Did you know that reducing your carbon footprint could help you to achieve a longer, healthier life? There are many choices in your daily life that influence both the environment and your longevity. Here are three of the most influential…

1. Reduce your consumption of convenience foods, anything in a package or can. I’m sure you’re well aware that packaging of convenience foods has an enormous, negative, impact on the environment. Do you know how it affects your health? In general, packaged foods are higher in salt, other preservatives, saturated fat, food colorings and high fructose corn syrup. These contribute to high blood pressure, heart disease, strokes, kidney disease, cancer and obesity. If you want to live a longer, healthier life, choose foods with the least amount of processing and packaging.

2. Eat less red meat. Raising livestock contributes substantially to global warming. It also contributes substantially to obesity, heart disease, and cancer. The growth hormones, saturated fat and excess iron in red meat are unquestionably bad for your health. The more you eat, the greater your carbon footprint, the greater the risk for age-related disease, the shorter your potential lifespan.

3. Avoid modern conveniences when practical. Take the stairs, walk or bike instead of drive, watch less television, use your brain instead of a calculator, hang your laundry out instead of using a dryer. You get the idea. The more active you are, the lower your blood pressure, lower your risk for stroke, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity and osteoporosis. The more active you are, the lower your carbon footprint.

These are simple choices that can change your life, your world, and how long your are in it. For a more thorough description of these and other steps you can take to live longer, please visit healthspan101.com.

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Photo by Chijo Takeda from Friends of Trees

Friends of Trees is an excellent organization in the Portland, OR metro region that focuses on bringing people together to plant and care for trees. Between 1989 and today, Friends of Trees have planted over 390,000 trees in the Portland region. As a casual bicyclist, I have witnessed the work of Friends of Trees along the I-205 Freeway bike path. I was able to recognize their work because of the signs they put up around the trees that signify their plantings.

Friends of Trees have also partnered with the City of Portland and the Oregon Department of Transportation with a goal to plant 33,000 yard trees and 50,000 street trees citywide as well as more freeway tree plantings like the ones I've witnessed near I-205.

Trees have an enormous impact that benefits property owners as well as the environment. According to Friends of Trees, a homeowners property value can increase by as much as $7000 from a tree (presumably a full grown tree) which could also lift nearby neighbors property values as well. Trees also have the added benefits of intercepting pollutants and keeping stormwater runoff from polluting rivers.

One really useful resource they have is the Neighborhood Tree Planting Program where you can register with the website and purchase trees for 70% off what a contractor would pay for plantings in your neighborhood.

All around this organization is doing really good work that helps build livable communities, cleaner air, and cleaner rivers in the Portland Metro area. Check them out, by following the link to Friends of Trees. If you are thinking about who to donate for before this tax year is over, this would be an excellent choice. Their are also volunteer opportunities listed on the site if you are interested in tree planting and have some extra time on your hands.

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When people think about electric charging stations, most people think about its use as applied to electric vehicles such as the Nissan Leaf or Chevy Volt. However, their exists another side to electric charging stations that are implemented in the Pacific Northwest and gearing up for the rest of the country. A company called Shorepower Technologies has developed a specialized charging station for truck stops. The company calls the stops electrified parking spaces and they are meant to reduce dangerous emissions from idling diesel trucks.

The benefits of an electrified parking space to a truck driver is that they will pay less money on using electricity for their needs versus burning diesel fuel while idling. Shorepower estimates that truck drivers can see a savings of up to $4000 a year by using electrified parking spaces instead of idling. The video below really does more justice in explaining the benefits to the environment and the benefits to the truckers.

With charging stations setup along the I-5 corridor in the Pacific Northwest, reduced emissions are welcomed. Their is quite a bit of support from state governments to reduce emissions and greenhouse gases as well as support from NGO's. In Oregon, a non-profit called the Oregon Toxics Alliance is actively playing a role to reduce emissions from idling with partnerships from businesses and the Department of Environmental Quality. The state of Oregon as well as other states will certainly benefit economically as well as environmentally from a system wide implementation of these outfitted truck stops.

The following markers on the map are the stations that are operational in Oregon and Washington. Go to Shorepower's website for details on the exact locations of these stations.

Shorepower also does make standard electric vehicle charging stations, of which I've taken a photo of at the OMSI museum in Portland. They have an impressive network of standard EV charging stations in the Portland Metro region that can also be seen on their website as well.

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Also read Biomass Energy Generation Myths

The federal Environmental Protection Agency has proposed that biomass incinerators be required to report greenhouse gas emissions when the government starts regulating carbon next year. But The Oregonian's editorial board argues that this will "shackle" the biomass industry "with hobbling costs." Is the fear that greenhouse gas reporting will expose the heavy carbon burden of burning wood to make energy?

