concerned and thankful ramble

Well, what's new you ask...  

Other than the fact that we have a pair of great horned owls roosting and I think two babies in the big hole in the tree?  Isn't that enough?  (When the babies are a little more visible I will share photos.  So far I have one pretty good photo of one eye with a bunch of dark grey fluff.  Not so impressive.)

I am fascinated by the fact that so many people are discussing different parts of the same issue.  Without even addressing any of the bigger (National, political) issues, the people around here are very concerned about How Ellensburg and Kittitas County will fare in the future.  With fuel prices skyrocketing, how will our local agricultural economy be affected... both in the cost to produce their crops and to get them to market, and what price is the market willing to pay?  How about the whole weird bio-fuel thing, which is great in that it reduces our dependency on fossil fuels, but the other, unforeseen, side of the coin is that we're now growing corn and other oily seed crops for that purpose, rather than using that space for growing food for humans or animals (that usually end up feeding humans).   How about the questions regarding delivering irrigation water to 33 individual land parcels that are 3 acres each, instead of delivering it to one (or maybe five) owners of that 100 acres?  

And this leads directly to a discussion of the future, where will we be in 10, 15, 50 years?  And will that be acceptable?  Who do you think will be county commissioners and city council members then?  Our kids?  Our grandchildren?  What are we teaching them?  Will they write letters to the editor, attend the meetings, get involved, become a fully participating member of ... whatever the community is at that time?  

This is turning into a ramble, but originally my point was to give kudos to EVERYONE that in some way is making a difference.  If you sit in front of the tube and play video games and eat junk food all weekend, you're not making any difference, and I'm not talking to you.  I'm talking to the people I see at the meetings, at the gatherings, the educational opportunities who are DOING THINGS and MAKING A DIFFERENCE!  It takes an amazing amount of energy for a few committed people to overcome collective apathy, and my hats are off to you.  You have earned my respect by continuing to model strength, perseverance and hope, setting a great example for many.   I hope you know who you are.  

Thanks tons.

Important Question #1

You guys are incredible.  We launched our monthly newsletter just yesterday and we have received a ton of email in response.  It's great to hear from you.

We didn't anticipate the need for a FAQ (frequently asked questions) page... but since there were several things that multiple emails wanted addressed, we decided that using the blog in that way would be one way of sharing information publicly.  AND we hope that it will start public discussion of assorted topics.  

Really, this blog shouldn't be all about me.  Except on alternate Tuesdays and Full Moons.

But to go ahead and clarify:

"What sort of activities do you list, and how do I get my stuff listed?" Events go in the EGP Expressions newsletter. Businesses that support the Expressions are listed in the EllensburgGreenPages directory.

In general, our listed activities focus around ways to improve the health of our little Kittitas County part of the planet.  We want to enliven the conversation started by others, the subject matter being environment, education and economy with a heavy frosting of "sustainable" and "community".   So, our EllensburgGreenPages events are pretty much about strengthening our community (the people and their connections to each other and this place), our local economy (which supports our community), and educating the public (informed is good). 

So far, almost all of our listed activities meet these criteria and are free to the public.  More or fewer events might be listed in the future, depending on space and timing.

But how...?  

Check out what's behind the "Get included" button on the header of the home page.  That explains a lot.  If you still have questions, then send us an email and we'll be happy to get you the information you need.  

Beautiful sunny day today!  I hope you all went outside and caught a sunbeam.  They are excellent for the mental health.

Until next time,

Peace out!