Eating locally has become a national movement. But how can we eat locally produced food if our nearby family farms are plowed under for subdivisions?

In the late 1970s, an imaginary line was drawn around the Portland area. Inside the line, urban development could flourish. Outside that line the farms and forestland that characterize western Oregon would remain intact. This line, called the urban growth boundary, has saved much of the natural landscape that surrounds the city. But in the thirty years since the UGB was first drawn, it has expanded more than once. Now a lot of people in the region are saying it doesn't need to grow anymore.

How can green chemistry revolutionize the materials we make, how they're used, and the benefits to our health and the environment.

Portland area farmer Clare Carver (Big Table Farm in Gaston) returns to Locus Focus for a chat with Joel Salatin, farmer, food choice advocate and dream-doer, who runs Polyface Farm in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. We'll discuss the sustainable agricultural methods they practice, based on polyculture and the interweaving roles of farm animals and crops.

Lester Brown, president of the Earth Policy Institute, has come out with a new book PLAN B 4.0: MOBILIZING TO SAVE CIVILIZATION. This plan for how we can (and must) cut global emissions by 80% by the year 2020, suggests existing technologies and know-how that will accomplish what political and industrial leaders around the world seem to find so daunting.

Cap-and-trade systems are being touted across the country as the most likely way to reduce carbon emissions and they have been in practice in Europe for several years. But cap-and-trade is controversial in the eyes of some envrironmentalists—who see carbon trading as a form of 21st century indulgences—as well as industrial polluters who believe cap-and-trade creates unwanted government regulation.

A couple months ago, Locus Focus host Barbara Bernstein leaped at the opportunity to interview Stewart Brand, Whole Earth Catalog creator and innovative futurist. But Stewart has changed his views on some key things since the heady days of the late 1960s and early 70s, when his ideas and projects inspired a huge counter-cultural movement. His primary concern now is curbing climate change and he believes that to achieve the goal of drastically reducing our carbon emissions we must embrace technologies that he (and most of the environmental movement) once eschewed - like nuclear power.

In these end days of peak oil, the Canadian province of Alberta is on a mission to replace Saudi Arabia as the world's major source of petroleum. The once pristine boreal forests of Northern Alberta are being transformed into gigantic pit mines as energy companies rush to extract some of the last of the earth's petroleum reserves. The quest to extract and refine these thick, dirty tar sands that lie beneath what was once a wilderness of wetlands and salmon-rich rivers, threatens the ecology and economy of North America.

Why do women hold the key to solving climate change? Guest Sarah Craven, chief of the United Nations Population Fund's Washington office, talks about how climate change is more than an issue of energy efficiency or industrial carbon emissions; it is also an issue of population dynamics, poverty and gender equity. 

On this show we'll look at how climate change impacts women and whether population growth is a major cause of climate change. What's the best way to protect humanity from extreme weather and rising seas? Could better access to reproductive health care and improved relations between women and men make a critical difference in addressing this long-term global problem?

Harriet Fasenfest, writer, cook, gardener, food preserver and backyard economist, returns to Locus Focus to talk about the art, economics and politics of householding and food preservation just in time for the holidays.

Born and raised in the Bronx, Harriet Fasenfest has lived in the Northwest since 1978. Now retired from Main Street, she is attempting to raise the bones of home economics from the trash bin of modernity. She teaches classes on food preservation at Preserve and lives happily with her husband and children in Portland, Oregon.

Lauren Moomaw and Maggie Maggio are part of a new community effort, TaborSpace. This coffeehouse and gathering place feels like a throwback to the best of Portland in the 1970s, but it also reflects a uniquely 21st century understanding of how to create sustainable communities. This week on Locus Focus we talk with Lauren and Maggie about creating a neighborhood sense of place through village building.

Climate talks drew to a close in Copenhagen just before Christmas, with little concrete action to celebrate. Our guest Robert Engelman was there and he tells us what happened in Copenhagen, what didn't happen, what we can hope for and what we need to make sure happens soon.

What's going on with Portland's water? In light of the Thanksgiving weekend e coli outbreak in one of the Washington Park Reservoirs, we look at arguments for and against covering Portland's famously open-air reservoirs. We also talk about the underground water storage facility under construction on Powell Butte and the status of Portland's request for a variance from the EPA for its open reservoirs.

