Now that summer has officially started, people are rethinking their summer vacation plans in light of high gas prices and looking to adjacent areas for opportunities to break away from their normal routine.

With more people are staying home, here are some fun summer activities groups are doing to help their communities relocalize, and ways that you can get your summer groove on.

For the August issue of Relocalize, the theme will be a throwback to the '70s -- specifically, to innovative ways people reduced their energy consumption. Contribute your memories and help put together a 'best of the best' guide to going retro - all contributors will be entered to win a complimentary gift certificate to Post Carbon Books. Learn more.

1. Bring on the Staycation

So, what do you do when you’re going nowhere? Millions of would-be vacationers are asking themselves this very question as the steep rise in gasoline prices and household staples is forcing them to forgo travel vacations.

And now there’s even a term the media has come up with to capture this phenomenon… one they can prattle on endlessly about: the staycation. But behind the cutesy play on language is the beginning of a very real shift—-one that promises to have some serious implications for both the economy and how Americans will (or won’t) spend their leisure time.

What People Are Doing
Across the country, news and television media stories tell the tale of three trends: people staying home for their family vacations, families cutting back on other vacation expenses in order to afford the travel costs or, often because of other financial pressures, families forgoing their vacations altogether.

Read more.

Back to top

2. On Relocalizing Fun

With more people staying closer to home this summer, high gas prices are actually helping to revitalize the local economy in some towns. In a recent TIME magazine article, Amanda Ripley discusses 10 Things You Can Like About $4 Gas, including the return of previously globalized jobs, less traffic, and less pollution.

Groups around the world are putting their creative minds together and organizing events that are safe, free, and fun for all ages, that foster collaboration, community spirit, and sense of place. This summer, take some time to think about the kind of community that you would like to live, work, and play in. Roads represent a huge amount of public space within a city or town. More and more, people are turning to the streets as more than just transportation arteries. Here are a few examples:

Bogota, Colombia is often cited as an example by alternative transportation advocates where over the last ten years, the transportation network has undergone a revolutionary shift from automobiles to public rapid transit and cycling. They have also introduced Car-Free Sundays and Holidays to allow local residents to take back their streets and public spaces for recreation.

Last month in Portland, Oregon they held a first Ciclovia-style street closure, Sunday Parkways, which despite poor weather early in the day, was a huge success with several thousands of city residents taking part as walkers, cyclists, joggers, bladers, families, and pets exploring the "new" 6-mile parkway.

Street Painting Festivals - Each year the local square and market in Raleigh, North Carolina is filled with over 300 artists with 27 hours to deliver their creations, using Martin Street in Moore Square as their canvas. Past themes have included Celebrate Raleigh: Urban Renaissance (see photo to right). Browse listings for street painting festivals around the world.

Read on about Car-Free Festivals in Vancouver, BC.

Back to top

3. Online Resources

• Searching for the ultimate guide to independent shops and suppliers?
  In the UK, browse the Food directory 2007 | Life and style | guardian.co.uk
  In the U.S., check out the Local Harvest directory and map.
• Craving some time out of the city?
  Consider planning a trip to a local park - US National Park Service Directory
• Wondering what hidden gems lie in your neigbhorhood?
  In Canada, find out what's good in your 'hood courtesy of ZipLocal

Back to top

4. Post Carbon Cities: Escape by Transit

By Laurel Hoyt, Post Carbon Cities Program Coordinator

I spent most of my life in Western Massachusetts, in the lovely Pioneer Valley. But even though I never learned to drive, I never set foot on the PVTA buses - thanks to the kindness of mom and dad, carpooling, my own two feet, and in hindsight, a terrible lack of curiosity. There was a certain nervousness, too: I didn't know how to find out where they went or when they'd arrive, what kind of people I'd find on them, whether I'd end up stranded at the other end of my trip. I wasn't sure whether one had to buy tickets ahead of time or pay as you board - I even had a suspicion that the service was just for the elderly or disabled.

When I moved to Portland, learning to use the transit system was a more normal thing to do. Everyone I met did it, and it turned out to be easy. If I want to figure out how to get somewhere and how long it'll take, trimet.org is there for me. Real-time schedule information is available by cell phone. My process of gradually becoming comfortable in this mobile public space was similar, I imagine, to that of the Southern Californians interviewed in a recent LA Times article. But that process does take time, and systems need to be learned.

