City of Spokane SMART Month Proclamation:
March 1, 6:00 P.M.
City Council meeting
Join us or watch it live on Cable Channel 5

Do you regularly inspect and clean the coils of your air conditioner, or keep windows and doors closed to retain heat or cool air? Do you cover and contain any materials stored outdoors, and/or recycle material or products at your business?

If this sounds like your business, please apply for your FREE SMART business practices recognition certificate today! Hurry up, the City of Spokane wants to recognize you this March, SMART Month.

Click here to learn more or to download an application.
City of Spokane’s SMART Business Recognition Program

The program will try to recognize all applications submitted by March 5, 2010. To learn more about the program, attend the recognition event and see for yourself the benefits of enrolling in the program, or just contact Teri Stripes at tstripes@spokanecity.org or at (509) 625-6597.

A Competition for Clean Technology Entrepreneurs and Start-Ups

When: Tuesday, April 13th
3:00 – 5:00 pm
Where: Greater Spokane Incorporated
801 W. Riverside Ave, Spokane, WA

Greater Spokane Incorporated is pleased to announce its second year as a partner with the Cleantech Open, a national business plan competition for entrepreneurs and start-up businesses in the arena of clean technology and energy efficiency.

The CleanTech Open, the world’s largest and most successful
cleantech business competition and networking program,
is now accepting entries for the 2010 competition.
Companies that qualify in one of six clean technology
categories can enter the competition and be eligible to
receive a unique blend of mentoring, opportunities to win
services from world-class business professionals, MBA level
seminars and workshops, and cash prizes for regional and
national winners.

GoNano Technologies, a Sirti client, and Innovatek, a Sirti
client graduate, each advanced to the semifinal round of the
Pacific Northwest CleanTech Open last year.
For detailed information on the 2010 Pacific Northwest
Cleantech competition, including categories, rules, and entry
formalities, visit www.cleantechopen.com.

For further information, please contact Gary Mallon at gmallon@greaterspokane.org

Saturday, March 6th
9:00a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Peter’s & Sons Flowers & Gifts
512 E Pacific, Spokane

Join us for leftovers! Explore our eclectic collection of gently used items for growing. cooking, baking and serving good food! Free entry! Raffle! Coffee! Refreshments! Free hourly door prizes! Benefits Slow Food Spokane River’s work toward a food system that is good, clean and fair.

**We’re looking for donations of gently used items for growing, preparing and serving food.
We welcome both residential and commercial kitchen items, countertop appliances are great if they’re in working order, no major appliances please.

Donation Drop-Off location:
Peter’s & Sons Flowers & Gifts
512 E Pacific Ave. (Just East of Sherman)
8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Saturdays
For more information, email sf.spokaneriver@gmail.com or call Kristi at (509) 209-2851.

The proceeds from this sale benefit local Slow Food projects. Last year,part of the proceeds from this sale provided a scholarship to Quillisascut’s Slow Food Youth Workshop.**

Sunday, March 7, 2010
Time: 7:00pm – 8:30pm
Location: Wolff Auditorium in the Jepson Center, Gonzaga University
Street: 1100 block of North Astor
City/Town: Spokane, WA

Jim Stoltz, known far and wide as Walkin’ Jim, is one of the USA’s most unique folk singers and backcountry travelers. Jim brings his multimedia show “Forever Wild” to Spokane on Sunday, March 7, a concert consisting of live music, stories, poetry, and stunning nature photography, all of which capture the uniqueness of the wild country Jim has explored for the past 30 years.

Each year, when not touring, Jim spends months at a time soaking up the solitude of our nation’s spectacular wilderness areas on his long
distance walks through the wild country of North America–nearly 27,000 miles.

Jim has been presented with the Environmental Protection Agency’s Outstanding Achievement Award for his sharing of nature and wilderness across America. Visit his website at www.walkinjim.com

You’ll also hear a little about the campaign for wilderness in the Colville National Forest, and have a chance to learn more about local organizations such as The Lands Council, Conservation Northwest, and others.

Bring the whole family and join us for this one-of-a-kind concert and inspiring journey! Admission is free.

Sponsored in part by the local Sierra Club.

Free Class!

Sign up now. Next Session Begins Tuesday, March 2nd

Call 509-279-6251 to enroll now.

