350 Wenatchee Climate Conversations NCW

Happy summer from Sustainable NCW!

We have quite a few new subscribers, so welcome to those who are getting my updates for the first time. 

As I mentioned in my last email, summer is a fairly quiet season for us at SNCW, not because I’m lazily floating down a river, but because we step back from offering classes and events in order to focus on less public work. One thing I’m very happy to be contributing to right now are some important climate-related projects like our role in the new Our Valley, Our Future action plan. The Waste Wizard launch has been a success, with many people offering feedback that it’s a very helpful resource. If you don’t mind, spread the word! Share the link on social media or tell your friends and family who may have recycling questions to “ask the wizard.” A huge thanks to board members Rick Edwards and Jenny Montgomery who helped make this project happen. 

Want to get in on the action? We have two volunteer board positions open!  We’re looking to fill some gaps within our board and are hoping for a few specific skill sets or lived experiences, with a passion for sustainability as a core requirement. Specifically, we’re looking for someone who fits one or more of the following:

a) is from a marginalized community and can offer a voice that is not currently well represented on the board (that may include groups underrepresented due to race, gender identity, sexual orientation, physical ability, language, income and/or immigration status)

b) is a business-minded person with professional experience and connections in the valley (law, finance/accounting, grant writing/fundraising, etc)

c) is a creative who can offer skills such as graphic design, video editing, and other social media content 

d) is employed by or retired from a local school district or the agricultural industry

e) is from outside of the Wenatchee/East Wenatchee area, to help us better represent the two counties we serve (i.e. from the upper valley or Lake Chelan area). 

Board members commit to a 2 year term with up to 2 renewals, and volunteer several hours each month, mostly during the evenings and weekends. This includes a mandatory board meeting on the third Monday of every month from 7-8:30pm and quarterly equity work sessions on the second Wednesday of Feb, May, Aug & Nov from 5:30-7:30pm. If you’re interested, please send me an email and after we chat on the phone, I’ll send you an application to see if you’re a good fit for our organization!

Upcoming Events

• Cascade Community Markets (Leavenworth and Cashmere farmers markets) are partnering with Waste Loop on some recycling opportunities and education this summer. Visit their sustainability page for more information.
  • Leavenworth Community Farmers Market will feature glass recycling on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of the month, 4-7pm. 
  • Cashmere Community Farmers Market will feature glass recycling and education on the 4th Sunday of each month starting in June, 9am-1pm. Sustainable NCW will be there on August 28th to share our Waste Wizard.
• We’ll be at the Wenatchee Valley Farmers Market on Saturday August 6th from 8am-1pm.

Colchuck Consignment Community Donation Program

We’re big fans of buying used, and Colchuck Consignment in Cashmere offers an awesome place to find pre-loved outdoor apparel and gear. They just started up a new program for consigners who sell their items to donate all or part of their sales to several nonprofits, and we were chosen as a benefactor! Plus, Colchuck is going to match donations up to 5%. Check out the program here and if you haven’t visited their new location yet, you should!

New on the blog

In an effort to be more equitable and inclusive, we have hired a translator to translate three of our most popular blogs into Spanish. If you know of anyone who would enjoy reading these, please forward them along!

• No seas un reciclador aspiracional

• ¡Compar al por mayor! Compras con cero desperdicio 101

• Intercambios de baños sencillos y sostenibles

Also, on the blog: I share some EV myth busters with the help of Randy Brooks of Plug-In NCW, a local electric vehicle advocacy group. With gas prices so high, more and more people are considering how an EV might work for them. Did you know in our area, an EV driver pays the equivalent of about $.30/gallon? And that’s a stable rate, rather than the up and down price of gas. 

Have ideas for a blog post? We’re always looking for new topics to cover, and even guest bloggers!

Sustainably,

Jana Fischback

Executive Director