Local Action for a Sustainable Tomorrow

Sequim Locally Grown Mercantile Brochure

Sidroney — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 13:35:19 -0700

Please find attached the new brochure for Sequim Locally Grown Mercantile.
A potential customer converted it to a pdf file so it is not as big.
The brochure is printed by inverting the 2nd page onto the back of the first page.
Then fold it in half.
It prints well in color or black & white.
Feel free to make as many copies as you like and distribute to the community.
Thanks
Sid

Local Action for a Sustainable Tomorrow

Puget Sound Partnership Action Area Workshops: Agendas, Action Area Profiles, and Initial Strategies

Sidroney — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 11:03:18 -0700

Subject: Puget Sound Partnership Action Area Workshops: Agendas, Action Area Profiles, and Initial Strategies
Date: Wed, 09 Jul 2008 06:53:41
From: John Cambalik

To: Strait of Juan de Fuca and Hood Canal Action Area Colleagues

Attached below is our latest E-Newsletter, all of which is dedicated to the upcoming Action Area Workshops that will focus on local and regional priorities for the Puget Sound basin, including the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Hood Canal Action Areas.

To prepare for one or more of the workshops, please pay particular attention to the questions contained within the agenda for each workshop when reviewing both the Initial Strategies for Puget Sound and the respective Action Area Profile. The questions we'll be asking at a particular workshop will focus on these two documents, all of which can be downloaded from the links below. Please RSVP, as suggested below, and indicate which workshop(s) you plan to attend so that we have a better idea of how many to expect.

You can also comment on these documents on-line as indicated below.

Please forward this email to your appropriate distribution lists. Thanks!

John Cambalik, Regional Liaison
Strait of Juan de Fuca Action Area
Hood Canal Action Area (support)
Puget Sound Partnership
P.O. Box 3622
Sequim, Washington 98382

Office phone: 360-582-9132
Cell phone: 360-791-2086
Email: john.cambalik@psp.wa.gov
Website: www.psp.wa.gov

-------- Original Message -------- Subject: Puget Sound Partnership E-Newsletter, Edition 6
Date: Tue, 8 Jul 2008 17:14:08 -0700
From: Puget Sound Partnership
To: john.cambalik@psp.wa.gov

Puget Sound Partnership E-Newsletter! Edition 6, July 8, 2008 In this issue:

Action area workshops scheduled to discuss local priorities and initial strategies for Puget Sound recovery
Help review the draft Action Area Profiles!

Action area workshops scheduled to discuss local priorities and initial strategies for Puget Sound recovery
The Puget Sound Partnership is hosting workshops across the Sound to discuss local and regional priorities for Puget Sound restoration. The workshops will focus on reviewing initial strategies for Puget Sound recovery, discussing newly-drafted profiles of each action area, and confirming local priorities.

Workshops are scheduled as follows:

San Juan / Whatcom
Monday, July 14, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Bellingham Cruise Terminal
355 Harris Avenue
Bellingham, WA 98225

San Juan / Whatcom
Monday, July 21, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Friday Harbor High School
45 Blair Avenue
Friday Harbor, WA 98250

Hood Canal
Tuesday, July 15, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe- House of Knowledge
31912 Little Boston Road NE
Kingston, WA 98346

Whidbey
Tuesday, July 22, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Best Western Cottontree Inn
2300 Market Street
Mount Vernon, WA 98273

South Sound
Wednesday, July 16, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Horton Community Center
4350 Grapeview Loop Road
Grapeview-Allyn, WA 98546

North Central
Tuesday, July 22, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Silverdale Community Center
9729 Silverdale Way NW
Silverdale, WA 98383

Strait of Juan de Fuca
Thursday, July 17, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Red Lion Hotel
221 N Lincoln Street
Port Angeles, WA 98362

South Central
Wednesday, July 30, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Tukwila Community Center
12424 42nd Avenue S
Tukwila, WA 98168

Visit the Action Agenda Center on our Web site for draft workshop agendas and additional information. If you plan to attend a workshop, please RSVP and indicate which meeting(s) you plan to attend.

Help review the draft Action Area Profiles!
As part of the legislation that created the Partnership, the region was divided into seven distinctive geographic action areas. Each of those areas has its own unique feel characterized by natural features, urban and rural centers, wildlife populations, economics, and history.

The Partnership has prepared draft Action Area Profiles for each action area that will become part of the Action Agenda. The profiles will be reviewed at the upcoming workshops and are available for comment and discussion online.

Thank you for working with us to protect and restore Puget Sound!

Please visit the Web site for more information and to learn about upcoming Puget Sound Partnership meetings. Comments and questions may be sent by replying to this e-mail or by contacting us directly at:

Puget Sound Partnership
P.O. Box 40900, Olympia, Washington 98504-0900
Toll-free: 800.54.SOUND
Phone: 360.725.5444
E-mail: actionagenda@psp.wa.gov

Local Action for a Sustainable Tomorrow

Strait of Juan de Fuca Action Area Workshop

Sidroney — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 11:16:07 -0700

Start: 2008-07-17 13:00

End: 2008-07-17 17:00

Local Action for a Sustainable Tomorrow

LAST Meeting for Sequim.LocallyGrown.net and more

Sidroney — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 10:03:53 -0700

Start: 2008-07-09 19:00

End: 2008-07-09 21:00

Local Action for a Sustainable Tomorrow

Sequim Locally Grown Mercantile Brochure

Sidroney — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 09:24:28 -0700

I have assembled a new brochure for Sequim Locally Grown Mercantile.
Unfortunately, the file is too big to attach to this page.
If you would like for me to send a copy directly to you, please email me at olylast@yahoo.com .
Thanks
Sid

Local Action for a Sustainable Tomorrow

Energy Crisis, A Discussion with Matt Simmons

Sidroney — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 18:34:11 -0700

Energy Crisis, A Discussion with Matt Simmons
World Energy recently spent an afternoon with Matthew Simmons to hear his perspective on oil supplies, pump prices, distributed generation and a return to post-World War II practices. Watch now
http://www.worldenergysource.com/newasf/wetv.cfm?vfile=wetv_energycrisis

