Protect Our Sound

By Mary Eidmann

Puget Sound is home to an amazing amount of wildlife, including the resident orca whales. The region has been buzzing about the iconic orcas since summer 2018, when a female orca carried her dead calf for an unprecedented 17 days of mourning. So what is Puget Sound? It’s the large body of water that runs from Olympia all the way to Whidbey Island. 

It’s an unfortunate truth that our everyday actions trickle their way to the Sound, contributing to the pollution and deterioration of the wildlife that call it home, including the orcas. Did you know that every bit of water from your driveway, yard, sidewalk, and street eventually makes its way to Puget Sound?

The good news is that there are a few distinct, easy lifestyle changes that will make a dramatic difference to the health of Puget Sound. Here they are in order of importance:

• Fix oil and other vehicle leaks ASAP. Every year 7 million gallons of oil flow into Puget Sound. It only takes one drop of oil to pollute an entire lake. 
  • Check out the Don’t Drip and Drive campaign at www.fixcarleaks.org (available in English and Spanish) for more information and local shop discounts. 
  • The Puget Sound Skills Center offers free labor as part of their auto program. 
• Stop using pesticides and non-organic fertilizers. Not only are these harmful chemicals, detrimental to the environment, they are actually a hazard for your pets, kids, and anyone else spending time in your yard. 
  • Organic compost is an excellent fertilizer, and sold at most hardware and garden stores. Check out www.naturalyardcare.org for more environmentally friendly gardening hacks. 
• Always scoop, bag, and trash your dog’s poop. Seattle is consistently rated as the #1 dog friendly city in America. Let’s protect that rating by keeping our sidewalks, parks, and waterways clean.

For more information on how to protect Puget Sound, please visit www.PugetSoundStartsHere.org.