It was a busy week in the Inland Northwest, probably because many citizens were finally able to dig out and thaw off enough to try and reclaim some sort of normalcy in their lives. So in case you missed out on some of the environmental…
Give alternative energy a chance. Jonathan Jay Pollard may always be known as the ex U.S. naval intelligence analyst who sold U.S. secrets to Israel in the late 80's. But staring a life sentence square in the eyes hasn't stopped him from planning for the…
Freakanomics hosted a debate on whether an investment in clean technology will be affected by the recession. It was a question that has lumbered around in our brains for a while and our apprehension was confirmed when George Tolley said “the major kicker clouding the…
"More and more of us in the industrialized world are feeling a spiritual void, and coming to believe that moving away from consumerism and towards community may be an important step in recovering that nameless thing we’ve lost." --- Pulitzer Prize winning poet Gary Snyder.…
On our daily tips, we suggested one of the greenest acts you can do is head to the library. So we were happy to receive an email from the Spokane Library regarding the “Green Spokane Sustainability Collection.”To wit: “Located at the downtown library, the collection…
If ever you are looking for the ties that bind us here in Spokane, your search should start and stop with the Spokane River. The lifeline of our region, the Spokane River, as the Spokane River Forum so eloquently put it, "is our community signature…
The music kicks in. Our voices commence the game. And the crowd goes wild when you get it right. (No easy task.) It might even be a new career prospect for us. Look out Regis. Of course, we’re referring to the awesome beta version of…
How much do you know about Canada? They’re our nice neighbors to the north yet the odds of Americans knowing who they re-elected in October as Prime Minister are unlikely, while Canadians cheered Barack Obama from the sidelines. But the more you learn about a…
Let's just put it on the table here - the term "clean coal" is a joke. Coal is an extremely high polluting energy source that emits more carbon per unit of energy than oil and natural gas, and represents a significant portion of greenhouse gases.…
Today is unofficially food day at DTE. And why not? We’re definitely spending more time in the kitchen, regularly planning meals to only make a trip to the market once a week, and growing more aware of "where it comes from" while having fun. But…
No, it's not a You Tube clip of "Animal House." It's about Alice Waters, a hero to the food consciousness movement. She single handily started a culinary revolution with her restaurant Chez Panisse, and has recently gained attention for her ability to combine health and…
While you were either digging yourself out of snow (Spokane), digging yourself out of an alcohol-induced coma (rest of the world) or digging yourself out of Mayor Nickel's salt B.S. (Seattle), here are a few stories you may have missed. The Washington State Department of…
Full of bipartisan rhetoric, Obama’s latest address, titled the “American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan," contains a key line: “To put people back to work today and reduce our dependence on foreign oil tomorrow, we will double renewable energy production and renovate public buildings to make…
Being the start of a new year, there will be scores of people who vow to live a "greener" lifestyle, a more sustainable, more responsible one. Just know that it's not as hard as you might think."How to be green? Many people have asked us…
While we here on the east side of the state continue to dig ourselves out of Snopocalypse - people on the westside continue to debate - to salt or not to salt. And Seattle's "green" Mayor Greg Nickels has found himself answering to a resounding…
2009 really couldn't come soon enough. If 2008 wasn't an already challenging year, the end (at least here in the Inland Northwest) is making us all look back to fonder times of campaign fighting, financial woes, and political scandals. So while you've been digging yourself…
There’s an interesting article in the Columbian about what builders are doing to make green homes affordable. “We’re not just throwing economics out of the equation and going full-tilt green,” said Vancouver City Council member and civil engineer Tim Leavitt. On his own home construction,…
Of all the Daily Tips we’ve ever done for Down To Earth, one of the ones that gets brought up most is whether or not it is ok to leave a lime wedge in your beer bottle for recycling. We’ve written about it (the answer…
While we’ve never been ones to play the entitlement card, 2008 had a certain sense of settlement in the air - after all we’ve gone through, the light at the end of the tunnel started to show. And then in November, the American people demonstrated…
Thank you for joining us in 2008 - it's been a wild ride. No year in retrospect is complete without acknowledging the phenomenal victory of Barack Obama as 44th President of the United States America – for with that victory it sure seems that anything…
Wake Up, Freak Out – then Get a GripImagine the worst case scenario of climate change – this 11-plus minute video from Plane Stupid activist Leo Murray titled, “Wake Up, Freak Out – then Get a Grip will lay it out for you. Packed with…
This is the first entry in DTE's year end roundup. We've decided to change things up a bit from our original plan. On Friday and Saturday we will run our best stories list and what's coming up in 2009, respectively. We started the year with…
Here a few stories to fill the time slot you previously had occupied with watching the bald eagles at Lake Coeur d' Alene, now that they are gone for the season. Take a break from your snow shoveling and enjoy Another Green Monday. A big…
Spokane non-profit the Lands Council, has named their accomplishments for 2008. It’s quite an impressive list. After reading, we realized how important the Land Council is to improving our quality of life in the region, and they especially deserve a big ups for the lead…
It’s that time of the year again. The time to look back. Beginning Monday, in addition to daily news, we will highlight another annual list of our collected works throughout the week. From a bizarre food competition to a chat with the Mayor, it’s been…
The DTE blog is committed to reporting and sharing environmental news and sustainability information from across the Inland Northwest.
