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.

Maybe you haven't heard it. If you live or work in Olympia and you haven't heard it, then you need to get your hearing checked. Because it's loud. I went by today. I saw it in action. More so, I heard it - felt it actually, as it vibrated the ground. I got right up close and personal. It was painfully loud. I wonder how it felt to the workers who were standing there, watching the machine hammer away... I wonder how long their shifts are. They did not look happy. In fact they seemed quite close to the point source, and not too enthused about the whole situation.

The deep piles are necessary for tall structures in this area because the land is composed of fill, which is mostly mud dredged up from the bay. The land is prone to liquefaction (where it turns into a soupy mess and becomes unable to support heavy structures) in an earthquake situation.

Is this the face of progress? Or is this an attempt to create an illusion of security and permanence? These are heavy questions. But it's time to be asking them, considering the amount of piles that we might, as residents of Olympia, be looking forward to - given the impetus for development, "revitalization" and investment in the vision of a "vibrant" downtown core.

story moved: Isthmus Photos II

I posted a couple of comments on Peter Alden Stroble's OLY 2012's Final Position Paper Endorsing the Urban Waterfront Rezone post (about the Isthmus rezone.) I want to separate them and post them here. The first comment is in response to my effort to deepen the discussion about OLY 2012's advocacy of Smart Growth in regard to the furtherance of sustainability. Can "Smart Growth" further the goal of "sustainability?":

Deepening the Discussion

Yes, I would like to deepen the discussion. It's not easy for me. This is really difficult. I don't want this to get personal, because I know there are good people on both sides of this issue, and most people on both sides are honest and genuine when they think their way is the best way.

I would love to respond to every point in your paper. I would love to respond to every point in your above statement. I just don't think that I have it in me. I don't right now. I might not anytime soon. Maybe it will be easier for me to approach these points one by one after Tuesday's Council Meeting.

I just looked up Smart Growth today. I don't know all the details. I just know what it said on wikipedia - my understanding of which is that Smart Growth basically is a meme that seeks sustainability through dense urban living. That sounds great to me. And I am glad that we don't have any disagreement here.

Take the pledge to break the bottled water habit.

 

[from the water.newdream.org website:]

Tips on taking this pledge:

The first step is making sure you have a non-toxic reusable water bottle to use on the go. Find a few options on Conscious Consumer.

You should also find out about the quality of tap water in your area. In much of the country it's just as, if not more, healthy than some bottled water.

Since most municipal water is as safe or safer than bottled water, the vast majority of Americans can then safely fill up their water bottles straight from the tap. If you're not that fortunate, you can also find home water filters on Consumer Consumer. Finally, if you're not sure about your local water quality, give your local water utility a shout and get the facts before investing—perhaps unnecessarily—in a water filter.

Regardless of whether your local situation requires you to buy a filter or just a non-toxic reusable bottle, you'll save hundreds of dollars AND help the planet when you break the water bottle habit!

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