After a week of rain, the clouds are starting to clear to reveal full swimming holes and the warmth of late May.  Spend time with friends this Memorial Day swimming in the quarry and enjoying a Locopop, in celebration of the start of summer and everything that servicepeople have given to this beautiful country.

WHAT: Memorial Day swimming, community, and frozen treats
WHERE: Eno Quarry and then Locopops
WHEN: Mon. May 31st, 1:00 – 3:30 pm (swimming) + 4pm (Locopops)
We will meet at the Cabe Lands parking lot off Howe St. at 1pm.  Those who wish to carpool from Traction HQ (1018 Broad St.) should be prepared to leave at 12:40 sharp.  If you would like to set up a carpool from another area or need further directions, then please e-mail outdoors@getTraction.org.  We will follow up the fun in the sun with a trip to the Durham Locopops on Hillsborough Rd.

Keep in mind:

- The walk in is about a mile and there are no bathrooms nearby.

- The parking lot is very small, so you are strongly encouraged to carpool!

- The water is deep and rocky in places.

DO BRING: Walking shoes, water to drink, kids of all ages, snacks for yourself or to share, towel, sunscreen, and fun floating stuff
DO NOT BRING: Stereos and dogs.  I love ‘em, but it isn’t a good idea with leash restrictions and the presence of many others.

While bathing in the beauty of the Eno River State Park, we should not forget the reason for our day off: personal sacrifice.  Whether the large personal sacrifices that come with serving your country or the relatively smaller ones that come in the name of everyday community-building, it is personal sacrifice that helps to move our country forward.  Between the splashes and laughs, tell a friend about a sacrifice that you plan on making this year to help a neighbor, a park, or even a whole planet.

See you on Memorial Day!!

James Beidler
outdoor bather, Durham-lover, Tractivist

P.S. Upcoming…
Mon 5/31: Memorial Day at the Eno: swim@getTraction.org Wed 6/30: work / life / community balance workshop: balance@getTraction.org
Thurs 7/8: 538 Ways to Live, Work and Play Like a Liberal… with the awesome Drinking Liberally founder Justin Krebs
Plus a conversation group on race and privilege: race@getTraction.org, more outdoors events and more…

P.P.S. Upcoming event notes…
POSTPONED: The trip to the new civil rights museum in Greensboro.  Write gbo@getTraction.org for more info.
Sun 4/25: Return of the Potluck that Keeps on Giving (aka Freezer Party): freezer@getTraction.org
Plus strawberry-picking, a Memorial Day swim, and a conversation group on race and privilege: race@getTraction.org

P.S. Upcoming…
Sun 4/11: Learn to shrink your car’s carbon tireprint: greenmyride@getTraction.org
Sat 4/17: Trip to new civil rights museum in Greensboro: gbo@getTraction.org
Sun 4/25: Return of the Potluck that Keeps on Giving (aka Freezer Party): freezer@getTraction.org
plus a conversation group on race and privilege: race@getTraction.org
and Spring means the Traction Outdoors group is back!  Write outdoors@getTraction.org to be in the loop on hikes, swims, berry-pickings and more.

August is the hottest month, for both weather AND politics. (My god, the fanatics at recent town hall meetings need an intervention — seriously.) So next week, we’re throwing a hot-and-cool happy hour!

What: Thermo-dynamic: a hot-and-cool Happy Hour

When: Thurs Aug 20th, 5:30-7:30pm

Where: Traction HQ, 1018 Broad St. in Durham

Swimsuits: optional

RSVP: happy@getTraction.org

Next Thursday, have some fun in the sun outside where we’ll have a kiddie pool, some sprinkler action, live music from the one and only Adam Sampieri , and maybe even a slip-and-slide. Inside, we’ll cool off with jello shots, drinks, eats, newly repaired a/c (yes!) and smart, cool-as-cucumbers Tractivists who know their stuff on the two hottest issues in politics today: health care and climate change.

