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It was just over eight years ago that I decided to ruin a perfectly good summer by running for the Washington State Legislature. Yes, for a brief period, I was a politician. I never got used to the idea even though for the previous decade I had decided that I would run for office at some point in the future. My opportunity came in 2002 when, after a redistricting shuffle,...

Wow. Just wow. Researchers from the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Md. analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and found that nearly 40 percent of calories consumed by children ages 2 to 18 were empty calories… Half of these calories came from just six foods:   *    Soda    *    Sugary fruit drinks   *    Grain desserts, such as cake, cookies and donuts   *    Dairy desserts such as...

A recent article in the New York Times highlighted a topic I’d been hearing a lot about lately: “passive house.” Passive house is a methodology that takes advantage of materials and design to dramatically limit total energy consumption by reducing the need for heating and cooling. It’s ‘passive’ because keeping a building warm or cool doesn’t require flipping a switch or adjusting a thermostat. In other words, it’s self regulating....

Here’s a nifty chart from a new report from the Canadian Center for Policy Alternatives-BC—showing, among other things, that service jobs in British Columbia are low-emission jobs. My first thought was that the chart shows that the gradual economy-wide shift towards services could be a good thing for the province’s emissions. But my first thought was probably wrong:  what the chart really demonstrates is the overwhelming importance of a handful...

Sightline is still on the lookout for a sustainability spy, and Friday is your last chance to be entered to win a free vacation to Portland. All you have to do is sign up for Sightline’s daily or weekly emails and you’ll be entered to win. Plus, if you’re already a subscriber you can share Sightline with your network for even more chances. The winner will get three days to...

In response to the sluggish economy, Seattle Public Utilities is paring down its budgets and programs, and has identified three stormwater-related projects that could be eliminated: the “Swale on Yale,” protections for Venema Creek, and an expanded street sweeping program. While these projects require some expenditure now, they represent opportunities and investments that can pay dividends in the near future. All three projects promise to make the city cleaner and...

Portland’s ecoroof program is enough to turn other sustainability-striving cities green with envy. The City of Roses boasts 351 green roofs and rooftop gardens covering more than 26 acres.* By comparison, Seattle has 62 vegetated roofs totaling about 9 acres. How’d they do it? I had the opportunity to talk to Amy Chomowicz, one of the city’s top ecoroof officials, for a story that’s out today on the Seattle P-I’s...

I have one more constitutional fix for Washington State to round out the suite of sustainability amendments that should be considered in the next legislative session. (The first was a repeal or rewrite of the state’s 18th Amendment restricting the use of taxes collected on cars for highways; the second was a fix to allow the state to loan its credit for energy efficiency retrofits.) Constitutional fixes are never easy,...

Last week—and just in time for the start of the football season—the benevolent geniuses at Walk Score published walkability rankings for every NFL stadium in the US.  If you’re keeping score, Seattle’s Qwest Field, the Northwest’s only NFL stadium, ranked fifth in walkability among the NFL.  But if Canadian Football League stadiums had been included, the BC Lions permanent home would have tied for 2nd, behind only St. Louis.) But last week also marked the start...

Editor’s note: Want to check out Portland’s streetcar for yourself? Sign up for our daily news roundup or weekly blog recap and you’ll be entered to win a trip for two to the City of Roses. Existing readers can refer friends and colleagues to be entered to win, too! Back in 2008, when gas prices were peaking and employment hadn’t yet collapsed, transit ridership was positively soaring.  In a single...