| vote for deb |
What Deb Stands for:
I have tried to organize my thoughts about the issues
that I care most about along the lines of the
Sustainability Element of the Boulder County
Comprehensive Plan, adopted in May, 2007.
Sustainability means “the use, development and
protection of all our resources in a manner that does
not deplete them while enabling the residents of
Boulder County to meet their current needs and
maintain a fulfilling quality of life without compromising or foregoing the ability of and opportunity
for future residents to do the same.” I completely embrace this definition, and it’s the principal
that should guide the work of the Board of Commissioners.
Keep in mind that none of these issues exists in isolation. Regardless of how they are
categorized, each affects all three areas - the environment, society, and the economy - and if a
decision doesn’t affect all three areas positively, it’s not sustainable.
This page will evolve both as I learn more, and as you all share your points of view with me. I’d
like the page to be a dialogue as well as a statement, so don’t hesitate to contact me.
• Environment:
To judge by the number of newspaper articles and letters to the editor, one of the issues of most
concern to Boulder County residents is the use of Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) seeds
on Boulder County Open Space land. For those of you who are interested, I think the following
article in the Daily Camera has some good background information about the process here.
There is also a lot of good information on the County’s website here.
I think it is important to say right up front that I am a student and not an expert. I am currently
reading material, going to meetings, and developing my opinion as I take in new (to me)
information. But at this point, I am deeply concerned about the planting of GMO crops on our
open space land. I offer the following historical perspective:
The Swiss chemist, Paul Hermann Müller, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or
Medicine in 1948 for his discovery of the high efficiency of DDT as a contact poison against a
variety of insects. At the time, no one could imagine what the unintended consequences would
be. But in 1962, Rachel Carson published Silent Spring which catalogued the environmental
impacts of the indiscriminate spraying of DDT in the US. Its publication was one of the signature
events leading to the birth of the environmental movement, and resulted in a large public outcry
that eventually led to DDT being banned in the US in 1972. I graduated from college with a
degree in biology in 1971, so, as you can imagine, my training leads me to worry about
unintended consequences of certain new technologies.
If I had to vote today, I would oppose the growing of any additional GMO crops on our Open Space
land, i.e. sugar beets, alfalfa, and others. Also, I would work with the farmers currently growing
GMO corn to develop a transition plan to move to other crops as quickly as possible. I have other
concerns with the draft Cropland Policy regarding the use of synthetic chemicals and will
address those soon.
However, as I said, no issue exists in isolation. Farmers need to make a living. I think more can
be done to improve the economic viability of farming in Boulder County, not just for the farmers in
transition, but for all our farmers. I’m working on ideas to accomplish that, and would welcome
suggestions from all of you.
• Transportation:
I support FasTracks, but even if we pass an increase in the RTD tax next year, it will be 2018
before the Northwest Rail Corridor reaches Longmont. I don’t think we can wait until then to
address the congestion on the Diagonal Highway. I have been attending meetings of the US 36
Commuting Solutions group for the past 18 months. This coalition of businesses, cities,
counties, CDOT, RTD, and the Federal Government has been very successful in finding
collaborative solutions that have attracted funds from a variety of sources. This type of
public/private partnership serves as a model for solving not just our transportation issues, but
others that affect our county.
• Recycling:
I worked for Eco-cycle for three years in its accounting office. The Boulder County Recycling
Center prepares recyclable materials for shipment to recycling mills. Adopting a pay-as-you
throw policy increased the quantity of recycled material, as did the move to single stream
recycling.
I am dedicated to continuing the County’s commitment to recycling, composting, and developing
new and improved ways of keeping material out of our landfills. One way might be to develop a
composting facility in Boulder County that would increase our capacity to process compostable
material locally rather than trucking it to Weld County. Local farms could use the additional
compost. A real win win!
Another improvement would be in the way we currently handle recyclable material. Right now, it’s
bailed and sold to other companies, many of them out of state. I did some research on this last
year for a bill I was considering. What happens to our plastic milk jugs is a good example. After
they are sold, but before they can be used to make a recycled plastic product, they must go
through a second process, which usually takes place in a different state. Then the recycled raw
material is shipped back to Colorado to be used in the production of new products. A secondary
processing plant within the county would provide an increase in jobs, a reduction in the cost of
recycled material due to reduced transportation costs, reduced carbon emissions, and an
increase in demand for people to recycle more material. Again, a real win win!
As I've said, this page is definitely a “work in progress.” I'm developing ideas about how to
improve the economy in Boulder County, as well as how best to address the needs of those most
unfortunate among us. Please revisit this page soon, and if you have a specific concern that is
not being dealt with here, please contact me.
