KYRS - Thin Air Community Radio in Spokane, WA

Spokane is very fortunate to have Kiondra Bullock from VOICES. DTE goes outside its usual subject matter with the eloquent and articulate director of the group that works hard to represent Spokane's most vulnerable citizens.

We discuss the Spokane Regional Health District's new program Neighborhood Matters, their legislative agenda, how she works with other local non-profits in the area for coalition building, and STA service reductions - how these cuts are affecting her constinuency and the foks in the community that depend on these routes the most.

Check out her awesome site: http://www.spokanevoices.org/

On next week's show we'll talk with Cara Weipert and Patrick Bisson of SNAP Financial Access about an upcoming workshop to help local businesses go green and sustainable.
Called "Profitting from Green Business Practices", this informative workshop, networking event and educational fair will be held Tuesday, September 21st from 5:30 - 7:30 in the Community Building at 35 W. Main. Cost is $15, and snacks will be provided.
SNAP Financial Access offers technical assistance & loans to small businesses. Being that this is the way the world is thankfully moving, they are moving into the green & sustainable field, by offering their clients education on making their business sustainable. They also offer loans to businesses that want to become more sustainable or who are already practicing sustainability.

This workshop will not just be another “informational” workshop. Participants will come away with concrete plans on becoming more sustainable. They can do this by:
* Signing up with SNAP’s business program. We offer free technical assistance and connections to professionals in sustainability.
* Clients will also have a chance to sign up for Avista audits & also talk to an Avista employee about greening their environment.
* Clients will be able to talk to an employee from Dept of Ecology about waste reduction
* Clients will be able to speak to Susanne Croft from SLIP & sign up for a free SLIP assessment. This assessment is one way to begin their journey to sustainability. The assessment will explore their current ways of doing business & come up with ways they can green their business.

It's a busy time of year, and in the spirit of that, we'll dedicate a majority of our upcoming show to talking about some upcoming events.

Up first is Bikestravaganza, happening this upcoming Monday (August 16th) from 7 - 9 at the Community Building. Bikestravaganza is a traveling national tour of bike talk, movies, zines, and transportation activism and advocacy that is making a stop in Spokane. A panel of local Spokane movers and shakers will talk about the amazing things happening locally for bicycling, and everyone is invited to join us in a discussion of the big bicycle issues of the day. Check out the Facebook event page HERE.

Next is the second installment of Spokane Summer Parkways happening on Sunday, August 22nd. The first event held in July was a huge success and the great organizers and volunteers of Summer Parkways hope the momentum will help close out this two-part series with a bang. Get your bike ready and plan to spend part of your Sunday riding amongst your friends, neighbors and fellow citizens. More info HERE.

Two other upcoming events that we discuss and that we'll discuss further as they draw closer are the Spokane River Clean-Up and Dirty Martinis for Clean Water - two great events that go a long way in helping protect and preserve the Spokane River. The Clean-up will be held this year on September 25th and Dirty Martinis is on October 1. Information for both can be found on Facebook. Click the above links for those pages.

We'll close out the show discussing issues related to mining waste clean up and the political and social boondoggle that is going on in North Idaho related to the clean up and EPA's plan. For background info, check out the Kootenai Environmental Alliance blog, specifically posts from the last two weeks as Terry Harris of the KEA has been covering this topic extensively.

We missed updating this page last week but we wanted to thank Jessica Anundson and Justin Bell of Sustainable Works Spokane for being on the show on July 26th. Sustainable Works is a community-based non-profit created solely to help home and small commercial building owners with home retrofits to reduce energy use while also creating quality jobs. It was a great conversation and it was fun to hear from Jessica's point of view of organizing the project and Justin's perspective of being a volunteer. In case you missed it, here's the link to the podcast.

On to next week's show.

We're going to be doing things a little different this upcoming Monday. In the studio with us we're going to have two very special guests and we're going to have a big announcement. Joining us we'll be Rick Eichstaedt and Tim Connor. If you've been paying attention in Spokane you should be able to put this together. Tune in on Monday to find out more!

Peace,

Paul and Bart

On our next show, we do something completely different. As you may know, we’re big music fans. Like huge. And we listen to all kinds of shapes and sizes because it’s good to be as well-rounded as possible (unless you’re talking physically, then it looks weird).

But back to the lecture at hand. Since we’re not allowed to podcast copy-righted material - which means no music - the only time you’ll be able to hear the next episode is live. That’s right baby, we’re playing nothing but music. Of course, this being Down To Earth, YOUR environmental news show, we have a theme: Environmental songs.

It all started when Kitty Klitzke asked us what would be the theme for Futurewise after we played Arcade Fire’s hot new jam “Sprawl II: Mountains Beyond Mountains.” So we play that. But that’s about as much as we’re giving away, you’ll have to tune in since we range from The Smiths to Lynyrd Skynyrd.

There’s other upcoming items we mention but we’ll delve with more details into soon including Elly Blue’s BikeExtravaganza on August 17th and the second Summer Parkways on August 22nd. Also, don’t forget the Spokane River Clean-Up will be on September 25th. Bart will be out on a boat as the new Spokane Riverkeeper and Paul will be leading a bike clean-up.

