We’ve all heard the mantra “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle,” the three “R’s” of the School of Sustainability. Did you know that they are in that order for a reason? The three do not have equal value, but are arranged by their impact on our society and natural systems. Reduce is by far the most important. If we reduce the quantity of goods we buy, the materials used to make the goods don’t need to be harvested or mined, shipped or hauled, processed or manufactured, plated or polished, packaged and placed, and on and on. According to The Next Efficiency Revolution: Creating a Sustainable Materials Economy by John Young and Aaron Sachs, for every one garbage can of waste you put out on the curb, seventy garbage cans of waste were made upstream to make the trash in that one garbage can you put out on the curb. Imagine if each of us had to deal with all our “upstream waste,” the waste that we don’t even see. How would you feel if you had to haul seventy garbage cans of waste to the street for each one of “real” waste?

The second “R” is in second place because reuse can eliminate many of the steps above that are harming our natural systems. Matching goods that are no longer wanted with a new user makes a lot of sense. And everyone likes to be sensible, yes?

The upcoming City-Wide Garage Sale on Friday, May 18 and Saturday, May 19 is the perfect way to empower yourself and practice the second “R.” Held annually in May, the sale is a way for households and groups offer their gently used goods to others in hopes of making good matches and a few bucks. Purchasers can reduce their travel.

The Natural Step Monona will be hosting a garage sale and bake sale in the 500 block of Owen Road. As in years past, many households donate goods and many people volunteer for our sale, making it both a treasure trove for shoppers and a place to catch up with old friends. Please stop by and support our local community group while you are shopping the sales.

To the third R: Did you know the average household can compost 500 pounds of waste a year? May 7 is the last day to pre-order your composting items in our annual composter sale. Composting is a simple, practical, and effective way to recycle yard waste and kitchen scraps, and keeps those items from taking up costly space in the landfill..

Bins ($52), turners ($20), and kitchen collectors ($9) need to be ordered by Monday, May 7. Send your name, address, email address, and the phone number where you can likely be reached at 11:30 a.m. on May 13 to info@tnsmonona.org. (If you haven’t picked up your order by then, we’ll call to remind you.) Include the number of compost bins, turners, and kitchen collectors you want. There’s no need to pay until pickup.

On May 13, pay for and pick up your order from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at opposite side of the parking lot from the Monona Farmers’ Market at Ahuska Park (on Broadway, just east of the Pier 37 shopping center at Monona Drive). Cash or checks only. Checks should be made out to The Natural Step Monona.

If you won’t be able to pick up your compost bin on May 13, please make arrangements for a friend or neighbor to pick it up for you. Any composters not picked up will be made available for sale to others.

Homeowners have purchased 177 composters through The Natural Step Monona’s previous sales, keeping nearly 128 tons of organic matter from our landfill to date! (More here.)

Last week, members and friends of The Natural Step Monona (TNS Monona) celebrated our fifth anniversary with a potluck and party. Each year, I write a new poem to share, and, after reciting this one to the crowd, member Penny DePaola suggested it should be our next column. I hope you’ll celebrate our milestone.

At the north end of town where the dandelions grow
And the bicycles pass along Dean to and fro
There’s a white Cape Cod that some of you know
Is the home of TNS Monona.

Jess and I work there with many volunteers
Keeping up with you and churning the gears
It’s hard to believe that it’s been five years
Since the start of TNS Monona

It started with people and that’s where it’s stayed
Idealists and doers on a crusade
To make the world’s systems more “homemade”
From a study circle came TNS Monona

Earth Machines, and the Sustainability Section
Voters’ guides for the spring elections
We’ve never lacked a sense of direction
It’s the green way for TNS Monona

Who’s idea was Green Tuesdays, I do not know
From a group meeting the idea flowed
Over time it grew to have “get up and go”
Spreading way beyond Monona

First whining and poking and prodding the city
Then helping to form the sustainability committee
Energy Independence got to the nitty gritty
Of changing the city of Monona

Rain barrels began our water action
The Capstone survey started a chain reaction
for the Year of Water and much more traction
On the water conservation challenge in Monona

These things and more have helped shape our city
Helped people save money, put more in the kitty
Kept more pollution from making us gritty
Our work benefits all of Monona

For future generations to have what they ought
We must change the system: a Gordian knot
But lest you be sad, lest you be distraught
We can make our way in Monona

There’s much more we’ve done and more yet to do
The need is great for a changed world view
A paradigm shift from the tried and untrue
We’re trying hard at TNS Monona

