The City of Seattle’s Waterfront Seattle project is hosting a series of informal discussions exploring some of the key questions shaping the future waterfront and we think your members may be interested in participating.

Held at Town Hall Seattle starting January 31st, each of the five sessions will explore a different issue, from how to make the waterfront attractive in all seasons to how to balance many transportation needs. Now is the time to get involved!

For more information, please visit:

http://waterfrontseattle.org/Calendar/Detail/229/

The topics are cited below in write-ups for each of the five scheduled meetings.

Waterfront Seattle Informal Discussion: Climate and Context

• Tuesday, January 31, 2012, 5:30 – 7:00pm
• Downstairs at Town Hall; enter on Seneca Street. FREE.

How can we make the waterfront an attractive place for all seasons? The City of Seattle and our community partners invite you to join us for informal discussions on some of the key topics shaping the future of the waterfront. Now is the time to get involved! The first in a series of five forums – for other topics see February 8, February 15, February 27 and March 5. Events are free. Space is limited. RSVP: rsvp@waterfrontseattle.org. Presented by the City of Seattle.  Admission is free, no tickets required.

Waterfront Seattle Informal Discussion: Mobility and Access

• Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 5:30 – 7:00pm
• Downstairs at Town Hall; enter on Seneca Street. FREE.

The waterfront is a crossroads. How do we balance the many transportation needs? The City of Seattle and our community partners invite you to join us for informal discussions on some of the key topics shaping the future of the waterfront. Now is the time to get involved! The second in a series of five forums – for other topics see January 31, February 15, February 27 and March 5. Events are free. Space is limited. RSVP: rsvp@waterfrontseattle.org. Presented by the City of Seattle.  Presented by the City of Seattle. Admission is free, no tickets required.

Waterfront Seattle Informal Discussion: Uniquely Seattle

• Wednesday, February 15, 2012, 5:30 – 7:00pm
• Downstairs at Town Hall; enter on Seneca Street. FREE.

Seattle’s waterfront has a rich context and history. How can we design it to reflect the uniqueness of the place and speak to our past, present and future? The City of Seattle and our community partners invite you to join us for informal discussions on some of the key topics shaping the future of the waterfront. Now is the time to get involved! The third in a series of five forums – for other topics see January 31, February 8, February 27 and March 5. Events are free. Space is limited. RSVP: rsvp@waterfrontseattle.org. Presented by the City of Seattle.  Presented by the City of Seattle.  Admission is free, no tickets required.

Waterfront Seattle Informal Discussion: Environment and Ecology

• Monday, February 27, 2012, 5:30 – 7:00pm
• Downstairs at Town Hall; enter on Seneca Street. FREE.

How can the waterfront help to restore the natural ecology of Elliott Bay and showcase sustainable design? The City of Seattle and our community partners invite you to join us for informal discussions on some of the key topics shaping the future of the waterfront. Now is the time to get involved! The fourth in a series of five forums – for other topics see January 31, February 8, February 15 and March 5. Events are free. Space is limited. RSVP: rsvp@waterfrontseattle.org. Presented by the City of Seattle.  Presented by the City of Seattle.  Admission is free, no tickets required.

Waterfront Seattle Informal Discussion: Setting the Stage

• Monday, March 5, 2012, 5:30 – 7:00pm
• Downstairs at Town Hall; enter on Seneca Street. FREE.

How do we create vibrant spaces for arts, culture and entertainment? The City of Seattle and our community partners invite you to join us for informal discussions on some of the key topics shaping the future of the waterfront. Now is the time to get involved! The final in a series of five forums – for other topics see January 31, February 8, February 15 and February 27. Events are free. Space is limited. RSVP: rsvp@waterfrontseattle.org. Presented by the City of Seattle.  Presented by the City of Seattle.  Admission is free, no tickets required.

King County invites the West Seattle community to attend a public meeting on the Barton CSO Control Project on February 8, 2012 at the Westside School, 7740 34th Avenue SW, from 6:30-8:30 pm. At this meeting, the project team will provide information on the results of field investigations and how the field work results are informing design and siting of the bioretention swales. For more information view the attached meeting postcard.

In late March 2012 the community will be invited to a public meeting that will identify which neighborhood blocks will receive bioretention swales. Watch for an invitation and updates on this important opportunity to learn more about the Barton CSO Control project.

For more information contact Kristine Cramer, Community Services and Environmental Planning,Wastewater Treatment Division, 201 South Jackson Street, or by phone at 206-263-3184.  There is also information on the King County website at http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/wtd.aspx

6605 13th Avenue S

Steam meets, free and open to the public, are held on the 2nd Saturday of each month, from 10:00 am until 2:00 pm. Steam meets include operating hot gas, gasoline, air, and steam engines, beverages, snacks, and guided plant tours including oral history and dynamic display of plant engines. Cited below are some links to videos and photos of this local but hardly-known cultural and engineering feature:

• http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6210580512035483148#
• http://flickr.com/photos/espressobuzz/sets/72157621451817510/
• http://flickr.com/photos/vwguy/sets/72157606651279302/
• http://flickr.com/photos/artvixn/sets/72157607292705402/

Once again DubSea Bikes will be hosting a free bicycle clinic.  Sunday, February 12, from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm at 10029 8th Avenue SW (White Center Food Bank), the team will be taking bikes for repair and tune-up.

Our mission to increase cycling in White Center is gathering speed. Matthew Tilton’s beautiful metal bike racks along 16th Ave SW tell folks that White Center believes in the future of bike transport!

