Environment

Starbucks has announced long-awaited plans to phase out plastic straws. The company will replace them with a strawless lid that looks a bit like a child’s sippy cup. They’ll also be offering straws made out of alternative materials such as paper and corn-based plastics that can be composted. The policy applies to all of Starbucks’ stores around the globe. It is to be implemented worldwide, by 2020. The company says this builds on a $10 million commitment it made in March to work harder on

Public officials often express concern about emergency preparedness, with a key message to residents that we should have enough food, water and medication stowed in our homes to sustain us for at least a few days and as long as two or three weeks. A new study ranks Washington State second in the country for natural disaster preparedness related to extreme weather. Oregon comes in third.

You may have noticed more and more food service providers changing the kinds of disposable utensils you get with your take out. In Seattle, a ban on plastic straws and cutlery officially kicks in this weekend . As of July 1 st , all eateries in city limits are required to provide straws and utensils that can be composted. The city estimates it has about 5,000 permitted food service businesses. The law extends to all of them. Many are already in compliance, but some face special challenges. QQ

You may have noticed more food service providers changing the kinds of disposable utensils you get with takeout. In Seattle, a ban on plastic straws and cutlery officially kicks in this weekend . As of July 1 , a ll eateries in city limits are required to provide straws and utensils that can be composted.

Trees provide lots of benefits that make cities more livable and ecosystems healthier. Smaller cities around the region, including Redmond and Lake Forest Park, have ordinances in place to protect larger trees from being cut down by developers or homeowners.

Summer this year in the Pacific Northwest is once again expected to be hotter and drier than normal. That means higher potential for wildfires from July through September. Just in time for the heat, a new book on fighting and managing those fires is out from local publisher, Mountaineers Books. It’s focused on an elite wildland firefighting force in Boulder, Colorado.

Less than a week into an event that was expected to last well into July, Seattle climate rower Eliza Dawson is back on land. All are safe, but strong Pacific winds ultimately thwarted her four-woman team’s attempt to travel 2,400 miles across the Pacific, on human-power alone.

Tribes and conservationists are celebrating a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court that upholds tribal treaty fishing rights. The U.S. Supreme Court has let stand a ruling from the 9 th Circuit Court of Appeals, which had already ruled squarely in favor of the tribes.

About fifty citizen scientists and volunteer experts are converging in the south Sound Saturday for a "bioblitz. " That’s when people get together for a few hours and try to document as many species as possible in one place.

Canada’s government is buying the controversial Trans Mountain Pipeline. It connects tar sands oil fields in Alberta to a terminus in British Columbia. Hidden in the details of the agreement with the Kinder Morgan corporation is a surprising fact that connects the deal to Washington state.