Posts filed under ‘Green Events’
Vashon Island Events: Vision for Vashon Public Forum / Reweaving the Fabric of Community ~ Vashon Island Real Estate
On Saturday, April 25, from 1:30 to 6 PM, the Vision for Vashon will hold a public forum on the topic of Reweaving the Fabric of Community. The event will be held at the “O” Open Space for Arts and Community at 18870 103d Avenue SW, Vashon.
This ambitious program is intended to address the issues of the development of affordable housing for working poor on Vashon; building networks of organic growers, food activists and concerned citizens to create a system of food security; expanding access to affordable health care; the creation of a viable local exchange currency; taking advantage of funding for renewable energy projects to establish solar energy installations on the island; and developing Vashon’s potential as a model for sustainable practices.
The intent of this Forum is to stimulate a grass-roots, action oriented agenda to improve the quality of Island life, particularly for the working poor. The organizers hope to strengthen existing organizations and connections between active organizations on the Island, rather than to build a new organization.
The tentative schedule:
1:30 – 2:00 Arrival, enjoy tea/coffee, visit organizations’ display tables, welcome talk / orientation
2:00 – 3:30 Forum presentations and small group discussions on affordable housing, renewable energy and transportation, and sustainability projects on Vashon
3:30 – 3:50 Break
4:00 – 5:30 Forum presentations and small group doiscussions on health / wellness, local exchange currency and food security
5:30 – 6:00 Wrap-up
The forum will be followed by a dinner provided by Vision for Vashon and music with dancing by Bob Krinsky and Friends.
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Vashon Island Events: Friends Spring Plant Sale ~ Vashon Island Real Estate
Saturday, May 9, 10 AM – 4 PM at the Vashon Library.
Friends of Vashon Library hold their second annual plant sale featuring flower and vegetable starts from Langley Fine Gardens for purchase. Proceeds go to the Library programming for all ages. Support your favorite Library and get great plants at the same time.
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Vashon Island Events:Community Solar Options – Vashon Island Real Estate
An Informational
Forum on
Community Options
10 am – Noon
at the “O” Space
Hosted by Sustainable Vashon
• What are various models for
Community Solar Projects?
• Where are they?
• How do they work?
• Who benefi ts?
• Do we have enough sunshine on
Vashon?
• How will we pay for it?
• Why would we want one on Vashon?
• How do we get started?
Open Space for Arts and Community – 18870 103rd Avenue SW (off 188th, behind the Sheffi eld Building and Sawbones)
For more information, contact JENNIFER WILLIAMS at jwfarm@centurytel.net or (206) 463-9264.
PANELISTS
HEATHER MULLIGAN, Market Manager,
Green Power PSE
ROB HARMON, Chief Innovation Offi cer & Senior Vice
President, The Bonneville Environmental Foundation
HEATHER RHOADS-WEAVER, Director, eFormative
Options and Founder, NW SEED
GARY NYSTEDT, Resource Manager, City of Ellensburg
(Community Solar Project)
JOE DEETS, Executive Director, Community Energy
Solutions, Bainbridge Island
Doors will open at 9:30
GET ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS!
Vashon Island Events: “Stone Soup – A Discussion about Hard Times and Hope”
Vision for Vashon Island will host “Stone Soup: A Discussion about Hard Times and Hope”from 4-6:30 PM on Sunday, February 1 at the Vashon Presbyterian Church. Guests are invited to bring a contribution for the vegetarian or meat-based (“meat-a-tarian”?) soups. Salad and bread will be provided.
The gathering is intended to provide an opportunity for the community to tell their stories of how the economic downturn has affected them or may affect them in the future. It is hoped that the process of sharing and deep listening will break down the sense of aloneness that permeates personal crisis.
This is the first in a series of community education programs which will include presentations on political advocacy, organizing and fundraising, as well as breakout sessions in food security, transportation, housing, health care, local exchange currency, the “greening” of Vashon Island and community-based funding sources such as revolving loan funds.
Vision for Vashon is a new Vashon Island resource for Island residents to explore means to deal with the economic crisis locally. The organization has distributed information by flyer which identifies sources for food and shelter.
For more information contact visionforvashon@gmail.com.
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Vashon Island Events: Miscellaneous — Forest Tour, Garden and Chicken Farming Tips, Drum and Dance Class
A tour of several Vashon Island properties that have undergone ecological thinning operations last year will be led by Derek Churchill, Vashon Forest Stewards forester along with Bill Loeber, King County forester and Jean Shaffer with the Forest Guild on Saturday, January 31 at 9:15 AM. The group will meet at the coffee stand in Burton. Participants should bring a bag lunch. The size of the tour is limited: Call David Warren at 463-9405 to reserve a place and for further details.
