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Editor’s Note: Jeanette Henderson, a member of Sightline’s board of directors, read this 2009 post on junk mail, and started noticing the way phone books pile up in her Seattle neighborhood of Queen Anne. She recounted the story at a recent Sightline gathering, and we thought it worth publishing. Phone books piled in doorways caught my attention while walking in my neighborhood one January weekend. Verizon yellow pages phone books,...

Today, Washington released details of a final agreement to reduce the amount of toxic mercury and smog-causing pollution wafting from the stacks of the Centralia coal plant. That should be a good thing. Except that many folks—from physicians to trout fishermen to Mount Rainier National Park’s superintendent—argued the deal was weaker than it ought to be. Based on the math alone, we came to the same conclusion. Our analysis found...

Here’s a nice catch, from alert reader Callie Jordan:  transportation guru Reid Ewing discussing his new, comprehensive study of the links between community design and transportation.  Here’s Ewing: The best way to minimize driving appears to be to develop in existing centers near the core of the metropolitan area, in areas of high destination accessibility where there are a whole lot of jobs near by…[O]ther factors like mixed-use and intersections and...

As happens with stock charts, this one is likely to be out of date even before I get this post published.  But here’s Google Finance’s chart comparing the stock price of British Petroleum (in red), an energy-stock index fund (in blue) and an S&P 500 index fund (in yellow). Since the oil spill in the Gulf in late April, BP’s stock has tanked.  Meanwhile, the broader stock market has inched...

Editor’s Note July 2017: We are bringing back this popular article just in time for summer! Find the best sun protection and share the facts with your friends and family with this sunscreen safety 101. Then, head over to Environmental Working Group for its 2017 sunscreen update. If you’re concerned about the potential health and environmental harm caused by personal care products, the solution is pretty easy. Forgo the fancy lotions, hair gels, nail polish, and...

At the risk of piling on, I think it’s worth making a pitch for better energy efficiency provisions in the building code. It’s a proven method for boosting the economy that also happens to have some nice environmental benefits. For years, Washington Governor Gregoire has been a leader on energy efficiency. In fact, one year ago she called on the State Building Code Council to achieve a 30 percent reduction in energy...

While Seattle gets itself all in a lather over the nude cyclists at the Fremont Solstice Parade, Portland’s Pedalpalooza—which kicks off tomorrow—has, count ’em, three separate events dedicated to cycling in the buff, including a 16-mile ride done Lady Godiva style. There are also plenty of family friendly and more practical events planned for Pedalpalooza’s two-plus weeks of “bikey fun.” It includes bike camping 101, yoga on bikes, and bike...

I’m a sucker for a cool map, so I was fascinated by a depiction I saw used recently by John Barrett of Stockholm Environment Institute. It’s a cartogram version of the world map, using exports of toys as the determinant of size rather than landmass. Check it out. TOY EXPORTS The world of toy exports is clearly dominated by China with bit parts played by Taiwan, southeast Asia, India, and Mexico....

Washington State’s Referendum 52 would invest $500 million in the best efficiencies that money can buy in local schools—from elementary schools to universities and community colleges. Money saved by schools on energy bills would go to doing what schools do best: educating students and preparing them for the future. In the bargain, much needed investments in school buildings would create jobs for local workers in the efficiency and construction fields....

Following up on last week’s preliminary analysis of the Kerry-Lieberman climate bill, here’s a closer look at how allowances are distributed under the cap-and-trade program. (Sometimes called “permits,” the number of allowances in a given year is equivalent to the annual cap established by the program.) High level: the allowances allocated over the life of the program, from 2013 to 2050, heavily favor consumer benefits. Smaller chunks are dedicated to...