On this blog, I've previously discussed the fact that Portland General Electric (PGE), which supplies most buildings in the greater Portland area with electricity, has connections to mountaintop-removal mining in Kentucky.  This destructive form of mining has ruined communities and natural ecosystems throughout Appalachia, and has destroyed more than 250 pristine mountains.  Over here in Oregon, citizens can do their part to protest coal by purchasing "green," power from PGE, which comes from renewable sources like wind, geothermal, and small-scale hydropower.  The City of Beaverton purchases green power for city buildings, and has challenged residents to do the same in their homes.  The government of Washington County, however, continues to buy plain-old dirty energy, coming largely from coal. 

Last week, I participated in a Sierra Club protest of PGE's reliance on dirty coal.  We paraded down several Portland streets dressed as Santa and his elves, and ended up at PGE's Portland headquarters.  We gave PGE coal in its stocking for being so naughty this year!  The truth is, though PGE does offer green power to customers, it is also responsible for the single largest source of greenhouse emissions in the state of Oregon: the Boardman Coal Plant.  It is PGE's responsibility to shut this plant down, and replace it with renewable energy projects.  However, it is also the responsibility of PGE's customers - like the Washington County Board of Commissioners - to show that the company can make money off of this kind of energy.  The Boardman Coal Plant is one more reason for Washington County to follow Beaverton's lead, and move away from fossil fuels as an energy source.

If you live in Washington County, PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION TO THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS, ASKING THEM TO CUT USE OF FOSSIL FUELS!

 When I first contacted the Washington County Board of Commissioners about global warming and the US Cool Counties Declaration, it sometimes seemed like I might as well be yelling at a black hole.  Commissioner Dick Schouten, supporter of many sustainability policies, responded to my emails; the other four members of the Board, however, barely acknowledged them.  The one message I got from those four individuals was an email from Chairman Brian, basically telling me to buzz off and "rest assured" that the county was already trying to decrease its carbon footprint.  I love it when politicians use the term "rest assured"; it means, "stop bugging me about this, because I'm right and you're wrong and I really don't care what you think."

Well, things have changed some since those first months.  The Cool Washington County movement has held a rally outside the county building, and thrown an event at Pacific University to raise awareness about energy issues.  We've been in multiple local papers, and a letter about the County Board's habit of ignoring citizen input has appeared in the Oregonian.  Portland pollster Adam Davis has reported that Washington County citizens are increasingly concerned about making "environmentally responsible" choices.  And in the face of all this, I recently got an email from County Commissioner Desari Strader, asking me to meet with her.  Amazing what a little grassroots activism can do.

Momentum has been gathering a long time, and we are finally seeing some results.  Near the end of this month I will be sending the Board of Commissioners a petition with over 100 signatures from Washington County residents, asking them to pass the Cool Counties Declaration.  In January, we will be holding another event outside the county building.  And, perhaps most importantly of all, the Oregon Sierra Club is about to join the fray, and will begin meeting with each of the county commissioners in turn after the new year. 

Please help keep this movement growing.  If you live in Washington County, ASK THE COUNTY BOARD TO PASS THE COOL COUNTIES DECLARATION!

-Nick

The petition to make Washington County an official Cool County has been collecting signatures particularly fast these past few days (we're now up to over 100 signatures).  Many people are leaving personalized comments for the Board of Commissioners on the petition, and I thought I post some of the most thought-provoking ones here - they are worth reading!  Words in brackets are mine, that I've added here.  And don't forget to ADD YOUR OWN COMMENTS to the petition.

Comments:

"As a Washington County resident, taxpayer and voter, I request that you endorse and pass the resolution supporting the Cool Counties Climate Stabilization Declaration. This is long term planning, and more important and critical than anything else on the County's agenda."  [Take that, those who contend the county has "other priorities" on which to spend taxpayer money!]        -Posted by Gail

"Washington County and its cities are currently working on a couple transportation initiatives (MSTIP and TIF), and have a huge opportunity to fight global warming simply by working to build roads and urban areas that promote walking, biking, transit, carpooling, or even driving more efficient vehicles. I urge you to consider the impacts of transportation on our environment and consider the implications for climate change. The county should also take every effort in other ways, like using and promoting renewable energy and sustainable development, to fight global warming."        - Posted by Peter

"Actions taken at the local level demonstrate to a slow-to-act national government that these are issues about which the citizenry is concerned and desire legislative action."      -Posted by Zachory

"Counties across the country such as Miami-Dade Florida, Cook County Illinois, and King County Washington, are stepping forward to join The Cool Counties Declaration, which sets a goal of a reduction in greenhouse emissions of 80% below current levels by the year 2050, an achievable average annual reduction of 2 percent. It is based in part on the US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, which has already been signed by Beaverton and Hillsboro."     -Posted by Luigi

"At Community Partners for Affordable Housing we are committed, individually, and as an organization, to reversing the damage being inflicted on our planet! We work to build and renovate in a sustainable way, and promote recycling and clean/green operations at our housing sites. We would like the County Commission to also play a leadership role."            -Posted by Sheila

"I believe that we should be working towards doing everything that we can to keep from harming our planet further and to also work towards reversing the damage that's already been done. We could start by only having one waste removal provider per neighborhood driving trucks that are environmentally friendly. In the time that it takes to remove the garbage and recyclables from my neighborhood right now since they come on both both Tuesdays and Wednesdays; they could service a small city. The whole issue of the amount of noise pollution exerted by these trucks is another issue that needs to be addressed. I believe the County Commission should have been playing a leadership role long ago."  [A great example of something specific the county could do to move forward]         -Posted by Anonymous

"Global warming is the single most important problem facing the human race. In the absence of concerted government action, taking action at the county level may seem more symbolic than practical. But it does more: it helps create a market that will encourage the development of the technologies that may well save the planet for my grandchildren."  [The good old, 'Economy won't survive without the environment' argument]        -Posted by Andrew  

These are just a few of the great things people are saying.  Now, if you haven't already, and if you live in Washington County, please SIGN THE PETITION TO THE BOARD YOURSELF!

-Nick

Here's a quick, but extremely important, post.  We all know that President Bush's position on climate change (don't do much of anything because it'll hurt Big Oil and Coal) doesn't represent the position of the American people.  Now here's a chance to show the world.  As the United Nations discusses a new carbon treaty in Bali, Indonesia, Bush's Administration is trying to disrupt the real progress that could be made.  Please tell other nations to ignore Bush, and focus on what the American people really want.  Go to http://www.avaaz.org/en/please_ignore_bush/4.php

-Nick

 Several liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals, proposed at various sites around the state of Oregon, have been drawing public criticism from people as diverse as farmers, fishers, and environmentalists.  First of all, the terminals would cut through farms and tree plantations without the permission of the owners. Second, forests and other ecosystems would be destroyed to make way for the pipelines.  And finally, LNG is a fossil fuel with a big carbon footprint.  While ordinary natural gas burns cleaner than coal or oil, LNG requires other fossil fuels just to transport it in ships from places like Russia, Indonesia, and - potentially - Iran to the United States.  Add the high energy cost of moving this fuel to the carbon produced when it is burned, and it begins to look more like coal than natural gas.

So yesterday, activists of all ages and backgrounds rallied outside the Portland headquarters of Northwest Natural Gas - one of the companies looking to develop LNG in this state.  We held up our signs, waved at passing cars, and let the corporation know that we don't want it in our backyards.  After a while, we took a walk to gather outside the building where Governor Ted Kulongoski was supposedly at lunch; the governor has so far done very little to discourage LNG in Oregon, despite his promises to help leverage fossil fuels out of our economy.  I was at the rally from 11:45 that morning until 1:30 - it was quite an experience.  It is not very often that this many people from so many different backgrounds come together for a shared purpose, like this.  And to defeat new fossil fuel infrastructure - in this state and others - this is just the kind of thing that will be needed.  I even collected some new signatures for the Cool Washington County petition.  Let's kick fossil fuels out of this state, and bring in the clean energy!

If you live in Washington County, PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION TO THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS!

-Nick

 Yesterday I attended Oregon's first Local Climate Action Workshop, designed to look at ways city and county governments can reduce greenhouse emissions and find cost-effective solutions to global warming.  I listened to Mayor Tom Hughes of Hillsboro (the hosting city) welcome the audience during a speech in which he pointed out that, "If there's going to be leadership on this issue [in the US], it will come at the state and local level" - not from the federal government.  I listened to Michael Armstrong of Portland's Office of Sustainable Development describe how that city has achieved impressive reductions in greenhouse emissions, but also point out that much more will be needed in order to meet the goals scientists say we must meet to stave off catastrophic climate change.  I watched Oregon Secretary of State Bill Bradbury give a condensed version of the slide presentation on which An Inconvenient Truth is based.  I listened to Amy Shatzkin, from ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability, explain the methodologies local governments are using to track reductions in greenhouse emissions, and set reachable goals for themselves.  The conference was attended by representative of most Oregon cities that have signed the Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, including Corvallis, Eugene, Lake Oswego, Bend, and Beaverton, to name a few.  All of these government officials and public sector employees came together to prove that solutions to the climate crisis exist, and that they can be implemented at the local level.  It was a truly inspiring event.

