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In this Issue (click to go directly to the article):
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To Engineer or Not to Engineer, That is the Question
An introduction to the art and science of structural engineering.
Thursday, April 21, 2016
6:00 - 8:00 pm
Eastside Urban Farm & Garden Center
2326 4TH Ave E, Olympia
6:00: Enjoy light refreshments and socialize
6:30: Program begins
$5.00 donation requested from non-guild members
Please RSVP here
Featuring Mark Bock, structural engineer
- Have you ever wondered what structural engineers do?
- Are you a homeowner or contractor concerned about whether or not you need engineering for a construction project, and how much it might cost?
- When talking about a construction project with a structural engineer, do they seem to be talking in a different language?
Please join EcoBuilding Guild member and licensed structural engineer Mark Bock for a discussion aimed at removing some of the mystery surrounding structural engineers, the services they provide, and the language they use. The April and May meeting topics on structural engineering have been consolidated, and the format adjusted so as to create an interactive session designed to address questions you may have regarding the profession of structural engineering. Potential topics include:
- Plain English definitions of terms commonly used by engineers
- What structural engineers do, and how that can benefit your project
- When structural engineering is required by the building code, and when you may be able to do without it
- Cost structures for professional engineering services, and why it can vary so much between projects
- A basic introduction to earthquake design and other methods used by structural engineers
As an interactive session, we need to hear from you in order to make the most of the presentation. Please RSVP to the link provided below if you are planning on attending. In the RSVP, if you could indicate which topics you would like to hear about, the discussion can be tailored to address those issues. Alternatively or in addition, if you have an engineering topic area not on the above list, please let us know.
Please RSVP here
 Mark Bock is a licensed structural engineer in Washington State, with over 15 years of structural engineering experience. In addition to varied industrial and commercial experience, Mr. Bock has collaborated with the guild and guild members for residential light straw clay projects, evaluation of the EcoBuilding Guild offices for the addition of solar panels, and the design of a pavilion for the Fertile Commons.
Sponsored by:
 
Link
Eastside Urban Farm & Garden Center: http://urbanfarmoly.com/
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2016 Northwest Green Home Tour
Saturday April 30, 11am - 5pm
Sunday, May 1, 11am - 5pm
Seattle and beyond
This is a two-day event (your ticket gets you in on either day!): Attend Event
The North west EcoBuilding Guild is proud to bring you the 2016 Northwest Green Home Tour. With more than 20,000 green homes in the Puget Sound area alone, green building is going mainstream. But there is still much progress to be made. The sixth-annual Northwest Green Home Tour is your opportunity to see firsthand the many ways that environmentally conscious design and construction can benefit not only the planet as a whole, but your local community, your family, and you!
Green homes can put more money in your pocket by lowering your energy costs or even eliminating them altogether, as some projects on the tour demonstrate. Durable green building materials require less maintenance, giving you more time to relax. Green homes are healthy homes, with fresher air and fewer toxins. And homeowners report that their green homes are more comfortable to live in, without the cold drafts of standard construction. We hope that you’ll be as inspired as we are by all the innovative ideas, artistry, and craftsmanship you’ll see on the tour. Already, 30% of new homes sold in King County are green. Join us in envisioning a Puget Sound region in which all building is green building.
Visit nwgreenhometour.org for map and details
FAQs
How do I get around to the different tour sites? The tour is self-guided. Start and end at any of the residences or sustainability stops. Many tour goers enjoy biking or walking between the sites, and carpooling is strongly encouraged.
Are children allowed? Absolutely! Just please be mindful of other tour goers, and the home. Please park strollers outside.
Can I bring my dog? Sorry, no pets are allowed.
What is involved with the check-in? Just show your ticket at your first site. You will then get a wristband, and you can just stroll on in to the rest of the sites that you visit!
Your tour wristband will also entitle you to free items and discounts at some sustainability stops (local businesses and organizations that support the tour and offer further opportunities for learning about green building).
How do I know where to find each site? The official map and tour guide will be availablelto download on www.nwgreenhometour.org in mid-April. There will also be a mobile-friendly map link. You can also look for our special center pull-out section of the late-April edition of the Seattle Weekly.
Will I have to take my shoes off? At most sites, you will be asked to either slip off your shoes, or wear shoe covers. It helps to wear shoes that are easy to remove.
Are the sites wheelchair accessible? Some are, but most are not. To see pictures of the sites, which might give you a better idea, you can visit All Sites
What is parking like? The parking situation differs from site to site. Since most of the sites are in residential neighborhoods, most will have free street parking available. If you are worried about parking and locations, we recommend you check out at the map for location information. For mobile device navigation, please use our Map for Mobile Devices.
Share this event on Facebook and Twitter
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To Engineer or Not to Engineer, That is the Question
An introduction to the art and science of structural engineering.
