1:00pm – 3:00pm
Ballard Public Library
Please join us for our Fall Open House!
ur Sustainable Ballard Board Members, Project Leaders and Staff
Sunday, August 17, 11:00 a.m. –noon
As summer vegetables ripen, keep the garden going and plant for fall and winter harvest. Transplant brassicas and leafy greens, and sow seeds of lettuce, arugula, and other greens. Gardening author Bill Thorness (Cool Season Gardener ) explains what to plant and how to get your fall garden growing robustly. He also talks about “overwintering” vegetables to dine on next spring, including peas and sprouting broccoli. As the summer heat wanes, a new edible garden can sprout, and this seminar is your place to start.
Seminars offered at Swansons are free, unless otherwise noted. Some may require sign-up in advance so materials can be prepared. Please be aware that seminars are often full, so it is recommended that you arrive ten minutes early to be assured of a seat. Due to limited space, pets are not allowed. Come enjoy Swanson’s seminars and improve your gardening know-how!
During Seattle’s August 5 Night Out event, members of Sustainable Ballard took their rolling rain garden to 14 block parties in Ballard. Joined by Pop Up bike pops, they popped into the parties to hand out free ice cream to people willing to take a pop quiz about rain gardens, cisterns, and the RainWise rebate program. Kids and adults alike were thrilled to sample the locally made “rain” and “mud” pops (coconut and chocolate) and share their knowledge about RainWise.
While 50% of respondents had seen a RainWise installation, only 5% had started or completed one themselves. That means there’s a big potential for many more pollution-preventing installations in the neighborhood—and judging by the many questions block partiers asked the bike-riding team, Ballardites are very eager to learn more about how to get RainWise.
10 a.m.–noon, Good Shepherd Center, 4649 Sunnyside Avenue North
Saturday, August 16
Mid-summer is the perfect time to start planning for your fall and winter garden so that you can keep eating fresh vegetables all year. Learn how to choose appropriate seeds and starts, fit new plants into your existing garden, and use special season extension techniques. We’ll discuss overwintering veggies and hardy greens that can be harvested throughout the fall and winter.
A little planning and effort now will pay off deliciously during the dark days of winter!
$36 INDIVIDUALS, $25 SEATTLE TILTH MEMBER, $54 HOUSEHOLD PRICE FOR TWO ADULTS
For more details and registration, visit seattletilth.org.
Seattle YEP Mixer – Wednesday, August 13
5:30 – 8:00 pm
Pono Ranch – Ballard
4502 Shilshole Ave. NW
Seattle, WA 98107
Join us for a casual evening of drinks and hors d’oeuvres while networking with young and emerging professionals interested in pursuing or furthering careers related to an environmental field. Bring your friends and colleagues with you for a great opportunity to meet like-minded professionals from the Seattle area.
Young Environmental Professionals (YEP) is a networking group presented by Northwest Environmental Business Council (NEBC).
Fee: $10.00 Registration includes one drink ticket and appetizers.
Please note this event will be held in a pub and requires ID
Register Here
Young Environmental Professionals (YEP) events aim to inspire and nurture both personal and professional development. Our participants are primarily those under 40, students, or people who are new to the environmental, energy, and related fields – within 3 years.
Do you want to own and maintain your own beehive, but don’t know where to start? Do you already have bees, but need a little help knowing what to do next? Corky Luster, apiarist and founder of the Ballard Bee Company, presents this free seminar introducing the basics, including apiary sighting and Seattle municipal codes for backyard beekeepers. Sign up for this free seminar by contacting Ballard Bee Company 206-459-4131. Saturday, August 9: 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
For those who want to learn more, Corky will offer two additional beekeeping seminars this spring. February 8th:Introduction to Beekeeping; March 8: Beginning Your Apiary. There is a $35/person charge for each seminar, or bring a friend for a discounted $60/2 people. Each class finishes with a drawing for beekeeping equipment. Class size is limited to 30 people; payment in full holds your spot. (Cancellations can be made up to 2 weeks before each class). Learn more about Ballard Bee Company.
Seminars offered at Swansons are free, unless otherwise noted. Some may require sign-up in advance so materials can be prepared. Please be aware that seminars are often full, so arriving ten minutes early to be assured of a seat is recommended. Due to limited space, please do not bring your pet to seminars. Come enjoy Swanson’s seminars and improve your gardening know-how!
This group is interested in exploring what we can do to help create a thriving local economy that would enable us to invest in our own community and make us less vulnerable to Wall Street. Some of the elements we have studied are local banking, cooperatives, local investment options, and the systemic changes needed to make thriving local economies possible. We’ve also made presentations to the community about the things we’ve learned. The group is in need of a new Lead to organize and coordinate its meetings and activities. No prior knowledge or experience required, only an interest in the subject and willingness to act as Project Lead. For more info contact Orna.
August 12, 5:30 p.m. – 9:00p.m. The Big Green is back! Sponsored by BECU, Sustainable Seattle and Seattle Greendrinks are teaming up with Sustainable NE Seattle to bring even more hands-on fun to this annual community picnic and festival. Sustainable Ballard will be there sharing RainWise info with folks.
When you arrive to Hunter Farm Gathering Place on August 12, there will be opportunities for fun – and networking – at every corner. From making your own button to your own birdhouse, we promise you won’t have to leave empty handed – you could even get your bike all fixed up! Organizations and businesses will be helping you green your home from the inside out – including laundry soap, gardening tips, energy efficiency, and more.
As the family-friendly (encouraged) Greendrinks event, there will be plenty for the kiddos too. With games, urban farm animals, and sweet treats provided by Snoqualmie Ice Cream and others – it is really a can’t miss evening out.
And of course – the evening would not be complete without pours from Sierra Nevada, cans from Fremont Brewing, sips from Wilridge Winery, and music to soundtrack the evening. One of the bands will be Podorythmie, a French Canadian all women’s band with foot percussion and step dancing.
“Night Out” is a national Crime Prevention event designed to heighten crime prevention awareness and a unique opportunity to get to know your neighbors better while having a great time with food, music, games – whatever you want.
Last year Ballard was teaming with block parties. So far this year, only 1 block in Ballard has registered their event! Sustainable Ballard will be out visiting block parties this year with our RainWise model in a bike trailer and free ice cream. Once you’ve registered your event, let us know if you’d like us to stop by and we’ll try to make sure you’re on our route!
Posted: June, 2014
Summer gleaning at the Ballard Sunday Market hit a new record with 865 pounds of donated produce and bread collected on July 20th. This project is such a rewarding effort for all the volunteers involved. We collect the extra produce the farmers don’t want to take home, and deliver it to the nearby Ballard Food Bank, thus supplying them with fresh, local and generally organic produce. Teams rotate depending on numbers every 3-4 weeks. Interested gleaners should contact Kathryn or Paula to sign up.