Editor's Take: October 07, 2008
Photo courtesy Apollo Alliance
The Race is On
Economic woes aren't slowing ingenuity when it comes to clean energy. New flexible solar cells ... California company launches solar tubes ... Algae for fuel ... wind turbines ... And a promising report about green job potential in Washington and Oregon.
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Editor's Top Picks
Your editor today is Anna Fahey | View All Today's News
"Green-tech" Industry Could Create Local Jobs, Report Says
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
10/07/2008
Washington and Oregon stand poised to add tens of thousands of jobs in the clean-technology "green power" industry by 2025 if they take steps to encourage the kinds of companies that play to their existing strengths, an analysis released Monday said.
Even a medium-growth scenario, the report says, would add as many jobs in the two states as Microsoft Corp. currently employs in the Seattle area.
And the region could be drawing three-fourths of its electricity from climate-friendly sources by 2025, said the report by Seattle-based nonprofit Climate Solutions and Clean Edge Inc., a Portland economic research firm.
Go to article.
Why Independents Care So Much About Health Care
Everett Herald
10/07/2008
Political independents now rank health care second among the issues they most want the presidential candidates to discuss, according to a Kaiser Health Tracking Poll for September. The No. 1 issue for independents, as well as for Democrats and Republicans, is the economy.
Go to article.
Help for Affordable Housing in Tacoma?
Tacoma News Tribune
10/07/2008
Church groups and developers may seem like an odd pairing, but the city of Tacoma is considering whether linking the two could increase affordable housing across the city.
The "faith-based" concept hinges on the city's ability to connect church groups and other nonprofits that own extra land with builders.
Throw in a few extras -- tax abatement, city-sponsored feasibility studies and matching funds -- and the city can propel affordable housing, according to a consultant who's implemented a similar program in Virginia.
Go to article.
Global Group Attacks BC Neglect of Sockeye
Vancouver Sun
10/06/2008
A combination of mismanagement and neglect is pushing British Columbia sockeye salmon towards extinction even as populations elsewhere in the North Pacific thrive, says a new global report.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature examined 243 spawning locations in BC, Russia and Alaska, and found that the most critically endangered sockeye runs are located in BC.
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Minimum Wage: Gregoire, Yes; Rossi, Not So Fast
Vancouver Columbian
10/06/2008
The state minimum wage highlights one difference between Gov. Chris Gregoire and Republican challenger Dino Rossi.
Gregoire supports the automatic increase that will take the wage to $8.55 an hour next year.
Rossi says it hurts small businesses and limits the number of entry-level jobs. He's open to the idea of a training wage below the minimum wage.
Go to article.
Plastics Ingredient Linked to Smaller Male Genitals
Toronto Globe and Mail
10/07/2008
Exposure of expectant mothers to phthalates, a common ingredient in many plastics, has been linked to smaller penis size and incomplete descent of testicles in their baby boys, according to a new research paper that found the chemical also appears to make the overall genital tracts of boys slightly more feminine.
The findings are sure to add more controversy to phthalates, a chemical that is added to polyvinyl chloride plastic to make it less brittle, and to many types of personal care products including fragrances, hair sprays and nail polish.
Go to article.
Idaho: Most Improved on Energy Efficiency
Boise Idaho Statesman
10/06/2008
An advocacy group ranks California, Connecticut and Oregon at the top of a list of states improving energy efficiency to respond to high prices, energy security and global warming.
A report released Monday rated Idaho as the most improved state in this category, moving from 25th two years ago to 13th. California, Connecticut and Oregon were followed in the Top 10 by Vermont, New York and Washington state.
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Learn from CA: Cut the Sprawl, Cut the Warming
New York Times
10/07/2008
For years, while Washington DC slept, most of the serious work on climate change has occurred in the states, and no state has worked harder than California. The latest example of California's originality is a new law -- the nation's first -- intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by curbing urban sprawl and cutting back the time people have to spend in their automobiles.
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A Personal Bailout Plan? Live Within Your Means
Tacoma News Tribune
10/07/2008
Wall Street has its financial rescue plan in place. The real question: Do you have a plan for unloading your toxic debt?
With or without all the bailout blather, many consumers have felt crunched for months. We all need to build a bailout, especially since economists say the fallout from the financial crisis is expected to drive a U.S. recession well into 2009. We could all use some strategies for living within our means.
Go to article.
Views: I-985: Look Under the Hood -- It Won't Run
Tacoma News Tribune
10/07/2008
Tim Eyman's initiative-of-the-year, I-985, takes micromanagement far beyond the point of absurdity. I-985 would raid existing revenue streams (or nearly run them out of business, in the case of traffic cameras). The money involved -- something over $120 million a year -- would hardly dent the state's real congestion problems. What drivers would chiefly see from I-985 are traffic jams from the measure's unintended consequences and greater threats from speeders and red-light runners.
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