letters
but this virus is not the only crisis we have
been facing. Throughout many years we
have been facing the climate crisis, which
is affecting all of us and everywhere. We
have seen all kinds of disasters such as the
bushfires in Australia and people dying
because of pollution, not to mention how
many animals have suffered. But now that
the world has slowed down, we can see a
lot of improvement in our environment.
We can maintain those improvements! This
pandemic provides a wonderful opportunity to
work on decarbonizing our world and make the
switch to 100 percent renewable energy. We
can create millions of green jobs worldwide,
and we can mend our damaged economy.
We are all in this together and we can
make a change!
Anybody interested in getting involved
and making a difference should give it a
shot and join the 100 Percent Renewable
Energy campaign with OSPIRG Students.
vironmental, economic, moral and mental
collapse. And it’s happening again at 435
River Road.
Could it be that the City Council, which
has control over ordinances and code, has
no clear plan or strategy for increasing lo-
cal jobs, not building in flood plains, main-
taining visual privacy, preserving green
space along the river or codifying designs
that provide space for the type of thought-
ful developments that help people coexist
with nature? We need these values to be
respected as much as the rights of a “low
income housing” developer who has made
a bad decision for this community.
Many have tried to make the case in ra-
tional and reasoned terms to no avail. I en-
courage us to do something besides watch
this go down again. This is not the history
that should be repeated.
Juliet A Thompson
Eugene
Karolina Dow Thomson
Eugene
REPEAL THE BAN
If there is a special session of the Legis-
lature to address the fallout from the novel
coronavirus contagion, I recommend that
the 2019 ban on single-signature petition
sheets be repealed. The contagion has
shown us that the ban was shortsighted.
Circulating signature sheets for 20 sig-
natures is now virtually impossible. Our
ability as citizens to move forward with
initiative and referendum measures is now
at a standstill, thanks to a heavy-handed
move by the Legislature. We can improve
our democracy by repealing the ban on
single-signature petition sheets. This year
we will be voting on a record low number
of initiative measures. The reasons are the
contagion and the legislature.
James K. Walsh
Eugene
BE COURTEOUS OUT THERE
We’re mighty fortunate that it’s spring
as we deal with the doom and gloom
around us. Fortunate, too, that we have so
many trails to invite us outside.
I bicycle on the river trails every day,
and it’s wonderful to see so many folks
running, walking dogs, biking, pushing
strollers. Sometimes it gets crowded, and I
fear collisions, but luckily people are gen-
erally pretty careful.
But paying attention is critical, or col-
lisions will happen. One basic protocol is
for bikers to call “Passing on the left” as
they approach others from the rear — since
DON'T BE AN IDLER
even when paying attention, walkers can’t
know what’s coming up behind. This is
good for both the biker and the walker —
it’s safe and courteous.
There’s a problem here, though, that of-
ten makes the situation unsafe: headphones.
I might call out “Passing on the left” from a
distance, and get no response, so I call again as
I get closer — and sometimes still no response
— so then I’m right up behind the person and
have to shout “Hey!” and then maybe they,
startled, jump to the right and glower as I pass.
This is especially a problem with skat-
ers, who understandably fill the path as
they glide right and left down the middle
of the path; getting around them is tough if
they don’t move right when I call out.
So as we escape our home sojourns in
whatever ways we manage, and enter the
world of others, let’s be safe and courte-
ous, always.
Jeff Harrison
Eugene
CUTTING HOURS
NOT THE ANSWER
Some businesses are operating on
shorter hours during COVID-19. While for
some this creates no problem, for others
it does. Say, for example, there are 1,000
people who shop at a business at its current
eight hours, which would mean an average
of 125 people will be there per hour. Mean-
while, if it usually operates nine hours per
day there would be an average of 111 peo-
ple per hour. And even better, if they are
usually open 10 hours, it would be an aver-
age of 100 people per hour.
For example, when it comes to a busi-
ness such as Bottle Drop, it’s a bad idea.
With shorter hours it creates a problem
with social distancing. With the same num-
ber of patrons using Bottle Drop there is a
funneling effect where more people are at
the location at a given time than when the
hours are not shortened. Bottle Drop was
usually open until 6 pm (now 5 pm), and it
would even be better if it went to its sum-
mer hours, closing at 7 pm.
At this time, it being unusually busy, social
distancing is difficult, and many do not bother
with wearing masks. And at Bottle Drop the
staff has little interaction with patrons, so they
are safe. This is true for any business that has
a steady stream of numerous customers, be-
cause shortening their hours means more peo-
ple are there at a given time, and therefore, less
social distancing. Not a good idea!
Richard Pasichnyk
Eugene
WORK FOR CHANGE
According to the U.S. Department of En-
ergy, “Personal-vehicle idling wastes about 3
billion gallons of fuel, generating around 30
million tons of CO2 annually in the U.S.”
I'd like to ask EW readers to please turn
off your engines while sitting in your car,
texting, talking or whatever. Yes, I know,
you paid for the petrol, so youable to do
whatever the heck you want. It's true, but
you wouldn't take a hose and attach one
end to the tail pipe and put the other end in
the back window while you sit there idling
in the car park would you?
Heavens no, that would harm you or
your child or the elderly person you're
waiting for to come out of the pharmacy
with their inhaler. I've politely asked many
people why they do it. Some people ignore
me, some are rude, some explain that the
heat’s on because it's cold, or AC is on be-
cause it's hot inside the car and their baby's
sleeping. People old and young, female
and male, farmers and office workers do it.
But our actions have consequences.
If you care about children, people or
climate change facts, can you just turn off
your engine please?
If it's cold wear a jacket, if it's warm go
stand in the shade. You'd save money, re-
duce pollution, help the old and young and
conserve energy for the future generations
sleeping in the car seat behind you.
For the past few months, we have been
struck by the COVID-19 global pandemic,
Tim Moxley
Eugene
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