Undue influence over Salem Planning Comm'n to remain covert

Hat tip to City Watch and kudos to the 17 who turned out and all those who wrote or called to oppose further stacking the Commission with special interests.

"Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."

Subject: Planning Commission votes down the proposed amendment

After some discussion the Planning Commission voted down the proposed amendment adding another real estate industry rep to the Planning Commission. Two Commissioners were unable to attend. The five who attended voted 3-2.

The consensus is to allow another look and deeper consideration of the matter.

The Commission received testimony from 18 citizens and 17 of those were against the proposed amendment. Three CityWatch members attended and offered verbal testimony (Dave Engen, Evan White and myself).

The discussion coalesced around

1) is it right and appropriate to have Planning Commissioners who are "principally engaged in buying, selling, or developing real estate"?;

2) what does "principally engaged" mean?; 

3) how does the selection process work?;

4) what are the selection criteria used to screen applications to the commission?

Additional discussion was around the meaning of, "No more than two members shall be engaged in the same kind of occupation, business, trade or profession."

Obviously there was more to the discussion and the minutes will reflect that. (I haven't been able to get PC minutes to load on my computer.)

The important result is that the Commission seemed to accept the idea that the ordinance is significantly flawed and that the selection process used to screen potential Commissioners may be failing.

It is very unlikely that these results would have occurred without thoughtful persistent citizen involvement.

THANK YOU to all who testified. We expect the matter to return to the Planning Commission in the near future.

Maybe too late, but still worth learning: Fostering Sustainable Behavior Workshops

"Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."

Portland Registration Site (early-bird rates end October 17th): https://register.cbsm.com/workshops/portland-oregon-2015

The cornerstone of sustainability is behavior change. If we are to move toward a sustainable future we must encourage the adoption of a multitude of actions (e.g., waste reduction, water and energy efficiency, pollution prevention, etc.). To date, most programs to encourage such activities have relied upon disseminating information. Research demonstrates, however, that simply providing information has little or no effect on what people or businesses do. But if not ads, brochures or booklets, then what? Over the last decade a new approach—community–based social marketing—has emerged as an effective alternative for delivering programs to foster sustainable behavior. 

I will be delivering introductory and advanced community-based social marketing training in Seattle in late October and Portland in early February (early-bird rates for Portland are in effect until October 17th).  These workshops will be of interest to those working to promote water efficiency, waste reduction, energy efficiency, conservation, modal transportation changes, watershed protection, and other sustainable behavior changes. Those who work to promote behavioral changes that promote health, such as active lifestyles, will also benefit from attending. Community-based social marketing is a unique approach to fostering both environment and health related behavioral changes and is now being utilized in thousands of programs across the globe. Descriptions of both workshops are provided below.

Seattle Registration Site: https://register.cbsm.com/workshops/seattle-washington-2014

Portland Registration Site (early-bird rates end October 17th): https://register.cbsm.com/workshops/portland-oregon-2015

Please note that I do not expect to return to the Pacific Northwest for several years.  If you have been wanting to learn how to apply community-based social marketing to your programs I encourage you to attend the upcoming sessions. 

Best, 

Doug

Doug McKenzie–Mohr, Ph.D.
Environmental Psychologist
dmm@cbsm.com

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About the Speaker

Dr Doug McKenzie-Mohr is the founder of community-based social marketing.  Recommended by Time magazine, his book "Fostering Sustainable Behavior" has become requisite reading for those who deliver environmental programs.   The approaches that Dr. McKenzie-Mohr advocates in these workshops are now being utilized globally.  For example, Queensland's "Home WaterWise Service" and "ClimateSmart Home Service," which reached over 500,000 households across the state, made extensive use of community-based social marketing. Dr. McKenzie-Mohr has delivered community-based social marketing workshops internationally for over 60,000 environmental program managers. Below is a small sample of recent anonymous evaluations:

-Fantastic, simply invaluable.

-This is hands-down the most valuable workshop/training I've ever attended.

-Speaker was wonderful.

