GreenWays, here we come

This issue marks the debut of something new in the News & Review—yet it’s so core to what this paper has done since 1977 that maybe ‘fresh” is a better word.

As part of our mission to help make our communities better places to live, all three N&R papers and newsreview.com have simultaneously launched sections devoted to sustainability, timed to coincide with Earth Day.

CN&R editors chose the name GreenWays. It’s Green Days in Sacramento and Green, printed on a green background, in Reno. The Web site is called Green Guide. (At least all have a syllable in common …)

We like GreenWays because it evokes an image of grassy open space and also conveys a call to action. If that doesn’t resonate with you, feel free to substitute one of our runner-up names: The Green Zone, Green Planet, Enduring Earth or (no pun intended, really!) Blue Ball.

A GreenWays by any other name would be as neat. It fills a niche that’s growing, and growing more important.

Global warming, man-made climate change, peak oil—these concepts have hit mainstream consciousness and are shaping how many people view the future. Solution-oriented souls have rallied around a more positive, proactive buzzword: sustainability. Through planet-friendly practices, each of us can change our ‘carbon footprint” and resource-refuse balance. It doesn’t matter where you fall in the global-warming debate; conservation makes sense.

Where to start? What are other people doing? What out there can help me go green?

We’re gearing GreenWays and Green Guide to answer those questions. Our stories will offer helpful hints and useful information. But, this being the CN&R, you’ll also find the constructively critical journalism you expect from us. We’ll tell you about breakthroughs, and we’ll blow the whistle on charlatans. Think Newslines with leafier subjects.

We’re not claiming we’ve reinvented the wheel (if someone has, we’d love to write about it). With GreenWays, we’re renewing our commitment to environmental coverage by providing a destination for eco-minded readers. We hope, soon, every day will be Earth Day.

Fresh faces: In GreenWays and elsewhere over the next month, you’ll see some new bylines cycling into the CN&R. Four will belong to summer interns.

Toni Scott returns to Chico after an academic year at Boston University, where she’s working toward a master’s degree in political journalism. Her program requires a summer internship; she’s a Chico State alumna who’s read this paper for years, so this is a good fit both ways.

Emanuella Orr has experience in another medium. She’s completing a spring internship at local NPR station KCHO, where she’s written and reported for the morning newscast.

Last week’s cover story (“With open arms”) featured profiles from two incoming interns: Vince Abbate and Jennifer Donnell. Both have written for the Orion at Chico State.

Meanwhile, spring intern Laura Hauser will stay with us through the summer.