Upcoming: Field Trip to the San Bernardino Woody Bio Mass Project to explore how we could generate our own local energy while helping with fire safety and forest restoration.
About Us.
Let's Live Local is a non-profit organization of local
volunteers working to build a resilient, sustainable future for our forest
community,
Pine
Mountain Club, CA. We're a small mountain village in California's Los Padres
National Forest and the 11th official
Transition
Initiative in the United States.
Our
many projects include a wood pellet
coop, an organic
food coop, and a beef coop. We also have educational and act-based events at
our monthly meetings and in our five active
subgroups: Food, Energy, Economy, Water and Government Review.
* See
a summary of our latest Energy
Meeting on BioMass.
*
See a summary of our Food Group
Lessons and Plans
for Home Growing
Below are some facts about our group, its background, goals and projects.
For additional
information on how to participate and get involved in any aspects of Living
Local call 661 242-2624 or e-mail:
Sarah Edwards at
sedwards@frazmtn.com
LLL Food
Coop: contact
Vicky Bingaman
pilates0075@netzero.net
LLL Pellet Coop: contact
Paul Edwards
pedwards@frazmtn.com
LLL Beef Coop:
contact
Larry Darling
odarling@bigvalley.net
Background and Goals
We originally came together in August of 2005 as an informal group of volunteers concerned about the
effects climate change, peak oil, and resources depletion were having and
would have on our community and the surrounding National Forest. Given
our small size and remote location we wanted to identify the steps we
need to be taking to develop awareness, solutions, and projects to address
such issues as how we can:
- Reduce costs of heating, lighting, cooling and otherwise running
our homes.
- Reduce fuel costs in traveling to and from work,
shopping,
medical services and entertainment.
- Create a resilient local economy that
protects the ecosystem
and supports a sustainable community life.
- Share what we learn about relocalizing with other
rural
communities as well as with self-defined urban and suburban
villages
or neighborhoods also wishing to develop sustainable
communities.
In the first year the group affiliated with the Property Owners
Association to put on a well-attended Energy Fair. The group also
participated in the annual Community Strategic Planning process.
Our first community-wide project was
the creation of a Pellet Coop in the spring of 2008. Recently we have started an organic food coop via Community
Supported Agriculture.
Scope of Programs and Projects
Discussed and Considered
-
Community Assessments and Resiliency Planning
required for living sustainability here, including learning about
alternative energy
both of our own homes and for the community
at large
- Surveying local gardens
and fruit trees to explore possible
community harvesting
- Local Sustainability Projects
-
- Creating shared transportation pools and a ride-sharing programs
- Exploring
Safely compost
Develop personal greenhouses and other ways of extending
our short growing season
Develop a community garden
Tour local homes that are using energy-saving approaches
- Developing and Offering Educational Materials and Programs
Lost Life Skills, i.e. Gardening, Permaculture,
Canning, Seed
Collection, Native Plants for Landscaping
Simple Living
Usage of Alternative Energy: Solar, Wind, Biodiesel,
Geothermal etc.
Green Living and Building
- Developing funding for goal-related program activities
Our Projects
In 2006 to launch our group formally to the community, we co-sponsored the first local Energy Fair to an large and eager crowd. That year we also participated in a community-wide strategic planning effort that considered four scenarios for the future.
In Spring of 2008 we established
a Wood Pellet Coop and have brought three 22-ton truckloads of pellets
to eager subscribers for the past two years.
During the Summer of 2008 we established our program priorities as Food, Energy, Water, and Sustainable Economic Development. That fall we organized an Organic Food Coop with a regional CSA, Abundant Harvest Organics. In the Spring of 2009 we organized the a beef coop or Cowpool with the Darling Ranch of Cuddy Valley.