Editor's Take: October 16, 2008
Credit: greenjobsnow, Flickr.
Green Mavericks in Cascadia
Regardless of federal policies or the outcome of November's
elections, cities around the Northwest and US are making sustainable economic
and environmental choices. Whether it's transit improvements in Seattle,
sustainable
shopping in Portland, or emissions
controls in San Francisco, local policy-makers
aren't waiting around for change. Writer Keith Schneider
says, "Cities have been the primary incubators of the most important green
economic development ideas in the country."
Editor's Top Picks
Your editor today is Christina Claassen | View All Today's News
Green Strategies Spur Rebirth of American Cities
Yale environment 360
10/13/2008
U.S. cities have been using green planning to spark economic development, helping create a real urban renaissance in America. With a new administration soon to arrive in Washington, these same approaches may finally start being used on a national scale.
Go to article.
Portland Adopts Sweatshop-Free Ordinance
Oregon Public Broadcasting
10/15/2008
Portland became the first city in the Northwest to adopt a new sweatshop-free ordinance Wednesday. The ordinance means the city will not buy police and firefighter uniforms from suppliers who use sweatshop labor.
Go to article.
Transportation Tops Concerns in Clackamas County
Oregonian
10/16/2008
Instead of building new roads, Clackamas County should improve the streets it has and expand the mass transit system, a survey of residents says.
The county paid $24,000 to find out what residents want and how they think local government is doing.
Go to article.
Views: Tackling BC's Homelessness Issues
Victoria Times Colonist
10/16/2008
There is nothing complicated in the court ruling on the right of homeless people to seek shelter in parks and public spaces. Stripped to its essence, the B.C. Supreme Court ruling is based on four facts.
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What About Affordable Housing for the Middle Class?
San Francisco Chronicle
10/16/2008
San Franciscans often lament the loss of families and children in the city, but housing programs and proposals have failed to address a critical demographic - the middle class.
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Proving That Bike Lanes Work
Portland Tribune
10/16/2008
Despite the harrumphing of talk-radio hosts and the carping of car chauvinists, bike lanes do, in fact, work -- and Portland State University researcher Jennifer Dill thinks she can prove it.
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BC and Ottawa Can Bridge Carbon Tax Differences
CBC BC
10/15/2008
Premier Gordon Campbell says B.C. will have a stronger voice in Ottawa following the federal election on Tuesday, and he isn't worried about any differences he has with Prime Minister Stephen Harper over the carbon tax.
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California Presents Bold Plan to Clean Up Air
San Francisco Chronicle
10/16/2008
California regulators, following the lead of Bay Area air quality managers, would impose fees on the state's worst air polluters as part of a bold proposal to slash emissions to 1990 levels.
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David Suzuki: Our Threatened Web of Life
Georgia Straight
10/15/2008
We humans sometimes forget that we are animals. We're mammals, and like all mammals, and indeed all animals, we are connected to and dependent on the web of life. When part of that web is in danger, we are all in danger.
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Holding Off On Medical Care
Washington Post
10/16/2008
From Park Avenue dental offices to the Arlington Free Clinic, the global economic crunch is forcing a growing number of Americans to scale back on medical care. Consumers are attempting their own form of triage, pushing off seemingly less-urgent services in the hope that their financial health will improve.
Go to article.
