PICKING WITH A PURPOSE >>>

The South Sound's fall harvest is on.

That means volunteers with The Pierce County Gleaning Project will be descending on local produce fields to gather fresh vegetables for distribution to hunger-relief agencies.

According to a PCGP, a whopping 40 to 50 percent of commercially grown food goes to waste in this country. I believe it. I witnessed hundreds of apples on the sidewalks during my run yesterday through Tacoma's Northend Neighborhood.

The PCGP collects food throughout the year to distribute to such hunger-relief agencies as St. Leo Food Connection food bank and the Emergency Food network. It runs an urban fruit harvest in Tacoma, gleans from farms in the Puyallup Valley, and connects gardeners with food banks through a Plant a Row for the Hungry Program.

In Thurston County, the Thurston County Food Bank began a gleaning project in 2010. The TCFB gleaners focus on harvesting the bounty from their county's organic farm and CSA community as well as the four Kiwanis-run food bank gardens in Olympia.

The fall harvest offers an opportunity to collect large amounts of fresh-from-the- farm produce. The donated produce is often what's left in the field after the farmers have had their pick. Vegetables that are an off size, shape or color might not be suitable for shipping to area markets.

It can't be accomplished without volunteers.

To get involved with the Pierce County Gleaning Project, sign up to volunteer and find a list of where to donate garden bounty at www.piercecountygleaningproject.org or call 253.584.1040.

To work with the Thurston County Food Bank, visit www.thurstoncountyfoodbank.org or call 360.352.8597.

ONLINE CHATTER >>>

Today's comment comes from Lynnette, in response to a Spew post from this morning on Saturday's Green Tacoma Day and the available volunteer opportunities. We'll let your imagination take it from there ...

Lynnette writes,

We will be having 250 goats in McKinley Park. They will be sectioned off and you won't have to work with them. The goats will be here from Thurs. the 22nd until Tues. the 27th. Come out and join us for 3 hours of fun and you get a free education. For all groups with 5 or more we are giving away a 8x10 picture of your group. Contact Larry 253-905-8020

DIG IT >>>

National Public Lands Day, which calls for volunteers to spend a day working to improve and restore trails, campgrounds and natural habitats, officially falls on Sept. 24 this year. But related events across the South Sound and the nation take place over a two-week period, during which time the call will be answered by helping hands. If you'd like to be among them, Saturday's the day when the fourth annual Green Tacoma Day consumes area parks.

Volunteers organized locally by Green Tacoma Partnership will converge Saturday on 14 Tacoma parks, including Point Defiance Park, Titlow Park, Garfield Gulch, McKinley Park, Tacoma Nature Center and Pacific Lutheran University.  If you love to remove scotch broom, Green Tacoma Day needs you. If you can lay down a mean chip spread, please get involved. If blackberry bush thorns give you an incredible rush, you're needed. Volunteers can, er, volunteer by contacting Richard Madison with Metro Parks at 253.752.2596.

Green Tacoma Day is organized by The Green Tacoma Partnership, which combines the efforts of the City of Tacoma, Metro Parks Tacoma, Tahoma Audubon Society, Cascade Land Conservancy, citizens, educational organizations, neighborhood groups, small wood nymphs, non-profits, faith-based organizations, gnomes and businesses to create and support natural spaces in Tacoma.

For information on parks and projects, go to GrennTacoma.org.

STREETS ARE FOR PEOPLE >>>

Park(ing) Day has come and gone and for at least another year, the urban jungle known as downtown Tacoma will be a little less green than it was for one glorious day yesterday. 

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tacoma Bike, BLRB Architects, Doyle's Public House, Cascade Land Conservatory, Tacoma School of the Arts, Transportation Choices Coalition, Boe Architects, Pierce Transit, Stadium Bike Club Citizens for a Healthy Bay, the Seabury School and your beloved Weekly Volcano transformed metered parking spaces into a pop-up park. Yesterday's national Park(ing) Day challenged the status quo with the goal of stirring conversation or dialogue on public space, green space, and to inspire a vision of a city where the streets are for people.

The Weekly Volcano took liberties – transforming our little space into a mini Woodstock festival, bringing love and music to the urban environment. The public hung with us, honked at us, hugged us and ate our free brownies. On a side note, Pierce Transit drivers gave the most thumbs up of all the public transportation drivers. Taxis came in second.

Big thanks to Downtown: On The Go and Transportation Choices Coalition for organizing the local effort. And thanks to Ben and Ted Fuller of the band China Davis for performing all day at our (PARK)stock.

Remember, Park(ing) Day isn't just about temporarily reclaiming some public land for public use, it's about raising awareness that whatever its benefits, there is a high cost we pay for the convenience of on-street parking.

Anyone have links to photos of the other park(ing) parks in downtown Tacoma?

