When I was a child, I could not hold back my excitement whenever May finally came around. Not only is it the month I celebrate my birthday, but it is also when I get to dust off my bicycle and run around barefoot outside, enjoying the fact that spring had finally sprung.
Well, it's that time of year again to celebrate. Polish up those bikes (if you haven't already!) and pedal off to any one of these events that will are sure to leave you with a better understanding of how to help make our community a brighter place to live. From plant sales and festivals to energy and farming, events this month are not to be missed.
Visioning the Puget Sound Region's Transportation Future
Friday, May 1, 12-1:30 PM
Bertha Knight Landes Room, Seattle City Hall, 600 4th Avenue, Seattle
Transportation Choices Coalition is teaming up with other area representatives from organizations such as Sightline Institute, Zipcar and King Country Metro to discuss the future of transportation in our region. Building a brighter future will hinge on our ability to design an infrastructure system that will streamline the use of buses and streetcars, while also designing walkable communities and promoting bicycling. Also sure to play a role in this transit-oriented debate will be opinions about how the stimulus dollars should affect transportation in the region.
Tickets: Free
Seattle Tilth's Edible Plant Sale & Community Harvest's Edible Garden Fair
Saturday & Sunday, May 2 & 3 ; Saturday, May 23
Meridian Park, Wallingford. 4649 Sunnyside Ave. N, Seattle; South Seattle Community College Horticulture Center, 6000 16th Avenue SW, Seattle
Not only can you stock up on plants for your garden, but you can also sit in and participate in discussions and presentations that will enable you to grow a future forward diet from your very own backyard.
Tickets: Both events are free
2nd Annual Sustainable West Seattle Festival
Sunday, May 3, 10 AM - 3 PM
Across from the Wells Fargo Parking lot, 4314 SW Alaska St, Seattle
One of the biggest challenges to creating a bright green future is our ability to develop resilient communities. How do we do that? This year's SWSF will explore the many ways. Panel discussions about green collar jobs, the future of transportation, and food security will be held alongside musical performances, vendor booths and many different workshops aimed at creating a well prepared, 21st century for all. Don't forget to stop by the Undrivers Licensing Station and pick up your Undrivers License!
Tickets: Free
Community Organizing in the 21st Century
Wednesday, May 6, 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM
EOS Alliance Offices, 650 S. Orcas St. Suite 220, Seattle
How do you tap into community values and leadership to create change? James Irwin of the Cascade Sierra Club will explain how effective storytelling can be as one of the most powerful tools to reinforce community values. He will also discuss how the Obama campaign serves as a classic case study of successful organizing.
Tickets: Free, but registration required through eventbrite.com
Frybread For Justice
Saturday, May 9, 10 AM - 5 PM
Duwamish Longhouse & Cultural Center, 4705 W. Marginal Way SW, Seattle
Spend a day packed with Native entertainment, all-you-can-eat frybread, and many more surprises as you help raise funds for the Duwamish Tribe's Legal Defense Fund.
Tickets: $20 donation at the door
Tim Matsui: Alternative Energy, The Environment, Human Trafficking and Sexual Trauma
Saturday, May 9, 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
Henry Auditorium, 15th Ave NE & 41st St, Seattle
Local photographer Tim Matsui will share his experiences working internationally to put an end to human trafficking and sexual trauma. Presented by Blue Earth Alliance, an organization working to raise awareness about threatened environments and social concerns through photography.
Tickets: Available at the door. FREE to Henry and Blue Earth members, $10 General; $5 Students w/ ID
Festival of Trees
Sunday, May 10, 10 AM - 4 PM
Sand Point Magnuson Park, 7400 Sandpoint Way NE, Seattle
Perhaps one of the best ways to celebrate Mother's Day is to pay tribute to Mother Nature herself. Organized by Plant Amnesty, the Festival of Trees will ensure your weekend is both fun and educational by providing comedy sketches, magic tricks and acrobatics alongside educational presentations about tree planting, compost bins, weed-eating goats and more.