Thurs, April 21
6-8 pm
Eastside Urban Farm & Garden Center
2326 4th Ave E, Olympia
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2016 Northwest Green Home Tour
Sat, April 30, 11am - 5pm
Sun, May 1, 11am - 5pm
Seattle and beyond
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An Inside Look at Creating Washington State's Hemp Program
Thurs, May 26
6-8 pm
Eastside Urban Farm & Garden Center
2326 4th Ave E, Olympia
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Earthquake Preparedness for Your Home
Thurs, June 23
6-8 pm
Eastside Urban Farm & Garden Center
2326 4th Ave E, Olympia
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Soil Summit 2016
Sat, April 23
Sun, April 24
Eastside Urban Farm & Garden Center
2326 4th Ave E, Olympia
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Seminar Series: The Hazardous Northwest
Mondays, April 4 - May 23
12:30-1:25 pm
SC1309 (Science Building)
University of Washington Tacoma
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2015 Residential Energy Code Update Classes
April 27 - Vancouver
April 28 - Vancouver
May 13 - Centralia
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Master of Environmental Studies Info Sessions
Online: Tues, May 3
Campus: Thurs, May 12
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Mudders Day with Straw Clay
Sun, May 8 and/or
Mon, May 9
9:30 am - 5:30 pm
Viora Farmstead,
Just south of Litterock
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Low Impact Development Training
Ongoing
Various locations
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About EcoTone
Published monthly by volunteers.
Click Here to Subscribe
To Submit an event or article for inclusion in this newsletter, please follow our submission guidelines, and email your article to the editor (ba...@scavezze.com) by the LAST DAY of the MONTH.
About the Title
Ecotones are the transition zone between two different plant communities such as forest and prairie, where they meet and integrate. They are the most productive places in nature. The Guild is perfectly perched at the ecotone between community and ecological building education. The Board will work to make the Guild the most productive ecological building community in the South Sound.
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An Inside Look at Creating Washington State's Hemp Program
Thursday, May 26, 2016
6:00 - 8:00 pm
Eastside Urban Farm & Garden Center
2326 4TH Ave E, Olympia
Presented by Joy Beckerman of Hemp Industries Association
Farmers can now grow industrial hemp in Washington State! The 2016 State Legislature passed this historic bill, opening the way for a Washington State hemp industry to develop.
Joy Beckerman of Hemp Industries Association will enlighten us on the coming opportunities for the hemp building industry.
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Wanted: EcoTone Editor
We're looking for a new newsletter editor. Editing the newsletter is an easy way to support the Guild in the comfort of your own home. If you're interested in finding out more, contact Barb at ba...@scavezze.com or 360-878-9901. She'll be happy to show you how easy it is to simply copy the articles that are submitted and format them in the MailChimp template to produce the newsletter.
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Learn something amazing for your Earth Day Weekend!
Soil Summit 2016
Saturday, April 23 & Sunday, April 24
Eastside Urban Farm & Garden Center
2326 4TH Ave E, Olympia
FREE EVENT! Workshops Sat 10am-4pm, Sunday 10am-3pm
Free Film Screening Sunday 3pm with Discussion Panel afterwards!
It's the foundation of life and the key to our continued survival: Soil! Please join us for this 2-day FREE event that features 10 transformative workshops, culminating in the screening of the amazing film "Symphony of the Soil" with a discussion panel of local experts afterwards! You'll never look at soil the same again! For more info please see our Calendar of Events page!
Saturday Schedule:
- 10 - 11 am, Soil tests: Interpretation, Fertility and beyond NPK, with Tristan Vaughn
- 11am - 12pm, The Big Picture: What is Soil? The Soil Food Web and Why it Matters, with Brighida deVargas
- 12 - 1pm, Intro to Biochar and Carbon Sequestering: Possibilities for Massive Environmental Remediation, with Ian Stoner
- 1 - 2:15pm, Your Fruit Trees and why Soil Health is Crucial, with Jeb Thurrow
- 2:15 - 3pm, Ecotherapy in Practice: Veterans working with Soil, with Matt West
- 3 - 4:30pm, Caring for your Land in Puget Sound: Pasture Management, Forages, Grazing Techniques, and Crop Rotations, with Thurston Conservation District Staff
Sunday Schedule:
- 10 - 11am, Compost: How to make it well, what it can do for your garden/crops and why? with Eastside Urban Farm & Garden Staff
- 11am - 12:15 pm, Pollinators and Soil Health: Connecting pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizers, and the threat to Agriculture and Food Production, with Laurie Pyne
- 12:15 - 1:15pm, Healthy Soil = Healthier Food: Nutritional comparisons, with Meghan Hinz
- 1:15 - 2:45, Mushrooms! Mycology, Mycoremediation, and the Importance of Fungi in your Soil, with Ava Arvest of Olympia Mycelial Network
- 3 pm, Screening of "Symphony of the Soil" with Discussion Panel After
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Seminar Series: The Hazardous Northwest
Mondays, April 4 - May 23
12.30-1.25 pm
SCI309 (Science building, kitty corner to the Swiss Pub on Jefferson St)
University of Washington Tacoma
The TESC200 Environmental Seminar is focused on the 'Hazardous Northwest' in the spring quarter. The series is open to the public.