LEARN ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY >>>

In 1874, less than a decade after the end of the Civil War, the original Chautauqua Movement sprang to life - the first national education and cultural movement in the United States, emphasizing learning for all. It started at Lake Chautauqua in western upstate New York as a summer retreat for Sunday school teachers and grew to include a mail-order book club established in 1878. The movement led to independent assemblies, as well as touring circuit Chautauquas, which were part educational and part vaudevillian.

This afternoon, in Tacoma, the Chautauqua Movement finds its way to the First Congregational Church, in the form of educational gathering focusing on sustainability in Tacoma. Sponsored by Go Local Tacoma, the City of Tacoma's Office of Sustainability and Pull Together Now, the Tacoma Chautauqua will feature workshops by Environmental Business alliance, Tacoma 360, Palmer Scholars, Cascade Land Conservancy, Puget Sound Partnership and others.

As you learn, you'll enjoy entertainment by Pearl Django and Fab-5. Food will be provided by Gallucci's and Corina Bakery.

For more information, call 206.679.1252.

[First Congregational Church, Sunday, Sept. 11, 4-8 p.m., free, 209 S. J St., Tacoma]

SATURDAY, SEPT. 10, 2011 >>>

1. Country music, mechanical bull, and clear skies will provide the backdrop for dance fanatics beginning at 5 p.m. in the parking lot behind Big Whisky Saloon. By our count this is the fourth time the downtown Tacoma country-western themed club has hosted a massive party in its parking lot - although it has removed "Redneck" from the title. Anyway, the 100.7 FM The Wolf-sponsored party will feature live music from Jonathan Harris and Robbie Walden & The Gunslingers, and outdoor dance floor, drinks, horseshoe pits, barbecue and the said "Bubba the Mechanical Bull."

2. Bike or drive through 20 community gardens of Tacoma to watch gardeners harvest, and learn about sustainable and local food practices from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. There will also be community information booths, a free raffle for all attendees and giveaways at Franklin Garden (where tour begins and ends) at South 15^th Street and Puget Sound Avenue. This event is free.

3. What better way to take in the essence of Olympia than to take a walking tour of the downtown waterfront. The boats, saltwater, gentle breeze and awesome public art all lend to a leisurely and interesting walk along the harbor. Sponsored by Olympia Parks, Arts & Recreation and the Olympia Arts Commission, a free guided tour of Olympia's public art along the waterfront begins at 11 a.m. by the mural of the big wave at 4th Avenue and Water Street.  

4. Using experimental printmaking, mixed media and sculpture, Allison Hyde's work seeks to capture and explore ephemeral moments, and the notion of emotional loss associated with personal pasts. By splitting video sequences into still photos and recreating the images via printmaking she examines the subtleties of fleeting moments and the nostalgia associated with recollection of the past. Hyde's work is on display at the Telephone Room Gallery, which hosts an artists reception tonight from 6-9 p.m.

5. The Big Wheel Stunt Show All Star Throwdown begins at 9 p.m. inside The New Frontier Lounge.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Wine tastings!

10 YEARS. 10. YEARS. >>>

According to the Tacoma Arts Commission, 10 institutions, individuals and ideas born around a decade ago have made a clear impact on Tacoma - around the same time TAC launched its Arts at Work month program. In celebration, TAC initiated a "10 in 10" series on its Tacoma Arts blog focusing on 10 things created 10 years ago that helped make Tacoma the progressive urban center it is today.

A few of the 10 have been named and examined on said blog:

Tacoma Reads Together: "Tacoma Reads Together is T-town's version of a literary potluck."

Tacoma School of the Arts: "... five hundred 15 to 18 year olds ‘going to work' each day in downtown Tacoma [bring] creative energy, fresh perspective and a little lunch money" into town."

UW-Tacoma's Urban Studies Program: "It is the only such program in the state, offering Bachelor Degrees in both urban studies as well as the new Sustainable Urban Development Program."

Hmmm, I know an alt. weekly born 10 years ago in Grit City.

LINK: Tacoma Arts blog

WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY >>>

It's Go Time: The three-years contact between the Tacoma School District and its more than 2,000 teachers expires today. (News Tribune)

Buying Some Time: Tacoma City Council throws down a temporary ban on big-box stores based on public fear that the Tacoma Elks Club property could fill with shopping carts. (News Tribune)

That Takes Some Choot-spa: Rick Perry says he's thumbing through Charles Stanley's Turning the Tide. (Mother Jones)

No Floats For You!: GOP politicians banned from Wisconsin Labor Day parade. (Chicago Tribune)

We're Doomed: Climate change makes people batshit crazy. (Sidney Morning Herald)

Charlie Sheen: Comedy Central has released promo videos for his roast. (Comedy Central)

Happy Birthday: Goose and Maverick turn 25. (New York Post)

Dream Big: Like, boobies the size of basketballs big. (Dumb As A Blog)

ONE WEEK! >>>

Tacoma will get a lit­tle food-friendlier. Since 2006, a group of dedicated locals have been working to establish a place where fresh, local, non-chemically raped food can be found by all interested in looking, and, better yet, a place for the community to come together, connect and grow. And the years of active recruitment and planning will pay off when the Tacoma Food Co-op opens its doors Aug. 26 at 3002 Sixth Ave. and to be the city's only one-stop shop for local, sustainable and fresh foods and household items.

