Climate Spotlight: Recology now offers a new service to residents of Jackson County — mattress recycling. The program is the first in the region.
Climate Spotlight: It’s possible to avoid volatile gas prices while still keeping your home cozy. Heat pump heating-and-cooling systems run on electricity rather than methane — and thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, these appliances are increasingly affordable.
New local survey data is available for policymakers on how residents think about household energy and climate change. The bottom line: Residents support equitable policies to implement energy efficiency measures, expand solar options, and reduce our use of “natural” gas.
Barbara Cervone: “Reports of our inadequate response to the climate emergency roll in as regularly as the tides. The latest came from the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), telling us that the crisis is getting worse even faster than we’d imagined. It’s hard to envision a louder alarm, and yet we seem able to sleep through it.”
Alan Journet: “If global warming and its climate change consequences continue unchecked, they are likely to destroy our natural ecosystem (forests, woodlands, grasslands, deserts, etc.) by the end of the century, along with our agriculture, forestry, and fisheries. It’s difficult to imagine how the economic impact of this could be overestimated or ignored.”
Climate Spotlight: “Using ‘natural’ gas is one of the biggest sources of emissions in Ashland. The city needs a concrete plan to phase it out — and so do all the rest of us.”
“It’s mostly methane. It’s bad for our health. It warms the planet way more than carbon dioxide. And it’s flowing into a kitchen near you. Electrification is the best solution.”
Oregon House Rep. Pam Marsh sits in a good spot to drive state-level climate action in Salem. She provided a climate action recap for Ashland.news readers from the just-inked 2022 session.
“Electric school buses mean cleaner air and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. Ashlanders should support the Ashland School District in applying for federal funding for its first electric school bus.”
“If we think of climate change as strictly an environmental problem, we may feel that we don’t have the right skills or knowledge to take action. Yet we all have experience as humans, community members, family members and caretakers.”
Ashland’s 37th annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration is set for noon to 1:30 p.m. Monday at the Historic Ashland Armory in downtown Ashland. The event is free and open to the public.
At its first meeting of the new year Tuesday, the Ashland City Council is expected to sew up loose threads from last year with votes to approve the 2200 Ashland St. Master Plan, formally create an Ashland Parks & Recreation Department and the first reading of an ordinance to mitigate carbon pollution for new residential structures, according to meeting materials.
Ask Strider: Our advice columnist turns to the problems of making friends and keeping them. As usual, he counsels restraint in troubled friendships, and asks the Old Cedar Tree what to do about making friends in the first place. The Old Cedar Tree has interesting thoughts on the subject.
A vandalism incident that left damage from large tire marks in Railroad and Lithia parks will cost thousands to repair and is part of a larger trend of vandalism in the city’s parks, according to Ashland Parks Superintendent Kevin Caldwell.
Ashland residents will have two opportunities to show their solidarity with a national Women’s March at two events on Saturday, Jan. 18, with a formally organized event at Oak Knoll Golf Course following an informal gathering on Ashland Plaza in the morning.
Obituary: During he early 2000s, John Fisher-Smith read short commentaries on JPR’s “Jefferson Daily” about place and value, called “Reflections.” He loved singing with the Peace Choir, and the group’s pilgrimage to Hiroshima, Japan, in 2006 was one of the highlights of his elderhood. A celebration of John’s life will take place at Temple Emek Shalom on April 6, welcoming all who wish to join at 1:45 p.m.
(It’s free)