Tickets: Free
Sustainable Path - Exploring Energy and Design: Smart Solutions
Wednesday, May 13, 5:30 – 8:00 PM*
Downstairs at Town Hall, 1119 8th Ave, Seattle
An infusion of common sense just might be the solution to our global economic crisis. Ensuring a sustainable future is one task we are all hard at work on accomplishing. By starting in our own backyards we can help solve some of the biggest problems we are faced with while combating climate change. Smart community design, green building and investing in energy research on a community level can collectively contribute to the "bigger picture." Sightline Institute Founder Alan Durning and Cascadia Region Green Building Council CEO Jason F. McLennan will take a look at some of this work, and explain what needs to be accomplished to ensure a bright green world for generations to come.
*Note: Reception from 5:30-6:30, with the discussion from 6:30 to 8:00.
Tickets: $10 advance through brownpapertickets.com; $15 at door; $5 student.
Seattle Summer Streets
Ballard: Friday, May 15, 4 PM - 7 PM, 22nd Avenue
Alki: Sunday, May 31, 9 AM - 5 PM, Alki Avenue SW from California Way SW to 63rd Avenue SW
Two of the first neighborhoods to kick off the Summer Streets program, both Ballard and Alki will open up streets to pedestrians and bicyclists, offering people a way to have fun, celebrate the spirit and personality of their neighborhood, and support local businesses. Mayor Greg Nickels comments, “The community is leading the way, putting together events that bring us all together. Biking, walking, drawing chalk pictures, taking in the sights or shopping and eating at local establishments, Celebrate Seattle Summer Streets is a great way to spend time with family and friends.”
Tickets: Free
Bikes to Ghana
Saturday, May 16, All day
1915 S. Corgiat Drive, Seattle
In conjunction with the Village Bicycle Project, Georgetown's Bike Works invites you to spend a day loading bikes into a shipping container bound for Ghana. Donate a bike, help load, or witness the amazing sight of a few hundred bicycles headed to help people in Ghana who face scarce public transit and rising costs to meet their basic transportation needs.
Tickets: n/a; Volunteer or bicycle donations
Geoffrey Miller: Consumer Behavior
Tuesday, May 19, 730 - 9 PM
Townhall, 1119 8th Ave, Seattle
Why do we buy what we buy? Is there a deeper meaning rooted in the stuff we consume? Geoffrey Miller, evolutionary psychologist and author of Spent: Sex, Evolution, and Consumer Behavior, will explore the principles of consumer culture and explain how it can be that "the things we buy unconsciously advertise our biological potential as mates and friends."
Tickets: $5, available through brownpapertickets.com.
Introduction to Permaculture
Friday, May 29 - Sunday, May 31, All day
Bullock's Permaculture Homestead, Orcas Island, Washington
Ever wanted to learn more about permaculture? If so, here's your chance! Spend a weekend with the Bullocks and get a tour of the farm, listen to lectures, dive into hand-on projects, watch presentations, participate in group discussions and network with like minded individuals. Topics addressed will include: permaculture design theory and practice, forest gardening, perennial food systems, efficient water and energy systems, beneficial plants/healthy soils, and ecological systems as a model for human communities.
Course Tuition: $200; includes delicious, mostly organic meals and materials. Camping space is provided. Payment is due upon course registration. Course is limited to 50 participants. Email Dave Boehnlein for more information.
Delridge Day FRESH
Saturday, May 30, 11 AM - 5 PM
Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, 4408 Delridge Way, Seattle 98106
The Delridge Neighborhood Development Association is partnering with the King County Food and Fitness Association to present their annual Delridge Day, an event focused on community, local foods, active lifestyles and the arts. The day will be filled with interactive art projects, performances by local musicians, and even a Battle of the Chef’s cook off. To top it all off, Tiny’s Organics will be hosting a micro-farmers’ market, a first ever for Delridge Day.
Tickets: Free
Photo credit: flickr/lepiaf.geo, Creative Commons License.
If you know of any upcoming events that are Worldchanging, send us a heads up! Email sean [at] worldchanging [dot] com.