The official word has arrived via a press release:

Tacoma will get a lit­tle food-friendlier. Since 2006, a group of dedicated locals have been working to establish a place where fresh, local, non-chemically raped food can be found by all interested in looking, and, better yet, a place for the community to come together, connect and grow. And the years of active recruitment and planning will pay off when the Tacoma Food Co-op opens its doors Aug. 26 at 3002 Sixth Ave. and to be the city's only one-stop shop for local, sustainable and fresh foods and household items.

The official word has arrived via a press release:

"This couldn't happen at a better time for Tacoma," says Corrinne Henderson, President of the Co-op. "People are increasingly questioning where their food is coming from and the best ways to nourish their families. Washington is lucky to have some of the best farmers and growers on the west coast and we're incredibly excited to provide an affordable bridge from their farms to Tacoma's dinner tables."

The Co-op effort began in 2006 with a small group of Tacoma residents who saw a need for an urban grocery that would provide locally-sourced fresh and organic foods. After several years of laying the groundwork and crunching numbers, the Co-op this year finalized plans to take over the Neighborhood Market location at 6th & Junett. The business launched an aggressive membership and fundraising drive and successfully has recruited more than 750 members and raised more than $200,000.

The Co-op will officially open on August 26 and will be open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. - 9 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Both members and non-members are welcome to shop at the store. The Co-op will also host a Grand Opening Celebration all day on September 10 featuring local growers, musicians and more.

The store will boast an abundance of fresh local produce and baked goods, locally grown meats, specialty items such as raw milk and gluten-free foods, the start of what will be an expansive selection of bulk foods, as well as natural household and personal care products.

For more information about the Co-op and how to become a member, visit www.tacomafoodcoop.com.

LINK: Previously in the Weekly Volcano

TACOMA REPRESENT >>>

The University of Washington is No. 1 nationwide on Sierra magazine's 2011 list of "Coolest Schools" - college and universities recognized for their efforts to stop global warming and to operate sustainably. The "Coolest Schools" are featured as the cover story of Sierra's September/October issue.

The University of Washington has appeared on the annual list ever since it was launched by Sierra in 2007. The rating is for the UW's three campuses in Seattle, Bothell and Tacoma. Yes, the Tacoma campus played a role in achieving the green designation.

"Placing first in sustainability for our campus is an honor," said Lia Wetzstein, instructional supervisor andco-chairwoman of the UW Tacoma Chancellor's Advisory Committee on Sustainability in a press release. "I feel like it's a responsibility to be a leader in sustainability in higher education."

Let's read the press release:  

At UW Tacoma, the Cherry Parkes and Mattress Factory buildings achieved LEED Silver certification, Philip Hall achieved Gold, and the Joy building is awaiting confirmation of the top rating of Platinum. In an example of the university's use of recycled materials, the Joy building also incorporated guardrails and screens made of salvaged beams and columns.

Meanwhile, the university's planned Hood Corridor project is being designed to meet goals in alternative transportation, energy reduction and water quality. The project, which will transform a historic rail corridor to park space, will include bike and pedestrian pathways that connect to the Prairie Line Trail through Tacoma and feature energy-efficient LED lighting. UW Tacoma is collaborating with the City of Tacoma on a system along the corridor to improve the quality of stormwater that currently flows untreated into the Foss Waterway.

On the academic front, the sustainability committee is working to create an interdisciplinary minor in sustainability. 

In other efforts, UW Tacoma:

• Students maintain a composting station and "Giving Garden" to provide produce to the community.
• Plans to install recharging stations for electric vehicles in the parking garage of the Court 17 apartment complex.
• Plans to develop a central energy plant incorporating a low temperature loop and geothermal heat exchange to achieve campus carbon neutrality by 2030.
• Begins a project Monday to replace aging heat pumps and air conditioning chiller units in several buildings with energy-efficient models that use an environmentally friendly refrigerant.

Schools were ranked on 10 factors: efficiency, energy, food, academics, purchasing, transportation, waste management, administration, financial investments and other initiatives. The complete list of "cool schools" is available at http://www.sierraclub.org/coolschools. 

Other local schools on the list

The Evergreen State College ranked Ninth

Pacific Lutheran University ranked 24th

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