Monthly News Archive:
August 2006
Table of Contents:
- California's historic deal on global warming
- Major wildfires affect parks, roads
- Washington college campuses are going green
- Earth Saving Tips - Enviromental Safety Tips for Parents
- Seward Park Environmental and Audubon Center - Where eagles soar and diversity flourishes
- Earth Saving Tips - How Good is Organic Milk?
- South King Country wrestles with how to grow
- Rules adopted to protect spotted owl
- Pilot program could be key to saving farmland in Washington
- Seattle's Green Mayor Brings Kyoto to the Backyard
California's historic deal on global warming
SACRAMENTO - California will become the first state in the country to require industries to lower greenhouse gas emissions under a deal struck Wednesday by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Democrats that could dramatically reshape the state's economy.
After weeks of intense negotiations between the administration and legislative leaders, and just a few hours after Schwarzenegger threatened to veto the bill, Democrats and the governor announced an agreement on legislation that sends the state on a markedly different environmental path from the federal governme...Read the full story
August 31, 2006
Add Comments...Major wildfires affect parks, roads
Outdoorsy types headed out for the last few weekends of summer may have to adjust some of their plans: The many wildfires burning in the state have closed some roads and filled some campgrounds with smoke, and one state park has been transformed into a firefighting command center.
The most affected area, recreationally speaking, has been Okanogan County, where the Tripod Complex of fires covers more than 130,000 acres and is predicted to keep burning.
Conconully State Park has been turned into a command center, and that will last for the rest of the fire season. However, two...Read the full story
Washington college campuses are going green
Sustainability seen as key for next generation
Pineapple heads, watermelon rinds and lettuce leaves fertilize the flowers at Seattle University instead of going into the garbage.
Students and faculty members at Pacific Lutheran University hold math classes in a building without a carbon footprint.
Staff members at the University of Washington drive hybrid cars and may soon be able to fill up other motor pool vehicles with biodiesel.
These and other efforts on Washington campuses underscore the movement to turn the unofficial colors of each co...Read the full story
Earth Saving Tips - Enviromental Safety Tips for Parents
One of the most important ways to protect our children's health is to prevent their unnecessary exposure to toxins. Children are far more sensitive to low concentrations of toxic chemicals because of their developing organs and high metabolism. Here are some ways you can reduce exposure in your home:
Clean the Air. Avoid cigarette smoke. Don't smoke or allow others to smoke in your home. From ear infections to cancer, cigarette smoke can cause serious health problems.
Check your basement for radon, particularly if your kids spend a lot of t...Read the full story
Seward Park Environmental and Audubon Center - Where eagles soar and diversity flourishes
Much ado at Seward Park: A student-created field guide to 300 acres of flora and fauna; an ethnic history of human neighbors, an aquatic field guide and a state-of-the-art environmental-education center in the works.
We chat with naturalist Jenni Conrad, who piloted programs for the newly founded Seward Park Environmental and Audubon Center. Its goal is to bring disadvantaged children and students of color to the outdoors to learn about nature.
Q: Why Seward Park?
A: It's the largest stand of old growth within a couple miles...Read the full story
Earth Saving Tips - How Good is Organic Milk?
Green tips are provided by Earth Share of Washington organization, Union of Concerned Scientists
Milk is the most popular organic product on the market, commanding up to twice the price of regular milk. Yet the idyllic vision many people have of organic dairy farms—and organic milk’s environmental benefits--is often not the reality.
An increasing amount of milk that is certified organic under current USDA standards is produced by cows that spend most of their lives in crowded feedlots. These “factory� f...Read the full story
South King Country wrestles with how to grow
Once there was a farm, to go along with this house.
But that was decades ago, back when the streets were lined with orchards. Back when children picked berries from the bushes.
Now the Stephenson farmhouse is surrounded — on one side by a motel, on the other side by a warehouse. Cars rush past it, horns yelling, radios blaring, tires screeching to a stop.
"Industry has come in and increased the potential of the city," said John Mergens, 72, executive director of the Greater Kent Historical Society Museum, who was raised in the city during the farming days. "But any t...Read the full story
Rules adopted to protect spotted owl
OLYMPIA -- State forestry rules aimed at protecting the northern spotted owl will neither aid the bird's declining numbers nor stop a possible lawsuit from conservationists, a lawyer said Wednesday.
"These rules don't protect habitat. Period. End of story," said Washington Forest Law Center Director Peter Goldman, who is representing two Audubon Society chapters threatening to sue the state.
At issue are a pair of timber rules adopted Wednesday by the Washington Forest Practices Board, which oversees timber harvesting on 12 million acres of state an...Read the full story
Pilot program could be key to saving farmland in Washington
Stopping Tualco Valley farmland from turning into subdivisions will get a boost from a pilot program in which Snohomish County may buy up development rights and promote conservation.
Long has the fertile valley near Monroe been a source of farmland, but the city's rapid growth and its proximity to King County have made it a potential source of new homes.
Farmers in the valley find it hard to ignore development prices, and as family generations change, many sons and daughters no longer want to operate farms. Land-rich farmers say selling to developers can provide a nice inher...Read the full story
Seattle's Green Mayor Brings Kyoto to the Backyard
SEATTLE -- On the frontier of the fight against global warming, the mayor of Seattle boldly goes where the U.S. president will not -- like right to America's backyards.
As the mayor spearheading a drive to get U.S. cities to sharply reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Greg Nickels is proposing a host of "green" initiatives, like urging Seattle dwellers to build rental units in their backyards to stem city sprawl and get people to live closer to downtown.
"We have lots of jobs downtown and we want to...Read the full story