I have tried to organize my thoughts about the issues
that I care most about along the lines of the
Sustainability Element of the Boulder County
Comprehensive Plan, adopted in May, 2007.
Sustainability means “the use, development and
protection of all our resources in a manner that does
not deplete them while enabling the residents of
Boulder County to meet their current needs and
maintain a fulfilling quality of life without compromising or foregoing the ability of and opportunity
for future residents to do the same.” I completely embrace this definition, and it’s the principal
that should guide the work of the Board of Commissioners.
Keep in mind that none of these issues exists in isolation. Regardless of how they are
categorized, each affects all three areas - the environment, society, and the economy - and if a
decision doesn’t affect all three areas positively, it’s not sustainable.
This page will evolve both as I learn more, and as you all share your points of view with me. I’d
like the page to be a dialogue as well as a statement, so don’t hesitate to contact me.
• Environment:
To judge by the number of newspaper articles and letters to the editor, one of the issues of most
concern to Boulder County residents is the use of Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) seeds
on Boulder County Open Space land. For those of you who are interested, I think the following
article in the Daily Camera has some good background information about the process here.
There is also a lot of good information on the County’s website here.
I think it is important to say right up front that I am a student and not an expert. I am currently
reading material, going to meetings, and developing my opinion as I take in new (to me)
information. But at this point, I am deeply concerned about the planting of GMO crops on our
open space land. I offer the following historical perspective:
The Swiss chemist, Paul Hermann Müller, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or
Medicine in 1948 for his discovery of the high efficiency of DDT as a contact poison against a
variety of insects. At the time, no one could imagine what the unintended consequences would
be. But in 1962, Rachel Carson published Silent Spring which catalogued the environmental
impacts of the indiscriminate spraying of DDT in the US. Its publication was one of the signature
events leading to the birth of the environmental movement, and resulted in a large public outcry
that eventually led to DDT being banned in the US in 1972. I graduated from college with a
degree in biology in 1971, so, as you can imagine, my training leads me to worry about
unintended consequences of certain new technologies.
If I had to vote today, I would oppose the growing of any additional GMO crops on our Open Space
land, i.e. sugar beets, alfalfa, and others. Also, I would work with the farmers currently growing
GMO corn to develop a transition plan to move to other crops as quickly as possible. I have other
concerns with the draft Cropland Policy regarding the use of synthetic chemicals and will
address those soon.
However, as I said, no issue exists in isolation. Farmers need to make a living. I think more can
be done to improve the economic viability of farming in Boulder County, not just for the farmers in
transition, but for all our farmers. I’m working on ideas to accomplish that, and would welcome
suggestions from all of you.
• Transportation:
I support FasTracks, but even if we pass an increase in the RTD tax next year, it will be 2018
before the Northwest Rail Corridor reaches Longmont. I don’t think we can wait until then to
address the congestion on the Diagonal Highway. I have been attending meetings of the US 36
Commuting Solutions group for the past 18 months. This coalition of businesses, cities,
counties, CDOT, RTD, and the Federal Government has been very successful in finding
collaborative solutions that have attracted funds from a variety of sources. This type of
public/private partnership serves as a model for solving not just our transportation issues, but
others that affect our county.
• Recycling:
I worked for Eco-cycle for three years in its accounting office. The Boulder County Recycling
Center prepares recyclable materials for shipment to recycling mills. Adopting a pay-as-you
throw policy increased the quantity of recycled material, as did the move to single stream
recycling.
I am dedicated to continuing the County’s commitment to recycling, composting, and developing
new and improved ways of keeping material out of our landfills. One way might be to develop a
composting facility in Boulder County that would increase our capacity to process compostable
material locally rather than trucking it to Weld County. Local farms could use the additional
compost. A real win win!
Another improvement would be in the way we currently handle recyclable material. Right now, it’s
bailed and sold to other companies, many of them out of state. I did some research on this last
year for a bill I was considering. What happens to our plastic milk jugs is a good example. After
they are sold, but before they can be used to make a recycled plastic product, they must go
through a second process, which usually takes place in a different state. Then the recycled raw
material is shipped back to Colorado to be used in the production of new products. A secondary
processing plant within the county would provide an increase in jobs, a reduction in the cost of
recycled material due to reduced transportation costs, reduced carbon emissions, and an
increase in demand for people to recycle more material. Again, a real win win!
As I've said, this page is definitely a “work in progress.” I'm developing ideas about how to
improve the economy in Boulder County, as well as how best to address the needs of those most
unfortunate among us. Please revisit this page soon, and if you have a specific concern that is
not being dealt with here, please contact me.
