The Sustainability Research and Education Institute: Cascadia Bioregion
A vision held by Eric Conn and Britt Walker, co-directors of SREP, to be realized on South Whidbey Island.
The Sustainability Research and Education Institute (SREI) will function as a learning center featuring hands-on demonstrations where visitors, interns, and community members are invited to experience a human living situation that is in harmony with the surrounding ecosystems.
Tours, workshops, classes and internships will take place inside the learning center and on the land.
Our vision is to design a NW Institute that effectively demonstrates sustainable building and land use practices. We would like to base this Institute on South Whidbey. Both of us spent parts of our childhoods growing up on Whidbey Island. We appreciate the island as an ideal location for the SREI and are aware of the enormous potential for South Whidbey to become a positive, working example of a long-term sustainable community.
The research for this land base involves 4 phases, the first of which we have begun on South Whidbey.
PHASE 1: involves moving into a short-term co-housing opportunity in Langley, contacting people who are working on promoting sustainability there, researching zoning and land use codes, and looking for the landsite. We’re documenting interviews and conversations (where appropriate) to be used to create a DVD resource that will be available as a guide for communities who are consciously moving toward sustainability.
PHASE 2: Once we have found land and have gained sufficient knowledge about zoning and codes, we’ll begin the observation process lasting over a minimum of 1 year. During Phases 2 and 3, we will hold classes and workshops in ecosystem observation and implementation of appropriate structures.
PHASE 3: Once we’ve grown familiar and intimate with the land and animals, we will begin to implement the construction of buildings, cisterns, ponds, and gardens. Throughout this process, we will invite local experts to co-teach workshops and courses to the public.
PHASE 4: Now we’re ready to invite the community to experience the Institute and begin to offer internships, self-guided tours, and overnight experiences.