Don’t miss this ~ Give your garden a global-warming makeover

One of my favorite local authors has a column in the Seattle Times. Valerie Easton says

Home gardeners can do a lot to address global climate change. Options include everything from choosing self-reliant plants that need less water and fertilizer to reducing energy use by trading in mowers and blowers for rakes and hand clippers.

Read this week’s Plant Life column in the Times, Give your garden a global-warming makeover

Easton has written several great gardening books! You can find them at local book stores, or on Amazon.com.

Gardeners and Global Warming: Impacts and Solutions

GARDENERS AND GLOBAL WARMING: Impacts and Solutions

Join National Wildlife Federation and Woodland Park Zoo for a special event about gardening and its important role as a solution to global warming. Attention about this worldwide issue is growing, and it’s time for gardeners to take action.

EVENT DETAILS:
Date: Tuesday, January, 27, 2009
Time: Lecture: 6:30 – 8:00 pm
Become a Trainer: 8:00 – 9:00 pm (optional)
Location: Education Center Classroom 2, Woodland Park Zoo
Cost: Free!

RSVP HERE: http://online.nwf.org/jan27gardenersguide

EVENT HIGHLIGHTS:
. Hear from experts about the impacts of global warming on the environment.
. Real solutions for how gardening can protect plants and animals.
. Network with other like-minded gardeners and plant enthusiasts.
. Tips to strengthen and beautify your community.
. “Become a Trainer” session after the lecture.

Take the next step in your commitment to gardening.
Stick around for the “Become a Trainer” session after the lecture and learn how to give the Gardening and Global Warming presentation. Educate the members of your community about this growing threat to plants and wildlife.

This lecture is based on National Wildlife Federation’s Gardener’s Guide to Global Warming report. Download it today at http://www.nwf.org/nwfwebadmin/binaryVault/Gardener’sGuideToGlobalWarming.pdf


Become a Master Composter & Soil Builder

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
2009 Master Composter/Soil Builder Training

Contact: Graham Golbuff
Phone: 206-633-0097
Email: grahamgolbuff@seattletilth.org

Date: Application Deadline – February 25, 2009
Where: Master Composter/Soil Builder Program
4649 Sunnyside Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103
What: Extensive training in Natural Soil Building principles
Cost: $150 deposit, refundable upon successful completion of outreach requirement

Ever feel overwhelmed the by the amount of waste you see being generated each day? Then we invite you to become a key partner in Seattle’s waste reduction and recycling efforts! As a Master Composter/Soil Builder you’ll learn the techniques of turning your food and yard wastes into compost, an amazing additive for organic gardens that keeps carbon in the ground and out of the atmosphere. You’ll learn the finer details of Puget Sound’s organic recycling programs, and discover how to assist your family, friends, neighbors and the public at large in adopting practices that conserve resources and build soil.

With over 20 years of rich history, the Master Composter/Soil Builders have become a fixture in Seattle and continually provide their expertise at local farmers markets, community gardens, and neighborhood festivals and events. The program has remained a flagship feature of Seattle Public Utilities and Seattle Tilth Association’s conservation initiatives while offering a gratifying and enjoyable experience for it’s participants. 2008 MC/SB Volunteer Alexis VandenBos said “Learning how to create healthy soil was amazing and intriguing – my own garden has grown so much better this year! I loved being with like-minded people and building a sense of community with others in the program. I enjoyed sharing what I had learned with the public; I found folks excited about building healthy soil and wanting to do more to help the land.”

The Master Composter/Soil Builder Training will take place over a 3 week period in late March and early April of 2009. Class sessions are held Wednesday evenings and Saturdays. As a program based in public outreach, we ask that Master Composter/Soil Builders complete 40 volunteer hours by April 2010. All Seattle residents are invited to take part in the MC/SB program. Call 206-633-0097 for an application or visit www.seattle.gov/util/services/yard/composting.

Winter Birdland on our Deck

Steve’s borrowed some great camera equipment from his dad while he is back in Mnpls, so he has been able to get some great shots of the guests we have visit our deck-bound wildlife habitat. We’ve seen my favorite black-capped chickadees, junkos, flickers (a type of bug-eating woodpecker, does not damage houses or trees), and an Anna’s hummingbird (maybe more than one). Here are some of his best shots.


