Vic Opperman, Erica Jones, David Wright

The three cofounders of Sustainable Ballard also receive Local Hero awards this year. Sustainable Ballard was formed out of the frustration of these three peace activist who were appalled when vigils and protests did not prevent the invasion of Iraq in 2002. Long discussions about what could be done, and the realization that our national leaders were not leading us where we wanted to go led to concrete action.

The basic idea behind Sustainable Ballard is that community self-reliance and sustainability is good foreign policy implemented locally. To get ready for a world with less oil, to avoid the potential chaos caused by the end of cheap transportation, Sustainable Ballard wants to reduce reliance on food from far away, dependence on home heat coming by truck or pipeline, and create new opportunities for energy independence.

Sustainable Ballard and Groundswell NW have collaborated on projects. These three Local Heroes agree: All these things can be developed through education, encouragement and the resources already here in Ballard.

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