Fresh Connections – The Parfitt Way Blog

Visit the Bainbridge Island Chamber of Commerce Community Calendar equipped with your planner and a pencil; this April’s crammed events calendar will have you picking and choosing. Within just the first week of April, islanders have already had the opportunity to attend the opening of the Bainbridge Island Farmer’s Market, Composting with John Barutt, Email-a-Tree, and Learn to Row—a Weekend Intensive. Aside from incredibly helpful opportunities with AARP Tax Assistance and the Career Center at the library, take a peak at a few of the events this April has in store for you.

Wednesday, April 13^th

• Family Fun: Spaced Out, with Stuart Gibbs: Book readings aren’t just for adults. Bring your family to Eagle Harbor Book Company from 7-8 PM to listen to Stuart Gibbs discuss his latest young adult novel Spaced Out, from the Moon Base Alpha Find out what happens when the fate of a stolen Moon Base commander rests in the hands of 12 year-old Dashiell Gibson in this puzzling mystery!
• Protecting Pollinators with Ann Lovejoy: Be sure to attend this discussion from 7-8 PM at the B.I. City Hall Council Chambers as we move forward into flower, garden, and pollinator Yes, we’re talking about why pollinators—not just bees—are imperative, and in peril. Learn how to make pollinator-friendly private and public gardens with Ann Lovejoy.

Thursday, April 14^th

• KRL Presents “Ferry Tales”: This month, join us at the Kitsap Regional Library for John Kennedy Toole’s “A Confederacy of Dunces.” The free event lasts from 4:30-5:15 PM.
• Community Discussion and Book Signing: “Passings” with Holly Hughes: To welcome Earth Day properly, attend Eagle Harbor Book Co. at 7:30 PM to listen to Indianola Poet Holly Hughes discuss the extinction of fifteen species of birds in her most recent 15-poem chapbook. The passing of these birds is a reflection of our own demise, and a community discussion will hopefully enhance our outlook and input on the environment.

Friday, April 15^th

• Bainbridge Symphony Orchestra Presents: “Movie Music LIVE!”: Performances Friday and Saturday evening at 7:30 will bring to life the music that you know and love film, stage, television, and even video games. A unique musical outing for the whole family, hosted by the Bainbridge Performing Arts Center. Catch a last minute showing Sunday, April 17^th at 3 PM.

Saturday, April 16^th

• 2016 “Call to the Wild” Gala Auction & Dinner: This 12^th annual gala auction and dinner supports the West Sound Wildlife Shelter and their educational and rehabilitation programs. Live and silent auctions as well as raffles and fun activities will bring the Puget Sound community together to support future stewards and philanthropists as well as various environmental non-profits.
• Rain Garden Basics: A mid-day tutorial on the purpose and promise of rain gardens. Join WSU Extension Rain Garden Mentors at the Kitsap Public Library from 1-3 PM to go deeper in to the aesthetics and engineering of rain gardens, particularly in regards to reduction of pollution and storm water runoff.

Wednesday, April 20^th

• A Sense of Place: Cascadia and Alaska in a Time of Climate Change: Dan Kowalski will discuss the human connection to our planet—and, in particular, the Cascadia bioregion—at the Bainbridge Public Library from 7-9 PM. A sense of place and a relationship with our natural home can bring greater understanding to our role in climate change. Kowalski’s discussion will emphasize Alaskan glaciers.

Thursday, April 21^st

• Pints for Pets at Wobbly Hopps Brewery: Venture to Bremerton for this third annual event, hosted from 5:30-8 PM. $1 from every pour will be donated to the Kitsap Humane Society. Friendly dogs welcome!
• April’s Bainbridge Fruit Club Meeting: An important event for those of us with fruit trees on our property. Randy Lee will share his expertise on “Renovating Old Fruit Trees,” as well as what to do with fruit trees that have been abandoned or mismanaged. The event is from 6:30-8:30 PM at the Bainbridge Grange Hall.

