In September 2009, One Island’s Green Living Institute (GLI) initiated a series of Green Economy capacity building conversations with twelve agencies. The first result of this effort was hosting a meeting that brought together representatives of South Whidbey non-profit organizations. The purpose of this ongoing conversation is to explore synergies for collaborative ‘community greening’ projects that might arise as we foster new interconnections between organizations.

Format   The format of the meeting (hosted at the  South Whidbey Commons in Langley, WA on Sept. 11^th) began with a silent memorial to the September 11, 2001 tragedy, and then moved to a lively round table discussion with presentations by every participant. Each speaker introduced their organizational or community involvement in sustainability practices – sharing green methods already being implemented and brainstorming out-loud about new practices each group is considering for future implementation. This was a unique opportunity to open a community-based, multi-agency conversation about the needs, capacity goals, potential leadership, and funding objectives that are the foundation for greening a rural community, organization by organization.

Participants   Facilitators for the meeting were Marcy Montgomery and Stephen Shrader from the GLI. Participants included: Leo Baldwin for Saratoga Community Housing (who also spoke on behalf of Senior Services), Judy Feldman for WSU Extensions multiple environmental sustainability programs, John Hastings on behalf of green building practices and WSU Extension energy efficiency programming, Kathy McLaughlin for Good Cheer Food Bank, Community Gardens and Thrift Stores, Ross Chapin for South Whidbey ECollaboritive, Gena Kraha for South Whidbey Commons, and Britt Walker for Transition Whidbey and South Whidbey Tilth. Not able to be present, but involved in this conversation, are The City of Langley, Langley Chamber of Commerce, the Whidbey Institute, and Goosefoot Community Foundation.

Outcomes   The clear outcome from the meeting – and in conversations with potential project partners not able to attend – is that there is an urgent need to educate our local organizations, government agencies, and rural businesses to understand and adopt green practices that are designed to protect the fragile island environment and that  constructively contribute towards realizing a sustainable rural Green Economy.  There was also an identified need to provide wider recognition of proven green operations methods and products already accomplishing positive outcomes and to share those strategies with others on Whidbey and in the NW region as positive role models.

Process   Wearing our “green eye shades” we reflected on the local scene and brainstormed about potential Economic Drivers, Transportation, Food and Agriculture, Green Building, Energy, Efficiency and  Renewable Energies, Environmental Protection, Health and Wellness, and Leadership goals.

Economic Drivers identified are eco-tourism, ag-tourism, retail, service, medical/wellness, arts and culture, education, youth hostel, green directory, affordable housing, alternative transportation, recycling/recycled products for resale and Whidbey Community eXchange. GLI’s interest in sponsoring a Green Business Incubator was met with suggestions for green transportation, health and wellness practitioners.

Transportation opportunities identified included Senior Services, car share, electric shuttle buses, sailboats, retrofit gas engines to electric and biodiesel, electric bikes, solar golf carts and electric / bio-diesel school buses.

Food and Agriculture ideas include using the Good Cheer garden as a demonstration/teaching tool, expanding composting (for example, there is no food composting provided for at Brookhaven in Langley), wider-spread seed distribution and gleaning.

Green Building discussions elicited educating planners and builders, creating University relationships/tie-ins, home repairs for seniors, and named local builders/consultants John Hastings, Eli Adadow and Dan Neumeyer (we know there are more of you).

The Energy topic brought up energy efficiency trainings, energy audits, independent power providers, an Island County collaborative grant process, a Green Seal for businesses and a Green Home Challenge.

Education and  Environmental ideas and noted accomplishments included suggestions to tie-in the High School Service Learning graduation requirements to local greening projects, improving recycling drop off accessibility in more locations, sharing the achievements of the Good Cheer demonstration garden and Thrift Store management skills (i.e. reducing refuse, promoting volunteerism, feeding and clothing those in need), recognizing the programs sponsored by the Extension Office through Washington State University (re: Farm Tours, Climate Stewards, Master Gardeners, Waste Wise [simple living, composting, dumpster diving, plastic recycling], weather data collection, and Sustainability and Health Action Groups), Salmon / creek / native plant restoration accomplishments, the proliferation of home Victory Gardens on the island,  availability of Greenbank Farm CSA training and grants  through the  Northwest Agricultural Business Center, Island-wide food system assessment efforts and asset mapping, evolving E-Collaborative education programs on Green Building design, Transition Whidbey facilitated trade and barter system efforts, and the Americorps activities most visible at the Island  Coffeehouse and  Books.

Potential Leadership  identified included: Whidbey Extension Programs, eCollaborative, Senior Services, and Saratoga Housing.

Other Organizations to invite into the conversation were suggested: Northwest Agricultural  Business Center, Sustainable Whidbey Coalition, Island County Economic Development Council, Lopez Community Land Trust, Whidbey Environmental Action Network.

Project Funding  Participants voiced support for attracting capacity building, Green Economy, renewable energy, local food system, sustainability education, and alternative transportation funding for collaborative projects. It was noted that while there is not local financial capital to provide matching funds for federal grants, the organizations would be interested in collaborating on projects that attract community foundation support for individual projects and to develop a matching fund  for  federal grant funded projects. GLI noted that it is researching USDA rural development, HUD rural housing and economic development, Sustainable Agriculture and community foundation funding sources.

Conclusions:

LOCAL    This jump-start conversation proved to be a valuable step towards helping South  Whidbey organizations to self-identify their internal accomplishments – and local rural community - as a vital living laboratory. In this geographically compact area, an organic process of identifying local needs and working collaboratively toward evolving and implementing green solutions is unfolding.

Whidbey Island is home to dozens of human and environmental service organizations that are intrinsically strong on innovation and creativity. These groups have faced multiple rural quality-of-life and environmental threat problem-solving challenges and have responded by exploring green practice opportunities and solutions that are meeting local needs in resourceful and sustainable ways. But each organization finds itself working in somewhat of a vacuum, lacking opportunities to strategize and share information with one another. There is a need to provide inspiring professional development opportunities for organizational staff and to share one another’s accomplishments more widely to develop and more evenly distribute green living capacities island-wide.

REGIONAL   Seen as a geographic concentration of successful community problem solving efforts- and open learners always looking for smarter solutions – the organizations of South Whidbey do have the potential to serve as a working model for other rural communities – and for urban neighborhoods – that are seeking to get beyond sustainability catch phrases and really implement core changes that seed beneficial long term organizational, social, and environmental changes. Investments in South Whidbey organization’s Green Economy Building capacities will not only serve to better meet local resident, civic, and natural resource needs, but can also serve as a demonstration  living laboratory researching and testing strategies that can benefit other communities and neighborhoods in the Northwest.