With the recent return of overcast skies, it would appear as if the dog days of summer are winding down to a close. But my fingers are crossed for a few more sun-packed weekends so I can get in a couple more outdoor adventures with the pup. After all, I still need to venture out to the Hoh Rain Forest so I can experience the sound of silence firsthand.
August is packed with some exciting, fun-filled events that promise to be rewarding. From learning about bike sharing (a topic we love to talk about) and $99K housing, to getting down and dirty on Orcas Island and partying it up under the stars with SAM, there's still many adventures left to enjoy as the summer sun begins to settle.
Chris Mooney: Unscientific America
Thursday, August 6, 7 PM - 8 PM
University Book Store, 4326 University Way NE, Seattle
From solving the climate crisis to understanding the future of energy, scientific literacy is one solution helping us overcome these challenges. Journalist and author Chris Mooney will discuss the need for us to become an "army of ambassadors" that truly understand scientific findings who help translate those messages in such a way that it is understood by the everyone, including the media and politicians.
Tickets: Free
99K House Exhibit Reception
Thursday, August 6, 5 PM - 7 PM
AIA Seattle, 1911 1st Ave, Seattle
The 99K housing project was a design competition to challenge architects from across the country to design and build an affordable, sustainable house that would meet the needs of a low-income family living within the Gulf Region. The challenge was met by over 150 entries representing 29 states and 16 different countries. Come join the AIA and the winning firm HyBrid/ORA for the opening exhibit for this project, where you'll be able to see many of the designs submitted during the challenge.
Tickets: Free
SAM ReMix - Reinvent Your Night Out
Friday, August 7, 8 PM - 12 AM
Olympic Sculpture Park, 2901 Western Ave, Seattle
Join up with fellow community members and celebrate summer, SAM style! Enjoy the sounds of local DJ's Colby B and Freddy, King of Pants while they spin the night away under the stars. Check out live performances by Filastine (Barcelona), Rena Jones (Portland), Lusine (Seattle) and DJ Collage (Seattle), all part of the Decibel Festival. Other goodies include spoken word performances, comic rallies, dancing and tours of the park after dark. Grab your scarf, perhaps a jacket, a friend and head down to what is sure to be a fun-filled evening that is sure to spark your creative juices.
Tickets: First 100 guests at Remix the night of the event get in free!
Members: $5, Adults: $10, Students: $8, Seniors: $8.
Tickets may be purchased at the Ticketing Desk at any of SAM's three sites or over the phone with a credit card by calling the Box Office at 206.654.3121.
2009 Bikeshare Expo
Tuesday, August 11, 10 AM - 6 PM
South Lake Union's Discovery Center, 101 Westlake Ave N, Seattle
Do we love us some bike sharing! When we heard about this event, it was as if we hit the lottery.
In Europe, bike sharing has caught on rapidly. Here in the States, it is catching on slowly, with only a few cities adopting bike sharing programs. This year, King County has partnered with the city of Seattle and Redmond, The Cascade Bicycle Club, and Vulcan to showcase some of the emerging technologies in the bike sharing realm. Check out the systems and bikes used, find out how they work and take one on a test ride. If you're interesting in learning how these programs might work in our region, swing by and learn how you can further the dialogue to make the Emerald City home to such a program.
Are We Losing the Fight Against Global Poverty?
Wednesday, Aug 12, 2009, 7 PM - 8:30 PM
University Temple United Methodist Church (NE 43rd Street & 15th Avenue NE, Seattle)
From Global Washington:
More than halfway to the 2015 deadline to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), major advances in the fight against poverty and hunger have begun to slow or even reverse as a result of the global economic and food crises and threats from climate change. The Millennium Development Goals Report 2009, a new assessment by the United Nations, warns that despite many successes overall progress has been too slow for most of the targets to be met by 2015. The report issues a strong call to action for rich and poor governments alike to reaffirm commitments to help the global effort to end extreme poverty and hunger, empower women, improve health care, education and the environment by 2015.
Please join us for this free event, co-sponsored by the Puget Sound Millennium Goals Project and the United Nations Association Seattle Metropolitan Chapter, to discuss progress on the MDGs and the role the United States is playing to achieve the goals, and what active citizens can do to get more engaged in support of the goals.
Tickets: Free
A Permaculture Saturday with Robyn Francis & the Bullocks
Saturday, August 22, 11 AM - ?
Bullocks Permaculture Homestead, Orcas Island
From Permaculture Portal:
Come join us for a Saturday with permaculturist Robyn Francis and the Bullock family! Robyn Francis will be offering two presentations:
- My Eco-Neighborhood - Robyn Francis presents an inspiring case study of her village of Nimbin in Northern NSW Australia as an example of Permaculture working at a community level. The local bioregion boasts over 40 intentional communities and the village has been at the cutting edge of social experimentation and environmental innovation for over 30 years. Learn how she has worked with her community as a Permaculture consultant for eco-developments and local government, influencing state planning laws, facilitating participatory design, and establishing a Permaculture training centre and bioregional campus.
- One-Earth Footprint - Learning from Cuba's Experience" Discover the key factors enabling Cuba to survive collapse, live within its ecological footprint, and how this relates to Permaculture & Transition design. Inspired by the 2007 State of the Planet Report, Robyn visited Cuba in 2008 to investigate the only society on earth living within its ecological footprint and achieving a 'first-world' standard in the UN Human Development Index for literacy, life expectancy and health. While Cuba isn't the perfect model of a sustainable nation, it presents valuable lessons, inspiration and food for thought as we embrace the challenges of the transition to a low carbon culture and learn to live within our planetary resource allocation. Key themes explored include decentralisation and localisation, urban food production and permaculture, simple living and the power of community.
Also, enjoy a site tour of the Bullock's Permaculture Homestead, one of the oldest permaculture projects in North America. We'll end the day with a pizza party, live music, and plenty of witty campfire banter. Come for the day or spend the night!
Tickets: $75-95. Contact Dave Boehnlein, 360-840-8483.
Idea Club: Sustainable Urban Farms
Monday, August 24, 5 Pm - 7 PM
Sustainable Path Foundation, 2101 4th Ave., Suite 650, Seattle
The Idea Club is an informal discussion group organized by the Sustainable Path Foundation, who "promotes sustainability and health in our region through collaborative approaches informed by scientific understanding and systems thinking." Through the Idea Club, members, donors, volunteers and anyone interested in the topic at hand are invited to participate in these monthly discussion groups.
Put your thinking cap on and bring your ideas with you for this month's topic:
"Growing food in the city on privately owned land is becoming a much more viable possibility. What are some of the options and creative solutions that separate urban farming from traditional methods?"
Tickets: Free
If you know of any upcoming events that are Worldchanging, send us a heads up! Email sean [at] worldchanging [dot] com.
Photo: Sean Conroe, Creative Commons License.
