In April I was invited to speak at TedXPortland, under the theme of Wonderland. I spoke of the need for people to be critical rather than magical thinkers and how best to do this as a society is to take our kids out of the classroom and into the natural world–Outdoor School for All. Enjoy.
Read More »Oregon’s mountains are at less than 20 percent of normal snow, with no respite in sight. January 2015 was the second hottest on record, following a 2014 that was the warmest year on record. Although this makes for a pleasant winter here in the Northwest, communities in Oregon are already gearing up for another year of serious […]
Read More »In a surprise move, the recently appointed Chair of the Oregon Transportation Commission was fired by Governor John Kitzhaber for not approving subsidies for coal exports at the port of Clatskanie, reported by the Oregonian today. Surprise because the Governor has previously come out against exporting coal from Oregon ports, saying that coal, as well […]
Read More »Paul Krugman (admittedly one of my favorite columnists and definitely my favorite economist) publicizes new economic analyses that show that we CAN afford to significantly reduce emissions and even prosper while doing so. Far from having to “live in the dark and freeze,” as threatened by the Koch Bros misinformation machine, a move to renewable […]
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New York Times writer, Nicholas Kristof, recently asked his readers to nominate topics for “stories not being told.” Guess which major crisis has less coverage today than 6 years ago?
Read More »Randall Julander, a U.S. Department of Agriculture hydrologist, summed the situation up best. “Slight improvement in the Colorado basin water supply is like expecting a road-killed jackrabbit to feed a whole pack of hungry coyotes. It’s not nearly enough to go around,” he said.
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In an industrial area of Chicago, a new street actually eats pollution. Using titanium dioxide as an additive to ordinary cement, the road surface can actually destroy nitrous oxides at ground level. In addition, the lighter color of the cement reduces heat absorption during the day and lighting requirements at night. Chicago added rain absorbing […]
Read More »CRC is dead, says Oregon Governor Kitzhaber… Who will claim the kill?
WA state Senator Don Benton (R) or Robert Liberty, ex-1000 Friends of Oregon
We’ve been waiting for this for a long time. Addressing the threat of Climate Change – YouTube.
Read More »Metro, the Portland Oregon regional government, is asking about Greenhouse gas reduction strategies here Focus is on motor vehicles and transport with a bit of land use thrown in. *Note: Opt In is an innovative on-line civic forum with almost 20,000 registered participants from all around the metro region begun when I was a Metro […]
Read More »Why Getting to 2100? The next century will be a test: can humans use their intelligence and foresight to successfully transition from our consumption-fueled economy to one that balances the needs of humans with the Earth’s available resources. Getting to 2100 aims to be a forum for sharing of good ideas and good works. Got a good example or a new idea? Share it with the world!