What You Can Do Now!

[David MacLeod]

Let's grow this list of ideas - unleash your genius here by sharing YOUR ideas!

i. Brainstorm suggestions we could pass on to a new group forming from an awareness raising
ii. Plant your Gardens
iii. Study and discuss issues for our Energy Descent Action Plan
iv. Develop neighborhood emergency plans
v. Sign up on this Ning website and start discussing, networking, etc.
vi. Let us know you're available to be an on-call general purpose volunteer
vii. Join our Events Planning/Awareness Raising team
viii. Start talking to people about organizing a Transition Initiative in your neck of the woods
ix. Let us know you want to be involved in a work group to address a particular topic (food, transportation, energy, heart & soul, etc.)

[Chris Wolf]

I live in the York neighborhood (the part south of Lakeway), and I want to join up with other Transitioners in my vicinity! Is there a Transition York already going? If not, how can I start one? I am especially interested in joining together for neighborhood composting and gardening-- sharing seeds, tools, and gardening help with each other. Maybe having canning parties and potlucks. Anyone interested?
--Chris Wolf
[e-mail]
phone [phone]

[Angela MacLeod]

Note: This post was written by David MacLeod, not knowing that he was signed in under his wife's name. :)

Transition York! Wonderful! It sounds like one of the British Transition Towns...actually, I just googled it, and there is a Transition York here. But unfortunately, not in Bellingham...yet. You can help start one! Start with reading the Transition Handbook, and start asking around (as you're doing here) if there are other neighbors interested in "mulling" the idea of a transition initiative in your neighborhood. As Transition Whatcom grows, there's sure to be more people from the York neighborhood showing up here.

Meanwhile, there's a great event coming up sponsored by the Food Not Lawns team of Sustainable Bellingham. Looks like it will be a great time of networking with others interested in gardening. On April 4th, they're having an event called "Getting Gardens In the Hands of the People."

Help Grow Food and Community
Have Dirt: Need Gardener ?
Gardener with no yard?
Come and make connections

Saturday April 4th
Location: Center for Expressive Arts
1317 Commercial St. #202

1:30 – 2:00 Tea & Introductions
2:00- 3:00 Networking & Connections
3:00 – 4:00 Speaker: Mike Cohen, Bellingham Food Bank

Free Public Event

Call [phone] / [phone] for m ore information or Email : [e-mail]
Sponsors: Food Not Lawns, Sustainable Bellingham , Forest Garden

[Cindi Landreth]

Idea on things we can do: Walk around your house to identify what you have that is using power - but doesn't need to. This morning I was thinking about the wind up clocks my parents used - ours is electric. 'Time' for a change!

[Sandy Hoelterhoff]

Chris, as I walk the York neighborhood I see many people transforming their lawns into gardens. My idea is to contact these people and invite them to be part of the York transition. I had thought of creating a quarter page flyer to leave on their doors perhaps inviting them to a gathering and introducing them to the Ning. I'm happy to help distribute if this is something that resonates with you. I've also thought of taking an inventory of the fruit and nut trees and other edibles in the neighborhood that are available and in some instances go unused. As you know my plate is rather full with the TWIG so I don't feel I have the energy to lead the Transition York effort. But I'm certainly willing to do what I can to help.

[Stephen Trinkaus]

Chris,

I don't know if they still do, but the York neighborhood used to have a really active neighborhood association and one of the best neighborhood newsletters in Bellingham. If all this is still going, it's a great way to make connections in the neighborhood. There is probably a neighborhood rep that you could work with too. (I just used the word "neighborhood" five times in one paragraph. Make that six.) Good Luck!

- Stephen