Visit the Sustainable West Seattle booth at the West Seattle Farmers Market.  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.

Look for us along the alley next to Key Bank.  We’re tabling at the Farmers Market roughly every other Sunday – working with the Farmers Market Alliance folks to keep a non-profit and green presence in the Market area.

The Seattle Art Museum is open 10:00 am to 9:00 pm Thursdays.  The first Thursday of the month is a free day for SAM visitors.  

SAM has other free days, too:

• First Thursdays: Free to all
• First Friday: Free to seniors (age 62+)
• Second Fridays, 5:00 – 9:00 pm: Free to teens (ages 13–19) with ID

First Thursday is, coincidentally, the monthly Art Walk in Pioneer Square.

City Light and Northwest Seed are hosting an information session at Miller Community Center, Saturday, September 18, from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm, on a new program City Light is working called Community Solar.

Would you like to have your own solar photovoltaic system, but you live in an apartment or a house with no good sun exposure. Or maybe you want to invest in a system, but $10,000 is more than you can afford. Then you might be interested in Seattle City Light’s Community Solar program. The concept is that a group of people fund the construction of a solar system that is operated by City Light. The cost per kilowatt-hour is lower because it’s cheaper to build one big system than 10 small ones. Also the minimum investment is much less.

If you are interested, Northwest SEED is teaming with City Light to host an information session about the upcoming program and how people can participate. If you are a City Light customer, please consider attending!

There is no charge, but reservations are required. Sign up on-line here: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/518107674

Please, only sign up if you are a Seattle City Light customer; participation in the City Light Community Solar program is open only to City Light customers.

Spokespeople West Seattle rides again to visit and shop at West Seattle’s newest farmers market at Highland Park. We will also be riding to the original West Seattle farmers market at the Alaska Junction and finish the 11.67 mile ride at the West Seattle PCC. Bring currency and safe and sturdy cargo carriers. Support your local Urban Farmers.

This ride is characterized as “easy” with some hills for a total distance of just under 12 miles.  The Spokespeople rides are “stay together” rides which means the riders keep pace with each other and wait for tail riders when the route changes direction.  In the event of rain, the ride will NOT be cancelled.

The map link to the ride is  http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/wa/seattle/783128064310939953

Starting time is 10 am in front of Alki Bike and Board, first block south of Admiral Way SW at the intersection of California Ave. SW in the Admiral District.

The Ride Leader  is Stu Hennessey, you can contact him at 206-938-3322 or by email at alkistu@hotmail.com

The Northwest Environmental Training Center is offering a course on
Low Impact Development: Stormwater Management for Sustainable Design and Water Efficiency,” Wednesday, September 8, from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, at Antioch University near Seattle Center.

This course provides an overview of low-impact development approaches and resources for building industry professionals. Low Impact Development (LID) is an alternative, systems-level approach to conventional stormwater management. Critical for the Pacific Northwest where water quality and salmon habitat protection are key issues, LID offers opportunities for sustainable site design and water efficiency.

Course Topics:

• What is LID?
• Benefits of LID
• Northwest Storm Water Issues
• Salmon Habitat Effects
• Bio-Retention and Rain Gardens
• Tree Box Filters
• Green Streets
• Rainwater Capture
• Green Roofs
• Permeable Pavers
• Soil Amendments
• Green Infrastructure
• EPA LID Guidelines
• LID Case Studies
• Cost Reduction through LID
• LID Tools and Resources

The intended audience for the course includes:

• Environmental Professionals
• Landscape Architects
• Architects
• Facility Managers
• Those who are interested in incorporating LID into existing site

Registration for the course is : $250/*$200 (*reduced tuition is available to employees of Native American tribes, government agencies; and nonprofits; students; and NAEP, NEBC, and NWAEP members).

You may register by calling the Northwest Environmental Training Center at 206-762-1976, or online at this link https://www.nwetc.org/registration_process/reg_gbs-301_09-10_seattle/registration.htm.