-The best workshop/conference I have ever experienced.

-Outstanding presentation style. Expertise is obvious.

-Superb presentation skills.

-By far, the best workshop I have attended – on any topic! 

Who should Attend?

These workshops will be of interest to those working to promote waste reduction, water and energy efficiency, conservation, modal transportation changes, watershed protection, and other sustainable behavior changes. Those who work to promote behavioral changes that promote health, such as active lifestyles, will also benefit from attending. Descriptions of both workshops are provided below. 

Introduction (Seattle, October 27-28; Portland, February 10-11): The two-day introductory workshop provides a comprehensive introduction to community-based social marketing and how it is being applied throughout the world to foster sustainable behaviors. Those who attend the workshop will learn the five steps of community-based social marketing (selecting behaviors, identifying barriers, developing strategies, conducting pilots, and broad scale implementation) and be exposed to numerous case studies illustrating its use.  Each participant will receive a copy of the third edition of "Fostering Sustainable Behavior: An Introduction to Community-Based Social Marketing." The introductory workshop is a mandatory prerequisite for the advanced workshop.

Advanced (Seattle, October 29-30; Portland, February 12-13): This completely new two-day advanced workshop provides an in-depth exploration of how community-based social marketing can be used to foster sustainable behavior.  This workshop introduces new research on selecting behaviors, identifying barriers and benefits (including market segmentation, survey sampling and survey creation), applying behavior change tools (including some exciting new developments regarding the use of commitments, norms, prompts, goal setting, and social diffusion), and piloting programs. The workshop also addresses the effective use of social media and websites in the fostering of sustainable behavior. Further, participants will also be coached in making community-based social marketing presentations to their agency or community and will receive PowerPoint and Keynote presentations for this purpose. Finally, each participant will receive a copy of the new edition of  "Fostering Sustainable Behavior: An Introduction to Community-Based Social Marketing." To ensure a high level of learning and exchange of ideas, this workshop is restricted to individuals who have previously attended Dr. McKenzie-Mohr's introductory workshop. If you have not yet attended an introductory workshop, you can attend the introductory workshop that precedes the advanced workshop and then attend the advanced workshop as well. Reduced rates are available for attending both sessions. 

Group Bookings

If you are interested in registering four or more people from the same agency, please contact us. We have two group rates: the first is for groups of 4 to 9, and the second is for groups of 10 or larger.

Details: 

Seattle: The workshops are being held in Room 1E-108 at the Bellevue City Hall (450 110th Avenue NE, Bellevue, Washington). The first day of both the introductory and advanced workshops begins at 9:00 am and ends at 4:00 pm (registration begins at 8:30 am). Day two for both workshops begins at 9:00 am and finishes at 4:00 pm. Finally, workshop attendees receive a copy of the third edition of Dr. McKenzie-Mohr's book, "Fostering Sustainable Behavior: An Introduction to Community-Based Social Marketing" at the event. Lunch is included in the workshop registration fee.

Portland: The workshops are being held at the Oregon Convention Center -- a Leed platinum certified building (Room E146, 777 NE MLK Jr. Blvd., Portland, Oregon 97232). The first day of both the introductory and advanced workshops begins at 9:00 am and ends at 4:30 pm (registration begins at 8:30 am). Day two for both workshops begins at 9:00 am and finishes at 4:00 pm. Finally, workshop attendees receive a copy of the third edition of Dr. McKenzie-Mohr's book, "Fostering Sustainable Behavior: An Introduction to Community-Based Social Marketing" at the event. Lunch is included in the workshop registration fee.

Additional Information and Registration: 

Seattle Registration Site: https://register.cbsm.com/workshops/seattle-washington-2014

Portland Registration Site (early-bird rates end October 17th): https://register.cbsm.com/workshops/portland-oregon-2015

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You received this email because you are subscribed to the Fostering Sustainable Behaviour website. To unsubscribe from announcements click here. Fostering Sustainable Behaviour notifications are sent by McKenzie-Mohr & Associates Inc., 248 Eglinton Street, Fredericton, NB, Canada E3B 2W1.

