Mindy Roberts
Environmental Threats
Most people think of industrial pollution or a specific “villain” when they think of pollution and other threats to the Salish Sea. However, the biggest threats facing the Salish Sea come from people’s everyday activities – where we live, how we travel, what products we use. These damage habitat for aquatic life, contribute pollution, and impact human communities that need clean water and healthy habitat. One significant challenge for people is that we can’t see the impacts our own activities are having. Few people see the billowing pollution coming out of stormwater outfalls under the water in Puget Sound, but that’s the top source of toxic pollution to the Salish Sea today. Infrastructure that serves human needs – like roads to get around on and wastewater treatment plants that treat our sewage – has impacts that scientists are identifying. Another major threat is simply inaction or doing things “the way we’ve always done them.” Now more than ever, we need to fundamentally rethink how we meet our human needs in a way that values future generations.
Cultural Issues
Everyone deserves clean water, healthy habitat, and vibrant communities – now and into the future. Only a few generations of human activities have damaged the fabric that defines who we are as people and as communities throughout the Salish Sea. Too often, those impacts fall on some communities far more than others, leading to disproportionate impacts that must be remedied. We need solutions for Salish Sea recovery that are founded in equitable communities. We will not succeed by leaving some communities behind. Culturally, our region prides ourselves on innovation, and that same culture of innovation could serve us very well as long as we see the need to serve all communities.
Stewardship
Knowledge without action serves no one. In fact, this question prompted our involvement in publishing and launching the book and campaign called We Are Puget Sound – Discovering & Recovering the Salish Sea. Our goal is to connect more people to each other, and to this remarkable place we call home. The campaign outlines actions that people can take to do their parts to protect and recover the health of the Salish Sea, its people, and its wildlife. The campaign was developed consulting with 20 different influencers in our region. Actions range from voting in local, state, and federal elections to reducing your own impacts through personal behavior change. However, one that deserves highlighting, especially now in the time of COVID-19, is experiencing your own corner of Puget Sound and sharing it with others. That could mean exploring a natural area in your own neighborhood and sharing what you find – we’re seeing these neighborhood “discoveries” sparking joy at a time when we now understand the power of connecting with the natural world, whether that means a local park, your school, photography, or digging your dinner from the shores of the Salish Sea.