We’ve made great strides thanks in large part to you
Your support and your work are the TNS glue
No advances are made without a good crew
You are TNS Monona

Building community is no small task
Asking people to meet and take off their masks
But you have done it, in that we can bask
Community is TNS Monona

I’ll ask you tonight to build community more
Find someone here you haven’t met before
Introduce yourself and start a rapport
Widen the arms of TNS Monona

Before you leave, get up on your feet
Walk around ’til a new face you meet
Offer a handshake, a hug, or a seat
And welcome someone to Monona

When you go home tonight, feeling warmhearted
Proud of taking on the course that we’ve charted
Know that these five years – we’ve just gotten started
Toward a more sustainable future in Monona

Thank you, TNS Monona!

Suzanne Wade (right) receives the 2012 Sustainability Champion award from TNS Monona Executive Director Heather Gates

The Natural Step Monona board chose Wade for her many contributions to Monona, including helping city staff complete Monona’s application to the Wisconsin Water Star program,  for which the city received a Bronze designation. She is a co-founder of the Monona Farmers’ Market, and has been an important member of the city’s Sustainability Committee. Suzanne and her husband, Larry, have also opened their home as a host site for the Green Monona Tour for three years, showing the public how to waste less water with low-flush toilets and how their in-line rain barrel pump works.

Heather Gates, Executive Director of The Natural Step Monona, is on the Sustainability Committee with Wade. “Suzanne is a go-getter and doer. She helps make things happen and has been a valuable asset to Monona’s sustainability efforts,” said Gates. “With her help, Monona is now a Bronze Water Star community. I have no doubt that soon we will be a ‘Silver’ community in large part due to her work.”

This is the third Sustainability Champion Award presented by The Natural Step Monona. The annual award salutes the achievements of sustainability champions who help move Monona to a more resilient and sustainable future. Previous winners were City Administrator Patrick Marsh and the Jindrich Family.

Worldwide, approximately one in eight people lacks access to safe water. Nearly four million people die each year from water-related illnesses, including one child every twenty seconds. Women worldwide spend 200 million hours a day collecting water.

From the lakes that define Dane County to rainwater harvested in Africa, all water is part of the water cycle, a dynamic system sustaining all life on earth. March 22 is World Water Day, a global day to remind us that we all share the same water.

First proposed at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, the United Nations General Assembly responded by designating March 22, 1993 as the first World Water Day. Events held annually around the globe focus attention on the importance of freshwater and advocate for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.

In our local community we are working together to protect, preserve and clean up our water. During World Water Week (March 19-25) the Clean Lakes Alliance is partnering with local groups and businesses to raise awareness and financial support for clean water both at home and around the world. Here are ways you can support local and global steps to protect and conserve water.

• Find out about World Water Day 2012. See how the water cycle works and download “How Much Water,” an educational game which challenges players to guess how much water is needed to produce some of the food and drink we consume every day. http://www.unwater.org/worldwaterday/
• Dine Out March 19-25 to support World Water Week. Please join in celebrating World Water Week at participating local restaurants. While dining, you will be invited to donate $1 for the tap water you would normally receive for free. Your contributions will help provide lifesaving water and sanitation to kids around the world through the UNICEF Tap Project, as well as helping the Clean Lakes Alliance protect the water quality of Dane County lakes for future generations. At press time, participating restaurants include 43 North, 8 Seasons Grill, Babe’s Restaurant & Cocktails, Christy’s Landing Restaurant and Bar, Coliseum Bar & Grill, Francesca’s al Lago, Graze, Halverson’s Restaurant, Harvest, L’Etoile, Merchant, Natt Spil, Pedro’s Mexican Restaurante (East and West), Restaurant Muramoto, Rex’s Inn Keeper, Sushi Muramoto – Hilldale, The Blue Marlin, The Edgewater Hotel, The Old Fashioned, The Village Green, Tornado Steak House, Tempest Oyster Bar. To find a complete list, go to www.cleanlakesalliance.com.
• Donate directly to UNICEF’s TAPPED PROJECT. Text “TAP” to UNICEF [864233] to make a secure, tax-deductible, one-time $10 donation. All fund’s support UNICEF’s efforts to bring clean and accessible water to millions of children around the world. With just $1, UNICEF can provide one child access to safe, clean water for 40 days.
• On March 21 see the film “Tapped” in Union South, 4-6pm. “Tapped” examines the role of the bottled water industry and its effects on our health, climate change, pollution, and our reliance on oil. Produced by Atlas Films, this documentary gives an up close look at the escalating harm from bottled water processing.
• Visit Wisconsin’s online celebration of National Groundwater Awareness Week (March 11-17). Find out how the state’s Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection works year-round to protect groundwater from agricultural chemical contamination, including the recent clean-up of the Royster-Clark fertilizer plant on Cottage Grove Road. http://datcp.wi.gov/Environment/Water_Quality/National_Groundwater_Awareness_Week/

