Surprise, Surprise: And Ode to Walla Walla Springtime

By Staff Writer Michael Espinoza
Photo Credit Ryan Vandenburgh

Here it is, friends. Spring has finally sprung. This month, I will describe what you have to look forward to in the coming months: non-extra-hour alternative events, weather, people and places of spring.

First of all, has anyone noticed that it's been really rainy and really cloudy for about a month now? I did too. You've probably also had your co-workers explain to you that this is uncommon. Although we do get most of our precipitation in spring and fall, these solid blocks of stormy weather are indeed uncommon. According to the Chamber of Commerce, you can expect "spectacular springs," and this has always been my experience. You have probably already noticed daffodils blooming all over town, a sure sign that warm spring days are sure to follow. As the summer approaches, you can begin to expect long days, with last light dwindling after 9pm!

Arts

Symphony
Did you know that Walla Walla has the oldest symphony in the west? Closing its 104th season on April 19th, the Walla Walla Symphony performs "The Magic of Mozart" with guest vocalists at Cordiner Hall, located on the Whitman Campus. If you have never been to a symphony or you love a symphony or anywhere in between, tickets start at $47, fairly cheap for live orchestral music. A funny fact: The director, Yakof Bergman, used to direct the Colorado Springs Symphony when I had season tickets as a child. He seems to be following me, and I'm very happy for it.

Art Walk
The first Friday of every month starting in May is ArtWALK Walla Walla, a chance to tour 21 studios and galleries, located all in the downtown area (walking distance). Friday nights, from my experience, are a magical time to walk or bike around town in May and June. First Fridays give this a lot more truth. Experience the diverse range of local artistry already located around town and visit galleries you never knew were there (like the Museum of Unnatural History, located above Valley Vision on Main). All galleries are free and open to the public on First Fridays. Check out the info booth on Main for a walking map.

Taste Walla Walla
What happens when the local food scene takes over a whole block near First and Main for an eater's paradise? It's Taste Walla Walla, all day on April 9. Local restaurants and food vendors will all be there to offer samples of their faire. Some wine producers will also be there for attendees of age. If you haven't been able to visit some of the finer local restaurants, this is an opportunity to try a bite from all of them under one big tent for $45. Tickets are available at the Downtown Walla Walla Foundation or at their website.

Community Events

Farmer's Market
Yes, we have all been waiting for it, and it's back! Walla Walla Farmer's Market starts up the first weekend in May. Every Saturday and Sunday, visit the market between 9 and 1 for fresh, local produce, artisanal cheese, baked good, all types of foods, local crafts and more. This bounty proves that the Walla Walla Valley produces enough food in the summer to eat locally almost exclusively. My favorite stands include Stone's Throw Farms for fresh, raw organic juices, Cugini's for meatball sandwiches, the Soap Company and Alice Bagley's fresh flowers at West End Farms. (Special Hint: You can use EBT at the market for whole produce!).

Spring Release
The wineries open their doors the first full weekend in May. This is a great opportunity for everyone of age (out of service gear) to visit wineries. Local winemakers will be releasing new vintages in tasting rooms all over the valley. Though crowded, this is a fun time to check out famous Walla Walla wines for the first time. Expect to pay $5-10 for each tasting and take it easy! Spitting is an acceptable and condoned behavior in the wine tasting world. Helpful hint: if you want to go out for dinner this weekend, although I'd recommend eating at home instead, be prepared for long waits if you don't have a reservation; this is one of the two busiest weekends in the Valley.

Sweet Onion Festival
The Walla Walla Sweet Onion Festival takes place the weekend after AmeriGraduation, July 16 and 17, and is adjacent to the Farmer's Market on Main. It's possible that your family will be in town and this is a great event for families. Sweet onions abound, pickled, deep fried, candied, you name it! Last year I witnessed a man attempt and conquer a world record for peeling onions. The festival goes into the night, capped off with live music and a street dance.

