Working together to foster a regenerative, sustainable, resilient and compassionate community in Jefferson County through both action and education.
Local 20/20 is an incorporated 501(c)3 non-profit in East Jefferson County, actively driving a variety of projects in the arena of local self-reliance and sustainability while striving to incorporate social justice into what we do, as well as partnering with other community nonprofits and civic organizations.
What we do
Most of what happens in Local 20/20 happens in Action Groups, each focused on a different (though interrelated) aspect of sustainability, with a “steering council” serving in an administrative capacity and as a networking hub. Check out the Action Groups menu above to learn more, and also check out our posts, which can be sorted by category. And here 2023 Accomplishments for Local 2020 is our 2023 Year End Summary.
Keep abreast of the latest goings-on in the resiliency sphere by checking out the Local 20/20 Weekly Announcements newsletter. Events might include films, presentations, meetings, work parties, festivals … anything which has a bearing on Local 20/20’s mission statement – not just those sponsored by Local 20/20. You will also find instructions for posting your own event.
Action group meetings and other Local 20/20 events can be found on the Calendar as well.
Beyond that, and by design, the organizational structure of Local 20/20 is hard to pin down. Operating as a kind of adhocracy based on the concept of chaordic design, it grows (and wanes) in an organic way, in whatever direction the collective focus and energy dictate at the time. Groups form, other groups go dormant. Not uncommonly, offshoots of Action Groups spin off as relatively autonomous and self-sustaining entities.
There is a lot of energy for sustainable living here on the North Olympic Peninsula. The way in which Local 20/20 has unfolded is a testament to what can happen when we provide a space for that energy and then stand out of the way.
Our Story
Inspiration
Local 20/20 as a venture was first inspired by the WELL project in Willits, California, after a presentation in Port Townsend by Brian Weller back in 2006. Brian explained how neighbors began working together to ensure their community was ready for disasters, from oil shortages to earthquakes. He shared how they looked at the assets in the community and found real community wealth, consisting of both natural and human capital, which had been overlooked in the past. But now, by cooperating, they could get things done that previously were either not considered or thought impossible.
Participants easily recognized the parallels between the challenges facing Willits and our own rural community here in East Jefferson County. Within a month, people had self-selected into various interest areas and began meeting regularly to keep the discussions going. Soon they began working together on a large array of projects. At some point a name emerged: Local 20/20… meant both as a measure of clear seeing, and as a target year for attaining some measure of self-reliance and sustainability.
Operating Principles
After a year of trying to answer the question of “Just what is Local 20/20?”, a cross-section of founders convened at an annual retreat in an effort to define an answer. The end result is a document – Chaordic Design – intended to provide a working framework to guide the organization’s efforts as it moves forward. It seeks to give some definition to the organization while still preserving that measure of chaos that allows the unexpected to inspire new courses of action and new ways of approaching them.
The document remains the best description of what Local 20/20 is and how it operates.
Officialdom
Eventually the day came when Local 20/20 needed to become an entity that a person could write a check to. The fact that this day came three years after formation is a testimony to what can be done on a virtual shoestring.
In 2009, Local 20/20 incorporated as a nonprofit in in Washington state. This process involved writing a set of bylaws – not an easy feat for an organization (more or less) based on chaordic design principles. The approach was to provide required information with a minimum of elucidation and then not pay too much attention to it.
Applying for tax-deductible 501(c)3 status with the IRS was the next logical step, but did not happen until 2014. It had not been required before this since the gross receipts of Local 20/20 had been so low. But times they are a-changin’. The challenge now is to try to stay small enough to remain flexible and legally uncomplicated, yet have enough cash flow to open up project options that we have not been able to consider before.
The Larger Network
The good news is that Local 20/20 is not alone in the recognition that “going local” is an important step toward our continued thriving on the planet. While our focus remains E Jefferson County WA, it can be helpful to see what other similar organizations are doing and how they have dealt with some of the obstacles that arise.
In 2007, Local 20/20 was involved in the formation of SCALLOPS, Sustainable Communities ALL Over Puget Sound. SCALLOPS serves as a network hub for over 60 community organizations, providing channels of communication among them.
In 2012, Local 20/20 joined a global network of organizations known as the “Transition Initiatives Network”, all focused on transitioning from a system that cannot sustain. It was the 1st on the Olympic Peninsula to become a “Transition Initiative”, the 11th in Washington State and the 111th in the U.S. We would love to say we were the 1111th on the planet, but unfortunately there were only 416 at the time.
Partnering Within the Community
The mission statement of Local 20/20 begins “Working Together” and from the beginning this has been a focus of the organization.
Many Local 20/20 projects have been collaborations with other local organizations. This partnering serves to reduce redundancy of effort, expand available resources, energize the enterprise, and reinforce connections that strengthen community. A number of individual sticks becomes a bundle of sticks and their strength increases multifold.
There is a basic design principle in permaculture, taken from nature: Every element in a healthy landscape plays multiple roles, and every role is played by multiple elements. This makes for a very resilient ecosystem, less dependent on outside inputs. It works for communities as well.
The following diagram lists many of the organizations that have historically partnered with Local 20/20 as a whole or with one or more of its action groups.
This site is dedicated to the memory and vision of Steve Hamm.
“We live best when guided by the light from our hearts.”
– Steve Hamm “The One and Only Life of Many”, November 2013
