Editor's Take: July 16, 2009
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Awash in Weatherization Cash
A program that boosts residential energy efficiency is handing out $4.7 billion in stimulus funds -- enough to weatherize 1 million homes, compared to the 140,000 normally done each year. That tidal wave of cash has some worried about how quickly workers can get trained and making sure the money is spent wisely. Van Jones, Obama's man on green jobs, touts investments in energy technology.
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States awash in stimulus money to weatherize homes
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
07/15/2009
Ready or not, states are getting a tenfold boost in federal money to weatherize drafty homes, an increase so huge it has raised fears of waste and fraud and set off a scramble to find workers and houses for them to repair.
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Suburbs get urban makeover
USA Today
07/15/2009
Gleaming high-rises and dense development in white-picket-fence suburbia? From Anaheim and Fremont in California to Irving, Texas, development has taken a dramatic turn from cul-de-sacs to city centers that mix residences, businesses, and entertainment spots.
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Uninsured to approach 1 million in Washington
KPLU
07/15/2009
As Congress continues its debate over health care, more people are losing or dropping their health insurance, according to new estimates. The bottom line: By the end of 2010, there could be nearly one million people in Washington without coverage.
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Walmart plans eco-labels on merchandise
Vancouver Sun
07/15/2009
Walmart Stores Inc. was set to announce Thursday new requirements for manufacturers to put eco-labels on items to show consumers the full environmental cost of production of everything from produce to light bulbs. The plan is to label every item it sells with a sustainability index -- but it will take a few years.
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Grant aims to restore bee habitat near farms
Eugene Register Guard
07/16/2009
With populations of bumblebees and other native insects that pollinate crops crashing, scientists are working on the best ways to restore natural habitat around intensively cultivated farmland.
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Car-share programs turn to alternative-fuel options
USA Today
07/16/2009
Car-sharing services are turning toward alternative-fuel vehicles as the technology improves and customers clamor to drive them. That includes offering hourly rentals of electric, biodiesel, natural gas, and ethanol-powered cars.
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California sets pace for solar power
New York Times
07/15/2009
A decade ago, only 500 rooftops in California boasted solar panels that harvest the sun's energy. Today, there are nearly 50,000 solar-panel installations in the state, according to a report to be issued Thursday by the research and lobbying group Environment California.
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Unknown glob in waters off Alaska's coast
Fairbanks Daily News Miner
07/15/2009
A gooey substance floating off Alaskan waters in the Arctic Sea is mystifying local officials and the US Coast Guard. While it hasn't been identified, the Coast Guard said it wasn't manmade.
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Push for pole-less meters has cyclists circling
Seattle Times
07/16/2009
Old-style parking meters, reviled over the decades by coin-starved drivers, are currently getting plenty of love from bicyclists worried about their possible demise.
Bicycle advocates are pushing to have defunct meters preserved or converted to specially designed, two-bike racks -- before they get pulled up for good.
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Views: Technology funding saves energy, creates green jobs
Seattle Times
07/15/2009
Under the Recovery Act, the Obama administration is investing $80 billion to support clean-energy solutions. This is the largest single investment in clean energy in American history, says Van Jones.
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