Sustainable Ways

Summary of Purpose

Welcome to Sustainable Ways. We are a grass roots community action group. Our focus is on sustainable living. Our mission statement is:  Sustainable Ways’ mission is to explore and demonstrate sustainable ways of living, food and energy production, trading, education, and building and to develop a higher common ground of community consciousness, health, and well-being.

Our meeting night is Thursday. We have meetings scheduled on August 24, September 7 & 21, October 5 & 19 at Cliff Lanes in the community meeting room in Westcliffe.

We currently have 11 focus groups and 2 support groups. Each group has it’s own meetings during the month. The groups meeting regularly are noted below:

Current Happenings in Each Focus Group click on the menu above for the individual pages of each focus group.

Spiritual Guidance  meets at 6:00 p.m. just prior to the Sustainable Ways meeting

Food Co-Op – Is organized.

Design and Building - Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m. at Tyler Stein’s office at Minnequa Works
Arts/Health/Education – Danae Harding is coordinator
Grant Writing – Linda Lucero is the grant writer. We have applied for an organization grant.
Solar Wind Power Tour, We also sponsor tours of earth-friendly homes at various stages of development.

Inventions - Sunday, 4:00 – 5:00 p.m., at Rakie Rehkop’s home
Research and Development
Men’s and Women’s support groups. The support groups meet every other Wednesday evening at 7pm at The Learning Center, 118 Jerry Court in Westcliffe.
Fund Raisers
Recycling – added July 25, suggested by Jan Nieges
Natural Resources – added July 25, suggested by Youngs Forestry
Website – Eloryia Ra & Tom Stilley developed the site. Don Pearson registered the name on the Internet.

Alternative Energy still forming

 Current Meeting Focus

The current focus of our meetings is getting all of the focus groups organized so their information can be entered on our website. Once we have built the database of the website to include all focus groups and members, we will launch the site on it’s own website.
The website is currently on http://www.sacredgroundsonline.net/sustainableways/index.htm

For your convienence we have added a member information form you can complete and your information will be included in the website on all of the focus groups you select.   click here  http://www.sacredgroundsonline.net/sustainableways/addmembers.asp

 Here is a listing of some of our current members and/or individuals whom have attended meetings and  their contact information:

Sustainable Ways, a group helping to move the Valley into the 21^st century with tools for living in more natural and sustainable ways, has been meeting since the beginning of April. The word “sustainable” has several definitions but generally means using renewable energy and resources, minimizing impact on the environment and leaving our planet in good standing for future generations.

Over the course of the last four months of meetings more than 80 people in the Valley have expressed their interest in this movement by attending the meetings, and getting involved in the 11 different focus groups. To find out more about the focus groups, visit the website, on line at index.htm, under co-ops. Currently the website is being hosted here, but those in charge of website development are hoping it will be standing on it’s own in the near future. In the subsequent meetings, each focus group will be defining sustainability as it applies to each concern, as well as clarifying the mission of each group.

Stein hopes what is currently called “alternative” will soon be commonplace practices, particularly in the sustainable living arena. The design and build committee is dedicated to using solar power and other renewable energy sources. Lynn Northup said, sustainable housing becomes more affordable in the long run allowing people to afford this beautiful mountain lifestyle so they may stay here and raise their families. There are high hopes that the success of the food co-op will benefit the entire community. Greenhouses will be used for local food production. Recycling and reusing will help reduce post-consumer waste. Within each of these movements, the hope is new jobs will be created with the community.

A group member, Don Pearson, will be bringing in Andrew Couch, Clean City Manager from Memphis to discuss bio-fuels Aug. 19. Couch will demonstrate how to install a bio-tank, a method for transforming diesel vehicles to use recycled vegetable oil (RVO). There will also be a discussion on Sat Aug 19th from 6-9 pm at Cliff Lanes to inform those interested in bio diesel, and how to use this technology. Click here to see online brochure for  Deep Fried Rides and Andrew Couch.

The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday Aug. 24, at 6 p.m. at the Cliff Lanes meeting room. Sustainable Ways is scheduled to meet bi-monthly through Nov. 6, at which time meeting location and dates will be re-established. The focus of next month’s meeting will be the food co-op, and time permitting, the design and building committee will share its progress. For more information call Kimberly Stein at 783-4070.

Michele Woods

web designed and owned by  VToursOnline.net and High Light Designs
no part or in its entirety to be copied for any personal or public use

Thank you for Visiting!