Local Action for a Sustainable Tomorrow

In Focus: The Genetic Conspiracy

Sidroney — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 16:47:12 -0700

Start: 2008-07-01 22:30

End: 2008-07-01 23:00

Local Action for a Sustainable Tomorrow

Peak Oil for Policymakers

Sidroney — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:33:10 -0700

Post Carbon Institute's Julian Darley and Richard Heinberg present the facts and relevance of peak oil for local policymakers. What is peak oil? What's the evidence? Why don't we just drill for more? How does this relate to climate change? And what can policymakers do in the face of these daunting challenges?
http://media.globalpublicmedia.com/RM/2008/06/PeakOilPolicymakers.mov

Local Action for a Sustainable Tomorrow

College Students Pioneering Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle Design

Sidroney — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:14:06 -0700

Peak Moment: "Team Fate": College students pioneering plug-in hybrid electric vehicle design
http://globalpublicmedia.com/team_fate_part_1
Students at UC Davis Hybrid Vehicle Research Center have been creating plug-in hybrids for national competitions for some time. "Team Fate" members Bryan Jungers and Patrick Kaufman describe how they "gut" the drive train of a standard vehicle, replacing it with an electric motor, a bank of batteries, continuously variable transmission, and some clever electronics. The resulting vehicle runs on electricity, assisted by a much smaller flex-fuel internal combustion engine only when needed. Bryan and Patrick also enlighten us on topics ranging from battery technology to hydrogen fuel cells. (www.team-fate.net)

Peak Moment: "Team Fate": Under the hood of a next-gen plug-in hybrid
http://globalpublicmedia.com/team_fate_part_2
Take a tour of a plug-in electric hybrid modification of a 1996 Mercury Sable, with UC Davis graduate students Patrick Kaufman and Bryan Jungers (interviewed in episode 113). Under the hood you'll see modifications and some interesting new components. Unlike commercial hybrids -- primarily combustion engines with an electric-motor assist -- theirs is primarily an electric vehicle with a small combustion engine to extend its range beyond the all-electric 60-70 miles. Batteries recharge in 6-8 hours with electricity costing about 75 cents per gallon of gas equivalent (2006 prices). Don't miss Janaia's first-time drive of an electric vehicle. (www.team-fate.net)

Local Action for a Sustainable Tomorrow

350.org - Global Warming. Global Action. Global Future.

Sidroney — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:01:00 -0700

350.org - Global Warming. Global Action. Global Future.

350 Animation
What's the best way to introduce the world to 350?
With over 4000 languages spoken around the world, it's probably not with a bunch of words. We did our best to boil down the science of global warming and vision of the 350 Campaign in 90 seconds. Check it out.
http://www.350.org/en/animation

Our Mission
350.org spreads the most important number on the planet by building a global grassroots climate movement united by a common call to action. Everyone on the planet, from the smallest village to the largest nation, needs to know what 350 means. And the movement to spread that number needs to be beautiful, creative, and unstoppable. With your help, we will organize actions around the world to spread the number 350 and highlight equitable solutions to the climate crisis.

Global warming threatens everyone, especially the poorest and most vulnerable among us. The most recent science tells us that unless we can reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to 350 parts per million (ppm), we will cause huge and irreversible damage to the earth and its people. But solutions exist. If we join together as a global community and aim for 350, we can stop the climate crisis and create a more just society for all.

Reaching 350 ppm will require unprecedented international cooperation. The United Nations is negotiating a treaty that could put the world on a course to solve the climate crisis, but the current plans for the treaty are much too weak to get us back to safety. 350.org will bring millions of new voices to the table, united by our common call to action. Together, we will redefine the possible and rally the world behind the solutions that science and justice demand.

Join us today.

Local Action for a Sustainable Tomorrow

Well-to-Wheels Emissions Analysis

Sidroney — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 16:49:46 -0700

Start: 2008-06-24 10:30

End: 2008-06-24 12:00

Local Action for a Sustainable Tomorrow

Sequim Locally Grown Mercantile

Sidroney — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 14:05:30 -0700

Start: 2008-06-25 19:00

End: 2008-06-25 21:00

Local Action for a Sustainable Tomorrow

6/11/08 Meeting

Sidroney — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 12:34:59 -0700

We had a lively discussion about Sequim Locally Grown Mercantile. Here are some of the highlights:
1. The group decided a neutral distribution point is preferred. Laura will check on the availability of the Sequim Valley Grange for Thursday afternoons.
2. Ann will assist with the bookkeeping aspect of the Mercantile. Having the farmers/growers pay their $40 one time fee upfront will give some working capital to pay them for their deliveries upfront before the payments are received from the customers.
3. Cash will be the preferred method of payment from the customers. As an option, customers can "deposit" a check into their SLGM account so that their positive balance can pay for their orders. If the check is written to Cash, then SLGM may be able to avoid taking ownership of any product and thus avoiding any problems that may develop in coming between the farmer/grower and the customer??
4. Dick will work on a flyer to advertise SLGM.
5. Betty is available to help with taking photos of products and farmers/growers.
6. Jim will investigate the legal issues, ie how the business should be set up - corporation, LLC, non-profit, etc along with business licensing requirements and appropriate type of bank account.
7. Sid is available to assist anyone in listing their products on the website and will continue to maintain the website.
8. Rich will help in the distribution of the flyers and getting the word out. We actually will all do this and might involve presentations to local groups.
9. Denise will assist Johnston Farm in getting setup as they are comfortable on the website and listing their products.
10. Steve Johnson of Lazy J Tree Farm submitted his $40 fee to SLGM and has joined as a grower. He plans to start listing some product with the help of Vicki.
11. Sid will be available to pickup orders that are less than $100 from the farmers/growers and deliver to the distribution point in his electric pickup to encourage farmers/growers to participate at the initial low level. This will give us an opportunity to work out the bugs of the system before the busy harvest time.
12. The previous Tuesday night meeting with the farmers/growers was positive in the support of SLGM.
Everyone remains optimistic about SLGM and its benefit to the community.

Local Action for a Sustainable Tomorrow

US Salmonella Outbreak Explained

Sidroney — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 18:10:34 -0700

US Salmonella outbreak explained
11:33 11 June 2008
NewScientist.com news service
Ewen Callaway

This week, the world's biggest restaurant chain, McDonald's, stopped serving sliced tomatoes due to concern over a Salmonella outbreak that has affected at least 145 people, resulting in 23 hospitalisations.

