Region in brief: Tubbs Hill cleanup on Saturday

The public is invited to help with the annual cleanup of Tubbs Hill on Saturday in Coeur d’Alene.

Volunteers from the community, the Coeur d’Alene city parks department and the Tubbs Hill Foundation will clean up the city park from 9 a.m. to noon, a foundation news release said. The Third Street entrance will be the base for the collection of litter from the hill and its waterfront.

Starbucks Coffee will provide rubber gloves, bags and coffee, in addition to donating $10 for every volunteer hour, up to $1,000 total. The foundation will use the money for Tubbs Hill maintenance, the release said.

Tour features green building practices

A tour of homes in the Sandpoint area Saturday seeks to educate the public about a variety of environmentally friendly building practices.

Free to the public, the tour runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and includes eight homes with features including solar power, geothermal heat, straw-bale construction and reclaimed wood floors. Visitors are encouraged to ask questions and learn about the construction methods used.

The tour is presented by the Sandpoint Transition Initiative, an effort to create a more sustainable community in the greater Sandpoint area.

Tour directions are available at www.sandpointtransitioninitiative.org or at Pend Oreille Winery, Main Street Music & Games or Snow River in Sandpoint. Call (208) 263-5447 for more information.