HEALTH * Facemasks may help shield the heart from pollution http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090316/hl_nm/us_facemasks_help_shield_heart_pollution;_ylt=ApQ_wcX1MAjzBwsVbLMHMRppl88F Using non-invasive tests, the researchers found that the polluted air caused the men's wrist arteries to stiffen during exercise. In the other study, Langrish and his colleagues had 15 healthy volunteers walk the streets of Beijing for two hours on two separate days. On one day, they wore a facemask. The researchers found that when participants wore the facemask, their average blood pressure was several points lower. They also had better heart rate variability -- the ability of the heart to speed up or slow down in response to demands. REGISTERED SOURCE * Tracing the smell of a green challenge http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nicolebrodeur/2008871285_brodeur17m.html If there is a promised land, it may just be Cedar Grove Composting in Everett... I didn't exactly jump out of the car when we got there. We may scrape stuff off our plates, but they need backhoes to move it around up there. You get the picture. That said, the place smells like a cedar forest. A swimming pool. Something wet and living... Recyclables come in smelly and unsorted, and leave a rich, dark mix that you can't resist scooping up. ENERGY * Administration Kicks Off Weatherization Program http://washingtonindependent.com/33546/administration-kicks-off-weatherization-program The plan has two components: the $5 billion Weatherization Assistance Program and the $3 billion State Energy Program. The former will provide up to $6,500 in energy efficiency upgrades for households with income up to twice the federal poverty level (or a bit more in Alaska and Hawaii, presumably because of higher energy costs there). The latter will fund rebates for families that undertake upgrades on their own, as well as state and local efficiency programs. The first installment of the investments - to the tune of $780 million - will be released in the next few days, with the remainder slowly becoming available as states demonstrate the effectiveness of their efforts. * Snohomish County PUD to get $1M for energy projects http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008852466_webpud13m.html The 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Bill signed by President Obama on Wednesday includes $475,000 each for continued research and development of alternative-energy sources. The PUD is studying five tidal-energy sites in Puget Sound that could provide power for up to 70,000 homes. The utility launched a study in 2007 to assess the technical, economic and environmental feasibility of the underwater sites. A pilot project could be installed in the water as early as 2011, said Neil Neroutsos, spokesman for the PUD. The geothermal-energy project could supply power for nearly 65,000 homes by 2020. The U.S. Department of Energy granted the PUD $1.2 million in 2008 for pilot projects in tidal energy. VEHICLES * Detectives will be driving hybrids http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/668003.html Tacoma police are getting a little greener. The department is adding four hybrid cars to its fleet of unmarked vehicles. They are being outfitted with emergency lights and other equipment and will be driven by detectives. The move is part of a citywide effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help curb global warming. The city has 45 hybrid vehicles, which are being used by Tacoma Public Utilities, the Tacoma Fire Department and other agencies. The police hybrids - a Chevrolet Malibu and three Toyota Priuses - cost more than the department had budgeted, but officials hope they'll save money in other ways, including improved fuel efficiency and lowered gas emissions. * A Hybrid's Niche? The Masses, It Hopes http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/13/business/media/13adco.html?_r=1&ref=earth The American Honda Motor Company is taking a big risk on the potential appeal of a more mainstream hybrid. The automaker plans to introduce the 2010 Honda Insight on March 24, with sticker prices of $19,800 to $23,100 (plus destination charges). <<Advertising - A Hybrid's Niche The Masses, It Hopes - NYTimes_com.htm>> TRANSPORTATION * Recession's silver lining? Less Seattle-area traffic http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008871432_trafficrecession17m.html Washington drivers made 2 percent fewer trips in February than a year earlier on major highways... King County Metro Transit ridership increased a scant 0.8 percent in January and decreased 2.2 percent in February compared to a year earlier - after a huge 7 percent growth spurt in 2008. A fare increase is partly to blame. * Viaduct funding up in air -- City, county still looking for money http://www.seattlepi.com/local/403878_viaduct17.html * 11 Pierce County projects to get millions in federal stimulus http://www.thenewstribune.com/topstories/story/664095.html The Port of Tacoma and several East Pierce County communities were the big winners Thursday as the Puget Sound Regional Council doled out about $36 million from the federal stimulus package. The PSRC's executive board chose to fund four local road projects and seven local transit projects in Pierce County as part of the package signed by President Barack Obama on Feb. 17... All the projects approved Thursday were reported as ready to start within 90 days. Most carry total costs much higher than the amount they're receiving from the stimulus package. * Roads & Transit http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/667146.html There is a $500 million shortfall in the 2009-11 budget, and several projects in Pierce County are at risk of being delayed to death, including car-pool lanes on Interstate 5 from the Tacoma Mall to Fife and property purchases for the eventual extension of Highway 167 from the Port of Tacoma to Puyallup. * Port of Everett to get $2 million for waterfront bike path http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20090313/BIZ/703139898#Port.of.Everett.to.get.%242.million.for.waterfront.bike.path The Port of Everett will receive $1.9 million in federal stimulus funds to create an enhanced pedestrian and bicycle path along W. Marine View Drive between 11th and 16th streets. The money was authorized Thursday by the Puget Sound Regional Council. FUELS * Imperium Renewables cuts 24 workers http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008853484_webimperium13.html The cuts will help it "survive and grow when the market turns around for the biofuels industry," company president and founder John Plaza said in a statement Thursday. He said Imperium faces "dramatically reduced global demand for biodiesel, high feedstock prices and extreme volatility in the petroleum fuel markets."... Plaza said that along with the plunge in energy prices, "the recession has led to a drastic reduction in demand for fuels of all types, but especially for biofuels." GREEN JOBS * Stimulus-funded 'green' jobs triple company's size in Puget Sound region http://seattle.