Come hang out with folks like Avery Book from Health Care for America Now ; Jenny Cook, sassy scholar of health policy; Chris Gianino from 1Sky NC ; and other special guests. And, we’ll celebrate progressive successes that Tractivists have helped achieve in the state legislature this year, including passage of the Racial Justice Act, Healthy Youth Act, School Violence Prevention (anti-bullying) Act and more.

Stay cool, and be sure to RSVP: happy@getTraction.org .

Lanya Shapiro

swimming hole enthusiast, pesto maker, Tractivist

In any case, our course of action is clear — we must make another foray deep into the den of the savage wild blueberry. That’s right, grab your sun hat and a bucket, and come on out for the Second Annual Great Blueberry Pickstravaganza!

What: 2nd Annual Great Blueberry Pickstravaganza: an organic U-pick adventure
When: Saturday morning, July 18th, 8:30 AM
Where: Carpool from Durham Farmers’ Market; or meet at Cedar Grove Blueberry Farm
RSVP: blueberry@getTraction.org

Cost: $2.00 / lb.

Why:

1. Because picking local blueberries is a finger in the eye of the agricultural-industrial complex.
2. Because blueberries are insanely good for you and taste insanely good.
3. Because picking local blueberries is a win-win-win situation:
- You win because your blueberries are cheaper, fresher, tastier, and longer-lasting.
- Local farmers win because your money goes directly to the farmer instead of through distributors.
- Your local environment wins because you’re supporting the growth of a native plant with an important place in the existing local ecosystem; native crops like blueberries require fewer chemicals than highly industrialized and subsidized crops like feed corn.
4. Because local and organic berries require less energy to get to your table than conventional berries from far away; you can gorge on berries with little contribution to climate change.
5. Because right now $5 could buy you one pint of blueberries at the local farmer’s market or TWO AND A HALF POUNDS if you pick them yourself!
6. Because Traction will hand out tips on how to pick, preserve, and prepare blueberries.
7. Because last year you picked four pounds and your best friend picked seven, and this year it’s war!
8. Because your freezer is empty.
9. Because your freezer is full, and you need an excuse to cook the package of shrimp you bought in December.
10. Because, as we all know, going to a Traction event is like emptying a bottle of delirious joy goo all over your head.

So if you think you’ve got what it takes to pick up a spear, or just a bucket, and join the ancient hunt for the dangerous wild blueberry, or if you just want to spend a couple of hours in good company and eating more or less everything you see, then send an RSVP right now to blueberry@getTraction.org for more information. We’ll head off early so we don’t get sunstroke. Bring yourself, your kids (there’s a swingset), your dog (we checked; dogs are OK), your neighbor… Invite ‘em all.

Please include in your RSVP:
a. How many people you’ll bring (best guess)
b. Whether you’d rather carpool with us from the Market or meet us at the farm

I will reply to RSVPs with detailed information on the meeting point, directions to the farm, a list of what to bring, copies of handouts, etc.

Stay tuned for our fall outing to pick apples and complete Traction’s 2009 local fruit trifecta. I look forward to once again plundering the berry harvest in your company!

Colin Cannell
Smuggler, libertine, Tractiberry

P.S. Quinton, Traction’s bike-riding, Locopop-loving, YouTube-lobbying intern, says:
"I need your recommendations for progressive fun — as weird as pig wrasslin’, as flexible as improv at DSI Comedy, as funny as "Yoga in the Hood". Tell me your favorite hang-out or restaurant/coffee bar/pastry shop. Where can I go for a live performance, a good book, or an open mic night? What about salsa or music lessons? Which progressive and locally-owned businesses do you support? Email me at quinton@getTraction.org !"

P.P.S. Upcoming Traction events:
7/9 Drinking Liberally: Tonight and every Thursday. Bull McCabe’s, 8 PM – 10 PM
7/19 Outdoors group: Plant Stalkers. Write to outdoors@getTraction.org .
early Aug Reel Politik: King Corn. Write to corn@getTraction.org .
8/5 Improve your financial know-how: Series kick-off. Write to cara@getTraction.org .

