Editor's Take: July 18, 2008
Credit: timtom.ch, flickr.com
The Policies Behind Going Green
Whether adopting green building standards, putting a price tag on pollution, or taking the plunge into green living, big picture policies for going green are on the minds of many. California leads the way in adopting more efficient building codes while regional leaders forge ahead to cut global warming pollution.
Also: Ontario joins the Western Climate Initiative. Gray wolves back in WA after nearly a century.
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Your editor today is Rob Priewe | View All Today's News
California Raises Standards for Green Buildings
Los Angeles Times
07/18/2008
California issued new building standards Thursday, which state officials said would push developers to reduce the energy use of buildings by 15% and target a 50% reduction in water for landscaping. However, the new green building language, which was heavily influenced by the construction industry, fell far short of the stringent rules that environmental advocates had sought.
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Ontario to Join Western Climate Initiative
Toronto Globe and Mail
07/18/2008
North America's largest green partnership has agreed to recognize Ontario as a member of its regional climate change program. The Ontario government announced Friday that it is joining the Western Climate Initiative, a group of provinces and U.S. states working together to find regional solutions to climate change.
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Sound Transit Light-rail On WA Ballot?
Seattle Times
07/18/2008
Sound Transit now appears to have enough votes on its governing board to send a light-rail plan to the ballot this fall. The 15-year, $17.6 billion package promises 34 miles of light rail reaching Overlake, Lynnwood and north Federal Way; more Sounder commuter trains from Pierce County to Seattle; and some buses.
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Blumenauer: Put a Price on Pollution
Portland Tribune
07/18/2008
Oregon's bow-tied state representative, Blumenauer, is best known as a transportation wonk but says this issue is important to him because global warming will have a huge impact on the Pacific Northwest, which depends on abundant rain to build the snowpack that feeds the rivers that provide our water and our power. He is pushing for a regional cap and trade system to cut global warming pollution.
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Idaho Family on Quest to Slash Energy, Water Use
Boise Idaho Statesman
07/18/2008
Pete Skenandore has a new perspective on grocery shopping. Before, he'd push a cart full of groceries from the store to the car, drive home with his air-conditioner blasting, and carry the bags from the garage to the kitchen. Pretty much like everybody else.
Loading the groceries into a small two-wheeled cart attached to a bicycle and then pedaling home under a hot sun - now, that's a challenge.
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Hydrogen Cars Could Rule the Road by 2050
McClatchey Newspapers
07/18/2008
As the cost of filling up skyrockets, a government-backed study released Thursday says America could nearly eliminate its need for gasoline for cars, pickup trucks and SUVs by 2050 if the government helps build a market for hydrogen fuel cells and other technologies.
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US Hits Weight Marker: 1 in 4 Officially Obese
Chicago Tribune
07/18/2008
Americans, who have been getting fatter for decades, reached an unwelcome milestone in a report released Thursday: More than one in four of us are obese.
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EPA Report on Warming: Poor, Elderly Most at Risk
Seattle Times
07/18/2008
Global warming will affect the health and welfare of every American, according to a new White House science report. The 284-page report, mostly written by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, said every region of the country will be hit by worsening health from heat waves and drought. It said all but a handful of states would have worse air quality and flooding. It predicts an increase in diseases spread by tainted food, bad water and bugs.
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Views: Driving Less Pays Off
Spokane Spokesman-Review
07/18/2008
One way to fix Spokane's notorious potholes is to patch them with asphalt. Another is to rip up streets and lay new pavement. How much of the problem could be resolved by simply getting some motorists to leave their cars at home and use the bus, a bicycle or their own feet? Plenty, according to a coalition of business, environmental, health and local government groups known as the SmartRoutes 2010 Spokane Initiative.
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Tum Tum Road Kill Proves Gray Wolf Back in WA
Olympian
07/18/2008
A road kill near Tum Tum, Washington, is being cited as the first physical proof have evidence that gray wolves have returned to the state. It's the first confirmed case of a gray wolf in the state since the 1930s.
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