Abraham Lincoln once said, “the best way to predict your future is to create it.” At the Whidbey Institute, we’re creating the future we want: one in which each of us is personally empowered to steward our thriving communities and vital ecosystems. Here at Chinook, we’re refining our best practices for life on Earth in the 21st Century.
Here is just some of what we’re looking forward to:
- New team members. After bidding a fond farewell to Mary Jakubiak, who spent 22 years caring for the land, people, and spaces at Chinook, we spent the final weeks of 2013 exploring possibilities with some stellar candidates. Watch for an upcoming announcement as we fill this important role.
- Green technology improvements. Along with continuing refinements of our energy use practices, we’re looking forward to getting off our diesel boiler in Thomas Berry Hall with a planned heat pump installation.
- A White Pine Partnership, with which we’re transforming the loss of two beautiful pine trees into opportunities for local woodworkers and artists.
- Deeper partnerships on Whidbey and around Cascadia. As a 2014 Whidbey ECO Network Spotlight organization, for instance, we’ll be working with 11 other groups to inspire better watershed stewardship.
- Our biggest and best Whidbey Island Bioneers conference ever. This year, we’ll celebrate the 25th anniversary of Bioneers central at our 5th annual Bioneers conference here at Chinook, November 7—9, 2014.