Habitat Issue. The June issue of RAIN will be a special issue related to the International Habitat Conference to be held in Vancouver, B.C., May 29-June 11. It will be a guide to the Northwest that people can use along their way to the conference, with maps like our energy map, places to see, people to visit, sources of information, patterns of settlement, etc. We'd appreciate input. Just up over the Cascade Mountains, and from there clear across the country, white, ice, frozen. Landing at Baltimore airport (Pittsburg looks wiggly from 30,000 feet at night). On my way to announcement of "Horizons on Display" program, a project of HUD and the American Revolutionary Bicentennial Commission. A selection of 200 groups around the country doing representative, working, unusual community projects. I went representing the Northwest Environmental Communications Network- which used to be Robert Stilger's name for what he was doing at the Environmental Education Center before going to Spokane (NW Regional Foundation, Futures Conditional, etc.), and now is sometimes assumed name of some of what we are doing. If you would like a catalog of the two-hundred groups selected for the Horizon on Display program, write to RAIN, Attn: Steve Johnson. Some very interesting programs were represented, though unfortunately the conference was one way, and it was an uphill struggle to make any contact other than random encounters at breakfast, etc. About forty persons attended a meeting on government policy and appropriate technology, hosted by Byron Kennard, National Council for Public Assessment of Technology, in D.C., Feb. 4. Attendance included people from FEA, Public Interest Economics, Institute for Local Self-Reliance, Consumer Action Now, ZPG, ERDA, National Intervenors, Habitat National Center, Community Services Administration, Rockefeller Brothers FoundaRAIN is supported by your subscriptions and a grant from the N.W. Area Foundation, administered through the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. For subscription prices, see subscription blank on next-to-last page. This blank can also be used to send us change of address messages. RA/N's office is at 2270 N.W. Irving, Portland, OR 97210. Phone 503227-5110. tion .. . discussed was the possible drafting of legislation for monies in ERDA for appropriate technology. Moving right along: I visited with Murry Durst of IDEAS (Institutional Development and Economic Affairs Service Inc.). IDEAS assists groups wanting to start Foxfire type projects, of which there are over thirty in the country. The original Foxfire project in Rabun-Gap, Georgia, is now involved in land use issues as they study the impact of migration in (due in part to·the movie Deliverance) and migration out (absentee landlordship problems, etc.). IDEAS is going to expand their assistance into the area of what they call "Community Based Experiential Learning." In the state of Washington, the Centrum Foundation is coordinating a state-wide Foxfire training program and newsletter, eventually magazine, relating Foxfire type information (Centrum Foundation, Ford Worden State Park, Port Townsend, WA 98368). IDEAS, 1785 Massachusetts Ave., Washington, DC 20036. Ken Bossing, with People and Energy (and Center for Science in the Public Interest), is working on exchanging mailing lists among energy groups in order to facilitate more communication. Also they are compiling a list of people willing to present testimony in energy legislation matters.... The various energy groups in D.C. meet on a monthly basis.... CSPI is completing a new version of the Lifestyle Index.... Wes Thomas (Synergy Access) is getting ready to put out another magazine on communication, working on a book on futures communication, and with Roy Mason (The Futurist) on the "futures option" format for learning and conferencing, which is currently in operation at the Finders headquarters in D.C. Subscriptions With the remainder of our grant running out it is going to be necessary for us to increase the price of new subscriptions to $10 in the near future. We'll give you the details in the next issue. If you haven't subscribed yet, do so before the price goes up! The Institute for Local Self-Reliance. Spent much time with Gil Friend and others. They have received two grants for continued support. Self Reliance, their newsletter, will be out soon. From them, but others as well, I kept getting the feeling the alternative energy self-reliance, a. t. "movement" has reached a certain point: time for more solid evaluation principles. People going back to school to fill in gaps; wantini uniform methods of analyzing independent research developments. Emmaus, Pa. Along with Dave Deppen (a RAIN contributor and assistant to Malcolm Wells, architect) went to see the Rodale Press people. Much more than a press. Warm greeting (thank you again). An impressive readers' service and information and referral operation in addition to their well-known periodicals and books . .. working on a book on on composting privys ... doing fishing in the basement . . . experimenting with bicycle-powered kinds of tools . . . a book on simple homestead plans (sprouter, sauerkraut cutter, cider press, etc.- all of which they build in their shop in order to test). continued next page This special issue is one we've been wanting to do for a long time- since last spring, in fact, when we first started working with Lee and Steve on RAIN. When Meg asked if she could spend her winter work term from Bennington College (in Vermont) with us, it seemed like the time had come. Enough information has surfaced in several areas to suggest strongly that we change the way we do things. We thought it ought to be brought together so we all can see. It feels good to get them done. Cover & Ecotopia Drawing: Diane Schatz Graphics & Layout: Meg deMoll Writing: Tom Bender & Lane deMoll Photographs: Tom Bender RAIN I Full Circle Staff Anne McLaughlin Mary Wells Nancy Lee Tom Bender Lane de Moll Lee Johnson Steve Johnson Typesetting: Irish Setter Printing: Times Litho
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