The Clean Air Act requires that facilities measure, report and minimize air pollution and climate-altering greenhouse gases. Biomass plants should be no different in this regard than other industrial processes. The EPA decision denying the industry's request for an exemption from the Clean Air Act is based on the evidence that burning trees to generate energy can actually increase rather than help curb greenhouse gas emissions.

The EPA isn't the only agency casting doubts on the wisdom of burning biomass for energy. The state of Massachusetts' Department of Energy Resources published a decision in July to require that biomass plants report their greenhouse gas profile. Reporting will be required so that the state can meet its renewable energy standard and carbon reduction goals. Massachusetts will require, for example, that biomass energy production demonstrate maximum energy efficiency standards, a 50% reduction in GHG over a 20-year cycle, and forest practices that are measurably sustainable, and a limit on the total timber per acre eligible to be harvested for biomass fuels.

The Department of Energy was convinced by a Massachusetts study that concluded that burning forest biomass creates a "carbon debt." The debt occurs when we outpace the earth's ability to absorb carbon dioxide. The carbon debt increases as trees are removed from forests, because their ability to absorb carbon from the atmosphere is diminished, and the carbon naturally stored in their woody tissue is prematurely released by burning them in an incinerator. According to another study, the significant carbon debt can take as long as over two and a half centuries to repay if biomass is used as a fossil fuel replacement.

Burning biomass is also a dirty air problem. Even with air pollution controls, these plants will collectively pump ton after ton of toxins into the air every day -- chemicals that will rain down on the neighborhoods closest to the plant. A number of professional medical societies are warning the public that breathing sooty emissions from biomass incinerators is known as the most dangerous form of pollution and a significant health risk. The Oregon Chapter of the American Lung Association is predicting that patients, particularly children with asthma, respiratory and cardiac ailments, will experience increases in the incidence of respiratory problems. These diseases can be worsened by small micro pollutants, the type of pollution that will increase with the proliferation of biomass plants in Oregon.

The environmentalist Aldo Leopold reminded us that the first rule of intelligent tinkering was to "keep all the pieces," not burn them.

Burning biomass, a process that depletes natural resources and pollutes our neighborhoods, is not the renewable and clean-energy panacea that commercial timber companies would have us believe. If we are to go down this path, Oregon residents must call upon our elected officials to require reasonable safeguards, starting with a complete state environmental impact report, carbon life-cycle accounting, and compliance with future, tighter Clean Air Act mandates.

Lisa Arkin is executive director of the Oregon Toxics Alliance.
Editorial published from The Oregonian

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Many may not think of freight rail as an environmentally sound business, but it is actually the lesser of evils in terms of transportation related pollution. It is up to four times more fuel efficient versus trucking goods and in terms of carbon output freight puts out less.

To further tout their green railroad horn, Union Pacific, the major freight rail company in the western US, filters out diesel particulates by using a fancy device called a high temperature silicon carbide block to trap particulate matter in the exhaust. Tests have shown that having these diesel particulate filters (DPF's) have filtered up to 75% of particular matter.

Union Pacific, specifically, seems to have lofty and noteworthy environmental goals to reduce emissions and boost fuel efficiency. Little did I know until after reading their website that they have introduced hybrid diesel trains that further reduce nitrogen oxides and particulate matter by 80% and improve fuel efficiency by 16% over their non-hybrid trains.

Furthermore, another source of pollution from trains are from idling trains. According to the Union Pacific website, they say idling is necessary in certain conditions but they are working on solutions to reduce idling related pollution.

The railroad has developed a comprehensive plan to reduce the amount of time locomotive engines idle. Part of the plan involves using automatic stop-start equipment on newer locomotives to eliminate unnecessary idling. Older locomotives are being retrofitted with similar technology. Nearly two-thirds of Union Pacific's locomotive fleet is now equipped with this technology.

UP continues to train employees and reinforce shutdown requirements, emphasizing the impact they can have on fuel conservation and diesel emissions by reducing engine idling.

As our economy continues to hop along from the depths of a severe recession, freight traffic across the country is increasing. It is nice to know that some environmental stewardship is taking place in this important sector of commerce.

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According to the official Nissan Leaf website, Nissan has secured 20,000 reservations for the all electric zero emissions vehicle and is no longer accepting anymore. It calls the initial reservations phase 1, and it will not begin taking additional reservations until phase 2 has started some time next year. According The Register Guard in Eugene Oregon, about 940 Nissan Leafs will be sold in Oregon once they are released.

In Oregon, the state received a federal grant of $2 million to install 24 fast charging plug-in stations that have the capability of charging 80% of a car battery in 20 to 30 minutes. Those will complement the over 1100 standard charging stations being installed around the state. The infrastructure being put in place right now to relieve range anxiety and to provide a solid foundation for the future EV market will be put to the test in December when the Nissan Leaf's will hit the market.

