Interview with Candy Neville for US Senate

Oregon Ecology invited Candy Neville (D) from Eugene to talk about some of the issues perhaps not brought up elsewhere. The interview was hosted by Oregon Toxics Alliance and Helios Resource Network.

The interview consists of four parts and starts off with an intro about why she joined the race for US Senate and then dives into her positions on environmental concerns and toxic concerns.

It's time Eugene residents give Candy Neville some notice and support. Eugene is a great city that should be competing for equal media attention compared to Portland and Salem.

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Earth Day Celebration in Eugene

Earth Day kicked off at 11:00 am on Saturday with vendors setting up around the EWEB riverfront plaza. The event had an opening speech by Mayor Kitty Piercy who welcomed the few that withstood the weather to celebrate Earth Day. Her mini-speech highlighted Eugene's strengths by noting that Eugene was listed as the nations number 1 greenest city (with populations over 100,000) by National Geographic and 5th greenest city by Popular Science. This kind of national recognition makes me proud to live in Eugene and stand for what I believe in. Having a mayor that shares the same vision of sustainability as I do is priceless. This is why it is so important for us to see Kitty Piercy get re-elected.



Several different booths were setup around the plaza with some giving away free energy efficient bulbs and some giving away free plants for the garden. Another booth was promoting a local carpool database for commuters as to lower the amount of driving in Lane County. All these ideas were so uplifting that it continues to give hope to the vision of a sustainable future in Eugene.

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That's My Farmer: Farmers Gather For Local Support

That's My Farmer is a partnership of 15 Lane County faith communities and 11 farms that practice Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). It was an event packed full of residents that were a part of the the faith communities and also of citizens interested in supporting the local economy. What lured me to go was the farmers connecting with the community. I first learned about Community Supported Agriculture about two years ago when I watched the documentary film The Future of Food. Community Supported Agriculture is when people buy directly from the farmer rather than go through a grocery store. People purchase a package at the beginning of the growing season and receive a box full of produce every week until the end of the season, usually May through October.

It is my belief that being a part of this community involves supporting local businesses, local non-profits, and supporting local issues. Eugene is such a great city that understands this concept which can efficiently organize people with ideas and movements. The farmers raised questions for Eugene's Mayor, Kitty Piercy, which were tactical and intelligent. They raised environmental awareness and concerns and displayed a working knowledge of the issues facing the planet such as climate change and issues more local such as the urban growth boundary. Supporting local farmers through the practice of Community Supported Agriculture ends your support of produce bought from grocery stores that can be shipped from up to 1600 miles away.



Mayor Kitty Piercy led a strong stance for the work she has supported in terms of sustainability. She stated that supporting green buildings, alternative energy, and local developments are all a part of solving climate change which she has stood for as Mayor. More importantly she highlighted the fact that we must all do our part and that their is no one solution. She also acknowledged that the space we need to continue growing food is extremely limited. She answered a raised questioned about future generations and farming by professing that "maybe we need to take back some of the concrete!" Her awe inspiring speeches led to a cheerful applause that gave myself and others hope for the future of Eugene despite the challenges ahead.

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Register To Vote For the Oregon Primary

Dear Oregonians:

The last day to register to vote before the May 20th primary is April 29th. If you haven't done so yet, here is your opportunity to make a difference. Click Here to register to vote in Oregon. You also need to update your address if you've moved, and the link to do that is also available above.

According to CIRCLE, (Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement),in 2006 (a midterm election year), there were an estimated 517,000 young voters classified as citizens between 18 and 29 years old in Oregon. Statistically, more people vote during a presidential election, and the young voters have especially been coming out in record numbers across all states.

Let's make a statement in Oregon by having a strong young voter turnout. I am a 24 year old voter and pledge to make sure I get at least ten unregistered young voters to register and vote this year. If you can do the same, imagine the impact we will have together.

So far this year, states that have already voted in the primaries have had record numbers show up for the primaries for young voters:

Young Voters Doubled in:
Louisiana and Massachusetts

Young Voters Tripled in:
Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Missouri, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Texas

Young Voters Quadrupled in:
Tennessee

There is no reason the young voters in the great State of Oregon can't come out in record numbers too. So please make your voice heard and register to vote.

Eugene City Hall Complex Master Plan

I attended the last community forum that took place to ask Eugene citizens how they wanted the new city hall to look like. Me and my friend Steve were literally the only people in the whole town hall style meeting that were under age 25. Nonetheless, we were able to participate by filling out our ideas, opinions, and thoughts onto a piece of scratch paper that was collected by the staff. I even made a comment towards the end to the whole crowd about how I felt it was important to keep the young people of Eugene involved as well.

A very well thought out powerpoint presentation was displayed with various elements and reasoning behind the design process of the master complex. Many people that gave their input into the design included very sustainable ideas and methodologies.