County Commissioner Bonnie Mager returns to visit DTE and we pick up where things left off, discussing her campaign and the concerns she is hearing from citizens in her run for re-election. She also discusses her vision for the most effective way to work on Spokane River issues, working towards sustainability in Spokane County, the North-South Corridor, the Growth Management Act, and that darned story that won't quit, the raceway.

No guests on our next show, so we recap our interviews with Barbara Miller and Andy Dunau, respectively. And - stop us if you think you've heard this one before but too bad! - we geek out on bike stuff including why parking is mandated at bars in some cities which encourages drunk driving. But there are three important local bike items, thanks to Barb Chamberlain for sending our way:

-The City of Spokane Valley is researching and developing a Bike and Pedestrian Master Program (BPMP) and wants your thoughts and comments. Their short, 10-question survey should take only 2 to 3 minutes to complete. This is a non-statistical survey, designed to gather helpful information to determine general goals and desires. Your input is an important piece of the process of identifying possible future improvements for riding bikes and walking in Valley neighborhoods.

-Spokane Police Department Launches Bike Lane Violation Enforcement Effort. SPD has put the final touches on the carparkedinbikelane@spokanepolice.org email address. They are ready to field complaints and send out letters when they receive all of the necessary information. (Like address, make and model, and a photo attachment.) Read here for more details on the Bike To Work resource page.

-Spokane Summer Parkways. If you're looking for an opportunity this summer to join your friends and neighbors and enjoy walking, running, cycling, and other forms of active transportation on city streets...all in a car-free environment? Well, you're in luck, because Summer Parkways is coming to Spokane! On Sunday, July 11 and Sunday, August 22 from 9 am to 1 pm, 2 miles of roadway will be closed to automobiles and opened up to create a 5-mile loop for bikes, pedestrians, skaters, and other human-powered forms of transportation. The course will run along Howard Street between Riverfront Park and Corbin Park, with fun events at either end of the route and at a few destination points along the way.

In the studio next week we'll have Andy Dunau of the Spokane River Forum. The Spokane River Forum is a non-profit organization that creates materials, events and activities that promote regional dialogs for sustaining a healthy river system while meeting the needs of a growing population.
We'll be chatting about the ongoing and very awesome Meet Me At The River Raft and Kayak Passport Series - a great way for you to get on the Spokane River and learn more about it and about your surroundings. One thing we'll chat with Andy about is his favorite parts of the river in hopes that you will be inspired to join the fun.
We'll also chat about the annual Spokane River Conference, other work being done to raise awareness about the health and recretaional opportunities of the river, and about a new pilot project for Spokane called EnviroStars.

On our next show, Barbara Miller from the Silver Valley Community Resource Center in Kellog, Idaho, joins us to talk about a legacy of pollution and deceit in the Coeur d'Alene basin, challenges with regulatory agencies, lead testing and cleanup, and how grassroots organizing has led to a new optimism for the community.

We cover a lot of ground and talk about a familiar subject to DTE: The East Mission Flats Repository. It reads like a classic David vs. Goliath story. Dissident and small non-profit takes on regulatory agency-in this case the EPA- regarding a controversial waste repository site designed to contain mine waste across the road from Idaho's oldest building, the Cataldo Mission. Said waste repository is in a floodplain, incongruously creating a potential for increased hazardous conditions of lead contamination. The activists bring out the EPA Inspector General who releases a report confirming that suspicion. (But he neglects to mention the fact construction began on the site before the public comment period ended.) And then construction continues despite the Inspector General's insistence the site needs an additional review. More than 2,000 local residents petition and we're left scratching our heads: What were they thinking?

Tune in - this will be an interview you can't miss.

For more information, check her site: http://silvervalleyaction.com/

We'd like to once again thank Brad Hash of the Sierra Club's "Beyond Coal" campaign for being our guest in studio this week. If you missed the show, don't forget you can catch all of our back shows via podcast - visit our podcast page HERE.
On next week's show we'll recap our interview with Brad and discuss a few things we hope to ask him on a followup interview. In addition we'll way in on the "state of our green economy" and of course touch on issues surrounding the disaster in the Gulf. If you're looking for REAL news about the oil spill, the big BP and government cover up, and the ecological disaster that is, be sure to follow Paul Haeder's Dispatches from a Disaster.

Thanks for your support!
We're now beginning the second part of our first year on the air.
Peace DTE

Oh and don't forget on June 16th, from 7-9pm in the Community Building (35 W. Main), Brad Hash will be hosting a dialogue on how eastern Washington can phase out coal use - no easy task today since coal is the workhorse of the nation's electric power industry, supplying more than half the electricity consumed by Americans.

For our next show, we have a very special guest. Brad Hash came in from Missoula to talk about his "Beyond Coal" campaign with the Sierra Club. You'll hear Brad's remarkable stories about mountaintop coal removal in West Virginia, his political work and grassroots organizing, and the need for clean energy development. This is a can't miss as he also offers some incredible insight into the myth of "clean coal."

On June 16th, from 7-9pm in the Community Building (35 W. Main), Brad will be hosting a dialogue on how eastern Washington can phase out coal use - no easy task today since coal is the workhorse of the nation's electric power industry, supplying more than half the electricity consumed by Americans.

We're really excited to spread the word about "Beyond Coal." As we see it, our future depends on it. After listening, you will too.