Reports of people who have reserved the Nissan Lead have been bombarded with government incentives — promises of a $7,500 federal tax credit, a $2,500 cash rebate from states and a $3,000 home-charging unit courtesy of the Energy Department.

Some people have asked basic questions about the Leaf to Nissan, the answers came in a 40-minute telephone call from a senior manager in Nissan’s corporate planning department.

People feel as if they have been designated as the chosen people due to all the incentives for these early adopters. It is all part of an unprecedented effort by federal, state and local governments to stimulate demand for cars that have zero tailpipe emissions — and Nissan’s pre-emptive bid to corner the all-electric market much the way that Toyota dominated the early hybrid market with the Prius.

Oregon certainly seems prime to build a cluster of EV suppliers with the announcement last week of Eaton Corp to use it's Wilsonville, Oregon facility to manufacture Fast Charging Electric Plug-in devices. From their corporate website:

Eaton Corporation announced today [Oct.13th] that it has chosen its Wilsonville, Oregon, satellite power center as a lead facility to modify and integrate its Electric Vehicle (EV) DC quick charger for the North American market. With this commitment, Oregon continues to establish itself as a leader in the emerging electric vehicle market, and Eaton further underscores its commitment to the Pacific Northwest region and the California market.

Time will tell if the Nissan Leaf will thrive as well as the broader electric vehicle market. The future of this market seems promising.

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Portland, Oregon is yet again proving to the country and the world that it intends to brand itself as a top notch sustainable city. Not merely is it enough to build LEED Platinum buildings nor have an entire neighborhood [Hoyt Street Yards Pearl District] designated LEED ND Platinum status. No...Portland's plan is much larger than that, it envisions Eco Districts.

What is an Eco District you ask? Well an Eco District might mean something different to different people depending on who you talk to, but in general it can be defined as: a neighborhood or district with a broad commitment to accelerate neighborhood-scale sustainability. Eco Districts commit to achieving ambitious sustainability performance goals, guiding district investments and community action, and tracking the results over time.

What does that mean for Portland? Well, as part of a broader strategy, the city is already applying methods to make the city as a whole "sustainable", but it is more than just that. The city has identified Portland State University, South Waterfront, and the Lloyd district as districts that they can transform to fit their vision and definition of the special districts.

I think that they chose the areas they did because an eco district would have to be in a dense urban area that has easy access to public transportation. In the case of PSU, it is right on the streetcar line and also on the Max light rail lines. The Oregon Sustainability Center is one of the key icons that will anchor the PSU eco district. It is a planned Living Building, a building that is net zero energy, net zero water usage, and net zero carbon emissions. It is the most stringent environmentally conscious building that can be built.

The Oregon Sustainability Center will be a living, breathing, and working building, where 725 office tenants and 1,400 students and faculty will use the conference center, classrooms and offices. Joined by dozens to hundreds of visitors, their presence will ensure the delivery of real-world information in studies conducted at OSC.

A robust research agenda will maximize OSC’s experimental opportunities. Already, researchers across the Oregon University System and beyond are developing questions around five major research themes:

Integrated performance-based design, construction and operations

The Oregon Sustainability Center will create a solid connection between its research agenda and the businesses that can turn research into marketable products and services. The five themes span industry sectors that are strong and growing in Oregon, including renewable energy, energy efficiency, and green building. These sectors have strong support from state and local governments. In OSC, they have the opportunity to prove their products in a real-world environment.

The Center will also be a model for coordination among community colleges, Oregon University System institutions and training entities. With a host of technologies on-site – from biological wastewater treatment systems to solar panels – OSC provides an optimal setting for hands-on green job training.

Beyond Oregon's planned Sustainability Research Center, other components of an Eco District include urban rooftop gardens, extensive bicycle boulevards [see Portland's $600 million Bicycle Master Plan], designated "green streets", and district energy plans.

District Energy is a topic for another post, but it will become a major component of the future Portland Eco Districts. Portland's District Energy systems would be a low-energy alternative to electric systems in which a network of pipes beneath city streets transfer heat to and from buildings. Such a project would pump water from the Willamette River to heat and cool new developments in the Pearl and South Waterfront districts and eventually expand to the entire downtown and PSU campus.

A district heating system has been mentioned in the city's local action plan for global warming since before 1993, when Portland became the first U.S. city to adopt a goal of reducing emissions to 10 percent below 1990 levels by 2010.

We'll keep an eye out on any new developments that arise in the race to create sustainable eco districts.

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Blog Action Day 2010 is trying to raise awareness around the globe on the issue of water resources. Right now, almost a billion people on the planet don’t have access to clean, safe drinking water. That’s one in eight of us.

Unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation cause 80% of diseases and kill more people every year than all forms of violence, including war. Children are especially vulnerable, as their bodies aren't strong enough to fight diarrhea, dysentery and other illnesses. The UN predicts that one tenth of the global disease burden can be prevented simply by improving water supply and sanitation.

But, water moves beyond just a human rights issue. It’s an environmental issue, an animal welfare issue, a sustainability issue. Water is a global issue, deserving a global conversation.

The following are just a few of many reasons why this is such an important issue:

A Human Right: Safe and clean drinking water and sanitation is a human right essential to the full enjoyment of life and all other human rights, the General Assembly of the UN declared July 28, 2010, voicing deep concern that almost 900 million people worldwide do not have access to clean water.

The United Nations expresses deep concern that an estimated 884 million people lack access to safe drinking water and a total of more than 2.6 billion people do not have access to basic sanitation. Studies also indicate about 1.5 million children under the age of five die each year and 443 million school days are lost because of water- and sanitation-related diseases.

Cell Phones vs Toilets: Today, 2.5 billion people lack access to toilets, but many more have access to a cell phone. This is a sad fact.

Today’s water crisis is not an issue of scarcity, but of access. More people in the world own cell phones than have access to a toilet. And as cities and slums grow at increasing rates, the situation worsens. Every day, lack of access to clean water and sanitation kills thousands, leaving others with reduced quality of life.

Food Footprint: It takes 24 liters of water to produce one hamburger. That means it would take over 19.9 billion liters of water to make just one hamburger for every person in Europe.

Relieving hunger in Africa and around the world has to begin with access to clean water. It may seem simple, but we forget that without access to a reliable source of water, food is hard to grow and even more difficult to preserve and prepare. It takes huge amounts of water to grow food.

Blog Action Day 2010: Water from Blog Action Day on Vimeo.

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The Problem

By the year 2050, nearly 80% of the earth's population will reside in urban centers. Applying the most conservative estimates to current demographic trends, the human population will increase by about 3 billion people during the interim. An estimated 109 hectares of new land (about 20% more land than is represented by the country of Brazil) will be needed to grow enough food to feed them, if traditional farming practices continue as they are practiced today. At present, throughout the world, over 80% of the land that is suitable for raising crops is in use (sources: FAO and NASA). Historically, some 15% of that has been laid waste by poor management practices. What can be done to avoid this impending disaster?

A Potential Solution: Farm Vertically

The concept of indoor farming is not new, since hothouse production of tomatoes, a wide variety of herbs, and other produce has been in vogue for some time. What is new is the urgent need to scale up this technology to accommodate another 3 billion people. An entirely new approach to indoor farming must be invented, employing cutting edge technologies. The Vertical Farm must be efficient (cheap to construct and safe to operate). Vertical farms, many stories high, will be situated in the heart of the world's urban centers. If successfully implemented, they offer the promise of urban renewal, sustainable production of a safe and varied food supply (year-round crop production), and the eventual repair of ecosystems that have been sacrificed for horizontal farming.

It took humans 10,000 years to learn how to grow most of the crops we now take for granted. Along the way, we despoiled most of the land we worked, often turning verdant, natural ecozones into semi-arid deserts. Within that same time frame, we evolved into an urban species, in which 60% of the human population now lives vertically in cities. This means that, for the majority, we humans are protected against the elements, yet we subject our food-bearing plants to the rigors of the great outdoors and can do no more than hope for a good weather year. However, more often than not now, due to a rapidly changing climate regime, that is not what follows. Massive floods, protracted droughts, class 4-5 hurricanes, and severe monsoons take their toll each year, destroying millions of tons of valuable crops. Don't our harvestable plants deserve the same level of comfort and protection that we now enjoy? The time is at hand for us to learn how to safely grow our food inside environmentally controlled multistory buildings within urban centers. If we do not, then in just another 50 years, the next 3 billion people will surely go hungry, and the world will become a much more unpleasant place in which to live.

Advantages of Vertical Farming

VF could reduce the incidence of armed conflict over natural resources, such as water and land for agriculture

Check Out This YouTube Video

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Fast EV chargers will be placed in Portland, Eugene, Salem, and Corvallis as part of a plan to install 1,100 charging stations in Oregon by July! Car manufacturers and charging companies want to eliminate anxiety related to electric-vehicle's also known as "range anxiety".

Another company, Eaton Corp., will modify and integrate electric-vehicle quick chargers at a plant in Wilsonville, OR in the Portland Metro Region.

The announcements come as representatives of ECOtality Inc., a San Francisco company, sign up Oregon companies and retail chains as locations for publicly accessible chargers. Gov. Ted Kulongoski said in a statement Wednesday that electric vehicles mean economic opportunity.

"This is just the beginning of new, private investments because of our commitment to moving the entire Pacific Northwest away from fossil-fuel vehicles," Kulongoski said of Eaton's venture.

