Editor's Take: August 05, 2008
Credit: Brad Lauster, Flickr
Green Building Gets Strict
San Francisco paves
the way, as Mayor Gavin Newsom enacted the strictest green
building codes in the US.
The code will encourage energy and water conservation, and reduce greenhouse gases.
In Seattle, nonprofits
are seeing green in their structures too, especially as state funding expects
more energy efficiency. The housing hinterlands: Eugene
helps the homeless,
and Americans leave the suburbs.
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San Francisco Enacts Strict Green Building Codes
San Francisco Chronicle
08/05/2008
San Francisco took a major step Monday to cement its reputation as the most environmentally progressive city in the United States, as Mayor Gavin Newsom signed into law stringent green building codes for new construction and renovations of existing structures in the city.
Go to article.
Seattle Nonprofits Build Green
Seattle Business Journal
08/04/2008
Rising energy costs, and a growing awareness of climate change, have led many Seattle non-profit groups to embrace green concepts.
And the number of nonprofit green buildings is expected to rise as the state requires more groups getting state money to build to energy-efficient standards.
Go to article.
Sockeye Salmon's Rare Return to Idaho
Boise Idaho Statesman
08/05/2008
For the first time in years, Idahoans have a good opportunity to see the state's most endangered fish alive.
So far, 63 sockeye salmon have made the nearly 900-mile trip from the Pacific Ocean, through eight dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers and finally to the Sawtooth Valley.
Go to article.
Helping Eugene's Homeless
Eugene Register Guard
08/04/2008
ShelterCare, a Eugene-based nonprofit agency, helps homeless adults and families, and people with mental illness and brain injuries find housing.
ShelterCare and other agencies have embraced the idea of providing housing as a key first step in reducing homelessness in Eugene-Springfield. However, more housing is needed to make progress toward that goal, homeless advocates say.
Go to article.
Putting the Brakes On Suburban Migration
Washington Post
08/05/2008
Cheap oil, which helped push the American Dream away from the city center, isn't so cheap anymore. As more and more families reconsider their dreams, land-use experts are beginning to ask whether $4-a-gallon gas is enough to change the way Americans have thought for half a century about where they live.
Go to article.
Vancouver, BC's TransLink Approves 30-Year Plan
Vancouver Sun
08/05/2008
TransLink has approved a 30-year strategy for Metro Vancouver public transit, the company announced Sunday.
A 10-year "rolling" transit plan was also given the green light, TransLink representative Ken Hardie said.
Go to article.
Washington's Money Squeeze
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
08/05/2008
Gov. Chris Gregoire did Monday what families and businesses have been doing for months: She ordered cuts in travel and buying gasoline, a hiring freeze and a lid on major purchases for most state agencies.
Go to article.
BC's Protected Farmland Takes Some Losses
Vancouver Sun
08/05/2008
British Columbia's Agricultural Land Reserve experienced its biggest net loss of land in the last 10 years in 2007, with property carved off to satisfy needs for industrial developments in the north and desires for resort and residential subdivisions in the south.
Go to article.
Views: A Timely Ocean Plan
Eugene Register Guard
08/04/2008
Oregon, California and Washington are traveling a familiar path of regional cooperation. The states, along with four Canadian provinces, recently announced plans for a cap-and-trade program to regulate greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming.
Now, the states are laying the foundation for a model ocean health program, one that Congress and the White House emulate. The stakes are too high to do otherwise.
Go to article.
Oregonians Warming to the Idea of Big Wind
Bend Bulletin
08/05/2008
Wind farms are multiplying on the Columbia Gorge, with the amount of wind power produced along the blustery Columbia expected to more than triple in coming years.
But the Gorge isn't the only Oregon locale that wind companies are eyeing.
Go to article.
