Editor's Take: August 19, 2008
Credit: wabberjocky, Flickr.
Greener Cities Every Day
Cities across Cascadia keep working toward a sustainable
future. Portland, already
considered a green haven, launched its "Grey
to Green" program this summer. The goal is to plant more than 80,000 trees
in the city to offset carbon dioxide emissions. California
wants a greener future too, with the intention of creating a renewable
energy economy that could provide new jobs.
Editor's Top Picks
Your editor today is Christina Claassen | View All Today's News
Portland Goes from 'Grey to Green'
Oregonian
08/19/2008
This summer, Portland, known nationally for its well-treed image, launches "Grey to Green," a five-year, $50 million, green-up-the-city initiative that includes planting 83,000 trees -- 50,000 of them along streets, increasing the city's street-tree inventory by about one-fourth.
Suburban areas are also going green, striking out with simultaneous efforts to save trees and reduce costs.
Go to article.
More Women Choose a Childless Life
New York Times
08/19/2008
Women are waiting longer to have children, and more women than ever are choosing not to have children at all, according to a new Census Bureau report.
Twenty percent of women ages 40 to 44 have no children, double the level of 30 years ago, the report said; and women in that age bracket who do have children have fewer than ever, an average of 1.9 children, compared with the median of 3.1 children in 1976.
Go to article.
Views: Working Below the Poverty Line in BC
The Tyee
08/19/2008
The recent steep pay hikes for B.C.'s senior bureaucrats triggered quite a controversy. Handing out raises in the 20 to 43 per cent range at the top end does seem a bit rich coming from a government that refuses to increase the minimum wage even by a few cents.
The stark contrast between the huge pay raises of top government bureaucrats and B.C.'s minimum wage illustrates the growing polarization of income in Canada.
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Renewable Energy Could Electrify California Economy
Los Angeles Times
08/19/2008
If California requires its utilities to get one-third of their energy from solar, wind, geothermal and other renewable sources rather than coal or gas, will that help or hurt the state economically?
A struggle is underway to influence public opinion, with business interests saying it would cost consumers in higher electric bills, and environmental groups touting the jobs that clean-tech industry would bring to the state.
Go to article.
Stumbling Over Seattle's Sidewalks
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
08/19/2008
Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels has asked people to "give your car the summer off" by using alternative means of travel, with walking being a top alternative. But across Seattle, many say that with current neighborhood conditions the mayor's "walk more" plan is not a feasible, or safe, option.
Go to article.
More Kids Will Walk to School
Seattle Times
08/19/2008
Faced with soaring diesel-fuel costs, school districts are forcing students to use the old-fashioned way to get to class: on their own two feet.
Many schools are eliminating or reducing bus service because fuel had jumped to $4.50 per gallon, 36 percent more than a year ago, and is busting budgets.
Go to article.
Pine Beetles Create Job Crisis for Coldwater Indian Band
Toronto Globe and Mail
08/19/2008
The Coldwater Indian Band is throwing its support behind a proposed $2-billion ski resort, and two other developments near Merritt, as it tries to deal with the impact of a pine beetle infestation that is devastating forest-sector jobs in the area.
Go to article.
Ospreys the River Sentinels of Healthy Waterways
Vancouver Columbian
08/18/2008
A trio of scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey collect blood samples from young ospreys in the lower Columbia, Willamette and Boise rivers to measure their health.
Worldwide, scientists use ospreys as "canaries in the coal mine" for pollution entering rivers.
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Improving Idaho's Treasure Valley Air
Boise Idaho Statesman
08/19/2008
The Treasure Valley is poised to take its first major bite out of the region's air quality problem.
New rules could require all underground fuel tanks be retrofitted to recover the fumes that spill when the tanks are filled, a move that could reduce the ozone-forming gases released at refilling by 97 percent.
Go to article.
Seattle in Violation of Clean Air Act
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
08/18/2008
Seattle is in violation of the Clean Air Act for the first time since the 1990s.
Going over the legal limit for smog over the weekend means officials here will have to start hammering out a plan to improve air quality. That could feature a number of measures to put the brakes on pollution, including requiring reformulated, more expensive gasoline for the region.
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