Events >

Island Conversations

WCA presents a monthly series with expert talks and group discussions to build community and motivate sustainability projects.

With support from:

The Commons, Common Goods, and Community

January 9, 2024 – note 2nd Thursday

Snacks & Social 5:45 PM

Program 6:00 - 8:00 PM FREE

St. Hubert's Church

804 3rd St. Langley

Refreshments provided.

PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN mug, napkin etc.

Waste-Free Event

We know that “the commons” – for example, forests and fisheries – are being overused; we know that many of our activities pollute the commons; and we know that there is broad agreement on what constitutes the common good (our needs).

Our economic and political systems are struggling with the herculean task of resolving these three "knowings". The unbelievably complex problems encountered as we seek to meet our needs are "wicked" problems" – “ill-defined, ambiguous, complicated, interconnected situations packed with potential conflict." [Bentley & Toth] Thinking about "wicked" problems in a normal, "tame" problem frame leads to frustration.

How might we change our thinking, skills and approaches to achieve even partial improvements? Ed Anderson will spark a conversation that explores how changing our thinking about these “wicked” problems can move us to mental and emotional clarity, inspiring action.

Speaker EDWIN ANDERSON, PhD, MBA, brings a lifetime of study and reflection to his exploration of how thinking works and doesn’t work, and how we respond to climate change, the most important problem facing the world today and into the future. Ed studied cognitive psychology at the University of Washington with an
emphasis on “Human Learning, Memory, and Decision-making.” His training as a cognitive scientist with a focus on mathematical psychology, on quantitative analysis in business school, and his work as a computer programmer and teacher have given him extraordinary tools to interpret climate change information.

Community is the Unit of Survival

December 5, 2024

Snacks & Social 5:45 PM

Program 6:00 - 8:00 PM FREE

St. Hubert's Church

804 3rd St. Langley

Refreshments provided.

PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN mug, napkin etc.

Waste-Free Event

Adapting Together on Whidbey through the Sharing Economy

Whidbey Island’s marvelous web of organizations and relationships dedicated to well-being for all is our local treasure, as national and global uncertainty rises around us. VICKI ROBIN will reveal this web and encourage us to implement the “sharing economy” to solve challenges in housing, health, energy, water, and food sufficiency. Join us to explore the ways everyone in our community benefits when our minds are open and our hands outstretched to share our myriad gifts. Vicki will guide us in understanding, appreciating, and shifting into the Sharing Economy.

VICKI ROBIN, well-known as author of the perennial bestseller, Your Money or Your Life, co-founded Transition Whidbey in 2008 to build resilience on Whidbey Island even as the economic downturn threw families and society into hardship and insecurity about the future. Her book, Blessing the Hands That Feed Us (Penguin 2014) documents her effort to eat only food sourced within 10 miles of her home, and her reflections about what regional food sufficiency could look like.

Report:

Vicki Robin led an interesting discussion on the differences between national and natural/community wealth. As we move into a future history doesn't teach us how to navigate, she asserts that while we should absolutely try to protect our personal wealth we should invest heavily into natural/community wealth. National wealth is debt-based, people owning money to the bank. The more loans that are made, the more money banks create. Money as a medium of exchange enables us to have freedom of movement – it works anywhere; it allows us to purchase what we want without ever knowing where the products come from or who made them. It's definitely convenient. Natural wealth is entirely relationship-based and involves little or no money transfer. It's about creating safety, sufficiency and belonging. Examples are helping each other with errands ("I'm going to the store, what can I pick up for you?"), carpooling, offering to help fix a broken pipe, helping someone with a broken arm prune her roses, cooking meals for someone in grief, huddling around someone's fireplace during a long power-outage.... It's work, certainly, but it's valuable beyond measure. As we embrace the uncertainty of our future in the face of the climate crisis, building our social capital will help us be resilient.

Feeding the Future

November 7, 2024

Snacks & Social 5:45 PM

Program 6:00 - 8:00 PM FREE

St. Hubert's Church

804 3rd St. Langley

Refreshments provided.

PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN mug, napkin etc.

Waste-Free Event

Building SECURITY and RESILIENCE into our food system on Whidbey Island

As an island, we face unique challenges in ensuring food security. As an island community, we have unique opportunities too. Natural disasters, supply chain disruptions, and environmental pressures on the soil, the water, the seasons, the critters, and what comes from the sky are squeezing the industrialized agriculture model. But our small Whidbey Island community can learn and collaborate; together, we can create a stronger and more diversified local food system that will minimize the effect of external shocks, support the life systems around us, and fortify our capacity to feed ourselves.