The Pacific Northwest is a hazardous place to live. If you read the New Yorker story The Really Big One about the effects of the next Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake and you thought "I wonder what I'll do when the Big One strikes" or perhaps "I wonder what other natural disasters might happen in the Pacific Northwest", this seminar series is for you. We've got a superb lineup of speakers and topics ranging from the federal government's (FEMA) response efforts to disasters in the Pacific Northwest, to the Oso landslide disaster, and tsunami hazards. I look forward to seeing you there!
Cheers, Dan Shugar, PhD
dsh...@uw.edu
Assistant Professor of Geoscience
University of Washington Tacoma, WA
April 25 – Alison Duvall (UW Earth and Space Sciences): The “M9” project: reducing catastrophic effects of a Cascadia megathrust earthquake on social, built, and natural environments through the advancement of methodologies, early warnings, and community planning
May 2 – Simon Goring (University of Wisconsin Madison) EarthCube Distinguished Lecture: Fire, people, and connected data: How 21st Century approaches to the past can help tackle future challenges
 May 9 – Scott Anderson (USGS): Downstream geomorphic response of the North Fork Stillaguamish River to the Oso Landslide
May 16 – Faisal Hossain (UW Civil and Environmental Engineering/UW Tacoma SIAS): Understanding the safety of water management infrastructures under the changing climate
May 23 – Evan Solomon (UW School of Oceanography): Evaluating the response of the Cascadia gas hydrate reservoir to contemporary ocean warming
Seminar series open to the public
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2015 Residential Energy Code Update Classes
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Master of Environmental Studies Info Sessions
Evergreen’s Master of Environmental Studies has a number of info sessions coming up both on campus and online.
Online info session:
Tuesday, May 3, 2016, 12pm-1pm Register Now
Campus info session
2700 Evergreen Parkway NW, Olympia WA map
Thursday, May 12, 2016, 5:30pm-6:30pm
Room TBA
Register Now
We are currently taking applications for Fall 2016 on a rolling basis – apps completed by late March will be reviewed in our next round.
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Mudders Day with Straw Clay
CELEBRATING MUD, MOTHERS AND MOTHER EARTH
Sunday, May 8th and/or Monday, May 9th
9:30 am - 5:30 pm
At Viora Farmstead, just south of Littlerock
2-Day EDUCATIONAL WORK-PARTY
- Building science & principals
- Raw, local, minimally processed materials
- Form work
- Light straw clay production
- .Light straw clay wall filling
- Community collaboration
- Good fun and good food
Lunch Provided (with educational discussion)
RSVP Required. For more information about workshop, accommodations and directions: Email Zach Techner: Zach.t...@gmail.com
Limited to 12 participants per day
Facilitators: Joseph Becker, Tanner Milliren (ION Ecobuilding) & Zach Techner (homeowner/builder)
 
About Straw/clay building: These straw/clay walls will be built by combining loose (not baled) straw, local clay, and water together and lightly packing it inside a “split-stud” wall 12 inches thick. This technique is a traditional “infill” for traditional German timber frame structures (many 500 year old + and still occupied). When the loose straw is combined with the liquid clay, it coats the straw in a protective mineral coating, which adds longevity and moves any moisture from the fiber. After the walls dry fort a few months, they are plastered using natural plasters inside and out.
 "As long as there have been communities, humans have been using local natural materials for building shelter. People have also joined together in sharing and helping each other with building projects large and small"
Joseph is a passionate ecological builder, educator and owner of ION Ecobuilding. He spends much of his working with owners, builders and communities in collaborative ecological building projects, specializing in local, natural, and least toxic materials, energy efficiency, and traditional building systems (including earth, straw & lime). Joseph’s ultimate hope is to reinforce a sense of place and enhance the world where we live, by working together and participating in what sustains us.
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Low Impact Development Training Program
The Statewide LID Training Program is offering a number of course options for March in both Western and Eastern Washington! These include:
- Advanced site assessment, planning, and layout
- Advanced hydrologic modeling (in both Western and Eastern WA)
- Advanced bioretention
- Advanced permeable pavement
- Advanced rainwater collection systems and green roofs
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Olympia Engineering Design & Development Standards
Engineering Design and Development Standards (EDDS)
The proposed 2016 EDDS update currently has over 30 topics, including 4 that will implement various Comprehensive Plan Policies including:
- Street Frontage Improvements
- Franchise (Private) Utilities
- Commercial Streets
- Street Trees
For more information visit olympiawa.gov/EDDS-updates. EDDS are on the agenda for the Land Use and Environment Committee on April 21st.
Critical Areas Ordinance (CAO) Update Underway
The City and consultant ESA Associates started the initial research and compilation of Best Available Science (BAS) as the first leg of the CAO update. The goal is to approve the update before June 30, 2016. For additional information, result findings when available, and general schedule visit our webpage at olympiawa.gov/CAO.
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