Wal-Mart and some US grocery stores have shelved several varieties of the fruits, while federal investigators determine where the tainted tomatoes came from.

Here's our guide to why Salmonella outbreaks seem to be increasing in frequency and why cleaner vegetables might mean more outbreaks.

Isn't Salmonella an animal pathogen? What is it doing in tomatoes?

"They have to spend a lot time of their lives going between hosts," says Keith Warriner, a food microbiologist at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada.

Pathogens like Salmonella have probably evolved to cope with life outside our intestines. The deadly Escherichia coli 0157:H7 strain thrives on leafy greens such as spinach and lettuce, while Salmonella tends to do best on fleshier fruits and vegetables.

Plant and animal pathogens really aren't that different, says Warriner. They share many of the same tricks of the trade, including molecular syringes that squirt toxins into cells and "grappling-hooks" that latch onto host cells and don't let go.

The bacteria probably come from groundwater contaminated with animal faeces, he says. Once Salmonella gets on and into a tomato, the fruit acts like an incubator. Bacteria divide even in the cool temperatures of packing houses. "If you get a few samples into the internal tissue, then they will grow for sure," Warriner adds.

How common are Salmonella outbreaks on vegetable and fruit produce?

A recent census of produce outbreaks between 1996 and 2007 counted no fewer than 33 epidemics from Salmonella-contaminated fruits and vegetables. In five of them, tomatoes were the culprit. Cantaloupe melons and sprouted seeds, such as clover and alfalfa, were also common victims. Animal pathogens tend to infect only a limited range of plants.

Are the strains different from the ones that come from undercooked chicken and raw eggs?

Yes, according to Warriner, the strains that infect tomatoes and other plants differ from the strains that you find in dairy and poultry. His lab is currently investigating how the produce strains adapt to tomatoes. So far, he has discovered that the bacteria tend to "turn up" a gene involved in stress responses.

The strain linked to the current outbreak, called "Saint Paul", is rare, but not too different from the other tomato-infecting strains. "There's nothing special about 'Saint Paul'," he says.

Why are we seeing more outbreaks linked to vegetable and fruit produce?

Nobody knows for sure, but scientists have a number of theories.

Fresh vegetables are increasingly packaged and shipped in centralised locations, so instead of a localised outbreak, we see a nationwide or even worldwide epidemic. And while not relevant to tomatoes, bagged produce seems to make some bacteria more virulent, Warriner says.

Scientists and inspectors are also taking harder look at produce as a source of disease. "10 years ago when we just started this research, if you had an outbreak you would have said it must have been the meat or the eggs," he says.

Shouldn't consumers and regulators demand cleaner produce?

Not necessarily, Warriner says. More thorough washing will also kill off the harmless bacteria that coat tomatoes and other produce. These bacteria compete against pathogens like Salmonella.

Warriner's lab found that tomatoes coated with a harmless form of a bug called Enterobacter were less likely to test positive for Salmonella. "If we make them too clean then it's going to be a bigger problem. Salmonella seems to like it when there's no competitor," he says.

Local Action for a Sustainable Tomorrow

Workers of the World Relax

Sidroney — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:58:03 -0700

Just wanted to give you a quick heads up about a new short film by Conrad Schmidt who founded the Work Less Party here in Vancouver and is a member of the Vancouver Peak Oil Executive. The film is a summary of Chapter four from the book, Workers of the World Relax, and features some familiar faces including author George Monbiot and Post Carbon Fellow Dr. William Rees (co-creator of the ecological footprint analysis).

San Francisco Post Carbon's Oil Age Poster also has a cameo alongside the Environment Minister of France.

You can view the film online at (it's about 20mins long): http://www.workersoftheworldrelax.org

If you wish to contribute feedback to the producers, you can email coordinator@worklessparty.org. Additional chapters are anticipated on video in the coming months.

Best,
shelby

Local Action for a Sustainable Tomorrow

N Olympic Peninsula Locally-Grown Online Food Coop Survey

Sidroney — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 17:14:28 -0700

Try these directions to put your name/initials and location on the Sequim Locally Grown survey map.

Click on http://tinyurl.com/42mmrb to view the map.

You will have to sign in OR create a Google account.

Enter your address into the search field box, ie 112 Anywhere St., Port Angeles, WA 98362. Click the Search Maps button.

Click on the Save to My Maps link within the bubble for the resulting search. Select the default map named N Olympic Peninsula Locally-Grown Online Food Coop, and click Save. In the description list a title for the location, probably your name/initial or username.
Add any pertinent comments and your address into the Description box.
Suggest a possible food distribution point in your community if you know of a good location.
Then click OK button.
You can also click on the edit button and then place new markers or edit your locations details.

Let me know if you have any problems.

Sid

Local Action for a Sustainable Tomorrow

Farm to School Program, Sustainable Agriculture, Mobile Processing Unit, Affordable Housing and more...

Sidroney — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 11:39:30 -0700

Start: 2008-06-09 19:00

End: 2008-06-09 21:00

Local Action for a Sustainable Tomorrow

LAST Meeting - Sequim.LocallyGrown

Sidroney — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 09:42:06 -0700

Start: 2008-06-11 19:00

End: 2008-06-11 21:00

Local Action for a Sustainable Tomorrow

Online System for Carpooling

Sidroney — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 10:22:06 -0700

We can use this LAST Blog to connect Drivers and Riders.

Drivers>> Please list your trips, as a Blog reply/comment to this entry, to Seattle, Port Townsend, P.A., etc. (dates and times) and your willingness to accept riders.

Riders>> Please list your trips upcoming out of the area and would like to carpool.

I will work on getting an Online Calender established on LAST but in the meantime, this Blog can be used for communication between Drivers and Riders.
Sid

Local Action for a Sustainable Tomorrow

Sequim Locally Grown Mercantile

Sidroney — Fri, 30 May 2008 13:42:53 -0700

Sequim Locally Grown Mercantile - A New Online, Locally-Grown Food Store and more
http://sequim.locallygrown.net/

Sequim Locally Grown Mercantile hopes to develop into a small group of farmers and growers and customers located around Sequim, Washington. Each grower farms his/her land using strict standards to ensure that everything produced is chemical-free. All member farms are dedicated to supplying their customers with the freshest and highest quality vegetables, herbs, mill products, dairy, eggs, meats, fruits, flowers, and transplants. Participating farms vary in size and specialty, but all carry the common thread of dedication to community, environment, health and education.