The Clean Lakes Alliance (CLA) is a 501(c)(3), not-for-profit organization dedicated to the improvement and protection of the lakes, streams and wetlands in the Yahara Watershed. Through community support, advocacy and education, CLA works to restore and protect the lakes for future generations.

When you consume water, more than your share, others have less, and that ain’t fair.

Green consumerism offers people the opportunity to save the planet by buying more environmentally-friendly things, but this approach is less environmentally-friendly than actually buying fewer things and living more modestly. The argument for green consumerism seems to be that an incremental approach to consumption is “good enough for now,” that if we buy just as much as before, but “buy green,” we will have done our part.

For most of us, the vast array of eco-options on the shelves of our favorite stores is a sign of progress. If the sheer number of environmentally friendly products on the market is any indication, consumers seem pretty eager to do their part for a more sustainable future. Whether the manufacturers are acting out of genuine environmental interest or simply a financial interest in meeting consumer demand is beside the point, right? We’re reducing our carbon footprint, recycling at growing rates, and supporting local farmers.

The problem with green consumerism is that it encourages consumers to go out and buy, buy, buy, and offers “guilt-free” feelings about this unsustainable action. But “green” products still use resources.

Consumerism, and establishing your identity by having to buy the latest “in” thing, is simply bad for the environment. What we buy is manufactured from resources we take from the earth, one way or another. We live on a finite planet and cannot continue to increase what we take and use from it. Even recycled products cause harm. Manufacturing requires energy. Shipping and transportation requires fuel. Green consumerism offers consumers a false sense that they are helping the earth.

Many consumers have embraced real ways of living green, but some have instead embraced green consumerism, which does not provide a solution to the problems we currently face. Critics question the notion that we can avert climate change by buying so-called earth-friendly products, from clothing and cars to homes and vacations, when the cumulative effect of our consumption remains enormous and hazardous.

Paul Hawken, an author and longtime environmental activist, said the current boom in “green” products offers a false promise. “Green consumerism is an oxymoronic phrase,” he said. Hawken blames the media and traditional marketing techniques for turning environmentalism into a mainstream trend that distracts the general population from serious issues. He, and other critics, say the genuine solution is to significantly reduce our consumption of goods and resources. It’s not enough to build a vacation home of recycled lumber; the real way to reduce one’s carbon footprint is to only own one home. “Really going green means having less,” Hawken said.

Bringing consciousness of our effects on nature’s systems into the decision-making of the average consumer is a necessity for all people on earth. It is important that people understand that we cannot buy our way out of the problems we have created. We must make changes to our lifestyles and take new approaches that protect this earth and its natural resources for future generations.

Imagine if all consumers switched to hybrids, non-polluting detergents, non-toxic cleaning supplies, reduced the chemical loads on their lawns and gardens, increased the amount of organic foods they ate, pressured officials to increase the amount of available alternative energy, went solar, reused, recycled, and reduced the amount of stuff they buy. Small actions, when taken by a large group, can yield great change.

We must continue to work together in reducing overall consumption to protect the environment on which modern economies and lives depend. The task presented to consumers is this: first and foremost reduce your consumption, then buy “green,” but only buy as much as you need to live.

Join the Monona Library for a unique opportunity. Susan Troller will be here to read from her book CLUCK: From Jungle Fowl to City Chicks. Following the reading will be a panel discussion of the hottest topic (next to politics) in town, featuring local chicken owners and enthusiasts. Register now!

Cluck has been described as: “A funny, poignant, wry look at the backyard phenomenon of raising chickens for eggs, meat or just plain pets. Additional stories by Jane Hamilton, Michael Perry, and Ben Logan. Stunning artwork by S.V. Medaris. For animal lovers, pet owners, and art enthusiasts.

Readings from CLUCK… “Why Chickens?” and “Tastes Like Chicken” (with powerpoint) followed by panelists’ chicken stories. Q & A from audience —  Book signing, door prize drawing and chicken book checkout.

Sudsy bath water. Sparkling clean dishes. Soft, fluffy hair after a wash. This is why we carry all those bags of salt downstairs and dump them in that big barrel. But is it good to put all that salt down the drain?

