Sustainable Living Center

Home Recipe Blossoms into Organic Chicken Feed Business Diana Ambauen-Meade wanted a healthier product to feed her backyard chickens, so she came up with her own recipe. When her friends and neighbors began asking about the product, it turned into a great business idea. Last year Ambauen-Meade founded Scratch & Peck in the Bremerton area. Business has gone so well she's now building a mill facility in Bellingham's Irongate business park that should be ready in about six weeks and eventually will include other types of feed products. Currently the company is focused on direct sales; customers can put in orders at scratchandpeck.com or by calling (360) 981-8597. Local residents can either pick up orders at 3883 Hammer Drive or have them delivered. Ambauen-Meade also plans on putting the product in local stores. The chicken feed is made from whole and cracked grains without the typical byproducts found in pellet chicken feed. It's also not cooked, so it doesn't turn into a pellet, Ambauen-Meade said. "You and the chickens can recognize it for what it is," she said. The feed is organic and soy- free. She's of the opinion that "you are what your chicken eats," even if you're using the chicken for its eggs. Her son Bryon Meade, a recent Western Washington University graduate, will be operating the Bellingham mill. Eventually the company will be based in Bellingham; it already has joined Sustainable Connections. Ambauen-Meade has been surprised by the business growth in the first year. "It started as an idea, and we just kept getting green lights throughout this process," she said. Article at http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2010/04/21/1394489/two-whatcom-county-businesses.html#ixzz0lnhVSmjw City of Bellingham wins the 2008 Green Washington Award for Government! "For a relatively small city, it has instituted sophisticated innovations in providing green power, improving the quality of storm water run-off to its reservoir and has hired a director of sustainability to help guide the city's green-energy efforts. This city is really pushing things, said our judges, including becoming an EPA Green Power partner, buying all of its electricity from renewable sources, including wind and solar. As its mayor says, "We're on this planet for the long haul." The City of Bellingham will receive our Green Washing Award for government. * Runner-Up in Government: The City of Seattle" Washington CEO Magazine. The ReStore won runner-up in the Nonprofit Category. Congratulations Bellingham and ReSources!		Fairhaven Organic Flour Mill Moves to Burlington Expands to Dedicated Gluten Free Flours Bellingham Business Journal December 8, 2010 http://bbjtoday.com/blog/fairhaven-organic-flour-mill-moves-burlington/9453 Burlington, Washington — After 34 years in Bellingham, the Fairhaven Organic Flour Mill has moved to Burlington, Washington. The new site at 808 N. Hill Boulevard, just off the I-5 freeway, offers easier access to Washington State's only organic flour mill. The move gives Fairhaven Mill a larger facility and an additional hammer mill, dedicated to milling gluten free flours. Fairhaven Organic Flour Mill began serving the Bellingham community in 1974, in the early days of the organic food movement. Over the years, the flour mill expanded its customer base to buyers throughout the Pacific Northwest. In 2007, Kevin and Matsuko Christenson purchased the Fairhaven Mill with a commitment to keep it organic and to offer a diverse range of flours. At the old location in Bellingham, the Mill produced a variety of organic flours, including whole wheat, wheat pasta, cornmeal, rye, rice, oat, buckwheat, soy, spelt, millet, and barley. Space limitations at the Bellingham site precluded more output. The new mill location allows room for equipment to expand into new grains and to produce dedicated gluten free flours. "With the new dedicated gluten free mill we can produce rice, oat, buckwheat, soy and millet flours for our gluten-intolerant customers, while milling organic wheat, barley and rye flours on our other mills for the rest of our clients," said owner, Kevin Christenson. The new gluten free flours will be labeled: gluten free, produced on dedicated equipment.
Governor's Award for Pollution Prevention and Sustainable Practices: 2007 Winners Lummi Island Wild_Lummi Island Wild, of Lummi Island, uses the ancient art of reefnet wild salmon fishing to help shape the future of the Pacific Northwest salmon fishery. They use selective and sustainable methods, catching only targeted species while returning protected or unwanted species to Puget Sound unharmed. The company's innovative live well system also helps protect vulnerable species while supplying fresh, sustainably caught salmon to market. In 2007, the company mixed modern and traditional technology and became the world’s first solar-powered fishery. They collaborated with Alpha Energy to install solar panels on the boats that charge the batteries for the net winches. The salmon fishers are now "off the grid," and no longer have risk a spill from carrying auto batteries across Puget Sound waters. They started a reef net festival as a fundraiser for the Lummi and Lopez island communities. The Coop’s Chef’s in Raingear program draws hundreds of chefs and restauranteurs from across the country to “get involved with your ingredients” and experience the benefits of sustainable fishing. More information, including where to find Lummi Island Wild-Reefnet Salmon, can be found at www.lummiislandwild.com/		Department of Ecology News Release May 19, 2009 "Northwest Washington area schools earn cash awards for environmental stewardship and new green programs" [The following] Northwest Washington area public and private schools will receive cash awards in Olympia on May 21, 2009, for their outstanding environmental programs. Custer Elementary – Custer -- Whatcom County. The school will start a food to flowers program; $250. Sehome High – Bellingham -- Whatcom County. Students involved in this extensive recycling program gain confidence and skills they can carry into adulthood. They also get to work with "Spirit," the therapy dog; $200. Ten Mile Creek Elementary – Everson -- Whatcom County. This school emphasizes the reduction of food and paper waste through composting; $300. Nooksack Valley High – Everson -- Whatcom County. This successful recycling education program involves both students and faculty; $500. Lynden High – Lyndon -- Whatcom County. This school has built on its success by recycling more and more items. The program has seen a major reduction in the amount of materials sent to the landfill; $200. Mt. Baker School District's Sustainability Program – Deming -- Whatcom County. Mt. Baker’s schools set the standard for sustainability in public schools. Students in this district graduate with 13 years of composting, waste reduction, reuse, and recycling experience. In Mt. Baker, each school participates in the recycling program and promotes re-use and toxic-free practices. Recent additions to their programs include: a food composting program they call Food to Flowers; and a district-wide energy awareness program that educates everyone on how to save energy by making simple changes in their buildings and at home. The Mt. Baker Schools are doing an amazing job of promoting sustainability for their students and the community. Students of Acme, Mt. Baker, Kendall, and Harmony are fortunate to have such a vibrant and sustainable program of reuse and recycling; $2,000. Timber Ridge Alternative High – Bellingham -- Whatcom County. In this interdisciplinary study of the ecology and economics of local, national, and global food systems, students learn about the journey of food from photosynthesis through harvest, subsidies, export, resource consumption, and human metabolism, as well as the importance of local food through creating a business plan for growing starts to sell at a local farmer's market; $1,000.