Public Service Announcement - Mendocino Coast 2020 - November 10, 2008
Contact - Charles Bush - 964 9232 - cbush@mcn.org

Mendocino Coast 2020 will host a social networking gathering at the Caspar Community Fourth Sunday Breakfast on November 23rd, the Sunday before Thanksgiving. Join us for breakfast at the Caspar Community Center anytime between 9:00 and 11:00 AM, for good food and networking. At noon, after breakfast, an informal 'conversation cafe' will commence, focusing on the question "What is something happening in our community that gives you hope for the future?"

Since the way into a fulfilling future likely involves synergies between working groups, the conversation will be devoted to getting some more of those synergies moving. Everyone is invited to bring a story about some action, event or trend here on the coast that has inspired them to view our future with hope and optimism. In February, 2009, we will convene a larger gathering, most likely an all-day working session to implement some of the first steps toward 2020's shining vision.

A great way to prepare for the November networking meeting is to visit our new website at coast2020.org to review the work we've done together at the last three quarterly meetings. You can review summaries of our seven main stories that focus on Food; Housing; Transportation; Energy; Education; Health;Economics; and Culture.

This whole process began nearly a year ago at an evening citizen's meeting at the Fort Bragg Town Hall. Looking forward, we could see many challenges. So many that we we felt at times transfixed and unable to imagine how to proceed. What kind of a world will we leave to our children? Will they thank us?

We decided that by looking backwards, from a time in the future when we have been able to respond to the challenges, we can "remember" how we solved the problems and found the answers? Even if we can't remember, we can help steer better if we know where we intend to go. This process is called backcasting. The time we have chosen is 2020, a scant eleven years from now. We have organized into interest groups, one for each of the main topics of concern.

The core of our work so far consists of stories that describe life in the year 2020 -- you can read them by visiting the new web site. We invite your participation in our meetings -- and by commenting on the stories, offering suggestions about how to get there from here, and by sharing your special knowledge and any information that can help.