Our guests are David Shaff with the Portland Water Bureau and Friends of the Reservoirs representatives Floy Jones and Scott Fernandez.

Many Portlander's think that we get most of our electricity from the Bonneville hydro system, but in fact 40% comes from burning coal, much of it mined by blasting the top off a mountain in Kirk, West Virginia. This week on Locus Focus, guest Judy Bonds, co-director for Coal River Mountain Watch, talks about the impact of this devastating practice on the lives, economy and culture of her community. We'll also hear an update on what's happening at the federal and local level to end mountain top removal mining and put a stop to the wholesale burying of streams under mountains of mine tailings.

What does population growth have to do with climate change? We hear from what the connections are from Laurie Mazur, who has edited a new book called A Pivotal Moment: Population, Justice and the Environmental Challenge.

300 miles of creeks lie beneath streets and buildings of Portland. In this segment of Locus Focus we explore a creek that flows under the streets of SE Portland and what the city is doing to recognize and replicate the important functions that creek once performed. Brooklyn Creek's headwaters are on the west slope of Mt. Tabor (a dormant volcano that hovers on the near horizon of SE Portland). Until it was culverted many years ago, the creek flowed through what are now the Sunnyside, Richmond, Hosford, Abernathy and Brooklyn neighborhoods, on its way to the Willamette River.

Oregon has set ambitious goals for reducing our carbon emissions by 2020. But if all the currently proposed highway projects are built, any reductions that are achieved in other areas will be canceled out by increased auto use. How do plans to replace the I5 bridge between Washington and Oregon fit into this dilemma? While the proposed replacement bridge is being touted as a "green" bridge, most scenarios show that the currently proposed 12-lane bridge will only increase car trips across the Columbia River and help defeat the region's goal to dramatically reduce our carbon footprint. Should the new bridge have fewer lanes? Should there be tolls? Will light rail and bike lanes help reduce driving? Or should we not build a new bridge at all?

Oregon is about to institute a new incentive for households to power themselves using alternative energy sources like solar and wind. This method is called Feed-in Tarriff and is already in place in much of Germany as well as Vermont. Mark Pengilly and Judy Barnes, with Oregonians for Renewable Energy, join Locus Focus host Barbara Bernstein for a discussion about how feed-in tarrif can help democratize the energy grid. They'll talk about what feed-in tariffs are all about and where they fit into an overall renewable energy policy that moves us toward a sustainable solution to climate change and helps accomplish the switch from a fossil-fuel-based economy.

Last year a group of Sellwood residents created a neighborhood movement that helped shape the design and impact of the soon-to-be rebuilt Sellwood Bridge. At the height of this organizing drive, a neighborhood march drew hundreds of people from all corners of the neighborhood, united in a desire for a bridge that enhances the neighborhood's pedestrian and bicycle-oriented qualities. Locus Focus host Barbara Bernstein took part in the march and it was there that she met some of the guests on this week's Locus Focus, who join her for a discussion about creating sustainable projects in our neighborhoods that not only help mitigate climate change but also build a sense of community.

Discussions about climate change usually focus on rising sea levels and reducing carbon emissions. What we don't hear about much is how climate change disproportionately impacts the lives of women in the developing world. On this special International Women's Day segment of Locus Focus, we look at why climate change is a women's issue, and learn about initiatives that can help women in the developing world to reduce the carbon footprints of their communities while at the same time empowering their lives.

Climate scientists tell us that even if greenhouse gas emissions were halted tomorrow, the world's climate would not stabilize for decades. So even as we continue to reduce our carbon footprint, we need to start adapting to the inevitable. This morning we look at strategies that communities must begin to adopt to mitigate the worst impacts of climate change while preparing to adapt to its consequences.

As aftershocks from the massive earthquake last month in Chile continue to shake the earth, this week on Locus Focus, we look at why the earthquake that wreaked so much devastation in Chile is relevant to the rest of us living along the Pacific Rim. What does the Pacific NW have in common seismically with Chile and what can we learn from the Chileans about earthquake preparedness?

