REC Co-Lab (Spring 2025) — Rural Power Coalition

Cities & Planning
Western food was unhealthy and costly. So they turned back to bison and mushrooms
The Siċaŋġu Nation in South Dakota is building community and climate resilience through traditional foods
Georgism - Wikipedia
The Post-Apollo Space Program: Directions for the Future - NASA
Report of the Space Task Group
55 Years Ago: Space Task Group Proposes Post-Apollo Plan to President Nixon - NASA
The Apollo 11 mission in July 1969 completed the goal set by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 to land a man on the Moon and return him safely to the Earth
We Only Have Ourselves: The How-Tos and DOs and DON’Ts of Mutual Aid
For all of humanity’s many, many flaws, one of our most redeeming characteristics as a species is an almost-universal desire to connect with one another. When terrible things happen and communities…
State Lawmakers Chart Path to Double Amtrak Cascades Service - The Urbanist
# State lawmakers are signaling intent to improve Amtrak Cascades service with legislation setting a goal of cutting the trip time from Seattle to Portland to 2.5 hours and boosting service to 14 daily trips with 88% on-time performance by 2035. If lawmakers pass the bill, the goal for trip time service north to Vancouver would be 2.75 hours.
The Wide Open - 99% Invisible
When the Endangered Species Act passed in 1973, it was considered a bipartisan home run. The Act established protections for plants and animals on the endangered and threatened species lists, and across the aisle, everyone seemed to agree that it would be bad for a bunch of species to go extinct. When the act went
The Wide Open
Eastside Coffee Outside: Brewing Community, One Cup at a Time - The Urbanist
# Community members gather every Wednesday morning from 7am to 9:30am in Kirkland for Eastside Coffee Outside. Here's how they came together.
Arne Brasseur . net
How Much Housing Growth Should Seattle Be Targeting? - The Urbanist
# Seattle has set a goal of 112,000 new homes over the next 20 years, but is that really enough to meet demand?
Datacenters could take hit as US tariffs hike energy prices
Short-term result likely to be increased energy prices across the board
Downtown Redmond Light Rail Opening Set for May 10 - The Urbanist
# The 3.4-mile light rail extension will add a station at Marymoor Village, near King County's largest park, and in the heart of Downtown Redmond. The May 10 opening sets the stage for the full extension of the 2 Line across Lake Washington later this year.
Seattle Council Sharply Divided Over Allowing Housing in Stadium District - The Urbanist
# With housing advocates and the Port of Seattle divided on the issue of allowing housing near Seattle's sports stadiums, councilmembers are being forced to pick sides, after Sara Nelson reintroduced the proposal earlier this month.
Use The Sporks, Luke
So. Storytime for guerilla gardeners and solarpunk enthusiasts. This story comes to me 3rd hand but I believe the basic shape of it is true, even if details may be off.
So there’s this guy who lives…
Meet the woman who lives without money: ‘I feel more secure than when I was earning’
Ten years ago, Jo Nemeth quit her job and closed her bank account. Today, she’s more committed than ever to her moneyless life
How this ancient practice could fight modern food waste
For centuries, gleaning was a lifeline for the rural poor in England and France. Today, some nonprofits are working to bring it back.
Inside Africa’s Trailblazing Solar Repair Movement
Solar power has transformed life in Africa. Now, as the aging devices begin to break down, “solar entrepreneurs” are keeping them — and local economies — humming.
Clothing Recycling Is Taking a Giant Leap Forward
As fast fashion drives textile waste to stratospheric highs, new methods are turning mountains of old clothes into rack-ready garments.
Sammamish suspends Ziply Fiber work after complaints of yard damage, lack of notice
An effort to bring high-speed internet service to parts of Sammamish led to angry neighbors and a suspension of the city's contract with Ziply Fiber.
Opinion | The Big City Where Housing Is Still Affordable (Published 2023)
Tokyo has succeeded in maintaining an abundance of affordable housing because it has no downtown, many railroads and laws that make it easy to build.
What is the secret to Tokyo’s affordable housing?
Is the secret of Tokyo being affordable that Japan lets its cities be messy?
How Tokyo built its way to abundant housing
Tokyo has rightly been getting some plaudits for housebuilding of late, and this post brings together some stats that illustrate just how impressive its record is. First, some definitions and conte…
The water solution : a plan for lessening LA & California wildfires
a dialog between Didi Pershouse & Alpha Lo
Sunday Video: Seattle’s Long-Forgotten Hill - The Urbanist
# The Denny Regrade, completed between 1897 and 1930, changed the face of Seattle's downtown forever. This video from Seattle's municipal archives breaks down how it happened and why.
Op-ed: Boosting Freight Rail Is a Forgotten but Essential Climate Action - The Urbanist
# Moving freight by rail is significantly more efficient than by truck, a fact that could help Washington meet its climate goals. But are state leaders neglecting improvements to the state rail network?
What the Air Quality Index doesn’t tell us about the air
As Los Angeles smolders, the AQI can’t capture the full picture of wildfire smoke.
‘Everyone thought it would cause gridlock’: the highway that Seoul turned into a stream
Cheonggyecheon stream in the South Korean capital has become an attraction – and helps with flood management, fighting air pollution and cooling the city
Moon rover-inspired robot could be a game-changer for Japan’s aging farmers | CNN
Japan’s population is the oldest in the world, with few young people working in agriculture. But now its farmers are getting help from a robot called Adam.
The Electric House of the Future Was Built in 1905
It sounds much like the smart home of today.