Joint After Hours
On Thursday, September 25th, several members of our Chamber joined the Ridgefield Business Association and the Woodland Chamber at Ridgefield Junction for an after hours.  Mark Eaton of Ridgefield Junction organized and hosted a great event!

Lions Club Events Upcoming
The Lions Club will be having a garage sale on Saturday, Oct. 11, 8 am-4 pm at the Community Center. All proceeds from the sale will be donated to fund Birthday parties for foster kids in Clark County.

La Center Museum Association
Save the date: Monday, Oct. 6, 7:00 p.m. at the La Center Grange Hall.  Joan Wolverton will speak on the history of  Salishan Vineyards, Clark County's first winery.  See  you there.

More Simple Steps to Help Save the Planet and Save YOU money!

1. Buy a hybrid car..You could conserve more than twent gallons of gas per month than the average vehicle by driving a hybrid.  At todays prices, that equates to about $70 a month.

2.Take the bus.  C-Tran, the public transportation system serving Southwest Washington and parts of Portland, has begun using B100-grade biodiesel fuel in its fleet vehicles.

B100, a fuel comprising entirely biodiesel with no traditional diesel fuel included, "will result in a 100 percent reduction of carbon and sulfur dioxide emissions," Tim Leavitt, C-Tran board chairman, said.

In November 2006, C-Tran was awarded a $605,000 grant from the Washington State Department of Ecology to retrofit its entire bus fleet with a goal of eliminating 90 percent of harmful emissions.

The agency is using money from the grant for retrofits of its exhaust systems that are expected to eliminate another 40 percent to 50 percent of its remaining emissions.

"Today's biofuels industry, not surprisingly, is growing, literally," Leavitt said. "With fixed routes and centralized fueling, we are ideal candidates for alternative fuel use."

3. Use refined motor oil next time you're due for a change.  The production of five quarts of high-quality rerefined lubricating oil uses only two gallons of used oil, whereas producing and refining five quarts of virgin oil requires two barels of crude oil.  If 5 percent of households began using rerefined oil, 2.5 billion gallons of oil could be conserved every year.
 

Voter Registration Info

The deadline for submitting an online or mail-in voter registration form for the presidential election is Saturday, October 4. Registering takes only a few minutes, and you can do it by mail or online at www.clarkvotes.org. Mail-in registration forms are available during business hours at public libraries, public schools, city and town halls, auto license agencies, and the County Elections Office, 1408 Franklin St., Vancouver. They must be postmarked by October 4.

Local Candidates

Candidates for U.S. Representative
Brian Baird (D)
Michael Delavar (R)
Candidates for State Representative, 17th Legislative District
Tim Probst (D)
Deb Wallace (D)
Candidates for State Senator, 18th Legislative District
Joe Zarelli (R)
Jon Haugen (D)
Jaime Herrera (R)
VaNessa Duplessie (D)
Ed Orcutt (R)
Jonathan Fant (D)
Candidates for Clark County Commissioner, 15th Legislative Dist.
Pam Brokaw (D
Tom Mielke (R)
Marc Boldt (R)
Jeanne Harris (D)

Both the Battle Ground and the Woodland Chambers of Commerce have upcoming Canidate Forums.  Mark your calendars to attend one of the following luncheons:

Battle Ground Chamber General Meeting is this Thursday, October 2nd at The Cedars on Salmon Creek 11:15 -1:30.   All local candidates have been invited.  RSVP 687-1510, Lunch Buffet is $12.

Woodland Chamber welcomes Candidates for Cowlitz County Commissioners on the 7th, Brian Baird on the 14th, Tom Mielke and Pam Brokaw on the 21st at their noon lunch meetings.