JAKE STEWART has over 20 years experience in localized sustainable systems, including renewable energy, climate
adaptation, conservation and sustainable food security. A decentralized renewable energy/low carbon model project Jake developed was awarded the EPA Project of the Year. He remains actively involved in federal policy development for integrated sustainable systems, low carbon technologies and climate change adaptation strategies. He has received international recognition for his work on localized sustainable energy and agriculture systems in Eastern Africa, Europe and Central America. He holds a B.S. from Texas A&M University in Bio-environmental Science, and a Masters of Science with a research focus on integrated municipal sustainability. He and his wife Aja own a 24-acre Regenerative Agroforestry Farm on Whidbey.

Report:

Over 70 people gathered to listen to Jake Stewart's vision of regenerative agriculture and agro-forestry. While traditional agriculture depletes soil and pollutes waterways, regenerative agriculture builds soil health and sequesters carbon. His message: every one of us can be part of the local food system, as farmers, gardeners, gleaners, preservers, or processors. See Jake’s slides below.

Our breakout sessions generated a cornucopia of ideas for building community food resilience and lobbying Island County. Top ideas: Start a Guild to share skills for food growing and preservation; Tell the County to protect forests and water in the Comprehensive Plan. Our blog post on Food Webs offers local education and resources.

Follow up:

If you’d like to organize around one of the action ideas, please CONTACT Us with your interest and we can build groups of folks with shared interest.

Optimist or Realist?

October 3, 2024

Snacks & Social 5:45 PM

Program 6:00 - 8:00 PM FREE

St. Hubert's Church

804 3rd St. Langley

Refreshments provided.

PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN mug, napkin etc.

Waste-Free Event

Is your climate change thinking unnecessarily bumming you out?

Are we overrating the negative and missing the good stuff that’s actually happening? Cognitive scientist Ed Anderson, PhD., thinks we aren’t thinking clearly about climate change. According to Ed, we are missing the data points that can accurately describe the state of the world and what we can do about it. Instead we tend to respond to story, conflict, and drama with fears and anxieties that may paralyze us and cause us mental and emotional harm. The facts can empower us and demonstrate that hope and positivity are realistic attitudes even as we work to make seemingly dire circumstances better.

Edwin Anderson, PhD, MBA, brings a lifetime of study and reflection to his exploration of how thinking works and doesn’t work, and how we respond to climate change, the most important problem facing the world today and into the future.

Report:

Over 50 Whidbey neighbors listened to Ed make the case for optimism, which he defined as “a sense of agency.” Key concepts: As idealists, we humans create an ideal and then reality inevitably falls short. As storytellers, we can get sucked into a negative story and ignore hopeful bits that don’t fit the narrative. Ed shared a number of data points that people often underestimate, such as rates of EV adoption and renewable energy growth. In small groups, we had some reactions: “The only way I feel optimistic is to focus on what we can do to rebuild ecosystems in our own community: Practice Permaculture.” “You say we have a chance of keeping global temperature rise to 1.9 Degrees Celsius over pre-industrial levels. That’s supposed to be hopeful!? The salmon are cooked.” “I want the youth to feel a sense of agency.” The conversation concluded with folks sharing announcements on how we will defeat I-2117, and how to pressure the County to include ecosystem indicators in their Comprehensive Plan.

No on I-2117!

September 5, 2024

6:00 - 8:00 PM FREE

St. Hubert's Church

804 3rd St. Langley

Refreshments provided.

PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN mug, napkin etc.

Waste-Free Event

What is Washington State’s CLIMATE COMMITMENT ACT and why would a retired hedge-fund manager spend millions of his own fortune to repeal it through November Ballot Initiative 2117? FOLLOW THE MONEY!

This Conversation will focus on the landmark legislation (2021), designed to to minimize climate change by making polluters pay, and support crucial public services like ferries and transportation infrastructure, eco-system restoration, cleaner air and water, fire prevention and protection, advanced forestry and coastal practices and more.

Join us to learn more and discuss how important the Climate Commitment Act is to our Island, our state and our future, and share your ideas and strategies for ensuring that it is preserved and fully implemented.

Speaker: DAVE ANDERSON brings his keen perspective as a lifelong Northwesterner and 5 decades on Whidbey. He’s been a sportfisher, a veterinarian, and a member of the Washington St. Legislature with service on the Agriculture and Ecology and Natural Resources committees. He spent years on the Oil Spill Prevention Task Force, the Northwest Straits Commission and many other ecology and environment-focused bodies, including the Orca Network. Dave knows what’s going on, and his presentation will help us understand how critical NO on 2117 is!

