Bellingham Mayor Dan Pike and Whatcom County Executive Pete Kremen will talk about efforts to pro-tect and restore Lake Whatcom at a Bellingham City Club luncheon Wednesday, Aug. 27.

Pike and Kremen will be joined by Steve Hood of the Bellingham office of the state Department of Ecology at the meeting. Hood is the author of the state report that requires local government to take steps to roll back the level of phosphorus flowing into the lake.

Scientists say high phosphorus levels are to blame for helping spur algae growth in the lake, which is choking out oxygen, which in turn creates problems for marine life. Low oxygen levels are why the lake was placed on a state list of "impaired waterbodies." That listing led to the study authored by Hood. In-creased algae in the lake also requires the city, and others who use the lake for drinking water, to do more to treat the water before consuming it.

Both the city and county have said solving the problem is a top priority, and have undertaken many ef-forts to decrease potential phosphorus loading - including putting restrictions on fertilizer use and build-ing around the lake and buying up property to keep it from being developed.

Pike and Kremen have also talked about doing more to combine efforts in the fight, including possibly creating one office to oversee all lake efforts that serves both the city and county.

Expect both men to try and highlight what they have already done and are attempting to do today. Ex-pect audience members to ask tough questions about whether or not they are doing enough.

>>Bellingham City Club

12:30 Wednesday, Aug. 27 at Northwood Hall, 3240 Northwest Ave.

IS BELLINGHAM BUILDING GETTING GREEN?

Nick Hartrich, green building program manager at Sustainable Connection, has been working on the leading edge of the green building movement in our community.

On Tuesday, as part of the Whatcom Museum's free brown bag series, Hartrich will talk about how far we have come.

Hartrich played an instrumental role in the development and facilitation of Whatcom County's first residential green building program and actively participated as a member of the BuiltGreen Washington advisory committee.

In his talk he plans on showing how our area ranks for green building compared to other cities in the United States and he will highlight some prominent buildings in Bellingham that have been buillt under "LEED" specifications, including the new Whatcom Art and Children's Musuem. LEED stands for "Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design."

>>Green building talk at Whatcom Museum

12:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 26 at Whatcom Museum, 121 Prospect St.

NEED A HAIRCUT? HELP A GOOD CAUSE

Local hair and nail professional will hold a fundraiser on Saturday, Aug. 30, in which they will give away their services in exchange for donations to two local charities aimed at assisting homeless women and children.

Members of the Whatcom Hair and Nail Network will give haircuts, manicures and facials in return for donations to the Agape Home for Women and Children and Rebound of Whatcom County. Seven salons are participating in the day-long even being held at the Meridian Street Haggen store.

If you need a haircut, or just want to support important local social-service institutions, we urge you to stop by.

>>Haircuts, manicures and facials for charity.

9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 30, at Haggen Food & Pharmacy, 2814 Meridian St.