YES on 92: Monsanto's Roundup Linked to Cancer - Again

http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/26614-monsanto-s-roundup-linked-to-cancer

Monsanto's Roundup Linked to Cancer - Again

(Image: Jared Rodriguez / Truthout)

A brilliant and celebrated inventor, John Franz, gave us an herbicide, Roundup, which has changed the face of agriculture. This herbicide has become the foundation for an entirely novel approach to farming - biotech agriculture - that has expanded rapidly throughout the globe.

Monsanto makes seeds for soy, corn, canola, cotton, alfalfa and sugar beets that are genetically engineered to be tolerant to Roundup. The seeds are marketed in 120 countries. Throughout the world, Roundup is sprayed heavily as a weed killer without fear of damaging the cash crops, which have been engineered to survive the herbicide's effects.

"The change in how agriculture is produced has brought, frankly, a change in the profile of diseases. We've gone from a pretty healthy population to one with a high rate of cancer, birth defects and illnesses seldom seen before."

Roundup seemed, at first, to be the perfect herbicide. It blocks the ESPS synthase enzyme, which prevents the synthesis of amino acids that plants need for growth. Since animals don't have this enzyme, it was initially hypothesized that they would be safe from Roundup's effects.

Unfortunately, Roundup has now been shown to affect much more than the EPSP synthase enzyme. The herbicide has been proven to cause birth defects in vertebrates, including in humans, and it may also be the cause of a fatal kidney disease epidemic.

An increasing number of studies are now linking the herbicide to cancer. . . .

(Whole thing well worth reading.)

"Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."

YES on 92 for GMO labeling: Who's funding the Yes and No campaigns?

GMO labeling: Who's pouring cash into Oregon's Yes and No campaigns? (Interactive map, database) | OregonLive.com
http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/10/gmo_labeling_whos_pouring_cash.html
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Purple is money that says you will be confused by accurate, objective information about what's in your food.  Green is money that says you should be free to buy and eat what you want, but also be free to know what you buy and eat.

"Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."

PBS Uses Advertising to Retaliate Against Critical Coverage

PBS  has long meant little but "Petroleum Broadcasting System" like its radio counterpart, "Nominally Public Broadcasting."
http://www.fair.org/blog/2014/09/30/pbs-uses-advertising-to-retaliate-against-critical-coverage/

The piece has a great quote from PBS mainstay Bill Moyers:

Night after night…the realities of life for the vast majority of Americans rarely show up on public television—neither in its public-affairs programming nor its primetime fare. There has been onedocumentary all year on the flailing middle class and the forgotten poor. Our Washington coverage, by design or not, serves up "news" the way the butler serves tea on Downton Abbey, so as not to disturb the master class. Even my friends at WETA, our flagship station in Washington, passed up the award-winning documentary Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth to air instead another episode ofAntiques Roadshow and a program about the British royal family. And PBS has commissioned a series for next year, using US taxpayer funds, on the "great homes" of Great Britain. Not on homelessness in America. Unbelievable!

Undernews: Germany's figured out the college tuition thing

http://prorevnews.blogspot.com/2014/10/germanys-figured-out-college-tuition.html

Germany's figured out the college tuition thing

Think Progress. Prospective students in the United States who can't afford to pay for college or don't want to rack up tens of thousands in student debt should try their luck in Germany. Higher education is now free throughout the country, even for international students. Yesterday, Lower Saxony became the last of seven German states to abolish tuition fees, which were already extremely low compared to those paid in the United States.

German universities only began charging for tuition in 2006, when the German Constitutional Court ruled that limited fees, combined with loans, were not in conflict the country's commitment to universal education. The measure proved unpopular, however, and German states that had instituted fees began dropping them one by one.