Vashon Island Growers Association is offering two classes on “Raising Our Own Food.” “Starting a Vegetable Garden” is offered from 10 to Noon on Saturday, January 31 and Saturday February 7. The course will cover choosing a location, soil building, garden planning, how to plant, frugal gardening, watering, protecting a crop, and more.
VIGA is also offering “Raising Chickens for Eggs or Meat” held from 3-5 PM on Sunday, February 8. The course will cover ordering chicks, housing, feeding, managing a laying flock and raising chicken for meat. The group will also discuss how to sell eggs at the Farmers Market.
Both classes will be held at the Vashon Lutheran Church and are free and open to the public. Pre-register by contacting Cathy Fulton at cathy@capturingmemories.com or call 463-5652.
Afro-Brazilian Drum and Dance Classes
RhythmJoycommences a new session of Afro-Brazilian drum instruction and dancing on Monday, February 2 at 6:30 pm. Drum students are given an opportunity to apply what they have learned to the dance portion of the program. Students may bring a friend for free for the first class. Dance classes start at 7:30. The cost is $64 for the four week session or $18 to drop in. No experience is needed and instruments are provided. The drum class is taught by Geoff Johns and the dance class by Carol Lutra Johns.
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Vashon Island Lunvision: Who Killed the Electric Car?
Lunavision and Peter Ray Present
Thursday, January 22, 7:00pm
Free
Writer/Director Chris Paine’s documentary feature film Who Killed the Electric Car? premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2006 before its release by Sony Pictures to critical acclaim in 100 U.S. markets. The film was the third highest-grossing theatrical documentary of 2006 and screened with An Inconvenient Truth in many markets.
Currently in wide DVD release, Paine’s film investigates the events leading to the quiet destruction of thousands of new, radically efficient electric vehicles. Through interviews and narrative, the film paints a picture of an industrial culture whose aversion to change and reliance on oil may be deeper then its ability to embrace ready solutions.
Who Killed the Electric Car? and Chris Paine were nominated by the Writer’s Guild for Best Documentary of 2006. The film also received nominations from The Broadcast Critics Awards and The Environmental Media Awards for Best Documentary of 2006. The film won the audience award at the Canberra International Film Festival and won a special jury prize at the Mountain Film Festival.
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Letter from Vashon Island: Glacier Mining and Civil Disobedience (cont’d.)
GoVashon has received a number of interesting responses to our essay on Civil Disobedience and the blockade of the Glacier Mining site several weeks ago on Vashon Island. Today we received the following post from Swaneagle a.k.a. FrontlineMom and reprint it with permission. We hope that other interested members of the community will take the opportunity to write in and express their views on this important issue. This dialogue underlines the unique value of the Blogosphere as an unfiltered forum for free speech in the community!
“Along with an inspiring group of mostly young people, I was part of the road blockade (. . . at the entrance to the Glacier Mining site . . . ). I feel it was a sacrifice to lock down from 5:45 am to 10:30 am even tho we were not arrested. Personally, I prayed for the relief of arrest due to the pain of being locked down so long in steel tubes. Once work started, we decided our point had been made. It is important to bring attention to what we face out here on Vashon.
THIS IS A WORLD CLASS ISSUE OF DESTRUCTION FOR PROFIT THAT MUST BE ADDRESSED AS SUCH. THE PROPOSED MINE MAY BECOME THE LARGEST SAND AND GRAVEL EXTRACTION OPERATION ON EARTH.
For many years I have been working on the human rights of traditional Dine (Navajo) and Hopi impacted by the largest coal strip mine in the US. Over 16,000 people have been forcibly relocated with over half of relocatees already dying. The land is dead, barren and useless. The Dine people have not benefited from this fiasco, only corrupt officials and Peabody have profited.
Many other similar issues have been part of my work. I am willing to do all I can to stop this insane destruction. It is undisputed that our future is grim and our children will be left with a hideous situation. How can we ignore this and keep ourselves safe when they will be left with a nightmare beyond our comprehension?
Voting works for those content to live in a rapidly eroding illusion. Oh, many voted for Obama, but he supports the death penalty and as well as “clean” coal and nuclear power. If one is marginalized and voiceless in this country, no visible representation is permitted.
The Native American voices who have vested interest in the health of the Chinook salmon have not been included. Too many are ignorant of the first peoples who still have heart and spirit invested into these lands taken. Such missing perspectives must be included if we hope for any kind of real solution.
Finally, I wish to say that i am willing to do all in my power to stop Glacier’s insane destruction. Devoted to deep nonviolence, I have exercised that several times already including on the water with courageous youth and other true-hearted activists. Some of us face felony charges if we kayak into the work perimeter again. How easy it is to become a felon in these times of well protected corporations.
We must hear our hearts and act accordingly. All over the earth people are losing their lives, land, community in the name of resource extraction greed. This cannot go on. We have much more freedom to resist on Vashon than the people of the Congo, in Chiapas, Mexico and certainly those remaining resisters at Big Mountain/Black Mesa in Arizona.