As speaker Helen Berg, former mayor of Corvallis said, this was the day Al Gore received his Nobel Peace Prize for raising global warming awareness.  Also today, national leaders from all over the world are meeting in Bali, Indonesia, working on a new carbon treaty to replace Kyoto.  The workshop in Hillsboro was timely; this issue has never been more urgent.

The workshop will doubtless have an impact on the communities which sent representatives to the event.  Hopefully, though, it will also have an affect on Oregon's other local governments.  Cities and counties that have not yet made this kind of commitment to sustainability may begin to realize that there's a movement brewing.  Most notably, the Washington County Board of Commissioners, whose building sits across the street from the Hillsboro Civic Center, might feel the impact of this day.  No WA County commissioners were at the workshop, but I will do my best to make sure the event does not go unnoticed on that side of Main Street.  If we are truly going to conquer global warming, we need even more local governments on board.

 The United Nations is meeting this week in Bali, Indonesia, to discuss action on global warming.  National elections in Australia just reversed that country's position on climate change, catapulting it from being one of the only two industrialized nations not to have signed Kyoto, to a potential new leader on this issue.  The number of Cool Cities in the US continues to grow, and we just gained our first Southwestern Cool County outside of California, with Clark County, Nevada's passage of the Cool Counties Declaration.  Want to get in on the amazing climate-saving movement that seems to have engulfed the world?  Then this is a great time to start air-drying your laundry.

Air-drying wet clothes is becoming more and more common in this country, especially in sunny areas.  However, you don't have to live in Florida or the Southwest to save on energy bills this way.  I've been air-drying my laundry all fall - and I live in overcast, rainy western Oregon.  The trick is to do it indoors; hang a short line in a large, open room, and you're good to go.  Thin, non-cotton things, like sheets, should be dry in a few hours.  Even cotton clothing will dry out if you leave it over night; but if that's too much of a hardship, then use the old electric dryer for cotton items, while air-drying anything made out of fleece or synthetic materials, to cut back on the number of loads that go into your dryer.

The electric dryer is one of the worst electricity-guzzling appliances we have; dryers use up a full 6% of household electricity in the United States, and eliminating all this energy use would have a significant impact on greenhouse emissions.  And besides - you save money on electricity bills.  How can you do better than that?

Check out this post from our freinds at Onward Oregon.  Onward Oregon is working to establish grassroots groups in each of the Portland suburbs that have signed the Mayors Climate Protection Agreement - Beaverton, Hillsboro, Oregon City, Lake Oswego, and Gresham.  Signing onto the Agreement is a good start for each of these cities, but citizen pressure will help ensure that they follow through fully with their commitment to a stable climate.  Thanks to Onward Oregon for working on this!

Meanwhile, this site continues to push Washington County to join these and other cities by making a commitment to reducing emissions.  PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION TO THE COUNTY!

-Nick

 As someone concerned about current trends in politics, I make my concerns known to my elected officials.  I write to them, call their offices on the phone, and send them emails.  This includes my senators, the governor, the mayor - you name it.  And I've found that they usually write back.  They may not agree with my views, and I may not like the answers they give, but most politicians go to the effort to respond to the concerns of citizens with some explanation of their position on an issue.  After all, we're the ones they represent, right?

Not so with the Washington County Board of Commissioners.  Commissioner Dick Schouten remains the only member of the Board to have sent me any meaningful response regarding my emails about the Cool Counties Declaration.  I've talked to the co-chair of Washington County Peak Oil, and that group is having a similar problem.  Despite more news coverage our request has received lately, four out of the five members of the Board remain silent.  If you're looking for an answer from the Washington County Board of Commissioners, you might as well be yelling at a black hole.

TELL THE BOARD TO PASS THE COOL COUNTIES DECLARATION!

Fortunately, this can only continue for so long.  There will come a point when the County Board cannot ignore its constituents on this issue any longer.  The only way to overcome the barrier of their silence will be to bring the attention of county residents to the problem.  News coverage in the Forest Grove News-Times, the Hillsboro Argus, and Pacific University's Index is a good start, but more will be needed.  The Step It Up event at the county building and the fossil fuel forum at Pacific earned us the coverage we have received so far, but we have to keep building on that progress.  Round about January, I'm thinking, it will be time to visit Downtown Hillsboro again, and stop by the county building to say hello.  This next major (and completely peaceful) action of the Cool Washington County Campaign will take some planning, and the details haven't been worked out yet.  But stay in the loop.

PLEASE TELL THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS TO HELP SAVE THE CLIMATE!

It's been more than a year since the "new" congressional majority was elected in this country - since the Democrats, who were supposed to change the disastrous path our federal government is following, took over both the House and the Senate.  One year since the 2006 elections, and I can still remember the renewed hope that seemed to take hold of so many activists after that election.  It seemed, to the environmental movement, to the peace movement, as if real change might be about to occur.

In the past year, however, those hopes have crumbled.  The new Congress has yet to do anything substantial about global warming - despite the overwhelming need to take serious action in the next few years.  Right now, major environmental groups like the Sierra Club are fighting a desperate battle just to get some basic anti-fossil fuel provisions into this year's Energy Bill.  The goal is to ensure that the bill will raise average fuel economy standards for vehicles to 35 mpg, and assures that 15% of US electricity comes from renewable energy - both by the year 2020.  In light of the fact that we have until 2015 to stabilize global greenhouse emissions, these small steps seem fairly pathetic.  Yet it is not at all clear that the final Energy Bill will include even those - I personally will be rather surprised if both the increased fuel economy standards and the renewable energy standard become law.  We'll find out very soon, for the final vote is supposed to occur in the next few days.  I can't emphasize enough though, that even if both provisions make it into the final bill, they will not be sufficient to save us from catastrophic climate change.  The federal government is failing us; if we depend on it to get us out of the fossil fuel mess, we do so at our own peril. 

I can't help but wonder if the tremendous effort being spent trying to whip the federal government into shape wouldn't be better directed toward making change in other places.  I don't know; what do you do in a country where urgent action is needed NOW to prevent disaster, but where the effectiveness of the federal government is crumbling?  It's imperative that we focus our energies in the places where they'll be most effective - but it's hard to know where that is.  All I can say is, get out there and do something.  Make your local government stand up to fossil fuels; stop a coal plant from being built, anything.  It's up to us - the ordinary people - to get ourselves out of this mess.  The federal government is not going to do it for us.

PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION TO THE WASHINGTON COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS, ASKING THEM TO COMMIT TO A GREENHOUSE EMISSIONS-REDUCTION PLAN!

-Nick

 It's important to keep in mind that government action will be needed to banish global warming and the other environmental threats we face.  However, while individual actions can not completely solve the crisis, they do make some difference.  Hence, the new "Green Tip of the Week" feature on this blog will suggest ways that you can slightly alter your lifestyle to help keep this planet cool and livable.

So, Green Tip #1: stop using disposable facial tissue.  Though many people will find this hard to believe, the human species did, in fact, get along for thousand of years without Kleenex.  And today, the facial tissue industry is one of the most wasteful and environmentally destructive of paper industries.

At least, if you can't bear to give up facial tissues completely, stop using the Kleenex brand itself.  Kleenex makes its tissues by clear-cutting ancient forests in Canada - trees that took hundreds of years to grow are converted into products which are used once and then thrown away.  Many other manufacturers use similar methods.  It is possible to find more sustainable producers, but it's not easy.  Information on how many producers' tissues are made is not readily available.  And besides, it's so much more "green" to just stop using these wasteful products altogether, and make due with a simple cloth handkerchief.  Do your part to stop the destruction of our last great forests - the obliteration of which is a major contributor to global warming.  Stop using disposable facial tissues.

 The Washington County Board of Commissioners is still not taking much interest in passing the Cool Counties Declaration, and ramping up its commitment to reducing greenhouse emissions.  And so, it seemed like a good time to do some detective work.  What exactly is the impact of using dirty energy in Washington County?  As it turns out, it's very bad indeed.  Portland General Electric - the utility that supplies electricity to most homes and buildings in this area - sources some coal from the mountains of West Virginia, where it is extracted using one of the most environmentally destructive methods imaginable - mountaintop-removal mining.  The process is exactly what it sounds like: the tops of mountains are literally blasted away with explosives to expose coal seams deep in the ground.  More than 470 mountains, along with thousands of acres of forests and streams, have been destroyed through mountaintop removal in the Appalachian Mountains.  Using a handy website that allows you to find out if the energy in your area comes partly from mountaintop-removal coal, I discovered that there is indeed a relationship between dirty energy in Washington County, and horrendously destructive mining practices on the other side of the continent (amazing what you can find out, through the Internet!)

Though Portland General Electric does contribute to mountaintop removal, some of the energy on its grid also comes from wind and other cleaner energy sources.  By signing up for "green energy" through PGE, consumers can, for a small additional cost, ensure that their energy bill payments go toward funding clean energy, rather than coal and other fossil fuels.  The City of Beaverton has provided an example for other local governments to follow, by committing to purchase green energy for city buildings, and implementing a program to encourage city residents to do the same.  Washington County, on the other hand, has made no such commitment.

PLEASE ASK THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS TO MAKE COMMITMENT TO CUTTING DIRTY ENERGY!

