Local 20/20 Weekly Announcements

Weekly Announcements

Promoting Sustainability and Resilience in East Jefferson County

Downtown decorated (A. McFarland)

Intro to Bike Mechanics: Foundations 3 - Wed Dec 18th

The Recyclery is offering the third in its popular “Foundations” series for new and returning cyclists. In Foundations 3 cyclists will learn to diagnose issues that affect the drive train, including gears and shifting. Participants will work on shifters, shifting cables and housing, will learn how to measure a chain and replace a worn one and how to make minor derailleur adjustments. After this class, riders should feel comfortable using appropriate tools, measuring and replacing chains, and will understand front and rear derailleurs and derailleur hanger adjustments. Registration is required, and there is a fee. To register and to ask questions see The Recyclery website and/or contact them by email.
Time: 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. Location: The Recyclery, 1925 Blaine St., Port Townsend Library

“Point in Time” homeless count training, Wed Dec 18 - *New*
If you are concerned about homelessness in Jefferson County, one way to help is to be part of the Point In Time count. Counting the homeless is how the state figures out how much funding to allocate for needed services. Three trainings are scheduled starting this Wednesday. Subsequent trainings are to be held on Monday Jan 6 and Monday Jan 13, both at 4 pm. The annual count will be held on Thursday, January 23.
Time: 3 p.m. Location: OlyCAP conference room, 823 Commerce Loop, Port Townsend

Local 20/20 Steering Council Meeting - Wed Dec 18th
The monthly Local 20/20 Steering Council meeting is open to all and welcomes those interested in active involvement in Local 20/20 leadership. Newcomers are always welcome. If you'd like an orientation, please email Marlow at marlow@l2020.org.
Time: 4:00 - 6 :00 p.m. Location: Charles Pink House, Port Townsend Library

Final Saturday Farmers Market in 2019 - Dec 21st

Come to the last Saturday Farmer's Market until next Spring! You'll find winter produce, meats and treats, one-of-a-kind gift ideas for the holidays, and much more. The market has dozens of vendors each week from local farms and artisanal food makers to a diverse array of cozy crafts like these kiddie hats. This final market will be held inside the Community Center as well as on Tyler St.
Time: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Location: Uptown PT, Community Center, on Tyler Street.

Chimacum Grange Holiday Party - Fri Dec 20

The Chimacum Grange invites you to join them for a dessert potluck and a holiday sing-along. Help them celebrate another great year! If you'd like to bring a dessert to share (not necessary) or an instrument for the sing-along, please do!Time: 7 pm. Location: Chimacum Grange, 9572 Rhody Dr., Chimacum.

Water Dowsing workshops - Sat - Sun, Dec 28th & 29th, Jan 4th & 5th - *New*
The Global Earth Repair Office and the Friends of Trees are offering two sets of water-themed workshops taught by scientist and geomancer David Yarrow. The first set, titled “Water Wisdom” and “Chi,” treats the mysteries of water in the human body and on earth. The second set, “Water Dowsing,” takes students outdoors to learn how to detect, identify and trace underground water flows. Students will carpool to different sites to practice dowsing. For exact dates, times and suggested donation, please visit the facebook page here.
Location: Global Earth Repair Office, 10644 Rhody Drive, Port Hadock

“Cultivating Housing Solutions” video - Sun Jan 5th *New*
The Housing Solutions Network and Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church are screening the 11-minute video “Cultivating Housing Solutions” about the growing housing crisis in Jefferson County. It features some innovative responses by townspeople you might know. This informative video offers real-life stories, surprising facts and creative ideas for keeping our community accessible to everyone who wants to live here. The screening will be followed by discussion facilitated by Housing Solutions volunteers. You are invited to come and bring your questions, your stories and your ideas.
Time: 9:30- 10:15 a.m. Location: Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church, 1020 Jefferson Street. Parish Hall, behind the church; please use Tyler-Street-side entrance.