Friday, April 22^nd

• Celtic harps, Rare Instruments, and Wondrous Stories with Lisa Lynne & Aryeh Frankfurter: This San Francisco-based, multi-instrumentalist duo will mesmerize you with traditional and modern takes on folk music, as well as bountiful knowledge of Celtic music, and many stories from a professional career in the music industry. Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the door for this event, hosted from 7:30-9:30 at The Dayaalu Center.

Saturday, April 23^rd

• Trees: The Best Technology for Fighting Climate Change: We all know trees are a powerful, life-bringing force of nature, but do we know of their many abilities to mitigate climate change? Learn with Olaf Ribeiro from 10 AM to noon at Strawberry Hill Center.
• Bainbridge Island Wine and Cheese Tour: This two-day event, from 10 AM to 5 PM, will feature the seven wineries on Bainbridge Island as well as local cheeses to highlight the tastes of the region. No tickets needed—tasting fees will be collected at the winery.

Sunday, April 24^th

• Afternoon on the Trails: Honoring Earth Day, Islandwood opens up their many trails for your self-guided exploration, as well as their Investigation Station to help you and your little ones identify the treasures that you find or take photos of, from cones to shells to leaves. This event, from 1-5 PM, will help you transition from winter hibernation to spring in the outdoors!

Wednesday, April 27^th

• Infographics: Where Art and Science Meet Climate Change: In a time where memes and images are given more attention to than articles and stories, we must learn how to better our information sharing via infographics. Marilyn Ostergren will discuss her work creating infographics regarding energy, environmentalism, greenhouse gas, and topics of that nature at UW. Learn how to raise awareness on climate change from 7-8:30 PM at the Bainbridge Public Library.

Editor’s Note: While we often try to remain neutral on political commentary, this argument hits a little too close to home to be ignored.

As I listen to the competing arguments for the preferred use of the Suzuki property, I am disappointed by the discussions.

In many respects, this is a bizarre story of a geographically exclusive city that prides itself on being environmentally conscious, whose city council can approve the construction of yet another 10,000-square-foot vacation home with a heated outdoor swimming pool, and simultaneously decry as an eyesore the “ugly” multifamily developments where working class people live. In other respects, this is a familiar story of America’s continuing clash between people of differing economic classes, who rely on each other, and yet cannot figure out how to live with each other.

Bainbridge Island’s service sector is teetering on the edge of unsustainability for one reason and one reason alone – lack of available workers. Historically, to maintain our two restaurants’ doors open we have required some 60 – 70 persons in our work force per year. That nets out to about 35 full time equivalents (FTE). We are just one employer on an island that continues to demand a vibrant and healthy downtown. Each year we watch as our available labor pool shrinks and the number of staff miles driven to get to work increases. In my many years on the Chamber of Commerce board of directors, I have heard a common refrain from the island’s employers. How is that good for the island and our island environment?

For those who are taking issue with the Housing Resource Board’s (HRB) proposal based on environmental concerns, please take pause. If Bainbridge Island is a defining place that embodies the best of environmentalism, then much of that movement becomes wed to the condition of the privileged. Privileged environmentalism is not progressive politics but a politics of the rich and comfortable that only claims progressive ideals. That brand of environmentalism becomes entirely consistent with – and is a close cousin of – class exclusionary politics.

Has Bainbridge Island, through its environmentalist claims, targeted for exclusion those workers who service the island-city?

I sincerely hope not.

I urge the City’s decision makers to actively engage and support the HRB’s proposals for the Suzuki property.

J.L. Waite

P.S. – If you’d like to read more about “environmental privilege” read The Slums of Aspen (Immigrants vs. the Environment in America’s Eden) by Lisa Sun-Hee Park and David Naguib Pellow, 2011, New Yoork University Press

Image Courtesy of the National Weather Service

Post contributed by Christine St. Pierre

During this incredibly dry, hot summer, brown is the new green for forests, gardens, and fields in the Pacific Northwest. Wildfires are ravaging parts of Canada and patches of Washington state, leaving the whole of the upper left—and other northern parts of the country—choking on its smoke.