We talk about the science of earthquakes and the importance of earthquake preparedness with Portland State University Geology professor, Scott Burns. Scott will help us understand what all the shaking going on, is all about.

Much of our urban landscape is paved over or covered with buildings, creating an environment that is the antithesis of nature. Rooftops and asphalt flush rain water into storm sewers, overburdening and polluting our rivers. Portland is fast becoming a leader in promoting vegetated rooftops to capture stormwater. Is it possible to go even further and actually create functional wildlife habitat on buildings that will help birds, bats, bugs and other animals as they traverse our urban landscape?

Sometimes the best way to expose the truth is to lie. . .

The Importance of Eating Locally

Cellphone towers have become ubiquitous and although the jury is out on their safety, few people bother anymore to fight new ones going up in their neighborhoods. The common wisdom is that you can't win. Even local jurisdictions, like city and county governments, have little power to stop the siting of a new tower.

It's time to plant your garden. This week on Locus Focus we look at how our relationship to food can help or hinder our efforts to create a sustainable community and lessen the impacts of climate change. With guest Weston Miller, the community and urban horticulturist with the OSU Extension Service for the Clackamas County and Metro Area, we talk about why learning to feed ourselves is an important part of creating sustainable and resilient communities. We also get some practical advice about what a sustainable garden looks like and learn how to plant a garden that uses minimal water, enhances wildlife habitat and can also produce good things to eat.

Portland is the only city in America that has a Food Policy and Programs Office. And while many communities are starting to talk about creating Food Policy Councils, Multnomah County and Portland have had such a council for years. So why is there so much interest in food and its politics here in the Rose City? And why should food policy be at the heart of any discussion about creating sustainable and resilient communities?

Several years ago Locus Focus host Barbara Bernstein was walking in Forest Park when a young boy came running by, his eyes gleaming half in glee, half in terror. He was being pursued by his older brother and as he passed, he called out, "I feel like I'm in a video game."

Last month, an explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine in West Virginia resulted in the worst mining disaster in four decades. The mine is owned by Massey Energy. This company is notorious not only for committing numerous and flagrant safety violations in their mining operations, but also for pursuing mountaintop removal mining throughout Appalachia. The mining disaster has raised new awareness about the true costs of "cheap" coal. Since the last time we discussed this subject on Locus Focus, the Obama administration has taken some steps to regulate mountaintop removal mining, but how effective will these new regulations be?

How much of your garbage is composed of food scraps? According to analysis in the Portland Recycles! Plan the average Portland household disposes of 1,326 pounds of garbage per year of which 75% could be recycled or composted instead of winding up as landfill. We can reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced by our garbage by approximately one ton for each ton of food scraps diverted from landfill.

On June 10 ranchers from across Oregon, Idaho and Washington descended upon downtown Portland for a country food fair sponsored by Oregon Natural Beef. This event provided an opportunity for these ranchers to meet the city folks who eat the meat that they raise, and for city eaters to get a glimpse of cowboy life. Oregon is fortunate to have a ranch co-op like Oregon Natural Beef that provides organic, hormone-free, grassfed sustainably-raised beef to a wide range of eaters—from the fancy diners at Higgins in downtown Portland, to Cleveland High School students grabbing a burger at the Burgerville across the street from their school, as well as shoppers at New Seasons and Whole Foods Markets.

Right now there are more unanswered questions than answers about what is happening with the hemorrhaging oil gusher at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico and what will be its short and long term environmental, health and economic consequences. Portland environmental writer Lizzie Grossman returns from a trip to Gulf of Mexico to report on what she saw, the people she met and her first-hand impressions on the immensity of disaster created by the BP Oil hemorrhage on the floor of the Gulf of Mexico. We talk about the destruction that is already evident from this disaster and the even more disquieting concerns about what is yet to unfold.

Restarting America's nuclear power industry is frequently suggested as a means of curbing greenhouse gas emissions. But advocates of this back to the future scenario should study Robert Alvarez's recent report showing that the amount of plutonium buried at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington State is nearly three times what the federal government previously reported. This means that a cleanup to protect future generations will be far more challenging than planners had assumed. And that's before any more nuclear waste is added to the toxic legacy of Hanford's forty years of Plutonium production.