Community Colleges of Spokane’s Institute for Extended Learning is inviting everyone age 50 and over to explore the possibilities of making your career or business greener! This free class is the perfect opportunity for you to come learn how you can help save some green by helping to save the resources of our planet. Upon completion participants will have achieved a basic understanding of, the fundamental concepts of sustainability applicable to a broad range of professional, social and technical careers. We’ll look at the definitions of and job opportunities inherent in Climate Change, Peak Oil and Carbon Trading.

We’ll also introduce some of the tools used by players in the new green economy, including the Genuine Progress Indicator, (an alternative to Gross Domestic Product), the Global Reporting Index and its correspondence to local community sustainability indicators. And we’ll look at some green business tools like Triple Bottom Line accounting and the Natural Step program.

With this new knowledge in hand, participants will research and develop a career ladder appropriate to their Personal career goals and leave with a clearly detailed pathway for achieving success.

Possible career pathways for program participants may include enrollment in to specialized training programs including:

· degree and certificate

· credit programs,

· professional development programs,

· industry-specific online certification programs,

· new non-credit short-term certification programs related to energy.

A significant sampling of these growth opportunities will also be explored.

And finally, you’ll get some specialized counseling on the development of effective resumes, references and interview preparation relevant to a more green-targeted search for jobs or business opportunities.

The class meets Tuesday and Thursday evenings for two hours (6:00-8:00), and Saturdays for 6 hours (8:00 – 2:30 with half hour lunch break) for a total of four weeks, March 2 – March 27, 2010. That’s 10 hours a week, a total of 40 hours that could change your life.

A final session of the class will convene in mid-April and run through mid-May. Check with Yvette Dunlap, 509-279-6248 for details.

If you know of someone 50 or over who would benefit from this class, please share this invitation!

Jim Wavada

Instructor

Greening Your Future

(509) 999-1864

Register now!

The Spokane River Forum is pleased to post this year’s conference agenda. Register now to participate.

Last year, over 250 people attended one or more days of the conference. We’re building on last year’s success with topics showcasing new initiatives, new research results, new studies, changes to federal, state and local policies, and new community development opportunities.

Click on the agenda to learn more about sessions and speakers. Don’t miss this wonderful opportunity to learn, share and network with others.

Spokane River Forum | 2206 S Sherman | Spokane, WA 99203 | www.spokaneriver.net

A symposium exploring how North Idaho College and the Coeur d’Alene community can move toward greater sustainability.

• Waste – Monday

• Water – Tuesday

• Food – Wednesday

• Power – Thursday

• Connect – Friday

Daily Schedue (All week- Monday through Friday):
9 am: Daily guest lecture, Schuler Auditorium
11 am: Film screening, Schuler Auditorium
12 pm – 3 pm: Hands on activities (see below)
All Day: Information booth, SUB Lobby
6 pm: Film re-screening, Schuler Auditorium
7 pm: Discussion/Planning panel, Todd Hall

Featured activities during the week:
Mon – Recycling drive on campus
Tues – Tap water & smart water use drive
Wed – Build NIC community garden
Thurs – Sustainable energy models
Fri – Campus-wide conservation

Win Big!!!

Must be present at 9 am lecture for a chance to win daily $100 Sustainability Prize.

North Idaho College
1000 W Garden Ave.
Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814
(208) 769 -3300

For more information or to view a campus map, visit: NIC.edu

Solar Power – The investment with strong returns.
Learn the basics of Solar Power, and what is required to get started. The cost of the class is $35.00 to include materials and handouts. All classes are limited to 20 people.

Please contact Nadine Sullivan at 509-924-8803 or email nadine@ecodepotinc.com to register. Classes are held at Eco Depot, Inc. 1326 E. Sprague Avenue, Spokane, WA.

Mark your calendars now for the 3rd annual Called to Care Conference, which will be held on Saturday, March 20! This year’s conference is titled “Organizing for the Work of Environmental Stewardship” and will include presentations by Spokane Alliance leaders; Juliet Sinisterra, local sustainability planner; Earth Ministry staff from Seattle; and Jon Snyder, Spokane City Councilman.
Time to network with others and be inspired to care for Creation!

Registration, which includes lunch, is $20 for individuals or $15 for individuals from groups with 3 or more attendees. For more information or to register, contact Lynda Maraby at (206) 579-1884 or faithandenvironment@gmail.com.

If you live in Spokane County, and want to learn simple, natural ways to build and retain healthy soil and reduce waste and pollution, and make a valuable contribution to your community, this program is for you! The Master Composter Program has two components – training and volunteering.

For more information, click here!