Leave the Car at Home……Catch a LIFT!

By Scott Finley

It was a lively discussion that ensued following the first in the Locavore’s film series in November. Inspired by the movie “The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil,” the group brainstormed ideas for becoming a more sustainable and energy efficient island and reducing our carbon footprint.

  Personal carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions you contribute to the environment. Your carbon footprint may be a size EEE Sasquatch, or if you have followed some of the advice given previously in this column, you may have reduced it to a size 3 ballet slipper. You can reduce your footprint by insulating your house, growing and eating local organic food as well as changing your transportation habits.

Transportation makes up more than one-quarter of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. The average American household burns over 1,000 gallons of gasoline and emits 21,000 pounds of CO2 annually from its 1.85 vehicles, and spends nearly a fifth of its income doing so. “Living Well, Living Green,” the useful booklet produced by Transition Fidalgo and Friends, lists several ways to reduce the amount of driving we do: Combine errands in one trip, keep your car tuned and tires inflated, and leave the car at home and hop on a bike, walk or carpool.

The after-film discussion group pounced on the idea of reducing emissions by ride sharing. A culture of hitchhiking has been in place on the islands for years, and it could be expanded at little or no cost. Most of us traveling from one point on the island to another do not mind pulling over to pick up a passenger, nor do we mind riding in another’s car.

Ron Metcalf has recently started “hitching” rides, following up on a New Years resolution, and has found it efficient and convenient. He usually gets picked up by the first car passing by, and has discovered an additional benefit.  Says Ron, “the best part of doing this is that I get to spend time with those I already know and meet those I don't.”

The discussion group formed an impromptu committee calling itself Lopez Island Free Transit, or LIFT, committed to expanding island transportation options. The group’s first strategy, dubbed “Thumbs Up!” is to expand and facilitate our existing ride share system. The decal (shown above) with the thumb logo can be affixed to your car window, indicating your participation in the program. The plan also calls for larger logos to be displayed in safe areas, or “thumb stops,” at key transportation hubs, like the Village, Hummel Lake, school, ferry terminal and airport, so those needing a ride will have a predictable place to get picked up.

You will be able to pick up a decal in a few weeks – it will be announced in the Islands Weekly. Look for fellow travelers at Thumb Stops. And next time you leave the house to run an errand or catch the ferry, leave the car at home. Save some fuel, reduce emissions. Go Thumbs Up and catch a LIFT!

A Grand Experiment: Transition Initiative

by Faith Van De Putte

"Imagine a community, imagine a world . . . where how we live nourishes the earth, helps people realize their potential, and creates joy in community."

This is the audacious premise and enticing invitation of the Transition Fidalgo.

This publication is distributed for free at Transition Fidalgo & Friends events. Click here to download  (4.5 MB).

Transition Fidalgo & Friends is a non-profit, all-volunteer organization focusing on strengthening Fidalgo community’s resilience by developing positive, everyday solutions to the challenges of climate change, energy uncertainty, and economic instability. It is part of the international Transition Movement that believes a post carbon, low impact future could be a positive change for humanity. Anacortes is currently taking up this challenge and speakers from Transition Fidalgo will be at Lopez Library, Oct 28, 6.30pm.

“By supporting renewable energy, rebuilding skills, strengthening community, and fostering the local production of food, energy, and goods, we look forward to a way of life more fulfilling, more connected, and more caring of each other and the earth.” states the website of Transition Fidalgo, transitionfidalgo.org.

The thriving Transition Movement is a social experiment. It began when a student group led by Permaculture teacher Rob Hopkins created an “energy descent action plan” in Kinsdale, Ireland. It went beyond the issues of energy supply, to look at across-the-board creative adaptations in the realms of food, farming, education, economy and health and was adopted by their town council. After this experience Mr. Hopkins moved to Totnes, England to work on his doctorate and started Transition Town Totnes. The process has since been

replicated in 397 communities in 34 countries, including Whatcom, Whidbey, and Anacortes.

The Transition movement has been called “engaged optimism” since at its heart is the belief that local organizing can create resilient communities more able to withstand the shocks of our changing resource base and climate. As it says on the Transition USA website “if we wait for the governments it will be too late and too little, if we act as individuals it’ll be too little too late but if we act as communities, it might just be enough just in time.”

What is happening in the 397 communities who are using and adapting the Transition model? They are assessing their current energy dependence, visioning what their community would look like less dependent on fossil fuels and once the vision is in place they "backcast" - that is, work backwards from that time to figure out what must be in place to make the vision real. For example, if the community wants to source 50% of its home heating from managed woodlands in 2030, then it'll need to have planted up all the necessary areas by 2020.

Many of the first steps are modest and based around “relocalization” such as community gardens, seed swaps, sharing of knowledge and skills. Other towns are trying solutions such as creating their own currencies in order to support their local economies. Tackling the issue of building community resilience demands hard innovative work in many sectors and the Transition movement strives to be a platform for a unified community vision. 

Our neighbors at Transition Fidalgo have been busy with hosting informational local dinners, establishing a community garden, publishing a highly successful community cookbook, Serving the Skagit Harvest, as well as a sustainable living guide and working with Skagit County to pass a climate resolution and establish a climate task force.

Come join the discussion. Evelyn Adams and friends of Transition Fidalgo will be at the next Climate

Change lecture series to share their experiences with us. See you at the Lopez Library, Friday Oct 28!