HomeMy WebLinkAbout09.09.21 Board Correspondence - FW_ REMINDER - Cancellation, September 10 CGA_GGA Joint TAC meeting (2)
From:Paulsen, Shaina
To:Alpert, Bruce;Bennett, Robin;Clerk of the Board;Connelly, Bill;Cook, Holly;Cook, Robin;Hironimus, Patrizia;Kimmelshue, Tod;Lucero, Debra;Paulsen, Shaina;
Pickett, Andy;Reaster, Kayla;Ring, Brian;Ritter, Tami;Sweeney, Kathleen;Teeter, Doug
Cc:York, Danette
Subject:Board Correspondence - FW: Message from an Ecologist
Date:Thursday, September 9, 2021 8:43:14 AM
Attachments:chemicals.PNG
pubchem.PNG
Please see Board Correspondence below.
Shaina Paulsen
Administrative Assistant, Senior
Butte County Administration
25 County Center Drive, Suite 200
Oroville, CA 95965
T: 530.552.3304 | F: 530.538.7120
From: Kristin Baker <kbaker@jacobandhefner.com>
Sent: Wednesday, September 8, 2021 6:25 PM
To: sustainability@lacounty.gov; sustainability@cityofventura.ca.gov; sustainability@sandiego.gov; jefflamoure@co.imperial.ca.us;
KAKim@RIVCO.ORG; LJMitche@rivco.org; ehealth@ochca.com; Field_Ro@sbcity.org; sustainability@co.santa-barbara.ca.us;
cread@slocity.org; rhill@slocity.org; caomailbox@kerncounty.com; PaulsworthAL@co.monterey.ca.us; EnvJustice@tularecounty.ca.gov;
EnvironmentalHealth@fresnocountyca.gov; dwong@cosb.us; envhealth@co.madera.ca.gov; Vicki.Jones@countyofmerced.com;
ACEH@amadorgov.org; Stephanie.Hansen@santacruzcounty.us; eh@mariposacounty.org; avennos@mono.ca.gov;
David.Carlson@santacruzcounty.us; cdd@tuolumnecounty.ca.gov; sustainability@smcgov.org; lisa.gibson@sfgov.org;
Environmental@countyofnapa.org; julie.dachtler@yolocounty.org; cao-clerk@solanocounty.com; McCoyK@saccounty.net;
emd.info@edcgov.us; dlampson@alpinecountyca.gov; SustainPlacer@placer.ca.gov; EnvironmentalHealth@co.yuba.ca.us;
kuljeet.mundi@countyofcolusa.com; boardofreview@lakecountyil.gov; env.health@co.nevada.ca.us; envhealth@sierracounty.ca.gov;
Clerk of the Board <clerkoftheboard@buttecounty.net>; Environmental@countyofglenn.net; enviroh@mendocinocounty.org;
quincyenv@countyofplumas.com; tpotanovic@co.tehama.ca.us; ENVHEALTH@co.humboldt.ca.us;
environmentalhealth@trinitycounty.org; scehd@co.shasta.ca.us; environmental-health@co.del-norte.ca.us
Subject: Message from an Ecologist
ATTENTION: This message originated from outside Butte County. Please exercise judgment before opening attachments, clicking on links, or replying.
..
