Diamond-Cut Life

Sustainable Living: More Joy And Less Consumption In The Face Of Global Warming

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52 Billion Miles Saved!

August 20th, 2008 · 2 Comments

Too long without a post! I just returned from a trip (via Amtrak, my favorite travel-mode) to Olympia, Washington, where I was researching that state’s outstanding transportation options program. I am so itching to do in Oregon the kinds of trip-reduction programs they are doing in Washington (I work in transportation).
On a separate but very [...]

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Tags: carbon footprint · economics · green living · lifestyle · transportation

Soaring Above PZEV To Zero Emissions

August 4th, 2008 · No Comments

I had an exhilarating swoop into the heart of the diamond-cut life Saturday night when I bicycled all the way home from my mother-in-law’s house.  (For newcomers to this blog– welcome! — the diamond-cut life is happiness chiseled down to its essence, with excess consumption stripped away).
I felt free and strong as an eagle bicycling from far [...]

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Tags: 97215 · climate change · energy conservation · global warming · green living · health · lifestyle · simplicity · transportation

Run 7 On 7: Please Pay Your Way?

July 17th, 2008 · 6 Comments

I’m looking today at a confluence of one of my favorite sports — running — and a worthy pursuit that I have done in the past — fundraising. An energetic woman named Linda Quirk at Run 7 On 7 is leading 300 others in running seven marathons on seven continents and raising pledges to [...]

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Tags: 97215 · carbon footprint · climate change · culture · development · economics · energy conservation · environment · exercise · life · lifestyle · outdoors

Great, Green Job Opening Now Filled

June 6th, 2008 · No Comments

I’m grateful for all the bright, highly motivated people who read my Great, Green Job Opening post and recently applied to be my assistant program manager as I lead the Governor’s Commuter Challenge. I’ve now hired one of them!
As a team and with the help of many others in the Capitol Mall, we’ll be working [...]

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Tags: 97215 · life · lifestyle · sustainability · transportation

Driving A Prius In The Wild West

April 22nd, 2008 · 5 Comments

My job in transportation options has taken me, in a new Prius, to the high desert town of Bend, Oregon (recently named by American Cowboy magazine in its Top Ten list of wild-west towns). The Prius, mud-splattered from the Santiam Pass, is now dusted with snow as well, so it reminds me of an [...]

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Tags: climate change · energy conservation · global warming · green living · hybrids · sustainability · transportation

Our Next Car: Prius Or Honda Hybrid?

March 2nd, 2008 · 6 Comments

With my new, longer commute we’re going to finally replace our single car, a 1993 Nissan Sentra, with a newer car. The question is: what car makes the most sense, given both that we’re thrifty and that carbon emissions are prime drivers of global warming (no pun intended)?

We sized it up last night, now that we’ve finished doing our taxes (we’re early this year). The Prius can get 50ish

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Tags: carbon footprint · climate change · economics · environment · global warming · sustainability · transportation