Current Stories
Editor's Top Picks
Pine beetle an environmental disaster
Vancouver Sun
03/18/2010
A new report on the mountain pine beetle epidemic describes it as one of North America's largest natural environmental disasters that will shutter 16 major BC sawmills and lead to long-term US lumber shortages.
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Cohousing trend hits Seattle
Publicola
03/18/2010
Cohousing -- "intentional" living communities where residents occupy their own houses or condo units but otherwise share everything from potlucks to P-Patch duty with neighbors -- is resurfacing in metro Seattle for the first time in more than a decade.
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Arrests in massive shellfish poaching
Seattle Times
03/18/2010
Wildlife police arrested two men in connection with the theft of several hundred thousand dollars worth of oysters and clams from public and private beaches along Puget Sound's Hood Canal.
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Green economy on the rise
Olympian
03/19/2010
Green jobs in Washington's private sector grew by nearly 33 percent last year, according to a state Employment Security Department report released Thursday.
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Natural weed killer
Coos Bay World
03/18/2010
Hundreds of goats browse through a Bend field, nibbling and foraging through the available fare. These aren't just any goats. They've been hired to chow through noxious weeds that threaten to overrun native plant species.
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The buzz at Vancouver city hall
Vancouver Sun
03/19/2010
Vancouver is moving ahead with plans to make the city greener by installing beehives on the roof of city hall.
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Carbon credits from Olympic forest
Oregonian
03/18/2010
A subsidiary of Portland-based EcoTrust has signed its first deal to sell carbon credits from forest land it owns, putting 3,276 acres on the Olympic Peninsula into the market for credits designed to offset greenhouse gas emissions.
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Fish-farm foe to walk the talk
Victoria Times Colonist
03/19/2010
Biologist Alexandra Morton, who has fought for years against open-net salmon pens in BC, is walking 300 miles across Vancouver Island to raise awareness about the environmental harm caused by fish farms.
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Will green building kill green forestry?
The Tyee
03/19/2010
Canada has more eco-friendly forest than any other country. But three out of every four certified trees in Canada are locked out of North America's booming green building market.
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Views: Is Seattle ready for design, density, affordability?
Seattle Times
03/18/2010
Over the past two decades, Seattle has been inundated by a wave of poorly designed cookie-cutter town-house development. Known commonly as "Four Packs," these buildings have been a blight on our city. Now Seattle is considering changes to its zoning code.
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For more Americans, Grandma is moving back in
Christian Science Monitor
03/18/2010
Tens of millions of Americans are sharing their quarters with grandparents, adult children, and grandchildren -- and it's not just because of the economy, a report Thursday by the Pew Research Center shows.
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'Green' jobs in Washington up by a third
Puget Sound Business Journal
03/18/2010
The number of "green" jobs in Washington state's private sector grew to about 62,000 last year from slightly more than 47,000 a year earlier.
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Wind farm plans stir up storm over military radar
Corvallis Gazette-Times
03/18/2010
The US military is growing increasingly concerned that proposed wind farms can disrupt or block radar designed to detect threats and protect America's skies, a problem that is stalling the alternative energy projects around the country.
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Solar panels raise concerns
Coos Bay World
03/18/2010
Residents of Christmas Valley, south of Bend, are worried about solar projects planned for their area. They want the companies to put up money to ensure the sites are cleaned up if they're abandoned, and some feel the solar farms don't mesh with the High Desert.
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Oil and gas leases halted for climate analysis
Missoulian
03/18/2010
A federal judge in Missoula has approved a first-of-its-kind settlement requiring the government to suspend 38,000 acres of oil and gas leases in Montana so it can gauge how oilfield activities contribute to climate change.
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Low pesticide levels found near salmon
Seattle Times
03/18/2010
Low pesticide concentrations, generally below levels that violate water quality standards, have been detected in five Washington watersheds where salmon are found. Levels at some sites may harm aquatic life that serves as a food source for salmon.
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Oregon energy tax incentives face new limits
Oregonian
03/18/2010
A host of reforms aimed at reining in Oregon's budget-busting subsidies for green energy projects were signed into law Thursday. The rules phase out tax incentives for big wind farms, give the state greater authority to reject applications, and caps state expenditures on attracting renewable energy.
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BC forests outlook not so gloomy
CBC BC
03/19/2010
The outlook for the lumber sector in BC Interior, ravaged by the mountain pine beetle, isn't as pessimistic as an industry report would suggest, Forests Minister Pat Bell said Thursday.
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Thin snowpack has NW farmers worried
KUOW
03/17/2010
From Oregon's Klamath Basin to Washington's Yakima Valley, Northwest farmers know they are in for a tough summer. Growers are scrambling around their crop plans. The region's three governors are considering drought declarations for certain parts of their states.
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Protect whales or the salmon they eat?
Bellingham Herald
03/17/2010
When it comes to dinner, Puget Sound's killer whales show no respect for international boundaries. Using new tests, scientists say that as much as 90 percent of the Chinook they eat are from Canada's Fraser River.
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Turning muddy pits into green spaces, parking
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
03/18/2010
Seattle is drafting legislation to help give idle construction sites another purpose, including turning them into parking lots and green spaces as well as locations for art installations and mobile food vendors.
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BC water meters could cut consumption
BC Local News
03/17/2010
Kamloops will soon join the ranks of most BC cities by installing water meters in every home. The city says the installations could get people to conserve enough water to eliminate or defer $24 million worth of capital projects over a decade.
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EPA's focus on kids' enviro health lapses
USA Today
03/17/2010
During the past decade, the EPA's commitment to keeping children safe from toxic chemicals has lapsed, and top officials routinely ignored scores of recommendations by the agency's own children's health advisory committee.
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BC green sector could become $27 billion giant
Vancouver Sun
03/17/2010
BC's green economy could grow into a $27-billion-per-year green giant by 2020. The province could become a "living laboratory" for green-sector growth.
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Riders take to faster buses
Everett Herald
03/18/2010
The Swift line runs more buses and stops less frequently than other routes, which speeds up trips from Everett to Seattle. Swift's per-bus boardings are growing and are now comparable to those of other routes, officials said.
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