Imagine how we’ll thrive in a changing world

It’s May of 2025, and 21 island farms served up an array of produce, from early strawberries and salad greens to spring chicken and Maury mussels at the first farmers market. Crafters and artists were out in force, selling everything from handmade pocket knives to socks, fishing poles and furniture made of old encyclopedias. The Maypole dance and concert heightened the festive air; town was lively from dawn to midnight.

May 12, 2015 11:00 pm

By MARGOT BOYER

It’s May of 2025, and 21 island farms served up an array of produce, from early strawberries and salad greens to spring chicken and Maury mussels at the first farmers market. Crafters and artists were out in force, selling everything from handmade pocket knives to socks, fishing poles and furniture made of old encyclopedias. The Maypole dance and concert heightened the festive air; town was lively from dawn to midnight.

Another 20-ish farms on Vashon and Maury stock farm stands, offer CSA shares or sell through grocers. It looks like we’re now producing 90 percent of our fresh produce during the growing season, while exporting fruit, vegetables, eggs and fresh meat to markets in South Seattle and Federal Way.

This scale of food production has changed the way we live. We’ve come to value material that we used to think of as waste. Green material from yards, farms and forest is composted either on-site or at the Compost Collective, which is hot enough to kill blackberry seeds and even break down dog poop. Composting toilet facilities, some of them quite beautiful, are widely used; they’ve allowed us to reduce water use and rely less on septic systems.

Opening the Portage passage has improved water quality in inner Quartermaster Harbor and made the harbor more accessible to salmon; this winter harbor residents spotted the J pod orcas in hot pursuit of dinner. Tide-powered generators make electricity that reaches about a third of the island and powers the Food Hub at Portage. Gardeners and farmers alike use the big kitchens to can, dry and prepare salsa, pickles, sauerkraut, soups, jams, preserves, yogurt, cheese, sausage and bakery stuff. There’s ample temperature-controlled storage for cool, cold and frozen goods. Our Vashon-Maury products are pantry staples here, and they sell well at groceries and food co-ops on the mainland.

Tide power, solar hot water and solar voltaic have reduced our demands on the grid, especially in the summer. Windmills on hilltops power houses or water pumps. We’ve reduced the electricity we need through lifestyle changes and more efficient appliances; in summer we draw as little as 10 percent of our power from the grid, while in the dark days of winter it can get as high as 50 percent.

Beautiful bathhouses in Chautauqua, Dilworth, the North End, Gold Beach, Tahlequah and Dockton make it possible for people who are comfortable with a simple lifestyle to use the old waterfront cabins, with graywater systems and composting toilets permitted under new county rules. Improved water quality in the sound has helped the seafood rebound. A number of people toss crab pots off their front decks, and geoducks are on the menu at restaurants in town and on the shore.

The Center, formerly known as K2, is a hub of activity all year. I’m especially fond of the elegant Japanese-style public bathhouse; it’s such a luxury to go for a soak on a cold January evening. Heat and moisture recirculate through the greenhouses, growing Meyer lemons, mini-bananas, figs, cannabis and greens through the winter. Bathwater flows through the Matsuda farm complex, watering a food forest, annual crops and a fish pond for tilapia.

Vashon-raised wool, alpaca, hemp and flax are processed in the FiberHouse at the Center. Knitting wool came first, and now we have a wide choice of locally grown and naturally dyed yarns, threads and fabrics. The newest product is a heavy hemp-flax sailcloth. A small paper mill turns old blue jeans and flowers into beautiful paper that artists and tourists love.

Our summers are hotter than they used to be, but Vashon is still cooler than many places, and our culture, waterfront and public amenities make it attractive to visitors. Interns work on the farms and at the compost center. Tourists arrive by electric ferry for art camps, knitting workshops and spiritual retreats. Families play on the water, join circus camps and hold reunions.

We’ve come gradually to terms with the need to reinvent our culture to thrive in the world we’ve made. We’re lucky here; some suburban towns have collapsed, and refugees from the dry south move into Washington every day. Nearby cities are challenged by growing populations.

We’ve had to change our idea of what defines a good life and build systems and structures to create it. Flying vacations and road trips are less frequent these days, but we’ve met our challenges with cooperation, enterprise and a spirit of adventure. This future is not what we expected, but it’s not half bad.

— Margot Boyer is a Vashon Island Growers Association (VIGA) board member. VIGA represents local farmers and those who eat and use their products. This column is part of a series by VIGA members.