Extra Hour Opportunity, Walla Walla Valley Violence Prevention Coalition

E-mail Sara Wade to volunteer, she needs at least 2 more!

sarafwade@gmail.com



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Walla Walla Violence Prevention Coalition

wwviolenceprevention.com

Walla Walla Kids Read at Edison Elementary

WALLA WALLA KIDS READ

Where: Edison Elementary School... 1315 Alder
When: Tuesday, March 22
Time: 5:30 - 8:00 pm
What: There will be 3 authors (Jon Scieszka, Patrick Carman, and David Shannon). Book signings, a book-walk, science station, characters from the books will be there!

PTA has requested help with crowd control and specific activities that have yet to be announced.

Keep in mind... this event is open to the entire community. During the day, all the kids are attending an event at Whitman hosted by the authors... so they will all be pretty hyped to meet the author in person and take part in the festivities!


Contact Alex (aeandary@hotmail.com) to sign up. She's looking for at least 20 volunteers, so sign up today!

Upcoming: A Green Commute Challenge

Team Synergy: Let's shoot for 100% participation. WE CAN DO IT!

GREEN COMMUTE COMPETITION APRIL 17-23, 2011

Bike, Bus, Walk, Carpool, or Scooter to Work or School

Awards to Businesses, Agencies, Schools with Most Green Commuters

Info: http://www.sustainableww.org/, 522-0399, sustainableww@charter.net

Member Bio: Meet our new member Emily James

Interview by staff writer Michael Espinoza

I had the privilege of interviewing Emily James this afternoon and not only is she smart and quick, she's also pleasant, super-friendly and a great asset for the team. Please help me in welcoming her to the team!

Where She's From
Emily is from Frederick, a town in Central Maryland situated an hour away from DC and an hour away from Baltimore. She attended Ithica College in upstate New York where she got her degree in flute performance. She has travelled all up and down the Eastern seaboard but up until now had only spent one week of her life on this coast, in Petaluma, CA to visit family.

Impressions of Walla Walla
Emily has been here in the valley for a very short amout of time, but is already singing the praises of Walla Walla. So far, she has felt very welcomed by the kind people she's met. She sees a high level of enthusiasm we have and notes a pride in our community. This is particularly visible for the wide-ranging group of non-profits we have doing great work in the valley. She is excited by the beauty of the valley and hopes to see more soon, and of course says the downtown is "really cute." The only thing missing, she laments, is access to great public transportation options. She is used to being able to get to major cities by trains that run on regular schedules, much unlike our once-a-day train more than an hour away.

Her Site
Emily has received a special position with BMAC in PR, marketing and fundraising for the organization. She has the esteemed privilege of working side-by-side with team member Stephanie. So far she has found everyone at her site to be friendly and helpful. She likes to hear music in the halls each morning. She has been researching current BMAC programs and reviewing past marketing and fundraising strategies.

More About Emily
Emily has a wide range of hobbies and interests, but when I first asked her about them, she went right to her artistic pursuits. She seems to be very passionate about painting, creative projects and collage, especially when creating meaningful images and objects for friends and family. Obviously, she's also interested in jam sessions, live and local music and looks forward to the opportunity to find open mic nights.

It cannot be emphasized sufficiently that Emily's great passion is to cook, eat, and share great flavors with people. If you want to get to know Emily better, suggest a potluck, a dinner night, or anything else surrounding food!

Emily came to the valley without a car and is ready to become a bicycling enthusiast. She'd love to check out new trails and see the mountains. Besides that, she has yet to find a friend for racquetball (hint, hint!), so please approach her if you want to get your game on.

Emily has travelled all over Central, Eastern and Western Europe as a part of her study abroad program in Vienna, Austria. Perhaps the best part of her trip was a beach in Croatia that seldom has visitors from the West. Emily makes Croatia sound like the next great place to travel. Next, she would like to check out more of the west coast, including Seattle, Portland, and more parts of California. Beyond that, her next big travel goals include Cambodia and Argentina.

Introduce yourself when you see her, she's great!

Save Money, Lower Your Carbon Footprint

Adapted from Low-Cost / No-Cost Energy-Saving Tips for Your Home distributed by Cascade Natural Gas, 2009 and from Bright Ideas: A helpful guide to managing energy use in your home Pacific Power, 2009.

