15
T H
A N N I V E R S A RY
Thank You
• KVAL-TV reported Sept. 29 that the West Eugene Parkway has hit a “major road-
block” in that the roadway might not be “big enough” to handle traffic loads over
the next 20 years. This is an angle that hasn’t gotten much press before. Will we see
local agencies tweaking population projections downward to make the formulas
work? Meanwhile, circular logic has our heads spinning. We plan new roads to
accommodate future growth, but future growth is linked to building new roads. Let’s
take some lessons from other metro areas that have failed miserably in trying to
build themselves out of traffic congestion.
for 15 Wonderful Years!
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• Everybody’s talking about the California recall circus (makes you proud to be an
Oregonian) and Bush’s plummeting popularity (it’s about time), but is anybody talk-
ing about the important 2004 elections in little Eugene? Torrey is expected to
announce in October whether he will seek another term as mayor, run for state
office or whatever. Council Wards 7 and 8 are up for election and have maybe half a
dozen people politely testing the waters (“Shall I run? Oh no, you run. Unless you
think I should run,” etc.) No one’s jumping up and down wanting to take on
Sorenson and Green at the county. Will Harcleroad retire as DA? The domino effect
will be big in ’04, and we hear one candidate is raising money not for any particular
race, but rather for “elected office.” Stay tuned.
• The big Peace, Justice and Media Conference is taking shape next week on the UO
campus, beginning Oct. 9, and it promises to be an exceptional gathering with
knock-your-socks-off national speakers. Jim Hightower, the San Francisco Mime
Troupe, Janine Jackson, Kelly Campbell, Andrea Buffa will be there, followed a cou-
ple of weeks later by Molly Ivans (Oct. 25). Check out our stories in Back to Campus
this week, along with a special pull-out schedule. Local speakers will include (ahem)
Ted Taylor and Alan Pittman ranting about alternative media at 11 am Saturday, Oct.
11, location TBA.
Behind the Event: Strategic
Planning, Site Planning, & Timelines
Friday, October 17
8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Eugene
Offered by the Division of Continuing Education
and the Arts & Administration Program
Whether you are currently a student or profes-
sional, paid or volunteer, there are a variety of
options for you to choose from as you pursue
your interest in Festival & Event Management.
Call to receive a program brochure or
to register for a workshop
Learn how to maximize your work
during the “off-season” to improve your
event.
Marketing Festivals & Events:
Beginning & Advanced
Friday & Saturday, November 14 & 15
8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Portland
Event marketing concepts — choose
Friday only for beginners, add Satur-
day for advanced topics.
(800) 824-2714
or
social ideals to locally based economics and
personal lifestyle.”
Most people live in urban areas where
permaculture offers tremendous value and
opportunity, says Spencer. “The gathering
serves as a point of convergence to discuss,
network, teach, learn, strategize and enjoy
practical experience. The goal is to move for-
ward the ideas and skills for cultural transfor-
mation towards a more Earth-friendly, coop-
erative, locally based way of living.”
The gathering began with a “World
Café” with small groups talking about the
elements of local culture, which included
bio-region, food security, consensus, smart
urban design, local economy, respect for the
environment and human potential.
This year’s workshop and panel sched-
ule included social, political and food topics
related to building local culture. Topics in-
cluded “Permatopia — A Graceful End to
Cheap Oil,” “Back Yard Food Forest,” a
bio-diesel panel, “Cooking with a Haybox,”
alternative residential choices, worm com-
posting, medicinal weeds and urban water
management.
Panels and presenters were almost all
local people. “We are impressed to know
that we have extensive talent and knowl-
edge right here in Eugene for building local
culture,” says Spencer. “We made new
friends with similar values and found some
lived just a few blocks away. We all learned
new approaches to healthy living.”
Photos of the gathering and more infor-
mation are available at www.eugeneperma-
culture.org or call 686 6761.
For those who missed the permaculture
gathering, a related event is happening in
the River Road area beginning at 6 pm
Sunday, Oct. 6. Local residents are celebrat-
ing a new neighborhood landmark, a mural
by Jan Spencer, on the side of the Goodwill
building at 1015 River Road.
The marimba band Kudana will play,
and a silent auction will be held to raise
money for the mural project. Local activist
Martha Johnson initiated the idea and local
residents are depicted in the mural. Images
can be seen at www.efn.org/~spencerj
PHOTOVOLTAIC JUICE
PICKS UP SEX APPEAL
Solar electricity is getting cheaper each
year as technology improves, and mean-
while the cost of conventional electricity is
getting more expensive.
“Photovoltaic (PV) electricity has for
years been pie in the sky and expensive,”
says Tom Scott, a local solar contractor and
advocate, “but now it’s getting sexy.”
Scott, who’s organizing the annual Solar
Home Tour Oct. 4, says solar electricity
used to have a 50-year payback on invest-
ment and both utilities and consumers were
not very interested in pursuing it. But the
price of electricity has doubled in the past
eight years, and if it doubles again, the pay-
back time could be as little as five to 10
years. Adding to the incentives are in-
creased rebates and tax credits that make
Oregon one of the best states in the country
for solar electricity.
Eugene’s Solar Home Tour will begin
with a free 10 am lecture and slide show
Saturday at the EWEB Training Center, 400
E. 4th Ave. Participants can then join the
tour by bus ($5 per person) or follow along
($10 per carload). At each site, experts will
describe the solar system in place and how it
works.
Some new printed materials will be
available this year for the tour, including a
slick 64-page magazine with featured solar
installations around the state. In the maga-
zine, Gov. Ted Kulongoski writes that “it’s
a myth that Oregon doesn’t get any sun —
Astoria annually receives more solar en-
ergy than the best location in Germany, a
country that leads the world in the installa-
tion of solar energy systems.”
— Ted Taylor
(541) 346-4231
center.uoregon.edu/
festivalevent
Events & Sponsors
Friday, December 12
8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Eugene
Explore the art of partnering sponsors
with the appropriate event to create a
winning synergy.
CORRECTIONS/CLARIFICATIONS
Artist Jerry Ross says the Jacobs Gallery
misspelled the title to his painting shown
in our story on the Mayor’s Art Show
last week. The correct title (in Italian)
should be “La Vedova di Guerra” (The War
Widow).
OCTOBER 2, 2003 9