Growing up, my mom always thought I’d make a good social worker. Today, here I stand, a professional environmentalist.

The way I see it, reducing the impact of global warming has everything to do with people: Avoiding the strongest effects of global warming will make our future more healthy in terms of weather, food, and drinkable water. It’s also about helping other people who live in vulnerable places escape flooding, drought, and disease and live happy, healthy lives.

This Tuesday evening, 6/30, come hang out with me and fellow Tractivists. We’ll enjoy the film Kilowatt Ours , about our energy use in the southeast, and we’ll chat about ways we all can use energy wisely.

WHAT: ReelPolitik: Kilowatt Ours with Tractivists Rachel Della Valle, Eileen Thorsos, and Maria Mauceri.
WHEN: Tuesday 6/30, 7 PM – 9:30 PM
WHERE: Traction HQ, 1018 Broad St., Durham
WHY: Documentary watchin’, door blowin’, energy conservation plannin’ and good conversation!

RSVP: rachel@gettraction.org

Kilowatt Ours first looks at how using energy from coal hurts communities in the southeast. Then we’ll see ways that individuals, like film maker Jeff Barrie, and institutions are working to kick the coal and nuclear habit through energy efficiency and green energy.

We all can take a few simple steps at home to save a little money and be more energy efficient. Similarly, we all are part of groups of people — where we work, go to school, go to church, or volunteer — whose buildings are probably ready for an energy face lift.

I know about buildings. I work at Southern Energy Management , where I assess building energy use. We’ll also be joined by Tractivists Eileen Thorsos, from Durham’s Sustainability Office , and Maria Mauceri of Advanced Energy .

After the film, we’ll take a quick tour of the weatherizing upgrade that Tractivists gave to Traction HQ this winter, I’ll use a blower door to show you the kinds of leaks that buildings have, and we’ll talk about easy ways to start shifting energy use within the institutions we’re part of. We’ll also get the current word on the climate legislation that’s before Congress and how you can help support it.

Remember, if I own a car again one day, you may see stickers reading "Save the Whales" and "Save the Humans" right next to each other. We’re all in this together. Let’s turn the slide around.

Looking forward to our movie night,

Rachel
nut roaster, kilowatt counter, Tractivist

Summer is heating up, and with it real climate legislation is on the way. The American Clean Energy and Security Act, which would regulate greenhouse gas emissions and finance renewable energy, excitingly may come up for vote this month in the House of Reps.

Conveniently, summer is also an excellent time for us to get outside and get around town a little more greenly…

What: Ride Green: Cycle the ATT
When: Sunday, June 7th, 1 PM – 4 PM; meet before 12:45 PM for simple bike tune-ups
Where: At the corner of Morehead Ave and Blackwell St. in Durham, in the parking lot under the bridge for 147
Bring: Bike, helmet, water, sunscreen, and ice cream money
RSVP: outdoors@gettraction.org

We’ll bike down the American Tobacco Trail from downtown Durham to South Point Mall; we’ll rest over ice cream; we’ll talk about climate legislation and safe biking; then we’ll come on back. If you’re just dusting off your bike, we’ll have supplies to lube your chain and pump up your tubes. (COME EARLY for bike care!) The ride is very flat and will be about an hour each way. We’ll mix pleasant company with cheap exercise, green spaces, and clean transportation.

The American Tobacco Trail (ATT) is a project of the Triangle Rails to Trails Commission (TRTC). This non-profit works to preserve abandoned railroad corridors so that they could be re-opened in the future, avoiding the need to claim private land for rail projects. In the meantime, the TRTC converts them into greenway trails for pedestrians, cyclists and equestrian riders.

Interested in more on climate change and green energy? Stay tuned for a ReelPolitik showing of Kilowatt Ours. Interested in future outdoors events? This ride is one in a series of outdoors events every other Sunday afternoon. To stay in the loop, e-mail outdoors@gettraction.org .

I hope to see shiny happy Tractivists for a relaxing, green ride on the ATT!