Greetings,
This message is not intended to offend or patronize anyone but is purely written out of the utmost compassion in hopes of saving our
planet while we still have a chance, but that light is growing more dim as each day passes…
So here it is- I’m writing as a VERY DISTRAUGHT environmental scientist about making significant changes to our economy and ultimately
world via divesting from fossil fuel powered equipment and plastic, everything! We need to do this NOW and CANNOT wait any longer,
as it is our last chance…our FINAL CALL to make a difference in our future…but our time is running out as anyone knows in the
environmental science field who keeps up with peer reviews and scientific reports…any news at this point! So please, hear my plea when
it comes to revolutionizing our way of life because we need it, and it needs to be done ASAP because we cannot wait until 2030 rolls
around for 50% of the emissions to be gone. For the love of all life on Earth, we don’t have time for those projections 8.5 years away!!! I
felt it imperative to make these types of statement because humanity as a whole is doing very poorly in terms of drastically reducing our
emissions here and abroad, so I had to write my sentiments in this email which I’m hoping will be read and taken into account, not
consideration. We don’t have time to waste any longer since oil companies have fought tooth and nail to prevent their eventual
downfall, which has come at a very high price now that they’ve filled their greedy pockets until their oiled-slicked hearts were and
continue to be content. Below are unbiased examples of what we should achieve on a substantial and broad level to reduce our fossil
fuel emissions drastically and on to products whose output is carbon neutral, starting with the small things like plastic bags, all the way
up to the huge problems we have like automobiles, gardening equipment, generators, ships, planes etc. Anything that has or is a
byproduct of petroleum. Of course these changes need to be implemented from the top down since all the driving power is there, so
here is my message to you:
Even though images are seen on the news here and from around the world, I’ve been driving around LA County documenting the
conditions here for folks to see how dire our living situations are. Not just us, but all life here is suffering immeasurably by the notorious
Homo sapiens. Pollution engulfs the entire city and far beyond. I have photos from Pasadena, Mt. Wilson, Frazer Park, Oxnard/Ventura
County, Rincon Point and they all look the same now in terms of an ever-increasing 2.5 to 10 ppm particulate matter blanket over each
city. I also incorporated photos from my drive going from California to Arizona and you can see the vast swaths of Creosote and Palo
Verde trees dead and dying from the excruciatingly persistent drought. The MOST HARDY desert-dwelling plants are dying in droves!!
That’s a terrifying omen for scientists to bear witness to and I was in disbelief driving, contemplating our impending doom if we continue
living the way we are and what I can possibly say to avert that. Please excuse the abrupt and colloquial nature of this email but here it is-
we need to get vehicles off of the road and invest in electric buses and electric cars for county employees to start, government officials,
anywhere where people RECEIVE cars from their employers, must be done now. That would be the easiest to achieve currently rather
than wait on the public to make the first drastic approach, especially when most electric vehicles are still rather expensive but of course
only because they’re not popular enough yet. Time will help alleviate that financial burden for us all if government agencies and other
companies start buying them quickly. It’ll make them more affordable for people like me who cannot budget for one, to my dismay, but
could soon enough if this happens. At the VERY LEAST please make a statement for others to follow suit as well. We all saw how clean
our air was during the “start” of the pandemic and we need to achieve that again, but permanently! Here’s an example in hopes to get
the proverbial ball rolling…
I’ve contacted the Principal Engineer at my environmental consulting company to get all electric trucks for the 60 workers and we
discussed this today actually, not only that but getting away from the plastic that is ubiquitous in our everyday lives. I’ve reached out to
all of the companies that are manufacturing these vehicles to have a better idea of leasing them for workers, trying out a few for trial
runs and trying to encourage other consulting companies to do the same that I work alongside since they employ vehicles from
Enterprise to rent like we do. The earliest date some of the trucks will be available are in spring so that needs to be pushed for anyone
who wants a truck. Hell, ALL EVs need to be pushed. I certainly am not the only person reaching out to ask for help implementing fossil
fuel emission reductions abound, but maybe the more messages you all receive the better and faster we can reach the goal of a carbon-
neutral future. With that being said, one thorough, gut-wrenching, photo-driven, statistic balanced email should really be just enough to
make said changes if executed well enough to empower others to make the changes too.
Also submitted are photos of trees that are constantly being butchered by ignorant people thinking they know how to prune trees and
shrubs. Yes, this is and will be a sizable issue too for the drought-stressed trees and plants around each city. It blows my mind that these
ill-informed people continue to “care” for these species when clearly they don’t know how detrimental removing so many branches are
to the organism itself, as can clearly be seen from the photos. They need to be left alone for a while because gardeners, landscapers,
owners etc. are constantly tending to them when it’s completely unnecessary and harming them. Drought stress is leading to their
eventual demise if not left to grow as intended and I’ve seen countless more actually perish from these measures taken, which need to
be stopped because if we want that continued carbon sequestration and pollution to be mitigated, then what they’re doing isn’t helping
in the grand scheme of things!
Another thing too that needs to be addressed is the incredible waste in terms of water that’s still happening during the mega drought.
