APPLE-Shasta meeting, Friday, July 14

We have a splendid potluck, with many dishes made out of predominately locally produced foods.  People sat at tables according to their interests for preliminary conversations.

Posters are available from Greg Dinger for publicizing "An Inconvenient Truth" now showing in Mt Shasta at the Coming Attractions Theatre.   He is also seeking donations for a quarter page ad in the Mt Shasta Herald. <gregd@greybearddesign.com>.

Cindy Weiss passed out a questionnaire about how much food people are growing themselves, and how they plan to preserve it.  She  will compile the information for the group as a whole--to form a kind of base line to see how we are changing over time--and post it on the FeedMtShasta.org web site.

Cindy also shared a list she has compiled of North County growers/producers--of vegetables and fruits, grains, beans, and meat.  She will post this information on FeedMtShasta.org.  Information about South County growers can be added to that list. 

Community Garden:  Fred Lewis, Philip York, and John Rosek agreed to coordinate the Community Garden project temporarily.  They will contact the 50 people who signed up at the July 4th booth for a meeting next Friday, July 21, at 3 pm at the Mt Shasta Library.  The group will walk to Sisson School to view the garden there, and then on to Shastice Park to survey that space.  The group needs to put together a specific proposal for the Parks and Rec Board to gain approval. Fred can be reached at 926-4967.

Tim Holt and  others are forming a similar group in Dunsmir.

Energy Inventory:  Todd Cory, Don Nobach, John Roshek, and Angelina Cook have put toether a home energy inventory that all APPLE-ites are encouraged to use to save energy and money at home.  We discussed next steps with that project. 

Rose Taylor suggested a video she has seen called "Kilowatt Ours" that shows how people can save energy at home.  Stacy volunteered to check with Stage Door about a date for showing that, and coordinating that event.  Don will make more copies of the energy inventory for that event.  

Molly wondered if we could set up some kind of visible feedback display, like a thermometer that would measure the electric usage of the community, with a goal of lowering it over time. 

Molly and Jill Gardner are planning to write a series of columns, with the hope of getting them published in the local newspaper.  The first three articles could be on the Home Energy Inventory.  Future columns would include food production, preservation, local sources, etc.

Web site:  Molly asked for help with the web site and the email list.  Don Nobach and Sunny Dinger volunteered.  Molly urged everyone on-line to go to Apple-Shasta.org, which will take you to the Relocalization web site.  If people will set up an account there, we can more easily send e-messages to the whole group.  Moreover, we can use the Forum to discuss ideas and plans outside of meetings.  Michelle asked for a link from the Apple-Shasta web site to MSBEC.   Molly will set that up.

John Roshek will inquire about APPLE having a booth at Farmer's Market to get information out to the community about peak oil, and APPLE projects.  Omanasa offered to help.  Others are needed to sit at the table.  Phone John to help: 926-6298.

Omanasa and John will also contact the city to urge them to proceed with the bike path plan.  Omanasa will draw up a petition for people to sign.  That can be at the Farmer's Market table, too.

We briefly discussed the possibility of setting up a Ride Share bulletin Board on one of our web sites.  Craig's List in Redding has a rideshare feature we could use meanwhile.

Our next meeting will be August 8, 9, or 10, depending on when we can get the use of Eskaton Manor again.  Potluck at 5:30, meeting at 6:30. 

Respectfully submitted,
Molly Brown