Our schedule for the Winter 2012 is:

• February 5 – drop by – it’s s’posed to be Sunny!!
• February 19 (demo day)
• March 4
• March 18 (demo day)

The second tabling each month is where we host demonstrations using tools from the Tool Library.   We also have the new West Seattle Walking Trails map and more Central District maps.

We’re here to help you with your questions about being more sustainable, about being a bit more green, and we’re here to take your left-over or under-used tools for the West Seattle Tool Library.

We also have the latest information on the many projects SWS members are involved with, including Permaculture and the Sustainable Film Series.  Concerned about earthquakes?  We have information on Emergency Preparedness here in West Seattle, as well as other community info from partners like CoolMom.

We’re tabling at the Farmers Market and working with the Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance folks to keep a non-profit and green presence in the Market area.

If anyone is interested in tabling, drop by and leave your name and contact information and we’ll be happy to schedule you for a shift.  This is a great way to meet your fellow West Seattleites and a great way to make a better acquaintance with the farmers and producers who help keep the West Seattle Farmers Market such a great place to shop healthy and local.

The Coordinating Council is looking for new members for 2012. If you think your talents would contribute to our efforts, please let a current CC officer know or send an e-mail to info@sustainablewestseattle.org.  For a current list of Coordinating Council members and officers, see http://www.sustainablewestseattle.org/about/

Requirements, how to apply and duties:

• Requirements: You must be a voting member of SWS, meaning you share the aims of SWS and agree to and demonstrate a commitment to work together in harmony with the organization.
• Procedure: Nominations for CC shall be accepted by the SWS Secretary up to the start of the annual meeting. After all nominees have addressed the membership, election votes will be cast and tallied.
• Duties: CC members serve a minimum term of one year, need to attend board meetings on the first Monday of every month, and need to give their volunteer time, which varies from about 10 to 40 hours a month, depending on the level of involvement. Board members shape the face of SWS and have diverse duties including the following: Deciding on and organizing the monthly forums, representing SWS in meetings with other groups, keeping the web site up-to-date, recruiting volunteers, welcoming new members, leading existing projects or spearheading new ones, designing and distributing posters and flyers and more.

Sustainable West Seattle is also proposing changes to our bylaws

The Coordinating Council recently approved a change to the bylaws. All members who are in good standing will be asked to vote on the bylaw change at this month’s forum. Members who attend the meeting can vote by filling out a current membership form, if they haven’t already done so.

Members may also vote by proxy up to the beginning of the meeting by sending or handing your proxy vote to the Secretary, reachable at amanda@sustainablewestseattle.org The change is highlighted below:

3.1 Membership – The Coordinating Council (herein “CC”) shall have at least five members, comprised of voting members who shall be elected by the voting membership at the annual meeting. CC members shall serve for a one-year term. The term of new CC members shall commence at the first CC meeting following the annual meeting, whereupon they shall choose new officers.

 The number of CC members may be increased or decreased from time to time by resolution of the CC provided that no decrease shall shorten the term of any incumbent. Members may serve on the CC for any number of years, with a maximum of three years consecutively. If a situation arises in which more than 60 percent of the CC will not be returning in any one year, an exception may be made to the three-year limit to allow departing CC members to serve an additional year. In no cases may any CC member serve more than four years consecutively.

If you are a participant, log those trips.  If you are not a participant, go to the King County Metro sign-up page and join.  The benefits are six free Metro transit passes, a card which is good for discounts at West Seattle shops, an account where you can log your savings, and the new West Seattle Trails walking and bike map.

The program is part of the mitigation for the continuing work on the Alaskan Way Replacement Project and is funded, in part, by the State of Washington and King County.  The goal is to provide West Seattle residents with more choices for transportation and to reduce the number of single-car miles driven, which helps reduce the local carbon footprint.

Applicants are must live within the SWS neighborhood (all of West Seattle and unincorporated King County West of the Duwamish river, and North of Burien), and submit the following information via email to brian@sustainablewestseattle.org before 5:00 pm on September 1, to be considered for the scholarships:

1. Full Name, Street Address, Phone and Email
2. A brief (less than 500-word) explanation of:

• What experience you already have with Permaculture & Gardening;
• Why you are interested in attending the Permaculture Convergence; and
• How you intend to apply what you learn there (especially if you have a specific project in mind).

Winners will be selected by the SWS Coordinating Council Executive Committee, and announced on or before Sept 3 at 12:00 noon. Any questions about the scholarship process should be directed to brian@sustainablewestseattle.org.

For more info about the 2010 NW Permaculture Convergence, please visit their website at http://nwpermaculture.org.

For more info about Sustainable West Seattle, visit our website (you’re here) http://sustainablewestseattle.org.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chasbot/

This year’s SWS Festival was in concert with the 2010 Delridge Day Festival, and was themed reFRESH Southwest.  The festival was supported in part by the

Sponsors of the combined festival were Sustainable West Seattle, the Youngstown Cultural Arts Center in cooperation with Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association, the King County Food and Fitness Initiative, the Seattle Parks and Recreation Department’s Healthy Parks – Healthy You Program, including walking elements supported by Feet First,  Sustainable Seattle and the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods.

The photographs are made available with a Creative Commons copyright – credit to the photographer. (Chas Redmond).  If there are other collections of reFresh Southwest photos, send link to “events@sustainablewestseattle.org” with permission to publish here on the SWS website.

Our next general meeting will be January 18.  The meeting space will also be announced in the coming weeks as the Camp Long Lodge will be undergoing much needed and Parks Levy-funded retrofits and improvements.

Also, check out the “Get Involved” section where more details on the tool-sharing library project are available.

Transit is an important element in having a lower carbon footprint, it is an element of being a more sustainable community, and it is an element which is dear to West Seattleites – all four City Council candidates have responded as have candidates for Seattle Mayor and King County Executive.  Read these and be better informed on the candidates.