Join us today at http://sequim.locallygrown.net/ . Farmers and growers are needed to supply the store. Buyers are needed to help establish a strong potential customer base. With your support we can make this happen and greatly increase our food security.

Local Action for a Sustainable Tomorrow

Robert Hirsch Warns of $12-15-a-Gallon Gas

Sidroney — Fri, 23 May 2008 14:23:26 -0700

'Squawk Box' Guest Warns of $12-15-a-Gallon Gas
Robert Hirsch, an energy advisor, says CNBC morning show prediction was a citation of the 'Dean of Oil Analysts.'
http://www.businessandmedia.org/printer/2008/20080521145247.aspx
(video included at link)

By Jeff Poor
Business & Media Institute
5/21/2008 3:38:13 PM

It may be the mother of all doom and gloom gas price predictions: $12 for a gallon of gas is “inevitable.”

Robert Hirsch, Management Information Services Senior Energy Advisor, gave a dire warning about the potential future of gas prices on CNBC’s May 20 “Squawk Box”. He told host Becky Quick there was no single thing that would solve the problem, due to the enormity of the problem.

“[T]he prices that we’re paying at the pump today are, I think, going to be ‘the good old days,’ because others who watch this very closely forecast that we’re going to be hitting $12 and $15 per gallon,” Hirsch said. “And then, after that, when oil – world oil production goes into decline, we’re going to talk about rationing. In other words, not only are we going to be paying high prices and have considerable economic problems, but in addition to that, we’re not going to be able to get the fuel when we want it.”

Hirsch told the Business & Media Institute the $12-$15 a gallon wasn’t his prediction, but that he was citing Charles T. Maxwell, described as the “Dean of Oil Analysts” and the senior energy analyst at Weeden & Co. Still, Hirsch admitted the high price was inevitable in his view.

“I don’t attempt to predict oil prices because it’s been impossible in the past,” Hirsch said in an e-mail. “We’re into a new era now, and over the next roughly five years the trend will be up significantly. However, there may be dips and bumps that no one can forecast; I wouldn’t be at all surprised. To me the multi-year upswing is inevitable.”

Maxwell’s original $12-15-a-gallon prediction came in a February 5 interview with Energytechstocks.com, a Web site run by two former Wall Street Journal staffers.

“[Maxwell] expects an oil-induced financial crisis to start somewhere in the 2010 to 2015 timeframe,” Energytechstocks.com reported. “He said that, unlike the recession the U.S. appears to be in today, ‘This will not be six months of hell and then we come out of it.’ Rather, Maxwell expects this financial crisis to last at least 10 or 12 years, as the world goes through a prolonged period of price-induced rationing (eg, oil up to $300 a barrel and U.S. pump prices up to $15 a gallon).”

According to associate of Maxwell at Weeden & Co., Maxwell is out of the country and currently unavailable for comment.

Maxwell’s biography on the Weeden & Co. Web site said he “has been ranked by the U.S. financial institutions as the No. 1 oil analyst for the years 1972, 1974, 1977 and 1981-1986,” according to polls taken by Institutional Investor magazine.

“In addition, for the last 17 years he has been an active member of an Oxford-based organization comprised of OPEC and other industry executives from 30 countries who meet twice a year to discuss trends within the energy industry.”

Although Maxwell’s prediction is for the long-term, not everyone supports high-end predictions, even in the short-term. CNBC contributor and the vice president of risk management for MF Global (NYSE:MF) John Kilduff said on “The Call” May 7that he expected gas prices to drop following the Chinese Olympics, as China’s economic boom slows down.

Local Action for a Sustainable Tomorrow

Philip Sutton on the Reality Report

Sidroney — Thu, 22 May 2008 14:51:02 -0700

Philip Sutton on the Reality Report
http://globalpublicmedia.com/philip_sutton_on_the_reality_report
28 Apr 2008
This is the third interview with Philip Sutton, coauthor with David Spratt of a recent report titled Climate Code Red: The Case for a Sustainability Emergency.
The first interview http://globalpublicmedia.com/sustainability_emergency
reviewed the latest scientific understanding of climate change and established an appropriate target for temperature change and atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations.
The second interview http://globalpublicmedia.com/sustainability_emergency_part_ii
discussed the socio-political implications of the latest scientific understanding—namely the need to go into "emergency" mode, abandoning business and politics as usual in order to make a rapid transition to a fossil-fuel free economy before catastrophe unfolds.

When we realize that our survival is at stake, business as usual no longer applies. Familiar analogies include times of war when factories shifted from producing unnecessary consumer goods to what is needed to feed, clothe and arm troops. During these times, civilians accept sacrifice and social cohesion is high because the shared threat is understood. In our current situation, we need to adopt an emergency mode of conduct in politics, business and civic life that achieves the survival goal of sustainability.

While our task is daunting, today’s interview will show that it is still possible to stabilize the climate.

Local Action for a Sustainable Tomorrow

Feasibility Study on Establishing a Shared-Use Commercial Kitchen Incubator

Sidroney — Wed, 21 May 2008 11:18:48 -0700

Feasibility Study on Establishing a Shared-Use Commercial Kitchen Incubator
Prepared for:
Clallam County Economic Development Council
August 2005
http://ag.jefferson.wsu.edu/uploads/pdf/food-incubator-study.pdf

Local Action for a Sustainable Tomorrow

Public Transportation in Clallam County

Sidroney — Wed, 21 May 2008 10:52:54 -0700

Let’s Talk About It… Public Transportation in Clallam County!

Your views are important to us – let them make a difference!

Clallam Transit System is beginning development of a new Comprehensive Transportation Plan. We’re planning for tomorrow’s needs now and asking for your help today.

We want to hear from you about how public transportation services in Clallam County could be improved to meet your needs and the needs of your family and friends.

