April/May 1983 RAIN Page 33 munity projects; sponsor meetings and forums on critical community issues; and publish reports of topics of concern to Seattle-area residents. Recent projects included a Renter Weatherization Project at the request of the Seattle Tenants Union, to identify weatherization alternatives for renters; compilation of data on the history of Seattle’s Urban Renewal Program; and a research project on health considerations in siting and planting urban gardens. Several project reports are also available, including Impacts of Downtown Development on Seattle Housing Costs; Downtown Jobs; and Land Use Planning and Social Services Planning for Downtown Seattle. For more information, contact Sue Walsh, Executive Director, SCOPI, 909 Fourth Ave., Seattle, WA 98104, 206/382-5013. Women and Politics in Oregon Oregon has had a very fine tradition of electing progressive women to office. Of our six state-wide executive positions that are elected, two are held by women. We have a woman on the State Supreme Court and a woman on the Federal Court in Oregon. Our legislature is 22% women, which is one of the highest percentages in the country. Now in our legislature, women hold positions of real power, including Cochair of the Joint Ways and Means Committee, House Majority Leader, House Majority Whip; House chairs of Education, Transportation, Energy and Environment, Human Resources; Senate chairs of Labor, Business and Consumer Affairs, Commerce, Banking and Public Finance, and Economic Activities. Yet despite this impressive record, as well as Oregon’s progressive women’s rights legislation, we still have a long way to go toward equal representation and addressing the needs of Oregon women who earn 55 cents for every dollar Oregon men earn. As in every state, we have the phenomenon of the feminization of poverty; that is, more and more female heads of households are falling into poverty. In Oregon, the Oregon Women’s Political Caucus (OWPC) is working to help women gain political power. They provide information-filled workshops on how to work effectively on political campaigns, raise money for candidates who support women’s issues, and increasingly wield substantial political clout. For more information, write to Nancy Roche, President, Oregon Women’s Political Caucus, PO Box 40465, Portland, OR 40465, 503/224-2588. During the 1983 Oregon Legislative session, a coalition of women’s groups will coordinate lobbying efforts on women’s issues. Write or call Women’s Rights Coalition, Sherry Oeser, Lobbyist, 1311 Peace St., Suite 12, Salem, OR 97302, 503/364- 9410. —Elaine Zablpcki, Margie Hendriksen Restaurant Pioneers Means to Dreams How does a struggling restaurant collective raise enough capital to buy a larger space? Bake sales? Dance benefits? Donations? Zoo Zoo’s Natural Foods Restaurant Collective in Eugene, Oregon, tried all these with moderate success. Yet more funds were needed to finance the move to a new space. They devised a simple method to not only generate capital but also to help ensure that they would have customers. By selling vouchers for $4 that were redeemable a year later for meals up to $5, Zoo Zoo’s could use the money now, and pay it back later — an informal lending institute made up of customers. So, does it work? Testimony for its success can be seen in Zoo Zoo’s new restaurant space. Collective member Robyn Braverman cautions, however, that careful planning is crucial for the voucher system to work. She notes that the vouchers must be dated for redemption on a staggered basis, so they all don’t come back at once. The "currency” requires systematic records to avoid bookkeeping tangles. They also kept their advertising expenses minimal by using small posters and word-of-mouth. Used locally, and in good faith, the Zoo Zoo’s example holds promise as a simple cooperative way of raising capital. For further details, contact Zoo Zoo’s Restaurant, 454 Willamette St., Eugene, OR 97440. Barter Group Eyes Northwest What started as a small fundraising project in Seattle has grown to encompass western Washington, from Vancouver to Bellingham. The Bartering Alliance, a nonprofit organization, was originally intended to raise funds for the Utter Project (UP), a day care pre-school service in Seattle, but it also spawned a valuable work exchange for hundreds of people, many unemployed. The focus of the Bartering Alliance’s work is the publication of The Bartering Directory. The Directory, which offers free listings for people wanting to barter, is used on a direct exchange basis; participants contact each other through the directory, without involvement of the Bartering Alliance. "The idea is to make the system as independent as possible,” concluded former Tacoma area coordinator Shawn McCarton. The Alliance is planning to expand listings in the directory to include residents of Oregon and Idaho. To submit an entry, order a directory, or find out more, contact Kathy McCarton, The Bartering Alliance, PO Box 25192, Seattle, WA 98125. Seattle Institute Spinning Northwest Web The Institute of Cultural Affairs in Seattle works as one of 86 regioncont.
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