Monday Mailing
Year 20 • Issue 15 16 December 2013 1. The Most Walkable Cities and How Some Are Making Strides 2. San Francisco Can Ban All the Plastic Bags it Wants, Appeals Court Decides 3. Some New Web Resources 4. Arizona Agency Is Faulted in Deaths of Firefighters 5. Get Ready For Another Sales Tax Debate In Oregon 6. Portland-to-Salem Commute by Train? Amtrak, Oregon Add Extra Daily Passenger Rail Trips Through Willamette Valley 7. Webinar-Small Changes, Real Impact: Applying Behavioral Economics in Asset-Building Programs, Tuesday, December 17, 2013 | 3 - 4 pm EST 8. How To Conquer Public Speaking Fear: By Morton C. Orman, M.D. 9. In Search of Good Food' Doc Film Now on the Web – Free 10. Hydrogen Squeezed From Stone Could be New Energy Source 11. Funding Opportunities 1. The Most Walkable Cities and How Some Are Making Strides Densely populated neighborhoods, commercial district city squares and multiple public transit lines all span the city of Cambridge, Mass., creating an environment ideal for walking. The most recent Census counts estimate nearly a quarter of the city’s residents walk to work, far more than any other larger U.S. city.
Quote of the Week: “Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there.” ~John Ray Oregon Fast Fact: The hazelnut is Oregon's official state nut. Oregon is the only state that has an official state nut.
Many localities across the country are continuing to push policies and planning initiatives aimed at making communities more walkable. Recent census figures depict a wide variation in commuting habits among the nation’s urban centers, showing some have done much more than others. To access the full story, click here. 2. San Francisco Can Ban All the Plastic Bags it Wants, Appeals Court Decides San Francisco’s plastic bag ban is safe, a California Court of Appeals unanimously decided this week. The lawsuit taken up by the court had been initiated by the Save the Plastic Bag Coalition, which aimed to roll back the expansion of San Francisco’s plastic bag ban in 2012 and 2013. San Francisco banned plastic bags in grocery stores and pharmacies in 2007, extending the ban to retail stores in 2012 and restaurants in October 2013. The court’s decision to uphold the ban could pave the way for other cities to enact similar ordinances — bans that since San Francisco’s in 2007 have been spreading throughout the U.S. In California alone, nearly 90 cities and counties have enacted plastic bag bans. San Diego is considering implementing a ban, and Denver and New York City are both considering plastic bag taxes of 5 or 10 cents, ordinances Page 1 of 7