Editor's Take: July 14, 2008
Credit: Darren Hester/Flickr
Sustainable Pocketbook Change
We'd all like to see governments and corporations making sustainable
decisions. In the meantime we can make an impact as individual consumers,
either by choosing not to buy more stuff, or by supporting
sustainable businesses. Eventually, all that spare change should add up to
something big, like improved transit,
more green
buildings or a ban on plastic.
Editor's Top Picks
Your editor today is Christina Claassen | View All Today's News
Sustainable Change Driven with Dollars
Vancouver Columbian
07/14/2008
What if an entire nation treated its shopping dollars as if they held real power (which they do) to create a more healthy, sustainable Earth?
It's a tall order to change the world, but each consumer can take small steps every day to fuel the revolution.
Go to article.
No Parking Anytime: Small Steps to Walking More
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
07/12/2008
Feet First, a pedestrian activist group in Seattle, works to encourage more people to walk. For the last couple of weeks, the group has had a new focus -- trying to get shoppers to walk to the grocery store, not drive.
Go to article.
Idaho Habitat for Humanity Goes Green
Boise Idaho Statesman
07/13/2008
Habitat for Humanity in the state's capital city has gone green.
The nonprofit organization in Boise is scheduled to complete its first home built with environmentally friendly construction materials and practices this fall.
Go to article.
Sustainability of NW Rides on Transit
Vancouver Columbian
07/12/2008
Building a sustainable community starts with how people get around, Oregon transportation leader Gail Achterman said.
From the Oregon Trail to Interstate 5, she said, the roads we build define our choices about where our communities grow and how we get there.
Go to article.
Tribal Bus Programs Making Great Strides
Missoulian
07/14/2008
More Native citizens are getting on board as bus lines develop on reservations.
Go to article.
Views: A Cleaner Seattle Worth 20 Cents a Bag
Seattle Times
07/14/2008
Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels' environmentally friendly green fee on paper and plastic garbage bags will be a hassle for consumers who participate, and an annoying new tax for consumers who don't. Yet, on balance, the plan is worth the effort.
Go to article.
U-Brew Biofuel in Vancouver, BC
Vancouver Sun
07/12/2008
In dozens of garages and workshops across Metro Vancouver, a subculture of home brewers driven by rising gas prices is recycling waste vegetable oil into clean-burning biodiesel.
Go to article.
An Oregon County To Vanish With Timber Payments
Oregonian
07/14/2008
Is it possible that one of Oregon's 36 counties could disappear? And if so, would anyone step in to provide basic services to its residents?
The answer to the first question, according to many in and out of government, is yes, and soon.
Go to article.
Shellfish Troubles: A Warning From the Sea
Los Angeles Times
07/13/2008
Oyster research got bogged down as a riotous bloom of bacteria went on a West Coast killing spree, wiping out billions of oyster larvae.
Then the microscopic culprit overran commercial hatcheries in Washington and Oregon, crippling production over the last couple of years and causing a shortage of oyster "seed" needed to replant tideland farms from Southern California to Canada.
Go to article.
Getting Off Our Energy Addiction
Christian Science Monitor
07/14/2008
Yes, three decades after we chose to ignore the warning shot of the 1970s energy crunch, Americans are finally looking to smaller cars again. But we can do more.
Go to article.
