Local non-profit Sustainable Ballard celebrated its fourth birthday recently by reviewing several energy and environmental successes of the past state legislative session.

Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, D-Seattle, was the key speaker at the event held at the Sunset Hill Community Club. She applauded the organization for its grassroots efforts in promoting a more sustainable community.

Though Kohl-Welles hasn't served on any environmental committees since the mid-1990s, she said it was still an issue she paid a lot of attention to.

"I'm not an authority on this," she warned the audience, "but I love these issues. I feel passionate about the environment in this state, country and the world and I want to do everything I can."

When Democrats took over the majority in the House last November, it did more than anything else to advance environmental legislation, Kohl-Welles said. It also helped that a coalition of environmental activists, the Priorities for Healthy Washington Coalition, focused on four major proposals that were approved by both the senate and house this year.

Ballard's state Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson, D-Seattle and a member of the House Environment Committee, was a prime sponsor of the Clean Air and Clean Fuels Act. The bill aims to deliver better air quality and reduced petroleum dependence.

Also approved was $100 million to fund 135 projects for the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program, the largest investment in parks and open space in Washington's history, according to the coalition. It will double the amount that is currently invested in the program, said Kohl-Welles.

Through Save Our Sound, a new agency was created, the Puget Sound Partnership, and $180 million will be designated toward septic tank clean-up, storm water runoff and shoreline and habitat restoration. The goal is to build an action agenda to restore the Sound with built in accountability measures by 2020.

Last session, Washington became the first state in the nation to phase in the elimination of toxic flame retardants in consumer products, such as televisions, computers, furniture and carpeting. Many of those products release harmful chemicals similar to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB's), which are already banned.

Announced in February as an executive order, Gov. Christine Gregoire signed into law this past May a bill that sets statewide greenhouse gas emissions reductions goals and strategies. The new law requires Washington to reduce emissions to 1990 levels by 2020, to 25 percent below that by 2035 and 50 percent by 2050.

It also includes creating thousands of new jobs in the clean energy sector by 2020. A climate advisory team will make recommendations for how to reach those goals, said Kohl-Welles.

"None of these bills were easy, this was a big, big deal bill," she said.

Kohl-Welles was disappointed that a bill she sponsored, which aimed "to staunch the tide of junk mail," didn't pass after the Washington Rural Letter Carrier's Association, the U.S. Postal Service and state labor council lobbied against it. She plans to bring it back next session.

Cities spend more than $70 million a year collecting and disposing of junk mail, the senator said, and more than $100 million trees worth of unsolicited mail arrives in mail boxes each year.

Consumers would have been able to join a "do not mail" registry managed by the Attorney General's Office. A violation of the registry would result in a fine of $2,000 per violation.

Currently, consumers can have their name removed from a mailing list by contacting the Direct Marketing Association mail preference services.

But overall, the state is paying more attention to environmental issues and is now lauded as a leader across the country in environmental policy and reducing fossil fuel dependence, Kohl-Welles said.

"The main thing here is that we find ways to get where we want to be and where we need to be...it could be in myriad of ways," she said. "I do know that we need to act."

Those elected

The following community members were elected to the board of Sustainable Ballard at its fourth year celebration:

President: Jenny Heins; Vice President: Ann Scheerer; Treasurer: Julia Field; IT Director: Fulvio Casali; Communications Director: Kathy Pelish; Urban Planning & Building Design Guild: Bridget Smith; Transportation Guild: Craig Benjamin; Food, Health & Medicine Guild: Melissa Larson.

Outgoing board members include, co-founder and president Vic Opperman, Bridget Smith, Erica Jones, Andrea Faste, Ingela Wanerstrand and Kevin Carrabine.

There are still several board positions open to the community. Secretary; Community and Economy Guild; Art, Craft and Design Guild; Home Energy and Conservation Guild; Environment, Water and Waste Guild.

Those interested in learning more about the open positions are invited to contact info@sustainableballard.org.