Read more.

Back to top

5. New on Global Public Media

Peak Moment: Little House on a Small Planet
KunstlerCast: One City Block (Part 1)
Deconstructing Dinner: Co-operatives: Alternatives to Industrial Food IV
Crop to Cuisine: Supporting Local with Sports Nutrition
Peak Moment: Protecting Your Money in a Declining Economy

Back to top

6. Relocalization Network Group Updates

Indulge in Local Living. Farmers Markets are a buzz for the summer. LocalHarvest.org lists nearly 4000 farmers markets across the United States (find farmers markets in the UK and Australia). Campaigns for local eating have attracted significant attention this year with consumers paying more attention to where their food comes from and finding ways of sourcing goods closer to home. Increasingly businesses are seeking to source produce from local farmers to reduce the transportation costs associated with importing goods from overseas.

Community gardens are bustling with newbies and greenthumbs all shifting focus back to the land in an urban farming movement reminiscent of the victory gardens of the 1940s. For some visual starters, look out for Peak Moment Television's episodes on Global Public Media: Community Gardens Grow Communities (Ashland, Oregon) and Suburban Permaculture with Janet Barocco and Richard Heinberg.

Berry Delicious. In many places, fruit-picking season is upon us and loads of people with epic plans for jams and preserves or simply the satisfaction of eating fruit straight from the tree are flocking to their local 'U-Pick'. Many farmers open up their gates, providing the perfect opportunity for family day trips outdoors. Round up friends and family and get picking!

Tour Around by Bike. In Eugene, Oregon, relocalizers are organizing a bike tour of neighbourhood homes with innovative permaculture, active and passive solar design, and rain-water catchment systems.

Tackle a Summer Reno. Take advantage of the summer weather and do some retrofits on your home to reduce your energy consumption on heating and cooling. Environmental education organization, HomeGrown HideAways, in Berea, Kentucky, is running a series of courses on strawbale and cob construction and using natural plasters and finishes.

For more news, discussions and upcoming events, visit www.relocalize.net.

Back to top

7. Upcoming Events

Post Carbon Institute Speakers Schedule

American Planning Association, Fall Conference
November 7, 2008-Salt Lake City, UT
Daniel Lerch, Post Carbon Cities Program Manager will present at the Utah Chapter of the American Planning Association, Fall Conference. The meeting will be held at University of Utah.

Post Carbon Institute Events

Kiss Your Gas Goodbye. Peak Oil, Gas Prices & the Future of Energy.
August 2, 2008-Sebastopol, CA
Join us as Richard Heinberg, Julian Darley and Celine Rich kick off our first local lecture series in Sonoma County. Wine, appetizers and community networking in addition to a thought provoking presentation. Register online at http://postcarbon.eventbrite.com. This event is part of the Post Carbon Institute Lecture Series.

Featured Events

SolFest XIII
August 16-17, 2008-Hopland, CA
SolFest is the world’s premier two-day celebration of renewable energy and sustainable living. Each summer SolFest transforms the rural hamlet of Hopland, California, into the global epicenter of green living. SolFest's main stage, family stage, and six workshop tents are filled with world-renowned speakers, musicians and artists, offering keynotes, panels, performances, and over fifty one-hour workshops. SolFest will feature Post Carbon Institute Senior Fellow, Richard Heinberg, Ed Begley Jr., Derrick Jensen and the music of New Monsoon and Maria Muldaur.

ASPO-USA Peak Oil Conference
September 21-23, 2008 - Hyatt Regency, Sacramento, CA
ASPO-USA announces its fourth annual high-level conference to discuss impacts of and responses to a peak in world oil production. Conference participants will include Matt Simmons, Jeff Rubin, Jim Buckee, Jeremy Gilbert, Herman Franssen, Kjell Aleklett, Randy Udall, Jim Puplava, David Hughes, Dan Reicher, Vince Mathews, Nate Hagens, and many others.

Back to top

If you have any comments about this Newsletter or suggestions for the next, please contact us.

Relocalization Network Team

Post Carbon Institute
Tel. +1 707 823 8700
Email Us
6971 Sebastopol Avenue
Sebastopol, California, 95472, USA
www.relocalize.net
www.postcarbon.org

Photo credits:
Picnic, Stewart
Oregon Coast Bike Route, dphershman
Raleigh Street Painting Festival, BellaBim