The “Sustainable” Enterprise Record

21 11 2007

er_e-edition.png

This morning while I was poking around on the ER website, I finally found something publisher Wolf Rosenburg had told me was coming a few weeks ago ( I have coffee with him about once a week ).

The ER “E-Edition” is online! Yay!

This is the newspaper in familiar form, looking just like it does when you unwrap it in the morning, except that it is not printed on “dead tree” format. Now don’t get me wrong, I like the traditional newspaper, but I also cringe sometimes when I have to recycle as much as 50-60 pounds of newsprint a month.

The new E-Edition solves this dilemma in a well formatted online version that’s more comfortable to browse than the chicoer.com website.

I had suggested something similar about a year ago to Wolf and to editor David Little, even offering to work up a demonstration, but I suspect they knew that the technology was already being put into place to make this possible. It’s being done by a company called Technavia which operates Newsmemory.com out of Burnsville, Minnesota. The ER subscribes to the service, and uploads hi-res Adobe PDF files of each typeset page of the newspaper, direct from their computer typesetting system.

It’s very cool, and free for now, but is expected to have a nominal subscription fee in the future. I’d subscribe, because I find I get much of my news online, except KPAY Newstalk1290 of course. Radio is still the best free news out there. If I felt like having the old familiar paper copy in my hands (like the Sunday edition) I’ll go buy one at the vending machine. There’s an easy to navigate archive, and you can click on any story or photo on the “printed” page to get the details.

Less trees used, less paper processing and waste-water, less energy used in transport, less energy used in printing, less energy used in printing, less energy used in transport of printed papers, less paper waste, less recycling issues.

In the new world of sustainability, the ER “E-Edition” is a win-win-win. I can get behind this idea because it just makes so much sense and is very easy to use. Try it out. Just go to www.chicoer.com and click on “E-Edition” right under the American Flag logo under “Enterprise Record” to sign up.

Or here is a direct link.  They also have a mobile edition for PDA’s and IPhones.


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Categories : local_issues

License Bidwell Ranch

21 11 2007

I’m going to make a departure from my usual climate and science fare to make a comment on the local front.

In today’s Chico Enterprise Record, there was an editorial lamenting the huge budget crisis facing the city of Chico, thanks to uncontrolled spending beyond income. The editorial said: “…leaving jobs vacant and negotiating a cheaper benefits package for new employees are two obvious solutions at both the city and state level. That won’t solve the entire problem, but it’s a start — and certainly a vast improvement over the current strategy, which is to do nothing.”
 
There are two solutions to city budget problems; cut expenses and/or raise revenue. Raising revenue (taxes) when you’ve been a careless spender isn’t going to fly with the public, and cutting jobs is equally unpalatable. So what to do?

Raise revenue another way. For example, we have Bidwell Ranch, which is forever locked in an environmental land use limbo thanks to Fairy Shrimp and Meadowfoam. Of course selling it is tantamount to sacrilege, but what about licensing the name?

I submit to you, Bidwell Ranch Dressing:

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Now that’s a use for Bidwell Ranch

There’s lot’s of other things the City could license. Use your imagination folks.


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Categories : local_issues