Volunteers Sought for New “Stormwater Stewards” Program
Thurston County Stormwater Utility/Stream Team Program and WSU Extension arerecruiting volunteers to train as "Stormwater Stewards." The program works with localresidents to help reduce pollution in our local waterways and Puget Sound from stormwaterrunoff.
Volunteers receive training in many aspects of on-site stormwater management includingrain gardens, water-wise plants, sloped biodetention hedgerows, pervious pavements,vegetated roofs, and more. Trained volunteers use their new expertise to work in teams toprovide guidance to homeowners who want to do their part to protect local waterways andPuget Sound.

Classes and hands-on field trainings will be held in the evenings and on weekends toaccommodate work schedules. Landscaping professionals are also encouraged to take part inthe volunteer certification program. The training dates are evenings on Thursdays, May 10,17, 31, June 7 and 21, with field days on June 10, 23, and 30.

To learn more and receive an application packet, contact WSU Extension’s Native PlantSalvage Program at Erica@nativeplantsalvage.org or 360-867-2164.

The Hedvig Bulker (Panama) sits low in the water at the Port of Olympia, loaded heavily with logs for export.

Here's another shot [large file]. I also have a few more on flickr [26 May 2011].

and some video:

Lots of logs shipping from the Port, these days. Lots of clearcutting too.

Don't forget to come to this talk tonight, a presentation by Dr. Peter Dorman for anyone wanting to know more about our economy and how it works (or doesn't work). --- Our economic system assumes unlimited resources and unlimited economic “growth.” But the real world has limits. How does this contradiction play out, and how does public policy address the issue? --- The talk is at Lincoln Elementary School (cafeteria), 213 21st Ave SE just off Capitol Way, from 6:30 to 9:30 PM. Also showing the movie "Home." --- Event Number One in the GREEN ECONOMICS SERIES presented by the Green Party of South Puget Sound. All welcome.

today in grad school i learned about...

bikewise.org, an online tool for reporting bike crashes, hazards and thefts. they say: "we started bikewise in the belief that we can make biking safer and more fun by gathering good data on the things that sometimes go wrong."

there's also safe2pee, which is a community-provided database of gender-neutral bathrooms. it's not quite up-to-date or accurate, but if you know of more that you could add to the olympia page, it would be appreciated.

do you know of other map information aggregation tools that could be useful in our area?

The Washington State Library is pleased to announce its new "Hard Times Resource Guide." Any comments, ideas, or suggestions for content are very welcome.

For the past few months, staff at the Washington State Library have been working hard, exhaustively scouring the web and compiling quality resources to help library users across Washington State. The result? A thorough guide detailed resources and techniques to help you navigate this tough economy. We’ve covered numerous subjects, including health and nutrition, family and parenting, finances, job-seeking, and a whole lot more.

Check it out now at http://www.secstate.wa.gov/library/hardtimes/

via email:

Reminder - Cooling a fevered planet talk is this Thursday. ...

Cooling a fevered planet: the politics & economics of solving the climate crisis.

We know the danger. We have the technology. So what's stopping us?

Presented by Gar W. Lipow & Dr. Zoltan Grossman on behalf of “the Olympia Movement for Justice & Peace”.
Thursday, September 3rd 7:00 P.M
Traditions Café
300 5th Ave SW
Olympia, WA 98501

When big corporations thwart democracy they also thwart sustainability.
When resources are poured into unnecessary wars rather than peaceful solutions, this also drains investment from needed green infrastructure.
How corporate power, militarization are linked to the climate crisis, and how we can fight back.
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