Next Neighborhood Meeting:

Tuesday, September 29^th, 6:30-8:30pm

Birchwood Elementary School

Agenda items will include:

• Neighborhood Plan Update
• Birchwood Survey results
• Birchwood Victory Gardens update

Bellingham Slow Food Eat In Hosted by Birchwood Elementary

Just a few short weeks ago, on Labor Day, our own Birchwood Elementary hosted Bellingham's first ever Slow Food Eat In. Here is what the organizers of the event reported to the National Slow Food organization:

Birchwood Elementary School in Bellingham WA sports a beautiful emerging school garden and that's where 125 people gathered to learn more about school nutrition, celebrate the garden, and enjoy some amazing food. People brought dishes of all kinds to the grassy area next to the fenced garden. It was a great outpouring of support and community. The kids loved the age-specific activities--all related to the garden—planned by teachers Nicole Bruno and Kelly Morgan and supported with a donation for supplies by the Birchwood Neighborhood Association. Word of this event spread across a network of food-related organizations in this community-focused area. Everyone I talked with in the week before the eat-in said they had heard of it from several sources. Our cosponsor Whatcom County School Garden Collective spread the word and local teachers put up posters and alerted neighborhood groups. Garden followers, parents and neighbors involved with the school, and Slow Food supporters mixed and mingled learning more about each other and the focus we all share--good food in schools. It was a win-win for everyone. –Diana Campbell

For more information on the local movement contact

diana_carol@msn.com

Survey Results Online

Our Birchwood Neighborhood Survey was mailed to 600 random sampled addresses. We had 319 surveys returned. Some neighbors, who did not receive a random sample survey, filled out volunteer surveys. To see the survey responses, go to our neighborhood website:

www.birchwoodneighborhood.org

Click on the Random Sample Survey Results link and/or the Volunteer Survey Results link. Our Neighborhood Plan Update Committees will be using these results to identify guidelines for parks and trails, transportation needs and safety concerns, and zoning preferences that protect the character of our neighborhood during future development. Thank you so much for your participation in this survey.