Considering the incredible drought and an apocalyptic conflict over water rights in California, it comes as no surprise that Washington, Idaho, Oregon, California, and Western Canada are also experiencing hotter-than-usual temperatures. But, wildfires in the wettest region of the country have many on alert, wondering what this could mean for the future in regards to climate change. Following an unusually dry winter with miniscule snowfall in Washington’s famous ski destination, Mt. Baker, these traveling wildfires are cause for alarm.

In Canada, tens of thousands of acres are burning, from the dry, flat central provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan (north of Minnesota and North Dakota) to British Columbia. Currently, urgent evacuations are underway in Saskatchewan. Many U.S. citizens have posted photos of a smoky haze over the Twin Cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis, triggering air quality alerts that urge limitation of outdoor activities, particularly for those affected by smoke or other contaminants in the air, particularly the very young and elderly. In Washington, the smoke has reached as far south as Vancouver, just north of the Oregon border.

According to Canadian officials, nearly 90 wildfires are currently being battled in British Columbia alone, claiming 77 square miles of Whistler, best known for its legendary skiing and snowboarding. In Washington and Oregon, firefighters are working to contain 21 wildfires. The “Paradise Fire” continues to rage on in the Olympic National Park, with many others scattered across the state. Recently, an increase in fires follows Fourth of July fireworks shows, particularly for Lake Whatcom in Bellingham, where a small fire continues its slow march. Spontaneous fires reported along I-5 in the Seattle area are thought to have been caused by cigarette butts.

This summer, do you part in minimizing the potential spread of wildfire in our normally luscious Pacific Northwest. Refrain from using fireworks, setting fires near the wilderness (particularly with dry leaves), and have your vehicles checked for functioning spark arresters before heading into the forests. Now would be a great time to consider cutting the habit of smoking, or get in the habit of throwing your cigarette butts in the garbage. It’s our responsibility to prevent human-caused wildfires! Be sure to report alarming and potentially hazardous behavior to local authorities.

By Christine St. Pierre          Photo by Linda Wolf

“Don’t like Shell’s ice cold views on global warming?” “How much does a polar bear weigh? Enough to break the ice!” “You seem like you enjoy vacationing on the beach. Save the beaches!” “Does your little one love snacking on fish sticks?” “Ever seen Waterworld? Let’s make sure that doesn’t become our reality.”
Years ago, I used dozens of these catchy, shallow one-liners to draw peoples’ attention to me, the 5’ 3’’ Greenpeace canvasser standing in the pouring rain on 4th and Pike with a clipboard and the determination to get you to join the ranks of others who wish to keep Shell out of the arctic. In a perfect world, I could have looked you in the eyes, reached my hand in your direction, and said, “Shell oil plans to drill for fossil fuels in one of the most wild, hostile environments on Earth,” or, “One isolated oil spill endangers the Indigenous communities and species thriving in the arctic ocean, as well as the entire planet,” or maybe, as actress and activist Jane Fonda recently pleaded at a rally in Seattle, “This is the fight of our lives.”
But the world is not perfect, and, statistically, using corny one-liners provokes you to stop and talk with people like me much more frequently then us shouting, “Did you know 13% of the planet’s undiscovered oil is thought to rest beneath the Arctic Ocean? Seems like a lot! But at our current rate, that’s only three years of consumption! Is that worth irreversible environmental devastation?”
Why? Because you don’t want to be bummed out, confronted, shocked—because you’re on vacation or a quick lunch break or you would rather go home and research this issue on your own. More often than not, you’ll keep walking, shouting an apology that grows fainter with every footstep. And, more often than not, you won’t research more at home. You’ll forget about what I said, why I was standing there. But eventually, inevitably, we’ll find ourselves standing side-by-side on the frontlines of one of the most threatening capitalist schemes in human history.
The movement didn’t start with Greenpeace or me or you; it has been happening for decades: we the people are silenced while fossil fuel lobbyists and greedy politicians shake hands in the crooked corridors of DC, sending fleets of oil rigs into heavily populated, pristine environments, causing massive disasters like the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska or the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Many don’t believe their voices can be heard by the fossil fuel mafia or politicians who are positioned to hear our cries—that one person can’t make a difference. But if everyone believes that, then there is no movement—only surrender.
In 2013, provoked by massive people power, the federal government barred Shell from drilling in the Chukchi Sea following a series of accidents during exploratory drilling in 2012, i.e. Shell’s drilling rig Kulluk running aground off the coast of Alaska. The U.S. Coast Guard blamed this embarrassing uh-oh on “inadequate management and assessment of risks” in icy, storm-tossed waters, according to its final report on the accident. News spread about the operating rig pleading guilty to eight felony offenses and paying $12.2 million over falsifying records that would prove the oil rig outdated and unfit for such demanding conditions. Shell temporarily halted the project, and many of Shell’s executive staff publicly expressed doubts about the low financial reward of such a high-risk operation, which is why many were outraged at the Obama Administration for allowing Shell (of all companies) to drill for oil off of the Alaskan coast this year.
Aside from threatening the food supply and livelihood of the four-million people living in the arctic, many of whom, like the Inupiat, are Indigenous communities, along with the seventeen whale species, thousands of migrating birds, endangered polar bears and stellar sea lions, and other life depending on this delicate ecosystem, here’s why we should all be concerned:

• The area is extremely remote, with manic weather, icy waters, hurricane-force storms, sub-zero temperatures, endless winter darkness, and waves up to 50 feet in height. There are no service roads or deepwater ports for hundreds of miles, delaying rapid rescue and cleanup when (not if) an accident occurs. The closest Coast Guard equipped for responding to oil spills is stationed 1,000 miles away.
• It took BP three months to control its ruptured well in the Gulf of Mexico. A cleanup in the drilling areas in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas boasts entirely different obstacles. The aforementioned extreme conditions threaten to prevent rescue access, freeze cranes, and deem oil dispersant chemicals useless.
• And then there’s the ice. A spill, detected or undetected, could spread beneath the surface of the ocean, traveling beneath ice flows hundreds of miles. There is potential for ice to become frozen in the oil within just four hours of exposure, where it could remain until the ice melts, whenever that may be.
• The successful drilling of vital relief wells, necessary for capping a ruptured well, could not be guaranteed in the drilling season’s few summer months before winter ice—and towering icebergs—returns.
• Shell claims it can clean up to 95% of spilled ice, a fantastical statistic considering the relative Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska which cleaned 9% of oil in 1989 and BP’s mere 17% in 2010. According to the US Geological Survey, 1-20% of Beaufort/Chukchi oil could be recovered.

Amidst a global movement to wean off of fossil fuels and redirect our focus on green and clean energy sources, a push to drill in hazardous, fragile waters for a small portion of energy is a giant setback. Recently, Seattle Mayor Ed Murray stood with activists and kayactivists amidst the port city’s positionality in the eye of the storm, “To prevent the full force of climate change, it’s time to turn the pages on things like coal trains, oil trains and oil drilling rigs. Its time to focus the economy on the future: electric cars and transit, green homes and environmentally progressive businesses.” The mayor and many Pacific Northwesterners have held strong in opposition against the presence and portage of Shell’s Arctic Fleet, including the drill rig Polar Pioneer. Folks have climbed it, blockaded it, and created a human flotilla in its path, but the fleet as begun its journey to Alaska.
Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar has received hundreds of thousands of phone calls from people like you and me over many years of persistence opposition. The Obama administration has received letters written by entire nations, unions, organizations, and individuals pleading for a ban on arctic oil drilling. We’ve seen what people power can do: so far, we have succeeded in pushing the Obama administration to block the Keystone XL pipeline and create stronger regulations for coal-fired power plants. It’s not too late to match your voice with the countless others who can no longer sit idle while one of the last remaining frontiers of the Far North is plundered for money. Start by signing one or all of the online petitions linked below.

Save the Arctic—Tell Obama

Stop Shell’s Dangerous Offshore Drilling Exploration in the Arctic

Stop Shell from Drilling in the Arctic!