Missy
Rain-dancer, Berry-picker, Tractivist

P.S. Want to come, but don’t have a bike? Have a bike, but can’t come? Contact me. I’ll try to get a bike lending program together so that everyone who wants to come can. If you don’t have a bike, it is ESPECIALLY important that you RSVP early, and I make no promises.

Strawberry season is a fleeting thing. For barely four weeks, the
little strawberry plants squeeze out plump, happy berries at
incredible speeds. And then, before you know it, it’s all over until
next year, and all we have to eat are pale, watery berries from
California. You think, "Is it over already? I totally forgot!"

Well, not this time, Tractiberries!

WHAT: 1st Annual Strawberry Pickstravaganza: Pick your own organic
strawberries and talk with a local farmer about organic biodynamic
farming.
WHEN: This Saturday, May 23rd, 1 PM – 4 PM +
WHERE: Carpool from the Durham Farmer’s Market at 1 PM or meet at the
farm in Cedar Grove at 2 PM
WHO: You. And your kids. And your mom. And your neighbor. And that guy
from work who always brings salads to meetings. Invite ‘em all.
PRICE: $2.50/lb of strawberries. (Join the group photo at the end of
the farm tour to get this special Traction group rate, which is highly
competitive for organic strawberries.)

Traction is excited to partner with Rob and Cheri of Whitted Bowers
Farm, the only organic pick-your-own strawberry farm this side of Wake
Forest. Whitted Bowers emphasizes sustainable organic agriculture,
with a biodynamic bent. "What’s biodynamic farming?" you ask. As far
as we know, it’s a system of organic agriculture with a holistic
approach.  Rob will tell us all about it.

We’re happy that Rob and Cheri are here, because strawberries are one
of the infamous Dirty Dozen, 12 fruits and vegetables that, according
to the Environmental Working Group, are highly contaminated with
pesticides even after washing. At least 90% of the conventional
strawberries the EWG tested had at least one pesticide on them, and
70% had at least two.

The cap it all off, conventional strawberries demand more pesticides
to grow and ship intact than almost any other type of produce. All
these pesticides aren’t very good for you , farm workers , or the environment .

To recap, here’s why you should come strawberry picking with us:
1. You need to get out more.
2. Strawberries are high in Vitamin C and bioflavonoids.
3. We’ll show you how to identify ripe berries and how to preserve and
process them.
4. Next year, you’ll be all confident and knowledgeable about
strawberries. Your friends will be impressed. You boss will promote
you.
5. Picking local organic strawberries is a win-win-win situation:
- You win because your strawberries are cheaper, fresher, tastier,
and longer-lasting.
- Farm workers and the environment win because these strawberries
were grown without heavy pesticide use.
- Local farmers win because your money goes directly to the farmer
instead of through distributors.
6. Picking local organic strawberries is a finger in the eye of the
agricultural-industrial complex.
7. Your freezer is too empty.
8. Because going to a Traction event is like emptying a bottle of
delirious joy goo all over your head.

So if you’re of a mind to fill a basket with sweet berry goodness
before the season ends (at the end of May), drop an e-mail to me at
strawberries@gettraction.org . Please include in your RSVP:
a. How many people you’ll bring (best guess)
b. Whether you’d rather carpool with us from the Market or meet
us at the farm.

I will reply to RSVPs with detailed information on the meeting point,
directions to the farm, a list of what to bring, copies of any
handouts, etc.

Remember also that strawberry season marks the beginning of swimming
season. On Memorial Day, Monday 5/25, Tractivists will be swimming,
potlucking, and Locopopping together. Look for more info later this
week, or write to swimming@gettraction.org for more info.

I look forward to plundering the berry harvest in your company.

Colin Cannell
Smuggleberry, libertine, Tractivist

Here’s the scoop…

What: Salsa Doble (hips and dip)
When: Sunday August 19

• 6pm salsa-making workshop
• 7pm dance lesson
• 8pm party

Where: the fabulous porch of Parker and Otis (formerly Fowler’s) in Durham
Who: Traction, El Pueblo, El Centro, SEEDS, Locopops and a porchload of your favorite Tractivists
Cost: $10 donation for the workshop or the dance party; get both for $17
Get your tickets here.

