Another Green Monday
Last Thursday night, DTE attended an open house at Windsor Elementary regarding growth management review planning in Spokane County. A fitting location considering the topic: Quiet, rural area, surrounded by a few farms and wetlands. But for the uninitiated, the evening discussion would’ve been boring and depressing. The audience consisted of lawyers, activists, and local residents curious to learn more about their new neighbors since population projections indicate the county will grow more than 150,000 by 2031. Boring because the information demands that people particpate in the planning process yet nobody knows how to involve them. Depressing because the county builds in unincorporated areas and our city okayed chaotic projects like Southgate which disregard our Comprehensive Plan and run contrary to the Growth Management Act. It’s a free-for-sprawl. 
Currently, the City Of Spokane is planning to annex West Plains, further stretching our bare services---safety, utilities, acquifer--- and impacting rural lands. Even City Councilwoman Nancy McLaughlin agrees we’re in trouble though not just for the same reasons as DTE: Smart growth contributes greatly to stopping climate change with reducing driving dependency, as half of green house gas emissions come from automobiles in Washington. To meet our state emission reduction mandates---no more than the 1990 level by 2020---the county and city’s comprehensive plans need to make sure this new development happens in places where residents are able to walk, bike, car pool, use transit, and not drive long distances. However, the conventional wisdom is like purchasing a bigger pair of pants to deal with a weight problem. Citizens should voice their concerns to the county about the 2011 update for the Urban Growth Area. This issue won’t go away however your chance to comment will.
After the jump are some stories you might've missed.
This could be potentially HUGE for Washington State University... and the WORLD. The world's richest, and most well-known philanthropist is calling on a green revolution in agriculture, one that will put an end to world hunger. Speaking at the World Food Prize Symposium in Des Moines, Iowa last Thursday, Gates outlined his own vision, calling on governments, researchers, environmentalists and others to "set aside old divisions and join forces" to help millions of farmers. He announced a $120 million package of nine new agriculture-related grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation - and one has to think an agricultural research university like WSU is paying attention. Read more about Bill Gate's vision HERE in the Seattle Times and HERE from Reuters.
Wolf hunting suspended near Yellowstone and some little boy will go home without a picture of a majestic wolf. According to the AP, "Montana wildlife commissioners shut down gray wolf hunting Tuesday in backcountry adjacent to Yellowstone National Park after nine of the predators were killed there in recent weeks." As you may recall, wolf hunting is being allowed in Idaho and Montana this season for the first time since wolves have come off the endangered species list. True story: this writer visited Yellowstone National Park in the summer of 1995, the same summer wolves were reintroduced to the park and the most cherished memory of that trip is seeing a wolf in the wild, something that people hadn't experienced in the park for many years before that time in 1995. Read more about the suspended wolf hunt HERE.
Dear Science: A tale of two candidates. We hope readers caught the contrasting profiles of city council candidates Amber Waldref and Mike Fagan in the northeast district, which included this telling excerpt:
The candidates have given varying levels of support for Verner’s Sustainability Task Force report, which suggested ways to cut the city’s energy use and reduce carbon emissions.
Waldref said she was “very much in favor” of the proposal.
“We are cutting edge as a city in looking at ways that we can be more efficient and ways that we can cut our carbon footprint as a city,” Waldref said. “These are ways that we can save the taxpayers money.”
Fagan said he would have voted to support the plan, especially since the final version was clear that the city was not adopting the ideas, but simply accepting the report for further consideration.
“I believe there is not consensus in the scientific community that humans play a significant role in global warming,” he said.
Waldref notes that most climate scientists believe that human activity is a significant cause of warming.
“It’s putting our nose in the sand to say ‘It’s not happening and we don’t need to take steps to prepare for that.’ ”
We love that Waldref thinks of sustainability as saving taxpayer's money, while Fagan rambles on about the dangerous anti-tax I-1033 at any given moment. Oh, and Mike, here's the consensus.