North Olympic Farming Film Festival kicks off - Mon Jan 6th *New*
Friends of the Trees and our two local libraries are kicking off a beautiful and inspiring series of six feature films about small farming around the world. The first to air is the box office charmer “The Biggest Little Farm” (trailer). To get a peek at the other films in the series, click here. Discussion follows each film -- and admission is free! Note the two locations.
Time and location: Noon to 2 p.m., Charles Pink House, Port Townsend library, 1220 Lawrence St.
Time and location: 6 to 8 p.m., Jefferson County Library, 620 Cedar Ave, Port Hadlock.

New Year’s Resolutions: How Will You Reduce your Carbon Footprint in 2020? - Mon Jan 8

We will draw from many of the topics covered in our inaugural session for the new year to provide a wide range of options for change! Co-sponsored by Local 20/20 Climate Action and Jefferson County Public Health, this Climate on Tap series is not a lecture series, but a discussion format. Held on the first Monday every month, each session includes information to get the conversation started, followed by group discussions that include what locals think and what locals plan to do. For further information email Laura Tucker or call 360-379-4491.
Time: 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. Location: Finnriver Farm and Cidery; 124 Center Road, Chimacum.

“Cultivating Housing Solutions” video available to local groups

Click on this link to see the trailer for an important -- and hopeful -- new video, “Cultivating Housing Solutions.” After you see the trailer, and perhaps the showing at Saint Paul's Episcopal Church (see above), please consider showing the video to your neighbors or your community group. Housing Solutions Network volunteers will facilitate discussion at each screening. For more details please e-mail Justine Gonzalez-Berg here.

Master Gardener Yard and Garden Lecture series 2020 - *New*

The popular Yard & Garden lecture series offered by the Jefferson County Master Gardener Program is warming up for its 2020 six-week series, which starts Saturday, January 11. You may purchase a series pass at a big savings for $55 or buy individual tickets for $12 at the door on a space-available basis. Because these lectures quickly fill the main hall of the Port Townsend community center, you'll be wise to save the dates -- and the money -- and buy the full series pass soon. Purchase online at Brown Paper Tickets, JeffCo Master Gardeners Foundation: jcmgf.org, Port Townsend Garden Center, Shold’s Nursery, or by calling 360-301-2018. Sharpen those secateurs now!

Communiversity Lecture series 2020 - *New*

Curated to appeal to learners of all ages, Centrum’s exciting new 2020 arts and lecture series is designed to inspire thought-provoking conversation throughout our community. Each 90-minute event will feature nationally or locally recognized experts speaking with journalists and reporters from Crosscut and KCTS public media. Topics include: the causes and consequences of poverty, the American juvenile justice system, East Indian musical tradition (with live performance), ornithology, mushrooms and gender diversity in nature. For details and to purchase tickets, visit the Centrum website here.

WSU Jefferson County Extension is now hiring a Water Program Coordinator

This position is responsible for performing lead administrative staff duties for the Jefferson County Marine Resources Committee (MRC), including: writing grant content; managing Northwest Straits Initiative grant funds; managing program budgets; grant reporting and submission; coordinating and attending Executive Meetings and monthly MRC meetings; tracking volunteer hours; managing the recruitment and training of new MRC members and project volunteers; maintaining the MRC website and managing contracts and contractors/consultants for MRC projects as needed. For application, qualifications and further information, see here.

Salish Sea Art Exhibition - Through Jan 26th
An art exhibit crafted from materials salvaged along the Salish Sea is on exhibit at the Old Alcohol Plant through January. Twelve artists from various trades -- all lovers of wood and water-- have incorporated sea-washed materials into unique pieces of art. The exhibit as a whole acknowledges the effect of human activity on the marine biome.
Hours: 9:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. daily. Location: Old Alcohol Plant, 310 Hadlock Bay Road, Hadlock.

