The (almost) annual Trashion Show has a new venue this year: Hilltop meadow, between the west and east Grand Forest. Our thirteen designers and their models will each have their own tent, and attendees will walk around the short trail to view the outfits. In addition to juried categories, the audience will have a chance to weigh in and vote on their favorite. Fashion facts along the path will help those who want to take the Trashion quiz and have a chance at a prize. There will also be drawings for door prizes if you walk, bike or carpool to the event; bring gently-worn bras, new socks or new underwear for the organization I Support the Girls, who will be tabling at the event; or wear a homemade or thrift store piece of apparel.

Tickets for the July 25th show are $15 for adults and $5 for children (under 12). They go on sale starting July 1 at bitrashion.org and will have a timed entry starting at 1pm, with a final entrance time of 3:30. Parking is at the end of Mandus Olson Rd, making it a brief hike to the site. There will be ADA spots available at Hilltop. Demand is always high, so make sure to book your tickets early!

Our sustainability-minded sponsors of this year's outfit awards are Bainbridge Disposal, Green Mountain Technologies, Hey Day Farm, Clark Construction, Firefly Salon, A Kitchen That Works, and Plum.

We are looking for six volunteers for July 25, who will receive a free ticket to the show for their time.

Please email Diane Landry if you can help.

Please make sure your Styrofoam is ready for a quick car removal. Is it brushed free of debris? Are all tape and stickers removed? Are you bringing only peanuts that are Styrofoam? (Compostable ones aren't oil-based -- you can distinguish them by their cylindrical shape and by how they stick to each other if you wet them. If you can't reuse them, try dissolving them in hot water or give to a child to make sculptures.)

Thank you to all who have signed up to help. We have met our 12-person goal for all slots, but sometimes people can't make it, or they may need a break from the heat. If you are still available to lend a hand, please sign up here.

As recapped above, SB 5022, that passed in this year's state legislative session, was a major step forward to cutting down on single-use food service ware items and certain Styrofoam products, as well as improving the market for recycled plastic. Other waste-centric bills are detailed in Zero Waste Washington's just-released second-quarter newsletter.

On Bainbridge Island, the newly renamed Single-use Foodware and Waste Reduction ordinance (8.24) goes a little further than SB 5022 in regards to food service ware:

Businesses will have until January 1, 2022, to make these changes.

A city Plastic and Waste Reduction Task Force is being formed that will be comprised of 2-3 city councilmembers, 2-4 community members with waste expertise, and 2-4 business community members. Its purpose will be to flesh out the Single-use Foodware and Waste Reduction ordinance pursuant to action 7.A.2.a of COBI's Climate Action Plan.

I will be on that committee and solicit your suggestions, questions and/or concerns (email Diane Landry). The group is set to deliver its recommendations by September, so please comment as early as possible.

Head to the BI Park Foundation's new Labyrinth Park on Hall's Hill Road near Blakely Harbor and you will find Wacky Nut Community Garden's dahlia cart, which has a continuous supply of cut flowers and plant starts. When the garden is abloom, they donate flowers twice a week to Island Volunteer Caregivers, who make lovely arrangements for homebound islanders. They also give veggies to Helpline House.

The gardeners are always looking for clear glass vases, especially quart-sized Mason jars, which can be left by the roadside at the dahlia cart. If you have questions or want to visit the community garden, please contact Kristi Heath or Len Beil.

Zero Waste Washington is working to map all repair businesses and efforts in Washington so that people will have a one-stop site to look for local repair options, including businesses, non-profit repair events, and DIY tool libraries and maker spaces. If you have a recommendation for repair of anything ranging from clothing, shoes, jewelry, and lamps, to appliances, electronics, tools, and computers, please email Xenia Dolovova.

If you want to challenge yourself to reduce plastic use, go to the Plastic Free July® website to find actions and resources to help achieve your goals.

You can start by going to the Seattle Aquarium's blog post about supporting the Plastic Pellet-Free Waters Act.

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