Would you like to use “The Bus” for work or school trips and current service does not meet your route or schedule needs?
Are you a person who wants transit service that meets the needs of your children, out-of-town visitors, or aging parents?
Do you rely on public transportation service as a primary means of getting to work, school, shopping, or appointments?

We want you to talk about it! Give us your input!

Help shape the future of public transportation services in Clallam County.
We want to hear from you because you are important to us!
Clallam Transit System has set up a special web-based planning “Customer Survey” link at
http://www.clallamtransit.com/

Please take a moment and complete the survey.
Public Transit – For Wherever Life Takes You!

Local Action for a Sustainable Tomorrow

The Algae Solution

Sidroney — Fri, 16 May 2008 06:51:59 -0700

The Good News ... May15, 2008
http://www.goodcommonsense.net/38oilfromalgae.html

The Algae Solution
All good news again today. According popularly accepted estimates, with achievable efficiency improvements -- there's enough oil from Algae in 15,000 square miles of USA real estate to provide for All of our annual fossil fuel needs. If all of this land were in one rectangular piece, it would be 120 miles by 125 miles (about 1/7th of the area of Colorado, or less than 1/7th the area of corn harvested in the United States in the year 2000).

Green Fuel
Yes, Algae-oil is a reality. America's first commercial plant went into production this Feb (Texas), with plans to deliver an estimated 4.4 million gallons of algal oil and jet-fuel. Compared to corn, Algae is 10 to 100xs more productive --- it grows faster, and can be harvested literally anywhere (rooftops, abandoned lots, desert fields, laboratories) in a scalable manner, from mega to micro. Algaes can produce food, compost, bio-plastics, and bio-fuels more rapidly than any other plant on earth.

Loves CO2
Because growing Algae requires carbon, some have begun discussing the prospect of placing "algae farms" next to everything from gas-fired generators to coal-fired power plants. GreenFuel, a Massachusetts based algae producer, estimates that 70% of US power plants have enough space and 'food' to install a full complement of CO2 eating, Bioreactor arrays.

Reduces Carbon
Bio-tech enthusiasts believe that with localized production of algae-oils all over the United States, we can immediately access transition to a fossil-fuel-free transportation economy. Doing so would not only reduce tailpipe CO2 emissions 70 to 90%, it would eliminate the enormous embodied energy impacts of drilling, freighting, refining, and transporting dino-oils from underground (all over the world) and into our pumps.

It's Attainable
For about $308B (2004 dollars), the United States could build a renewable, locally-produced, low carbon, green fuel infrastructure that would replace today's petroleum infrastructure - without any modifications to vehicles less than 12 years old. Oils derived from Algae, the most productive plants on earth, are capable of making gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuel, lubrication oil, and everything else we need to run today's transportation system.

The Good News
In the early days of the automobile, most vehicles ran on biofuels. Rudolph Diesel's first engines ran on peanut oil. Henry Ford advocated for hemp-based ethanol. And then petroleum took over. With Algae-oil ... Everybody wins. A fuel source that can be produced locally, which absorbs CO2 emissions, grows rapidly, and eliminates the need for deforestation. A food source that can be cultivated for crops, livestock and humans alike. A commercial product that can be grown in small, medium and large Bioreactors, with relatively low inputs to produce bio plastics and repair damage to our environment. It's "the bamboo of the sea!" A green fuel for the future. Welcome to the vegetable economy.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Monday, February 05, 2007
Algae-Based Fuels Set to Bloom
Oil from microorganisms could help ease the nation's energy woes.
By Kevin Bullis
http://www.technologyreview.com/Energy/18138/?a=f

Local Action for a Sustainable Tomorrow

NW EV Charging Locations

Sidroney — Wed, 14 May 2008 17:08:18 -0700

I've shared a map with you called NW EV Charging Locations:
You can view and edit this map at
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=10610183...

Please add yourself to this map if you can provide charging to those
who may need it. Include your phone number if possible. Please feel
free it edit, add, or make changes to this map.

Thanks
Dave White
SEVA
Seattle Electric Vehicle Association

Note: To edit this map, you'll need to sign into Google with this email
address. To use a different email address, just reply to this message
and ask me to invite your other one. If you don't have a Google
account, you can create one at
http://www.google.com/accounts/NewAccount?reqemail=seva@seattleeva.org.

Visit the SEVA website at http://www.seattleeva.org

Local Action for a Sustainable Tomorrow

June 4th Luncheon Celebrating Nash Huber!

Sidroney — Wed, 14 May 2008 10:31:01 -0700

Start: 2008-06-04 12:00

Local Action for a Sustainable Tomorrow

LAST Meeting- Sequim Library

Sidroney — Wed, 14 May 2008 09:30:02 -0700

Start: 2008-05-28 19:00

End: 2008-05-28 21:00

Local Action for a Sustainable Tomorrow

Raised Garden Beds

Sidroney — Wed, 14 May 2008 09:15:40 -0700

Raised Garden Beds
http://www.thecompostbin.com/2006/03/raised-garden-beds.html
3/14/2006

Every year I expand my vegetable garden and build more raised beds. You can never grow enough tomatoes! Five years ago I had started with two 4’ x 8’ raised beds that I made from cedar 2x6s and 4x4s. Last season I added three 3’ x 10’ beds and that brought me up to over 230 square feet of planting area.

Making a raised bed is a simple bit of carpentry that anyone should be able to do. The easiest way to buy some 2x12 lumber and screw them together in the shape of a rectangle. You can make them as long as you like but you should limit the width to 3 or 4 feet so you can easily reach in the bed to plant seeds, pull weeds or to harvest crops.

The next question you’re probably asking is what kind of wood do I use to build raised beds. The whole pressure treated vs. non issue is a complicated one. Does pressure treated wood leach chemicals into the soil? Well the answers are yes and maybe.

The old pressure treated lumber (CCA) is preserved with a process that uses arsenic. Obviously you don’t want arsenic anywhere near something you’re going to eat even in the small amounts that might be present in a raised bed vegetable garden. CCA wood isn’t too readily available anymore so you probably don’t have to worry about coming across it. The new improved pressure treated wood (ACQ) replace CCA pressure treated wood a few years ago. The lumber industry says it safer to handle and use but guess what? It eats through normal galvanized screws and fasteners. You have to use stainless steel screws with CCA wood. Hmmm, I’m not an expert with lumber or chemicals but that sounds fishy to me. I think I’ll avoid it until some long term studies are done.