Since we’ll be both EATING and DANCING, we’re calling it Salsa Doble (hips and dip). And because it’s Traction, you know you’ll find spicy info about progressive issues — this time it’s immigration, farmworkers’ rights and local food — and ways to take action.
That’s right, local food. It would be WRONG to let peak tomato season pass without making some badass salsa. (Remember, friends don’t let friends buy El Paso.) So we’re throwing a salsa-making workshop. Spaces are limited…

Make a donation and get your tix here.

Hey, you know how you’ve been waiting for just the right occasion to volunteer for Traction? I think this is it. Write to salsa@getTraction.org to get in the mix…
Good food, good friends, good politics, and you’re supporting a great cause. Get your ticket now, and we’ll see you on the 19th!

Spend an afternoon with your fellow bio-curious Tractivists at Piedmont Biofuels on April Fuels Day… ahem, April Fools Day. We’ll meet in Durham and catch a ride on a biodiesel bus to the local plant to learn more about this alternative energy source.

DETAILS
What: An April Fuels Day Adventure — Tour of Piedmont Biofuels Coop and processing plant
Date: Sunday, April 1st
Time: Bio-bus departs at 11:45am and returns by 5:00pm
Where: Durham –> Pittsboro –> Durham
Cost: FREE! (Donations are appreciated)

We’ll provide lunch from the Chatham Marketplace, plus excellent conversation with other Tractivists during the busride, including two urban transportation planners: Tobin (who, along with Sarah, is co-lead on this event): an alternative fuels planner and Jennifer who does bike / pedestrian planning, plus climate change activists and simply bio-curious folks like me — all free of charge!

Tour time (including the fascinating and closed-to-the-public processing plant) plus lunch will last about 3 hours and we should be back in Durham by 5:00pm. We’ll all walk away with a few changes we can make in our daily lives to help the environment. And maybe some of us will decide to reform our fossil foolish ways and switch to biodiesel!

This excellent fuelish adventure is brought to you by Traction, Greenway Transit and the Triangle Clean Cities Coalition.

Spaces are limited. Contact sarah/at\getTraction/dot\org to reserve your lunch and seat on the bio-bus (or to let her know you plan to meet the group at the plant).

“In 2003 a large plot of land was donated to the NC Cooperative Extension Service to be used for environmental education. This land is located in Durham County off Briggs Avenue south of Durham Technical Community College. We are currently in the process of recruiting interested volunteers to serve on our Advisory Board for the Briggs Avenue NC Cooperative Extension Demonstration Landscape. The advisory board will be instrumental in coming up with a mission statement, program objectives, goals, ideation for Landscape Design, and instrumental in making financial decisions for this project. If you are interested in getting involved in this project please contact Michelle Wallace, Consumer Horticulture Extension Agent @ 560-0526.”

1. High quality, well-funded, diverse schools for all children
2. Living wages
3. Health care for all
4. Government redress for the Wilmington Race Riots of 1898 and the forced sterilization of black women from 1947 to 1977
5. Same-day voter registration and public financing for elections
6. More funding for historically black colleges and universities
7. Redress for 200 years of discrimination in state hiring and contracting
8. Affordable housing and consumer protection
9. Criminal justice reform including abolition of the death penalty
10. Creation of an environmental job corps for youth
11. Collective bargaining for public employees
12. Immigrant rights
13. More funding for civil rights enforcement agencies
14. Bringing troops home from Iraq

Then we marched to the General Assembly and posted it there for our state legislators to see.

Thanks to Tractivist Robert S., who posted lots of H K on J clips on You Tube! Here’s one featuring several Tractivists on stage, including yours truly…

Traction represented well, with Dave, Celeste, Bria, Anne, Tamara, Brandi, Jim, Adam and many more among the marchers.

Did you take pictures? Post them to flickr and tag them HKonJ and Traction!