The WA County government should lead our communities toward reliance on clean energy sources - not mountaintop-removal mining.  The county should pass the Cool Counties Declaration, and commit to reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.  Until steps like these are taken, the county government cannot be considered a true leader on sustainability.  Chairman Tom Brian has said the county is "well aware of our environmental footprint."  Well, let's see.  Members of the Board of Commissioners are about to find out exactly how the decisions they make affect people and the environment in places as far away as West Virginia.  This is the county's real environmental footprint: a blown-off mountaintop, and a once-forested slope now reduced to rubble and toxic sludge. 

Note: photos in this post are linked from the "End Mountaintop Removal" website, at http://www.ilovemountains.org/

  There's no doubt about it: the most environmentally friendly county in Oregon today is Multnomah County, which includes the greenhouse emission-cutting superstar, Portland.  The County's two largest cities - Portland and Gresham - have endorsed the US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement.  Portland has become a national leader in the fight against climate change, having already reduced emissions to below their 1990 levels.  And, it now turns out, the county as a whole has cut emissions to just 0.1 percent above what they were in 1990; this despite a 15% increase in population since that year.

According to a recent, new report from the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, we have about seven more years to stabilize worldwide greenhouse emissions and prevent the worst effects of global warming.  If we don't meet this goal, we will be facing massive famines, epidemics, droughts and storms, and the extinction of up to 70% of all plant and animal species.  If you needed any more convincing that the time to act is NOW, then that should do it.  We have, literally, less than a decade to preserve life as we know it on this planet, and there is no time to spare.

PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION TO THE WASHINGTON COUNTY BOARD, ASKING THEM TO COMMIT TO CARBON-REDUCTION GOALS

As the saying goes, "Think globally, act locally."  The Cool Washington County Campaign is pressuring Washington County, Oregon, to pass the Cool Counties Climate Stabilization Declaration, and commit to reductions in emissions of the sort that our entire country has to make to stave off disaster.  In the latest installment of the campaign, Pacific University's Students for Environmental Activism club teamed up with the grassroots organization Washington County Peak Oil, to hold a screening of "A Crude Awakening: the Oil Crash" at Pacific University last night.  Upwards of forty people attended - both from the school and the outside community.  The film laid out the evidence showing that the world's petroleum resources are running out; even without global warming, we would have a very compelling reason to start shifting away from fossil fuels as an energy source. 

The film was followed by a panel discussion on how our communities can start moving away from dependence on fossil fuels.  Panel members included Washington County Commissioner Dick Schouten - the only member of the County Board who has so far said he would support the Cool Counties Declaration; and Assistant City Manager Rob Dixon from the City of Hillsboro, who is working to coordinate many of that city's sustainability projects.  It was great to hear first-hand about the things Hillsboro is doing to become more energy efficient, and to learn about the possibilities for incorporating the same types of projects into the county as a whole.  Both Washington County and its many cities have a long ways to go before acheiving the types of reductions in energy use that we need to make.  However, Hillsboro is leading the march toward carbon neutrality and freedom from fossil fuels; we need that progress to continue, and for the county and other city governments to follow.  All of our local governments must rise to this challenge, and confront global warming head-on.  As an Oregonian headline said recently: "Climate Change - it's real, it's here."

 - Nick

 I don't know if Chairman Tom Brian, or anyone else from the Washington County Board of Commissioners, reads the Forest Grove News-Times.  If they do, however, they would have opened up the Sustainable Life section in yesterday's paper to an article about the Cool Washington County rally on November 3rd, which took place outside the County Administrative Building.  I had contacted the News-Times shortly before the date of the anti-global warming rally; they weren't able to spare any of their own reporters, but asked me to send them some pictures.  I did that, and also included a News Release about the event.  Apparently, the editors decided to publish the News Release as an article - thank you, News-Times!

Read the article at http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/sustainable/story.php?story_id=119507276773569600

This is the best publicity that this campaign has received so far, and it just goes to show that small actions like our rally really can have an impact.  The article also drew attention to the film screening/panel discussion to take place at Pacific University this Sunday.  Chairman Brian, please take note.

If you haven't already, please SIGN THE PETITION TO THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONER, ASKING THEM TO MAKE THIS A COOL COUNTY!

"Global Warming is the greatest long-term threat facing humanity.  Peak Oil is the greatest short-term threat.  The solutions to both are virtually identical."          -Peter Lundsford, Washington County Peak Oil

 Climate change is not the only reason to shift our society away from fossil fuels - though it is the most pressing reason.  We also are running out of fossil fuels anyway, especially oil and natural gas, and our economy is going to have to prepare for the consequences of a world in which cheap energy, easily pumped out of the ground, is no longer available.  We can either wait for the oil crash to arrive without preparation, and then enter a period of mayhem and collapse, or we can prepare for the fossil fuel shortage, re-design our urban areas so we need to use less fuel in the first place, and shift to renewable sources for our remaining energy needs.  This is the idea behind Peak Oil, which assumes that oil and gas will only become harder to find, and more expensive in the future, and that we must begin a transition away from fossil fuels to save our civilization.

Programs to reduce greenhouse emissions usually also help prepare us for the oil crash, and vice versa.  So it makes sense for groups concerned about the two issues to work together.  Accordingly, the Students for Environmental Activism Club at Pacific University will be collaborating with the grassroots citizen group, Washington County Peak Oil, to host a screening of the film "A Crude Awakening" on the Pacific campus.  "A Crude Awakening" discusses the coming oil crisis, and the measures that must be taken to avoid disaster.  The screening will be followed by a Question & Answer panel session, in which the audience will be able to ask such figures as Commissioner Dick Schouten from the Washington County Board of Commissioners, and Assistant City Manager Robert Dixon, from the City of Hillsboro, about what our local governments can do to prepare for Peak Oil while fighting climate change.  Pacific students and members of the public are invited to attend the event, which will be at 7pm, November 18th, in the Milky Way Gallery.

This should be truly inspiring; and it will be a critical part of the campaign to educate WA County residents about what their government officials should be doing to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.  Please support strong action from our local governments: SIGN THE PETITION TO THE WASHINGTON COUNTY BOARD, ASKING THEM TO PASS THE COOL COUNTIES DECLARATION!

Last week, 110 mayors from across the country attended the Mayors' Climate Summit in Seattle, to exchange ideas for reducing greenhouse emissions, and show that local governments can take the lead in the fight against global warming.  All 110 mayors had signed the US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement and pledged to become Cool Cities.  In total, more than 700 mayors nation-wide have now signed the Agreement, and Mayor Greg Nickels of Seattle referred to their 710 cities as "laboratories...where we are trying to find answers to this global problem."  It is to be hoped that even signatory cities that were not able to send a representative to the Summit will benefit from the gathering, as a result of new ideas generated there.  In addition to Mayor Nickels - the originator of the Mayors Climate Agreement - major speakers included Mayor Manuel Diaz of Miami, Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City, Washington Governor Christine Gregoire, and Nobel Prize-winner Al Gore (via satellite).

From Oregon, the mayors of Ashland, Corvallis, Lake Oswego, and Lincoln City attended the Summit, representing four of this state's eleven Cool Cities to date.  Five of Oregon's six largest cities have signed onto the Mayors Climate Agreement, and the work these cities do has real potential to contribute to our state's leadership on global warming.

Speaking of leadership, the Mayors' Summit coincided nicely the national Step It Up II event, designed to focus the attention of our elected officials on global warming.  The theme of Step It Up II was "Who's a leader?"  In the next few years, we will truly find out who's willing to be a leader on global warming, and steer us safely through the climate crisis.  And judging from last week's event in Seattle, it seems plain that many of the true leaders are local officials - mayors, city councilors, and maybe even county commissioners. 

Many local governments have already made huge progress toward curbing greenhouse emissions; a few cities, like Seattle and Portland, have already cut local emissions below their 1990 levels.  However, it will still be up to ordinary people to make sure that this progress continues, and to keep pressuring new local governments to join the movement.  For one thing, now that so many cities are making real progress, it's time to get county governments involved.  If you haven't already, please SIGN THE PETITION TO THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS in Washington County, and ask them to pass the US Cool Counties Climate Stabilization Declaration.

For more information about the Mayors' Climate Summit, go to http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003989301_climate02m.html

 We did it! This morning, three of us students from Pacific University set up in front of the Washington County Administrative Building in Hillsboro, to ask for the passage of the Cool Counties Declaration. We brought our 6-foot banner, hand-held signs, and signature sheets. Pretty soon we were joined by more people who had either heard about the event from us, or read about it on the Step It Up website. All-in-all, about 15 people attended, with 9-10 being the most we ever had at one time. Ours may not have been a very big rally, but we were on a busy street corner, and got many interested looks from passing drivers - as well as encouraging honks and waves, and at least one peace sign. Of course, a few people also shouted abuse at us as they drove past; but hey, we were out there broadcasting our message, and they weren't. We're the ones who got our point across.

I'm hoping that our little event will encourage the WA County Board of Commissioners to pay more attention to our request. Of course, our rally was only one of dozens taking place today all across the country, for the national Step It Up day. I'm look forward to hearing what those other events accomplished. It's been a day for people all over the nation to exercise their right to free speech, and demand that global warming be solved - now!

Support our efforts: sign the PETITION TO THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS!

Final note: a couple of technologically-adept activists made a video of our rally, complete with live guitar music. As soon as I get the YouTube address, I'll post it on this blog!

