09/05/2009: "Time For County Wide Ban"

by Carrie Lacher

The Town Council recently stepped forward and voted 5-0 to approve a ban on Styrofoam take-out containers. As a member of the Council, I am very proud of our new ordinance. Now it’s the County’s turn.

On September 1st, the County Council voted 5-1 to move forward on passing a similar ban throughout the county by scheduling a public hearing. It is clear that our whole community is ready to stop talking about how Styrofoam pollutes our environment and actually DO something about

When the hearing is scheduled, I hope that many of you will attend to show your support!

To be frank, when the proposed ban was first presented to Town Council, I was not in favor of it. I always prefer education and voluntary efforts over punitive actions. Why do we need an ordinance when we already have many Town merchants who have voluntarily replaced their old take-out containers with ones that are environmentally friendly? And how will we enforce such an ordinance?

But after getting more information, talking with friends and colleagues, and giving it a lot of thought, I came to the conclusion that we've passed the time for warm and fuzzy gestures. Our fragile marine environment, which supports many of our businesses and gives so many of us so much joy, needs our help NOW. We are called to be good, responsible stewards of our environment. We are equally called to find a workable balance. I believe this ordinance does just that. It emphasizes the need to take action now to ensure a viable future for the children of this community.

Many businesses and individuals in our Town have already stepped up and made important changes. But others need a bigger nudge. This kind of ordinance has shown itself in other municipalities to be community enforceable -- in other words it takes a village to raise a Town and we'll all be watching out for each other.

Now it's the County's turn. The County Council has a copy of the Town's adopted ordinance. Its language is clear and simple. I expect the County and Town to work together on this to make sure we have consistency across our borders. This is a wonderful opportunity for our Town and County to jointly demonstrate our community’s interest in “doing the right thing” to help protect our environment.

(Carrie Lacher is a Town of Friday Harbor Council Member and the Chair of the County SWAC (Solid Waste Advisory Committee. She is currently running for Town Mayor)