Small step toward greener future

To the editor,
I am a long-time (eight-plus years) Durango resident, home owner, local business owner and mother of two young children. This is my first letter to the editor. I am writing on behalf of the Bag It Campaign. It is an important issue; the repercussions of which I believe will affect us for generations to come.

Durango is a community that actively takes its stewardship of the environment and future generations seriously. We strive to elect city councilors who work hard to uphold the City’s vision statement: “Durango is an authentic and diverse community living in harmony with its natural environment, pursuing economic, environmental and social sustainability.” The ordinance is a small fee on disposable bags at just three locations in the city. It is easily avoidable by bringing reusable bags. This is a small step toward creating a greener, cleaner, more sustainable environment. I urge all readers to support the City of Durango’s Disposable Bag Ordinance. Mail in or drop off your ballot by Nov. 5.

– Nancy L. Robinson, Durango

 

A legacy of service, compassion

Dear editor,
The American Red Cross has served the people of Colorado for nearly 100 years. We have been a vital part of the community in times of both quiet and turmoil. Our tradition of service has been driven by outstanding volunteers and employees who have always put the needs of the community first.

I have been privileged to work with many of those disaster responders and have seen firsthand their compassion and dedication. While the faces change over the years, the service provided by your American Red Cross has remained solid and secure.

One face that has been part of Southwest Colorado for many years will be leaving your community to start a new chapter in her life in Wyoming. Cindi Shank has been the face of the Red Cross in Southwest Colorado since 2007. She first served as the Chapter Disaster4 Coordinator and then, in 2008, became the executive director for the Southwest Colorado Chapter. Cindi has rallied volunteers in support of the community and rallied the community in support of the Red Cross. She will leave behind a legacy of service and compassion.

As the chief executive officer of the American Red Cross of Colorado, I want to personally thank Cindi for all that she has done for the Southwest Colorado Chapter and for the people of Southwest Colorado. Rest assured that even though Southwest Colorado will lose this important community member, you will not be losing the service of the Red Cross. The search for a replacement has already begun and, while it may take some time to find the right person for this important position, I want you to know that your Southwest Colorado Chapter will continue to provide the high level of service you have come to expect. A strong Board of Directors and well-trained volunteers will continue to be here to provide effective disaster response, preparedness education and lifesaving training.

Thank you, Cindi, for all the things you have done for the Red Cross and for Southwest Colorado. We wish you the best in all your new adventures.

– Gino Greco, CEO, American Red Cross Colorado & Wyoming Region

 

The bag fee is good for Durango

To the editor,
Vote for the Disposable Checkout Bag Ordinance on the November ballot. Reduce waste to the landfill. Reduce trash on the Animas River Trail and in the sewer system. Reduce litter in our alleys, gardens, trees, river and on fences.

La Plata County has already closed one landfill. More than 7 million bags leave Durango grocery stores every year. Five million checkout bags are in the landfill because they were not recycled. Vote for the Checkout Bag Ordinance to reduce waste in the landfill.

Durango has plastic bags on the Animas River Trail. The cost to clean up the trail is paid by every resident. Plastic bags are jamming the sewer system requiring two employees to work for three hours to clear the stoppage, according to the Director of Utilities in a City Council report. The cost is paid by every resident. The litter on the side of the road, blowing down alleys, in gardens, hanging from trees and fences, and plugging culverts is unacceptable for our community. We can do better. Durango pays for the environmental impact from plastic bags.

The City of Durango will use half of the 10-cent fee to provide reusable bags for residents and visitors. Senior housing, low-income housing, the community shelter, the Family Center and the Welcome Center can all benefit from reusable bags. A hardship variance is included to exempt residents receiving federal or state aid. Furthermore, the bag fee cannot be used by the General Fund. The grocery stores will keep five cents for their administration of the ordinance.

Vote for the Checkout Bag Ordinance and join millions of people in Massachusetts, Hawaii, Iowa, Oregon, Washington, California, Texas, Wisconsin, Maryland, Connecticut, Alaska, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, the District of Columbia, Arizona, as well as Sante Fe, Breckenridge, Boulder, Carbondale, Aspen and Telluride in standing up for your community – your Durango.

– Sweetie Marbury, Durango City Council

 

Martin has experience and talent

To the editor,
This letter is in support of Kim Martin running for the Durango School Board. I had the pleasure of getting to know Kim in her two years of living in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. As Americans living overseas, we were both part of the American Women’s Network (AWN), an organization dedicated to supporting those far from their homeland. In my capacity as Co-President of AWN, I was immediately impressed by Kim’s insightful observations and helpful suggestions for our initiatives and quickly asked her to serve on our board.

