Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Down To Earth

TUESDAY, FEB. 10, 2009

The story of the Center For Justice

The Center For Justice celebrated its 10th Anniversary on Inauguration Night. It was quite the party. Now, Karen Dorne-Steele has written an extensive feature on the non-profit law firm’s roots, work, and future interests. We honor them for all of their wonderful work on The…

Continue reading this post »

MONDAY, FEB. 9, 2009

Another Green Monday

2009 Washington State Legislative Session update and bicycle laws - this is where you come in. The Bicycle Alliance of Washington is working to pass several bicycle-friendly laws in the 2009 Washington State legislative session. "We've got legislation in Olympia to make cycling safer, more…

Continue reading this post »

SATURDAY, FEB. 7, 2009

Down To Earth NW monthly

This morning marks an exciting change for DTE. If Spokesman-Review readers open up the Today section on the first Saturday of each month, you’ll find DowntoEarthNW Monthly, a very special pull-out about what’s going on in the environmental community and a guide for green living---…

Continue reading this post »

FRIDAY, FEB. 6, 2009

MC Verner y'all

While far better than MC Rove (and she did mention bit about mining for those curious), a video posted on The Spovangelist of our soft-spoken Mayor rapping at the Spokane City Council chambers must be seen to be believed. Watch here. Moments like this are…

Continue reading this post »


THURSDAY, FEB. 5, 2009

Take back my TV

The digital conversion has been delayed, now set for June 12th, less than two weeks before broadcasters had scheduled to turn off the rabbit ears. Despite an extension for better preparedness and a potential win for the environment, the fact remains: Millions of TV’s will…

Continue reading this post »

TUESDAY, FEB. 3, 2009

A bad day at the races

Raceway supporters, there’s something in the water you should know about.Spokane County received a notice regarding their recently purchased raceway: It will be added to the state’s “Hazardous Sites List” after the discovery of a bad chemical in the water supply. Tim Connor at the…

Continue reading this post »


Tuesday Video---Green For All

This is a longer edition. “The Lawrence of Arabia: Director’s Cut” of Tuesday Videos at just over an hour. But it’s worth it. So kick back as the Center For American Progress hosts a green economy forum with California congresswoman and Secretary of Labor designate…

Continue reading this post »


Legislative watch

Last week, Gov. Chris Gregoire announced a legislation package that will focus on green jobs to boost the economy and lower the state’s carbon footprint. The legislation contains House Bill 1819 and its equivalent Senate Bill 5735. Both bills would implement a cap and trade…

Continue reading this post »

MONDAY, FEB. 2, 2009

Another Green Monday

The presidency of Barack Obama is off and running and it was made brutally clear this week that despite recent emotions and energy of unity and hope that we are still a much divided nation. DTE is only hoping that partisan politics will be able…

Continue reading this post »

FRIDAY, JAN. 30, 2009

Schoolhouse Rock--- Energy

First aired in 1978, check this episode of the nostalgic “Schoolhouse Rock!” series titled “Energy Blues.” The song covers energy conservation and tells the history of energy from cavemen to the Industrial Revolution. It’s actually pretty ahead of its time but we think the “Just…

Continue reading this post »


Nuclear archaeology

One of DTE’s favorite columnists, Knute Berger of Crosscut, has a new essay about the discovery of historic plutonium in a safe at Hanford. He writes “’Nuclear archaeology’” itself is an interesting term because for the most part, nuclear waste is something you don't want…

Continue reading this post »

THURSDAY, JAN. 29, 2009

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 28, 2009

Greenwashing

Greenwashing is defined as the practice where a business tries to make it seem like it’s greener than it really is. For consumers to post and rank environmental advertisements in the hope of differentiating the misleading ones from the honest, we suggest The Greenwashing Index…

Continue reading this post »

TUESDAY, JAN. 27, 2009

We hate polls

After yesterday’s historic steps to regulate emissions, we couldn’t help but think of the recent Pew Research Poll. The survey asked Americans to rank their priorities for President Obama, and “global warming” polled dead last.Obviously, the survey indicated the public is focused on immediate economic…

Continue reading this post »

MONDAY, JAN. 26, 2009

Another Green Monday

We're excited. There's a bit more daylight each day. There’s news of the work being done to remake our nation. There's hope but not without a realization of sacrifice. Perhaps Obama best described it best last Tuesday when he said we cannot “consume the world’s…

Continue reading this post »

FRIDAY, JAN. 23, 2009

Friday Quote

"My hopefulness about the resilience of human nature is matched by the gravity of our environmental and social condition. If we squander all our attention on what is wrong, we will miss the prize: In the chaos engulfing the world, a hopeful future resides because…

Continue reading this post »

THURSDAY, JAN. 22, 2009

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 21, 2009

About last night... 

Yesterday felt like the Day The Earth Stood Still--- a collective phenomenon best defined by various conversations with all walks of life as to what the moment meant to them. The conclusion was unanimous: There is hope. Of course, we’re referring to Daily Tip #…

Continue reading this post »

TUESDAY, JAN. 20, 2009

The next Neil Young album

Neil Young’s upcoming release will be a concept album titled “Fork in the Road” about eco-friendly cars, or as The Guardian snidely put it “exploring three things--- dirty blues, direct lyrics, and his LincVolt electric car project.” Song titles include "Cough Up the Bucks", "Fuel…

Continue reading this post »

MONDAY, JAN. 19, 2009

"The Dream Reborn" 

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr., we urge readers to check out King County Executive Ron Sims’ piece from last year on how his vision connected to climate change, green jobs and social justice. It addressed the poverty aspect of environmental issues that has…

Continue reading this post »


Another Green Monday

This week begins in sweet uplift with a national holiday as we recognize a powerful individual who dreamt of progress, followed by an event that realizes the dream. Nobody should spend Tuesday night alone, so after work come join us at the Community Building for…

Continue reading this post »

THURSDAY, JAN. 15, 2009

Building something out of nothing 

New construction leaves a big carbon footprint, and after reading “Unsustainable Seattle,” we think it makes perfect sense for environmentalists and historic preservationists to form an alliance in creating a sustainable urban landscape for Spokane. And if there’s a good thing about a bad economy,…

Continue reading this post »

TUESDAY, JAN. 13, 2009

Spokesman-Review story roundup 

Indefensible. That’s the immediate word that comes to mind when describing the Coeur d’Alene Mines Corporation battle in the U.S. Supreme Court to dump waste into an Alaskan lake at Tongass National Forest. A horrific practice of the past, the mining company believes the Kensington…

Continue reading this post »

MONDAY, JAN. 12, 2009

Another Green Monday

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…

Continue reading this post »

Down To Earth

The DTE blog is committed to reporting and sharing environmental news and sustainability information from across the Inland Northwest.