Nothing less that soul force courage will do justice to the highly endangered future our children are being handed. We must do our very best to do so much better than that. It is our sacred duty.
Vashon Island Homeowners’ Seminar: Sludge
“Care and Feeding of Your Septic System” a workshop at the Land Trust Building from 7-9 PM on Thursday, January 29, will discuss septic systems as an integral part of home design and the benefits of good maintenance. Teri King will teach the workshop and explore how your septic system works, how to keep it well maintained, and when to call a professional for help. This may be the last event funded by the Waterworks Grant on homeowner education. Register with Susie Kalhorn at 463-4006 or burnhorn@earthlink.net.
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Vashon Island Event: A Winter Feast for the Soul
A Winter Feast for the Soul is a 40-day worldwide event to practice peace for 40 minutes a day from January 15 to February 23, 2009. 
There is an active group on Vashon whose organizers are supporting this event with a series of seven events, each on Monday evening from 7 to 9 pm at the Land Trust Building, where five different spiritual practices will be featured. The opening celebration will be on January 12th from 7 to 9 pm. Further information can be found at www.winterfeastforthesoul.com
Coming Events on Vashon Island…
The Vashon Computer Club will meet tat the Senior Center at 7:30 pm on Wednesday, January 14th. The focus for the session will be on image sizing and how to handle various images for emailing, printing and so forth. Admission: FREE
Grief Support group forming… if you’re coping with a death and need support in your journey, a grief specialist from the Providence Hospice of Seatle will offer a six week session from 6-8 p.m. on Wednesday evenings starting on January 7th. The meetings are located at the JG Commons complex. For more information or to register call Jane Fleming at 206.749.7704
Want to write or illustrate children’s books? Books By The Way invites authors and artists to meet on Thursday, January 8th at 7 p.m. For details call 463.5255
“The Sound of Human Longing: Field Notes for an Environmental Ethic of Care” will be the topic of a public speach given by naturalist and writer Kathleen Moore on Tuesday Jan. 13th at 7 pm at the United Methodist Church.
Vashon Island Growers Association: Pumpkin Pie Contest
The Vashon Island Growers Association will hold its third annual Pumpkin Pie Contest on Saturday, November 22. The winner will receive a hand-quilted apron to wear for a year made by 2006 winner Rebecca Wittman., a $25 Vashon Farmers’ Market Gift Certificate, and an etched glass pie pan. Pies will be given extra points by the judges if pie-makers use Vashon Island grown ingredients.
Pies should be brought to the market at 10 am, November 22, and VIGA requests that all pie bakers be present for the awards ceremony at noon. Beginning at noon, slices of pie will be sold for $1 to benefit the Vashon-Maury Island Food Bank.
For more information, call Market Manager Joanne Jewell at 267-8146 or click here.
Bragging rights attach for one year!
“Fall for Orcas” at Vashon Theater
The Vashon Theater will show “Fall for Orcas” on Sunday, November 2, at 2 p.m. The Vashon Hydrophone Project for Puget Sound whale research will discuss local research and conservation issues, including the loss of 7 whales from the Puget Sound population this year. Admission is $5 and proceeds benefit the VHP.
The presentation will include almost 100 slides of Orcas around Vashon and Maury Islands. The event marks a rare return, the first in three years, for Mark Sears to Vashon, and will include many of his images.
For more information contact Orca Annie Stateler at 463-9041. Also, see Vashon Orcas.
Low Impact Development Techniques
Adding beautiful plants to your landscape can achieve more than aesthetic benefits. Thoughtfully selected plants can help control stormwater runoff and erosion, reduce the pollution of Puget Sound and possibly save you fees in the process. Low Impact Development (LID) techniques are inexpensive methods for individual homeowners to make meaningful reductions to oils, fertilizers, pesticides and sediment that contribute to the pollution of Puget Sound. Rain gardens are one of the more attractive ways to collect, absorb and filter stormwater runoff from roofs, driveways and other hardened areas of your home.
A workshop on LID techniques will be held from 9 am to 11:30 am at the Land Trust Building Auditorium on Saturday, October 11, followed by a tour of three rain garden sites.
Contact Steve Foley at (206) 296-1973 or Steve.Foley@kingcounty.gov.
Recycle Electronics
Vashon Reclaim and Recycle will host a collection day for computers and electronics from 10 am to 2 pm Saturday October 11, behind Keller WIlliams and will accept all electronic devices for a small fee.
Call 280-4975 or visit Vashon Reclaim.
Vashon Solar Tour October 4th
The Vashon Solar Tour will be held Saturday, October 4 from 10 – 4 rain or shine. Eight homes will be featured in the all-solar event, and the Tour will showcase local renewable energy energy and plumbing installers. A variety of solar technologies will be demonstrated and the emphasis on education will benefit all interested participants! For more information, go to Vashon Solar Tour.