Global Earth Repair Foundation Reference Library

The Global Earth Repair Foundation was started to advance the work of the international conference that was held in Port Townsend several months ago. The Foundation shares an office with Friends of the Trees. It houses a reference library of over 3,000 books, with sizable sections on earth repair, ecosystem restoration, bio-engineering, native plants, soil building, regenerative agriculture, arid lands, ethnobotany, and more. This is a great place for people to research and study earth repair, ecosystem restoration and the like. The office and library are open on Wednesdays from noon to 8:00 p.m., and on Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The location is 10644 Rhody Drive in Port Hadlock.

Earth Day 50-Year Anniversary Planning
There are global plans for making the 50-Year Earth Day Anniversary in 2020 a huge event, with a goal of having a billion people worldwide involved! Discussions are just starting in Jefferson County regarding a local event involving lots of organizations. Organizations or individuals interested in helping plan an event, or that are already working on something related to Earth Day, can contact us at cag@l2020.org.
(Local 20/20 Climate Outreach is assisting with assembling an independent steering committee for this event.)

December King Tide Info & Photos

There was a higher-than-average predicted tide on December 1, 2019 (9.4′ predicted), that gave us another

chance to visualize the higher sea levels that will become more frequent in the future due to global sea level rise, and a few of Local 20/20’s Climate Action Group volunteers were out there early in the morning to capture it. The Local 20/20 Climate Action group regularly monitors king tides in Port Townsend, and posts them to our website. You can see photos and the analysis of the Dec 1 tide at the king tide link above.

Local 20/20 column in The Leader - *New*
The Port Townsend Leader features a regular column by Local 20/20. A recent edition featured “Getting Through the Holiday Season with Empathy,” written by Suzanne Jones of the Resiliency of the Heart action group. She asks “Would you rather be right or happy?” and offers one simple (if not easy) technique for maintaining healthy dialog with friends and family of diverse opinions. Read the column here.

Emergency Text Alerts from Jefferson County DEM

Local 20/20 has an emergency preparedness action group, and we recognize that communication is key to successfully coping with disasters and emergencies. The Jefferson County Department of Emergency Management participates in the "NIXLE" system which can send text alerts to your cell phone. Visit their web page here for further information and to get signed up. There you will also find information about other alert and warning systems including the tsunami warning system and the WASDOT alert system.

A Tool for Neighborhood Organization

Nextdoor is a private social network for neighborhoods. Use this link to join one of 51 Nextdoor Neighborhoods (NDN) in Jefferson County. Currently there are 9,909 subscribers, with many new members joining each day. Email Pete Hubbard with questions or comments.

Download the Port Townsend Walking Times Map
Local 20/20 Transportation Lab's popular walking times map is downloadable here. Walking is healthy, social, fun, costs nothing and keeps your carbon footprint small.

Resilience Readings
If you have interesting articles, essays or videos to share that fit our mission, please submit them here for consideration.

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How to Save the World: Turning a big negative into a big positive
Author Courtenay White describes the huge potential for soil to capture and hold carbon from the atmosphere. He goes over the numbers describing the deterioration of soil that comes from our current land use practices and argues convincingly that the answer is no till agriculture. Regenerative agriculture means using cover crops to control weeds, crop diversification, and applying animal manures to soil to boost soil health. "Nature doesn't till, why should we"? This is the basic question we must ask. The challenge is changing generations of accepted ag practice but the benefit could mean that we can slow down the trajectory of harmful climate change. The article includes lots of references, links to short videos and a lot more. Highly recommended, find the article here.

Gathering in Groups as Society Falls Apart
Vicki Robin crafted an essay for the Jem Bendell blog that provides insight that our Western emphasis on individualism presents obstacles to living and working in groups. "Everyone wants community. Unfortunately it involves other people," she observes. As fossil fueled civilization seems headed for devolution, it may be that people will migrate to smaller and more tightly knitted community. Working together in such settings to meet the challenges of the future will require skills that many of us will need to learn. Working from the experiences of intentional communities, Robin provides some practical suggestions for things we can work on. Find Robins essay republished at Resilience.org here.

