For the Reporter
Learn more about sustainable living by participating in fields trips, workshops and virtual tours.
The Sustainable Auburn series, put on by the City, is open to the public and offers:
Organic Farm Tour of Red Barn Ranch: July 15, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. (RSVP deadline July 11)
Join a family friendly field trip to Red Barn Ranch, a certified organic farm where aspiring farmers receive organic farm training and support. See organic farming in action, and learn what you can do at your own home to conserve natural resources, reduce waste and garden naturally. Learn about compost systems; growing food the natural way without the use of pesticides, herbicides or synthetic fertilizers; how to attract and support native pollinators and about affordable and attractive landscape solutions to protect local waterways.
King County Cedar Hills Landfill Tour and Bio Gas Energy Presentation: Aug. 5, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. (RSVP deadline Aug. 1)
Ever wonder what goes on at a landfill? Take a tour of the Cedar Hills Landfill celebrating 50 years of operation. The 920-acre facility in Maple Valley receives more than 800,000 tons of solid waste a year. The Cedar Hills landfill is one of the largest gas–to–energy sites in the United States. Learn how this renewable gas-to-energy site produces the amount of energy needed to meet the needs of more than 19,000 homes in King County.
Threadcycle Tour & Workshop: Aug. 18, 6:30-8:30 p.m. (RSVP deadline Aug. 15)
Every year 85 percent (12 million tons) of discarded textiles are sent to landfills. USAgain, a green for-profit enterprise, works to reduce textile waste by providing thousands of convenient donation locations throughout the country. USAgain has a network of more than 12,500 recycling bins in 19 states. Each week, they divert more than one million pounds of clothes and shoes from landfills. Tour its Auburn facility.
Cascade Recycling Center Virtual Tour and Cedar Grove Composting Company Presentation: Sept. 15, 6:30-8:30 p.m. (RSVP deadline Sept. 12)
Each month the Waste Management Cascade Recycling Center processes 12,000 tons of commingled recyclables from more than 250,000 Western Washington households, including Auburn. Paper, metals, glass and plastic bottles are collected together and specially designed technology and quality control employees sort the materials and create bales of various materials ready for shipment to processing facilities to be made into something new.
Cedar Grove plays an important role in diverting organic waste from landfills. At two local facilities, they compost more than 350,000 tons of residential and commercial yard and food waste annually into nutrient rich compost for yards and gardens. Officials will discuss what goes into the yard/food waste cart and get handy tips on proper food storage for food waste prevention. Join the presentation and learn more about this large scale industrial process.
Green Cleaning & Healthy Homecare Workshop: Oct. 20, 6:30-8:30 p.m. (RSVP deadline Oct. 20)
Improve your health and energy by creating a sparkly clean and vibrant home – the residue-free way. Cleaning the residue-free way reduces your family’s exposure to chemicals and saves you time and money. Denise Frakes, Owner of Blue Sky Services, will share tips and wisdom from her 25 years’ experience in residue free cleaning and healthy homes.
“Just Eat It” – Sustainability Movie: Nov. 10, 6:30-8:30 p.m. (RSVP deadline Nov. 10)
Join a free community movie screening of “Just Eat It”. Filmmakers and food lovers, Jen and Grant, dive into the issue of waste from farm, through retail, all the way to the back of their own fridge. After catching a glimpse of the billions of dollars of good food that is tossed each year in North America, they pledge to quit grocery shopping cold turkey and survive only on foods that would otherwise be thrown away.
Please RSVP at auburnwa.gov/services.
For more information, call 253-931-3038.
