The March lion is in full force for 2008 in our humble ecovilla. Lots going on, from a special appearance by City Council member Tom Rasmussen at the PRCC's monthly meeting this Tuesday to Thursday's new "Democracy Conversations" series focusing on George Lakoff's "Thinking Points." It's increasingly fascinating to watch how Barack Obama consistently and engagingly applies Lakoff's "nurturing parent" approach while Hillary Clinton stays with the "strict father" model. Pick up a discounted copy of Lakoff's book at Santoro's Books and join us at the Greenwood Library starting at 6 p.m. each Thursday this month (see calendar for particulars).

Council member Rasmussen has oversight of the Woodland Park Zoo as chair of the council parks/zoo committee. The Zoo's plans for expansion of the West Entry as well as other zoo issues will head Tuesday's agenda, according to PRCC president Irene Wall.

Sadly, the ecovillage's first megamansion has struck at the corner of N. 61st and Fremont. The problem with this monstrosity is that it is so far out of scale with the rest of the neighborhood, towering 3 stories high and pushing the limits of building codes. The city is due to inspect the structure soon, but even if it meets the letter of the law, something is terribly wrong here. It is out of step with the ethical and moral responsibilities of being a good neighbor. Stop by and have a look, and if you want to protest, please contact the City Council. This is a trend happening throughout the city, and meeting with rising disenchantment everwhere. Having wrung all the dollars they can out of downtown hi-rises, developers have set their "sites" on creating glass-and-steel canyons along main district streets. A number of activist groups, from arborists to parks defenders to affordable housing advocates, have seized on a surreptitious revision of Seattle's land-use code to stop this defiling of neighborhood life. For more see our story here. In any case, come to the PRCC meeting to explore these issues further.

For more information, watch for updates on this site.

The Ecovillage has gone for Obama! See our story in the Village Crier. There's a link to a YouTube video as well!

And don't forget the Ecovillage's regular events, Peace Bannering above Aurora on Tuesday mornings and the Think Tank meets on Wednesdays at Mae's. And remember to stop by Santoro's Books for all your reading needs as well as a chance to randomly run into fellow ecovillagers browsing the shelves. This month's Santoro's Subversive Salon is Wednesday the 12th.

For information on these and more events, check the jam-packed Ecovillage Calendar, clickable on the menu bar above. Note we run a full schedule on the Ecovillage calendar of the neighboring Wallingford Meaningful Movies each Friday night as well.

Have you checked out the Phinney Market's dining and wining slate? Friday dinners (and wine tastings), Saturday beer & brats and Sunday brunches are standard fare. View the full schedule at the Market's Web site and subscribe to its newsletter at contactus@phinneymarket.com.

Also, the StepItUp campaign by Phinney-Greenwood Climate Change Action Now! continue to gather pledges to fight global warming. If you missed signing up, head to the pledge page for more information.

Don't forget to drop in on Ecovillager Jamie Clausen's Buy Local Web site, an effort to get neighbors to patronize local businesses as well as think about sustainability and climate impacts at the same time. Mention the site and you can qualify for discounts, including 10 percent off Phinney Ecovillage founder Cecile Andrews' book, Slow Is Beautiful. Check it out!

Also, be sure to check out our "sister site," the Phinney Neighborhood Association, here.