Current Stories
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EPA has new 'green homes' Web site
Oregonian
11/17/2009
The US Environmental Protection Agency has a new "Green Homes" Web site that aims to guide homeowners and renters toward environmentally friendly home improvement and yard care.
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So you want a green career?
Los Angeles Times
11/15/2009
Although the recession has emptied shopping malls and filled jobless centers, the call has only gotten louder for renewable energy, environmentally gentle products and eco-friendly practices - and for people to make all of that happen. The giant push has even created job opportunities for those with little or no experience.
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To serve (food) and protect (the soil)
Missoulian
11/15/2009
The call for local food is loud and growing. At the same time in Missoula, some of the land that produces those vegetables, that meat, is more valuable once it's been developed. Now three local forces are at work on that problem that's led to the incremental loss of agricultural lands.
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Portland project forages for urban edibles
Oregonian
11/15/2009
For many Portlanders, and increasingly others across the nation, fruit picking parties are a way to incorporate the bounty of our city into their diets. The idea behind this type of urban foraging is to use food that's all around us but often overlooked.
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Is U. of Montana green enough?
New West
11/11/2009
The University of Montana has launched its new Climate Change Studies minor program, the first of its kind in the nation. But its commitment to sustainability is evident in other ways: a greenhouse gas inventory, energy audits, an interdisciplinary curriculum on climate issues and a student-created revolving loan fund to pay for energy and waste saving projects on campus.
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Idaho 'smart grid' technology boosts efficiency
Boise Idaho Statesman
11/10/2009
Since 2005 Idaho Power has offered customers in Emmett different rates for different times of the day help people reduce their own bills and the utilities' demand for power. Thanks to a $47 million stimulus grant from the Obama administration's Department of Energy, all of Idaho Power's customers will have similar tools for reducing their power bills by 2012.
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A house made of straw and mud in Boise
Boise Idaho Statesman
11/09/2009
On a small lot tucked between conventional homes on Boise Avenue, Mark Lung is hard at work stacking bales of straw and mixing mud.
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As oceans fall ill, storm brews over solutions
Juneau Empire
11/09/2009
Off the coast of Washington state, mysterious algae mixed with sea foam have killed more than 8,000 seabirds, puzzling scientists. A thousand miles off California, researchers have discovered the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a swirling vortex roughly twice the size of Texas filled with tiny bits of plastic and other debris.
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Views: Inaction on climate change comes at a price
BC Local News
11/10/2009
Canada's gross domestic product would continue to grow even if we adopted the stronger measures that environmental organizations are calling for rather than the weak measures the federal government has proposed. Still, many people aren't willing to make tough decisions for the sake of our collective future.
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Prince Charles recognizes Vancouver's sustainability
Vancouver Sun
11/09/2009
Vancouver's green qualities were showcased under grey skies as the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall made a stop in the city Saturday on their cross-Canada tour.
The visit showcased initiatives in sustainability, ecological urban planning and alternative health care approaches -- all personal interests of the prince.
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Views: Making small steps on climate change
Juneau Empire
11/10/2009
The long-awaited Copenhagen conference now just weeks away, it has become clear that the talks will not produce a grand, new accord mandating global reductions in carbon emissions. The United Nations' envoy conceded as much last week in Barcelona, the site of the last formal talks before Copenhagen. The letdown can be explained in three words: the U.S. Senate.
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LEED for weeds
New West
11/08/2009
A coalition of landscape architects and botanists has created the nation's first rating system for green landscapes. As LEED has done for buildings, the Sustainable Sites Initiative will do for outside spaces that sequester carbon, clean the air and water, increase energy efficiency and restore habitat.
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A new lease on solar
USA Today
11/08/2009
California-based SolarCity has helped pioneer a way to bring solar to the masses and remove one of the biggest hurdles to its widespread adoption: up-front costs. Its residential customers can lease a system at no money down, and in many areas, save 10% to 15% a month on their combined electric and lease-payment bill.
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Ready to jump off the grid?
Oregonian
11/05/2009
Researchers believe the day is coming when the electricity you use will be your own. Instead of relying on large central generating stations - hydroelectric dams, coal plants and the like - scientists say we're moving toward an era of "personalized solar energy."
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Views: Smart, green and humane
Vancouver Sun
11/04/2009
According to the latest UN population projections, the next 40 years will see an almost doubling of urban populations. This growth will offer both unprecedented challenges and great opportunities to cities around the world.
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Backyard cottages OK'd in Seattle
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
11/02/2009
Backyard cottages will be allowed in single-family zones throughout Seattle under an ordinance approved unanimously by the City Council. City Councilman Tim Burgess said it would help people provide housing for family members or to offer low-cost rental units. "That's a positive way to create affordable housing in our city."
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Oregon city becomes lab for sustainability
Oregonian
10/27/2009
Gresham, OR was chosen for the first collaboration with 250 University of Oregon students and professors working toward a more sustainable, livable city. Students will analyze suburban development, possible designs and locations for new buildings, development of a brownfield site, incorporating natural light into transit hubs and ways to make schools more sustainable.
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Oregon grid to get $30 million smarter
Oregonian
10/27/2009
President Barack Obama announced $3.4 billion of taxpayer investment in so-called smart grid projects, and about $30 million of that is headed to Oregon. The improvements are meant to make energy use more efficient and include things like meters that charge homeowners less for power that's used when overall electricity demand is low.
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Portland opens new downtown park
Oregon Public Broadcasting
10/27/2009
The city of Portland will advance toward a long-held vision by opening another urban park in the heart of downtown, called Director Park. The lead landscape architect says the space presents interesting challenges, sitting atop an underground parking garage, on uneven ground.
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Greenbacks for green energy
Seattle Times
10/27/2009
President Barack Obama made a pitch for renewable energy Tuesday, announcing $3.4 billion in government support for 100 projects aimed at modernizing the nation's power grid and delivering energy more efficiently. The projects include installing "smart" electric meters in homes, automating utility substations, and installing thousands of new digital transformers and grid sensors.
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Portland's climate plan is ready for action
Oregonian
10/28/2009
After eight town hall meetings, more than 400 responders and some 2,500 comments and suggestions, Portland's Climate Action Plan is ready for review. Brought on by climate change and the need to reduce carbon emissions, it covers everything from public safety in the case of more severe weather to improving sidewalks and roadways in underserved communities.
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Thousands rally for action on climate
Vancouver Sun
10/25/2009
About 5,000 people, including a shouting, sign-waving group of secondary school students, demonstrated on Vancouver's Cambie Bridge as part of the International Day of Climate Change. They were among millions of people around the world who took part in weekend demonstrations demanding government action on climate change.
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WA company crafts a sleeker solar panel
Everett Herald
10/25/2009
Sometimes it's what you don't see that makes a product special. When you stand beneath a solar panel built by Arlington's Silicon Energy, Washington's first solar panel manufacturer, you won't see jumbled, ugly wires or opaque padding. You'll see blue from the silicon cells and sunlight streaming through.
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Obama presses case for renewable energy
New York Times
10/25/2009
Taking aim at business interests that have lobbied against an energy and climate bill moving through Congress, where some members worry about job losses and rising energy costs, President Obama urged lawmakers to rally around the push toward using more renewable energy.
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Focus on 350
Bend Bulletin
10/25/2009
By bike, on foot and by dog-pulled scooter, Central Oregon residents converged Saturday morning on downtown Bend as part of an international effort to prompt world leaders to act on climate change. The event was one of thousands of such gatherings Saturday in 181 countries, organized by 350.org.
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