By Liam UiCearbhail
This October, as we sit down to the Willits Harvest Feast, we will be marking the fifth anniversary of WELL. In 2004 Jason Bradford and others started showing the film, The End of Suburbia, which galvanized our community and set us on the path to localization. Peak Oil and human induced Climate Change were the focus of our concerns and the response we promoted was to make our community sustainable and self sustaining to the greatest degree possible.
So, how have we done? There are a number of commercial farms and community gardens in Willits that were not here five years ago. Grain storage is becoming a reality. A commercial kitchen at the Grange, available to the community, is in process. Water conservation is a real and budgeted concern of our City Council. Solar power is now being generated at our reservoir to offset the power used for pumping the City Water. Last year’s Harvest Fest successfully fed more than 150 people with food produced within 100 miles of our town. The Bank of Willits is solar powered. Our City is paying to assist residents to conserve home energy through the HELP program. These accomplishments have not been just the result of WELL. Many individuals and organizations in our town have been active and leading the way. Local First, part of our Chamber of Commerce, has concentrated on Buying Local. Local experts developed an Energy Element for our County General Plan. Though it was not adopted as written, it gained attention from around the country. Willits Action Group, the Little Lake Grange, the Willits City Council, the Mendocino County Sheriff, and many others have contributed to our efforts.
We aren’t there yet. If the trucks stop tomorrow, we are still facing severe problems. We cannot become complacent. Peak Oil has already happened according to many experts, including the International Energy Commission. Global Climate Change is already taking its toll and is proceeding faster than even the most pessimistic scientists predicted. The financial system that brought us to the current set of crises is itself in severe crisis.
Take stock of what you are doing to help make Willits sustainable and self sustaining. If you are doing it, keep up the good work. If you are just watching, it is time to get to work.
