Is this trashy ad in Seattle full of hot air?: Today So Far

• The ads on garbage trucks around Seattle may not be entirely accurate.
• This is who should get a statue in Seattle, according to TSF readers.
• Bye bye Pearl Jam exhibit at MoPop.

This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for April 14, 2023.

You may have seen garbage trucks driving around Seattle, boasting that they are "powered by renewable natural gas." Apparently, that's a bunch of hot air.

KUOW's John Ryan reports this morning that the city of Seattle is asking Waste Management to take down the feel-good advertising on its garbage trucks because it's misleading.

In short, the city's contract with Waste Management states that the trucks should use "100% Renewable Natural Gas, as certified under the U.S. EPA renewable fuel program." What has been happening is that Waste Management has been collecting methane seeping from landfills in Illinois, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas. It uses that gas to fuel trucks in those cities, not Seattle. But it claims credit for that renewable gas in Seattle, while using fossil fuel natural gas locally.

Waste Management argues that, “This is how renewable energy works. It’s a ‘book and claim’ offset system similar to how renewable energy credits work for wind and solar.”

Still, continuing to use the fossil fuel variety of natural gas and advertising, "Breathe Clean, Seattle: Powered by renewable natural gas" doesn't really represent reality. Read the full story here.

A quick heads up for fans of Seattle, music, history, and Seattle music history — MoPop's Pearl Jam exhibit will close April 23. If you want to see it, now is your chance before it's gone. MoPop has more artifacts in its "Pearl Jam: Home and Away" exhibit than any other museum feature. Read more here.

Who should get a statue in Seattle? That's a question I put forth following Soundside's segment on public art in Seattle. It's been pointed out that there is only one statue in the city of a real, historic female figure. There are plenty of abstract depictions, but nothing that commemorates women from real life. So I asked you which women you would choose to honor with a statue in Seattle. This question really stirred TSF readers, who wrote in with a lot to say.

• There was a lot of love for the Bullitt family. Laurie wrote in to note that Dorothy Stimson Bullitt was the first woman in the country to buy and manage a TV station (KING); Patsy Bullitt Collins' philanthropy benefited the Seattle Public Library, low-income housing projects, environmental causes, and the region's music; Harriett Bullitt earned the title "environmental hero"; Kay Muller Bullitt worked for causes ranging from education, civil rights, historic preservation, environment, and more. Honestly, there's a long list of accomplishments across many family members; too much to list here.
• Gail wrote in to point out Gypsy Rose Lee, a Seattle-born burlesque performer, actress, writer, and playwright. The musical "Gypsy" is based on her memoir. Gail also pointed out the Bullitt family.
• Karin also mentioned the Bullitt Family, and agreed with my recommendation for Princess Angeline, but also said, "Ruby Chow, Patty Murray, Betty MacDonald are the names that pop into my head first ... My great-aunt was a Seattle Public Schools teacher in the '50s and she used to talk about an African American teacher she worked with, Thelma Dewitty."
• Lisa points to Alice Augusta Ball, who was the first woman and first Black student to receive a master's degree from the University of Hawai'i. Before that, Ball graduated from Seattle High School in 1910, and went to the University of Washington where she got bachelor's degrees in pharmaceutical chemistry and pharmacy. While working as a scientist and professor in Hawaii, she invented the Ball method. It was a breakthrough and became the leading treatment for leprosy in its day.
• Morgan also suggested Ruby Chow, and also jazz and blues singer Ernestine Anderson. Anderson had an impressive career that started at Garfield High School. In Seattle, she sang in a jazz band with Quincy Jones and Ray Charles.
• Steph says, "Statues for Mother Damnable and Lou Graham, please! They capture the spunk and humor of the women who helped build our town, one 'seamstress' at a time."
• Donna recommends Pastor Patrinell “Pat” Wright, who led Seattle’s Total Experience Gospel Choir. Wright passed away in 2022.
• Mary suggests Lee Minto, who was the first executive director of Seattle King County Planned Parenthood. Minto helped the effort to establish sex education in schools and to pass Referendum 20 in 1970, the voter-approved referendum that allowed abortion in the state.

Not everybody liked my approach to the issue, or at least did not agree with some of my suggestions, which included Sue Bird, Brandi Carlile, Ann and Nancy Wilson from Heart, Bertha Knight Landes, Dixy Lee Ray, and Kikisoblu aka Princess Angeline.

Tom feels that Seattle should consider a single monument to honor many people who have influenced the region's history and character. He says that names can be added or removed in case of any controversies or their relevance fades over time. Tom was not impressed with some of my ideas, commenting, "I mean Brandi Carlile? Nancy Wilson? Really?"

I also got a mixed reaction from Edith, who found it "sad that when thinking of statues of women who have contributed to Seattle over its many years of history, the first two to come to your mind were two contemporary women in the entertainment business." Those two names were Sue Bird and Brandi Carlile. Hey, in my defense, Carlile already has a local restaurant named after her, and it's pretty good.

Edith also points out that in past generations, it was not proper for women to stand out as much as men. Many contributions have been overshadowed and lost through time. She also favors a monument to honor them all. Edith points to the many female educators in Seattle's history, city council members, and "let's not forget Rosie the Riveter!"

"There have been so many more women who have quietly and with little recognition over the many years of Seattle's history worked to make it the city it is today," Edith wrote.

The Friday Five: News you may have missed this week, and other cool stuff on KUOW.org

• Federal appeals court preserves access to abortion drug but with tighter rules
• State leaders pledged to transform WA's mental health system by 2023. That hasn't happened
• Gratitude and poetic riffs: 5 tanka poems from Joël Tan
• Washington to adopt nation-leading family and medical leave for Uber drivers
• Final steps for Washington state's middle housing bill

AS SEEN ON KUOW

While hiking, Nancy Lust, with Friends of Rocky Top, watches a truck dump waste into a landfill in Yakima County. Lust lives near the landfill and has fought to learn more about what's getting disposed of near her home. Recent samples collected by the state have shown that the groundwater is not polluted. But officials are seeing evidence of airborne chemicals. Air samples from March found harmful gas emissions escaping from a crack in the landfill at unsafe levels. Officials say those fumes are not reaching residential properties, but part of a nearby hiking trail has been closed. (Northwest News Network)

DID YOU KNOW?

Washington state has an official insect — the Green Darner Dragonfly.

It’s named as such because it looks a lot like a darner needle, which is a type of sewing needle. It’s also known as the “mosquito hawk,” despite not being a mosquito or looking anything like a hawk. It is a pretty big bug though, with wings that can be up to 4 inches across. It can fly up to 35 miles per hour. That’s probably why this is one of the most common insects in the USA. This bug can get around and can be found across the state’s grasslands and water bodies.

Back in 1997, Washington’s Legislature voted in favor of making the Green Darner Dragonfly the official state insect. The effort originated with students at Crestwood Elementary School in Kent.

AS SEEN ON KUOW

South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott takes a significant step toward a presidential run

Republican South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott has taken a significant step toward a presidential bid, launching an exploratory committee. Scott, the only Black Republican currently in the U.S. Senate, launched his committee Wednesday, which he noted in a video is the day marking the beginning of the Civil War at Fort Sumter in South Carolina.

SUBSCRIBE TO TODAY SO FAR