Well, the 6-foot banner is ready, the invitations have been sent out, and permission from the city to hold our Step It Up event is secure.  Tomorrow we will be meeting outside the Washington County building in Hillsboro, from 11am to 2pm, to spread awareness of our request to the county Board of Commissioners.  This will certainly not be the biggest, most important, or best-publicized Step It Up event in Oregon.  I hope that it will, however, help draw attention to one little corner of the state, and show how local governments can make a difference to global warming.  This event will not have any affect on the our national government's inaction on global warming; it is highly unlikely that it will even result in immediate action from the county government.  However, there are stirrings from within the County Board of Commissioners.  They may not answer emails about the Cool Counties Declaration, but they are beginning to pay attention to this movement - I know this from talking to folks at Washington County Peak Oil.  It's not just this little blog that they have to worry about, either - groups like WA County Peak Oil, and the Oregon Sierra Club, also have their sights focused on the WA County Board.  There is a movement brewing, here, and tomorrow's event will be just a small peice of it.  I truly hope it goes well.

If you haven't already, please sign the on-line petition to the Board of Commissioners

I normally try to stay up-beat on this blog.  However, Halloween seems like an appropriate time to focus on what may be the single most frightening aspect of the challenge we face, when confronting global warming: that the US national government is NOT going to get us where we need to be single-handedly.  Don't get me wrong; I'm not saying you should stop calling and writing to your members of Congress - it's extremely important to keep that up, because that's the only way we will get anything at all out of the national government.  In fact, the Senate and House of Representatives are poised to vote very soon on this year's Energy Bill, and this is a great time to contact the officials who are supposed to be representing you - you can get more information on that from the Sierra Club.  The problem is, though, that even if the best-case-scenario bill is passed, the provisions it contains will not even come close to doing what really needs to be done to stop climate change.  For instance, the best-case-scenario bill would raise fuel economy standards for vehicles to 35 mpg; that would be the first raise in fuel-efficiency to take place in years, and I sincerely hope it happens - however, the truth is that we need so much more.  If the federal government began an aggressive campaign to raise average fuel economy for vehicles to, say, 100 mpg (a standard that is not impossible to reach, by the way), then they would be beginning to take global warming seriously.  But 35 mpg?  It's a step, but a very, very, small step.

It is highly unlikely that the national government will get us out of this mess.  The problem is that Congress moves at a glacial pace when it comes to environmental issues (though they somehow manage to launch new wars quite quickly), and we simply don't have that much time.  Big things need to happen in the next ten years, or sooner, if catastrophic climate change is to be avoided.

What this is leading to, of course, is the importance of action at lower levels of government.  States like California (and to a slightly lesser degree, Oregon), are already miles ahead of the national government on global warming.  And of course, cities and counties are moving forward too - we need to keep pushing for more change, and holding mayors, city councilors, and county commissioners accountable to the promises they make.  There is even a role for the national government in a future where states and local governments turn out to be the real leaders on climate change.  Not all 50 states are as on-top of things as California, and what Congress may be able to do is keep more backward places, like Texas, from getting too much worse.  Even if Congress isn't going to cut back on emissions very drastically, it's not unrealistic to think they might put a ban on new coal plants.  This would make it harder for governments like Texas to wipe away progress made in other areas.  With the national government at least limiting damage done by the likes of Texas, the majority of our states taking real strides toward cutting emissions, and local governments complementing the work done by states, we could make real progress.  It would still be a major challenge, but not an insurmountable one.  So be scared, this Halloween - but don't give up hope.

 November 3rd, 2007 will be the second national Step It Up 2007 event in the US, designed to bring climate change to the attention of our elected officials.  Step It Up 1, which was held last spring, marked the most successful day of anti-global warming action this country has seen so far; Step It Up 2 should be just as much of a hit, with actions being organized all across the United States.  And for the November Step It Up, the Cool Washington County campaign will be holding an event outside the Washington County Administrative Building, asking the Board of Commissioners to pass the Cool Counties Declaration.  Stop by on November 3rd, and add your voice to the movement!

Also, if you haven't already, please SIGN THE PETITION TO THE BOARD, asking them to pass the Cool Counties Declaration!

This may well be the first anti-global warming demonstration ever to hit the streets of Downtown Hillsboro.  I myself, and other student activists at Pacific University, Forest Grove, are organizing the event, and will be outside the County Administrative Building from 11:00am to 2:00pm on November, with home-made signs and a banner or two asking for 80% reductions in greenhouse emissions by the year 2050.  The event will be peaceful, and absolutely legal.  It will be a Saturday, so the commissioners will not actually be in their offices, but they will be invited to stop by and talk to us about how they plan to move forward on a comprehensive emissions-reduction plan.  And whether or not any of the commissioners show up, there should be plenty of WA County citizens on Main Street, Hillsboro, early on a Saturday afternoon.  Our message will be heard, regardless of whether anyone from the Board of Commissioners chooses to attend.

If you want to be part of this event, please RSVP by leaving a response on this blog, or by clicking on the "contact me" link to the right.  I need to know how many people are coming, so that I can let the City of Hillsboro know; remember, we're doing everything legally, here.

Note: the picture used on this post comes from the Step It Up website, at http://stepitup2007.org/

-Nick

 Today the Washington County Board of Commissioners received at least ten emails from students and faculty at Pacific University, urging them to pass the US Cool Counties Climate Stabilization Declaration.  This event came on the tail of a message I received from Chairman Tom Brian of the Board of Commissioners, about a week ago.  The gist of Chairman Brian's email was that I should shut up about the Cool Counties Declaration, and be satisfied with the fact that the county has built a LEED certified building or two, and supports public transportation.  I was very grateful for his message, actually; I took Chairman Brian's arguments, turned them around, and used them as ammunition against the county's a-little-is-enough policy when laying out talking points for today's email-senders at Pacific University. 

If you haven't already, please SIGN THE PETITION TO THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS, asking them to pass the Cool Counties Declaration!

What the Board of Commissioners needs to realize is that "small steps" to reduce global warming pollutants must be accompanied by a comprehensive plan that will bring emissions down from the community as a whole.  Isolated projects will do us little good if the total volume of pollutants continues to go up.  Today's email-sending event was just the beginning of a full-scale campaign directed at the Board of Commissioners, in response to their refusal to take the Cool Counties Declaration seriously.  The county must pass the Declaration, and bring total emissions down!

-Nick

Two days ago, I sent a final email to the Washington County Board of Commissioners, warning that the lack of response from any member of the Board except Dick Schouten was going to necessitate a ramping-up in the Cool Washington County campaign, which would include some public actions that might not put the current county government in a very good light.  The next day, surprisingly, I actually received two emails in response to my message.  One was from County Administrator Robert Davis, offering to talk about the Cool Counties Declaration and its implications for Washington County.  I hope this conversation actually happens; I am currently for a phone call from Mr. Davis.

PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION TO THE BOARD, ASKING THEM TO PASS THE COOL COUNTIES DECLARATION

Meanwhile, I received another email, last night, from Chairman Tom Brian.  Chairman Brian's message was not very...er...encouraging.  The chair of the Washington County Board doesn't understand the Cool Counties Declaration, or what it is really about.  And instead of responding to my messages over a month ago with his concerns, he chose to wait until now, when the campaign has gathered enough momentum to seem, I think, somewhat threatening to someone who doesn't really get it.  He sent me a long list of worries about money, staff time, and the like; believe it or not, Chairman Brian, I saw all that coming, and am well aware of the challenges the county will face in becoming a true Cool County.  That does not detract from the environmental imperative to set tangible goals for reducing greenhouse emissions.

If Chairman Brian thought he would discourage the Cool Washington County campaign by bringing up a few problems that I anticipated long ago, he was sorely mistaken.  This Monday, at a Pacific University event, Pacific students who attend will be sending emails to the entire Board of Commissioners, about Cool Counties.  I have finally received some kind of response from the Board, and this campaign is just beginning in earnest.

-Nick

 The "Cool Washington County" petition continues to be available on-line, and signatures are slowly building up.  If you haven't signed it yet, then PLEASE DO SO HERE!  It is especially important right now to keep the signatures coming, because most members of the Board of Commissioners have been declining to respond to my emails.  With the notable exception of our supporter Commissioner Dick Schouten, it seems that members of the Board are not taking the Cool Counties Declaration very seriously. 

That said, every campaign has setbacks, and I am confident that this one will recover.  Someday in the not-too-distant future, the Cool Counties Declaration will have it's day in Washington County.  And meanwhile, other counties across the country are jumping on-board the movement - 21 governments have now passed the Declaration, and become official Cool Counties.  The states of Washington and California now each have multiple Cool Counties; so far, Washington County still has a chance to become the first in Oregon, but that opportunity isn't likely to last long.  Meanwhile, as Cool Counties takes off, the total number of Cool Cities in the US is fast-approaching 700.  Our federal government may be stalling attempts to seriously address global warming, but not so our local governments.  Cities and Counties are truly in the thick of the environmental movement. 

Again, PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION to the WA County Board of Commissioners!

-Nick

Those of us in Oregon are lucky to live in the same state as one of the most spectacular (and successful) environmental experiments in this country: the City of Portland.  Portland is famous in ecological circles for its efforts to blend sustainability with economic growth, and for being one of the first large cities in the US to bring total greenhouse emissions below 1990 levels.  While the rest of the country has grown dirtier, more polluting, and more environmentally destructive, Portland has shown that it is possible to have a vibrant economy and be environmentally conscious at the same time.  

