BRING ON THE WEEKEND >>>
Good lord. It's Friday already. Is it just me, or do the weeks seem to be zipping by at light speed lately?
Of course, there are a few reasons for this - including my continued use of drugs and alcohol. Now, these habits aren't making YOUR weeks go by any faster, but they're certainly screwing with mine.
More importantly, though, it's the summer festival season in the South Sound and specifically Tacoma. It feels like for the last month or so every waking moment of Saturdays and Sundays has been spent frantically bouncing from one festival to the next. Urban Arts Festival, Art on the Ave, Hempfest, Out in the Park... the list goes on. It's been fun, but it's also made summer speed at an alarming rate.
But let's not complain. It could be far worse.
That said, it's time for The Prefunk, a primer for the coming weekend for you and your liver - with a picture of an alcoholic household pet thrown in for good measure.
Seventh Annual Plogfest @ Uncle Sam's American Bar & Grill
Saturday, July 17
As the typically hung-over Bobble Tiki noted in his Threats & Promises column yesterday, the annual Plogfest musical celebration - which made its name as a camp-out, nature meets local music summer music orgy in Graham - has moved this year, relocating the action to Uncle Sam's American Bar & Grill in Spanaway. While the campfires and Kum-ba-ya vibe will be gone, this year's Plogfest - the seventh annual - will still kick major musical ass, with a lineup featuring Koz of Konfuzion, Voxxy Vallejo, I Defy, Dave Hannon, Body Box, Menace, Faces Pale, Dead Soul Funeral and more. More info is available here.
PREFUNK: The thing is, Plogfest - to me, at least - seemed at least half as much about the music as it was about the communal camping experience. While I whole-heartedly support Plogfest's move, as I'm sure the reasons were plenty, it will be sad to see the outdoorsy aspects lost.
So here's what you do...
Plogfest will kick off at noon Saturday at Uncle Sam's in Spanaway. That means, if you play your cards right, you could get a full night of camping in prior to the festivities. Why not pack your backpack, grab a sleeping bag, and finally experience the wondrous camping opportunities offered by Spanaway.
I call dibs on the dumpster behind Lucky Teriyaki.
SUSTAINABILITY FROM A PUBLIC RELATIONS PERSPECTIVE @ PLU
Sunday, July 18
Sunday, Pacific Luther University's Dr. Amy Young, who taught a class last spring, "focused on developing a plan for advertising and building a public relations campaign around sustainability at PLU," according to promotional material, will lead a presentation based on the research that class collected from 3-5 p.m. Young will discuss what her class discovered, including obstacles identified in establishing sustainability into the culture at PLU, and how those obstacles might be overcome. All of this, of course, from a "public relations perspective."
PREFUNK: It might not be a bad idea to brush up on a recent email from the City of Tacoma, which hit my inbox yesterday. Learn the ins and outs of it, and then ask Dr. Young how Tacoma is handing its sustainability... FROM A PUBLIC RELATIONS PERSPECTIVE.
The email:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 15, 2010
Consent decree over improper release of refrigerant leads to cleaner air
The City of Tacoma has entered into a consent decree with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Justice regarding improper release of refrigerant into the air at the City's Household Hazardous Waste facility. As a result of the consent decree and environmental projects specified in the decree, the city's environment will be safer and cleaner and greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced.
According to the EPA, the city released refrigerant into the air between October 2004 and August 2007 in violation of the federal Clean Air Act.
Under the consent decree, the city will pay a civil penalty of $224,684 and complete three environmental projects to reduce diesel emissions and improve air quality in Tacoma. The projects are:
1. Replacing one existing diesel garbage truck with a truck powered by diesel hydraulic hybrid technology. This vehicle saves fuel and reduces diesel emissions.
2. Purchasing an electric hybrid "yard mule," a small tractor used to move trailers around at the landfill. This vehicle runs largely on electricity, saving fuel and reducing diesel emissions.
3. Retrofitting 10 semi tractor-trailer trucks with equipment that reduces diesel emissions.
In November 2006, a departing city employee expressed concern about the handling of refrigerant gases at the landfill. The city immediately contacted the EPA to report the potential violation and seek assistance in dealing with the concern.
A city investigation was unable to substantiate improper refrigerant recovery practices, and the city understood that technicians were following accepted procedures.
The EPA determined that the city had released refrigerant from storage tanks after the gases were removed from appliances. The EPA estimated that about 4,160 pounds of R-12 and 450 pounds of R-22 were improperly vented from the storage tanks. The city didn't have sufficient documentation to prove this didn't happen.
The city has already implemented strict refrigerant handling procedures, including increased recordkeeping standards. The city believes its current procedures will prevent the release of refrigerants in the future.
Tacoma City Council authorized the consent decree June 15.
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Now that's some real sustainable shit... at least from a public relations perspective.
See you next week.