March 2017

By Kathryn Kingen

We all want a healthier planet and in our businesses, homes and lives it's a good thing to be mindful of every day. In little ways we can make a difference and every effort adds up in the collective whole. So let's nix plastic water bottles, use energy saving light bulbs, recycle, buy sustainable fish and support our local farmers, among many other things. But there is one more very important step to take to improve our planet, and that is to be a healthier YOU. How about taking an eco tour of yourself to raise awareness about your own "personal planet"? We each have our own individual ecosystem and big responsibility to take care of it.

How well are you managing your planet? Providing the best tools toward good health has got to be a major part of our better, greener personal world. If we eat healthy, exercise and respectfully take care of our bodies then there is less drag on the entire system. It's a long-term strategy but the payoffs are big … a healthier, happier more energetic you!

By Kathryn Kingen

We all want a healthier planet and in our businesses, homes and lives it's a good thing to be mindful of every day. In little ways we can make a difference and every effort adds up in the collective whole. So let's nix plastic water bottles, use energy saving light bulbs, recycle, buy sustainable fish and support our local farmers, among many other things. But there is one more very important step to take to improve our planet, and that is to be a healthier YOU. How about taking an eco tour of yourself to raise awareness about your own "personal planet"? We each have our own individual ecosystem and big responsibility to take care of it.

How well are you managing your planet? Providing the best tools toward good health has got to be a major part of our better, greener personal world. If we eat healthy, exercise and respectfully take care of our bodies then there is less drag on the entire system. It's a long-term strategy but the payoffs are big … a healthier, happier more energetic you!

By Chef Jeremy MacLachlan

I have been green with envy when I look at dudes with ripped abs or when I have had one too many while celebrating St. Patrick's Day. As Kermit the Frog says, "It's not easy being green ... but green's the color of spring." So in many ways being green is awesome! This month it is time for us to celebrate the green in our life. When the leaves on my beautiful 100-foot tulip tree in my backyard start to bud, I know that spring is on its way and green is coming. Eating green can help your health in so many ways as explained by the vivacious Kathy Kingen in her blog, Go Green, Sustain Yourself.

My favorite vegetables in the entire world are green. I love fava beans, English peas and artichokes. This month I want to give you one of my favorite pea and Dungeness crab salad recipes. The sweetness of the Dungeness crab balances nicely with earthy sweet peas, and then we add a little citrus to push this dish to greatness.

Pea and Dungeness Crab Salad

By Chef Jeremy MacLachlan

I have been green with envy when I look at dudes with ripped abs or when I have had one too many while celebrating St. Patrick's Day. As Kermit the Frog says, "It's not easy being green ... but green's the color of spring." So in many ways being green is awesome! This month it is time for us to celebrate the green in our life. When the leaves on my beautiful 100-foot tulip tree in my backyard start to bud, I know that spring is on its way and green is coming. Eating green can help your health in so many ways as explained by the vivacious Kathy Kingen in her blog, Go Green, Sustain Yourself.

My favorite vegetables in the entire world are green. I love fava beans, English peas and artichokes. This month I want to give you one of my favorite pea and Dungeness crab salad recipes. The sweetness of the Dungeness crab balances nicely with earthy sweet peas, and then we add a little citrus to push this dish to greatness.

Pea and Dungeness Crab Salad

In an ambitious move for the 2017 theatre season, the Ballard Playmakers are taking on the epic show Les Miserables with a much anticipated opening on March 16th at 7:30 pm. The run continues 17, 18, 23-25 at 7:30 with an additional matinee performance on Sunday, March 26th at 2:00pm. This Tony Award-winning musical based on Victor Hugo's novel of the same name is set in 19th century France and the story line includes the short 1832 uprising in Paris.

The show engages more than 100 students as actors, pit orchestra musicians, and technical crew. The beautifully rich score extends without a break (except intermission) from beginning to end in the two hour show. The musical numbers are alternately stirring, poignant, comic, tragic, and uplifting. Hugo's commentary on the struggles of the working class and the shortcomings of the social order carries an overriding theme that kindness and mercy are the greatest gifts a person can give.

information from King County

Join King County, City of SeaTac and Burien leaders at a celebration of the completion of the first segment along the Lake to Sound Trail, which will connect communities from the southern end of Lake Washington to Puget Sound in south King County:

Friday, March 10 at 2 p.m., at the intersection of South 152nd Street and Des Moines Memorial Drive, Burien

The ribbon-cutting ceremony highlights completion of the first 1.5-mile-long segment of King County’s Lake to Sound Trail – a 16-mile-long non-motorized recreational corridor.

The trail provides an alternative to motorized transportation for walkers, runners, commuters and others, stretching from Renton at the southern end of Lake Washington to Puget Sound in Des Moines.

King County Senior Deputy Executive Fred Jarrett will be joined by King County Councilmember Dave Upthegrove, former Councilmember Julia Patterson, and members of the SeaTac and Burien city councils.

A "Telephone Town Hall" meeting with State Representative Eileen Cody, State Representative Joe Fitzgibbon, and State Senator Sharon Nelson is set to take place March 15 from 6pm to 7pm.

Calls will go out to thousands of homes throughout the 34th legislative district. Residents will be able to listen live and speak with their lawmakers. Those who do not receive a call can participate by dialing 877-229-8493 and using ID Code 116287.

Alternatively, the telephone town hall can be live-streamed at these links:
http://video.teleforumonline.com/video/streaming.php?client=16287

or http://vekeo.com/WHDC34

The purpose is to provide constituents with the opportunity to ask questions on issues ranging from education funding, healthcare and public safety to transportation, the economy and the state budgets.

By Brando Reece-Gomez
Masters of Landscape Architecture Candidate
University of Washington

By Gary S. Kaplan, MD, Chairman and CEO, Virginia Mason Health System

With a pending repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) by President Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress, there has been a lot of discussion about the potential impact of a repeal on patients, health care providers and insurers.

Much of the discussion has focused on well-known provisions of the ACA, such as the roll-back of Medicaid, the requirement that all citizens and legal residents have health insurance and the guarantee that all people can buy coverage regardless of pre-existing conditions. But there are lesser-known provisions in the law that could end as well if the ACA is repealed. For example:

Coverage for preventive services

Congratulations to Ballard Music for their dominating performance in February at the Regional Solo and Ensemble Festival at Seattle Pacific University.

Ballard had 62 entries including solo vocal, solo instrumental, and ensembles in vocal and instrumental categories, all of which received a rating of either Superior or Excellent.

The judges choose one person (or group) in each category to advance to state. Numerous entries won their categories and are going to the state competition at Central Washington University in Ellensburg at the end of April.

Congratulations to the following state-bound ensembles and students:

Women's Chamber Choir
Men's Ensemble
Chamber Singers (Vocal Jazz)
Men's Quartet
Percussion Ensemble
Trevor Rivers - Timpani
Hannah Loucks - Snare Drum
Claire Burreson - Soprano
Meg Shepherd - Mezzo
Olivia Sutherland - Alto
Alex Putnam - Tenor
Diego Roberts Buceta - Baritone
Jonny Maier - Bass
Emmett Armstrong - String Bass

Additionally, Ballard had several 1st and 2nd alternates:

1st ALTERNATE:
Chamber Orchestra
Trombone Quartet
Amy Gore – Alto Sax
Leander Vandefen - Clarinet
Aidan Ward-Richter - Snare Drum