The West 11th Jiffy Lube crew
JIFFY LUBE MOVES
FROM GREASY TO GREEN
In the automotive industry — usually
considered gritty, grimy and greasy — there
shines an environmentally conscious ray of
light: Jiffy Lube at City View and West 11th
Avenue has been certified as an ecological
business by the Automotive Eco-Logical
Business Program.
The program, a joint project of associa-
tions representing the automotive repair
trades, the Pollution Prevention Outreach
Team (a group of environmental experts from
seven Portland-area agencies) and AAA of
Oregon/Idaho, recognizes automotive repair
shops that “go the extra mile to minimize
their environmental impact to the earth.”
Kathy Arbuckle, owner of the shop, de-
scribes herself as “the most unlikely automo-
tive business owner. I paint watercolors and
am trained as a Montessori teacher,” she says.
But last July, Arbuckle found herself in
charge of the business. Following her 2002
divorce from the shop’s previous owner,
under whom the business filed Chapter 11
bankruptcy, Arbuckle, formerly an investor,
was left with the choice of Chapter 7 bank-
ruptcy or making the business work with her
own plan of reorganization.
As an owner now, she says, “There’s been
a really steep learning curve. But when I
found out automotive businesses could be
ecologically certified, I thought, ‘There’s
something I can get behind.’” Jiffy Lube had
already been recycling oil and radiator fluid,
and Arbuckle has found resources for recy-
cling oil bottles, windshield wiper blades,
even radiator caps.
The process for certification began with
an extensive checklist detailing, among other
things, hazardous waste management, spill
prevention and handling of waste oil. The
checklist was sent to John Taylor of the
Department of Environmental Quality in
Salem. Taylor, who works in DEQ’s Small
Business Assistance Program, helps assess
environmental compliance for the Eco-
Logical Business Program. He, along with
representatives from LRAPA and the city of
Eugene’s Wastewater Management division,
then conducted an onsite visit to go through
the checklist point by point.
“One of the advantages for consumers is it
gives people a chance to do some basic com-
parisons,” says Taylor. “You can decide if
you want to work with an ecologically certi-
fied business or not. More generally, it’s just a
higher level of knowledge, and that aware-
ness benefits everyone.”
Unlikely as the combination of the auto-
motive crowd and environmentalism might
seem, Arbuckle says new recycling habits are
sticking. “At our monthly crew meeting, one
guy even said, ‘Now you’ve got me doing
this at home.’ Changing the world starts with
one person,” she says.
Two other automotive businesses in
Eugene — Mack’s Radiator on West 11th and
Wayne’s Garage on E. 27th — are also eco-
logically certified.
— Bobbie Willis
• Just as we go to press we hear that opponents of PeaceHealth’s mega-hospital plans in
Springfield have won a major victory in the Oregon Court of Appeals. Details are slim, but it seems
PeaceHealth lost on most, if not all, contended issues, including the need for transportation plan-
ning, economic impact planning and neighborhood zoning. Congratulations to the opponents of
this development who have fought for two and a half years against what many figured was a “done
deal.”
• David Turner’s talk at City Club June 4 was a timely follow-up to our cover story last week on the
significance of the arts to the vitality of our community. Turner is director of the Jordan Schnitzer
Museum of Art at UO which will be reopening in October after major remodeling that has doubled
the size of the facility. He tells us art is a “connecting link” that can bring diverse communities to-
gether. He’s particularly interested in using arts to bridge that 12-block gap between Johnson Hall
at UO and City Hall downtown. And Turner’s not only talking about visual arts but also music and
performing arts. How can we all strengthen the town/gown connection? We can support the arts
and artists on both ends of 13th Avenue, and make more effort to visit art venues across town. We
can encourage the UO to build more student housing and other facilities west of campus. And we
can emulate European university cities where academics, business and city government have a
long history of working in close collaboration for their mutual benefit.