Now Rick Jump has offered the FREE use of the spacious, well-lit White Center Food Bank waiting room for our next DubSea Bikes repair event! Downside: no beer, no ice cream. Let’s keep things rolling.

Is your bike out of commission? Bring it to DubSea Bikes at the White Center Food Bank, 10829 8th Ave SW, White Center, 98106, on Sunday, February 12th, from 2:00 to 4:00 pm. This free event will focus on minor repairs only to get more bikes on the street in White Center and beyond. More complex jobs may be referred out to a full bike shop.

For more information contact: Ellie Weiss, 860-1432, elliep@uw.edu.

These events are ponsored by:

• Alki Bike & Board;
• Cascade Bicycle Club; and
• Spokespeople West Seattle

There’s been an amazing increase lately in the rather common practice of sharing. With the prevalence of online services and social media, simply having access to the “stuff” we all need is suddenly becoming far easier, cheaper, and more useful than ownership. As a result, sharing everything from bikes to cars to land itself is developing into common practice. Join us to celebrate this sharing revolution – and discover how you can participate – by spending an evening with a handful of Seattle organizations that are leading the charge!

The Course of Events
6-7pm: Share Fair Tabling: Get Involved!
7-8:20pm: Feature Program
Facilitator: Gene Homicki, Local Tools
Speaker: Patrick Dunn, Share Starter
Community Panel:
Billy Thomspon, Zipcar (Car Sharing)
Ken Gollersrud, Seattle Public Libraries (Information/Stuff Sharing)
Max Hepp-Buchanan, Cascade Bicycle Club (Bike Sharing)
Micah Summers, West Seattle Tool Library (Tool/Stuff Sharing)
Peter Rothbart, We Patch (Land/Garden Sharing)
Willow Brugh, Space Federation (Space Sharing)
8:20-9pm: Socialize & Sign up!

Seattle Share Fair Reading & Resource List

It ain’t all reading and it is totally optional.  Just in case you’re the type that likes to do some prep work….

The Sharing Revolution

What’s Mine Is Yours: The Rise of Collaborative Consumption
Hardcopy available at The Seattle Public Library.
Audiobook available on itunes.

The Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing
Hardcopy available at The Seattle Public Library
CD Audiobook available at The Seattle Public Library
Audiobook available on itunes.

The Sharing Economy, Fast Company

In A Down Economy, Sharing Takes Off, NBC Nightly News (video)

Steve Case, Founder of AOL, on The Sharing Economy , The Colbert Report (video)

Various Other Articles on The Sharing Economy 

Seattle Tool (and Stuff) Sharing

Share your Stuff, Yes! Magazine

Ten Ways to Save the World: Build a Local Tool Library, Popular Mechanics

Tool Library Grand Re-Opening At Youngstown, West Seattle Herald (video)

West Seattle Tool Library

Sustainable NE Tool Share

Phinney Tool Library

Seattle Farm Co-op

neigh*borrow Seattle

Seattle Bike Sharing

Seattle Bike Share Feasibility Study, Department of Urban Design & Planning, UW

Seattle Ride Sharing

Carpooling a Click Away with Online Ride Sharing, Seattle P-I

King County Metro Rideshare Operations

Avego’s 520 Ride Sharing Pilot

Seattle Land/Garden Sharing

Garden Sharing: Farming Meet Social Networks, GOOD Magazine

Seattle Urban Garden Share

WePatch

Seattle Space Sharing & Co-Working

Shared Workspace Gaining Popularity, Seattle Times

The Space Federation

The Hub Seattle

Seattle Co-Working Spaces

How are you participating in The Sharing Economy?  Leave a comment and let us know!

Details and location to be supplied shortly (updated 1/3/12)

Our health care system is both more expensive and has lower quality than other industrialized countries. Many describe this as a sick care system because significant is not spent until after you get sick. Communities are now developing alternatives that cost less and move people toward whole health. By focusing on prevention and early intervention we can also drop the costs of health care.

Our speaker is Dale Jarvis, a healthcare consultant and West Seattlite who has worked at fixing the healthcare system in 20 states since the federal healthcare law passed in 2010. Dale will describe healthcare reform ‘triples’ and ‘home runs’ that can fit Seattle’s neighborhoods. Join this discussion of a new healthcare ecosystem for West Seattle.

The West Seattle Senior Center
4217 SW Oregon Street

The GoGreen sustainable business team is back in Seattle for 2012.  The all-day seminar-event takes place Wednesday, April 25, from 8:30 am through 5:00 pm. GoGreen Seattle ’12 will take place at the Conference Center in Downtown Seattle at Eighth Avenue at Pike Street, 3rd Floor.

From the GoGreen folks, here’s their release:

It’s official. We’re back for year three in Seattle! And we’re thrilled to dig even deeper into the nitty gritty of building a truly sustainable business—whether you’re “retrofitting” or building green from the ground up. Save the Date for GoGreen ’12 Seattle: Wednesday, April 25. Get ready for a day of empowering case studies and a round of all-new, collaborative dialogue, plus straight talk from the state’s business leaders on how to enact the good, better and best of sustainable practices at your organization, without sacrificing the bottom line.

Get a jump start on your sustainability education for 2012 and register at our Go Green | Save Green rates! These rates will be available until Friday, January 5, 2012.

• $125 GoGreen | Save Green Full Day Admission
• $100 GoGreen | Save Green Full Day Admission for groups of 2 or more*

Check on their special Community Partner, Non-Profit and Student Rates to attend.