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Slant: Short opinion pieces and rumor-chasing notes Feature:
TAKING IT TO PIECES How do you recycle an obsolete building? It's been going on since the first stone hut collapsed and was rebuilt, but in the U.S. we tend to bulldoze buildings, haul off the rubble and start over from scratch.
The Eugene company Invitrogen, however, is currently "green demolishing" two of their buildings on Willow Creek Road. All of the salvageable material in the 1980s Molecular Probes buildings is being recycled by a local industrial recycling companies, including BRING Recycling, Schnitzer Steel of Eugene and EcoSort, for salvage of structural wood, metal and other materials. The laboratory equipment inside, including lab ware and fume hoods, was donated to the UO; inside furniture and fixtures were donated to institutions such as Habitat for Humanity, Lane ESD, Mohawk High School, Nature Conservancy and CASA. Tim Engel, a spokesman for the company, says John Hyland Construction is handling the major demolition, which will take about two weeks. Hyland is also hauling masonry and concrete for land reclamation projects. The UO is the largest benefactor of the recycling with a value of $97,564 for fume hoods, benchtops, cabinets, furniture, safety equipment and other materials. Habitat for Humanity is receiving nearly $2,000 worth of furniture, cabinets and shelves. Lane ESD gets about $750 in assorted lab ware. — TJT
CPA REVIVES, EYES AGENDA The grassroots Lane County watchdog group Citizens for Public Accountability (CPA) is back in business following the November elections. The group has targeted two big projects to consider as a focus for the upcoming year: an independent performance auditor for the city of Eugene, and/or an end to field burning in the Willamette Valley. CPA's annual meeting is coming up at 7 pm Tuesday, Nov. 14 at South Eugene High School, room 504. The public is invited. "In addition to the project we select to work on immediately, CPA will remain alert to new emerging issues that may require our collective attention throughout the year," reads a statement from the group. CPA activities in the past have included organizing people to testify at public hearing on environmental issues in the county and other concerns. The group also successfully sued Hyundai/Hynix for water pollution in the late 1990s. A steering committee for the coming year will be elected Tuesday night. So far the candidates are: Paul Engelking, Linda Fuller, Rob Handy, Paul Harrison, David Monk, Bob O'Brien, Mary O'Brien, Lynn Reichman, Cary Thompson and Jan Wostmann. Regular meetings are planned for 7 pm the first and third Tuesday of each month, also at South Eugene. Regarding the independent performance auditor, Portland serves as an example for Eugene. Portland's auditor's role is to "promote open and accountable government by providing independent and impartial reviews, public access to information, and service to City government and the public," according to the auditor's mission statement. The city of Spokane's auditor helps provide assurance that "city assets are safeguarded; city revenues are controlled; city costs are minimized; city internal controls are effective; city processes are efficient; city services meet the needs of the citizens; city government is accountable and transparent," according to that auditor's mission statement. Regarding field burning, the practice has long been a public health and quality of life issue for residents living in the southern Willamette Valley. "While the number of acres burned and the severity and frequency of smoke intrusions into Eugene-Springfield have diminished, there remains considerable public outrage," says CPA. "This last summer the Lane Regional Air Protection Agency received more than 600 complaints about field burning. Oregon's Department of Agriculture received more than 1,000." To get on CPA's email list, send a note to cpa@lists.opn.org
C- FOR GENOCIDE Since 2003, genocide has raged largely unabated in the western region of Sudan known as Darfur. A systematic campaign of murder, rape and brutality has taken the lives of an estimated 450,000 Sudanese and displaced 2.5 million more to squalid refugee camps. All sources indicate that these acts are being carried out with sponsorship from the government of Sudan.
