Take a moment to recall your last hike through a Pacific Northwest forest. Maybe close your eyes, listen for the quiet of such lush flora around you, and breathe in the evergreen scent. If you’re really imaginative, and if your hike was recent, you might also recall the rain. Perhaps you see drops suspended from … Read more
Representative democracy gives people the power to put their values into action. People can elect leaders who care about the things they care about and then hold them accountable for taking action on those issues. In the United States and Canada, people care about climate change. In Cascadia, people care about protecting their communities from … Read more
In the wake of the 2016 US Presidential election, many Americans are wondering if there is a better way to elect political leaders. During the 2015 Canadian election, voters supported the Liberal party’s claim that 2015 would be the last time Canada would use archaic “first-past-the-post” voting. What other options do we have for electing … Read more
In our last article on Chlorpyrifos, we asked, “Will the Trump Administration Cancel An Old, Dangerous Pesticide?” Well, it did not. It’s only the latest sad turn of events in the history of Chlorpyrifos. It is no violation of Godwin’s law to note that the Nazis first developed organophosphate chemicals as nerve gas agents during … Read more
Did you know that Oregon has an F grade for government integrity? In fact, the Beaver State scored among the lowest in the country for accountability. This Thursday, May 4, Sightline senior researcher Kristin Eberhard will join FairVote outreach director Scott Siebel, Represent.Us political director Dan Krassner, and Represent.Us national field director Rob Booth in a … Read more
It only takes a few minutes talking to transport honchos in Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver, BC, to get a sense of the intense, if friendly, competition among their cities to be king of the cycling hill. But in many ways the three largest urban centers of Cascadia form one big, soggy petri dish of experimentation … Read more
Northwest fossil fuel export schemes have brought a flood of coal and oil proposals to the region’s shores. But the fossil export tsunami has a third wave as well: fracked fuels, including the massive liquefied natural gas (LNG) export proposals in British Columbia, as well as several projects that would export liquid petroleum gases (LPGs) … Read more
Even before amendments come in about its environmental impacts, the last of six coal terminals proposed for the Pacific Northwest is on the ropes, having been denied a crucial sublease by the Washington Department of Natural Resources. And the coal dust it would release into the surroundings may be the final nail in its coffin. … Read more
We generally think of taxes in terms of “me,” not “us.” But one thing that Donald Trump has delivered to the US mainstream is an, ahem… unusually lively conversation about taxes—even a rare discussion about why they’re important. We’ve heard everything from the so-called “genius” of high-powered business people using loopholes to avoid taxes to … Read more
In contrast with Europe and Canada, the Pacific Northwest faces an epidemic of surprise pregnancy. Northwest women say that almost half of their pregnancies are mistimed or unwanted. This causes hardship in the lives of the region’s families and makes it difficult to give children the best possible start in life. With unintended pregnancy so common … Read more