The White House Organic Farm Project www.thewhofarm.org

(You can sign a petition to the President-Elect at website.)

Power Substation, this is in between 5th and Legion on Cherry Street, almost kitty corner to the site of the future Olympia City Hall.

Razor wire protects military hummer vehicles (humvees) from intruders.

Solidarity with Women's Resistance to War!

26 participants in a nonviolent blockade of military cargo between Port of Olympia and Fort Lewis are being charged by the Thurston County Office of the Prosecutor. The first of those being charged will be arraigned tomorrow. Of the 26, 25 are women. The 26 are part of an action that is commonly referred to as the Women's Blockade, or Women's Action.

43 people in all were arrested in the November 13th, 2007 Women's Blockade. 39 of those who were arrested are female.

Last Friday, supporters of the Oly 26 vigiled at Percival Landing. Turn-out was good. About 40 people showed up.

The first arraignment of members of the Oly 26 is scheduled for tomorrow morning at the Thurston County Courthouse, up on the hill above Capitol Lake. Proceeding's are scheduled to start at 9:30 AM.

see more on the flipside: photos from Capitol Forest, more from the vigil, Percival Landing, and an Olympia Alley in Autumn

I watched a great film that I am excited about tonight. It's called The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil. I recommend it highly to those of you who are interested in community solutions to the problem of depleting global energy resources, and sustainability.

You may have already seen the film, it was released in May 2006. It's about the transition Cuba was forced to make in 1990 after the collapse of the Soviet Union. You see, the U.S.S.R. provided a heaping amount of trade to Cuba, and when it collapsed, Cuba's GDP plummeted to 34% of its pre-collapse level. The Cuban people were faced with some very hard times - and some massive challenges. What changes did they make and how did they make them?

The film explains a lot of what happened. It's a sweet film. And it's a great window on what many important aspects of moving toward a truly sustainable society could look like.

Our wonderful City of Olympia has sustainability as one of its foremost resolutions and goals. This is something which I am sure the majority of us endorse. This film has much to offer: education, knowledge, wisdom, the experience of others: we can learn from the journey of Cuba and the Cuban people, for example - to conserve and to implement local solutions to global problem of finite and depleted energy reserves.

Find out more information, including a 2 minute trailer, at the Power of Community film-information-website: The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil Documentary - Welcome!

Although the video is for sale, it can be found for free on Google. I also posted it to my other blog: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil.

Antonia Juhasz at the Capitol Theater at 7 PM on Monday, October 20th, 2008 will present her new book The Tyranny of Oil: The World's Most Powerful Industry, and What We Must Do To Stop It.

Link to event details: Antonia Juhasz at the Capitol Theater October 20, 2008

Juhasz will also appear at SPSCC earlier in the day at 2 PM. More details about that event: Antonia Juhasz at South Puget Sound Community College

more about the book on the flipside:

Here are some photos from the Monday, October 6, 2008 No LNG Rally at the Washington State Capitol Campus Legislative Building.

No to LNG Washington State Capitol Campus Rally

LNG Means:
• More Global Warming
• More Big Oil Profiteering
• More Wars

We want renewable energy.
Power Vote

http://www.powervote.org/

The Native Plant Salvage Foundation Fall Plant Sale, this Sunday, October 5th, from 11 AM to 4 PM. Need or want some plants? Check it out!

NPSF Water-Wise Native Plant Sale

Water-wise Plant Sale, Sunday, October 5, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Join NPSF for our fall water-wise plant sale, where you’ll get great deals on hard-to-find native and other drought-tolerant plants!  More than a plant sale, this is an educational event and a fun outing for all!

The sale features:

• Thousands of hard-to-find native and drought-tolerant plants in hundreds of varieties, including perennials, ornamental grasses, groundcovers, and shrubs.

Seattle PI:

Last updated September 29, 2008 9:51 p.m. PT

A building ban near rivers?

Feds call for moratorium in bid to protect salmon, orcas

By ROBERT McCLURE
P-I REPORTER

To protect salmon and orcas, federal fisheries managers are calling for a moratorium on development near rivers in the Puget Sound region.

In a potentially far-reaching decision for more than 270 municipalities, the National Marine Fisheries Service said the federal flood insurance program that protects homes and businesses built in flood plains is illegal. The reasoning: Flood insurance allows development that harms salmon and, consequently, the orcas that eat salmon. Both are protected under the Endangered Species Act.

"It's a significant wake-up call to (municipalities) who might have begun to think the Endangered Species Act didn't carry a lot of implications for local land use," said Jan Hasselman, the Seattle lawyer who filed suit over the issue on behalf of the National Wildlife Federation, which led to the Fisheries Service decision.

...

from The Olympian:

Tumwater Wal-Mart clears another hurdle
BY KERI BRENNER

THE OLYMPIAN

TUMWATER -- A Thurston County judge Monday denied a community group and union's appeal of Wal-Mart's plans to build an 187,000-square-foot Supercenter at 5900 Littlerock Road S.W., clearing another hurdle for the retail giant.

see photo

Liu Ning, a engineer, has been riding his bike to work along the waterfront for the past year during the morning commute in San Francisco, California. (Tony Avelar/ Special to the Christian Sceince Monitor)

Treading lightly: How to gauge my carbon footprint?

First, find out how big it is by using a free online calculator.

By The EDITORS OF E MAGAZINE| September 26, 2008 edition

Q: How can I measure – and then reduce – my overall “carbon footprint”? What are the major ­areas of one’s daily life that one measures?
– Andy Fusco, Passaic, N.J.

A: With global warming dominating so many headlines today, it’s no surprise that many of us are looking to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases our activities produce.

By assessing how much pollution each of your individual actions generates – be it setting your thermostat, shopping for groceries, commuting to work, or flying somewhere for vacation – you can begin to see how changing a few habits here and there may significantly reduce your overall carbon footprint. A number of free online carbon footprint calculators can help you figure out where to start.

One of the best, in our opinion, is the University of California at ...

read more

via email from Sam Garst:

Next week you will have an opportunity to visit 24 environmentally friendly homes and businesses in the Olympia, showcasing a variety of Solar and Green Building technologies.

This is a self guided tour where you pick and choose which sites are of greatest interest to you.

The attached brochure, map, site descriptions, and directions are attached. This brochure contains useful ideas and information on low and no cost ways to save energy and water.

What: 14th Annual Solar / Green Building Tour
When: Saturday, September 27th, 10:00am until 4:00pm
Where: Locations ... Lacey, Tumwater, and Olympia
Why: Renewable energy and energy conservation are central to our battle against high energy costs and climate change.
How: You can download the map and brochure by visiting (link at bottom of page):
www.solarwashington.org/tour/2008/OlympiaTour.htm

Join us Saturday !!