In a time when there is much apprehension about the future, one of the most soothing exercises for me is action. Focused action is the antidote to fear. The new All Island Forum community group offers Vashon a great vehicle for action. It has the potential to be a voice of the village. A mechanism that can express the thoughts of many. Listen, engage, express, act.
Community transition requires many elements. Not just an understanding of our finite resources and the technologies that might help us move toward a vital, resilient future, but also improving our social mechanisms — like coming together as a community to make decisions effectively and then potentially produce action. This is an area we are struggling with at all levels: international, national and local.
The All Island Forum (AIF) seeks to bring us together to talk about issues of importance to us. It offers a format that can be adjusted according to community feedback. Its purpose is to provide a collaborative, participatory and effective forum that results in community dialogue and action.
Water has been chosen as the topic to explore first as a community. It is a great beginning, as water is always sure to inspire spirited discussion. As Mark Twain said: “Whiskey is for drinking and water is for fightin’ over.” Water brings up a wide range of feelings and issues for people. The new King County policy allowing rainwater harvesting to be the only source of supply for homes has further created much interest in alternative water supply for Islanders.
AIF is coming together for its first monthly meeting on Thursday, Sept. 22, to find out the issues of importance to Islanders on the topic of water. The results of this meeting will feed into our first community forum: “Water on Vashon: Vitality, Resilience and Growth,” on Thursday, Oct. 27. As an example, some of the issues that have been raised around rainwater harvesting as an alternative water supply for Islanders include water conservation, environment protection, healthy water supplies and using a lack of water to limit growth and building on the Island.
Our forum is designed to encourage the sharing of diverse perspectives and facilitate group discussion. Professionals and experts on water with a broad range of experience will be on hand to add to our information base and engage in discussion with our community. Creating action based on diverse goals is a further goal of the forum.
Let’s bring our passionate Vashon energy together in one place and have a go at creating something that is a particularly big struggle for communities large and small: participatory democracy. In the spirit of creating a space where our diverse voices are heard, acknowledged and concerted community action can evolve, we need your participation and feedback to make something we all want to be part of.
— Jenny Bell, an Islander active in All Island Forum, is a water consultant and the owner of Watersmart.