Portland's reductions in greenhouse emissions are impressive in themselves.  Perhaps the single most important thing about the city's efforts, though, is that it represents an example that other communities can follow.  Along with a few other major US cities, such as Seattle and San Francisco, Portland has been testing out strategies for shifting energy consumption away from fossil fuels, dramatically cutting waste, and even maintaining a healthy "urban forest" that absorbs some of the carbon emitted by the city.  Portland's efforts are not just to be admired; they should be duplicated by local governments all across the country, and especially right here in Oregon.  The Portland Area's many suburbs are in an especially good position to start building on Portland's success; they are close enough to observe what happens in Portland directly, and possibly even work with the very people who made Portland the environmentally friendly place it is.  Why not take a major urban area, like Washington County, and start transforming it into the next Portland, environmentally speaking? 

It would be a major undertaking, to achieve what Portland has in terms of sustainability and reducing greenhouse emissions.  However, we have lots of resources to draw from.  Not only is WA County right next door to Portland itself, but organizations like ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability have the tools to help cities, and the county government itself, asses exactly what needs to be done to bring global warming pollutants down.  The US Cool Counties Initiative provides county governments with a checklist to go through as they begin looking at all the opportunities for reducing emissions.  Becoming the next Portland would be a challenge - there's no doubt about that.  But with the county government, the area's major cities, and various environmental organizations all working together, it is something we could really do.

Indeed, in the next few years local governments all over the country must begin to really follow Portland's example.  I'm not talking about slightly expanding recycling options, or even about just replacing traffic signal lights with efficient LED bulbs.  No, more drastic measures are needed if we are going to stave off global warming.  Overall emissions from entire communities must be brought down, as Portland has brought them down.  There is no question about this; what is open to question is which local governments will be the first to take Portland's example seriously, and bring emissions down significantly.  WA County and the cities within it are in a prime position to become environmental leaders.  It's up to us to make sure they take advantage.

If you haven't already, please SIGN THE PETITION TO THE WASHINGTON COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS, asking them to pass the Cool Counties Declaration!

And I encourage you to check out the Cool Counties webpage - some new counties have recently been added, although still none from Oregon.

So far only one member of the WA County Board of Commissioners, Dick Schouten, has pledged to support the Cool Counties Declaration in a vote.  However, I am optamistic about other commissioners soon steping forward to support this measure, and a likely next candidate is Commissioners Desari Strader, the newest member of the Board.  When I met with Keith Quick of the Oregon League of Conservation Voters (OLCV), he mentioned that OLCV had supported Commissioner Strader's election campaign, and that she might be sympathetic to the idea of Cool Counties.  A vote in favor of curbing county-wide greenhouse emissions would certainly earn her good marks from OLCV; and Washington County's environmental community would be truly grateful to her.

I will be sending an email to Commissioner Strader, alerting her to this post on ENGEL, and asking her to respond to it with a definite "yes" or "no" as to whether or not she would support the Cool Counties Declaration.  Judging from what I know of her record in public office, I see no reason why she would not vote for the Declaration.  There is pubic support for curbing greenhouse emissions in Washington County, and the Cool Counties Declaration will put us firmly on the road to reducing our contributions to global warming.  I believe that Commissioner Strader will do the right thing; let's hope she doesn't disappoint us.  Keep checking this post to look for her response.

Note: the photograph in this post is linked from the Washington County Board of Commissioners web page.

Today, I met with Keith Quick from the Oregon League of Conservation Voters (OLCV), to talk about getting Washington County to pass the Cool Counties Declaration.  OLCV works mostly on election campaigns, rather than direct lobbying, but there are things that it can do to bring the Board of Commissioners' attention to the Declaration.  At election time, OLCV gives out questionnaires to candidates it is condering supporting, asking them whether they would support various actions that would contribute to a healthier environment.  Based on the answers to these questions and on his or her past voting record, OLCV decides whether or not to support a candidate.

Now suppose that members of the Board of Commissioners who are up for re-election this spring receive a questionnaire with this question: Would you support passing the Cool Counties Declaration?  This would force them to consider the Declaratin seriously, and perhaps convince them to pledge their support for it.  Of course, it is possible that the Declaration will already have been passed in Washington County by the time the elections roll around - we can hope!  In that case, there could be a question about following through on the Declaration's goals.  Either way, OLCV can help make our county a cooler county.

It's important that we keep the momentum building.  Tomorrow I will be returning to the Forest Grove Peace Vigil to try and get more people to email the Board of Commissioners.  As for you, if you haven't already, please sign the ON-LINE PETITION TO THE BOARD. 

-Nick

Actions that ordinary people can take to reduce their contributions to global warming are becoming ever-more widely known, and are being put into practice by more and more people.  More people are choosing energy-saving lightbulbs, these days.  Large SUVs are declining in popularity, while fuel-efficient cars are experiencing a small boom.  And then, finally, more people are choosing to air-dry their clothing.

Electric dryers consume about 6% of the electricity used by Americans.  Drying your laundry on a clothesline is one of the simplest and most effective measures you can take to reduce your "carbon footprint."  And yet, those who choose to air-dry sometimes encounter an obstacle: neighborhood associations don't like to see laundry blowing in the wind.  Apparently it looks unsightly, and has potential to decrease property values.  That's right, you heard me: no one objects to gas-guzzling motorized lawnmowers that fill the days of summer with a ceaseless droning that makes it singularly difficult to enjoy the outdoors; but air-drying your laundry is a no-go.  Could these homeowners' associations have their values mixed up?

Enter people like Susan Taylor, of Bend, Oregon, whose story has appeared recently in blogs and local papers, and even on the front page of the Wall Steet Journal.  Ms Talyor has asserted that she has a "right to dry" her laundry outdoors, as a means of combating global warming and environmental destruction.  The neighbors don't like it, but she is pushing to change the rules against clotheslines in her subdivision.  You can read the full Wall Street Journal article http://activerain.com/blogsview/211476/The-Right-to-Dry  Maybe the neighborhood should replace the rule against clotheslines with a restriction on gas-powered lawn mowers?

Bend, Oregon recently signed onto the US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, thereby pledging to become a Cool City.  But how "cool" is a city where residents are not allowed to take simple measures that would help curb global warming?  The results of Ms Taylor's struggle could have implications for other communities in this state and others.  Want to help?  Send an email to Liz O'Connell, Land Use Chair of the Awbrey Buttes Neighborhood Association (the association for Ms Taylor's neighborhood), at hoodawbrey@yahoo.com.  CC Bend Mayor Bruce Abernethy at babernethy@ci.bend.or.us.  Let's show these people the environmental revolution is to be taken seriously!

-Nick

This evening, I took out my old "Ask me How WA County can Kick the Oil Addiction" signs, and headed for the Forest Grove Peace Vigil at the edge of the Pacific University campus.  The Vigil, just a few weeks old, was partly inspired by similar events taking place in the greater Portland Area, and aims to strengthen the citizen peace movement in western Washington County.  I have been attending the vigil regularly, and it seemed like the perfect place to gather more support for the Cool Washington County campaign.  As I have frequently said on this blog, the peace and environmental movements are now inextricably intertwined, with lasting peace in this country being dependent on an end to the fossil fuel regime.  So I came to the Peace Vigil today prepared to hand out information on the Cool Washington County campaign, with the emails of the four commissioners who have not yet said they would support passing the Cool Counties Declaration.  The Vigil gathering was rather small today - as I said, the event is still in its fledgling stages - but most of those who were there took a flier from me, and assured me they would email the Board of Commissioners.

Now, you might think that five or six emails won't mean very much to county commissioner, but think again.  Most people don't even know the names of their county representatives, and have certainly never contacted them about anything.  Five or six emails from different people, all discussing the same issue, could have a big impact on the Board of Commissioners.  And besides, this is only one of many ways we will be bringing the Board's attention to this issue; we'll keep the pressure on till we win!

And on that note, if you haven't already, please SIGN THE ONLINE PETITION TO THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS, ASKING THEM TO PASS THE COOL COUNTIES DECLARATION

-Nick 

To pass the Cool Counties Climate Stabilization Declaration in Washington County, we need at least three county commissioners on our side - three votes out of five.  We still have a ways to go before reaching this goal, but I'm happy to report that the campaign just scored a big victory, by winning the support of Commissioner Dick Schouten.  I received an email from Commissioner Schouten today, indicating that he would support the Declaration in a vote.  He also provided me with the emails of the three Washington County commissioners whom I had previously been unable to contact directly.  Though the campaign still has to win at least two more votes, this is a major step.  We now have an allie in the Board of Commissioners.  And hopefully, the fact that the Cool Counties Declaration is taken seriously by one member of the Board will make the others more willing to step forward.

Now, it is up to us to pressure the remaining members of the Board of Commissioners to support the Cool Counties Declaration.  Tomorrow, if all goes according to plan, I will be give attendees of the newly-established Forest Grove Peace Vigil the opportunity to directly email members of the Board of Commissioners, and encourage them to support the Declaration.  I think it is only a matter of time until we win this one; we just have to keep the pressure on.