"We got rid of tuition fees because we do not want higher education which depends on the wealth of the parents," Gabrielle Heinen-Kjajic, the minister for science and culture in Lower Saxony, said in a statement. Her words were echoed by many in the German government. "Tuition fees are unjust," said Hamburg's senator for science Dorothee Stapelfeldt. "They discourage young people who do not have a traditional academic family background from taking up study. It is a core task of politics to ensure that young women and men can study with a high quality standard free of charge in Germany."

Compared to American students, Germans barely had to pay for undergraduate study even before tuition fees were abolished. Semester fees averaged around $630 and students were entitled to many perks, such as cheap (often free) transportation within and between cities.

"Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."

NO ON 90: Say NO to Selling Oregon to the Highest Bidder

"Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."

Dear friends, Looks like they're at it again. Oregon's Ballot Measure 90 campaign continues to be inundated with corporate dollars, so that Big Business can take control of our elections. Why does Big Business care about the "Top Two" Primary measure? Because Measure 90 will dramatically change our elections to give big corporations more influence, while limiting voters' choice. Measure 90 was written and funded by big corporations and millionaire CEOs to support their agenda at the expense of working people. Learn more: www.NoOnMeasure90.org The campaign just got another infusion of hundreds of thousands of dollars from its big backers, including a $25,000 check from out-of-state billionaire investment banker David Crane. Crane is an outspoken critic of working people, including supporting the Wisconsin attacks on working families. He's been called California's "chief public employee pension critic" leaving many wondering if he's "just another Kochhead?" Crane's not the only billionaire donating to Measure 90 efforts. One of the biggest funders of Measure 90 is the Association of Oregon Industries (AOI), the far-right business group that acts as the state affiliate of Koch Industries.              Protect Our Vote! Share this image on Facebook  Don't give big corporations and anti-worker billionaires any more control over our elections. Their funders may represent hundreds of millions of dollars, but our coalition represents hundreds of thousands of Oregonians. Help protect our vote and join with the dozens of organizations, alliances, and civic leaders who agree: No on 90. Learn more and get involved: www.NoOnMeasure90.org Only 34 days and so much more work to do! Meghan Moyer Campaign Manager Protect Our Vote: No on 90 LIKE ON FACEBOOK FOLLOW ON TWITTER Protect Our Vote Coalition - info@noonmeasure90.org - 503-239-8029

YES ON 92: Scary cost estimates are utter BS lies

Consumer Reports plays it straight when analyzing things, and their work shows that the cost of Measure 92 is trivially small.
http://consumersunion.org/news/gmo-labeling-will-cost-consumers-less-than-a-aenny-a-day-new-report-says/

GMO Labeling: Facts not hype!

Take a moment to forward this to your friends and family so they can get the facts about GMO labeling costs.

Your message will contain a link to the report findings, so your friends can read for themselves what the real cost of labeling will be: Only $2.30 a year per consumer, not industry exaggeration of $200 or more.

After you forward this, you'll find a page where you can read the report if you want more details:  notinmyfood.org/gmo-labeling-fact
Thank you for helping us spread facts about GMO labeling, not hype!

"Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."

YES ON 92: Monsanto, Superweeds & Your Right to Know

Some people make fun of Novick as a wonky Hobbit from Portlandshire, and sometimes he lives up to the Poindexter reputation of not being able to explain things in terms that work with normal folks.

But when he really gets something, that tends to fall away and the excellent communicator with the sharp left hook is seen again, making memorable and powerful points. Like in the ads that really captured a lot of attention.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/02/business/media/02hook.html?_r=0

His YES ON 92 message below is outstanding and dead-on accurate.  He is absolutely right about genetic tampering and super weeds being locked in an arms race that threatens us all.

"Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."