Read the blog post: KEEP the CCA! NO on I-2117!

Report:

Here are the top action ideas for stopping I-2117, and links to further information.

LEARN MORE

READ UP! at the NO 2117 website. You’ll find fact sheets, blog posts and volunteer opportunities.
KNOW THE CCA PROJECTS! Local projects are a great way to connect with local voters about the value of the CCA. Who doesn't want a forest wildlife corridor? Download the summary of all the Island County projects at risk of losing funding if 2117 passes (all counties).
APPRECIATE THE SCOPE! Review other maps at Clean and Prosperous Washington’s “Risk of Repeal” website.

VOLUNTEER

SIGN UP! for leafleting, canvassing, etc., on the NO on 2117 website volunteer page.
JOIN US! for canvassing in Langley next Sunday, 9/15 from 10:30 to 1:30. Meet at the Commons Cafe and Bookstore on 2nd Street. Sign up is also on the volunteer page.
HOST AN EVENT! If you want to host an event, email Logan Ventura (logan at no2117.com)
WRITE POSTCARDS! to get the word out. The NO on 2117 campaign is NOT organizing any formal postcarding, but you can contact the Citizens’ Climate Lobby or Indivisible Whidbey.

ENGAGE YOUR NETWORKS

WEAR A "NO 2117" BUTTON! everywhere! Generally people are unaware of the intentions and ramifications of 2117, but when we explain they are on board! Buttons help start a conversation. Pick up a button with your yard sign (below).
DISPLAY A "NO 2117" YARD SIGN! Pick up a sign at the rePurpose member drop off events this month at the South Whidbey Community Center (in back), 723 Camano Ave, Langley, on Sat, 9/21, 12-2 PM; Tues, 9/24 5-7 PM; Thurs, 9/26, 2-4 PM. (If you can't make those, use our CONTACT Us form to reach us.)

DEMONSTRATE

WAVE YOUR OWN "NO 2117" SIGN! at Bayview Park & Ride, no coordination needed!
WALK THE FERRY LINE! with a sign “Tired of Ferry Lines? Vote NO on 2117”. The CCA has funding for 2 new, electric ferries.

PITCH IT

CREATE A SCRIPT! and practice it for when people ask you “What’s 2117?”.
SAMPLE:

“2117 would gut funding for programs that protect our clean air, clean water, farms and forests. It would mean more toxic pollution in the air we breathe and it would gut programs that protect us from wildfires. It would make traffic and ferry lines longer because it cuts 1/3 of our state’s already stretched transportation plans.

A statewide coalition of over 450 organizations is working to defeat 2117. This includes firefighters, healthcare workers, small businesses and leading businesses, unions, and tribal nations.

This deceptive initiative was funded by a single mega-donor, Brian Heywood, who is misleading the public by saying that a yes vote will lower gas prices. Yes, Washington has high gas prices, but they were even higher than today, BEFORE the climate commitment act came into force. There is nothing in initiative 2117 that would enforce lower gas prices.”

VOTE NO IN NOVEMBER

REGISTER TO VOTE! Online registration and information here (deadline Oct 28). You can check your registration status at vote.org or more simply, for Washington State voters, here.
VOTE NO ON NOVEMBER 5TH!

Thanks for your energy and action!

Together, we can beat back this deceptive initiative

and save the Climate Commitment Act

by voting NO in NOvember!

Beyond Sustainability!

June 6, 2024

6:00 - 8:00 PM FREE

Bayview Cash Store, Front Room

5603 Bayview Rd, Langley

Refreshments provided.

PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN mug, napkin etc.

Waste-Free Event

What can we do now that our great grandchildren will thank us for?

Permaculture is a practical set of ecological design principles and methods for human settlements which can be applied at the urban, suburban and watershed scale. Renowned permaculture educator Penny Livingston will share her wisdom on "Beyond Sustainability" and pose the question: "Is it possible to create more abundance in our lives, develop an intimate relationship with the natural world, and, at the same time, address our ecological crisis?"

Report: Presentation, Ideas

Almost 40 of you attended our third “Island Conversations" series at the Bayview Cash Store last Thursday.

Here’s a puzzle: “The problem is the solution.” Penny Livingston provided such food for thought in her overview of the permaculture approach to designing a regenerative community. Penny launched the evening by asking attendees to close our eyes and imagine waking up in a perfect world. What do we see? hear? smell? Many people reported that their perfect world was full of natural beauty - trees, birds, flowing water - in some cases, a lot like Whidbey!

