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Five Ways Ranked Choice Voting Could Help Climate Action
A functioning democracy is essential to tackling any large-scale issue.
Blazing a Trail: The Vital Role of Wildfire Hazard Maps
Sophisticated and high-resolution maps such as Oregon’s are essential tools for thriving in a fiery future.
Reporting on Ranked Choice Voting in Portland’s 2024 Elections
Resources for journalists and editors. -
Washington State Leads in Climate-Friendly Building Policies—For Now
How two ballot initiatives would affect Washington’s clean building efforts and how the state can maintain its lead.
Proportional Representation in Just Three (Brutally Hard, Agonizingly Slow) Steps!
Is there a better way to get there in the United States?
Five Flaws That Would Destine WA’s TOD Bills to Backfire
Unfunded inclusionary zoning would do more harm than good in legislation to legalize apartments near the state’s transit investments. But there’s a way forward! -
‘Majority Rules’ Brings Election Reform to the Big Screen
The documentary digs into Alaska’s 2022 launch of open primaries and ranked choice voting—and how the changes shook up the status quo.
Ranked Choice Voting Is Simple—Election Laws Are Not
A field guide to ranked choice voting in primaries, general elections, and more.
Can We Go Beyond Car Primacy—To Policymaking that Serves People and Places First?
Non-driver Anna Zivarts' case for steering away from car dependency -
Voter Participation Jumped When Alaska Opened Its Primaries
2022 turnout for every candidate contest reached a decade high.
Spoiler Alert! Majority Winners Are No Guarantee
Oregon’s past statewide and federal elections are full of spoiler candidates and non-majority winners. -
The Bizarre Red-Blue Politics of Election Consolidation
And the chance for stronger democracy it creates.
Alaska’s Open Primary Flipped the Campaign Script
In his book 'The Primary Solution,' Nick Troiano shows why other states might consider following Alaska's lead on switching to nonpartisan open primary elections.
Audit Stretches to Find Trouble in Portland’s Affordability Mandate
Should people who qualify for subsidized housing get to have home offices? And other odd questions. -
Bellingham’s Parking Reform Pilot Pays Off
Old Town’s first new building project has more than double the number of homes and less parking than the city’s old code would have allowed. The rest of the city might follow suit.
Seattle Deserves a Better Comp Plan
The city can make three critical fixes to its 20-year growth plan: Let middle housing be bigger, allow apartment buildings in more places, and legalize car-free homes everywhere.
Aging Solutions Are Climate Solutions
Adapting communities to better serve growing elderly populations also makes those places more climate-resilient. A new book charts the path to making this connection.
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Today’s top sustainability headlines for Cascadia, curated by Sightline Institute.
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5 ways ranked choice voting could help climate action
Sightline Institute
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Bringing salmon home to the Columbia River
The Tyee
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A tale of two workers: What happened in OR and ID after heat deaths on the job
Investigate West
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BC logging proposals threaten endangered caribou
The Narwhal
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2 years after the Inflation Reduction Act became law, OR wins big
Oregon Public Broadcasting
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How food banks prevented 1.8M metric tons of carbon emissions last year
Grist
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Portland doubles down, enters ‘new, permanent era of micromobility’
BikePortland
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A potential shake up in control over homelessness policy in King County
Seattle Times
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Wildfires expose farmworkers to dangerous smoke
Associated Press
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When is ‘recyclable’ not really recyclable?
ProPublica
Our Mission
Sightline Institute’s mission is to make Cascadia a global model of sustainability— strong communities, a green economy, and a healthy environment.
We envision an economy and way of life that are environmentally sound, economically vibrant, and socially just. We believe that if Cascadians succeed at reconciling themselves with the natural heritage of this place—the greenest part of history’s richest civilization—we can set an example for the world.