In this, the third in a series of monthly articles supporting the Year of Water in Monona , we take a look at our water softeners and how to make them work best for us and the environment.

Why is it that we say our water is “hard” when it’s actually a liquid? Rainwater is “soft,” meaning it does not contain any minerals. But as rainwater flows down through the soil, it can dissolve substantial amounts of calcium and magnesium, which turns it into hard water. Hard water makes soap and detergents considerably less efficient, so you see less suds when washing up and need twice as much detergent to do laundry. Hard water minerals also form scale inside pipes and water heaters, forcing us to replace them.

Where does this hardness come from? We pump our drinking water up from a sandstone-dolomite aquifer hundreds of feet below the earth’s surface. The dolomite is mainly calcium-magnesium carbonate, which dissolves in the water and makes it hard.

If you were to evaporate one gallon of water that had a hardness of 5 grains per gallon, the remaining minerals would be the same size as one 5-grain aspirin tablet. Water that is 10 grains per gallon or more is considered hard, and water in our area has a hardness of at least 20 grains per gallon, and so we must treat it to soften it up.

A water softener typically has two tanks. We load the short, wide brine tank with bags of salt, which is the same sodium chloride as in your salt shaker. The tall, thin mineral tank contains resin in the form of small beads and is filled with salt water drawn from the brine tank. As hard water flows through the mineral tank, the magnesium and calcium minerals are replaced with sodium in an ion exchange process. These sodium ions do not interfere with detergents and soaps, and do not build up inside pipes, thereby making the water “soft.”

Eventually, the resin becomes saturated with magnesium and calcium and must be flushed out with the strong salt solution from the brine tank. During this “regeneration cycle,” the minerals and brine go into the sewer system. Water softeners handle this one of two ways. The first type of water softener has a timer which should be set to provide the softened water your household needs. The second type tracks the actual amount of water used or utilizes a hardness sensor to tell the softener when to regenerate. This second type is much more efficient, costs less to operate, and sends much less salt to the sewage treatment plant.

About one hundred tons of salt pass through Madison’s Nine Springs Sewage Plant each day, eventually flowing into the Sugar River. This is equal to the amount of road salt loaded into 20 five-ton salt trucks. Therein lies the real problem: salt yields high concentrations of chloride, which is harmful to aquatic plants and animals, and is prohibitively expensive to remove from water.

Large households can use up to 100 pounds of salt a month in their water softeners. But you can help reduce the damage from chloride.

• Check your softener settings. Reset the hardness down to 22 grains, or change the timer to regenerate less often.

• You can experiment to find the right cycle time to soften the water you use (check suds levels, or use test strips, available through softener companies).

• Purchase a softener that regenerates using a meter or sensor. Your water and salt savings will pay for it in a few years, and you will know that you are helping protect your water resources.

• You can soften only the water going through your water heater. Most people prefer the taste of hard water, but many need to limit their sodium intake for health reasons.

Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District’s water quality experts can help you with your questions on chloride in the environment and how to make sure your water softener is running efficiently. Call MMSD at 222-1201; for environmental questions use extension 201, and for water softener information use extension 362. Visit http://madsewer.org/index.htm

Congratulations to Carol Swenson, January’s Water Conservation Challenge monthly prize winner! Carol won: a gift certificate for Pilates or Body Work at 4Pillars4Health, a canoe or kayak rental from Rutabaga Paddlesports, a gift membership in The Natural Step Monona, and a gift card for Crema Cafe!

Big Water News! The City of Monona has successfully qualified as a Bronze Water Star Wisconsin Community!

If you have a son or daughter, please don’t waste their future water.

The Natural Step Monona compiled this Voter Guide. The Natural Step Monona is a non-partisan, non-profit organization. It is not responsible for the accuracy of any statements made by the candidates. Candidates’ responses are printed in the order received.

Responses from Candidates for Alderman

1. What is your vision for how the city can help revitalize the Monona Drive corridor, our main thoroughfare? Please address both public transportation and pedestrian concerns.

Brian Holmquist: With Phase 1 complete, Phase 2 set to begin this year, and Phase 3 scheduled to begin in 2013, most of the infrastructure planning is complete. Although much of the focus has been on business development, it’s critical we also encourage multi-family housing along this corridor. As one of our two major thoroughfares, we must find ways to use Monona Drive to “connect” ourselves with the greater metropolitan public transit services while providing safe access for pedestrians and bicycles to make our community more walkable and attractive to young families.