Penny showed how the technique of observing natural patterns can teach us to design more abundant food systems, homes and communities, in bioregions across Earth. Learning from Indigenous teachers is an important part of learning to think like a permaculturalist. She quoted Oren Lyons: “What you call ‘resources’ we call relatives.” Through permacultural approaches, we humans don’t just try to have less impact, we actively seek to have more impact, building a world better than we found it.

Following Penny’s presentation, attendees at their cafe tables engaged in lively discussion of the question: What can we do now that our great great grandchildren will thank us for? Ideas ranged from building rain gardens, to adopting Firewise practices, to eliminating all plastic bottles. If you would like to continue a conversational thread, please CONTACT Us and let us know what you’re interested in (There seemed to be a lot of energy around greywater!) We want to connect like-minded people hungering to take action. See ideas here.

For those who want to go deeper into the permaculture ethics and practices, Penny is offering an immersive two week certification course at the Whidbey Institute June 20 - July 4.

Read the blog post: Designing for a Healthy Future

Everybody Eats, Everybody Throws Food Away

May 2, 2024

6:00 - 8:00 PM FREE

Bayview Cash Store, Front Room

5603 Bayview Rd, Langley

Refreshments provided.

PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN mug, napkin etc.

Waste-Free Event

How can we be more ecological, save money & cut greenhouse gases?

When our organic wastes are properly decomposed they nourish other animals, plants, and organisms all along the food chain.Organic compost feeds the soil so it can feed us. Sadly, the vast majority of organic waste from Island County is hauled hundreds of miles away to the Roosevelt Landfill where it ends up creating methane, a potent greenhouse gas, and costing the County $millions annually.

WCA’s own David Haskell has been a zero-waste practitioner, government official, and advocate for over 30 years. David will facilitate a community conversation about how we can dedicate what we don’t eat to its highest and best use for our health... and that of the environment.

Report: Ideas

David delivered the stark reality that our current system is broken: Island County spends $10 Million a year to haul our garbage - 8, 24-ton trucks - hundreds of miles, burning thousands of gallons of diesel every day. To make matters worse, organic matter constitues 40% of the garbage and turns into methane in the landfill, a potent greenhouse gas. Will we reduce our consumption? Can we switch our mindset from seeing “waste” to seeing “treasure”? Do we have the capacity to redirect all food scraps to local use?

Local organizations working on this issue were present:

rePurpose: "[We] strive to help people understand that refusing, reducing and reusing is always the best option before recycling. To create a zero waste community, we need a radical rethink of our systems, policies, and personal choices. rePurpose moves towards this future through upstream policy changes and downstream waste management."
WSU Extension: The local office is very interested in this issue and has resources for holding composting classes.

Attendees generated ideas for community level reuse and composting, perhaps piggy-backing on emergency preparedness teams, and starting a Master Composter program through WSU Extension. See ideas here.

Environmental Successes in the Salish Sea

April 4, 2024

6:30 - 8 PM FREE

Bayview Cash Store, Front Room

5603 Bayview Rd, Langley

RSVP: https://islandconversations.eventbrite.com

Reservation requested, but NOT required.
Refreshments provided.

PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN mug, napkin etc.

Waste-Free Event

As a fellow Pacific West Coast Islander, Fay Weller will share an inspiring presentation on some of the many successes that have been achieved in her community on Gabriola Island. WCA’s own Penny Livingston, internationally-respected permaculture educator, will facilitate a discussion to explore what successes we have achieved already and what strategies might be appropriate for Whidbey Island.

Fay Weller, PhD, is an author, community organizer, homesteader, researcher, and artist. Fay loves the creative spark when working on new community ideas that increase ecological and just choices for all. She is engaged in numerous collaborative initiatives from circular economy enterprise to affordable, low-impact heating. She grows and sells apples, eggs, and vegetables and lives on Gabriola Island, BC farm with partner Bob and numerous chickens.

Report

A group of almost 40 folks gathered at Bayview Cash Store for a conversation about climate change and our shared future. Guest Fay Weller, from Sustainable Gabriola, inspired us with a story of how their small community built knowledge, trust, and commitment to action over the course of a year of conversations. They called their approach “12:12:12”: 12 months to discuss 12 “wicked" problems from climate change, and propose at least 12 local solutions. Participants sat cafe style to learn from each other and generate potential solutions. Organizers shared the results in the local news, so the whole community could follow the course of the conversation. The twelfth session was devoted to organizing for action - prioritizing solutions and stepping up to lead high-priority initiatives. WCA is excited to riff on this model and experiment with more arts and culture at our next Island Conversation, Thursday, May 2nd, 6pm at the Bayview Cash Store Front Room. Hope to see you there!