Charging-station companies are racing to install units as auto manufacturers prepare to launch electric vehicles. Electric-vehicle owners will install charging equipment in their homes or businesses. But they will also be able to charge batteries at commercial chargers on the road.

Fast chargers, capable of recharging batteries in 15 to 30 minutes, will be concentrated along the Interstate 5 corridor. But the great majority of the 1,100 units scheduled for installation will be "level two" chargers, which motorists might use for anywhere from 45 minutes to two-to-three hours, said David Mayfield, ECOtality area manager for stakeholder services in Oregon.

The slower chargers may be desirable for retail businesses that want customers to stick around and shop a while.

ECOtality is the project manager for a $230 million installation initiative, about half of which is funded by the U.S. Energy Department using stimulus money. The EV Project, the world's largest rollout of electric-vehicle infrastructure, includes 16 states and major metropolitan areas, installing more than 15,000 charging stations during three years.

Oregon cities, government agencies, utilities and other entities have helped ECOtality develop maps identifying high-priority areas for chargers. The maps take into account factors including transportation routes, employment centers and zoning.

Only about 310 charging stations in the 16 states will be fast chargers, said Caitlin Cieslik-Miskimen, an ECOtality spokeswoman. Oregon will get at least 23 of the fast chargers, Mayfield said.

Electric-vehicle drivers could plug into the slower level-two chargers "if they wanted to top off a battery," Cieslik-Miskimen said, "or just get a little bit of extra juice so they can get home."

"We'll make sure downtown Portland has a lot of chargers that are accessible," she said.

In Wilsonville, Eaton plans to work on a quick charger for the North American market capable of recharging an electric vehicle to 80 percent of battery capacity in 15 to 30 minutes. Eaton, a Cleveland-based power-management company, employs 85 at the 80,000-square-foot plant.

The work force will remain the same for the new project, said Kelly Hubbard, account executive with Largemouth Communications. She did not know how many chargers the plant will produce.

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New Habitat Designations Aim to Recover this Threatened Species

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently revised the 2005 critical habitat designation for bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus), a threatened species found throughout much of the Pacific Northwest and protected under the federal Endangered Species Act.

Approximately 18,975 miles of streams and 488,252 acres of lakes and reservoirs in Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Montana and Nevada are being designated as critical habitat for the wide-ranging fish. In Washington, 754 miles of marine shoreline are also being designated.

“This action is the result of an extensive review of the Service’s previous bull trout critical habitat proposals and designation, as well as comments and new information received during the 2010 public review process,” said Robyn Thorson, Regional Director of the Service’s Pacific Region. “Our biologists worked hard to ensure the best science was used to identify the features and areas essential to the conservation of bull trout rangewide.”

“Bull trout depend on cold, clear water and are excellent indicators of water quality,” Regional Director Thorson said. “Protecting and restoring their habitat contributes not only to the recovery of the species but to the water quality of rivers and lakes throughout their range.”

Once plentiful, bull trout were found in 60 percent of the Columbia River Basin but now occur in less than half their historical range, with populations remaining in portions of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Nevada. In the Klamath River Basin, bull trout occur in 21 percent of their historical range. They were listed in1999 as a threatened species throughout their range in the lower 48 U.S. states.

Bull trout are primarily threatened by habitat degradation and fragmentation, blockage of migratory corridors, poor water quality, the effects of climate change and past fisheries management practices, including the introduction of non-native species such as brown, lake and brook trout.

The designation, developed by a team of federal scientists with input from peers outside the agency, is intended to provide sufficient habitat to allow for genetic and life history diversity, ensure bull trout are well distributed across representative habitats, ensure sufficient connectivity among populations and allow for the ability to address threats facing the species.

If we take steps now to protect the good habitat that’s left and restore what’s degraded, we’ll not only save and recover bull trout and other salmonids. We’ll be helping ourselves and leaving a legacy we can be proud of to future generations.

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Ecycler.com creates a new way to recycle by connecting people discarding recyclables (cans, bottles, newspapers, etc.) with those wishing to collect them.

Ecycler provides an alternative to the many U.S. households, institutions or businesses that are not offered curb-side recycling. It's also an option for people who have to pay for curb-side recycling or who want to have their recyclables picked up when and where they desire.

For the individual (or group) collecting recyclables, ecycler provides an entrepreneurship opportunity. Ecycler is driven by these collectors who establish an ecycler recycling program in their community. Collectors can download personalized business cards and posters generated by ecycler.com and then post them in public places. Collector accounts also include a customizable ecycler URL, i.e., their profile page. Anyone who has access to the Internet can become an ecycler collector.

