Editor's Take: June 09, 2008
Credit: Lance McCord/Flickr
Home Sweet Micro-Home
A few "slow news" gems: The challenges faced by the biofuels industry, and new solutions on the horizon. Canada plans a formal apology for the abuses of the native residential school system, even as a new kind of native school takes off in Oregon. And--my favorite--a report on the micro-house,
aka "rightsizing."
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Your editor today is Elisa Murray | View All Today's News
Biofuel Backlash
Seattle Times
06/08/2008
Venture-capital investing in traditional biofuels has plummeted. But investors are looking intently at the potential of so-called second-generation biofuels--made from waste or nonfood products--that are sustainable and could one day replace oil.
Go to article.
Views: Senate Shifts on Warming
Los Angeles Times
06/08/2008
To the surprise of no one, the Senate on Friday failed to pass a bill that would have taken the fight against global warming right to the streets and smokestacks of the United States. Fortunately, though, the political climate is changing as fast as planet Earth's.
Go to article.
Portland Plans for the 20-Minute Neighborhood
Oregonian
06/08/2008
The people who design your streets, transportation systems, parks and sewers hope to bring the concept of the 20-minute neighborhood--one where you can walk to essential amenities and services in 20 minutes--to areas outside the city core.
Go to article.
Hopes Run High for Undammed River
Vancouver Columbian
06/09/2008
With PacifiCorp planning to remove Condit Dam rather than meet a new federal requirement to retrofit it with expensive fish ladders, the new research suggests a free-flowing White Salmon will be primed for recolonization by descendants of the same native fish culled by hatchery managers more than a century ago.
Go to article.
Will Boise Hear the Clang of a Trolley Again?
Boise Idaho Statesman
06/09/2008
Within the next four years, Bieter and other Boise city leaders want streetcars rolling Downtown - almost eight decades since Boise's streetcar era ended.
Go to article.
A Native School in Portland
Oregonian
06/09/2008
More than half of the metro area's 58,000 Natives live below the federal poverty line. Half of Portland's Native youth drop out of school by the 10th grade. But those who started the NAYA Academy refuse to accept that the problems are unsolvable. If they resurrect the Indian, they believe, they could save the child.
Go to article.
The Micro-house Trend
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
06/07/2008
Though few people aim quite as small as Dee Williams' 84-square-foot home in Olympia, the benefits of "rightsizing" are resonating with empty nesters, cash-strapped first-time buyers and green-minded consumers who want to use resources efficiently.
Go to article.
Oregon Coast Feels Economic Pinch
Oregon Public Broadcasting
06/09/2008
High gas prices are causing some people to think twice about weekend trips to the shore. And a shutdown of the salmon season has left the fishing industry scrambling. Correspondent Chris Lehman takes us on a journey.
Go to article.
Polishing Ideas for a Cleaner Duwamish
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
06/09/2008
Imagine gondolas whisking people from West Seattle across the Duwamish River. Or water taxis scooting along the Duwamish to downtown. Or riverside developments with dog runs and canoe rentals -- all alongside a revitalized industrial base, still keyed to commerce made possible by the Port of Seattle.
Go to article.
End of Cheap Power Era Brings Opportunities
Boise Idaho Statesman
06/08/2008
Idaho Power Co. is aggressively pursuing energy-efficiency programs and working to turn them into a business opportunities. But as one of the state's oldest companies heads into the future, one thing is clear: The cheap and abundant power that defined its past will become just a memory.
Go to article.
