Another Green Monday
Well that was fun wasn’t it?
Of course we’re talking about our 7vs7 Spokavore competition last week – the fourth installment of a collector series of challenges we have competed in with our local blogging friends. While jokes, sarcasm, and good-natured ribbing were as bountiful as the local cuisine, there was a lot of awareness raised about local food diversity, a fair amount of culinary knowledge gained, and of course a greater understanding about the limitations of this kind of diet and lifestyle. Mainly financial and simple logistics.
Sure you could argue that eating a 100 percent local diet is not just a healthy investment but an investment in the local economy. However, in this day and age those arguments are harder to make. And the planning and preparation that goes into a diet like this isn’t conducive to 40-hour work weeks, side jobs, passion projects, a constant time-management battle, and the inability to say NO. But it sure is eye opening to try.
Then there’s the camaraderie – hands down the most beneficial aspect of these competitions. While we hopefully raised your awareness about local food options, we also hope we raised your awareness about the diverse blogopshere Spokane has to offer. And we're only a handful of what's out there. 
We heard from a few people how we did this during the wrong time of year - and while it's true that we didn't maximize our fresh and local options doing it during the winter, we'll argue that this was the best time of year to raise awareness about eating locally. With this knowledge and understanding fresh on our minds and hopefully on your minds, we hope you go into this spring excited about your own urban farming, mindful of where your food comes from, and committed to making a lifestyle change of your own - one that includes frequent stops to farmers markets, local grocers, and anywhere else you can pick up some of the Inland Empire's best!
You might be wondering what's next for the 7vs7 gang or us in particular - how about the Huffington Post's "Week of Eating In Challenge" - conveniently beginning today. From HuffPo: "A week-long experiment in cooking your own food inspired by Cathy Erway, author of The Art of Eating In. We'll be providing awesome commentary and how-to's on everything from how to not waste food to great winter recipes. And we'll invite you to share your experiences with the HuffPost Community." Read more HERE.
Also, props to all the players and especially the Spokane Food Blog for organizing and acting as the hub for this challenge. No easy task, given all the local blogs involved. Let's hope that Spokavore directory grows!
And now on to stories you might have missed last week.
The nuclear president? "This is only the beginning." That's what President Obama said last week after designating more than $8 billion in new federal loan guarantees to build two nuclear reactors in Georgia. And consider this - the nuclear industry is poised to begin construction of at least a half dozen plants over the next decade - riding high on President Obama's claim that they are both economically essential and politically attractive, and a key part of his energy future plans. Get ready for a nuclear renaissance. Read more HERE.
Stimulus bill turns 1 - an estimated 52,000 clean energy jobs created. And Washington Senator Maria Cantwell knows that's not enough. That's why she said last week that she's aiming to include more generous energy tax credits in jobs legislation under discussion in Congress, saying that green energy is a multitrillion-dollar market waiting to explode, this according to the Yakima Herald. Cantwell has put in some work over the last year to make this a reality, but much, much more is needed. And she needs to start calling out those getting in the way, like Senator Harry Reid who last week yanked an $85 billion bipartisan jobs bill and
replaced it with a stripped-down $15 billion bill that focuses on a payroll tax deduction to stimulate hiring. Read more about this HERE.
The World According to Cathy. There was a great article in the Spokesman yesterday about the celebration of the North Spokane Corridor. The highway received a $35 million federal stimulus grant which was part of the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
(Photo by DTE.)
Apparently, Gov. Chris Gregoire didn’t invite U.S. Rep Cathy McMorris Rodgers because, well, she voted against the stimulus bill and towed the party line with anti-stimulus rhetoric. Of course, that has not stopped McMorris Rodgers from sending a latter of endorsement for the freeway grant application last fall.
Then a few weeks ago, she posted a blog entry on her House Web site criticizing the bill and President Barack Obama for failing to stimulate private jobs.
The 106 jobs created by the $35 million freeway grant will come through private contracts for 3.7 miles of paving and bridge construction for southbound lanes from Farwell to Francis Avenue.
Former Spokane city councilman and Republican Brad Stark said it was reasonable for her to ask for grant money because her constituents were obligated to support the spending with their taxes. Wow- check out the big brain on Brad! “It’s entirely hypocritical,” said Melanie Sloan, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington in the S-R. “On one side, you say stimulus is bad, and on the other, you make every effort to get some of that money when nobody is looking.” Full story HERE. And our thoughts about the NSC HERE.
Light rail anyone?
