The recently passed Federal Food Donation Act should assist in 1) reducing the amount of food waste generated by the federal government and 2) feeding folks who need it.  Any government contract over $25,000 that involves "the provision, service, or sale of food” must include a clause encouraging the donation of excess food to non-profit organizations feeding the hungry.  The bill passed both houses of Congress without a dissenting vote and was signed by the President. 

It's a start.  The USDA estimated, in the only study ever done on the subject, that 96.4 billion of the 356 billion pounds of edible food available in 1995 was never eaten.  That's 27% of the total food wasted, most of it fresh produce, milk, grain products and sweeteners. 

"De-carbonize" the economy and become energy-independent.  Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sums up his recommendation to the next president in a few words.  This single move, if aggressively pursued, would both tackle the overriding issue of our time - global warming - and assist our economy in recovery from the harrowing economic downturn.  

In an article in Vanity Fair, Kennedy lays out the economic argument for acting decisively:

New York Times columnist Tom Friedman will have a new book out in September, Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution — and How It Can Renew America, that argues "that the convergence of global warming, global flattening (the rise of middle classes all over the world), and global crowding (the population boom) is driving five key trends that will define the 21st century".

According to an article by Danny Shea in the Huffington Post,

Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont has drafted a bill to promote the creation of 10 million new solar rooftop on private houses and businesses over the next ten years.  The bill, which has been co-sponsored by Senators John Kerry (D-MA), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Arlen Specter (R-PA), John Warner (R-VA), and Robert Menendez (D-NJ), provides incentives for solar unit installation, covering about half the average costs.

According to a press release from Sanders' office, "rebates would cover about one-half of the $20,000 average cost of installing a solar unit that, depending on location, could provide up to one-half of the electricity for a typical home".

Richland is emerging as a major bioproducts and bioenergy research center.  Washington State University's Center for Bioproducts and Bioenergy in the Tri-Cities has partnered with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to advance our region’s role in the emerging bioproducts and bioenergy industry.

A group of citizens in Snohomish County has asked the Snohomish County Council to create a Human Rights Commission that, as it states, “has the authority, and the resources, to provide equal opportunity and safety for all of the residents and visitors to Snohomish County.”

The ordinance that would establish the Commission was developed over 10 months to address issues of discrimination that had been building up throughout the county. Discussions at the regular meetings included an examination of past attempts at finding significant, effective, resolutions. They solicited advice and input from other groups in Washington State and around the country.