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SUN & WIND NEWSLETTER
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Waking up to Spring & Re-energized by Solar Power
After a seemingly interminable slumberous winter, Whidbey Sun & Wind is wide awake and busy preparing Island residents to reap the electricity-generating potential of the summer sunshine. As I write this, the installation crew is hard at work on our largest residential project to date, a 6480 watt roof-mounted grid-tied system in Clinton.
This system will more than offset the client's electricity costs as all of the electricity generated earns a production credit of 15 cents/kilowatt-hour and Green Tag sales price of 2 cents/kilowatt-hour. This is in addition to net-metering which feeds back excess energy into the power grid, building credit to offset electricity costs during our greyer months.
We'd like to take a minute to thank these clients and all WSW clients for putting their money where their values are. A solar photovoltaic system is an investment in a sustainable future, as is a solar hot water or wind system. In a time when we're all carefully considering our expenditures, it's heartening that people in our community are choosing to spend their money in ways that benefit all of us by reducing environmental pollutants (CO2, SO2, smog), reducing the waste generated by non-renewable energy production, and demonstrating that going solar works. Thank you!
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Earth Day Celebrations on Whidbey Island
We are very fortunate to live in a place where we have such a vibrant and creative community devoted to sustainable living. This year Earth Day is being celebrated on both ends of the Island.
On the North End
On Saturday, April 19, Skagit Valley College, the City of Oak Harbor, and Sno-Isle Libraries are sponsoring Living Green, the North Whidbey Island 2008 Sustainability Fair. Vern Olsen and The Basics will kick off the festivities at 10 AM with a little environmental music. Next, Arunas Oslapas, Industrial Design Associate Professor at WWU will speak about sustainable design. If you'd like a preview of the topic, check out Mr Oslapas' website. Interesting stuff.
Next are workshops, including a renewable energy workshop with Kelly, followed by a panel discussion with homeowners who use renewable energy in their homes. Other workshops cover recycling, green building, rain barrels & water gardens, organic gardening, environmental political activism, why shopping locally is green shopping, and the effect of drastic global climate change on local ecosystems.
Besides speakers and workshops, there will be plenty to entertain the entire family: storytelling, crafts from surplus and recycled materials, and a constant broadcast of environmental movies and webcasts. Oak Harbor Farmers' Market vendors and other local merchants will be selling their wares. More than 20 informational exhibits will provide information on topics as varied as proper pharmaceutical handling and creating a wildlife sanctuary in your backyard.
Living Green runs from 10 AM to 3 PM in Hayes and Oak Halls at the Whidbey Island Campus of Skagit Valley College, 1900 SE Pioneer Way, Oak Harbor. Workshops are at 11:30, 12:30, and 1:30. Family activities are from noon — 3. Exhibits and Farmers' Market Preview from 10 — 3. Looks like a full day of sustainable entertainment and education!
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And on the South End
On Sunday, April 20, the 2nd annual Earth Day Festival happens at Bayview Corner thanks to the South Whidbey Environmental Navigation Community, Goosefoot, and Bayview Community Hall.
Keynote speaker Vicki Robin will speak on Less, Local, and Love: Three Keys to A Rosy Green Future. Vicki is a renaissance woman. With special relevance to this event, she is a co-founder of Transition Whidbey, a group devoted to sustainability and self-reliance on the Island.
But wait, there's more! A community art show with pieces celebrating the earth will be on display throughout the Cash Store. Workshops and demonstrations on rainwater management, composting, green transportation, solar greenhouses, wind turbine energy, passive solar energy, earth building, and more will be on-going throughout the day. Activities for children (and the young at heart) include tree planting, science projects, singing, and storytelling. Music and poetry will also be ongoing. Bring an instrument and join the community jam. Rob Schouten will again guide the creation of a temporary Mandala assembled from natural materials provided by participants. Local and national groups will be sharing information on sustainable practices.
Festivities are from 11 AM — 5 PM at Historic Bayview Corner, just off SR 525 at Bayview Road. A delightful and sustainable time is sure to be had by all.
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Events beyond Earth Day
We maintain an Events page on our website and endeavor to keep up with all things sustainable on Whidbey Island and hereabouts. If you're looking for something to do, take a glance. If you are presenting an event that might interest our readers, let Lori know via email to lori@whidbeysunwind.com.
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Be it Resolved …
Whereas our local leaders care about the future of Whidbey and Camano Islands, a resolution on sustainability and smart growth is before the various members of the Island County Council of Governments. In its draft form, this resolution calls for:
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