• Is it in poor taste to speak ill of the dead? So be it. Reporters, politicians and pundits are praising
Ronald Reagan as “one of the greatest U.S. presidents” and the man responsible for the downfall
of communism. Even the R-G and NPR are blaring trumpets on the Reagan bandwagon. We have
8 JUNE 10, 2004
KELLY TALKS POLITICS
AT CPA GATHERING
Should progressives in Eugene see their
victories in the May elections as a mandate to
charge ahead with a whole new liberal
agenda for the community? Not necessarily,
said Councilor David Kelly, keynote speaker
at the Citizens for Public Accountability
(CPA) annual meeting June 2.
CPA formed nearly 10 years ago in re-
sponse to behind-closed-doors plans to build
a huge polluting Hyundai factory on west
Eugene wetlands, and the group has taken
leadership roles on many environmental and
social issues over the years. Past annual
meetings have not been as upbeat as this
year’s, due in large part to the frustrations of
dealing with conservative, pro-sprawl city
and county governments.
CPA was involved in supporting progres-
sive council and mayor candidates this year
and members celebrated their victories at the
annual meeting. Kelly says the election out-
come was “a repudiation of what has hap-
pened in the past” on the council, but he
warned that “Nancy (Nathanson) did get 46
percent of the vote and those people have not
gone away.”
Kelly urged caution in council action next
year to “avoid a backlash in two years, and
we can’t accomplish much in two years.”
Kelly says he hopes to see council initiatives
that target “common ground,” such as creat-
ing good jobs and a healthy local economy.
What energized the local election cam-
paigns this year? Kelly figures having an
open mayoral race helped get people acti-
vated, and “people are so disgruntled with
what’s happening on the national level, at
least they could get involved on a local
level.” Kelly also said “winning takes organi-
zation, volunteers and money, and we had all
three this time.”
Jan Spencer of the CPA Steering
Committee outlined CPA’s work over the past
year in “educating the public and ourselves
about issues of land use and transportation.”
He noted successes in not only the election,
but also in foiling attacks on Eugene’s Toxics
Right to Know law, effective opposition to
the proposed gas-fired power plant in
Coburg, work on the third annual Citizens’
State of the City Address and other projects.
CPA is now meeting at 7 pm the third
Wednesday of each month at Oregon Toxics
Alliance, 1192 Lawrence St. A special meet-
ing will be held at 7 pm June 16 at OTA to
talk about the election results and plan future
different memories of the Reagan years and it serves no purpose to gloss them over. Reagan’s
legacy includes the closing of mental institutions, quashing unions, slashing education, cutting so-
cial programs and benefits, ignoring the AIDS epidemic, the outrageous Iran/Contra scandal, tax
cuts for the wealthy and massive deficits. Reagan’s bloated military budget is credited with ending
the Cold War, but the Soviet Union was already collapsing under its own weight. We can praise
Reagan for his personal integrity, his courage in facing a tragic and debilitating disease, and his
personal contribution to removing the stigma associated with Alzheimer’s. But let’s also recognize
his foibles and how he inspired and legitimized a conservative movement led by hard-headed,
hawkish ideologues — a movement that has set back progress toward world peace, justice and
prosperity.
• Eugene has been having a love affair of sorts with Joanie McGowan, the Queen of Duct Tape, who
has inspired us with her energy, humor and irony. She and her little troupe have performed politi-
cal theater in Eugene several times in the past year including opening for Molly Ivins and support-
ing local candidates. Joanie tells us she was assaulted by a drunk on the streets of Ashland the
night of June 2. She got “sucker punched” in the face, fracturing her skull and shattering her eye
socket. She got away and her assailant was arrested, but she needs reconstructive surgery and ti-
tanium implants. Duct tape won’t do it this time. Friends say her medical bills will likely top $4,000
after insurance. And here’s a Joanie-style twist: Any donated funds left over will go to help her as-
sailant with his recovery and healing. A Joanie McGowan Medical Fund has been set up at Rogue
Federal Credit Union, 415 Lithia Way, Ashland 97520.