Another Green Monday
DTE is thrilled to see more bikes on the road but putting a number on the growing number of riders is an issue. The success of blogs, non-profits, and events like Bike To Work week and Spokefest are definite indicators of a city ready to ride yet an actual count of regular bike commuters remains a mystery. (Check a must-read from last year on this pervasive dilemma, titled The Unseen Cyclist.) So here’s a new qualifying experiment: The City of Spokane needs volunteers to assist with a count of cyclists and pedestrians on October 1st and October 3rd. This is a great opportunity because the count will provide data that the City can use for funding bicycle and pedestrian improvements.
There will be two counts during high commuter hours—one during a weekday morning from 7 to 9 a.m. and one during a weekday evening from 4 to 6 p.m. The plan is to organize the counts on Thursday, Oct. 1, and needs 24 volunteers for each count—two each at a dozen intersections, and the City might add a count on Saturday, Oct. 3, from noon to 2 p.m. If interested, please contact Grant Wencel (or call him at 509-625-6694) and a meeting for volunteers will be on Tuesday, September 29th, 7pm, at City Hall. For more information, check out www.wsdot.wa.gov/bike/Count.htm. This is a critical issue for us all as we consider viable and safe alternative transportation so Spokane can move forward.
Below are some stories you might've missed.
Eight climate change study centers in the United States - Councilwoman Nancy McLaughlin not lobbying for one in Spokane. Recent statistics show that ten percent of Americans just flat out don't believe any of the talk about climate change, though current inaction should lead you to believe those stats are higher. Regardless, the United States Department of the Interior is creating eight regional response centers to address the impact of climate change on the people and land overseen by the agency - with one of the announced centers being in Alaska. According to The Washington Post, a secretarial order, which was signed by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar last Monday, "will create eight 'regional climate change response centers' in areas ranging from Alaska to the Northeast and build landscape conservation cooperatives that will create strategies for the eight regions with the help of state and local groups, and other federal agencies." Read more about from The Washington Post HERE.
Wonderful look at energy conservation. In our Another Green Monday two weeks ago, we talked about a report by the Northwest Power and Conservation Council (NPCC) that said 85 percent of the Northwest’s new energy needs can be met simply with energy conservation via more energy-efficient technology and practices. Then last Sunday, the Oregonian ran a fantastic story about what that conversation looks like. Titled, "Meeting the energy challenge through conservation in Oregon", the story looked at energy conservation as not only the most ecologically appropriate choice to make but also the best economic choice showing that, "saving energy is anywhere from 50 to 75 percent cheaper than buying it on the open market or building power plants," and that that 85 percent figure from above could be the equivalent of saving 20 new power plants from being built in the NW. Read this great article HERE.
This is... this is... last exit. And that's what it might take for the federal government to start studying Snake River dam breaching. The Obama administration announced last week that, "Salmon levels would have to drop to mid-1990s levels - when some runs came close to winking out - before the federal government would even study breaching dams," this according to the Idaho Statesman. "Breaching of the Snake River dams remains on the table in this plan, but it is considered a contingency of last resort," said Jane Lubchenco, undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. While most pro-dam breachers have long understood that breaching is the last resort, the question still remains - are all other options for recovering salmon and steelhead populations used up? Read more HERE. For a bit of good news regarding fish in Washington, the Obama administration last week finalized a deal with Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire to spend an additional $40.5 million improving salmon habitat on the north side of the Columbia River. Read more about this HERE.
Newsflash: So-called “safe” levels of lead, ain’t what they used to be. In 1991, the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention revised their level of concern for blood levels down to ten micrograms. New studies show, these levels affect poor scores in reading and writing, antisocial behavior, and cause hyperactivity. Worst part: The World Health Organization estimated that globally half of the urban children under the age of five have blood levels exceeding this limit. Full story HERE from the BBC.
And finally... news from Washington D.C. that isn't ripe with anger, but just ripe. First Lady Michelle Obama was the first customer last week at the opening of the new White House Farmer’s Market, where she selected some fresh produce from The Farm at Sunnyside, an organic producer from Rappahannock, Va. “A farmer’s market is not just about vegetables, it’s about community,” she said. Read more HERE.