Lawns, golf courses, cemeteries, anything with grass needs to cease (and most aren’t even using reclaimed water) because precious
water is being wasted for our entertainment, homes, aesthetic appeal and the like. Did you know that one 18-hole golf course that’s
110-115 acres in California can consume 90,000,000 gallons of either reclaimed or standard water on an annual basis? What an
extraordinary waste for entertainment purposes and there are ~921 golf courses just in CA alone ranging in different sizes. Along the
lines of that, even my idiotic neighbor continues to power wash both of his vehicles and trash cans (eternal /facepalm). People still seem
to assume that altering their habits and livelihoods aren’t really applicable to everyone and that water will forever be abundant! What
an infuriating notion that people still think we continue to live in the land of greed, overconsumption of resources, and gluttony. I am
just appalled that people are still so incredibly benighted of these facts of living in the U.S. that they need to be TOLD what to do
otherwise there goes the rest of our water, down the drain or evaporating on the asphalt. That water needs to be used for the scores of
vegetation that are succumbing to this environmental disaster, not washing ATVs or motorhomes or even having car washes use copious
amounts either! My blood boils as I continue to write this email…and hopefully yours is too.
https://www.unni.world/ (plastic bag alternatives- gallon, sandwich, snack, dog feces disposal, food prep gloves)
https://repurpose.com/ (plant-based utensil alternatives, bowls, plates, drink ware, food trays, STRAWS, bags)
https://lastobject.com/collections/shop-all (q-tip, facial tissue, cotton pad, laundry bag alternatives)
https://www.google.com/search?q=bamboo+toilet+paper&rlz=1C1GCEU_enUS917US917&sxsrf=ALeKk00-evIDkVjBx9xwnpwPgA4yd4jE-
Q:1629620916320&source=univ&tbm=shop&tbo=u&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjTpdf-
msTyAhXJJjQIHUH9DlAQ1TV6BQgBEOwB&biw=1536&bih=722 (bamboo toilet paper alternatives)
https://responsibleproducts.com/ (craft bags, drink receptacles, more bag options, bowls, plates, utensils, to-go containers)
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B08YY4SD8B/ref=crt_ewc_img_dp_4?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A1ZSL0EUW3YB30
(grocery store bags)
https://insideevs.com/car-lists/electric-trucks/ (upcoming electric truck options)
https://trucks.thelionelectric.com/?
gclid=Cj0KCQjwvaeJBhCvARIsABgTDM6VvWWEhMmiUjsBQk1ZOisaODba9ct6gYn9RvegGEqWk43DcN7lxtwaAgHKEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
(semi-truck option above)
https://www.caranddriver.com/shopping-advice/g32463239/new-ev-models-us/ (list of electric vehicles right now)
Another issue that I’ve encountered during my plastic alternative journey is that some companies out there (EC30 for example and Earth
Breeze most notably) have ditched the plastic bottles for laundry detergent/toilet bowl cleaning but have replaced some of the
ingredients with chemicals detrimental to aquatic life. Ahhh!! The horror of trying to do justice for the planet but killing the wildlife that
deals with our waste and byproducts. Unbelievable that these people don’t actually do research on the ingredients they use or perhaps
they do but overlook it. I appreciate the efforts but these companies need to be under strict surveillance because while they’re going
away with one environmental concern, they’re causing another one in its place. Here’s one for example with photos attached from the
scientific database on chemicals, PubChem- TETRAMETHYL ACETYLOCTAHYDRONAPHTHALENES and Poloxamer 407 for
example are extremely toxic to life in general, especially to the life forms that are residing in the water in which these chemicals are
flushed.
Please let me help because I have tons of ideas on what we need to do and can help execute them. It comes easy to me and I see many
solutions to the prodigious problems we have and want to keep living this beautiful life rather than have people from the past and
continued future cut it short based off of their insurmountable greed for monetary gain. Well lobbyists, what will that billion dollars do
for you now, secure the best Starlink seat possible or on any other shuttle for that matter? I don’t want to live in space and am sure
most of the population would agree, but that’s where we’ll be headed if current practices are left unchanged.
This needs to be executed like what FDR did during WWII, but to preserve and protect our lands which we are systematically destroying
and are not being left to heal in time- mobilize the production of electric vehicles immediately, eliminate fossil fuels where we can for
now and to help clean up our Earth which is becoming a brown barren wasteland with 250 different shades of brown to see and one
that is on the brink of collapse in our oceans, land and air. Our planet is dying…
I’m free anytime to discuss further
Thank you,
Kristin Baker
Ecologist
805-44-8348
linkedin.com/in/kristinbaker0
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