The first four raised beds I built were from cedar. But cedar is really expensive and my wife wanted to kill me for spending $300 on wood that I was going to leave in the yard. My latest raised beds are built from regular non-pressure treated lumber that is rotting away in my garden as we speak. If I get about 5 years of use from it, that’s good enough for me and my veggies.

Local Action for a Sustainable Tomorrow

Fleet Solutions: A Primer on Green Fuels, Vehicles and Technologies

Sidroney — Mon, 12 May 2008 12:41:55 -0700

Start: 2008-06-03 10:30

End: 2008-06-03 12:00

Local Action for a Sustainable Tomorrow

The End of The First Half of the Age of Oil

Sidroney — Thu, 08 May 2008 16:39:56 -0700

Dr. Colin Campbell - Peak Oil Presentation - The End of The First Half of the Age of Oil - 32 min - Nov 2, 2006
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-596805984521272213
This Peak Oil presentation entitled 'The End of the First Half of the Age of Oil' by Dr. Colin Campbell, founder of the Association for the Study of Peak Oil & Gas, was part of a 2-day conference entitled 'Fuelling The Future', held in Kinsale, Ireland, on the 18th & 19th June 2005. Other speakers included Richard Heinberg, Rob Hopkins, Richard Douthwaite, Rob Hopkins and David Holmgren. For more on this event, visit www.fuellingthefuture.org

Local Action for a Sustainable Tomorrow

Peak Oil Videos

Sidroney — Thu, 08 May 2008 16:35:16 -0700

Crude - The Incredible Journey of Oil
http://www.abc.net.au/science/crude/
From the food on our tables to the fuel in our cars, crude oil seeps invisibly into almost every part of our modern lives. It is the energy source and raw material that drives transport and the economy. Yet many of us have little idea of the incredible journey it has made to reach our petrol tanks and plastic bags.

Coming in the wake of rising global concerns about the continued supply of oil, and increasingly weird weather patterns, Crude spans 160 million years of the Earth's history to reveal the story of oil; from its birth deep in the dinosaur-inhabited past, to its ascendancy as the indispensable ingredient of modern life.

Filmed on location in 11 countries across five continents, the program's award-winning Australian filmmaker Richard Smith consults the leading international scientific experts to join the dots between geology and economy and provide the big-picture view of oil.

Crude takes a step back from the day to day news to illuminate the Earth's extraordinary carbon cycle and the role of oil in our impending climate crisis. Nearly seven billion people have come to depend on this resource, yet the Oil Age that began less than a century and a half ago, could be over in our lifetimes.

Released: 2007

Local Action for a Sustainable Tomorrow

Money as Debt

Sidroney — Thu, 08 May 2008 16:22:28 -0700

Paul Grignon's 47-minute animated presentation of "Money as Debt" tells in very simple and effective graphic terms what money is and how it is being created. It is an entertaining way to get the message out. The Cowichan Citizens Coalition and its "Duncan Initiative" received high praise from those who previewed it. I recommend it as a painless but hard-hitting educational tool and encourage the widest distribution and use by all groups concerned with the present unsustainable monetary system in Canada and the United States.
View the presentation here:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-9050474362583451279

Local Action for a Sustainable Tomorrow

Bad Money: Reckless Finance, Failed Politics, and the Global Crisis of American Capitalism

Sidroney — Tue, 06 May 2008 14:08:20 -0700

“Bad Money: Reckless Finance, Failed Politics, and the Global Crisis of American Capitalism”
http://www.democracynow.org/2008/5/6/bad_money_reckless_finance_failed_p...
[includes rush transcript and video and audio links]

Renowned political analyst Kevin Phillips argues successive administrations have imperiled the US economy by a combination of shortsighted policies and a trend against regulation. These include unparalleled credit card debts, the expansion of financial industries such as hedge funds, ballooning national debts, and deliberately altering statistics like inflation and unemployment to mask the accurate picture.

an excerpt follows
...AMY GOODMAN: What do you think is one of the most serious signs of this overall global crisis of American capitalism?

KEVIN PHILLIPS: Well, not to single out just one, I have an approach I use to say that normally when a country is—United States is—heading into a recession, there are one or two, sometimes three, factors that you worry about. But at this point in time, the American economy, you can think of it as being kind of in a shark tank, and there are like six or seven sharks, and you don’t usually see anything like that number.

And just to skim the list quickly, we have a financialized economy in which we don’t make much anymore, and finance is up to 20 to 21 percent of the US GDP, and manufacturing down to 12. Finance dominates the US economy.

The second problem is that we have massive debt, both public and private. It’s gone up about 700 percent since the early 1980s, staggering numbers where there—we basically have $50 trillion worth of credit market debt, which is tradable debt. And people just have no idea of this. It’s not government debts that’s the problem, it’s private sector debt, both financial and corporate and then in the consumer sector with credit cards and then mortgage debt. We just have this extraordinary level of it. 340 percent of the gross domestic product, that’s how big debt is. And the last time something was close to this—and it was less—was in the late 1920s and early 1930s. So it’s enormously a vulnerable, dangerous thing.

Third shark in the tank is the collapse of home prices. They continue to follow the scary trajectory that has people predicting that there’s going to be a 15 to 20 percent decline in home prices, which would be the sharpest since the Great Depression.

Then you can go to shark number four, that’s global commodity inflation. Oil and food, people are as worried now about the price of milk as they are about the price of a gallon of gasoline. That’s a global problem, but it makes a mockery of the administration’s pretense that there’s no inflation.

The fifth shark is, frankly, lousy economic statistics. I don’t think the average American should believe either the inflation numbers, the GDP numbers or the unemployment numbers. And there’s a lot of complexity and technical terminology involved here, but the long and the short is that over thirty to forty years, we’ve seen a kind of Pollyanna Creep, and administrations of both parties have done this. They want the figures to be friendlier, not to get them in trouble. And we’re at a point now where the figures lie enough that foreign investors are starting not to believe them and, I think, with considerable justice.