Looking for ways to go green? What about ways to save money? I'm here to share some of the experience I've gained from my site focused on home energy efficiency. This experience will come in handy as we approach another month of cold temperatures, two months of moderate temperatures, and a month and a half (or longer, if you decide to stay in Walla Walla after your service year) of very hot temperatures. The very best and most simple thing you can do is to be willing to change your expectations about basic comfort. It is unreasonable, for instance, to expect to enjoy wearing only your boxers in an 80 degree house when the temperature outside is below freezing. Most of us are capable of adjusting to atmospheres that are slightly cooler or slightly warmer than we're used to. Stay tough and you'll lower your environmental impact while saving money in the process!

The Kitchen

• Set your refridgerator to between 37 and 40 degrees and your freezer to 0 degrees. These temperatures will maintain the balance between food safety and energy efficiency.


• Keep refridgerator coils clean and unobstructed. You might ask your landlord to tackle this one.


• Only run a full load of dishes if you use a dishwasher. This will reduce your hot water energy use as well as the energy used by the appliance.


• Use your dishwasher during the coolest part of the day in the summer. You will avoid heating the home when you want it to be cool.


• If you have two oven compartments or a toaster oven, use the smallest whenever possible.


• Use a crock pot! This is an efficient, easy-to-use appliance that is great for a busy schedule and is almost fool-proof for the novice chef (...he said from experience!).

Bathroom

• 5 minute showers, once a day. No exceptions. It might sound harsh for those of us who enjoy our time in the shower, but longer showers waste water and energy and tend to dry out your skin. You might even notice your body lotion costs go down!


• Ask Michael (Me!) for a low-flow shower head. They are free and available to all Cascade Natural Gas customers with gas water heating.


• Hold your landlord accountable and get those leaky faucets fixed.

Laundry/Utility Room

1. Wash clothes on cold setting whenever possible. There are even cold water-specific detergents that maximize the cleaning potential of cold water loads.


2. Run only full loads.


3. Hang clothes whenever possible instead of running the dryer.


4. Clean out the lint filter for max efficiency.


5. Set your water heater temp at 120 degrees or lower. Water heating accounts for the second highest energy cost in your home after heating and cooling, up to 30% of your bill!

Heating and Cooling

• As mentioned, set your thermostat higher in the summer and lower in the winter. A change of 5 degrees can reduce your energy bill by up to 25%!


• Ditch the space heater. It uses too much energy and isn't as effective as a blanket, hat and sweater.


• Turn down your heat when you are sleeping. You body needs to be slightly cooler when you are sleeping.


• Turn down your heating/cooling when you are out of the house.


• Close blinds over sun-exposed windows in the summer. Keep sun-exposed blinds open in the winter.


• Plug up drafty windows and doors with cloth and towels. It's a simple measure that can improve your comfort and cut down on heat waste.


• Ask your landlord for a programable thermostat. This will automatically adjust the temperature according to your daily needs. If your feel comfortable purchasing one for yourself, progammable thermostats are easy to install and cost as little as $25 (which could easily pay back for itself in one month).

Lighting/Wall Outlets

• Make it a habit in your household to turn out lights when you are not using them.


• Install Compact Florescent Lightbulbs (CFLs) in every socket. They use 25% or less of the energy used by an incandescent (oldy) bulb. While slightly more expensive, they last 4 times as long and may be available for free through your utility company.


• Unplug your unused chargers. Laptop computer, cell phone and game console chargers draw enery even when they are not charging your device. Helpful tip: keep your chargers plugged into a power strip, and turn off the power strip when nothing is being charged.


• Consider unplugging your TV/entertainment system when it will not be in use for an extended period of time. TVs are notorious for drawing energy when not in use.

For any additional questions about how you can increase the energy efficiency of your home or are interested in having an in-home home energy efficiency assessment, call the Sustainable Living Center, 509-524-5218, or e-mail mespinoza@sustainablelivingcenter.com.