Comments PDXOutdoors has made

  • The man knows his stuff

    It's so refreshing to hear a candidate with such a clear, and clearly communicated, understanding of an issue as complex as energy policy.  I am SO ready to have a smart Democrat in the house.  I'm voting for Obama but would still be happy with Clinton, even though she's probably more conservative than Bill was.On Obama parries ABEC posted 1 year, 10 months ago 5 Responses

  • CA, Cars, Money

    Yes, it's continually amazing to me how short-sighted the American car companies are.  I guess quarterly profits reports trumps all intelligent long-term thinking.  Just another example of how the current financial paradigm for publicly traded companies is encouraging a pathalogical exclusion of long-term interests in any strategic planning.On All four Republican prez candidates express support for California's EPA waiver posted 1 year, 10 months ago 3 Responses

  • Current TV URL

    I think you had an incorrect URL for Current TV's website. The actual URL is http://current.com/On In which I finally come around to this whole video pod idea posted 1 year, 10 months ago 2 Responses

  • Glossy is not Green

    From the horses' mouths:
    http://www.grist.org/news/daily/2000/02/18/can/index.html ...

    Glossy paper is usually pretty toxic stuff, both in the manufacturing process and in our landfills, recycling plants or compost bins.  Perhaps we should all write some letters to these publications asking them if they are using a non-toxic glossy paper, and if so, why not.

    Paper in general, as we all know, ain't so hot.  I'd argue that the checmicals used in the processing of paper are at least as bad as the resource extraction necessary to feed this industy. Here's an example of a paper pulp mill in my home state, responsible for approximately 200,000 pounds of carcinogenic air pollution annually.

    How about we pressure these magazines to look at options for lighter, cleaner, 100% recycled paper, as well as natural inks.On Grist reviews the spring crop of green glossy mags posted 2 years, 8 months ago 11 Responses

  • Glass is Nice

    As far as dildos, my girlfriend has a beautiful glass dildo that is not toxic at all, and which she says is better than any rubber or plastic one she's come across.  :-)  They're not as fragile as you might think, either.On Umbra on greening your sex life posted 2 years, 8 months ago 12 Responses

  • Labeling & "Organic"

    I have always thought that the label "organic" was fundamentally inaccurate and unhelpful.  The two main concerns that people who tout and buy organic food are:

    The First main concern is Consumer Health - Pesticides are bad for you, as are other chemicals that enter into or are present on foods grown in large industrial or monocrop productions.  Organic foods are grown with time-tested and (mostly) chemical free methods, and are both absent of actively harmful agents, but also tend to be, as a result of a more hands-on practice, more nutritious than their conventional counterparts.

    Something to think about here is the effect that buying less processed and more local foods has on consumer health.  First, and most saliently, due to the shorter field to store distances, the foods can be picked closer to their natural ripeness and therefore taste better and have more nutrient value.  Second, less food-miles equals less fuel burned equals less pollution in your local air and water.  Third, foods need not be coated or treated with necessary agents for long-distance shipping and pest-control in such conditions.

    The Second main concern is the overall environmental impact of the use of pesticides, oil-based fertilizers, and massive monocultures.  These 'conventional' practices are widely seen as unsustainable and unhealthy for the ecosystem and us in the long term. I'll include in this concerns (very important ones) about long-term soil degredation.  On sort of a tangent, soil health is incredibly important and the main reason to question biofuels as a large-scale option for energy.

    The impact of food-miles to this overall concern cannot be overstated.  The overall negative impact of an organic tomato shipped 3500 miles from Southern California to NYC, versus a conventional tomato grown in a hothouse in upstate NY and shipped 200 miles - there's a real argument to be made for supporting even conventional or at the least semi-conventional (Naturally Grown or other alternative labeling) local farmers over the distant "Organic" farms.  Supporting local farms also has the long-term benefit of strengthening and diversifying the local food economy, which will be incredibly important when gas is $10 or even $5 a gallon.
    On If organic food is so popular, why are so few farms transitioning their land? posted 2 years, 8 months ago 21 Responses

  • The Choir is Fine, Speak to the Populus

    This is great stuff. I think there's at least two lessons / ideas here that (mostly white) folks who are focused on the philosophical and theoretical aspects of sustainability and 'lifestyle' choices/changes need to get.