Discarders can do their part for the environment while at the same time helping collectors in need of additional income. The discarders’ recyclables are “collected” by these individuals or groups and redeemed for cash at a local recycling center. Ecycler supports this community building for groups such as the Boy Scouts, Girls Scouts, Church groups, social clubs, etc. by making available the same marketing materials used by individual collectors on ecycler.com.

Ecycler encourages people to discard their recyclables for free; however, discarders can request a portion of the proceeds from the collector. Discarders can track their carbon credits on the site. In addition to the automated calculation of materials recycled though ecycler.com, discarders have the option of listing how many recyclables they've given away on their own to be included in their total.

Ecycler.com provides an accountability tool by allowing collectors and discarders to rate their experiences with one another.

CONTACT:
Timothy Laurent
recycle@ecycler.com

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Northwest Earth Institute, a Portland – based sustainability education and action nonprofit is excited to announce our new course, A World of Health: Connecting People, Place, and Planet! We create and distribute a series of nine small-group discussion guides on a variety of current topics. Our newest discussion based program examines the connections between our personal health and the health of our natural and physical environments, and how we can sustain both. The curriculum consists of six sessions, including video, reading, an action plan, and group discussion questions. The overall goal of the curriculum is to increase awareness of the connections between health and the environment and inspire people to take actions that promote overall good health.

In the past two weeks more than 500 participants have pre-ordered the A World of Health curriculum, and an estimated 5,000 are expected to participate over the coming year. The curriculum is part of an on-going effort by NWEI to educate and inspire people to make small lifestyle changes that have a long-term, positive benefit for themselves and the planet. Since its launch in 1993, more than 125,000 people in all 50 states have participated in NWEI discussion courses.

“Our goal with this curriculum is to help people explore the link between personal and environmental health and provide individuals with inspiration and ideas to help them live healthier lives,” said Mike Mercer, executive director, Northwest Earth Institute. The expectation is that by making small changes in their daily lives, people will improve their personal health and also –their impact on the environment which sustains us.”

With the new A World of Health curriculum, NWEI aims to provide a wide range of actions participants can take to improve their personal health, and in turn, reduce their ecological footprint. While the course is not prescriptive in nature these are a few of the actions that come up for consideration:

Make your own household cleaners. They cost much less, are just as effective and are a safer alternative to relying on harsh, toxic commercial products. Effective cleaning products can be made with borax, washing soda, distilled white vinegar, baking soda, salt, club soda, cooking oil and lemons. On their own or combined together, you can make scouring powder, furniture polish, an all-purpose cleaner and more!

The Northwest Earth Institute is recognized as a national leader in the development of innovative programs that empower individuals and organizations to transform culture toward a sustainable and enriching future. Today, NWEI offers nine study guides for small groups. These self-guided discussion courses are offered in workplaces, universities, faith centers, neighborhoods, community centers, and individuals throughout North America. Through discussion with others, each program encourages participants to explore values and attitudes, and then take action on behalf of the planet. Check out our other course books and blog at http://www.nwei.org!

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Story From The Oregonian

About 50 were brought in to clear weeds from a two-acre urban lot, drawing hundreds of passers-by to stop for a peek, offer a hand-picked weed or pet the animals through a chain-link fence.

"I think one of the things that struck me was how starved people are for nature," said Quigley, who lives a few blocks away. "And this is kind of like bringing nature to us."

Vancouver real estate agency Killian Pacific had Goat Rental NW of Damascus deliver the animals. The idea came from Brett Milligan, a landscape architect, who was hired by Killian to tend the lot.

"They've been out here two weeks," Milligan said. "I thought things would kind of die down in terms of public interest, but it hasn't at all."

Milligan liked the idea of avoiding gas-powered mowers. But because Killian would agree only if it didn't have to pay extra, Milligan offered to count the goats and refill their water buckets for free.

"I'm getting paid in personal satisfaction," Milligan said with a laugh. "I was very interested in alternative practices, things you could make happen in the city. "

Georgina Stiner, president of Goat Rental NW, said using goats instead of lawn mowers is hardly new, but she's finding a growing interest in urban areas.

goatsonbelmont.jpgView full size
"We've had jobs off Powell Boulevard, a lot where there's a lot of construction where they can't really bring a weed wacker in," said Stiner, who started her business nearly one year ago and owns 170 goats that came mostly from shelters.

Lisa Walker, property manager for FC Services, LLC., which manages land for Killian Pacific, said that besides being green, the goats have a side benefit: "The digestive system of the goat actually causes the seeds to be sterile," she said. "Next year, we won't have as many weeds."

The lot was once home to a warehouse and the Monte Carlo and Lido restaurants. The buildings, vacant by then, burned down in 2002. Killian plans to develop the site after the economy improves, Walker said.

Meanwhile, the goats will stick around until Friday, guarded at night by security guards and frequent visits by Portland police officers, Stiner said.