-Nick

On May 15th, this year, the City of Hillsboro took two decided steps to show its support for reducing greenhouse emissions, and to move toward cutting emissions city-wide.  First of all Hillsboro (Oregon's fifth largest city) endorsed the US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, which calls on local governments across the United States to make up for federal inaction on global warming by reducing greenhouse emissions themselves.  Secondly, Hillsboro resolved to become a member of the International Council of Local Environmental Initiatives' (ICLEI's) Cities for Climate Protection Campaign.  As an ICLEI member, and a participator in the Climate Campaign, Hillsboro would work with ICLEI staff to conduct an inventory of current greenhouse emissions sources, set a goal for reducing those emissions, and carry out a plan to reach that goal.  This is even more important than Hillsboro endorsing the Mayors Agreement; the Agreement showed Hillsboro's public support for action against global warming, but as a member of ICLEI's campaign, the city will get down to the nitty-gritty details of actually lowering emissions.  This could make Hillsboro a model for other mid-size suburbs in Oregon that would like to fight global warming.

With all of this said, I'm happy to report that Hillsboro has now completed the ICLEI membership application process, and is an official member city.  Rob Dixon, Assistant City Manager, and designated representative to ICLEI, says, "We have begun our evaluation of what it means and what it will take to reach our emissions-reduction goals."  Hillsboro could be on its way to joining such cities as Portland and Eugene, as one of Oregon's real leaders in greenhouse emission-reduction.  And for a city that is experiencing new growth all the time, as more and more people flock there from out-of-state, that is truly exciting news.

Hillsboro's recent actions show how a local government can rise to the challenge of global warming, and take meaningful action to reduce its environmental impact.  Now we need other cities and counties to do the same.  Specifically, Washington County (which includes Hillsboro) should pass the US Cool Counties Climate Stabilization Declaration, and move forward on the Declartion's "roadmap" for emissions-reduction.  Then Hillsboro and the County will be able to work together to this a more climate-friendly region.  Please help by asking the Washington County Board of Commissioners to pass the Declaration!

-Nick

I waited for two weekdays to go by - Friday and Monday - in hopes that Chairman Brian would respond quickly to the citizen petition without prompting.  I still hadn't heard anything by Tuesday morning, so I called the County Administrative Office, explained who I was, and asked if Chairman Brian planned to send me a reply.  The person I talked to said someone from Tom Brian's office would get back to me, and let me know; this morning (Wednesday), I finally received an email.  According to the message I got, copies of some of the various materials I've sent Chairman Brian are being made for other members of the Board of Commissioners to look at.  So the ball is rolling forward, though it remains to be seen how the Board of Commissioners will finally respond.  Keep checking this blog for updates.

-Nick

 Chairman Tom Brian, of the Washington County Board of Commissioners, has so far not responded to my emails urging the county to pass the US Cool Counties Climate Stabilization Declaration.  Though Washington County likes to present itself as "green," it has so far shown remarkably little interest in joining in the Cool Counties movement.  Today, however, I made sure the county will know that there is support for passing the Declaration in the local activist community.  At the County Administrative Office in Hillsboro, I hand-delivered a petition signed by 44 attendees of the Washington County Peace Vigil, asking the Board of Commissioners to pass the Cool Counties Declaration.  The petition was accompanied by a letter to Chairman Brian, asking that I be able to meet with someone from the Board of Commissioners to discuss this issue.

After riding the bus to downtown Hillsboro, I asked a couple of police officers for directions, and soon was on my way to the Washington County Public Services Building.  I skirted around several sprinklers (pictured below) that had been left running in the heat of afternoon, and which were now merrily spraying half their water onto the sidewalk - not great for your environmental image, Chairman Brian.  I then entered the rather imposing Public Services Building, and navigated endless hallways and lobby areas until I found the County Administrative Office.  There I was greeted by a receptionist at a neat-looking desk, and I handed her the package containing the 44 signatures and my letter, explaining that it was for Chairman Brian - she assured me that it would reach his hands.  Now it's time to wait and see if he responds; if not, it will be time to ramp up the Cool Washington County campaign even further, until the Board of Commissioners cannot continue to ignore it.

PLEASE HELP BY SIGNING THE ON-LINE PETITION TO THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS!

The Peace Vigil petition should arrive on Chairman Brian's desk hot on the heals of another envelope, which I sent by snail-mail several days ago.  That envelope contains detailed information about the Cool Counties Climate Stabilization Initiative, including a copy of the helpful "roadmap" put together by commissioners from Fairfax County, VA, which explains just what sorts of steps US counties can take to reduce their contributions to global warming.  The "roadmap" proves that solutions to our energy problems do exist; the goals of the Declaration are attainable, and there is no reason Washington County cannot reach them.  There is no excuse for not acting; we need to demand action from all our officials at ever level of government, and we need to demand it now.

In Corvallis, Oregon, the controversial Witham Oaks Development Project - which involves Matrix Homes replacing over 50 acres of oak savanna, oak forest, and other delicate ecosystems with a big new dollop of urban sprawl - has reached a new level of environmental negligence.  Matrix Homes has submitted an application to Oregon's Department of State Lands, asking permission to obliterate two acres of wetland.  Whether you live in Corvallis or not, please take a couple of minutes to help ensure that the permit is denied.  You can write to both the Department of State Lands (accepting public comments until September 15th) and the Army Corps of Engineers (accepting comments until September 10th).  Ask that the permit be rejected, and that a public hearing be held over the wetlands issue; the Army Corps of Engineers has indicated that they might hold a hearing if enough people demand one.  Below are the addresses for both the Army Corps and the Department of State Lands:

US Army Corps of Engineers/ ATTN: CENWP-OP-GP (Jaimee W. Hammit)/ PO Box 2946

State of Oregon/ Department of State Lands/ PO Box 4395, Unit 18/ Portland, OR 97208-4395

Matrix is trying to do just the sort of thing we need to prevent in Oregon: creating more urban sprawl in our cities, and ensuring that the oil-dependent culture of the automobile is entrenched still deeper in Oregon's communities.  It is time to move away from this kind of development, and build a sustainable future free of fossil fuels.  Promoting just such an alternative future is what this blog is all about; and progress is being made - the Cool Washington County campaign continues to roll forward, while this month we saw Bend, Oregon become our state's 11th Cool City.  There is so much to be gained from a sustainable future, and allowing a project like Matrix's Witham Oaks development would be nothing less than backtracking on progress that has been made.  Please write to the Department of State Lands, and the Army Corps of Engineers!

This week, I moved into my dorm room at Pacific University, where I am working on my Environmental Studies degree.  School is, of course, first and foremost about classes, homework assignments, and working toward your degree.  For me, however, school is also about activism.  Living on-campus at a university is a great way to interact with dozens of other people who share an interest in conserving the planet's riches.  I expect to make progress on the Cool Washington County campaign here, and also hope to start a movement aimed at making Forest Grove (the hometown of Pacific University) a Cool City.  This really is the time to pitch in and do your bit for the Earth - environmental initiatives are springing up everywhere, and it has seldom been so easy to find other people who are worried about the state of things on this planet.

Like many places across the country, Forest Grove, Washington County, and the entire Portland Metropolitan Area are already taking strides toward sustainability.  Yesterday, walking the streets of Forest Grove, I saw a couple of buses (line 57, which I myself often ride) with "powered by biodiesel" labels on the back; it's the first time I've seen this on ordinary buses in the Portland Area, and I hope it means that biodiesel buses are being phased in, to eventually replace gasoline-powered public transportation vehicles altogether.  Granted, biodiesel is not without its environmental problems (should the United States ever start importing large quantities of biodiesel crops from tropical countries, where rainforests are burned and bulldozed to make way for fuel plants such as sugarcane, the environmental implications would be devastating).  However, if biodiesel is produced locally, using production methods that are not too energy-intensive, they can make a great alternative fuel that is less polluting, and less damaging to the environment in general, than oil is.  So let's have a cheer for Tri-Met (the entity in charge of public transportation in the Portland Area), and hope that more biodiesel buses are on the way!

Partly due to increased awareness of global warming and other environmental problems, Washington County residents will soon also find that they can recycle more materials using curbside recycling.  Formerly, the only plastic containers that could be recycled at the curbside were thin-necked plastic bottles.  Soon, though, WA County residents will be supplied with recycling cans into which you can put any plastic bottle or tub numbered 1 through 7 on the bottom (paper, cardboard, and metals will also go in these containers).  The improved recycling system has yet to infiltrate Hillsboro, but I noticed some of the new cans on my walk yesterday, so it has arrived in Forest Grove. 

Washington County, and the cities within it, are taking steps toward sustainability and environmental protection.  Want to make sure this kind of thing continues?  If so, please sign the PETITION TO THE WASHINGTON COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS, asking them to pass the US Cool Counties Climate Stabilization Declaration in WA County.

-Nick

I was delighted to learn this morning that the city of Bend, Oregon has signed onto the US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, committing itself to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.  I myself lived in Bend for a time, and can tell you that its wilderness areas and tracts of open space are worth taking strong measures to protect.  Like ecosystems across the country, the pine forests and sagebrush plains of Bend will be impacted by global warming, so it makes sense for the city to commit to reducing greenhouse emissions. 