Save the Arctic—Stop Shell

This February 22, the Chilly Hilly may only live up to half of its reputation. Unlike years past, the Chilly Hilly-a 33-mile community bike ride that draws crowds from across the globe-is scheduled for a day that boasts a sunny, 55-degree weather forecast. Chilly Hilly veterans-some of whom have embarked on this crazy ride since its origin 43 years ago-and first-timers can ditch the Gortex rain gear for colorful and whacky costumes to add to the herd of thousands-yes, many thousands!-of cyclists fleeing the ferry or hopping on in their own front yard. At maximum capacity, the Chilly Hilly has hosted riders from France, Canada, and states all across the country, riding 6,029 strong in 2010! The riders vary in ages too, ranging from toddlers to seniors and all ages in between.

Hosted by Cascadia Bicycle Club, the Chilly Hilly kicks off the cycling season with a wonderful event that combines creativity, exercise, community, and fun. For a small fee, anyone with wheels can enjoy what Bicycle Magazine named “one of the four classis rides” in the nation, according to Cascadia Bicycle Club’s website. The course starts at the very top of the off-ramp at Winslow Way at 8 in the morning and lasts until 3 o’clock, rolling along the island’s coastal vistas and forest roads for 2,675 feet of hilly climbing. Feel free to enjoy the course at your leisure, or treat it as race preparation-the only rules are that you have to enjoy yourself and remember, “It’s just a hill… get over it!”

For Seattle riders: day-of-ride packet pickup and registration will be held at Pyramid Brewing on 1^st Avenue S., with plenty of street, lot, and garage parking in the area. If your bike is on top of your car, avoid parking garages! Your registration includes one beer ticket at Pyramid Brewing Company as well as ferry fair to and from Seattle if you register there. For Bainbridge riders: day-of-ride packet pickup and registration will be held at B.I. Bicycle Shop in Downtown Winslow.

Once you reach Battle Point Park, take a break for some free food and refreshments (closes at 2 o’clock), but be sure to save room for the chili feast with vegetarian options and hot drinks at the finish line (closes at 3 o’clock) which benefits a different Bainbridge Island nonprofit each year. Along the way, enjoy the islands numerous coastal and forest parks and pockets of neighborhoods including Rolling Bay, Manitou Bay, Fay Bainbridge, Port Madison, Fort Ward, Grand Forest, Strawberry Hill, Lytle Beach, Lynwood Center, and many more! Register for the event at here and dust off your bikes, costumes, and sunglasses because this one’s going to be a bright and sunny event to remember!

Contributed by Christine St. Pierre

One afternoon, huddled around steaming lattes in a local coffee shop, Bainbridge Island artists had an off-the-wall idea—starting a local artist collective. One year and 30 members later, Off the Wall Artist Collective has been feverishly creating all mediums of art, from music and film to bronze castings, paintings, fine jewelry, and many others. Pioneered by such locals as Juliette Wallace, Sean Sebastian, Susannah Schaeffer, and Kaylë Steele, the collective is comprised of all-aged and all-experienced artists in the greater Kitsap county area. Off the Wall believes that we all have something to teach each other and can do so through creative expression—especially if that creative expression exceeds the boundaries of commercial standards and ventures into the realm of avant-garde.

Although the island cherishes and nourishes artist culture in the forms of a monthly art walk and various galleries planted across our little rock—not to mention the abundance of inspirational natural beauty and vibrant community—artists in the Off the Wall collective desire to reach beyond watercolor sunsets and driftwood centerpieces. These artists never cease to be possessed by the spirit of art, finding time to create in every hour of every day. By giving themselves assignments that seem like challenges, Off the Wall Artist Collective strives not only to expand their knowledge of all mediums of art, but also about themselves as artists, both individually and as a group. The Nightwalker Series, Off The Wall’s version of “homework,” was created in order to challenge the artists by working within specific frames of time, beginning at conception and working through filming, editing, and scoring. The first episode was created by four artists in four hours.