Tuesday afternoon, 19-month-old Gwynedd Foulke, visiting with parents David Foulke and Jessica Goin, watched with wide eyes as she held pieces of long grass toward a small goat.

"We kind of expect the unexpected in Southeast Portland," Foulke said.

Walker said Killian Pacific will look to bring the goats back in the spring.

"We haven't finished the experiment yet, but I would definitely try it again next year," she said.

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BLACHLY, Ore. -- Several groups disagree with the Bureau of Land Management's use of pesticides to control Oregon's weed problem.

One of them, the Oregon Toxics Alliance, set out Wednesday to do something about it.

Partnering with ODOT, members hit the road to knock out invasive species the old fashioned way.

For most people, pulling weeds is the last thing they want to spend their free time doing.

"We're basically just clipping flowers and seed heads so they're not reproducing," said Yotokko Kilpatrick, Walama Restoration Project Operational Director.

But for crew from the Walama Restoration Project, clipping the knapweed is better than the alternative, which could be more common now that Oregon is expanding the list of pesticides that can be used across the state.

They say that move will only hurt the people who live around it as well as the wildlife.

"Certain folks have a chemical sensitivity in the community. We also have salmon fisheries out here as well, so this is a non-toxic approach," Kilpatrick said.

The Oregon Toxics Alliance partnered with ODOT on an eight-mile stretch of land in Blachly.

"We're hoping this will be a model for more green rural economic development," said Lisa Arkin, Oregon Toxics Alliance.

It's a pilot project for now. Arkin says ODOT kicked off the project with the promise to reduce its use of pesticides by 60 percent along Highway 36, and at the same put people back to work.

"We're hoping to employ people who had jobs in natural resource areas perhaps as loggers and fisherman who can't find work," Arkin said.

The Oregon Toxics Alliance is seeking funds to expand the project and employ more Oregon residents.

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People often think about recycling in terms of putting your soda pop cans in a different bin and the aluminum is broken down and reused in other products. It's often thought of being applied to aluminum cans, glass bottles, office/newspaper, and plastic containers. Water can be recycled just as those other materials.

According to the EPA, water recycling is useful because reuses treated wastewater for useful functions such as agricultural and landscape irrigation, industrial processes, toilet flushing, and replenishing ground water supplies.

Water is sometimes recycled and reused onsite; for example, when an industrial facility recycles water used for cooling processes. A common type of recycled water is water that has been reclaimed from municipal wastewater, or sewage. The term water recycling is generally used synonymously with water reclamation and water reuse.

Through the natural water cycle, the earth has recycled and reused water for millions of years. Water recycling, though, generally refers to projects that use technology to speed up these natural processes. Water recycling is often characterized as "unplanned" or "planned." A common example of unplanned water recycling occurs when cities draw their water supplies from rivers, such as the Colorado River and the Mississippi River, that receive wastewater discharges upstream from those cities. Water from these rivers has been reused, treated, and piped into the water supply a number of times before the last downstream user withdraws the water. Planned projects are those that are developed with the goal of beneficially reusing a recycled water supply.

Their are some really great reasons to support recycled or reclaimed water that benefit the environment as well. That includes the ability to provide a dependable, locally-controlled water supply. Water recycling can help us find ways to decrease the diversion of water from sensitive ecosystems. Other benefits include decreasing wastewater discharges and reducing and preventing pollution. Recycled water can also be used to create or enhance wetlands and riparian habitats.

Plants, wildlife, and fish depend on sufficient water flows to their habitats to live and reproduce. The lack of adequate flow, as a result of diversion for agricultural, urban, and industrial purposes, can cause deterioration of water quality and ecosystem health. Water users can supplement their demands by using recycled water, which can free considerable amounts of water for the environment and increase flows to vital ecosystems. This is why the creation of dams for energy all over the world negatively created harmful effects on eco systems that were dependent on adequate flow in rivers and streams.

Their are plenty of reasons why we must start thinking about every which way that we can preserve water. This is especially true for drought stricken areas of the world. This means rethinking the necessity of the suburban lawn, it means collecting rainwater for use in native/vegetable gardens, and it means supporting net zero energy buildings.

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Presentation on Economic Data Needed for EBM by Linwood Pendleton of Duke University (October 28, 2010 at 2 pm US EDT/11 am US PDT). EBM has the potential to substantially improve human welfare, especially through the contribution of ecosystem services to economic values and activities.  Many EBM practitioners recognize the need to better understand the economic components of their ecosystem.  More and more EBM efforts include the collection and analysis of economic data.  Determining what economic information to collect and how to collect it remains a challenge.  In this webinar, we will examine different types of economic information, research, analysis, and modeling that should prove useful for better EBM.  The uses and limitations of different types of economic data are considered.  We also delve into the use and development of economic indicators for EBM monitoring and evaluation.  Register for this webinar at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/478160904.

