PCEI was started by an explosion halfway around the world. In 1986 when the Chernobyl nuclear reactor blew up, folks living close to the Hanford nuclear power plant in eastern Washington and northern Idaho were pretty nervous – and for good reason. The Chernobyl catastrophe arose concerns and awareness about many dangerous activities at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation throughout the years since nuclear weapons production began there during World War II. With the Palouse being downwind of the Hanford reactor, local residents moved to action.
The community formed a new organization (with the leadership of 1986 Founder MaryJane Butters), initially called Hanford Watch. PCEI Executive Director, Tom Lamar says, “Within a couple of years, they closed the reactor and things started changing at Hanford.” At this point, with other organizations concentrating on Hanford, PCEI shifted its focus to the transportation of nuclear and other toxic waste, and then to local concern about pesticide use, which ultimately led to a change in the way the organization approached environmental issues. As Tom remembers, “First, pesticides were part of our toxics issue and then we realized, if we’re going to deal with toxics, we need to deal with the farmers. So, right away we started trying to open lines of communication between farmers who were using the pesticides and people who were concerned about the pesticides.”
“PCEI started working on what they called at the time ‘alternative agriculture.’ The program was later called sustainable agriculture and then it was called community food systems.” The evolution of the name reflects the expansion of the Institute’s understanding and definition of the issue. “A big part of what we are doing is looking at the whole picture. It’s not just the issue of what the farmer is doing – right or wrong – but what the consumers are doing that affect the market for the farmers. So if somebody is complaining about a certain kind of agriculture, is that person putting their money where their mouth is?”
PCEI’s Community Agriculture program focuses on consumer education and support of family farmers. “We do a lot of advocacy for locally-produced food, and help people understand the added costs of buying from outside the community and not adding value from within.” The Institute has also established a very popular community garden with plots rented by local people.
Although the organization’s focus has continued to evolve, the underlying purpose has been consistent. “We’ve had the same mission statement for quite a while, which is to increase citizen involvement in decisions that affect the region’s environment.” The Institute has grown into one of the most successful organizations in the region. In addition to Community Agriculture, they have programs in Watershed Restoration, Environmental Education, and Transportation.
“Everything we’ve done so far has been because the people in the community have said, ‘This needs to happen.'” For example, in 1990, Tom remembers, “A lot of people were saying, somebody should do something about Paradise Creek. So, we started doing something about Paradise Creek. We started with annual cleanup projects. We began an Adopt-a-Stream program and started organizing around that issue.” This was the origin of their Watershed Restoration program, which has engaged church and school groups, civic service clubs like the Lions and Elks, and fraternities and sororities in hands-on restoration work. The program has also contributed to the local economy. “We buy from local nurseries, helping create a strong market for native vegetation. We hire local contractors and workers, and our budget for that program is close to $300,000.”
“Folks come out for community service projects; at-risk-youth and others do something for the community and gain skills. They plant trees, install erosion control fabrics, and much more. They provide the labor, and get to learn about the stream in the process. Most people in the past considered it a drainage ditch, but as people help and watch us re-open the flood plain and restore the creek to its natural meanders, the community places new value on the creek. Now there is interest in creating a linear park along the stream with trails and benches.”
In addition to restoring the natural flood plain and sinuosity of the stream, the Institute has installed wetland cells to handle wastewater from a treatment plant, and biofiltration swales to treat stormwater from parking lots, roads, and houses. Eight acres of constructed wetlands now handle 5% of the city’s water treatment flow, and PCEI is monitoring the outflow to measure its effectiveness at keeping nutrients and other contaminants out of the creek.
“This work improves our quality of life and gives people a reason to want to live here and reinvest in the community. We have used community contributions to leverage outside funding from state and federal pollution prevention contracts. We’re also seeing policy shifts in the local government as people begin to recognize the value of the stream and its related resources. In the past the city was concerned with flooding, and would spend money each year deepening the channel. Now their values have broadened, and they are implementing a new stormwater management plan and erosion control ordinance to protect the stream’s ability to handle those peak flows.”
Restoration and addressing non-point source pollution is the environmental aim of the Paradise Creek project, but the Institute has a larger goal. “Our work is to try to turn it into a community building exercise as well. In the long run, because we’re using volunteers, and getting people involved on an emotional level, it has the long-term benefit of being a more sustainable project. People become invested in the work.”