Kim’s many contributions to AWN include:

- Creating our Foreign Policy Discussion Forum – Kim initiated and led this group, using the Great Decisions materials offered by the Foreign Policy Association.

- Coordinating our Speaker Series – Kim brought this monthly evening lecture program to a new level of excellence. She organized and promoted these events, which gained increased respect in the expatriate and diplomatic community during her tenure.

- Initiating bylaws and guidelines for our organization – Kim served on the inaugural team that took the early principles of AWN and crafted the first set of documentation that established the foundation for future board work and membership management.

- Promoting our group within the community – Kim was notable in her outreach to women of all nationalities, particularly in the challenging area of arranging cross-cultural interchanges. During her time on the board, Kim was instrumental in doubling the membership of AWN from 500 to over 1,000 women. 

- Securing the future of our organization – Kim assured the ongoing success of her AWN initiatives with a smooth transition to the people who took on her multiple roles.

Kim Martin used her two years in Abu Dhabi to make valuable contributions to our community. Your voters now have the fortunate chance to put Kim’s experience and talents to work for the betterment of the next generation in Durango.

– Sincerely, Carole Finck, Co-President of the American Women’s Network of Abu Dhabi, UAE

Price of plastic is paid forever
To the editor,
My mother lived where Katrina hit in 2005. Not long afterwards, I saw mattresses, etc., and a gajillion plastic bags in the tall trees all along the Gulf Coast. Most of the bags are still there! Why? Because they never go away (completely)! People in La Plata County throw away thousands of bags every day because they can never reuse them all!

I saw a lady at the store using 10 plastic bags for her groceries! That is just one person doing this every week, equaling 520 bags per year just for herself from the grocery store. How many bags can she really reuse and dispose of “properly” into the trash?
I have seen landfills in large cities with who knows how many plastic bags of all sizes, from stores where purchases were made. The bags don’t die (breakdown) there, they go flying into the air there, to land in water ways, then out to the ocean, where they go on to kill marine animals. Remember: plastic bags never break down completely!

My son lives in Santa Cruz and my daughter in Annapolis. They can recycle almost everything they get from stores! We have single-stream recycling in Durango, thanks to Council Member Sweetie Marbury.

Now it’s time to take the next step, which is to stop every store from putting items purchased into plastic bags! I take my reusable bags to all stores. People all over the world use reusable bags! The U.S. is one of the last countries to get on board!

We must follow guidelines that will make our country great. Starting with an ordinance on plastic bags for the three largest grocery stores in Durango, with a 10-cent charge on plastic and paper bags, is a strong step toward being thoughtful caretakers of Mother Earth.

Thank you to everyone in La Plata County working to try to do the right thing for our community and environment. Durango is a community that cares for our neighbors, our children, the environment, and our shared future. More info at: DurangoBagIt.org.
– Cherry Miloe, Bayfield

Another feel-good law for the guilty liberals
Dear Ed,
In as much as the election to repeal the plastic/paper bag ban started last Tuesday, hopefully this letter will inform some of the city of Durango’s low-information voters to consider doing the right thing and vote to repeal this onerous law.

First off, do the math. If the pro baggers really believe that each local consumer gets 430 bags a year, that means that 240,000 people shopped at the two City Markets, Albertson’s and Walmart in the course of a year! Sales tax receipts don’t support that assumption.

This is nothing more than a meaningless, feel-good law pushed by guilt-ridden liberals. Quite frankly, I see a lot more empty plastic water bottles on the side of the road than paper or plastic bags when I’m walking. The pro baggers point to 150 cities that have enacted a ban. However, they fail to point out that those bans are not selective and include a host of retailers, not just big box stores.

– Dennis Pierce, Durango

Temper Ladies
I am a well tempered woman.
I am steel.
Why do men temper steel?
Do they give it the ability to bend without breaking?
OH NO! NO! NO! Ladies
Men temper steel to give it the quality of breaking before it bends.
If any man attempts to bend you over with intent to break you later
HE IS WRONG
Only through growing beyond all tribulations do we become
A silver spring.
This abilifies each of us to bound cascading with joyous, everlasting synergy out of harm’s way.
VERITY


– Lynn Koening, Durango



 

 

In this week's issue...

January 25, 2024
Bagging it

State plastic bag ban is in full effect, but enforcement varies

January 26, 2024
Paper chase

The Sneer is back – and no we’re not talking about Billy Idol’s comeback tour.

January 11, 2024
High and dry

New state climate report projects continued warming, declining streamflows