This week’s Sustainable September events

My husband and I hosted a couple from Sweden last week as part of a “Friendship Exchange” through the Hillyard Rotary. We’d never met Iris and Bruno before, but had a wonderful time learning about their careers as a social worker and engineer, about their six grandchildren and about their country.

I think there’s an assumption that when you host strangers in your home, it’s a bit of a burden. The cleaning, the cooking, the making sure your two young children don’t drive them crazy. OK, I can see that. But the experience with “our Swedes,” as we called them all week, was overwhelmingly positive and yet another reminder of how important it is to reach out and connect with other people. We shared some beautiful moments with them, like on the second night when Iris put our 4 year old on the kitchen counter and sang her a Swedish nursery rhyme about a mouse finding its house. Giggle city.

My husband and I believe it’s important to teach our girls that their way of life is not the only way of life, and I think inviting folks from another culture into your home is one way to do that. Another way is to become active in your own community, and thanks to the Sustainable September activities that continue this week, there are several easy and interesting ways to do that this week.

Here’s just a sampling from the calendar. Visit the Sustainable September Web site for more events.

-People in poverty don’t often get to eat fresh produce. Bring spare veggies from your garden down to the Spokane Farmers’ Market to share with needy families through the Plant A Row for the Hungry program. 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday. Second Avenue and Washington Street.

-Greening Your Lifestyle, a workshop at 7 p.m., Thursday, at St. Al’s Catholic Church. Learn how to make nontoxic cleaning products and adopt other earth-friendly habits.

-On Friday, kids can listen to a story about the rainforest and then create their own rainforest stories at Mobius Kids , on the lower level of River Park Square. 11 a.m.

-Also on Friday, One World Spokane will hold a fundraising dinner on the Saranac Building’s rooftop in support of its organic community kitchen. Enjoy local and organic food and beverages, a silent auction and entertainment from comic and activist Jim Green. 6 p.m. Tickets are $25.

-Tour Moulder Farm, near Cheney, at 11 a.m. Saturday, then stick around for a potluck picnic at noon. Moulder Farm consists of an organic garden and a hayed pasture with large ponderosa pines and basalt outcroppings. Buildings on the property were made from recycled material and designed for minimal environmental impact. Call (509) 328-2939 for more details.

-On Sunday, tour seven of Spokane’s greenest homes, from strawbale houses built from scratch to older homes remodeled in sustainable ways. Tickets are $8 for bicyclists, $10 for general admission or $25 for a carload of people.