Monday, July 28, 2008

Paper nor plastic? - Part Deux

The Seattle City Council today approved the measure imposing a 20 cent fee on plastic and paper shopping bags, to encourage the adoption of reusable bags. The council also passed a ban on use of foam containers by businesses that serve food.

The City will distribute reusable bags, and the per-bag fee will start in January 2009. Then the choice of whether to pay the fee is up to the individual shopper. As the next mayor of Seattle, Richard Conlin, says: "You only have to pay it if you choose not to use reusable bags."

The foam ban has three phases. This coming January, restaurants and the like will have to stop using polystyrene and styrofoam. Then a year after that, all other plastic containers and utensils must be replaced by biodegradables.

Friday, July 25, 2008

The enemy of my enemy is Light Rail

Why transit innovators should embrace trains (and buses) too

On a recent trip to the Bay Area I was reminded why I like trains almost as much as Personal Rapid Transit.

After only a 5-10 minute wait I was able to take BART from the Oakland Coliseum/Airport station to Dublin/Pleasanton (site of Hacienda Business Park, Oracle, etc.) in only 24 minutes, including temporary slowdowns for construction. The journey, including stops at three intervening stations, covered about 17 miles -- an average speed of 42 mph. The return trip was similarly fast and trouble-free.

Yes, I know all the pro-PRT arguments -- PRT would have been faster; PRT would have been on-demand and nonstop; PRT would have been more energy efficient. All true, but that's not my point here.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Infernal plastic doo-dads

All I wanted to do last week was buy a shirt. I went from rack to rack at the Fred Meyer (Kroger), picking up one shirt here, another there, one from over there, and so on. And when I had all my options in hand, I couldn't help but marvel at the unnecessary use of those little zip-ties they use to attach the price tags, manufacturer tags and Sale tag. Not to mention the plastic stickers that advertise, redundantly, the size, special features and fiber composition.

One shirt, though, stood out from the others by using no plastic doo-dads at all: a short sleeved, organic linen/cotton shirt by Great Northwest, which I believe is the Fred Meyer in-store brand. The single tag was made from recycled paper, and attached with a piece of biodegradable twine. Oh, and FORTY PERCENT OFF, because I can smell a bargain from a long way away.



Look Ma, no plastic

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

RoboTrike

I made a quick trip to the Bay Area last weekend. Saw some sights, rode the BART out to Pleasanton, the full tourist experience. But the oddest thing I saw was when I was back home on Sunday, on the ground at SeaTac airport:




"The Future of Policing" (The Stranger)


Also today:
Kill a protected species (and be part of a club killing 2,000 of them a year), don't go to jail

Neat-o bikesharing layer on gMaps

I have to figure out how to customize Google Maps. Paul DeMaio, a transportation consultant and blogger who specializes in bicycling, has fiddled around with gMaps and created a layer that shows the location and status of bikesharing programs around the world. It's called -- wait for it -- the Bike-sharing Map.

A biker icon indicates an operating program, while a question mark seems to mean the program is either being studied, or planned, or maybe DeMaio hasn't yet researched the details.

Monday, July 14, 2008

Paper nor plastic?

Seattle debated whether the city may follow in the footsteps of San Francisco, on July 8 discussing a proposal for a 20 cent fee on all disposal shopping bags, as well as a long overdue ban on foam food containers. The meeting was called by the City Council's Environment, Emergency Management and Utilities Committee.

Those who attended the meeting (including The Bag Monster) heard from fellow citizens in overwhelming support of the ban, which if approved would go into effect in 2010. One provision of the ban is that each household in the city would receive a free reusable shopping bag.

Who opposes the fee? Professional curmudgeons and the grocery industry, who counterproposed a per-visit fee.

Friday, July 11, 2008

Is Masdar for real?

Many are excited about the green technologies that could come out of the zero carbon, zero waste project in the desert. Others call it hype.


eager000010 (Flickr)

Monday, July 7, 2008

The good Puget Sound news

Lest anyone think Puget Sound environmental policy and water quality are going completely to hell, I am glad to report that a piece of good news happened last week. The Neah Bay rescue tug, which stands ready to assist oil tankers and other vessels transiting the can-be-stormy Strait of Juan de Fuca entrance to Puget Sound, returned to duty on July 1.

"The tug" is actually two boats that will split the assignment: the Hunter and the Gladiator, both under contract from Crowley Maritime.

What is notable is that this marks the first time the tug will be on duty for 12 continuous months. In past years state funding was only available for part of the year. As if oil spills check the calendar. This time the state legislature voted a full 12 months, but there is no guarantee for the following year.

Court ignores environmental factors

I have received word that a state appeals court has struck down King County's "65/10 rule," requiring property owners retain 65% of forest and limiting impervious surface to 10%. This rule is critical to the issue of reducing stormwater runoff, which is a major source of pollutants that enter Puget Sound.

65/10 is meant to comply with Washington State Growth Management regulations, but my source has told me the appeals court has held the rule to be an illegal fee.

More as it develops.

Update (1518 PDT): The Seattle P-I has the first media report on the ruling. (since updated and extended)

Update (08 July 0926 PDT): King County's rural-land restrictions go too far, court rules -

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Locking-in green behavior

Ten observations related to how people are adjusting to high fuel prices, and maybe we can have a discussion.

1. "Peak oil" is on the digital lips of many progressive bloggers. This event, assuming it has happened, signals the start of a fundamental restructuring. The economy will have to respond by replacing oil with another energy input.

2. Progressive opinion leaders are observing, however, that the problem is not supply, and speculation is responsible for higher pump prices. This is borne out by events and expert opinion:

John McCain's Connection to Big Oil