Editor's Take: July 02, 2008
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Energy That Won't Get You Dirty
Clean, secure energy is the talk of the town today as British Columbia joins Alaska, Oregon, Washington, and California in a new Pacific Coast Collaborative agreement to tackle sustainability questions; international investment in green energy is up 60% in one year; and Oregon signs on to wind energy. Meanwhile, car and truck sales hit a ten year low, and Washington's organic acreage expands.
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New Pacific Initiative Eyes Clean Energy
Toronto Globe and Mail
07/02/2008
British Columbia has signed up four U.S. states for its Pacific Coast Collaborative initiative. The group, which also includes Alaska, Washington, Oregon and California, will focus on clean energy, regional transportation, research and development, a sustainable economy and emergency management. Most parties to the new collaboration are also core members of the Western Climate Initiative.
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Green Energy "Gold Rush" Revs Up
Seattle Times
07/02/2008
Global investors plowed $148 billion into new wind, solar and other alternative-energy assets last year, in what the United Nations describes as a "green-energy gold rush" gaining speed the past several years.
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Politicians Watch B.C. As Carbon Tax Kicks In
Toronto Globe and Mail
07/02/2008
The extra 2.34 cents a litre for regular gasoline has caused consternation among the majority of voters, highlighting the challenge of carbon-pricing politics. For B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell, who faces an election next May, and others pushing green policies such as federal Liberal Leader Stephane Dion, it is the hardest political sell of this generation.
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Washington Grows its Organic Acreage
AP
07/02/2008
Organic farm acreage in Washington grew 27 percent in the latest count, although such farming remains a mere blip on the agricultural landscape, the Washington State University Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources said Tuesday.
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No Timber Payments Means Job Cuts for Lane County
Eugene Register Guard
07/02/2008
Tuesday was Day One for a Lane County government entering a new reality: life without federal timber payments. In the weeks leading up to the start of the new fiscal year, the county Board of Commmissioners cut almost 8 percent of the work force, concerned that Congress won't renew $47 million in annual aid.
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Views: Connecting the Dots in the Forest Debate
Oregonian
07/02/2008
Now is the time to connect all the dots involved in the debate surrounding Oregon's federal forests. Yes, the forests need treating. Yes, our resources need protection. Yes, our industry needs a consistent flow of federal timber. And finally, yes, our counties need funding.
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Nuclear Waste Robots Clean Up Hanford
Popular Mechanics
07/01/2008
At Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington, where plutonium for Cold War nukes was made, robots are on the front line of the cleanup effort. The job is to empty about 150 basketball-court-sized tanks of nuclear and chemical waste before their contents reach the Columbia River.
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Washington Politicians Ranked Green - Or Not
Vancouver Columbian
07/02/2008
Four state lawmakers from Clark County have been singled out for recognition by Washington Conservation Voters - not all of them in a good way. The statewide environmental group released its 2007-08 Legislative Scorecard Tuesday, summarizing the voting records of Washington legislators during what it called "two of the most successful legislative sessions for the environment" in the organization's 27-year history.
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San Francisco Health Care Not Quite "Universal"
San Francisco Chronicle
07/02/2008
One year ago today, San Francisco became the first city in the nation to attempt to provide universal health care to its residents. Twelve months later, some city residents wonder why the program is billed as universal when they're still getting turned away.
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Is a Big Hunk of Steak Worth 2,000 Gallons of Water?
Alternet
07/02/2008
Did you know that we all have a "water-footprint"? Quite similar in concept to the carbon footprint, it's "the total volume of freshwater that is used to produce the goods and services consumed by the individual, business or nation," by Waterfootprint.org. People use lots of water for drinking, cooking and washing, but even more for producing things such as food, paper, cotton clothes, etc. The numbers are staggering.
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