From last year's failed roads and transit campaign to today's waterproof panniers

From a fellow Seattleite, directions for making your own panniers, fenders, and bike basket from corrugated plastic political signs. (Via Apartment Therapy.)

I often find myself trapped by the questions and thinking to myself, 'You know, this is a stupid question, but let me … answer it.' So when Brian Williams is asking me about what's a personal thing that you've done [that's green], and I say, you know, 'Well, I planted a bunch of trees.' And he says, 'I'm talking about personal.' What I'm thinking in my head is, 'Well, the truth is, Brian, we can't solve global warming because I fucking changed light bulbs in my house. It's because of something collective'.

Nicely put Fucking righteous, Mr. President Elect. (Changed for the benefit of the dense and/or humorless.)

Apparently, it also rained in my car.

This morning, unsuspecting, I went out and I dunked my dainty toe right in there. In that dirty puddle! IN MY CAR! It is deceptively deep. Who could have anticipated a deep, dirty puddle where my driver's side floor used to be? What is a dirty puddle doing in my car, anyway? The window wasn't open. The door wasn't open (or was it?).

After the jump, please enjoy* the arduous process of bailing out my vehicle.
(*PROCESS** NOT ACTUALLY ENJOYABLE.)
[**NEITHER THE BAILING PROCESS ITSELF NOR THE PROCESS OF READING ABOUT THE BAILING PROCESS.]

Cuba.

I spotted Seattle Times editorial columnist Joni Balter at this afternoon's dual debate on Sound Transit and Initiative 985, so of course I'm looking forward to seeing what she has to say about the discussion. Given that this is a woman who opposes a city move to recycle kitchen waste, claimed a council resolution supporting local food imposed "militant vegetable growing" and other "enviro-dogma," has written not one, not two, not three, but four columns opposing the parks and Pike Place Market levies (noting, in every single one, that "everybody loves parks, but..."), and has argued that not only roads but light rail and even buses are "pricing the middle class our of our region," I'm guessing she'll be sympathetic to Tim Eyman and Kemper Freeman's anti-tax, anti-transit messages.

If you're interested in what I have to say about the debate, it'll be up tomorrow morning. If you're wondering why my post is coming so late, it's because I spent some time after the debate living out Joni Balter's worst nightmare: I biked to the north end of Capitol Hill to pick up my CSA from Full Circle Farm, which I put into my reusable bag (recycling the box the produce came in) before biking back. And even at this very moment, I'm wearing a Mass Transit Now! sticker.

Amazingly, despite all the eco-dogma I no doubt absorbed this afternoon, I don't feel nannied, militant, or oppressed. In fact, I feel a hell of a lot less imposed upon than I would if I had to sit in traffic, park, shop, lug a ton of plastic bags back to the car, and sit in traffic again just to get dinner on the table. But to some people, I guess that's what freedom looks like.

Seattle is one of 25 U.S. cities that will be studied for its solar power potential, as part of a federal program to speed up America’s adoption of solar energy.

Denver-based CH2M Hill Inc. was given a three-year, $5.5 million contract by the U.S. Department of Energy for the program. The engineering company will be mapping the entire city of Seattle, rooftop by rooftop, which will allow residents to determine how much each individual household could benefit by installing solar energy panels.

Insert cliché line about how Seattle is always cloudy here.

Thanks for the tip, Ben.

As the UK Sun reports:

STARBUCKS was blasted by environmental experts last night after The Sun discovered it pours millions of litres of precious water down the drain at its coffee shops. The giant coffee chain has a policy of keeping a tap running non-stop at all its 10,000 outlets worldwide, wasting 23.4 MILLION litres a day. That would provide enough daily water for the entire two million-strong population of drought-hit Namibia in Africa or fill an Olympic pool every 83 minutes.

Every Starbucks branch has a cold tap behind the counter providing water for a sink called a “dipper well”, used for washing spoons and utensils. Staff are banned from turning the water off under bizarre health and safety rules — bosses claim a constant flow stops germs breeding in the taps.

And as BBC News reports, Starbucks is sticking by its watery practice:

US coffee-shop chain Starbucks has defended itself against claims of a serious waste of water by leaving taps running in its stores all day. A spokeswoman said the purpose was to clean utensils and the policy meant the company met health standards.The company says the flow services a "dipper well", used for keeping utensils clean, and that the taps run at very low pressure. "Dipper wells use a stream of continuous cold fresh-running water to rinse away food residue, help keep utensils clean and prevent bacterial growth," the Press Association news agency quoted the spokeswoman as saying. "The dipper well system currently in use in Starbucks retail stores ensures that we meet or exceed our own and local health standards." She said the company was considering using dishwashers instead of the dipper wells and introducing a more water-efficient way of cleaning spoons.

