Topic: Pacific Northwest

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Wildfire season: 7 ways you can help save lives and property

Homeowners living within a mile of forests or any fire-prone landscape – public or private, rural or urban – can take simple preventive steps to limit damage from wildfires. Here are seven ways to help your community become "fire adapted" and contain rising fire-control costs.

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Editor's Blog The greening of the West

Long the province of mountain men and rugged individualists, the Intermountain West is drawing a new generation of entrepreneurs, knowledge workers, and venture capitalists keen on experiencing the region's natural wonders while staying connected to the global economy.
Wildfire season: 7 ways you can help save lives and property

Homeowners living within a mile of forests or any fire-prone landscape – public or private, rural or urban – can take simple preventive steps to limit damage from wildfires. Here are seven ways to help your community become "fire adapted" and contain rising fire-control costs.
USA Update Skagit River bridge collapse: Not the only one waiting to happen (+video)

The collapse of the I-5 bridge over the Skagit River is a reminder that thousands of bridges in the US are in serious need of repair or replacement. President Obama proposed a "Fix it First" program, but the budget 'sequester' may have squelched that.
Why I travel, rather than tour

To view a picture of a cake is hardly to experience a cake.
NFL new uniforms, best to worst

The Jacksonville Jaguars and three other teams have released new uniform designs in the past year – with mixed results. Here are the league's four new uniforms, subjectively ranked from worst to best.
Dresses donated to rural Alaskan prom held in shadow of a sleeping volcano

In a rural Alaskan boarding school, away from moms and dads, prom dresses are hard to come by. But thanks to a volunteer organization teamed up with Alaskan Airlines, girls at this boarding school received free dresses and primping for their big night.
USA Update Landslide on Puget Sound part of a geological pattern. Is it over?

The massive landslide on Whidbey Island near Seattle this week is part of a larger complex of slides on Puget Sound islands going back thousands of years. It may not be over yet.
Hanford nuclear tank in Washington State is leaking liquids

The long-delayed cleanup of the nation's most contaminated nuclear site became the subject of more bad news Friday, when it was announced that a radioactive waste tank is leaking.
New York's heat may be warming Siberia

Heat from northern cities from New York to Tokyo could warm winters in Canada and Siberia, according to a new study, but cool the fall in the western US and Eastern Europe.
Energy Voices A guide to public investments in clean energy technology

Energy innovation policy is often misrepresented as only research, Stepp writes, or largely ignored by advocates to support rigid economic doctrines or policy goals that divert attention from addressing climate change.
Starbucks $1 reusable cups: Curb trash, get a discount (+video)

Starbucks $1 reusable cups: Starbucks will introduce $1 reusable plastic cups at its cafes starting Thursday. Starbucks already gives customers a 10-cent discount for using reusable cups for refills, but it hopes the $1 plastic cups will increase the habit and reduce trash.
Let it snow? Christmas may be white in Northeast, southern Plains, Seattle

Snow on Christmas Day marks the start of a week of wet and wild weather through much of the US, including more of the white stuff. Here's where residents will want their shovels and sleds.
The Simple Dollar The great (and cheap) outdoors

Camping is an incredibly inexpensive alternative to staying in hotels, once you have some basic equipment, Hamm writes.
In Pacific Northwest, a welcome break from a very wet week

Flood watches continue in the Pacific Northwest, but the latest storm to blow in via the 'Pineapple Express' has moved inland. Some areas have seen as much as 15-20 inches of rain since Nov. 27.
Starbucks $450 steel card: class warfare in a coffee cup?

Starbucks $450 gift card is made of stainless steel and will only be available in limited quantities through a luxury goods website. Is the Starbucks $450 steel gift card a sign that Starbucks is going "1 percent" on us? Or is it just harmless, splurgy fun?
Diggin' It Winter soil care

Gardeners who live in California and other mild climates can do their gardens a favor by getting a start now, in early winter, on improving and caring for the soil. That ensures future success.
Stock market has tumbled since Obama reelection. Are investors angry?

The stock market has gone into a bit of a tailspin since the election. Wall Street's disappointment with the outcome will pass quickly, but concern about the 'fiscal cliff' is mounting.
Going for the record: Can anything stop 2012 from being warmest ever?

For super-warm 2012 to end up as an average year in the lower 48 states would require an astonishing, and record-breaking, cold snap over the final four months. That's not in the forecast.
Pussy Riot: the anonymous band behind the high-profile conviction (+video)

Pussy Riot – which has members beyond the three convicted – isn't your typical band that performs songs back to back in a live concert. But the group now has worldwide recognition and is expected to continue recording.
Stir It Up! Meatless Monday: Crustless chard quiche

A hearty and cheesy quiche, perfect for an easy summer meal.
2012 shaping up to be hottest on record in US

The first six months of this year have been the hottest in the mainland United States since temperature records began in 1895. What's causing the unprecedented heat?
Death Valley heat in Kansas? How the end of June got so hot.

Norton Dam, Kan., hit 118 F. on Thursday, and 32 communities from Colorado to Indiana just posted their highest temperatures ever. Forecasters say back-to-back La Niñas are partly to blame.
Rising sea levels: Is global warming making the US East Coast a 'hot spot?' (+video)

The pace of sea-level rise along much of the East Coast is accelerating three to four times faster than the worldwide average, a US Geological Survey study says. Global warming is the chief suspect.
West Coast sea levels: New report estimates greater rise by 2100

The estimates from the National Research Council, taking advantage of more recent research, range from 19 to 55 inches. The study is expected to become a common frame of reference that coastal communities can use in planning.
Change Agent Buried seed vault guards thousands of crop varieties

The remote, frozen Svalbard Global Seed Vault stores more than 740,000 sample of seeds that contain genetic treasures such as heat resistance, drought tolerance, or disease and pest resistance.