Miller-Boekenhauer
Engagement Told
Keri and Grant Miller of Sitka have announced the engagement of their daughter Raegan Evelyn Miller of Ketchikan to Jared Kenneth Boekenhauer.
Grandparents of the bride-to-be are Evelyn Cordeiro of Plains, Montana; Van Dorathy of Plains; Paul Miller of Billings, Montana; and the late Betty Miller of Billings.
The groom-elect is the son of Sonja and Mark Boekenhauer of West Dundee, Illinois. His grandparents are Jean and Roger Boekenhauer and Kenneth Jamsa and Elizebeth Gerhart.
The wedding on March 31 in Ketchikan will be attended by the couple’s immediate family.
Climate Connection: Slowing Down
Last week, this column laid out the unsustainability of unlimited Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth on a finite earth. This is hardly a new idea, but it has not penetrated the trajectory chosen by wealthy nations or our government. What would a change toward sustainability involve?
We need to produce and consume less to avoid ever-increasing pollution and exhaustion of natural resources. We need to transition from a world dependent on fossil fuels to a world of renewable energy and with substitutes for most carbon- or greenhouse gas-intensive products, such as cement, steel, fertilizer, and industrial agriculture. We need to decrease or eliminate plastics and hydrogen made from fossil fuels. These transitions involve profound changes in our economies and in our consumption habits. Energy use underlies nearly everything that is produced or transported. With only renewable energy, we are likely to have less energy than we enjoy today from the concentrated energy of fossil fuels. But fossil fuels are exhaustible and even now, fracking requires more energy than is produced (negative energy return on investment). We need a steady-state, not a growth-dependent economy.
What is essential to produce? We need healthy food, dry and warm/cool shelter, clothing, education, health care, community spaces for decision making and entertainment, productive employment, and time without paid employment. We do not need purchased “things” artificially created by advertising or manufactured with limited lifetimes. We need equity across the world to avoid international conflict and so that human beings everywhere have the essentials they need for well-being and satisfying lives. We need to decrease our consumption so that we reuse, repurpose, and recycle in a local circular economy with less reliance on imports from afar.
The transition to a post-growth economy can be guided by the core values of sustainability, justice, democracy, and well-being. The secular stagnation we have now, with recurrent bubbles and bursts of financial assets, could be replaced by equitable prosperity, shorter work hours, and more leisure time without expanding the realms of monetary value reflected in GDP.
In Sitka, we have a new Sustainability Commission to consider these matters. To truly be part of the sustainable change we need, we need democratic community involvement in the decisions that our local government makes. Democracy is more than electing assembly members and leaving decisions to them. Democracy requires ongoing input from all stakeholders to ensure justice and well-being.
Is the Chamber of Commerce or city administration the appropriate body to determine limits on tourism? Should we have public meetings to assess what 500,000 cruise ship passengers in a season mean to our downtown real estate, our traffic, our air quality, and our waste streams? Should we use our clean hydropower to decrease cruise ship generator emissions when docked or to lower the cost of home heating with heat pumps instead of fuel oil? As a community, let’s strengthen our participation and voices in the transition that we need.
Kay Kreiss, Transition Sitka
Artist, Poet Hoffman to
Open SJ Museum Series
The Sheldon Jackson Museum has announced the opening of ‘‘Filling Empty Spaces – Attraction and Distraction,’’ an exhibition of new works by Robert Hoffmann (Tlingit).
A reception and artist talk are scheduled 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 14, at the museum. Following Hoffmann’s talk will be the show and light fare, sponsored by the Friends of Sheldon Jackson Museum.
Hoffmann is one of three artists selected for the Sheldon Jackson Museum 2020-2023 solo artist exhibition series. The others are Allie High and Peter Williams.
Hoffmann, Xaashuch’eet, is originally from Kake. He is primarily a wood carver and painter, but has worked in multimedia sculpture and has recently been experimenting with casting. He is represented by the Stonington Gallery in Seattle and his works can be found in private collections and museums including the Sheldon Jackson Museum.
“Through his carvings and paintings, Hoffmann explores cultural values, and to what ends they drive us in a search for fulfillment,” his artist statement said.
In addition to being a visual artist, Hoffmann is an accomplished poet. His published works include ‘‘Soul Catcher, Village Boy: Poems of Cultural Identity’.’ and his most recent book of poetry ‘‘Raven’s Echo,’’ just published by Arizona Press, Suntracks Edition.
Hoffmann also has illustrated both books in the Raven House Mouse book series written by Jan Steinbright.
‘‘Filling Empty Spaces’’ will be on exhibit at the museum until April 22. The proposal for the exhibition was selected by a panel from over a dozen applications.