Now, the next shark in the tank is obviously the price of oil. And it’s not just global commodity inflation, it’s the problem that we see of oil production peaking in the world sometime in the next ten to twenty years. And the advance signs of this are scarcity in peaking in certain countries. And the prediction just came out of Goldman Sachs a couple of days ago that within a fairly short period of time, probably this year, you’re going to see $150 or $200 oil.

And that’s because, partly at least, of the scarcity, but the US dollar has been tied historically since the 1970s to oil, because of a deal worked out when OPEC wanted a price increase. Henry Kissinger and others were involved in getting OPEC to commit that they would sell and buy oil only in dollars and that they would invest their petrodollars in the US, in Treasury debt. So we have a currency that’s profited from the connection to oil, which sustained it in many ways. But now oil has boomeranged on the United States.

We have to spend $400 billion a year to import the oil we need. We don’t have the basis for controlling oil anymore, after the idiocy in Iraq, which was partly put in motion to solve the oil problem, and instead you’ve got oil prices going up 500 percent in five years. So the dollar is on the ropes, and that’s the other shark in the tank.

There has never been a period in anybody’s memory, except very old people who remember the late ’20s and ’30s, where you had so many things converging. And that’s what makes it frightening. And every time the administration says it looks like it’s under control or it’s half-over, you start to get evidence that, no, it’s not under control, and maybe it’s not even a third over...

Local Action for a Sustainable Tomorrow

Electric Nissans Planned in U.S. by 2010

Sidroney — Fri, 02 May 2008 10:07:52 -0700

Electric Nissans Planned in U.S. by 2010
By EDWARD TAYLOR
May 2, 2008; Page B2
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120966606763059713.html

CASCAIS, Portugal -- Nissan Motor Co. Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn said he is preparing to take advantage of a "mass market" in electric vehicles he expects to emerge by 2012.

Nissan, an alliance partner of Renault SA of France, will launch electric vehicles in the U.S. and Japan in 2010, and globally by 2012, Mr. Ghosn said at a Nissan event in Portugal. He said he expects the market for electric vehicles to grow strongly due to high oil prices, a new awareness of environmental issues and breakthroughs in battery technology.

Eventually, Nissan "will have a whole lineup of electric cars," he said. "The electric car is not a niche product for us."

Mr. Ghosn said battery-technology advances have given the electric car sufficient range to make it a viable mode of transport for the shorter journeys often made by commuters in big cities. Globally about 10 million vehicles are being used in this way, he said.

High oil prices and the willingness of governments to give tax incentives for so-called zero-emission vehicles can change the economics of owning an electric car and make it "cheaper than gasoline," Mr. Ghosn said.

Nissan and Renault are in talks with "companies, governments and cities," to see what kind of incentives can make the introduction of zero-emission vehicles more attractive, he said.

Mr. Ghosn expects new areas of business will open as electric vehicles become more widespread, including making the batteries and providing access to batteries and electricity. Moving beyond merely making cars could see "a change of the business model" in the auto industry.

"In some ways it could move more toward how a mobile-phone operator works, because there the handset is only one part of the business; the rest is providing services to customers," said Mr. Ghosn.

One drawback of electric vehicles has been battery capacity, limiting their range. Another is that recharging a battery traditionally takes hours, far longer than to refuel a car with gasoline. Nissan and Renault are looking at ways to fix that. Renault will use a battery provided by Nissan for an electric vehicle to be launched in Israel, Mr. Ghosn said.

Mr. Ghosn reiterated that Nissan is open to expanding its alliance with Renault to other car companies, but he said that would happen only if it created value for Renault and Nissan's stakeholders.

Write to Edward Taylor at edward.taylor@wsj.com

Local Action for a Sustainable Tomorrow

Would you support a GMO Free Zone in Clallam County?

Sidroney — Fri, 02 May 2008 09:58:25 -0700

* Yes * No

Local Action for a Sustainable Tomorrow

This Company May Be the Biggest Threat to Your Future Health

Sidroney — Thu, 01 May 2008 17:41:03 -0700

On March 11 a new documentary was aired on French television.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/05/01/this-compa...
http://relocalize.net/this_company_may_be_the_biggest_threat_to_your_fut...
It is a documentary most Americans will never see, explaining how the gigantic biotech corporation Monsanto is threatening to destroy the agricultural biodiversity which has served mankind for thousands of years.

For millennia, farmers have saved seeds from season to season. But when Monsanto developed GM seeds that would resist its own herbicide, Roundup, Monsanto patented the seeds. For nearly all of its history the United States Patent and Trademark Office refused to grant patents on seeds, viewing them as life-forms with too many variables to be patented. But in 1980 the U.S. Supreme Court allowed for seed patents in a five-to-four decision, laying the groundwork for a handful of corporations to begin taking control of the world’s food supply.

Since the 1980s, Monsanto has become the world leader in genetic modification of seeds and has won 674 biotechnology patents, more than any other company. Farmers who buy Monsanto’s Roundup Ready seeds are required to sign an agreement promising not to save the seed produced after each harvest for re-planting, or to sell the seed to other farmers. This means that farmers must buy new seed every year.

Monsanto puts pressure on farmers, farmers’ co-ops, seed dealers, and anyone else it suspects may have infringed its patents of genetically modified seeds. To do this, Monsanto relies on a shadowy army of private investigators and agents. They secretly videotape and photograph farmers, store owners, and co-ops. They infiltrate community meetings. They gather information from informants about farming activities.

Some Monsanto agents pretend to be surveyors. Others confront farmers on their land and try to pressure them to sign papers giving Monsanto access to their private records. Farmers call them the “seed police” and use words such as “Gestapo” and “Mafia” to describe their tactics.

Sources:
Vanity Fair May 2008

Local Action for a Sustainable Tomorrow

This Company May Be the Biggest Threat to Your Future Health

Sidroney — Thu, 01 May 2008 09:38:57 -0700

On March 11 a new documentary was aired on French television.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/05/01/this-compa...
It is a documentary most Americans will never see, explaining how the gigantic biotech corporation Monsanto is threatening to destroy the agricultural biodiversity which has served mankind for thousands of years.