The Vancouver Sun has a more detailed story on the plans for the plant and some local concerns.  The Victoria Times Colonist has a series of stories on the evolution of the sewage treatment plans and the local implications for the environment and for British Columbia politics.

Seattle Board of Park Commissioners will hold its next meeting at 7:00 pm, Thursday, September 9, in the Park Board Room at 100 Dexter Ave. N at the corner of Dexter and Denny.

The meeting agenda includes:

• Board discussion and recommendation to the Superintendent on the use of the Atlantic City Nursery site.  Parks and Recreation operated the Atlantic City Nursery at 5513 S Cloverdale St. from the 1940s until January 2010, when it was closed as a budget reduction. The 10.9 acre property features wetlands, trees, and a blueberry patch, and includes six buildings, including two greenhouses, three lath houses, and one office/shed. Parks is undertaking a process to identify a new use for the site that benefits the public, is compatible with the natural features of the site, and includes a partnership with a group to minimize operations and maintenance costs. The Board heard a staff briefing on the process at its July 8 meeting and held a public hearing at its August 12 meeting.
• Possible change of use at some of Seattle’s underused tennis courts.  The Board will hear a staff briefing on the possibility that Parks will conduct a pilot project at selected underused tennis courts under which Parks would allow other emerging forms of recreation such as dodgeball and bicycle polo. The Board will hold a public hearing on the concept at its September 23 meeting and will discuss it and make a recommendation to the Superintendent at its October 28 meeting.
• West Seattle Reservoir Project schematic design.  Parks staff will present a briefing on the proposed schematic design for the 20-acre lid on the West Seattle Reservoir at Westcrest Park. For more information on the project, please go to http://www.seattle.gov/parks/projects/west_seattle_reservoir/.

A briefing paper on the Atlantic City Nursery site is available on the web at http://www.seattle.gov/parks/parkboard/. Briefing papers on the possible pilot project and the West Seattle Reservoir will be available at that site on Friday, September 3.

The Board of Park Commissioners is a seven-member citizen board created by the City Charter. Three members are appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the City Council; three members are appointed by the City Council; and one member is appointed by the Park Board. The Board meets the second and fourth Thursday of each month to advise the Parks and Recreation Superintendent, the Mayor, and the City Council on parks and recreation matters. For more information, please contact Sandy Brooks at 206-684-5066 or sandy.brooks@seattle.gov.

Buy your tickets now, this event WILL sell out again!!

Eat Local Now! Dinner will celebrate it’s seventh year running on September 30th, 2010! Always a sell-out, this year Sustainable West Seattle, West Seattle CoolMom, Seattle Good Business Network (formerly BALLE Seattle), and Herban Feast are co-presenting this fundraising dinner.

This year’s event is focused not only on promoting and educating about local food systems – but also turning local food systems into local food economies and development of green jobs.

The dinner will take place at  Herban Feast’s SODO Park location on First Avenue at 3200 First Avenue South, cross street is S. Hanford St.

Local singer/songwriter Ali Marcus will be playing original tunes and her interpretations of well-known classics beginning at 6:00 pm.  To see Ali in action, check out the videos on her myspace page - www.myspace.com/alimarcus.

Seattle City Hall, 600 Fourth Ave Bertha Knight Landes Room

Please join the Seattle City Council in a discussion on carbon neutrality here in Seattle.

Community groups will present their ideas on what Seattle should be doing over the next three years to reach our climate protections goals in eight sectors: transportation, green jobs, land use, energy, youth, neighborhoods, food systems and zero waste.

For more information, visit the website at carbonneutral.seattle.gov or follow the Initiative on Facebook and Twitter @GHGFreeSeattle. Contact us with questions at carbonneutral@seattle.gov.

Visitors are encouraged to use mass transit whenever possible. Visit http://metro.kingcounty.gov/ for more information.

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/