    1 - It's about the economy, stupid.  Think about the real goals of creating a sustainable economy. An aspect of sustainability HAS to be creating an economy where there are jobs for everyone, and everyone has an opportunity to improve their standard of living.  Perhaps a fundamental missing element (only to be engaged in as a parallel and supplemental campaign) is trying to change what is thought of by the general public, the working class, as a good standard of living.  The idea that being healthy, eating well, having time to spend with family, living in an adequate home in a cohesive neighborhood, these things are more important than having a big/nice car, or getting the latest pair of designer whatever, or having the newest tech gizmo that you probably don't need.  Consumer education and independence from corporate advertising will free up a LOT of working class energy and money.

    2 - If you really want to make a difference, stop preaching to the choir and listen to all the everyday concerns that regular folks have about their lives.  Value these concerns as their owners do, and think about and speak to ways in which a new, localized and personalized sustainable economy could address some of these concerns.  There are a LOT of folks who have been riding the bus long before you started, not because of an idea, but because they couldn't afford to own a car.  Most folks don't see a lot of the current 'eco-elite' solutions, such as driving a hybrid, upgrading their home or buying (more expensive) local and organic as options because they simply can't afford them, OR, just as importantly, they think they can't afford them or that it's a net economic loss.

    Think about all the ways in which the kinds of changes that sustainable development can INCREASE the number of choices the average person has in their daily lives, and ways in which it can actually benefit their pocketbooks in the short-term.  Like it or not, most folks think in the very short term, and very close to home.  Instead of making them out to be wrong for this, overtly or implied, speak to their concerns.On An interview with Van Jones, advocate for social justice and shared green prosperity posted 2 years, 8 months ago 9 Responses

  • Missing a Major Reality

    In all the analysis and commentary on Bush's recent seemingly environmentally friendly initiatives, and his talk of 'oil addiction,' I've seen no talk at all about the main reason we burn so much oil in this country, which is that the way our cities and suburbs have been and are being built requires people to drive nearly everywhere.

    I'd like someone to speak up in the national debate and say, "Hey, if you're serious about reducing foreign oil dependence then you'll talk about ways to encourage development and re-development of cities so that folks have more non-automobile choices when commuting or running errands in their communities."  People, even those with the best intentions, will usually choose the path of least resistance (expedience) and so encouraging them to make the right choice regarding transportation has to include making that choice less of a sacrifice.
    On The return of SOTU: Oil 'addiction' posted 3 years, 9 months ago 6 Responses

  • More Greenwashing

    I think the Democratic community has a tough choice here. Supporting this bill might be good in that it would ease the spread of cleaner technologies to developing nations, and encourage business here to take forward steps (although these efforts should be revenue-neutral, funded through increased enforcement of current fines and fees for polluters).  The danger, however, is that it allows Hagel and other Republicans to greenwash themselves while at the same time continuing to maintain that sound science is bunk and that polluters have no greater responsibility to society than to be the most efficient money making machines they can. It also allows companies to say, "See, we're doing it!" when much speedier and overarching changes are needed to curtail the carbon we pump into our environment.On An interview with Sen. Chuck Hagel, Republican from Nebraska, on his new climate bills posted 4 years, 9 months ago 1 Response

  • Rolling Stone!

    This seemingly unlikely enviro-source regularly makes room for in-depth reporting based on clearly authentic and urgent environmental concern. It's really no surprise, given Rolling Stone's regular (and great!) political reporting and commentary. Music has always been political, and the environment is a mainstream topic of angst for RS's young (although perhaps not as young as you'd think) reader demographic.  Although you're not going to find an environmental story in every issue, those stories and series that they do publish are well researched and well written.  Rolling Stone has been a primary print source of political and environmental news for this Grist reader for over 10 years.  Check it out!  www.rollingstone.comOn Tell us about your favorite eco-magazines made of paper posted 4 years, 9 months ago 53 Responses