Starbucks says although it recognises that there are opportunities to reduce its water usage, it does comply with United Nations standards, and it has to balance water conservation with the need for customer safety.

Clearly, if they turn off the water, people will die.

Former and current Starbucks employees: Please share your feelings about/experiences with the death-defying dipper well in the comments. (And Dear Science: What do you make of Starbucks' allegation that the "constant flow stops germs breeding in the taps"?)

The city apparently heard Save The Trees' complaints. In a letter sent to a STT member last week, the Department of Planning and Development says it will seek to fine the developer.

Thank you for notifying the Department of Planning and Development (DPD) of the tree cutting issues at 12301 5th Avenue NE. Although the applicant had a permit application under review for this site, a permit has not been issued. Current regulations prohibit the removal of trees over 6-inches in diameter on undeveloped lots unless a building permit has been issued allowing removal of specific trees.

In coordination with City Arborists, DPD issued a Stop-Work Order on Monday. Unfortunately, it appears many of the trees may have been removed over the weekend. Our enforcement staff will be following up on this issue to prevent this from occurring on the applicant's adjacent parcels to the north. In addition to the Stop-Work Order, we will be seeking a civil penalty in an amount equal to the appraised value of the trees removed and may require a restoration plan as a result of this action.

If you happen to notice an illegal action such as this in the future, please call our complaint line at 615-0808. DPD enforcement staff are able to respond to these issues expeditiously when notified. Thank you for your continued interest in tree regulations and alerting us of this issue.

Bryan Stevens
Customer Service Manager &
Seattle's Industrial Permit Liaison
City of Seattle
Department of Planning and Development

While the city appears to suddenly have wood for Seattle's tree canopy, it remains to be seen whether DPD will step in to assist other tree-loving splinter groups around Seattle.

AT THE RISK OF SOUNDING LIKE A BROKEN RECORD...THE INTENSITY FORECAST REMAINS PROBLEMATIC. ANALYSES FROM CIMSS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN SHOWS THAT GUSTAV REMAINS IN 15 TO 20 KT OF SOUTHERLY VERTICAL SHEAR....AND THE LARGE-SCALE MODELS FORECAST AT LEAST SOME SOUTHERLY TO SOUTHWESTERLY SHEAR TO PERSIST UNTIL LANDFALL. THAT...COMBINED WITH THE CURRENT RAGGED STORM STRUCTURE AND THE MID-LEVEL DRY AIR TRYING TO WRAP AROUND THE STORM IN WATER VAPOR IMAGERY...SUGGESTS ANY INTENSIFICATION SHOULD BE SLOW. ADDITIONALLY..GUSTAV IS OVER A WARM EDDY IN THE LOOP CURRENT NOW...AND SHOULD PASS OVER WATERS WITH LOWER OCEANIC HEAT CONTENT BETWEEN NOW AND LANDFALL. THE GUIDANCE RESPONDS TO THESE FACTORS BY FORECASTING MODEST STRENGTHENING DURING THE NEXT 12 TO 24 HR...WITH THE GFDL FORECASTING A PEAK INTENSITY OF 120 KT AND THE OTHER MODELS ABOUT 110 KT. BASED ON THIS...THE INTENSITY FORECAST WILL CALL FOR GUSTAV TO RE-INTENSIFY TO 115 KT IN 12 TO 24 HR...AND MAKE LANDFALL ON THE NORTHERN GULF COAST AS A MAJOR HURRICANE. GUSTAV SHOULD STEADILY WEAKEN AFTER LANDFALL.

Right now, this is what constitutes good news for New Orleans.

Given the projected strengthening--to a category IV hurricane--and the predicted track that will take the storm's landfall near to New Orleans--where the levees are either weak or uncompleted, and thus totally unequal to the projected huge 10 to 20ft storm surges--this might be it for the crescent city. Again.

There will be no more "shelters of last resort," that fig leaf expended during Katrina when the rest of us learned astonishing numbers of our fellow Americans have no choice but the last resort. Some of the poorest people in the country--let's be honest with ourselves, some of the poorest people in North America--are being asked to evacuate, with no resources to do so. Again.

Frankly, this should be exactly why we pay taxes--to help people without any means to follow mandatory evacuation orders. Of course, after eight years of Bush and even longer under Republican dominance, such public assistance will be woefully unequal to the task. Again.

Consider donating to charity. The American Red Cross has started a fund. It's an ugly way to deal with this, but the only way with which we've been left.

The second storm of the century is about to hit New Orleans, the second storm of the century within five years. That should make you wonder.

(More after the jump, or here.)

