A Small Island with a Big Vision

May 5, 2010

Vashon becomes Energy Wise through a new community initiative

As members of a small island community isolated from the mainland by a 15-minute ferry ride, we get the need for self-sufficiency. Shiver though one weeklong power outage and you’ll never be without a cord of firewood and your very own backup generator again. Island living demands a kind of off-the-grid mindset, and that kind of attitude inspires experimentation. A few pioneering homeowners have already installed solar panels and geothermal heating systems. So when we read about Samsö, the remote Danish island whose residents had converted their entire community from oil heat and coal-fired electric to wind power in just five years, a light went off. Why not try something similar on Vashon? In September 2008, a small group of islanders began meeting to discuss steps we might take to help position our island for a more efficient and renewable energy future. From those meetings grew a new community-based initiative called WISEnergy.

WISEnergy will focus on energy education, conservation and transformation. Our goal, “12 by ’12,” is to reduce energy consumption on Vashon Island 12 percent by the year 2012 through the use of weatherization and conservation efforts. We will begin with two initiatives:

The WISEnergy Center (aka “The Hut”): We have acquired a portable “little house” which is currently undergoing a weatherization retrofit with energy-saving products. The little house will serve as our community demonstration project. Look for it next to the Village Green. The Center will contain a library of energy conservation resources, supporting our effort to make Vashon’s building stock more energy efficient. Through the Center we will conduct community outreach programs, workshops and classes to educate residents about their own energy consumption and offer simple, inexpensive ideas about how to reduce it. The Center will help islanders sift through the mountains of available information to find the professionals, products and solutions that work for them. We will facilitate low-cost energy audits, suggest financing options for energy upgrades and recommend certified local contractors who can do the work. The Center will also have an ongoing presence at local gathering spots such as the Vashon farmers’ market and the Thriftway, fielding questions and offering insights on energy conservation issues, ideas and activities.

Vashon’s WISEnergy Fair: Our next community Energy Fair will be held June 19, 2010 next to the Village Green. The Fair’s goal is to educate the broader community about why and how to conserve energy. Through workshops, exhibits and guided green home tours, we will both frame the issues and offer practical solutions for addressing them. Topics will include local implications of global climate change and oil availability, weatherization products and strategies, green building, renewable (solar, wind and geothermal) energy systems, biofuels, model sustainable communities and more. Islanders will have the chance to chat with energy auditors, *LEED architects, “green” contractors and artists and representatives from non-profit organizations and government agencies that promote resource conservation and renewable energy. (*LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.)

Please join us. Let’s make Vashon Island a model of energy efficiency.

WISEnergy is affiliated with Sustainable Vashon, an island non-profit.