Petroleum Junkies of the World, Unite!
This is a great meditation on the joys and miracles that our precious fossil fuels bring into our lives. All that righteous environmentalist talk about reducing our carbon footprint, they don’t know what they’re asking. They want us to cut back? Or even go without? Bah humbug! How dare they? Don’t they realize how very... precious it is? Imagine going without, it would be like the taste of cold turkey on Thanksgiving. Or to consider "mutiny"? Which the author defines as "an act of courageous desperation that reasonable people consider reluctantly." The link to the essay is here.

"Healing the rift between Political Reality and Ecological Reality:
Q & A with Shaun Chamberlain"
Ecological reality says we need to urgently and dramatically bring down carbon emissions to avoid catastrophe. Political reality offer incrementalism, market based carbon trading schemes and top-down approaches. In this article Chamberlain reviews the work of David Fleming who helped develop a concept called "Tradeable Energy Quotas" or TEQs. TEQs start with a hard emissions cap based on climate science then divide up the carbon budget between households, institutions and societal sectors. TEQs are a system of rationing that would be a bottom-up approach and could earn buy in from a critical mass of people because its fairer than more regressive options. It could also leverage societal creativity and innovation. Find the article at Green Social Thought here.

Food After Oil: how urban farmers are preparing us for a self-sufficient future.
From The Guardian and author Richard Benson, this is an article that describes efforts in Bristol that show how small parcels can feed people in a City while it helps them connect to each other. The obvious benefit of minimizing energy lost on transportation of food is but one benefit. This is a great article with wonderful photography that delves into the history of modern agriculture and asks the question, how would we grow food if we wanted or needed to minimize the use of fossil fuels? Find the article here.

Seeds of Life: The Plants suited to Climate Change
If we consider the many challenges of climate change we must ask ourselves what we can do to make the inevitable crash a soft landing? What should we try to save and what can we let go to prepare for the Great Simplification? One of the things I hope we can save is agriculture and the key to this is seeds. This fascinating article from BBC News by Matthew Tucker, reports on efforts underway at the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew. It takes a very close look at seeds in amazing detail, the pictures are stunningly beautiful. Please enjoy and find the article here. (Also, see the post below on seeds that also mention our local Organic Seed Alliance.)

Oceanic Carbon Cycle Tipping Point Approaching Fast
One week ago MIT published fresh new work by Professor Daniel Rothman. Fresh attention is now focused on the issue of ocean acidification, that co-equal threat to our world's ecosystem that gets far less attention than global warming. Dr. Rothman shows that while the oceans buffer excess CO2, there is a dramatic tipping point after which rapid change promises likely mass extinction. Click here for the MIT News report on this brilliant analysis of the Carbon Cycle.

Save Our Food, Free the Seed

This is a wonderful article from the New York Times in which the work of organizations like Port Townsend based Organic Seed Alliance is highlighted. I especially liked the vivid pictures and descriptions of plants like the "Vibrant Ultraviolet" Asian mustard. It tells how we have lost much of our plant diversity due to corporate agricultural practices, and why it is so important that we reclaim the very basis of our food system and maintain a local connection to how we grow food. Locally, we are fortunate to have the Organic Seed Alliance and other such program like the Seed Library at WSU Extension Jefferson County, as well as a large community of seed growers, vendors and enthusiasts. Buy Local! Grow Local!

The Big Picture

At the end of 2018, and with uncertainty for the year ahead, it is the perfect time to reflect on the status of the world around us. From Resilience.org and Richard Heinberg, this new essay discusses our Industrial Global Civilization from the perspective of the Adaptive Cycle. Heinberg offers a clear-eyed argument that we face significant risk of civilization collapse sometime in the not-too-distant future. Nevertheless he offers hopeful suggestions on how courageous action (community resilience efforts, for example) can help moderate the transition and salvage those things that will be of most use to future generations. This essay is rated "Must Read" and is highly recommended. Use this link to take a close look at The Big Picture.

Local 20/20 Mission

Working together toward local sustainability and resilience –
integrating ecology, economy and community through action and education.

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