I received an inspiring email yesterday from one of my colleagues, Brigetta Johnson, who specializes in Bainbridge Island and North Kitsap properties. I found myself nodding my head in agreement as I read it and wanting to give her “manifesto” a wider audience.

So with her permission, here is her email. She WANTS comments, she wants a conversation, so please email Brigetta directly.

If you post it anywhere, all she asks is that you please include her contact information and encourage folks to reply to her @ brigetta@greenworksrealty.com, as she will be forming a petition to include in a letter to our government representatives about the issue.

Celebrations and Sustainability

Is it time to re-evaluate the sustainability of the way we celebrate national holidays?

I was very disturbed by the increase in the number and potency of the 3rd and 4th of July pyrotechnics this year. It’s impossible to be green and condone being bombarded by noise, air and water pollution for days. I spent them mostly indoors, trying to comfort my terrified pets. To consider the impact on wildlife literally breaks my heart. Just for one example, there is an eagle’s nest (the symbol of our country) at the end of the breakwater in the Liberty Bay Marina off the Poulsbo waterfront where the July 3rd fireworks event took place. There were three eaglets in the nest last week being indulged by two proud and active parents that we enjoyed watching for a couple of hours one day. I am afraid to even think of what happened to them over the holiday weekend. Many local birds are caring for their young at this time.

Also consider that our local marine mammals (harbor seals and otters) are most likely overwhelmed by the massive takeover of the areas they call home by the intense increase in boat traffic. The exhaust and film of which, concentrates on the surface of the water and about 1.5 feet above the waterline, the area where these animals mostly live and breath. God only knows to what degree all the sewage, fireworks debris and other human debris fouls the depths of the water itself, negatively effecting their food supply.

Did you happen to notice the poor air quality on the morning of the 5th??? It was not a cloudy day, the overcast and haze of that morning was pollution following two days of explosions. I could go on and on…………

I strongly feel that the negative impact on the environment that the twice annual pyrotechnic events held on July 3 and 4, and on New Years Eve is not necessary for the celebration of those events. The cost to the greater ecosystem is so detrimental I think it should be stopped all together or at least drastically limited in the future. Holding a major firework events in every major harbor in our area is total overkill and I fear it is only going to grow as the number and size of the stands that sell them increase. I know this is a source of revenue to the local tribes, but isn’t assaulting the environment and the animals that live in that environment the antithesis of what the Native Americans have always stood for?

In this era of awakening, it’s time to consider the consequences and sustainability of all of our activities whether they are long held traditions or not. I welcome your feedback. Thanks for your consideration,

Brigetta Johnson
206.795.1757