Sources:
Vanity Fair May 2008

Local Action for a Sustainable Tomorrow

Food for Our Future

Sidroney — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 14:27:46 -0700

Start: 2008-05-16 09:30

End: 2008-05-16 16:00

Local Action for a Sustainable Tomorrow

Electric Cars Could Wipe Gas Cars off the Map

Sidroney — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 14:18:44 -0700

Deutsche Bank: Electric Cars Could Wipe Gas Cars off the Map
http://solveclimate.com/blog/20080409/deutsche-bank-electric-cars-could-...
by Stacy Feldman - Apr 9th, 2008
Three Deutsche Bank analysts took a hard look at Project Better Place’s business plan for an electric-car recharging grid in Israel and Denmark, and they drew this unexpected conclusion:

The electric car scheme is viable in America, too. The assumption that it would make a cost-effective investment only in tiny nations with sky-high taxes and outrageous prices at the pump is dead wrong.

How do they know?

Because Deutsche Bank crunched the numbers and found this. It will cost no more than seven cents to drive one mile under the Project Better Place scheme, including battery and electricity costs. Compare that with 24 cents per mile in Europe in a gas-powered car, and 15 to 20 cents per mile in America.

Hence this conclusion:

From checking the Project Better Place business model, we are concluding that a pure electric car should not cost any more than a diesel- or a gasoline-powered car, and in most countries its operating costs should actually be lower.

Globes was given the exclusive rights to the Deutsche Bank report. The full article is here, in Hebrew only. But here's a worthy summary from the author:

Three big analysts from Deutsche Bank went to Project Better Place in Palo Alto and spoke with [Chairman of the Board of Project Better Place] Idan Ofer and [CEO and founder] Shai Agassi and came back to Germany like they saw Buddha and got enlightened.

According to Globes, Deutsche Bank likened the Project Better Place business model to the ones used today with cell phones and car leasing, as Shai Agassi often does.

Customers will purchase packages that include a set number of miles, as well as the cost of renting the Project Better Place-owned batteries. The price of the car will vary based on the service agreement, much like today’s cell phones.

A typical contract mentioned in the bank’s report would cover a year or more, and would cost $550 per month. For that price, customers would get 18,000 miles annually, the battery, electricity for each recharge, and the car.

Deutsche Bank offers two big predictions in its report. One, groups in five to ten other nations are going to announce Project Better Place look-alikes by the end of 2008. And two, other car manufacturers, beyond Renault Nissan, are going to get in on the action, and soon.

That would be good news for Agassi and crew.

Globes reminds us that Project Better Place still has no committed long-term funding support. It raised a record $200 million in 2007, And Deutsche Bank's stamp-of-approval could help secure a future.

And maybe even plant some seeds for an electric-car infrastructure in America.

Local Action for a Sustainable Tomorrow

Are any LAST members interested in more face to face meetings?

Sidroney — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 09:57:22 -0700

* Through the summer, we could rotate weekly between volunteer LAST member's locations and focus on specific activities. * Through the summer, we could rotate every other week between volunteer LAST member's locations and focus on specific activities. * We could return to weekly meetings at the Sequim library. * We could meet every other week at the Sequim library. * Other options? email to olylast@yahoo.com * We could meet monthly, but if something came up that required immediate action or a project then we could meet more often.

Local Action for a Sustainable Tomorrow

Sequim Town Hall Meeting

Sidroney — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 15:22:14 -0700

Start: 2008-04-28 17:00

End: 2008-04-28 20:00

Local Action for a Sustainable Tomorrow

Town Hall Blog

Sidroney — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 15:14:18 -0700

This is where everyone can add their Town Hall questions for our Focus Areas.
NOTE: If you bring or refer to handouts, bring 9 copies to distribute to the City Council, City Manager and City Clerk.

Local Action for a Sustainable Tomorrow

Local Exchange System

Sidroney — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 14:32:57 -0700

Community barter group kickoff on 4/24 in Port Angeles was an overwhelming success. About 40 people attended and about 3/4 of those were planning to sign up with the Port Townsend exchange until a local chapter could be established in Port Angeles under the auspices of Fourth Corner Exchange:

http://www.fourthcornerexchange.com/

As the proponents of this system point out, local exchange systems are a means to keep money from draining out of the local economy. If you buy eggs from the supermarket, a large portion of your money goes to large corporations in distant places. If, on the other hand, you buy eggs from a local farmer with local currency that you got from fixing another person’s toilet, who might have fixed the farmer’s irrigation system, that money stays in and strengthens the local economy. As the website points out:
Fourth Corner Exchange is a Sustainable Community Currency based in the Pacific Northwest USA, which operates throughout the USA and the world. Currently we have over six-hundred participating members, with branches in Washington, Oregon, Colorado, New Mexico, Ohio, California in the USA, Nova Scotia and British Columbia in Canada. Founded by Francis Ayley and a small group of friends in 2002, Fourth Corner Exchange formally started trading in January 2004. From those small beginnings we have grown to over six-hundred members, exchanging a large selection of goods & services throughout the Pacific Northwest, centered around Bellingham and Port Townsend.

Our unit of currency is the 'Terra Dollar' (Time Dollar), which we use in a somewhat different manner to Ithaca Hours and Time Banks. Our Terra Dollars (Time Dollars) have many advantages over other local, complimentary and alternative currencies, and significant advantages over bank issued money.
Local, alternative and community currencies replace the money drained away, allowing the people to continue trading the essentials of life. Fourth Corner Exchange Terra Dollars cannot be removed from the communities in which they circulate, because the members issue Terra Dollars as and when they need them by trading their goods and services within their communities. When the next recession or depression hits the mainstream economy, our members will continue to trade as if nothing has happened. Fourth Corner Exchange Terra Dollars are immune to the unstable perturbations of the mainstream economy.

Note: This system can be utilized to list "Wanted" or "Offered" items such as goods and services, foods/produce, garage sell items, etc. Price is negotiable between the seller and the buyer. Payment is in Terra dollars or a combination of Terra and Federal dollars. Transactions and accounts are handled over the internet. No paper currency exchange actual takes place. People can only sign up after going thru an orientation. Port Townsend provides orientations every other week http://www.l2020.org/index.php?page=local-currency and is planning to add orientations in Port Angeles. Cost is $45 per year. I have joined! Sid