First some background on our area and current trends. The North Fork Valley area includes a wide range of landscape and about 9,000 residents in the majority of Delta County Commissioner District 3. In the past major economic drivers were mainly coal mining, agriculture, and some tourism. Over the past two decades this has changed. Coal mining and supporting industries appear to be gradually leavi
ng due to many factors including a declining market, the glut of natural gas and the urgent need to address climate change concerns nationally and globally. The last is both a serious blow and an opportunity for the local economy. Some sectors of our local economy are on the rise including transfer of payments/retirement, unconventional agriculture, tourism (including agri-tourism) and the arts. Non-coal, energy related sectors are also developing (SEI, home solar installation, etc.). Even conservation could be seen as important since, besides reducing carbon emissions, it will create jobs and keep money in the local economy as energy costs paid to companies out of the area steadily rise over the coming decades. The major concern at this time is that all of these new trends combined will probably not fill the gap left by high paying coal jobs any time soon. This points to a need to be much more proactive in taking actions that will drive new economic development rather than hoping something will emerge unilaterally. So, in looking at what we have and how to build on it, I make the following proposal. That a group form a non-profit (North Fork Energy Education Transition Association (NFEETA) or (Food, Energy, Education Transition Association of the North Fork (FEETA – North Fork ?) with the following goals and purposes:
To educate locally and regionally on the need to address climate change on a practical, local action level and help facilitate the move from high to low carbon energy in this region over the coming decades, collaborating with regional, state, national and international groups with a similar focus along with local groups with an overlapping interest. (VOGA, CHC, WSCC, SEI, DMEA, etc.) To help the North Fork Valley, county and region move towards a more localized economy, including local foods and energy through education and active facilitation of funding. To construct an educational/demonstration center in Hotchkiss that would serve as a tourist attraction/visitors’ center, local foods grocery, local foods distribution and manufacturing facility, local foods restaurant, art gallery, community center, youth center, and general hub for the trends that develop as the Valley moves into the low carbon future. To accomplish this the facility needs to be centrally located in Hotchkiss, ideally on the site of the present Town Shops or nearby in the central area of the town. The building would be built to LEED Platinum standards or something similar, two to three stories high, super energy efficient, incorporating passive and active solar including photo voltaic systems as well as multiple systems that would make the building self-sufficient. In other words the building itself and its systems would be a draw for visitors. Regular workshops would be held to train others to accomplish something similar in their communities. The non-profit Food and Energy Education Transition Center, located in the heart of Hotchkiss, would be a facility embracing every aspect of local foods while being a living, cutting edge example of what can be possible in the coming low-carbon economy. Fresh foods in season sold to locals and visitors in a wide range of prices, from conventional to low carbon input organics. Cooler stored, cellared, frozen, dried and canned foods (solar), and wines. A restaurant, preservation facility, and fresh foods cooking school should be incorporated including an ongoing variety of classes and intensive workshops marketed to visitors as well as regional residents and locals. The restaurant space could include arts, local crafts and gifts sales. The Center would be marketed as a destination tourism site offering a few inn-style rooms as part of the income stream, but also partnering with existing B&B’s, motels, inns and local homeowners and farms to house visitors the facility would draw to events and workshops. The (about 22,000 sq ft.) two story, plus roof gardens and cellars level, building itself would be constructed to LEED platinum standards or very similar and would generate all of its own power with solar cell arrays and supplemental wind generators. The structure would be super insulated, with heat retaining/cooling interior concrete/stone mass walls and extensive passive solar as well as active. Zero fossil fuels would be used for, electricity, heating and cooling as well as cooking. Some compressed, locally produced bio gas may be used in the kitchen as well as having wood fired ovens built into the structure and a bank of solar cookers, dehydrators on the roof. To begin:
The idea of the organization will be publicized. Interested people will be encouraged to become board and general members of the organization that will be a State registered non-profit at first and then seek IRS 501 C- 3 status as an educational organization. When a board is formed and bylaws and incorporation papers written, the organization will be registered as a non-profit with the State (in order to have a bank account) with the aim of becoming an IRS 501 (C) 3 within a year or two. Teachers will be recruited and/or trained to do basic science presentations. Classes will begin at various venues throughout the North Fork and Delta County beginning with the basics of climate change science and including actions we can take on a local basis. The core text used will be the periodic IPCC science assessments augmented with new science, books that support the IPCC assessments and information from around the world on how others are moving towards positive transitions. Eventually the education portion will include the sponsoring of lectures and workshops by experts on all aspects of climate change including the science, mitigation and adaption. Initiative Ideas:
Encourage the large scale planting of trees in towns and on the borders of agricultural fields, including long lived hardwoods. The purpose would be to sequester carbon for several decades at a time. Encourage low-carbon organic farming and food product manufacturing and delivery to add value to products, keep energy dollars in the local economy, while demonstrating how low carbon ag using old and new technologies can work. Encourage local governments to show leadership in transitioning to lower energy use in buildings and infrastructure. This could include: micro-hydro on irrigation and raw water delivery lines, solar of all types on existing and constructing any new buildings using LEED standards, using solar charged electric vehicles, and requiring/encouraging all employees to live in town.
