From: Rita Schenck [rita@iere.org]
Sent: Monday, March 22, 2004 3:43 PM
To: rita@iere.org
Subject: Energy Update # 12

Dear Friends:

The last few months have been hectic. In late January, we moved into our new digs at the Beall greenhouses. With our partners Wayne Barclay and Scarlett Foster-Moss, we formed a new not-for-profit to develop the greenhouse historic district. We are calling it the BEALL for Beall Environmental Arts Living Laboratory. The BEALL will develop the Beall property, and we (IERE) will be doing sustainable energy demonstrations as well as other sustainable technology development and demonstrations. We think there is a strong link between sustainability and the arts, and hope to demonstrate that here. An exciting aspect of our concept for the property is that we will include the arts as an integral part of the work. The BEALL already houses about a dozen artists, and as it is redeveloped we expect to have more.

Since we believe that sustainability is all about communities, the BEALL will be working to address sustainability issues for the Vashon-Maury Island community. Very high on our list is the development of new jobs for island residents. We intend to spin off sustainability businesses as an important part of our efforts. On the 28th of March, 2-5 p.m., we will be holding a community Open House to let people know what we are up to. You are all invited. Representative Joe McDermott and Senator Erik Poulsen are planning to attend.

Our electric truck has finally arrived! It is a 1999 Ford Ranger, with only 5800 miles on it. It has a range of about 30 miles, and is available for rent on-island. If you are interested, contact me for the necessary forms to get started. Or drop by our offices at look at this next-to-new pickup truck.

With generous support from Paul Allen, we continue to study the renewable energy potential on the island. We have designed a study to carry out in partnership with the University of Washington, Puget Sound Energy and others to develop a cost-effective path moving forward. The study design is to look at three scales: a single building (we are using our office building); a neighborhood (Vashon Cohousing has graciously agreed to participate); and the island as a whole. We will be looking at the different energy conservation and renewable energy generation technologies and projecting their costs into the next ten years, then comparing them to the projected costs of fossil fuels. Where the cost projections cross is the earliest cost-effective point to invest in the new technologies. We will also be developing a communication plan for the community, and would welcome any ideas about how we might best let people know how we are doing in our move towards energy independence.

We invite you to share this note with anyone you believe would be interested. We will gladly add the names of anyone who requests it to this mail list. Likewise, if you wish to be removed, send me a note and I'll remove your name.

Rita Schenck

Institute for Environmental Research and Education
PO Box 2449
Vashon, WA 98070

Phone 206-463-7430
Fax 206-279-1570
www.iere.org