t improve our economy in the long run, and it threatens to undermine it forever.

More details on our concerns and opposition to both the mining bill (AB 426) and the mine proposal itself are on the John Muir Chapter website at:  http://wisconsin.sierraclub.org/Penokeemine.asp.  Contact me at burroak15@charter.net with any questions or concerns or to volunteer to help work on this critical issue.

The Wisconsin State Journal had a good article on the change in this morning’s paper. Check it out and be sure to make a mental note to add all these new things to the GREEN cart instead of the black one.  Happy New Year!

City to accept more plastic and metal items in recycling bins

Starting with the first collection of 2012 the city will accept more plastic and metal items, including pots, pans, plumbing and small metal appliances such as toasters and power tools. Plastic containers numbered 1 through 7 and plastic bags will also be accepted starting this week.

The changes come as the city begins a new contract, but this time with local company Pellitteri Waste Systems.

The hike out to the firepit is beautiful – peaceful, quiet, often snow and moonlight filled – just you and the crunch of your boots to keep you company.  As you get towards the middle of the peninsula, the view to the East of the UW Madison Campus and the snowy-white dome of the Capitol building makes you happy you left your warm cozy couch, no matter how cold it is.  And trust me, we’ve been out there in some ridiculous weather.

But once you get to the firepit, friendly faces – sometimes hard to identify under the layers of hats, scarves and other cold weather gear – greet you and offer you a plate, a cup, a snack, a beverage and the best kind of holiday cheer, simple human kindness.  Make a s’more, have some mulled cider, roast a wienie.  You never know what you’ll find, but you can be assured of a good time.  While the rest of the world is watching TV or hustling through the mall, you can toast your toes by the fire, breathe the crisp winter air, make a few new friends and take a moment to soak in the true meaning of the season.

So I encourage any and all, both those who have experienced this wonderful holiday outing and those who have not, to come out and join us this year.   Well, I say “us”, but sadly we will MISS IT this year.  Probably why I’m being so sentimental, as I truly will miss it.  I’m already trying to find a time when we can at least do the hike, to take our time out from the holiday rush and just sit and listen to Nature.  She is out there, waiting for us…