So Krishna, as when he admonished Arjuna On the field of battle. Not fare well, But fare forward, [voyager].

Now that we have flying on the mind:

WASHINGTON (AP) - Two airliners were one minute from colliding when at least one of the planes turned away from the other over the Atlantic Ocean this week, federal authorities said Friday.

The National Transportation Safety Board said it was investigating an incident in which a Delta Air Lines flight and a Russian-registered passenger jet were heading toward each other Thursday north of Puerto Rico when cockpit alarms went off.

The NTSB said the pilot of the Russian plane - a Transaero Boeing 747 - descended 200 feet to 300 feet to avoid Delta Flight 485.

The planes were at the same altitude - 33,000 feet over open ocean - and were "60 seconds apart from occupying the same airspace," said NTSB spokesman Peter Knudson.

(Or another reason to love My Gassy L’il Pony.)

Things get more acute with addition of my fella Jake, who occasionally "rides bitch." When the two of us are straddling that poor little scooter, I can't help thinking of the world's fattest twins crammed onto one wee bike. Passersby laugh at us. We understand, and laugh with them, for it is ridiculous. We call the scooter "My Gassy L'il Pony," or, alternately, the Dignity Mobile. These are the sacrifices you make during a gas crisis/environmental emergency.

I tell you all this en route to reporting something I saw this past Saturday at University Village. In the parking lot, I watched as two of those couldn't-be-tinier Smart Cars pulled in and parked right next to each other.

Out of each teensy car emerged one plus-sized person—one large man, one large woman, who walked away holding hands.

It was strangely sweet, despite the vague WALL•E vibe...

Anyway, if you see me out-and-about on a scooter, feel free to point and laugh. It's for the environment.

It's a "PLASTIC ETHICS REFERENCE CARD"—so sayeth the Leave No Trace website—a 3x5 plastic card explaining the seven Leave No Trace principles. These principles (and their 36 subprinciples) include:

-Prepare for extreme weather, hazards, and emergencies.

-Protect riparian areas by camping at least 200 feet from lakes and streams.

-Leave rocks, plants and other natural objects as you find them.

-Let nature's sounds prevail. Avoid loud voices and noises.

I had a problem with this last one on hikes as a child; my father was given to say, "You're shattering the tranquility."

The principles also include leaving animals alone while they are mating, which is considerate.

The PLASTIC ETHICS REFERENCE CARD has the recycling symbol on it, but it’s my understanding that 99 and 44/100% of plastic—recyclable or not—ends up in landfills or the Great Pacific Garbage Miasma. Truly, how many recycled polarfleece garments and how much recycled fake lumber does the world need?

Dear Leave No Trace: Your PLASTIC ETHICS REFERENCE CARD is unwanted by me, and others, I’m sure. How about living up to your name and putting it on paper?

...Meaning, if you want the human race to continue, then you must turn this animal...

Into this...

Switching from beef to kangaroo burgers could significantly help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, says an Australian scientist.

The methane gas produced by sheep and cows through belching and flatulence is more potent than carbon dioxide in the damage it can cause to the environment.

But kangaroos produce virtually no methane because their digestive systems are different.

Dr George Wilson, of the Australian Wildlife Services, urges farming them.

He says they have a different set of micro-organisms in their guts to cows and sheep.

Sheep and cattle account for 11% of Australia's carbon footprint and over the years, there have been various proposals to deal with the problem.

Now Dr Wilson believes kangaroos might hold the answer.

He said: "It tastes excellent, not unlike venison - only a different flavour."

Green is the new ethic--an ethic that has a solid ground and direction. Eating right no longer means eating merely for your own benefit but for the benefit of the only system that can sustain a large number of present and future humans.

... four track cyclists on the United States Olympic team stepped off their flight wearing masks over their mouths and noses.

The masks were designed by Randy Wilber, a 53-year-old scientist for the U.S. Olympic Training Center, who has been fielding bizarre questions from athletes for months:

Should I run behind a bus and breathe in the exhaust? Should I train on the highway during rush hour? Is there any way to acclimate myself to pollution?

Wilber answers those questions with a steadfast, "No."

"We have to be extremely careful and steer them in the right direction because the mind-set of the elite athlete is to do anything it takes to get that advantage," he said. "If they thought locking themselves in the garage with the car running would help them win a gold medal, I'm sure they would do it. Our job, obviously, is to prevent that."

The IHT has a great story the air and the Olympics, including boxers who jog in their hotel hallways instead of the street, runners from last year's test Olympic events hawking up black phlegm, and one politic America athlete who said:

If the Olympics were in Los Angeles, we would probably wear these masks, too.

Give that cyclist a job in the embassy.