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2009/03/16/story4.html?b=1237176000^1794203<http://seattle.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2009/03/16/story4.html?b=1237176000%5e1794203> The stimulus package has a significant energy-efficiency component, including $5 billion in weatherization assistance from the Department of Energy for low-income households. That money is meant to provide several benefits, said Mike Nesteroff, who chairs the sustainability and climate change team at Seattle-based law firm Lane Powell PC. It should generate jobs for the contractors who do the work, reduce utility bills for residents so they'll have more disposable income to spend elsewhere, and help cut greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the need for fossil-burning power plants. And unlike other aspects of the stimulus package, such as funding for new roads, energy efficiency is supported by environmentalists as well as local governments and businesses. <<Stimulus-funded 'green' jobs triple company's size in Puget Sound region - Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle).htm>> * Stanwood man hopes solar power pays off http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20090316/BIZ/703169968#Stanwood.man.hopes.solar.power.pays.off Ron Fox, who has installed solar panels at his Stanwood home, hopes to eventually land a job in the solar-power industry. CLIMATE * Lawmakers thwart Gregoire's cap-and-trade plan on climate http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2008865324_capandtrade16m.html Gov. Chris Gregoire's attempt to push Washington to the forefront of climate-change regulation appears dead - mortally wounded in the state Legislature by fears it could hurt the economy and be vulnerable to rip-offs. Both the state House and Senate have balked at adopting the so-called "cap-and-trade" system that would have forced industries to cut greenhouse-gas emissions to fall below a cap or buy extra permits in something resembling a stock market. * Microsoft Plans to Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 30 Percent http://www.climatebiz.com/news/2009/03/16/microsoft-cut-greenhouse-gas-emissions-30-percent The company announced to its employees last week that it will use its 2007 levels as a baseline for the goal, which it intends to meet by making its buildings and operations more energy efficient, using more green power and cutting air travel. * Microsoft sets goal to cut emissions, Ballmer says http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/403524_bizbriefs13.html In an e-mail to employees Thursday, Microsoft Corp. CEO Steve Ballmer said the company had set a goal to reduce emissions per unit of revenue by 30 percent compared with 2007 levels by 2012. Microsoft Chief Environmental Strategist Rob Bernard summarized in a blog post how Microsoft expects to cut back: "We'll achieve this goal by improving energy use in our buildings and operations, reducing air travel, and increasing our use of renewable energy," he wrote. "As a technology company, we believe that our footprint goals will be met by leveraging software and technology." Part of this entails expanding the use of its own products, such as its Unified Communications (UC) tools, which, by the middle of a companywide deployment, had saved the company more than $90 million in travel expenses. The platform's 2007 release includes instant messaging, audio, video, web conferencing and enterprise voice, all of which may reduce costs related to travel, commuting, enterprise telephony and office space. * Increased Number Think Global Warming Is "Exaggerated" -- Most believe global warming is happening, but urgency has stalled http://www.gallup.com/poll/116590/Increased-Number-Think-Global-Warming-Exaggerated.aspx As recently as 2006, significantly more Americans thought the news underestimated the seriousness of global warming than said it exaggerated it, 38% vs. 30%. Now, according to Gallup's 2009 Environment survey, more Americans say the problem is exaggerated rather than underestimated, 41% vs. 28%. The trend in the "exaggerated" response has been somewhat volatile since 2001, and the previous high point, 38%, came in 2004. Over the next two years, "exaggerated" sentiment fell to 31% and 30%. Still, as noted, the current 41% is the highest since Gallup's trend on this measure began in 1997. * The Fresh Prince of Clean Air -- Prince Charles says financial crisis is 'nothing' compared to climate change http://www.grist.org/news/2009/03/12/Charles/index.html He stressed: "Any difficulties which the world faces today will be as nothing compared to the full effects which global warming will have on the world-wide economy." The speech was billed as a key presentation in the prince's commitment to environmental conservation. * NAS Recommends Creating and Disseminating Climate Information in Ways Useful to State and Local Decision Makers http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=12626&page=1 * 'Biochar' goes industrial with giant microwaves to lock carbon in charcoal http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/mar/13/charcoal-carbon Climate expert claims to have developed cleanest way of fixing CO2 in 'biochar' for burial on an industrial scale * Fate of polar bears seen to depend on emissions cuts http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090316/sc_nm/us_polarbears_melting;_ylt=AuOIZIWxPhfwHsmzM7KV27Npl88F * Maldives Pledges to Be First Carbon-Neutral Country http://news.yahoo.com/s/oneworld/20090316/wl_oneworld/world3610601237223669;_ylt=Ao3X6aJ0U0CJkstR1A01qDBpl88F * Climate change blues: how scientists cope http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090316/sc_afp/environmentclimatewarmingscientists;_ylt=AnhWUDeDi_oPt6jKEGMKctVpl88F What haunts scientists most, many said, is the feeling that -- despite an overwhelming consensus on the science -- they are not able to convey to a wider public just how close Earth is to climate catastrophe... It's as if scientists know a bomb will go off, but can't find the right words to warn the people who might be able to defuse it. * California's drought-resistent gardens are hot http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090316/lf_afp/environmentwaterusdroughtgardening;_ylt=ArZDWYd3F9UjK3s1s2uKlahpl88F Even grinding recession has not undone growth in one corner of California's drought-parched landscaping sector, where Robert Cornell has spent more than two decades fine-tuning climate friendly gardens. NOTE: If the hyperlink to the article fails, contact Consuelo Davis. Consuelo Davis Communications Dept. Puget Sound Clean Air Agency 206-689-4074 consueloD@pscleanair.org Bill Smith Senior Environmental Specialist City of Tacoma Solid Waste Management 3510 S. Mullen Street Tacoma, WA 98409 253-593-7719 Phone 253-591-5547 Fax