Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Environment Watch

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Dateline Earth
Check out our environmental blog for frequently updated tips and tidbits
· Grease bandits strike WA biodiesel maker
· Enviro effects of Makah whale hunt released
· Myanmar a victim of aquaculture, agriculture?

Reader blog: Energy: Strategies, Policy & Best Practices
· REI Stores, Commuting, and Customer Travel Account for Most of its Carbon Emissions
· No Vacation for Gas Taxes
· Selling Green in the Spec Office Market

Reader blog: Building Seattle Green
Environmentally conscious design
· Flushing Your Toilet with Rainwater
· Countrywide Offers Green Home Buyers a Financial Break
· New Green Broker® Certification for Commercial Agents

Reader blog: Green Gal
Environmentally conscious living
· The "greenest" day of them all
· The neti revolution
· Naked snacking

Reader blog: Living Simply: Creating a New Life Off the Grid
· Sitting with the Cabbages
· Omar Ahmed Khadr
· What Color is a Purple Finch?

Reader blog: Electric Vehicle Guide
· New electric vehicle with an unusual form factor
· An Aptera guided tour: the factory
· BMW's electric baby

Special Reports

Climate Change
Fears about the damage caused by climate change -- less snow, vanishing shorelines, more forest fires -- are mounting. How will governments, businesses and residents respond?
· Former President Clinton sees climate's silver lining (November 2007)
· Seattle urges greenhouse cuts (September 2007)
· Global warming needs green revolution (October 2007)
· Scientists say humans warming world (February 2007)
· Special report: What climate change means to the region (November 2003)

Tracking Puget Sound's Health
The Puget Sound region's iconic estuary is being hammered by pollution and development. Leaders pledge they'll save the Sound, but will it work?
· Plan to dump PCBs in Elliott Bay (September 2007)
· Tribes win on ruling on salmon (August 2007)
· Gov.'s plan to help Sound (May 2007)
· Special Report: The Sound of Broken Promises (October 2006)
· Special Report: Our Troubled Sound (November 2002)

Global Warming
A warmer world means less snow and higher tides in the area. Agencies are trying to slow greenhouse gas releases and prepare for the changes.
· Read the story: How changing water temperatures affect Lake Washington's ecosystem. (July 2005)
· Multimedia: See how it works (Flash 6)
· Special report: What climate change means to the region, includes full-page PDF (November 2003)

Endangered Species
Beloved Northwest salmon, orcas and spotted owls are in jeopardy of vanishing. There are efforts to save them -- will they succeed?
· Logging stopped to help owl (August 2007)
· Wild vs. hatchery salmon (August 2007)
· Salmon rescue plan (January 2007)
· Special report: The federal government is handing out licenses to kill endangered species (May 2005)

Natural Seattle
Sure it's a metropolis, but Seattle is home to countless wild things. But how healthy is the city's ecosystem?
· Special report: What is happening to Seattle's urban forest and what's at risk. (November 2005)
· Multimedia: What happens when an urban forest is neglected, or if it's restored (Flash 6 required).
· Recent news: Getting the ivy out at Beacon Hill park (January 2006)

P-I reporters Lisa Stiffler and Robert McClure cover environmental issues from the region and beyond. Contact Lisa by e-mail or phone (206-448-8042) and Robert by e-mail or phone (206-448-8092).

FRIDAY, MAY 9, 2008
Caution flag raised in race to embrace biofuels
Concerns about biofuels' impact on food supplies and the environment are causing Seattle, King County and UW officials to tap the brakes on their use.

THURSDAY, MAY 8, 2008
Drink tap water, not bottled, city urges
City officials and grass-roots activists urged people Wednesday to turn to Seattle's drinking water and safe, reusable containers.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 7, 2008
Gregoire pick for pesticide panel questioned
Gov. Chris Gregoire is appointing a scientist with ties to Dow Chemical to a state panel that tracks pesticide exposures. She declined to reappoint a scientist who pushed for state-funded studies on pesticides drifting from farm fields.

Ethanol fuels the debate over soaring food prices
WASHINGTON -- Just months ago, ethanol was the Holy Grail to energy independence and a "green fuel" that would help nudge the country away from climate-changing fossil energy.

To save scenic hillside, tiny Index gets a crash course in fundraising
It's tough to save a mountain one raffle ticket at a time. But with a $500,000 pledge, a grassroots fundraising effort to save a ridge above Index from being clearcut is gaining ground.