Of course, only time will tell if the city is really going to follow through on its lofty goals - but there are some promising trends.  Curbing greenhouse emissions has, in the past, not been a priority for the city, and former mayor Bill Friedman was opposed to the idea of endorsing the Mayors Climate Protection Agreement.  However current mayor Bruce Abernathy, and other members of the city council, seem like they may be serious about reducing emissions.  Bend has purchased hybrid vehicles for its city fleet, and installed some solar panels (the cloudless, sunny days of summertime in Bend make solar energy an obvious option for reducing fossil fule dependence!).  Last year, the rapidly-growing city also began work on its first public transportation system.  Bend still has a long way to go before it can truly be called a "green" city, but these steps make a good start.

Bend is the 11th city in Oregon to sign onto the Mayors Climate Agreement, and it is the first city from Central or Eastern Oregon to sign on.  Perhaps Bend's decision is a forecast of things to come - we can only hope.

-Nick

I am doing my best to spread awareness about global warming in my community.  I will soon be asking the County Board of Commissioners in Washington County to pass the US Cool Counties Climate Stabilization Declaration, and will be presenting them with over 40 signatures from attendees of the Washington County Peace Vigil in support of this action.  I am also starting classes at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon, next week, and I hope to get other students involved in asking the City of Forest Grove to reduce its global warming pollutants.  Like I say, I am doing my best, but the problems that confront us are sometimes daunting; there is so much to do, and so little time to save the planet.  Will you join me in getting local governments working on global warming?  Will you go to your city council, or your board of commissioners for the county, and ask them to act against climate change?  Please click here for step-by-step instructions on how to get your city working on reducing global warming pollutants (a similar plan of action can be used for county governments).  There are lots of things that cities and counties can do to fight climate change; please get involved and make sure your local government acts.

-Nick

The peace and environmental movements - with their shared goal of ending US dependence on fossil fuels - continue to gather steam in Oregon.  I was reminded of this yesterday evening, at the weekly Washington County Peace Vigil in Beaverton.  Yesterday was the two-year anniversary of the Peace Vigil, and crowd of people who gathered to take advantage of their right to speak out was even larger than usual, numbering over 100 participants.  Cars honked and passengers reached out the windows to make peace signs with their fingers, as we held up signs demanding a non-violent, environmentally sustainable future.

This was my third time collecting signatures on "peace doves" at the WA County Peace Vigil.  I now have forty-three signed, dove-shaped cards asking the Washington County Board of Commissioners to reduce the county's dependence on fossil fuels.  All the signatures come from people who attended the Peace Vigil, or who stopped by our gathering to ask questions and find out how they could help.  I will be delivering the "peace doves" to the Board of Commissioners in person, and asking them to pass the Cool Counties Climate Stabilization Declaration in Washington County.  Forty-three signatures from participants in the Peace Vigil - a group known to be serious about its goals - should be fairly impressive to the Board of Commissioners.  Let's hope they decide to take real action against human-induced climate change, and address the largest environmental problem of our time.  If you want to help this movement roll forward, please SIGN THE PETITION to the Washington County Board of Commissioners, asking them to pass the Cool Counties Climate Stabilization Declaration.  Together, we can make real change.

-Nick

I'm currently visiting the city of Santa Cruz, California, which has long been an official Cool City, in one of our greenest, and "coolest" states.  Santa Cruz is hardly an Ecotopia - the highways are still full of cars, and far too many of them are SUVs - but the city is deffinitely taking steps in the right direction.  It has been pleasant to observe the biodiesel filling station, the solar panels on the roof of a hotel, and the ease with which organic produce can be purchased in this city.  The Santa Cruz city government has created a position for a "global warming coordinator" to oversee projects that will reduce the city's emissions of greenhouse gases.  Surely, this city is on the right track.

Santa Cruz has good reason to be concerned about global warming - particularly the implications of rising sea levels.  The coastal city would be in deep trouble (no pun intended) if the waters were to rise by very much.  However the ocean, while sometimes a hazard, is also a blessing to the city; hundreds of residents and tourists enjoy Santa Cruz's beaches and sea-side views, where brown pelecans, sea otters, and sometimes even porpoises can be sighted on a regular basis.  Global warming threatens all of this sea life, with its potential to turn kelp beds into wastelands, and change the very chemistry of the ocean itself.  In Santa Cruz, and in California in general, preventing global warming will be a neccessary part of environmental protection.  The same holds true for Oregon; our forests, rivers, and, of course, our own coastal ecosystems, are also threatened by climate change. 

Let's get down to work.  By taking measures to curb global warming at the local level, we can help protect the entire global environment.  This movement in Oregon is still running strong, and it is my personal goal to see that Washington County, OR becomes one of the first Cool Counties.  Want to get involved?  Check out the GLOBAL WARMING ACTION DASHBOARD.

-Nick

I have long been a patron of the Portland Metro Area's lightrail Max trains, and of the region's elaborate bus system.  Today, though, I took my first ride on Portland's third public transportation service - the Portland Streetcar.  It was a short ride, from the Galleria Max Station to Powell's Bookstore and back, but it was enough to get a taste of this final public transportation option. 

Within the city of Portland - and much of the rest of the Metro Area - it is possible to get almost anywhere on public transportation, whether Max, bus, or streetcar.  It is the most environmentally way to get town.  If you ride public transit, you add no additional global warming pollutants to the atmosphere.  Furthermore, you are not giving your money to oil companies that drill critical ecosystems from Alaskan tundra to Nigerian rainforests.  The clenching benefit of public transit, of course, is to your bank account; dedicated Max, bus, and streetcar riders have no worries when gas prices rise (you must of course pay a fare to ride public transit in most areas, but it is much cheaper than paying for gasoline - frequent customers can reduce costs by buying monthly passes). 

Emissions from automobiles are one of the largest contributors to global warming - and do you really want to give your money to oil companies, anyway?  Every trip you take using public transit instead of a car decreases your impact on the environment.  There's no time like the present for change; the public transportation on your day out.

-Nick

Four days ago, I sent emails to the Mayors of Hillsboro and Beaverton - the two largest cities in Washington County - asking them to contact the Washington County Board of Commissioners, and express support for this becoming a Cool County.  Both Hillsboro and Beaverton are already Cool Cities; it would be very valuable for the county commissioners to hear about why these local governments chose to participate in the city-level part of the movement that the county must now join.  I'm happy to say that Mayor Rob Drake, of Beaverton, was quick in responding to my message, and agreed to speak with Chairman Tom Brian, of the County Board of Commissioners, about reducing global warming pollutants. 

Mayor Drake states that the City of Beaverton is "proud of supporting the US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement [which it endorsed in order to become a Cool City] and the work we'll do to achieve positive results toward a more sustainable community."  The city governments of both Beaverton and Hillsboro are on the right track, in looking for ways that they can cut back on global warming pollutants from their area; however, the county must get involved, too.  Once Washington County has agreed to go "Cool," Beaverton, Hillsboro, and the county government will be able to work together to make a real difference to our planet.

If you want to support the campaign to make Washington County a Cool County, please sign the brand-new petition to the Board of Commissioners.  The Board needs to hear from ordinary people who care about the environment; make your voice matter.

Where do the Peace Movement and the Environmental Movement find the most in common?  Both depend on shifting US energy usage away from fossil fuels, and onto wind, solar, and other renewable forms of energy.  As long as US is powering its economy with oil and other fossil fuels extracted largely from conflict-prone regions of the world, we will never have lasting peace.  And as long as the burning of fossil fuels continues to change our climate - faster than it has ever changed due to natural causes - the global environment is in mortal peril.  Last night, peace and environmentalism intersected at the weekly Washington County Peace Vigil in Beaverton, Oregon.

The Peace Vigil has been assembling every Wednesday at 6:30 pm, at Hall Blvd & 5th St in Beaverton, for nearly two years.  Each week, ordinary people from all walks of life come together to hold cardboard signs up to passing cars, in protest of the Iraq war and the myth that violence can solve our problems.  I myself am a relative newcomer to the Peace Vigil, but have been attending whenever possible for the past few months.  And last night, I came prepared to give other activists the chance to help stear Washington County toward a fossil fuel-free future.  Wearing a sign that read, "Ask Me How WA County can Kick the Oil Addiction," I handed out "peace dove," cards asking the county Board of Commissioners to sign onto the US Cool Counties Climate Stabilzation Declaration. 

Find out more about how WA County can become a Cool County at the WASHINGTON COUNTY CAMPAIGN CENTER 

The cards will eventually be delivered to Chairman Tom Brian of the Washington County Board of Commissioners.  Last night was truly inspiring, with many people expressing their wish that the county, the nation, and the world might move toward a new future where violence and the exploitation of our environment gives way to respect for our global ecosystem and all forms of life.  Admitedly, convincing one county to decrease its use of fossil fuels is a very small part of the solution; however, it is only through hundreds of small steps like this that real change will be made.

The "peace dove" project is just one part of the campaign to make Washington County a Cool County.  The county is being approached by ordinary citizens and local politicians, and the campaign is using many of the same tactics that succeeded in making Hillsboro, Oregon, a Cool City.  Read more about the project at the Washington County Campaign Center.

-Nick

 The American public seems frantic for strong government action that addresses global warming.  Yet, although the federal government may finally be starting to take this issue seriously, progress at the federal level continues to move forward at a glacial pace.  In its version of this year's Energy Bill, the US Senate took some very modest steps toward decreasing our dependence on fossil fuels, which include establishing a 35 mph fuel economy standard for cars, trucks, and SUVs.  Even these measures, however, still hinge on approval by the House of Representatives. 

