Sustainable Ways 5th Annual Solar Home Tour
Saturday, July 24th 2010
8:30 am in the south parking lot of the Custer County Courthouse.
We leave promptly at 9:00am (12:30 pm approx. return to town.) Please bring sunscreen, water, and comfortable shoes.
Three Passive solar homes include:
1. Performance Block home: This ICF home has many custom features with a southwest style. Great passive solar, sunk-in living room, beautiful entryway. This home is currently on the market.

2. Strawbale Home: New to the tour this year, this home has very thought out sustainable materials, non-toxic paints and stains, unique features around every corner, and locally and recycled wood used to round out its features.

3. NuDura ICF Home: This home is under construction to give you the best views of the skeleton of the home. High R-values, passive solar and off the grid. One of a kind design called "The Eagle" named by it's shape

Sustainable Ways is asking for community support to be awarded a grant for 18 fruit trees at Cliffs' Park Community Garden by voting for the proposal via the internet. The grant is being offered through "The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation" and includes training about how to care for fruit trees in this climate.  The top 25 vote getters will be funded. Individuals can vote up to once each day until the end of August.  To vote for the Westcliffe, CO project (Cliffs’ Park Community Garden)  go to  http://www.communitiestakeroot.com/.and follow the links. Be prepared to confirm your vote the same day by responding to an email you will receive

The Wet Mountain Valley Rotary Club, in conjunction with the Custer County School Excellence in Education group, is working to get volunteers to help in the Custer County School.  Volunteers might help in classrooms, with tutoring or mentoring.  The volunteer schedule is flexible.  Volunteers will undergo a CBI background check.  If you are interested, please let me know and I will let the Excellence in Education group know of your interest.

Sustainable Ways deadline for scholarship for learning how to be self sufficient and protect our families and community from the effects of economic downturns
To:

Reminder: June 15 is the deadline for submission of the Sustainable Ways Scholarships for the Westcliffe Permaculture Design Certificate Course – July 26-August 7, 2010. The application form is attached.

In my (Sue Pitman) opinion it is very important to the future of our community for as many local people as possible to be trained in Permaculture. That is why I have worked to bring this training to Westcliffe and am donating the use of my property to host it.

In good economic times we tend to forget that we are vulnerable to economic downturns. We have been riding an economic boom fed by cheap and abundant oil for so long that most of us have lost the old knowledge of how to live off the land. Sure, our Valley was pretty self sufficient in the days of the early settlers. Many of us are comforted by that fact and feel that if they could do it, we could too. But HOW?

This course teaches the basics of how to live with nature, meeting human needs while protecting the earth and its capacity to keep on giving. It is a once in a life-time chance to acquire these skills without ever leaving our Valley.

It is obvious that the cost of this training makes it difficult for most people in our community to attend. That is why Sustainable Ways is offering a local scholarship – now two scholarships due to the generous donation of one of our members who cannot attend but realizes the importance of bringing this knowledge to our Valley for the benefit of everyone who lives and visits here. In addition, the Hospital District included in their grant request to the Colorado Health Foundation (which has not yet been funded) money for a full scholarship to support the design and operation of Cliffs’ Park Community Garden.

I remember that it was hard for me to part with the money (and time and effort) to take the course in 2007 but I am glad that I did. It was the best investment I have ever made.

I urge everyone to again re-evaluate their priorities in time and money and invest in the future by taking this course, scholarship or no.

Sue Pitman

371-3685

Hello Sustainable Ways Members!!

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself to those of you who don't know me. My name is Robin Young and I am the new chairman of Sustainable Ways. I have been a member since 2006 and have served on the board since November of 2007. My husband Mitch and I moved to the Wet Mountain Valley in 1998 when I was pregnant with my son, Ryan. Like many of you, we have fallen in love with the Valley and would do anything to keep it special for ourselves and future generations.

As your Chairman, I am committed to working with the board of directors on the mission of Sustainable Ways which is to educate, advocate, and demonstrate ways of living that are consistent with the principles of sustainability for our selves, our family, and our community. Sustainable Ways is committed to working towards improving the quality of life with in the Wet Mountain Valley by encouraging sustainable behavior in the areas of healthy food production, community education, recycling, green construction, renewable energy, and earth-friendly technologies.

There are currently five focus groups that each have their own projects. I encourage all of you to visit the newly updated website, www.sustainableways.org to see what is happening in these focus groups. These groups need volunteers so as a member, you can choose what you would like to be involved in and help. Each group has a leader you can contact from the website. You can also see our calendar of events. This has been fun-filled year with our continued monthly educational presentations, home tours, and conferences. Next year looks to be even more exciting.

Our upcoming meetings that will round out the year will be on Sept. 23rd at 6pm at Cliff Lanes, Christina MacLeod will talk about United Plant Savers; Stewarding our Healing Plants for our Community. On October 28th 6pm at Cliff Lanes, we will have a Custer County Commissioners Candidates Q and A. This is one week before the elections and I urge you to think about what you would like to ask the commissioner hopefuls about sustainability in our community. This will be the last Sustainable Ways forum for the year.

We are putting on our first annual fundraiser our Potato Fling! This will take place at Jim and Jo McMahons ranch on October 11th. This is an all day harvest with events happening at 12pm. You can check out the details on the website.

I would like to thank all of you for your support for Sustainable Ways. I believe this organization is imperative to our community and through you the members, we can nurture a more sustainable way!

Robin Young

 Community Garden
December 11th
Community Garden
On Friday, December 11 anyone who is interested in pursuing the establishment of a Community Garden in Westcliffe/Silver Cliff is invited to meet with Melissa Marts from Care and Share (Colorado Springs), beginning at Candy's Coffee Shop at 10:30 AM .  Melissa runs the Care and Share Food Bank Community Gardens and has a Permaculture Design Certificate.  She will tell us about what she has learned with their garden and help us assess the site that Steve Willman has offered to write a grant for as part of a collaborative community effort.

Check your email for updates and potential scheduling changes.

At the November Sustainable Ways Transition Town Movie Night, Steve Willman asked for help to cost out a potential one and one half acre community garden down the street across from Vali and next to the High School stadium for inclusion in a grant request he is putting together. As I remember what he said, this grant would be asking for funds for a sidewalk between Vali, Club America, and this site next to the High School as well as a community garden and some light outdoor recreation at Club America designed for the elderly (which can be used by Vali residents.)

Steve wants the site assessed by people who know about growing to figure out what would be needed and, once he has a list, will do the cost estimates and write the grant request. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU CAN HELP WITH THIS.

I have asked Melissa Mart from Care and Share (Food Bank) in Colorado Springs to help us with this. She operates a large garden at Share and Care which grows food for the Food Insecure to supplement the Food Bank's offerings. Melissa has agreed to come to Westcliffe to assist us in this matter. She will let me know when she can come to Westcliffe to do so.

I WILL SCHEDULE A SITE VISIT AND MEETING with Melissa (to pick her brain) when Melissa lets me know she can come to Westcliffe. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU WANT TO BE INCLUDED so I can let you know when this meeting comes to pass.

I look forward to assembling the contact information of people interested in increasing our local food supply through growing our own food in a variety of venues.

Many thanks,
Sue Pitman
371-3685
sue.pitman@gmail.com

Sustainable Ways Calendar of Events
May 2010

locally
Call Lynn Prebble 719 783-9155