Oyster dredge sinking leaks fuel
ABERDEEN-- The state Department of Ecology says a 50-foot oyster dredge that sank in Grays Harbor leaked an undetermined amount of marine fuel into the bay.

SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2008
Bio-debatable: Food vs. fuel
With growing fears over biofuels stealing from dinner plates to fill gas tanks, people are starting to wonder: How green are biofuels?

Barge delivering gravel breaks
A barge that was taking on gravel at Harbor Island partially sank Friday afternoon and has broken apart, the Coast Guard reported.

FRIDAY, MAY 2, 2008
Pollution threatens 17 commercial shellfish areas
OLYMPIA -- The Washington Health Department says pollution threatens shellfish harvesting in 17 of the state's commercial shellfish growing areas.

THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2008
New warnings on eating fish from Lake Roosevelt and Spokane River
SPOKANE -- State health officials are suggesting more limits on consumption of fish from Lake Roosevelt and the Spokane River because of pollution.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30, 2008
Wild Sky is a go at last
After a very long wait, Sen. Patty Murray sees Washington's Wild Sky Wilderness area become reality.

First new wilderness in state in 2 decades is easily accessible
WASHINGTON -- Washington is set to get its first new wilderness area in more than two decades with House passage Tuesday of legislation that would protect more than 106,000 acres of forests and salmon-bearing streams from motorists and loggers.

Bull trout to remain listed as threatened species in Lower 48
Bull trout should remain listed as a threatened species in the Lower 48, and some populations may be studied for additional protections under the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Tuesday.

Shipper pays $7.25 million for dumping waste oil at sea
An Egyptian shipping company has paid a $7.25 million fine after it was convicted of federal felony charges for dumping waste oil at sea.

State creates habitat plan for Fidalgo Bay
OLYMPIA -- State officials announced a management plan Tuesday to protect and restore habitat while supporting public use in Fidalgo Bay near Anacortes.

TUESDAY, APRIL 29, 2008
$1 billion timber slush fund or fair trade deal?
Is it an illegal $1 billion slush fund for Bush administration friends in the timber industry? Or a fairly negotiated end to an expensive trade war? It depends on your point of view.

MONDAY, APRIL 28, 2008
Critics see quake risk at site of Brightwater sewage plant
Don't ask, don't tell. That's the position of King County officials when it comes to investigating the earthquake risk to the Brightwater sewage treatment plant, critics claim. But the officials say it's more like, "Enough, already."

SATURDAY, APRIL 26, 2008
Warming greater risk to narwhals than polar bears
WASHINGTON -- The polar bear has become an icon of global warming vulnerability, but a new study found an Arctic mammal that may be even more at risk to climate change: the narwhal.

Scientists: Rescue plan for Sound falls short
The latest blueprint to rescue Puget Sound fails to deal with the biggest source of pollution, scientists charge.

TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2008
Green reads for Earth Day
Several new consumer-friendly books on living a more sustainable lifestyle are highlighted in this Seattle P-I salute to Earth Day. Practical advice, without preaching, abounds in their pages.

MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2008
Local Food Action Initiative a recipe to cure society's ills?
Seattle's "Local Food Action Initiative" goals are sweeping: racial and social justice, environmental sustainability, improved public health, economic development and more.

Software Notebook: SPU students' pitch -- buy online, reduce carbon footprint
How many online shoppers will be willing to pay more for a product if it helps make up for the environmental impact of shipping it to them? That's one question behind a new e-commerce site being developed by a group of SPU students.

Volunteers fan out on weekend before Earth Day
Earth Day isn't until Tuesday, but volunteers across Washington got a head start on it during the weekend by clearing invasive plants, planting native ones, picking up trash and generally working for a cleaner, safer environment.

FRIDAY, APRIL 18, 2008
A warning for those recycling electronics
Green-minded consumers beware. Free electronics collection events touted as planet friendly aren't always as ecologically sound as they seem, says a watchdog group focused on preventing the export of dangerous e-waste.

Crown Jewel gold mine gets green light
SPOKANE -- An agreement calling for independent water-quality monitoring clears the way for construction of the proposed Crown Jewel gold mine on Buckhorn Mountain in Okanogan County, conservation groups said Thursday.

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