Presentation on the Creating Resilient Communities EBM Tool Demonstration Project by Jocelyn Hittle of PlaceMatters (November 17, 3 pm US EST/Noon US PST).  The Creating Resilient Communities project, supported by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation as an EBM Tool Demonstration project, is working with three counties in coastal South Carolina (Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester Counties) to model possible future scenarios for the region and evaluate possible outcomes related to natural hazards, sea level rise, community vulnerability, and biodiversity conservation.  The region includes both urban areas (the cities of Charleston and North Charleston) as well as extensive rural and suburban areas, and its population is growing rapidly.  The marine and coastal ecosystems of the region are facing significant pressures and threats related to growth, development, and resource use as well as hurricanes, storm surges and flooding, and rising sea levels.  Three tools- NatureServe Vista, NOAA’s Community Resilience and Vulnerability Assessment Toolkit, and PlaceWay’s CommunityViz- are being used for the modeling and analysis.  The project has encountered a number of substantial implementation challenges typical of tool use projects, including difficulties gathering usable data, engaging decision makers and the community, and working within local government planning processes.  This presentation will give an overview of the project- including a brief overview of the toolkit involved- and will discuss obstacles encountered, possible ways of surmounting common obstacles with tool use, and lessons learned in this process.  Learn more about the project at http://resilient-communities.org.  Register for this webinar at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/796010449.

Demonstration of the Digital Coast Coastal Inundation Toolkit  by Steph Beard, Jodie Sprayberry and Billy Brooks of NOAA Coastal Services Center (September 23, 1 pm US EDT/10 am US PDT).  The Coastal Inundation Toolkit walks communities through an approach for understanding and addressing coastal inundation issues.  The Toolkit covers understanding basic information about coastal inundation, identifying exposure and potential impacts, mapping potential inundation and impacts, assessing community risks and vulnerability, and communicating risk strategies to initiate change.  The Toolkit also provides case studies of how other communities are addressing this issue.  This webinar will provide a brief overview of the Digital Coast, followed by a tour of the Toolkit, ending with a more in depth demonstration of two specific components within the Toolkit: Coastal County Snapshots and the Inundation Mapping Guidebook.  Coastal County Snapshots provide communities with a map and reports on a county’s demographics, infrastructure, and environment within the flood zone.  The Inundation Mapping Guidebook covers ways to obtain and prepare elevation data and water levels, and map and visualize inundation.  Learn more about the Coastal Inundation Toolkit at http://www.csc.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/inundation.  Register for this webinar at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/621728121.

As a film I have supported on this blog by promoting it, to find out this news about CHEVRON going after this filmmaker is very unnerving to say the least. The oil industry is general is on shaky grounds with the BP oil spill, something I have yet to write about on this blog. Please read the following correspondence about how you can support this film against CHEVRON, the 3rd largest corporation in the US.
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Join the fight for the First Amendment rights of the makers of CRUDE and documentary filmmakers everywhere!

As many of you may have seen in the press, the makers of CRUDE were recently served with subpoenas by Chevron, in an effort to gain access to the nearly 600 hours of raw footage accumulated during the making of the film. Our attorneys filed a response, stating that our footage is protected by the journalist’s privilege and forcing us to hand it over to a third party (either Chevron, the plaintiffs’ lawyers, or anyone else) is a violation of our First Amendment rights. A hearing was held on Friday, April 30th in New York. But on Thursday, May 6th, U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan ruled in Chevron's favor.

We are appealing this decision, as we feel it is a violation of our First Amendment rights and could have a seriously chilling effect on documentary filmmakers and journalists everywhere. We appreciate the incredible outpouring of support from people in the documentary community and allies all over the world, and we hope that this extremely troubling situation will conclude in our favor, but we need your help to put up the fight.

Defending ourselves against Chevron, the third largest corporation in America, is extraordinarily costly. We have set up a Kickstarter page as a way for our supporters to help us raise funds for our defense against Chevron and stand up in favor of the future of documentary filmmaking and investigative journalism.

Please donate whatever you can and pass this email and Kickstarter link on to others who may be interested in supporting the cause. On the Kickstarter page, we are offering signed CRUDE DVDs and posters as well as CRUDE American Apparel T-shirts as small tokens of thanks for your generous support.

In addition to the substantial amount of personal funds Joe Berlinger has already put toward this case, we have set our public funding goal at $20,000 (a small fraction of the total cost) by the end of June. With your pledge, you can play an active role and make a very real difference in what has quite rapidly spiraled into an historic battle for the freedom of the press, the protection of journalists, and the foundation of documentary film.

For more articles on the case, please visit the CRUDE Blog.

Thank you.

-Joe Berlinger & Team CRUDE

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