National and local action groups are empowering concerned citizens to contact state representatives, urging them to act in response to this crisis. However, a recent scoring system for state senators established by the Genocide Intervention Network gives Oregon representatives an overall grade of "C-." According to Darfurscores.org, Sen. Gordon Smith has earned an "F," Sen. Ron Wyden a "C," Rep. Greg Walden a "D," Reps. David Wu, Peter DeFazio and Darlene Hooley "B's" and Rep. Earl Blumenauer an "A." The scoring system is based on the voting practices of elected officials with regard to genocide legislation in both the House and Senate: The Darfur Accountability Act, The Darfur Peace Accountability Act, The Darfur Genocide Accountability Act and two funding amendments for civilian protection and aid. Roz Slovic of the Lane County Darfur Coalition says people should be disheartened but not paralyzed by these scores. "Call the White House, call Wyden and say 'Do something,'" she suggests. "Ultimately, they listen." On Nov. 15, the Lane County Darfur Coalition will have information tables at the UO Bookstore, the Eugene Public Library and LCC. — Martha Calhoon
BUFORD BASH COMING UP Friends of Buford Park & Mt. Pisgah's 15th annual Fall Celebration is coming up next week just in time for park backers to get up to date on plans to bring adjoining Wildish lands into public ownership. The subject of the presentation at the event is "Fulfilling the Vision: Growing Buford Park — Purchasing the 1,400-acre Wildish Lands." The celebration runs from 6:30 to 9 pm Thursday, Nov. 16 at the First United Methodist Church, 1376 Olive St. Chris Orsinger, executive director of Friends of Buford Park, and others will speak about the benefits of purchasing the 1,400-acre parcel along the Willamette's Middle Fork. The presentation offers "a vision for the future of Mount Pisgah, and explores the importance of this piece of land for fish, wildlife, recreation and a community legacy." The event is a fundraiser and includes a silent auction. Suggested donation is $3 to $25, but organizers say no one will be turned away. For more information, call 344-8350 or visit www.bufordpark.org
ENDING THE NIGHTMARE
International human rights scholar Mark Gibney says he feels both "despair and hope" in the state of the world today. His despair comes from the U.S. and other nations getting away with violating basic standards of international law, economic justice and human rights. His hope comes from recent turnarounds in U.S. foreign policy and more humane policy initiatives. Gibney is a professor of political science at the University of North Carolina- Asheville and the recipient of two Fulbright scholarships and the North Carolina International Human Rights Award. He will be speaking in Eugene next week on the topic, "Ending the Nightmare: How to Save the World in Four Easy Steps." He will be discussing the failure of international human rights law and how this law might actually be used for its intended purpose — to insure the rights of the hundreds of millions of people who have been left without human rights protections. A reception for Gibney begins at 5 pm Thursday, Nov. 9 in room 175 of the Knight Law Center, 15th and Agate. He will speak at 5:30 pm. This free event is sponsored by the Public Interest Public Service Program, the Wayne Morse Center for Law and Politics, the UO Political Science Department and the International Law Society. A recent Q&A with Gibney can be found at www.mountainx.com
LANE COUNTY HERBICIDE SPRAY SCHEDULE Reforestation Services (503-362-8322) will aerially apply urea fertilizer for Seneca-Jones Timber Company (689-1231) on 1767 acres in Eastern Lane County near Hills Creek Reservoir, Lorison, Packard, Gold, Bohemia, Indian, North Fork Indian, and Simpson creeks (#771-55937). Weyerhaeuser Company (741-5211) will aerially apply urea fertilizer to 5794 acres in eastern Lane County (#771-55962). Pictures of aerial fertilizer application equipment and operations may be found at the website listed below. ODOT, Lane County and city road crews apply de-icer on roadsides during cold spells when icy roads are anticipated. Fumes from the de-icer can cause health problems to sensitive individuals. Compiled by Jan Wroncy, Forestland Dwellers: 342-8332
CORRECTIONS/CLARIFICATIONS: • Due to a momentary lapse in basic math skills, reporter Kera Abraham was off by a year in reporting the ages of activists involved in the early stages of the Warner Creek blockade ("Flames of Dissent," 11/2). In fall 1995 Tim Lewis was 39, Cecilia Story was 22, James Johnston was turning 21 and Lacey Phillabaum was 20. Johnston was dating Phillabaum at the time, though she later partnered with Jeff Hogg. Johnston's current job title is policy analyst for Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics. Judge Hogan's ruling on the Warner Creek salvage was on Sept. 6, 1995, rather than Sept. 5. • The black and white cover illustration last week (11/2) is by Eugene artist Kari Johnson. In some issues of our paper her credit line along the right side of the cover is difficult to read.
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