Learn about sustainable living for 2 weeks in a 20-year-old community in Oregon. This course explores what it means to live sustainably on different scales: as individuals, as a society, & as communities. The course explores permaculture & sustainable living through different formats, including lectures, discussions, hands-on projects, & field trips. Throughout the course students work on group on-site design projects—a great opportunity to integrate what students are learning. The curriculum includes: * permaculture ethics, principles, philosophy * reading the landscape * recognizing patterns * waste as resources * water on the land: catching, storing, & using rainwater * growing soil * natural building & retrofitting * appropriate technology * transportation & sustainability * producing & harvesting food in our yards/ communities * sustainable economics * invisible structures & social sustainability * rural, urban, & suburban applications. Learn more & register online.

True Holidays Celebration - ‘Tis the Season to Befriend 7:00 p.m. Doors open 8:00 p.m. One-hour program 9:00 p.m. Dancing and festivities To befriend another—active compassion—is both the common sense and the spiritual power of this holiday season. We encourage you to claim your friendships with goodwill. This season challenges us to extend our feeling and caring to all those we encounter. This mid-winter festival will prepare you for a season that includes: Hanukah, Diwali, Solstice, Christmas, Kwanza, and the New Year. There will be a program for all ages and faiths, a time to prepare your heart for the season ahead. Food and drink will be for sale in our café. There will be a silent auction. A supervised childcare area will be provided. Location: Mercer Island Congregational Church (UCC) 4545 Island Crest Way, Mercer Island ... From Seattle: I-5 to I-90 Eastbound. Exit 7B. Merge to the left lane. Travel 1.7 miles church on the right at the crest of the hill.