The next Solo Show Exhibition Series is set in 2023. Images of the exhibition will be posted on the Alaska State Museum website in the online exhibitions section for viewing and a recording of Hoffmann’s talk will be uploaded to the Friends of Sheldon Jackson Museum YouTube Channel.
Admission to the reception, artist talk, and exhibition is waived for Saturday, Jan. 14, starting at 2 p.m. Admission will be charged to view the show after Jan. 14.
Bingosize Fridays at
ANB Founders Hall
The public is invited to the Bingocize activity 1 p.m. Fridays Jan. 20-March 24 at the ANB Founders Hall.
Bingocize, which has a nutrition focus, was developed by Dr. Jason Crandall to be a fun and affordable way to improve health and quality of life while reducing the risk of falling.
The activity is 1-2 p.m. followed by snacking and socializing 2-2:30 p.m. Prizes will be offered.
Center for Community, SAIL, SEARHC, the State of Alaska and Brave Heart Volunteers are sponsors of the event.
For information call Doug Osborne at 966-8674 or email douglaso@searhc.org.
SCT, KCAW
Present 2022
Adventure Hour
GSAC Sitka Community Theater and KCAW-FM will present the radio premiere of “Radio Adventure Hour: Superheroes” 12:06 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 15, on KCAW, 104.7 and 90.1 FM.
Sitka Community Theater’s 27 actors performed five short radio plays at the Performing Arts Center November 11, 2022, which were then prepared for broadcast by sound effects director Jeanne Stolberg, sound effects director John Herchenrider, and KCAW’s Adam Lechowicz.
The plays were written by Seaton Bryan, Sotera Perez, Zeke Blackwell and Rebecca Poulson, and directed by Perez, Blackwell and Poulson.
Renewable Energy
Topic of Program
Gail Ferris will give a presentation on the use of renewable energy in Denmark at Sunday’s meeting of the Sitka Unitarian Fellowship.
Denmark has been a leader in the development of wind energy, as well as utilizing solar, geothermal, methane, and wood, Ferris said.
Gathering is at 10:30 a.m., and the program begins at 10:45. Bread and soup follow the program at noon. It is open to the public. The Fellowship Hall is at 408 Marine Street, with parking behind, off Spruce Street.
Water Customers
Get City Notice
Residents may experience water pressure and flow fluctuations, the city said.
The City and Borough of Sitka will be bringing the secondary water treatment plant online while repairs are made to the UV plant. During this time, customers may notice pressure and flow fluctuations as well as cloudy water.
‘‘If you experience any of these, run the cold water for a few minutes until it clears,’’ the city said. ‘‘We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience.’’
Call the city public works department with questions at 907-747-1804.
Citizen’s Climate
Lobby to Meet
The Citizen’s Climate Lobby’s monthly call will be 9-9:45 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 14, via Zoom at cclusa.org/meeting. The subject is ‘‘Climate Solutions Simulator.''
Andrew Jones, of Climate Interactive, will present the latest on CI’s climate simulators, C-Roads and En-Roads, free and available to everyone, to explore the most effective climate change solutions.
Following the presentation will be the CCL Sitka Chapter meeting, also on Zoom, from 9:45-11 a.m., to learn how to join with other Sitkans to take further action to combat the climate crisis. Call 907-738-3557 or email SitkaClimateLobby@gmail.com for the link to the local meeting, or for further questions.
Natural Resource
Panel to Meet
The Sitka Tribe of Alaska’s Natural Resource Committee will meet in person at 204 Siginaka Way and on Zoom at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 19.
For the link to the Zoom meeting, contact Elizabeth Borneman at 907-738-3165 or email elizabeth.borneman@sitkatribe-nsn.gov.
Chinese New Year
Program On Tap
Sitka Babies and Books invites families of ages birth to 4 years to a celebration of the Chinese New Year 10:30 a.m. at the Sitka Public Library.
Children, parents and caregivers are welcome to enjoy a morning of readings and activities. Registration is required to receive a copy of a free book about the program’s theme.
Books are purchased with a grant from Sitka Legacy Foundation, an affiliate of the Alaska Community Foundation.
For information call the library at 907-747-4020 or e-mail Maite at maite.lorente@cityofsitka.org
‘Brain Health’
Cooking Class On
“Cooking for Brain Health: Get Pickles” will be offered noon-1 p.m. Monday, Jan. 23, at the Sitka Public Library, Gus Adams room.
Sarah Lewis, from the Cooperative Extension Service Juneau District, will teach the class, which is part of a three-day lunch series focused on different brain-healthy foods and how to include more of them in diets.
Each class costs $10, the whole series costs $20. Register at: https://bit.ly/SitkaJan23. Contact Jasmine Shaw at jdshaw2@alaska.edu or 907-747-9440 for more information.