From: "Steve Novick" <steve@novickforportland.org>
Date: October 2, 2014 at 15:58:11 PDT
Subject: Monsanto, Superweeds & Your Right to Know

Dear John, I wasn't very familiar with the genetically modified food fights until recently. But as a child of the Cold War era, I can relate to arms races. So when the supporters of Measure 92, the measure to label GMO products, told me it was really about stopping a dangerous arms race that threatens our environment, I paid attention. I'm voting for and donated to Yes on 92, and hope you will too. Here's what's going on. Since the advent of genetically engineered crops, herbicide and pesticide use has increased dramatically. The most common type of genetic engineering — which is completely different from traditional crossbreeding techniques — alters a plant's genes in a lab to make them resistant to the herbicide glyphosate, the chief ingredient in Monsanto's Roundup. This design allows the spraying of large amounts of Roundup on fields planted with these engineered seeds to kill weeds. Which is bad enough — considering that you and I and pretty much all fish live downstream from a farm. But then come the Superweeds. Superweeds arise over time as weeds naturally evolve a resistance to the poison they are doused in. To combat superweeds, plants are being engineered to be resistant to ever more toxic herbicides. This creates a vicious cycle of ever higher usage of ever more toxic herbicides, leading to health and environmental problems, and in time to the evolution of more resistant superweeds. So we now have an escalating battle between toxic chemicals and superweeds. Bees and butterflies are collateral damage, along with the Oregon farmers who face ruined crops if their fields are contaminated from genetically engineered plants nearby. The best way, as consumers, that we can change this vicious cycle is by making informed choices about what products we buy. Putting a label on our food that simply says whether or not it contains genetically engineered ingredients gives us that information. There's no question that Monsanto, DuPont and Dow will spend millions to tell voters this is a bad idea. These are the same companies that told us DDT and Agent Orange were safe, and they have pockets deeper than Crater Lake. But if Yes on 92 can turn out supporters, we'll win. With donations from thousands of Oregonians like you and me — the average donation is $67 — we can help Yes on 92 beat the odds and engage voters. Please make a donation of $67 today. Don't let big chemical corporations buy their way to victory: Contribute $67 right now to beat back Big Ag's attacks and stop the arms race! All my best, Steve Paid for by Novick for Portland • PO Box 42307, Portland, Oregon, 97242, United States

Same with Salem: the 1% spray toxic lead emissions on the rest of us

Oregonian Report on the Hillsboro Airport and Lead Emissions

An article by Luke Hammill on lead emissions at the Hillsboro Airport (HIO) entitled Airport Spews Half Ton of Lead in 2011, Critics Say It's Too Much was published in the Hillsboro Argus on 10/1/14. A shorter version Aim for Hillsboro Airport: Get the Lead Out was printed in the 10/1/14 Oregonian Metro section. The report, which initially appeared on-line on 9/24/14, is available athttp://www.oregonlive.com/hillsboro/index.ssf/2014/09/hillsboro_airport_is_oregons_p.html . 

As noted by Hammmill, "Hillsboro Airport is the leading facility source of lead in Oregon." According to EPA documentation HIO ranks in the top one percent, 21st nationwide, among nearly 20,000 airports in lead emissions. The vast majority of flights in and out of HIO are training operations that continue to rely on leaded fuel. Port of Portland and FAA documentation released in February, 2014 projected that lead emissions at this facility will increase from the 2007 level of 0.7 tons per year (as noted by the Port in the initial environmental assessment on the third runway) to 0.8 (tpy) by 2016 and 0.9 tpy by 2021. 

Due to various shortcomings,Oregon Aviation Watch believes that the Port significantly underestimated lead emissions at HIO and has strongly urged that monitoring equipment be placed at, and in the vicinity of, this airport to determine actual rather than estimated lead emissions. Oregon Aviation Watch further supports a comprehensive lead study designed specifically to measure lead emissions at HIO - one that includes adherence to EPA guidelines, substantive public input, and an unbiased third party analysis.

Currently, Port estimates are based on a September 2010 study performed by a private consultant hired by the Port. The study lacked peer review, scientific rigor, public participation, and EPA involvement. Since the Port makes money off every gallon of fuel sold at HIO, their findings and estimates represent an inherent conflict of interest. 

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For additional information on airport issues go to www.oregonaviationwatch.org.

To subscribe or unsubscribe contact info@oregonaviationwatch.org.

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Miki Barnes
miki@psg.com

"Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."