RAIN _November 1977 Page 5 .---·- - ---------- ~ WEAL7H CCWm .. ---- -------- ----- -· L----..... J Central Valley: Atlas of Community Resources, in English and Spanish, $1.50 from: Office of Appropriate Technology 1530 10th Street Sacramento, CA 95814 This atlas is an introduc.tion to a bioregion and the community resources available to the people who live there It is a survey, not a source list, and for that reason it may seem incomplete. Why? Listings, atlases or catalogues compiled by a·state agency , or any outside group, can easily become a crutch or an excuse for a community not to seek further. Nothing can take the place of community self-help and self-relia11ce. Our goal in compiling this information was to make the atlas an overview of community resources and document the ways by which people are organizing to improve the quality of their lives, Why a bioregional, rather than a city or county atlas? Poli-. tical boundaries are rarely useful when identifying what it is that shapes patterns of living. Cultures and COffi;munities are defined far more by climate, geography, topography, economic base and ethnic heritage than by voting districts. People who live within a bioregion tend to share common v_alues and experiences. An atlas which identifies resources which have grown out of common experiences is more likely to be useful than one which does not. Our atlas focuses on community and human resources. There are other equally important !"esources, especially natural resources, which 'deserve to be integrated into a community sourcebook. What is the best stone for stonemasonry? Where is the best surplus produce found? All of these a community might explore for itself. Early in the project, the atlas staff (Ken Kaji, Jim Grossfeld, Nina Byrne and Andy Reicher) began to understand the importance of identifying access points, or making existing resources commonly known, without falling into the trap of the tourist who thinks s/he knows everything. For that reason the atlas focuses on case histories of community organizations, and techniques for building networks and of creating community sourcebooks. - Gigi Coe The New Possibilities Show Inspired by the work of Kye Cochran, AERO, and the New Western Energy Show (see October RAIN), OAT has developed and is sponsoring its own travelling exhibit of appropriate technologies. The show has been booked up since it first went on the road in May and still is drawing crowds of skeptics as well as believers. The schedule for the remainder of 1977 is: November 3-6: Energy Fair, Anaheim Convention Center, Los Angeles, California November 9: Fulierton Public Library, Fullerton, California. November 14-16: Los Angeles Farmer's Market, Los Angeles, California November 17-19: UCLA, Westwood, California November 28, 29, 30: Stanford University, Palo Alto, Californ'ia Capitol Bicycle Program It happens every day: A busy state employee rushes to the ' state motor pool, checks out a car, speeds eight blocks to deliver a handful of memos to another office. Expensive? Yes. Efficient? No. Saves time? Not really-too many one way streets in downtown Sacramento. So, OAT started a state bicycle program which provides bikes to state agencies and employees in much the same way that the motor pool provides cars. To date, 45 bikes are being loaned out. Bicycle blocks have been set in front of all major state buildings to help make parking easier. Demand for the bicycles continues to grow as people begin to realize that, in ' the flat, broad streets of Sacramento, bicycling is the ·most sensible and fun way of getting around. -GC Office . of Appropriate TecnnolOJY
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