An outstanding explanation of our credit collapse

Since the Salem economy is being rocked hard by the real estate meltdown and the resulting wave of bank collapses, it's helpful for us to understand how we got here, and this outstanding short video does a tremendous job simplifying the explanation without leaving out important parts of it. From the site:

"The goal of giving form to a complex situation like the credit crisis is to quickly supply the essence of the situation to those unfamiliar and uninitiated. This project was completed as part of my thesis work in the Media Design Program, a graduate studio at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California."

Oregon Bike Summit -- be there, aloha!

Watching Salem's mayor and someone from Gov. Ted's office accept two very cool Sanyo "Eneloop" (energy looping) power-assist bikes --- the first two in the US from Sanyo --- today, I saw a flyer for the Oregon Bike Summit, to be held right here in Salem in April. Cool.

Joe at The Bike Peddler reports that he has ridden the very-similar hybrid power-assist bike from Giant and that it's a very nice bike and that he is happy to order it for those interested.

I'm going to ask Joe to get one for me for Mrs. Walker because it's perfect for her needs now that we live real close in here in Salem: she needs a power boost for riding when dressed for work without working up a sweat, but a real bike for riding as a bike the rest of the time (unlike the eGo that we're selling on Salem's Craigslist, which was for commuting only).

Salem could lead: pharmacy take-back ordinance

Here's a great idea -- make pharmacies take back any unused prescription drugs and handle reissue, disposal, or other disposition properly (that is, in a way that keeps the drugs out of the water -- and NOT with incineration, which just sends the contents into the air).

For example, many expensive drugs could and should be gathered together and given out to provide meds for people who can't keep up with the exorbitant costs of medicines.

Salem, with some of the best water of any city in the world, should take the lead on this, educating people not to flush unused meds and passing an ordinance requiring pharmacies and stores dispensing meds (Costco, etc.) to take back any unused prescription meds and to ensure proper reuse or disposal.

Be rid of unused meds, just not down the drain
Wednesday, February 18, 2009

First, do not flush.

Disposal of unused medication has -- like many of the drugs themselves -- unwanted side effects. People on all sides agree that dumping leftover meds down the drain or toilet can turn them into pollutants.

An Associated Press investigation last year found trace amounts of many prescription drugs -- including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones -- in the drinking water of 41 million Americans.

What to do instead?

"It's kind of a Catch-22," says Ken Wells, a pharmacy manager at Safeway and president of the Oregon State Pharmacy Association. "You're darned if you do and darned if you don't."

Flushing drugs entails environmental risk, Wells says, yet tossing them into the trash could allow them to fall into the hands of illicit users.

Federal guidelines say: Mix prescription drugs with an unpalatable material, such as used coffee grounds or kitty litter, and put them in the trash in plain cans or sealable bags.

An unlikely coalition of the American Pharmacists Association and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued its own "crush, don't flush" rule last year: "Crush the medicines in a plastic bag, add coffee grounds, sawdust or kitty litter, seal the bag and put it in the trash."

Oregon's Department of Environmental Quality recommends keeping waste drugs in their original containers, removing the patient information label and taping the lid on if it's not child-proof. Then put the drugs in a plastic sealable bag, inside "durable packaging that masks the contents (such as a brown cardboard box)" and add to the trash as close to pickup time as possible.

But the Oregon Association of Clean Water Agencies objects to that advice, saying it can cause pollution, either by leaching from a landfill or by failing to discourage people from dumping drugs into the toilet.

"It's pretty complicated -- and it doesn't compete very well with a flush," says Janet Gillaspie, executive director. "If we don't want people to flush unused drugs down the toilet, we need to give them a system that's convenient enough to convince them to use it."

Her group touts a "product stewardship" model, based on the take-back system for recycling used electronic devices. "In other words, ask the people who make the product to be responsible for disposing of it when it doesn't get used."

Reminder: Show up and be counted next Monday night to support C.I.T.Y.

