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Artist Suzanne Tidwell is adding color to Anderson Park with her Artificial Light art installation. Samantha Pak, Redmond Reporter
Colorful ‘tree socks’ brighten Anderson Park
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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2012
MAKING ANOTHER STATEMENT
Eric Klassen continues family tradition with 4th-place state diving medal
Unique art display taking shape at downtown park; community events planned Samantha Pak spak@redmond-reporter.com
The weather forecast may call for gray skies and overcast for the foreseeable future, but brighter days are in store for Redmond’s Anderson Park at 7802 168th Ave. N.E. Now through June 3 the park will play host to Artificial Light, an art installation by fiber artist Suzanne Tidwell. Since last Saturday, the Sammamish resident has been fitting knitted sleeves around trees at Anderson Park with the goal of outfitting 50 trees by March 8. Tidwell said she uses a “hot color palette” in colors that represent light for the brightly striped sleeves, which have also been called “tree socks” and “tree cozies,” to create a “sun” with each tree. “The brighter the better,” she said. Tidwell said Artificial Light is a way to bring a bit of color into the community during the drab Northwest winter days. Peggy McMahon agrees. “It brightens up the winter,” the Redmond native and longtime resident said. McMahon and her friend Karen Drew, who both live in the Emma McRedmond Manor apartment complex across the street from Anderson Park, were out walking late Wednesday morning when they came across Tidwell while she was working on her art installation. The three women struck up a conversation about the project with McMahon and Drew questioning Tidwell on her work process as well as offering compliments. “It sure is different,” McMahon said. “I like that.” [ more TREE SOCKS page 3 ]
Redmond High School sophomore Eric Klassen placed fourth at last Saturday’s Class 4A state diving meet in Federal Way. Eric became the third Klassen to earn a state diving medal. His older brother, Phillip, a junior, placed third last year and Eric’s oldest brother, Max, won the state diving title in 2009 as a senior. See story, PAGE 7. Photo courtesy of Sini Fernandez
Program helps business owners improve their bottom line Samantha Pak spak@redmond-reporter.com
Businesses, nonprofits and other organizations in Redmond who are looking to become more sustainable now have a program they can join to help them achieve their goals. The Eastside Green Business Challenge (EGBC), which kicked off at the end of 2011, is a free program for local organizations and seven Eastside cities including Redmond that helps participants improve their “triple bottom line,” which includes profitability, environmental impact and social impact. The program is run by the Eastside Sustainable Business Alliance (ESBA), an organization that works to support local groups who are adopting sustainable business practices. ESBA provides training, resources and networking opportunities in order to increase environmental, economic and social prosperity in the region. ESBA Founder and Director Paul Andersson said with the rising cost of oil and other resources, it is easy to separate businesses that are heavily dependent on these resources from the ones who are not. He said the former are not serving their stakeholders well, which is why it is important to look at sustainable alternatives. “I think it’s crucial,” Andersson said. EBGC is one way organizations can do this. On Tuesday, a workshop and training session was held at the Lake Washington School District Resource Center in Redmond to introduce the EGBC to the Redmond community. Tom Hinman, Redmond coordinator for ESBA, said Mayor John Marchione has supported the program and is encouraging businesses to look at their environmental impact and see how to change and improve that impact over time. The EGBC gives businesses a structure to do this. The program — which currently has about 74 participants, with five to 10 from Redmond — has an interactive framework [ more EGBC page 2 ]