Continued lack of action from the federal government means that making change at lower government levels is more important than ever.  Some of Oregon's national representatives, such as Earl Blumenauer and David Wu, have shown a commitment to the fight against global warming.  However in Oregon, as in the nation at large, the real heroes in the fight against global warming are local officials.  Cities like Portland and Eugene have already taken great strides toward carbon neutrality, with Hillsboro, Beaverton, and others poised to follow their lead.  Furthermore, the county level of government is now getting in on the action; with some pressure from ordinary citizens, the counties of the Portland Metropolitan Area may end up becoming some of the nation's first Cool Counties.  The absence of action from Congress and the White House does not mean hope is lost.  Rather, it simply underlines the importance of working for change at lower levels of government.  Want to get more involved?  Visit the Global Warming Action Dashboard.

-Nick

Over 600 cities across the United States - including ten in Oregon - are now Cool Cities, meaning that they hav signed onto the US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, and pledged to reduce their emissions of global warming pollutants.  The Cool Cities movement has helped inspire initiatives across the country that are designed to decrease our cities' dependence on fossil fuels, while improving environmental quality.  Now it is time to build on this success, and move up to the next level of government: counties.  The new Cool Counties campaign, initiated partly by the Sierra Club, will encourage US counties to reduce their greenhouse emissions.  Will your county be one of the first to get on board the movement?

The three counties responsible for starting up the campaign are King County, WA, Fairfax County, VA, and Nassau County, NY.  These three, and others, have committed to reducing their greenhouse gas emissions to 80% below current levels by the year 2050, most likely cutting emissions by about 2% each year until that time.  A reduction of this type is what scientists say we need to make all across the country, in order to stave off the effects of global warming.  And this is what all counties that sign onto the Cool Counties initiative will be doing.  Here in Oregon, it's we need to make sure that our major counties make this pledge that others have already taken on.

I will be working to make Washington County, OR, a Cool County.  If activists in all of our state's major counties begin working with their own county governments, we can bring on real change very soon.  There are far fewer counties in Oregon that there are cities, so we can cover the whole state more quickly working county by county than we could working city by city.  I will keep readers of this blog up-to-date on the Washington County campaign.  It's up to you to get in your own county government - whether you live inside Oregon or not - and begin the process of world-changing there.

-Nick

On June 4th, the city council of Corvallis, Oregon, unanimously agreed to give Legend Homes - a subsidiary of Matrix Homes - permission to build 221 suburban houses on fifty seven acres of the Witham Oaks tract - an area of oak savanna, oak forest, and wetlands within walking distance of 10,000 Corvallis citizens.  The oak savanna within Witham Oaks represents a habitat type that is declining across North America; remaining pockets of oak savanna, like those in the Corvallis area, should be set aside as preserves.  However, the City of Corvallis, normally considered pretty "green," has approved this environmentally devastating project.  In addition to destroying threatened ecosystems, the Witham Oaks development will add urban sprawl to the city, encouraging long-distance commuting and the associated greenhouse gas emissions.  This is a bad deal for the environment all around.

Fortunately, Corvallis residents concerned about the impacts of this project are appealing the case to the Land Use Board of Appeals, in hopes of overturning the city council's verdict.  There is still time to save Witham Oaks.  I am looking at ways ordinary people can help, and will keep you updated on this blog.  In the meantime, feel free to visit the "Keep Witham Wild" website, which was put together by the Corvallis citizens resisting the development project.  And don't hesitate to spread the word about the desructive practices of Legend Home - below is a photo that shows one activist's idea of "protesting" Legend's activities.

Under former Mayor Helen Berg, Corvallis became one of the first four cities in Oregon to sign onto the US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement (there are now ten signatoree cities in Oregon).  By signing this historic Agreement, the city committed to reducing global warming pollutants, and also urged the federal government to take strong action against climate change. 

After doing some research, I learned this year that Helen Berg is no longer in office - she resigned after serving Corvallis for many years, and the post of mayor was taken over by Charles Tomlinson.  This called into question whether Corvallis would continue to be a participant in the Mayors Agreement, and I sent an email to Mayor Tomlinson to ask if the city intended to continue upholding its commitment; the mayor said he would pass my message on to the current city council.  I am happy to report that I received another email from Charles Tomlinson yesterday, stating that the Mayors Climate Protection Agreement had been re-ratified in Corvallis; this means the city intends to continue working toward environmental solutions.

Signing the Mayors Agreement is a good way for a city to publicly state its intention of reducing greenhouse emissions.  The Agreement is, however, non-binding.  It will be important to monitor the current city government, and make sure that it follows through with the commitment stated in the Agreement.  Corvallis also has a city-wide sustainability policy, and a sustainability coordinator to oversee environmental projects.  However, it is no Ecotopia, as yet.  The approval this spring of the Witham Oaks development project, which plopped over 200 suburban houses onto what had formerly been a unique oak savanna, cast a shadow over Corvallis' pledge to become sustainable. 

The Witham Oaks project added to urban sprawl, and doomed a valuable ecosystem unnecessarily.  It remains to be seen whether the future of Corvallis will be dominated by destructive projects like this, or by sustainable development and environmentally sound practices.  The re-ratification of the Mayors Agreement is an encouraging sign, but there are still many questions to be answered.  Feel free to contact Mayor Tomlinson at mayor@council.ci.corvallis.or.us to let him know your thoughts.  And if you do contact the mayor, please let be know in a reply to this post.

   What you do today, to fight global warming, will matter for centuries.  We have only about a decade to really begin reducing worldwide greenhouse emissions; we have to do what it takes to make this happen, and we have to do it now.  Imagine if Americans took the fight against global warming as seriously as they took the threat of Nazism during World War II.  Millions of ordinary people in the US mobilized during the 1940's to support the war effort, consuming fewer materials so that resources could be use for war equipment, planting vegetable gardens at home so crops could go to feeding armies in Europe, and driving much less so that gasoline could go to powering the war.  US citizens were encouraged to carpool with the admonishen, "If you ride alone, you ride with Hitler."  All of these practices, if taken up today, would help to stop global warming.  The difference, of course, is that instead of using the resources we save to power a war, we should refrain from consuming them at all; we must keep fossil fuels in the ground where they belong, instead of burning them.  We have to take the strain off rainforests and other ecosystems that absorb carbon from the atmosphere.

Individual choices matter in this effort.  It will be neccessary for everyone who cares about the environment to choose responsibility over pleasure in coming years.  My own family just made the decision that instead of spending money on a weekend vacation by car - which would add carbon to the air - we will invest in an Energy Star washing machine, and reduce our household's carbon footprint.  Choices like this do matter.  So replace the incandescent lightbulbs in your house with more efficient fluorescent bulbs.  Drive less.  Consume less.  Unplug electric appliances when they aren't in use.  This is a fight we can win, but we must approach it with as much determination as the generation of Word War II approached the struggle against Facism.  Can we triumph over global warming?  It's up to each of us to show that we can.

From the summer of 2005 to the fall of 2007, I had the priviledge of working with some remarkable people to convince the city council of Hillsboro, Oregon to adopt a resolution on sustainability which ensures that the city will sign onto the US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, and become a member of the International Council of Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI).  Hillsboro will still face many decisions regarding what kind of action to take and how to make its communities more sustainable.  It will be important that the city councilors and Mayor Tom Hughes hold fast to the commitment they have made, and take tangible steps to curb global warming.  However, the resolution that the council passed is a remarkable first step.  Now the city has signed onto the Mayors Agreement, and it is applying for membership in ICLEI.  By working with ICLEI staff, Hillsboro will be able to inventory current sources of greenhouse emissions, set a goal for reducing them, and then take real steps to curb emissions.  Hillsboro is the fifth largest city in Oregon, and for it to commit to this kind of goal is a big deal. 

To ensure that Hillsboro follows through with its commitment, the local government needs to hear from people who care about the future of the planet, and who appreciate what the city is trying to do.  Whether you live inside Hillsboro or not, please click here to send an email to Mayor Tom Hughes, thanking him for helping to move this project toward completion. 

Last year, Mayor Rob Drake of Beaverton, Oregon signed the US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, and committed the city to reduce its emissions of global warming pollutants.  Signing the Agreement was a good way of stating the city's concern over human-induced climate change, but a question remained: would the local government back up its words by taking tangible steps to decrease carbon dioxide and other greenhouse emissions?  This month, the Beaverton City Council took a promising step in the right direction.

On June 19th, the city council and Mayor Drake issued a challenge to Beaverton residents, asking them to purchase renewable energy from Portland General Electric (PGE) - the region's main energy provider.  The city hopes to get 250 new households signed onto PGE's "Green Power" program by the end of the summer.  Still more importantly, however, the City of Beaverton itself is purchasing enough green power to account for all city facilities; this amounts to keeping 6.8 million pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere every year. 

To be sure, there is much more to building a sustainable community than purchasing green power.  New buildings should be designed with energy conservation in mind, and urban sprawl should be discouraged.  Public transportation should be easily accessible, and residents should be given incentives to buy hybrid and fuel-efficient cars.  Still, this step taken by the City of Beaverton is highly encouraging.  It suggests that the city is serious about preventing climate change, and willing to take real action.  Let's hope that this is a sign of still greater things to come.

Now, get your own city working on climate change - JOIN THE ADOPT-A-MAYOR PROGRAM!