SoulFood Books Hosts Lively Sustainability Night

An Eastside's Sustainability Night happens every fourth Wednesday of the month at the downtown Redmond location of SoulFood Books.

Husband-wife team, Clint McCune and Sara Pelfrey, have operated SoulFood Books for the past five years now. Clint said his wife started the Sustainability Night more than a year ago to create continuous and open discussions about Sustainability. "It may not be a subject that has a lot of glamour attached to it, but it is a discussion that needs to be out there," he said.

Presenters sit on-stage with mic, in an informal atmosphere, where anything goes. Close by are a wall of guitars should there be an entertainment whim felt. The talks are recorded and available to viewers-at-home through the live streaming format.

Last week's speaker was local Beth Dolan, presenting on ways to be more sustainable at home. Her sound advice comes from six years of being a Resource Conservation Specialist with the Seattle School District. Currently she is a mom and Discover Yoga instructor.

"You have to be aware of something before you can change your habits," Dolan said. One example of this includes finding out what is plugged in and what can be turned off in your home or workspace. She also mentioned using bills to monitor energy and water use. 

As to what initially inspired her in the Sustainability Movement, Dolan said, "I have always had a draw to nature." This likely came from frequent cabin outings in her Minnesota backcountry upbringing. She followed up in college with a Natural Resource Management degree and shifted to Resource Conservation Management once coming to the Puget Sound area.

"Many schools have Resource Conservation Managers (RCMs) now, including Lake Washington School District, and other school districts are quickly adding them," she said.

The next Sustianability talk is on Wednesday, March 28 at 7 p.m. Hope to see you there!