Summer is such a great time for having fun with those we care about. Every day I hear of another person or family that is off to visit their family or friends in other parts of the country, or that have friends and family coming to visit them here. It is great fun and so good for us all!

It occurs to me that summer should be a great time to build our community here in Kitsap, too. We have so many great community events going on, from the long-time traditions on the Fourth of July to the relatively new events like the Rotary Beer Garden and Concerts on the Cove every Saturday night. These are great times to get to know people in our area, and to share events that become part of our corporate community memory.

We all know that attending public events, maybe going with some friends, is a good thing. But I’ve learned from experience that an even better way to help foster a cohesive community is to take the time to work at a few events or on a project or two. Even if not a long-time commitment, working side by side with someone can be a delightful way to get to know them, and, once again, share a common experience that everyone tucks into their memory.

Face-to-face contact and conversation is becoming treasured in our days of instant technology, at least treasured by some of us who understand the human need for touch and for visual contact. So finding enjoyable time to spend without our “screens” between people is a very important and satisfying way to build community. (“Screens” can be cell phones, iPhones, email, texting, facebook, twitter, etc. etc.)

We often need to find people we can have something in common with, too. What’s delightful is finding those people with like concerns and interests in places you don’t expect it. Here are a few ideas of things you can do to initiate community building in unexpected places:

• Host a film viewing in your neighborhood, with other parents from school, or for your church. Yes, you already have some connections with those folks, but watching a film together – something interesting to discuss – will help you get to know each other much quicker. Maybe it will become a monthly series with a theme, like nature or sustainability!

• Host a “swap meet” party – not the big garage sale kind, but a time to actually swap or exchange things with friends. Maybe a children’s clothing  and toy swap, or a book swap, or garden tools & plants swap. And plan for a place for left-overs to go (perhaps donating books to Stillwaters for our book sale!)

• The Conversation Cafe is a growing option for people to gather – weekly or monthly – to talk informally about a topic, usually a different topic each meeting. There is help to start your own, or to find one near you, at www.conversationcafe.org.

• And don’t forget the good old fashioned potluck. Making food the center of any gathering is a long-standing tradition for good reason; it’s celebratory and eating is something we all have in common. For a fun twist, make it a local foods, or green-eating potluck, and give people a chance to talk about why they brought what they did.

It is great that some of the best things we can do to save our planet are also great fun and good for us, too!

If you want to participate in a Sustainability Discussion course, please contact Joleen to get your name on the list. Contact Joleen Palmer at 360-297-1226 or Joleen@Stillwatersenvironmentalcenter.org.

This information is provided by Naomi Maasberg, Administrative Director of Stillwaters Environmental Education Center in Kingston.