DIY-apolooza: Sustainable NE Seattle’s Hands On skills fair returns

Sustainable NE Seattle’s second annual Hands On Community Skills Fair takes place on Saturday, February 11.

From the Hands On homepage:

People are recognizing the joy, satisfaction and security of being able to provide for our own needs, shifting from dependence on giant corporations to a healthy interdependence with our local community. Let’s re-learn the skills our grandparents knew!

Over twenty folks from our neighborhoods have stepped up to share skills such as food preservation, grafting, tool repair, and making clothes.

Skill workshops will be held from 11 AM-5 PM at both the Ravenna-Eckstein and Meadowbrook community centers (with vanpool available). A community potluck at Meadowbrook from 5:30-7:30 PM follows (bring a dish to share and your own utensils).

Workshop offerings include:

  • Simple Bike Repair
  • Basic Plumbing Repair
  • Fermentation
  • Basic Sushi Making
  • Basic Trauma Assessment and Splinting
  • Making Cheese I and II
  • Kid’s Realm (variety of quick, easy to learn skills appropriate for kids and teens)
  • and lots, lots more

A few of the workshops (such as Simple Bike Repair and the Kid’s Realm) are ongoing throughout the day, but most have a set time and registrant limit.

Hands On costs $15 in advance ($20 at the door) for as many workshops as you can fit into your schedule.

To register (through the Seattle Parks and Recreation Connection [SPARC] system), follow the instructions on the Hands On homepage.

Planet:Home – A Sustainable Living Festival, this Saturday

Did you know that we have one of the best sustainable living resources in the city right here in Northeast Seattle?  Well, now you do! And they’re having a festival this Saturday, chock-full of green learning opportunities.

Sustainable NE Seattle is hosting Planet : Home – A Sustainable Living Festival this Saturday, August 21st, from 10am-5pm at the Hunter Tree Farm (7744 35th Ave NE).

Event description, from the Sustainable NE Seattle website:

Free workshops, speakers, food, live music, demonstrations, hands-on science and art activities for kids! Come learn how you can reduce your environmental footprint and share your experiences in trying to live more sustainably! Learn about solar cooking, bicycle repair (bring your bike!), cheese-making, weatherizing your home, growing your own tea (bring a cup!), sod replacement, worm bins, bee-keeping, tool repair (bring your tools!), edible landscaping, knowledge-sharing with community elders, rain gardens, and much much more. Take home ideas for environmentally-friendly living and maybe win some eco products to help you on your way.

Morning schedule includes:

Afternoon schedule includes:

Cheese making? Fixing your own bike? Live music? FOOD? PRIZES?!

Eh, they had me at “cheese.”