We live in a Built Green townhome at High Point. I plan to certify our deck as a backyard wildlife habitat, since it provides all 4 necessary components of life: feed, water, shelter, and nesting habitat. My goal is to help the entire neigbhorhood become certified (like Tukwila has the whole town certified).

Our last home, on 1/4 acre lot, was certified by both Washington state and the National Wildlife Federation, and was a pesticide free zone as well!

OPEN SUNDAY 12-3 PM unless too much snow (call to check)

This turn-key home leaves you guilt-free when adding your personal touches. Merely decorate—or manifest your dreams with some hard-core remodeling. Near Kubota Garden in the Upper Rainier Beach neighborhood of SE Seattle. On bus route 7, convenient to new light rail station, downtown, Tukwila, Renton, airport, etc.

Built with pride in 1945. Step light on the Earth and live in a “recycled” home!

2 bedrooms, 1 full bath, 1090 sq ft fin, 1780 sq ft total. Partially finished basement, extra finished space. New gas furnace, cabinets, fresh paint. Refinished hardwood floors. 2 fireplaces. 2 garages – 1 attached, 1 detached. Corner level lot, approx. 6,000 sq ft, fully fenced back yard.

Green High-Performance Homes ~ Queen City Eco-Village

Martha Rose was interviewed recently for a local news story about her newest development in Shoreline, called Queen City Eco-Village. I met Martha when touring this project a year ago with my Built Green certification class, when one of the homes was mostly complete and the others still in progress. I noticed right away the Smart car in one of the garages, which actually was a carriage house with a full apartment above. Her Smarty was “grey market”, from Canada, before they were available in the US. I wanted one.

Martha is all about the details. She showed us the many construction particulars that she focuses on that sets her apart from many builders, and is a fine example of how to implement the Built Green Checklist. She is about building a healthy home – healthy to build during construction, and healthy for the family who is going to live there later.

All of the Queen City homes are occupied – Martha even lives in one of them. She said she wanted to experience the lifestyle so she could learn about what other things might benefit home owners in the future.

I saw the story on NWCN. You can watch the video here. The printed article is here.

If you are interested in buiying a green home, it is best if you speak with a real estate agent who has been trained in green homes and can help you properly value the benefits and features of green homes when preparing your offer to purchase your next home. I hold the designation of Built Green™ Certified Professional: Real Estate, or you can peruse the Built Green™ member list to see if your preferred agent is a member. You will see both Green Spaces Real Estate Blog and my brokerage, GreenWorks Realty, are on this page – one right after the other! I am proud to be a part of both.

OPEN THURSDAY for brokers and the public, 12-3 PM

Just listed Friday! Xocai Healthy Chocolate gift bags to card-carrying agents.

This is a turn-key home that also leaves you guilt-free when adding personal touches. Merely decorate—or manifest your dreams with some hard-core remodeling. Near Kubota Garden in the Upper Rainier Beach neighborhood of SE Seattle. On bus route 7, convenient to new light rail station, downtown, Tukwila, Renton, airport, etc.

Built with pride in 1945. Step light on the Earth and live in a “recycled” home!

2 bedrooms, 1 full bath, 1090 sq ft fin, 1800 sq ft total. Partially finished basement, extra finished space. New gas furnace, cabinets, fresh paint. Refinished hardwood floors. 2 fireplaces. 2 garages – 1 attached, 1 detached. Corner level lot, approx. 6,000 sq ft, fully fenced back yard.

In-city for less – new listing, open Sunday 12/7 12-3 PM

This is a turn-key home that also leaves you guilt-free when adding personal touches. Merely decorate—or manifest your dreams with some hard-core remodeling. Near Kubota Garden in the Upper Rainier Beach neighborhood of SE Seattle. On bus route 7, convenient to new light rail station, downtown, Tukwila, Renton, airport, etc.

Built with pride in 1945. Step light on the Earth and live in a “recycled” home!

2 bedrooms, 1 full bath, 1090 sq ft fin, 1800 sq ft total. Partially finished basement, extra finished space. New gas furnace, cabinets, fresh paint. Refinished hardwood floors. 2 fireplaces. 2 garages – 1 attached, 1 detached. Corner level lot, approx. 6,000 sq ft, fully fenced back yard.