• New Board Directors
  
• Upcoming Community Forum
  
• The Four Elements - Part III
• Recipe of the Week: Baked Stuffed Eggplant

Last Sunday evening, many (I estimate around 100) Alberta Co-op member-owners came together for the Annual Membership meeting.  Everyone enjoyed the cozy yet festive atmosphere and the delicious food provided by Curious Comedy Theatre.  The Waxwings set the mood for relaxed conversations and occasional dancing.  Michelle Citrin and Ari Rosner tied as winners for the ACG Annual Spelling Bee.  And John Parsell walked away with the coveted title of Working Owner of the Year for 2009. 

There was lively discussion around the topic of patronage refunds, leaving both member-owners and board directors much to think about and consider in the upcoming year.

And then, of course, there were the board elections.  Candidates gave their statements and, at 7pm, the board election committee begun counting the ballots.  Now that the results have been confirmed and the winners have been contacted, we are pleased to announce the results.  The following member-owners have been elected or re-elected to serve on the ACG Board:  Elliot Zais, Jim Currin, Kayla Gleason, Mychal Tetteh, Rebeca Siplak, and Stephen Upchurch.

These board directors will join current board directors, Amelia Cates, Matthaus Litteken, MerleAnn McVay, and Tracey Brown.

Though humanity’s exploitation of fire and energy increases the earth’s aqueous liquidity (melting glaciers, swelling seas, increasing precipitation), the amount of potable water is decreasing.  “Peak water”--a diminishing supply of potable water, worldwide—is an ongoing event of more urgency than peak oil, because, while there are many kinds of energy, water has no substitute. Yet we seem listless, letting piped water cascade from our taps and wired energy flow from our switches: who knew, for example, that keeping a 60-watt bulb lit for 12 hours uses up to 60 liters of water, and that fossil fuel-fired thermoelectric power plants consume more than 500 billion liters of fresh water every day in the US?

And there’s the damming of waterways and damning of wildlife near these obstructions (recall the recent sea lion murder by Bonneville Dam), and the fists to the environment of building and maintaining water delivery and sewage infrastructure (pipes, pumps, filtration plants, storage tanks, reservoirs).

Drawing (depletion) and draining (polluting and non-replenishing) excessive water for cooking, cleaning, sewage, gutters, and gardening should therefore be our concern as much as lavish drawing and draining of power for our tools and toys.

There is also the issue of water supply safety. Although Portland’s Bull Run Watershed is reputed to have some of the purest water in the land, chlorine and ammonia are added and there is always lingering concern over cryptosporidium. To calm such safety concerns, ACG carries faucet and shower filters, steel water bottles, and three brands of bottled water.

For cleaning, ACG has a bevy of charismatic scrub brushes to help wean us from dishwashers, as well as refillable spray bottles that save a ton of water when cleaning. A substantial selection of ecological (and cruelty-free) soaps and detergents are also available. And if you love fried food too much, buy a steamer basket, and with just an inch of water, bring vegetables to better heights of taste.

Finally, to reverse an inability to see the water for the taps (and switches), check out the magazine selection where you might find an occasional article on water.

Water Facts: http://www.who.int/features/factfiles/water/water_facts/en/index.html

Water and electricity: http://spectrum.ieee.org/energy/environment/how-much-water-does-it-take-to-make-electricity

Bull Run Watershed: http://www.portlandonline.com/water/index.cfm?c=48904

Community News

• King Spring Clean-up
  
• Metro 2035 Transportation Plan

King Spring Clean-up

Metro 2035 Transportation Plan
 

A third and final 45-day public comment period on the completed 2035 RTP (Regional Transportation Plan) and the associated air-quality conformity analysis will open at noon on Monday, March 22, 2010, and close at midnight on Thursday, May 6. These documents will be available through links on this web page when the comment period opens.

Public Hearing:
5 p.m. Thursday, May 6 
Metro Council Chamber               
600 NE Grand Ave., Portland

Testimony time will be limited to three minutes per person. You will need to either bring a summary of your remarks for the public record, or be prepared to summarize them on comment forms that will be available at the hearing.

Written comments will be accepted anytime during the comment period.