Another Green Monday
There we are, leading the DTE Expo ’74 tour, down a path that was once an industrial eyesore only to be transformed into a park in the heart of Spokane--- a brilliant move that revived a forgotten river back to the center of our civic identity. 
We decided to discuss Expo because it was themed “Celebrating a Fresh New Environment”; the committed originators were right, long before the mainstream agreed; and there was an energy and optimism that drove the community with residual environmental effects in those days.
(Photo of the old Great Northern Depot and Clocktower. Courtesy of Discovery School.)
And now, it has been passed on since yesterday’s annual Earth Day Celebration in Riverfront Park felt strangely parallel, thirty-five years later. To us, each of the forty(!) groups participating represented the best of the Inland Northwest, raising awareness and welding together different ideas with our planet in mind. A visiting tour member from Australia expressed amazement in the sheer number of smaller, community organizations educating in “our beautiful park.” So take a bow Spokane: Your participation and enthusiasm with this year’s event has us hopeful, and we’ll see you next year. Here are some stories you might've missed:
Is shopping local and organic too hard to live by? It’s a worthy question for readers balancing their budget. As part of Pinched, an ongoing series at Salon about life during recession, writer Siobhan Phillips addresses the Achilles heel charge against foodies: Elitism. But, she does so by conducting an experiment. To wit: “So last year, when global food prices began to soar, I devised an experiment: My husband and I would eat conscientiously for a month, not just on our regular grocery allotment but on the government-defined, food-stamp minimum: $248 for two people in our hometown of New Haven, Conn. We would choose the SOLE-est products available -- that is, the sustainable, organic, local or ethical alternative. We would start from a bare pantry, shop only at places that took food stamps and could be reached on foot, and use only basic appliances.” MORE. Newt in this House. A strange thing happened recenty - Newt Gingrich, former Republican Speaker of the House, and former David Letterman punching bag, has suddently become a regular in the alternative energy / climate change debate going on in America. While Newt may have a history of interest in the topic, we just can't get over the GOP talking point filled editorial he wrote in Newsweek a few weeks back - which if you want a summary of goes like this - "Drill baby drill" (and drill the hell out of areas in the Rocky Mountains). So it came as no surprise that there were fireworks when Newt and the Goracle testified before the Energy and Commerce Committee last week. Read the summary HERE. And for perspective from someone who DTE has been relying on increasingly over the last few months, read Jesse Jenkins of WattHead HERE.
Upcoming Bike Commuter Workshops. As part of Bike To Work week events in Spokane, the following workshops will feature traffic skills, tips on clothing, gear and lighting as well as prize drawings and refreshments. The workshops are free and available on a walk-in basis--no need to register. Workshop times, dates and locations are:
Tuesday April 28, 6-7:30pm at Shadle Library, 2111 W. Wellesley.
Wednesday, April 29, 6-7:30pm at Mountain Gear, 2002 N. Division.
Monday, May 4, 6-7:30pm at North Spokane Library, 44 E. Hawthorne Rd.
(These workshops will also feature roadside repair instruction by techs from North Division Bicycle Shop.)
