A few of our County Council members are determined to help out the enormous U.S. wireless industry by drafting a new ordinance that makes it easier to locate cell towers in tiny San Juan County. Bad idea, County Council! Improving cell phone service is essentially a form of manslaughter. New data and studies show that texting and talking on cell phones are turning our roads into a bloodbath. The National Safety Council calculated that at least 1.6 million crashes are caused each year by texting and talking on cell phones — that’s 28 percent of all traffic accidents, more than 10,400 killed.
John Bogert’s background (bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Princeton, master’s degree in electrical power engineering from Rensselear Polytechnic Institute, and a remarkable work history in the electrical power industry) make him a standout for this position. He has already served on the board as secretary/treasurer and is an outstanding and compassionate community leader on Shaw Island.
The recent Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen accomplished very little except for the consumption of much fossil fuel by those who attended it.
It’s almost a year since Washington state began one of the most successful recycling programs for waste electronics. Manufacturers who sell televisions, monitors, computers and laptops in our state cover the full cost of the program. By the end of November, almost 36 million pounds of electronics were collected and recycled in our state free of charge to households, small businesses, charities, schools and small governments! About 35,000 pounds have been recycled in San Juan County so far.
We have a serious problem in our country with deregulation. Foxes guarding the henhouse is the quality of representation we’re getting in D.C.
This is to support Steve Ludwig’s letter calling for restraint in the use of cell phones, which may be causing the disappearance of pollinating honeybees. This information seems to be absent from the major media in this country.
When we arrived in 1997, the issue of cell towers was in fierce discussion and the County Commissioners decided “no tower.” Cell phones were new and their future dependency was not understood. Today, most islanders can probably tell you how much the world depends on the cellphone and most islanders have learned how to cope with limited cellphone coverage. The problem is the multitude of visitors and their life-style reliance of expecting cellphone operation — including expecting usage anywhere within San Juan County.
Save the bees! Spring is just around the corner and bees are already starting their work on warm afternoons. But bees, both wild and domestic, native and non-native, are threatened! Evidence continues to accumulate that radiation from wireless devices is the primary cause of colony collapse disorder and the disappearance of wild bees. The radiation seems to affect the bee’s ability to navigate.
At the Jan. 5 County Council meeting, the council began writing one of the most potentially destructive bits of legislation ever. It’s a new “Essential Public Facilities” (EPF) Ordinance.
On behalf of the Lopez island School District, I would like to publicly thank the many individuals, most of whom have asked to remain anonymous, for the volunteer work they donated to the Lopez Schools over the summer to help keep our grounds and gardens looking presentable and inviting.