The main reasons Eugene needs a new city hall:

1) Upgrade current facilities to new Earthquake standards. In the event of a powerful earthquake or major disaster, our first responders could be in danger.

2) Efficiency. Our current city hall is spread out all over the downtown area. It spans 10 different buildings which makes it hard to have centralized public service. The current city hall was last built in 1964 and was quickly filled to capacity. The new concept design will be built for future expansion.

3) The concept design for the new city hall is a true model of sustainability. It features green roofs, solar panels, and re-using of gray water, capturing of rainwater, and natural ventilation. Also a new building will boast more savings in heating due to newer and more efficient technologies compared to those installed back in the 60's. This building is elegant and will serve as a true model for sustainability while glowing as the emerald city Eugene was meant to be.

The only problem I see with this beautiful city hall coming to fruition is the cost. They did mention that this puppy would cost around $163.5 million. Throw in the police patrol facility for an additional $22 million and we have a grand total of $185.5 million to ask the voters of Eugene to cough up in the form of a state bond measure.

As much as I really want this city hall, I just don't think the voters will go for it. I would most certainly vote for it myself, but most Eugene citizens have already voted down costly expenses for the downtown renewable projects and for a measly gas tax to repair our roads. This city has some major hurdles to overcome before a project of this nature would gain the acceptance of the public, in humble opinion. Either way, it's nice to bask in the green features this building could one day possess.

For updated information on the new city hall plans, goto: EugeneCityHall.com

Hillary Clinton's Visit to Eugene

Well even though I knew that Hillary Clinton was speaking at 1:30pm at South Eugene High School, somehow I knew I wouldn't have troubles getting to see her. When Obama came to Eugene not too long ago, thousands were left out of a Mac Court which holds 9,000 people.

I got to the line two hours before she was scheduled to begin speaking at 1:30pm. The weather was a little wet and I had forgotten my umbrella so I did get a little damp. I ended up on the bleachers directly facing the podium where she was to speak. I think that Hillary is fighting the good fight by not giving up, however, I felt that the tactics used even at this event were pushing the limits of annoyance. They asked the crowd to text message a number without telling the people why...the most likely reason was so they could collect your phone number.



Mayor Kitty Piercy showed in the crowd before Hillary showed up. Then the Governor, Ted Kulongoski, made an opening speech with great passion and formally introduced Hillary. The crowd was by no means a match to the amount of people that showed up to the Obama appearance, and it seemed as if Hillary was trying to appeal to a bunch of people who were undecided. Her entire approach was to get people to think about considering her as president even if you believe you've already made up your mind.

She did manage to hit all the important topics that many Oregonians feel are important. She addressed health care, education, the war, global warming, and the economy. My opinion of Hillary Clinton is that she would make a good president. She spoke with passion about the things she believed in...universal health care. Some of the most important issues to me though are climate change and the economy. I'm glad she stands to fight against a recession by her promise to adding millions to green high tech jobs and also to infrastructure like construction. Really the differences between Obama and Hillary are not that much. So it leaves me with having to make a choice based not on the issues but rather my own perception of inspiration, passion, change, hope, and future goals and visions that I see in either candidate. And with that being said I just don't see these things in Hillary. I see a strong woman leader that wants to win the presidency for glamor and fame. I went to see her to give her a fair chance at convincing me otherwise to vote for her...I think a couple of my friends changed their minds...but I'm sticking strong to my Obama.

I must admit that I liked how engaged she was with the crowd and appreciated the way she answered questions at the end of her speech. I am not quite sure I am convinced enough to vote for her myself, but if she wins over Obama, I don't think I would be upset. She does have great leadership and experience, but I don't think she stands for the kind of change that I think this country needs. All in all, I am glad I went to see her. Just my two cents.

Kitty Piercy Kick Off Campaign

The Kitty Piercy kick off campaign held at Davis's Restaurant in downtown Eugene was a success. The restaurant was packed with Kitty supporters and media outlets as well.

Once again, it wasn't surprising for me and my friend Steve to be the only under 25 year old and under crowd. Nonetheless, I hoped it served its purpose of being at a major event like that to show the people of Eugene that young people are interested and active in politics.

As I walked into the event I received my button and signed up to get a Kitty Piercy sign. It's on my window now on the corner of 13th and Charnelton St. downtown.

The crowd was filled with some familiar faces including Lisa Arkin, from the Oregon Toxics Alliance. I officially endorse Kitty Piercy for re-election as she has done wonders for the community and she truely is a mayor for all of Eugene.

See Kitty on YouTube at this article. She attended an event called That's My Farmer where she gives a great speech about sustainability.

Check out Kitty Piercy's webpage for updated info.