christopherhord

Archive for the ‘Government’ Category

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Who wants to be poet laureate of Tacoma? You know you do!

In Arts, General, Government, Media on February 9, 2011 at 8:30 pm

The Tacoma Arts Commission is now accepting applications for the 4th annual Tacoma Poet Laureate program.

The individual selected as Tacoma Poet Laureate will hold the position for two years, from May

Tacoma logo

Hint: It rhymes with "aroma"

2011 to April 2013, and will receive a $2,000 stipend for providing a minimum of two free poetry related workshops each year, reciting his/her original work at various public events, participating in Art at Work: Tacoma Arts Month in November and helping produce the 2013 Tacoma Poet Laureate ceremony to announce the next Poet Laureate.

Applicants must reside in Tacoma, be a practicing poet who is dedicated to producing work on a regular basis and at least 18 years of age. Other eligibility requirements apply; see the application for full details.

The Tacoma Poet Laureate program was founded in 2008 by Urban Grace Church as a way of focusing attention on Tacoma ’s literary talent by organizing and hosting public readings and workshops in local schools and at community events. The program transitioned to the City of Tacoma’s Arts Program in 2011.

The application deadline is Feb. 22, 2011. Information about the Tacoma Poet Laureate program and the application are available on the Tacoma Arts Commission website at http://www.tacomaculture.org/arts/PoetLaureate.asp. Requests for hard copy applications can be directed to Cultural Arts Specialist Naomi Strom-Avila at nstrom-avila@cityoftacoma.org or (253) 591-5191.

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Biomass Bloviations

In General, Government, Media, Society, Technology on February 1, 2011 at 9:07 pm

There has recently been a fair amount of controversy in my city — Olympia, WA — concerning the topic of Biomass Gasification. The Evergreen State College (TESC) has forged ahead with plans to build a biomass gasification plant on campus, while much larger, commercial operations are slated in nearby Shelton and Port Angeles. I learned a little about this topic doing research for a local newspaper so I figured I’d share.

Briefly put, biomass is organic stuff like wood which is broken down for energy. Only, instead of burning, the biomass is heated to very high temperatures in an oxygen-starved environment. The biomass can be heated past its burning point and broken down to release a gas that works much like natural gas, to hear some tell it.

There is still the issue that biomass still release a fair amount of particulate matter. It’s vastly cleaner than smokestacks from a wood fire, but residents are still concerned about air quality and the environment.

This week, two notices caught my eye. Tomorrow, TESC Office of Sustainability is hosting an open house on the topic. Everyone is invited to “stop in to a campus community information session on biomass gasification this Wednesday evening. We will have an open house format to allow people to drop in at any point. We will be sharing information about why we are considering this technology, as well as details about the technology itself, and some of the results from our feasibility study so far.” The open house is Weds. Feb. 2, 4-6 pm, Seminar II, A1105.

The scond is from local activists who are fighting newly introduced state legislation — Senate bill 5228 and House bill 1081. Michelle Morris, Director of Concerned Citizens of Thurston County writes, “These two bills were introduced to two weeks ago to strip county commissioners and other county planners of their authority over biomass facilities and,  if passed, they will usurp the Thurston County biomass moratorium.”

The group announced a phone call and letter writing campaign from concerned voters. For more information, visit Concerned Citizens of Thurston County.