Mary O’Connor: The reconstruction project is a good start towards revitalizing the corridor. We should consider improving city transit service within Monona, perhaps with a route that travels along Monona Drive, stopping at Pier 57 and South Towne. Access to Madison Metro routes along the Drive needs to be improved.

Pedestrian safety has been strengthened by decreasing the number of driveways exiting onto Monona Drive. More effective signage at cross walks and making the crosswalks more obvious will help to improve safety for people crossing the Drive. Additional benches in public areas along the Drive make the area more attractive to pedestrians.

Kathy Thomas: My vision for Monona Drive is for it not to be a street with vacant buildings, but instead a thoroughfare lined with retail businesses where we do our shopping.

To do this:

We need to finish the road reconstruction and build an attractive streetscape that is biker and pedestrian friendly.

The City needs to maintain the façade grant program to help businesses.

The CDA needs to continue acquiring properties to assemble a parcel that is attractive to a developer.

The Mayor, and the CDA need to recruit developers, then provide TIF funding to encourage the development Monona needs and wants.

Jeff Wiswell, Sr.: No response from candidate.

2. In what ways have you participated in sustainable measures, both publicly and privately?

Brian Holmquist: I believe it is important to use the framework of sustainability when making decisions as a individual and as a community. A few ways I have participated in sustainable efforts and living include: helping build the Winnequah School Garden, supporting local farmers’ markets, continuing to upgrade the energy efficiency of our home, keeping a large garden and edible landscapes, preserving our own fruits and vegetables, practicing water-conservation and reduction of run-off, making homemade cleaning supplies, and composting.

Mary O’Connor: As a Library Board member I have approved a number of steps improving energy efficiency at the library. As a result, utility bills have shown a marked decrease. The library also has a rain garden and makes use of a rain barrel for watering landscape plants.

My family composts, uses energy efficient light bulbs, installed an energy efficient furnace and windows, and has added insulation where needed. We also do fewer, larger loads of laundry, use a trash compactor and recycle a lot. My husband takes the bus to work and primary car is a Honda Civic with manual transmission.

Kathy Thomas: “Use it up, wear it out, do without.” A mantra that I learned from my mother-in-law. There is no runoff from our roof, it is piped underground, and our house is pointed so it get maximum winter sun and minimum summer sun. We have no garbage disposal, we compost. We buy energy efficient appliances, have led lightbulbs, don’t use chemicals on our lawn, water most of our lawn with that we pump out of the lake, turn our furnace down and we repurpose items.

Jeff Wiswell, Sr.: No response from candidate.

3. With shoreline protection and restoration crucial for lake health, how would you address the tension between the public interest in stewardship of Monona’s shoreline and the personal property rights of shoreline homeowners?

Brian Holmquist: I believe in individual property rights and freedoms as long as they are not producing a negative impact on the community’s shared resources, and the rights and freedoms of others. Although individual actions have an impact on our watershed, we need coordination from all stakeholders to make significant improvements. Two critical issues are runoff and shoreline erosion. By utilizing relevant research and data we can work cooperatively with regulatory bodies and property owners to reduce harmful runoff and prevent erosion.

Mary O’Connor: The condition of the Monona shoreline impacts not only shoreline homeowners, but everyone who uses the lake. Improved communication and education can address the tension between the city and shoreline homeowners. The city can educate homeowners about practices that can damage or improve the shoreline and make sure ordinances are understood. It can sponsor demonstration projects so residents can see examples of good practice like rain barrels, rain gardens and porous driveways firsthand. Each has to understand the priorities and needs of the other and be willing to work towards compromises that hopefully will satisfy both interests.

Kathy Thomas: Being a lake owner, I can assure you that people who live on the lake are also concerned about the quality of the lake and maintaining the shoreline. It isn’t and shouldn’t be about lake owners, it is about all of us. Go to Lake Edge Park and take a look at the shoreline along Monona Drive. Nearly 95% of that sludge and debris comes from Madison, particularly uphill from that area.

Jeff Wiswell, Sr.: No response from candidate.

___________________________________________

Candidates were limited to 100 words per response.

Instructions for voting in Monona are available at the City of Monona Elections page: www.mymonona.com/pages/city_government/elections/.

DONATE TO SUPPORT THIS PUBLIC SERVICE.

To make a tax-deductible donation to support this effort, you can use the Network for Good donation link, or send a check to:

The Natural Step Monona
207 W. Dean Ave.
Monona, WI 53716.

Please note your donation is for the Voter Guide.