The Nightwalker Series was born from Pizza Box Productions, the collective’s most recent side project that focuses on filmmaking. BOUND, the production’s first large-scale film, was created by 30 artists, in four separate locations, over seventeen hours, in one day. The film focuses on choices and the consequences of making poor decisions. Members of the collective have lost many close ones due to the dark path of drug use and excess. “We wanted to show how fast young people, especially those who have no sense of self or direction, can be consumed by the glamour of the party scene and fall prey to people with malevolent intentions,” wrote Juliette Wallace, one of Off The Wall’s founders and consistent visionaries. Another project of Pizza Box Productions, titled Life on a Rock, is a seven-minute short “about the hidden culture on Bainbridge Island, and how our youth can continue to sustain culture in an isolated environment,” explained Wallace. The project is still in progress and will be released in February of 2015.

Off the Wall took an unexpected turn at Life on a Rock, as more and more teens became interested in joining the collective. Adult members of Off the Wall have been inspired by these teens’ unfiltered creative visions, causing them to create an avenue for these teens to do more than inspire adults within the collective, but to inspire their peers in the collective’s Teen Group, consisting of artists aged 12 to 19, with a focus on freedom of expression and an emphasis on the completion of individual pieces of work. Off the Wall’s mentor program, separate from Teen Group, is yet another avenue for seasoned artists of all styles and mediums to share their talents with budding artists by hosting seminars, workshops, meetings, and personal feedback regarding individual artists and their growing portfolios.

Keep an eye—and an ear—out for Off the Wall’s next seasonal art show, an exhibition of the musical talents who record and practice in the collective’s musical hub, Bard Rock Studio, as well as art and other musical guests from the Puget Sound area.

Contributed By Christine St.Pierre

There is a new Sound Flow on Bainbridge Island, and it’s not the whispering breeze flowing in from across the deep blue waters surrounding our home. Dayaalu Center, the island’s year-old healing center with a focus on yoga, massage, acupuncture, Ayurveda, reiki, and other medical practices such as physical and occupational therapy, has made an imprint on the community’s Saturday morning routine by offering Sound Flow Yoga, hosted by yoga instructor Jeny Rae and local musician Jon Crane.

Join members of the island community at nine o’clock in the morning in the warm embrace of Dayaalu’s beautiful property nestled on Wyatt Way NE. Dayaalu, meaning “compassion” in Sanskrit, is one of many emotions conjured upon walking through the beautiful wood-framed entryway into the open bodywork center with incredible wood floors, serene colors, and a tranquil energy. While Jeny Rae guides your body through a kundalini flow, Jon Crane will guide the rhythm through the use of drums, singing bowls, and gong. “When your heartbeat matches to the beat of a drum, that synchronization pulls you toward a deeper connection with all that is,” Rae describes.

While the wide variety of yoga classes offered by this and many other yoga centers may seem overwhelming to begin with, Dayaalu center strives to create a welcoming environment by highly capable teachers with a passion for empowering you to know and love your body and mind. Dayaalu’s commitment to the island community is apparent through their offerings of concerts, dance, seasonal celebrations, and retreats — truly a gem of interconnectedness to each other, our bodies, and the natural and spiritual world around us. If intuitive healing and bodywork speak to you, explore Dayaalu’s vini-theraputic, Tai Chi, integral, or restorative yoga practices; to bring greater intensity to your exercise, experience Dayaalu’s yoga & core and Hatha flow.

After fulfilling the mind-body-soul connection, follow the alluring scents of hot soup and fresh treats around the corner to Dayaalu’s Sukhi Kitchen, a quaint café that offers locally sourced, vegan and gluten-free dishes cooked in the small space just over the counter. Ranging from soups, salads, snacks, and treats, arrive during lunchtime on weekdays to enjoy Sukhi’s hot dishes, or use Dayaalu’s easy payment system to purchase pre-made, health-centered meals from the refrigerator during the center’s business hours. This is a wonderful alternative for those of us working in the Winslow area. And, if you are in the area and need to center and ground yourself during your lunch break, the center offers free lunchtime meditation—because they are here for you.

Dayaalu’s one year anniversary party is this Saturday, November 22nd at 7PM