Editor's Take: July 15, 2008
Credit: SP8254/Flickr
Sustainable Transit Solutions
Northwest cities are exploring sustainable and affordable
public transportation. For the past 40 years, bus systems have been the
lifeline to transit. Crosscut
gives a more serious look at why cities should switch to a stronger rail
system. Other solutions to getting around town: a four-day
workweek, as Montana tribes
are trying, or slowing
down the speed.
Editor's Top Picks
Your editor today is Christina Claassen | View All Today's News
Views: NW Transit, Time to Take the Train
Crosscut
07/15/2008
The region has tried a largely bus solution for 40 years, and by now the capacity flaws are apparent. If we are really serious about building density, we need to lay more rails.
Go to article.
Montana Tribes Try a Four-Day Workweek
Missoulian
07/15/2008
It will be a lot warmer in Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal offices Friday.
Also, considerably more empty than usual.
The tribes this week began a 10-hour-day, four-day workweek for most tribal programs in an effort to reduce energy costs.
Go to article.
Get Patriotic: Drive Less, and Slow Down
Christian Science Monitor
07/15/2008
There are two steps we can take right away that could have greater impact than oil from the Arctic. They are so simple and straightforward that they are seldom mentioned.
First, drive slower.
Second, drive less.
Go to article.
Tacoma-Area Green Thumbs Grow Food to Fill Bellies
Tacoma News Tribune
07/15/2008
Anticipating a tough winter for low income people, one Midland woman sent out e-mails to members of the Midland Residents Association, asking them to plant extra food they could sell, trade or give to food banks.
She now has about two dozen residents in the area southeast of Tacoma growing food and participating in what she's dubbed the Get Growing Midland program.
Go to article.
Economic Slowdown Hits Oregon Households
Oregonian
07/15/2008
Oregon's job losses are relatively modest so far, well shy of the massive layoffs that made its jobless rate the highest in the nation for most of 2003 and inspired comparisons to Mississippi.
Unlike that slowdown, though, almost everyone is feeling heightened pressure this time.
Go to article.
California Rebates Warm People To Solar
San Francisco Chronicle
07/15/2008
California has added enough solar power to its electrical grid this year to light a small town, according to an update released Monday on the state's solar rebate program.
Those rebates, which go to businesses and homeowners who put solar panels on their roofs, have funded enough new installations this year to generate 59.4 megawatts of electricity, about enough to juice up 44,550 homes.
Go to article.
Hunger Takes Deeper Bite In Clark County
Vancouver Columbian
07/15/2008
Washington saw a 4 percent increase in food stamp applications from March 2007 to March 2008. For years before that, the number of applicants had held steady.
Go to article.
Boise Businesses Jump On Simpler Recycling
Boise Idaho Statesman
07/15/2008
State agencies and businesses are recycling more now than ever before, thanks in part to a new Boise city program that lets businesses throw all their recyclables, from glass to plastic to paper, into a single bin.
The result: 170 more businesses are recycling this year.
Go to article.
Portland Gets Power From the Pot
Portland Tribune
07/15/2008
The city of Portland has found a way to harness an unusual source of energy: human waste.
The Columbia Boulevard Wastewater Treatment Plant last month celebrated the completion of an $8 million co-generation project.
Go to article.
Greenhouse Gases May Go Under the Sea
Seattle Times
07/15/2008
Scientists say a partial solution to global warming may lie beneath the seafloor off the coasts of Washington and Oregon.
Deep volcanic rocks could serve as a kind of storage locker for carbon dioxide, trapping the greenhouse gas under great pressure with virtually no chance of leaking back into the atmosphere, says a study published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Go to article.