Reminder from: SalemChickens Yahoo! Group

Our formal presentation at City Hall!
Monday February 23, 2009
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Location: Council Chambers, City Hall (click link for map -- Council Chambers are in the massive Albert Speer-like structure between Commercial and Liberty, just south of Pringle Creek).

This is the big event we've all been waiting for.
We need to fill the room with supporters. Bring all your friends, PLEASE!
It starts at 6:30 pm.

You can review all the reasons for allowing urban hen-keeping here.

In an apartment or otherwise without access to space for a garden?

Then you should check this out. While there are grounds for reservations about soil-less growing systems (such as the fact that we don't fully understand how trace minerals that come from natural soil influence our health and the nutrition profile of plants), there's simply no doubt that, given a choice between no garden and an indoor soil-less garden (hydroponic or aeroponic), you are much better off with the soil-less garden.

People need to wake up to some hard facts: The economy isn't in a "downturn," and it's not going to "pick up" anytime soon. The sad truth is that we have experienced the first in what are likely to be many economic contractions driven by the fact that our demand for resources is overwhelming our ability to extract them and to manage the waste products of all that consumption. And all the theorizing in the world about economic stresses won't take your mind off the fact that you're hungry if you haven't made provisions to grow some food.

Even if your living situation means you can't take many steps for food security (such as convert your lawn to growing food, planting fruit and nut trees, learning to put food by), you can still grow fresh greens indoors, and those greens can make a positive difference, both for your family's diet and for giving you something to trade with.

Important Idea: Green our transport infrastructure with stimulus money

1000 Friends has an important letter to Gov. Kulongoski here.

For those who have thought of Pringling

They're trying to figure out why sales are dead. Respond to mckenzie@pringlecreek.com if you like. If you've looked at Pringle Creek and want to comment here, that's also welcome.

Thank you for your previous interest in Pringle Creek Community.

We were hoping that you would assist us by sharing some of your thoughts and opinions about the community.

Below are a few questions that specifically interest us:

- Have you visited Pringle Creek Community before? If so, what were your first impressions?
- What do you like / dislike about the community?
- Are you still considering becoming a part of the community?
- What has prevented you from becoming part of the Pringle Creek Community to date?
- What would need to happen for you to consider building a home a Pringle Creek Community (e.g. new pricing, change in the economy, view a model home, have a built home to purchase, etc)?

If you would like to discuss your thoughts over the phone please do not hesitate to contact me at 503.400.1322.

Thank you for your time and thoughtful response. Your opinion is extremely valuable to Pringle Creek Community.

Sincerely,
Mckenzie Farrell
Pringle Creek Community
T: 503.400.1322
E: mckenzie@pringlecreek.com

Salem, Oregon Stimulus Watch

How many of these "shovel ready" projects (gag, the new jargon) reflect the new reality of scarce energy, rising energy prices, and the need to radically reduce greenhouse emissions?

A Worthy Cause

Salem has a group, Friends of Two Bridges, working on an important issue: finishing up the Union Street ped/bike bridge and getting a ped/bike connection from Riverfront Park to Minto Island. They have a web presence now, so check 'em out and help out if you can.

How to Contribute:

You can make a tax-deductible contribution to the Salem Parks Foundation, P.O. box 5764, Salem, OR 97304 and put a note on there earmarking your gift for Friends of Two Bridges.

OR, even easier:

Got an American Express card? You can sign up to use Giving Express to make one-time or monthly contributions using your AMEX card, so you don't have to write a check or find a stamp. There are over 1,000,000 nonprofits working on a plethora of issues registered with Giving Express. The Salem Parks Foundation is listed -- in fact, it took less than two minutes to find the listing for Salem Parks Foundation and to give a $5 monthly gift earmarked for Friends of Two Bridges via Giving Express.

(Note that plenty of other worthy Salem area nonprofits are listed there too -- so check it out.)

Speaking of electric bikes

Click on image for larger version