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Relocalize - October '07 - Vol. 2, Issue 10

Relocalization Network: Local Communities. Global Connections

In this Issue of Relocalize:


Relocalization Network News:

Welcome to New Local Post Carbon Groups

Please join us in welcoming the following Group Coordinators and their Local Groups to the Relocalization Network. Take a moment to have a look at their websites:



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Boulder Renaissance of Local Conference recap

On September 28-30, Post Carbon Institute was proud to sponsor A RENAISSANCE OF LOCAL!, a county-wide community festival, conference and expo celebrating all things local: food, energy, economy, culture, and community, along with Boulder Going Local Inc. and Boulder Valley Relocalization, a pioneering member of the Relocalization Network.

The sun was shining during this 3-day event, held in the open space of Lyons, Colorado, and was attended by over 900 people, with representatives from the local community and state level. Conference highlights included the world premiere of Post Carbon Fellow Richard Heinberg’s new book, Peak Everything: Waking Up to the Century of Declines, and a presentation from Post Carbon Cities program manager Daniel Lerch (see below), and Post Carbon Institute President Julian Darley.

The weekend also featured a slow food banquet, workshops, exhibitors from herbs to ground source heat pumps, and presentations by prominent leaders in the relocalization movement like Judy Wicks, co-founder of BALLE; Steve Andrews, founder of ASPO-USA; and Bob Banner, editor of HopeDance Magazine.

Janaia Donaldson and Robyn Mallgren of Peak Moment TV captured presentations, which will be available on DVD soon. Check www.peakmoment.tv for details!

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Jan Spencer Kindred Spirits Tour blog

Jan Spencer is a well known activist in Eugene, Oregon, with a passion for culture change. Over the past few years, he has transformed his quarter-acre suburban property into a thriving permaculture garden. He speaks regularly at public events, writes articles, and leads bike tours of permaculture sites in Eugene - see his website, www.suburbanpermaculture.org, for more information. Over the summer, Jan launched his Kindred Spirits tour. Here is an except from his blog with a photo taken in Olympia, Washington:

"The intention was to make contact with people and projects I would describe as in the realm of “Culture Change.” Places I visited included Okanagon, Tonesket and Twisp east of the Cascades. Then to Bellingham, Snohomish/Everett, Seattle and Olympia.

Culture Change is about shifting our personal and collectve priorities from material affluence to nurturing human potential and social/eco relationships in a way that do not ruin Planet Earth.

During the Tour, I made five presentations in different towns, mentioned above, to explain why Culture Change is such a compelling issue. I took along slides to illustrate examples of Culture Change in Eugene and several other locations. Another part of the tour was to meet people and visit examples of what could be described as models of Culture Change. "

Read more...

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Green Thumb Kids are back

local groupsLast fall, we featured the Green Thumb Kids in the November Post Carbon Newsletter. “Green Thumb Kids” is a project of the Cape Breton Farmers’ Market in collaboration with the Sydney Post Carbon Group in Nova Scotia, Canada. The idea was to get children into growing tomatoes and beans from seeds to harvest, starting with planting the seeds in the summer and returning to the market in the Fall with their produce for sale. This year they're back and better than ever!

"This year 73 students participated! Last year there were 44. This year several Green thumb Kids and their parents came back with some of their harvest which they sold to the regular customers at the market. Both children and parents enjoyed the activity and learned so much about nature and growing their own food," said Frances Oomen, coordinator of the Sydney Post Carbon Group.

To read more about this year's successes, visit www.capebretonfarmersmarket.com.

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Titanic Lifeboat Academy: Get your GREEN on!

Here is a call to action by the folks at Titanic Lifeboat Academy:

A 501c3 nonprofit, the Titanic Lifeboat Academy specializes in research and education in sustainable living and is one of the original relocalization groups of Post Carbon Institute. Directors Caren Black and Christopher Paddon have been working for two years to create a sustainable homestead to demonstrate the skills, systems and technologies of sustainable living. During the month of October they will test themselves on how well they are doing. Read an article about Caren Black and Christopher Paddon's challenge by Kara Hansen in The Daily Astorian.

Check out their plan: No outside utilities, no garbage, 1 tank of gas, and no purchases for the month.

On November 19, The Lifeboat Show on Coast Community Radio (9:30 am, KMUN 91.9, KTCB 89.5, streaming at www.coastradio.org, and archived on Global Public Media) will feature participants’ stories. Everyone who completes their Green Fest Pledge will receive a free CD of The Lifeboat Show.

Read more about taking the challenge here.

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Post Carbon Cities: Guidebook tour hits the Northeast

Guidebook cover image

Post Carbon Cities Program Manager Daniel Lerch has been traveling to promote the our new guidebook for local governments, Post Carbon Cities: Planning for Energy and Climate Uncertainty. So far Daniel has met with local officials and staff in Oakland (CA), San Francisco (CA), Fairfax (CA), Richmond (CA) and Boulder (CO), as well as with citizen groups and leaders in Takoma Park (MD), Washington (DC), San Francisco (CA), Portland (OR).

Over the next month, the Post Carbon Cities will bring Daniel to communities throughout the Northeast for public presentations and meetings with city officials, city staff and citizen groups. Here are some of the highlights of the tour:

  10/22 in Montreal, QC 7:00pm presentation at Concordia University
  10/25 in Middlebury, VT 5:00pm presentation at Ilsley Public Library
  10/29 in Boston, MA Presentation and meetings (TBA)
  10/30 in Providence, RI Presentation and meetings (TBA)
  11/1 in Central Massachusetts Presentations and meetings (TBA)
  11/7 in New York, NY 6:00pm presentation at NYU Wagner School of Public Service
  11/8 in Philadelphia, PA Presentation and meetings (TBA)
  11/12 in Hamilton, ON 7:30pm Friends of Red Hill Valley lecture, location TBA
  11/13-14 in Toronto, ON Presentations and meetings (TBA)

Visit www.postcarboncities.net/pcc-tour for Daniel's full itinerary.

Also, be sure to visit Post Carbon Books and order a copy of Post Carbon Cities: Planning for Energy and Climate Uncertainty ($30, 113 pages), or download a free abridged preview version.

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New on Global Public Media

Global Public Media, a program of Post Carbon Institute, is an internet broadcasting station that streams long format audio and video interviews with world experts. Click on the links below for the latest additions on GPM.

     Transition Town Kinsale two years on
     Steve Andrews on upcoming Houston ASPO conference
     Tim Flannery: we have to stop our emissions
     Richard Heinberg's Museletter: As the World Burns
     Deconstructing Dinner: Soil Matters CSA II / Marion Nestle
     Planning For Hard Times: The Community Solution
     Permaculture for the post carbon transition

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Upcoming Events

Have an event you would like to share with the Network? Please send an email to Shelby by the last week of the month and we will include it in the next issue of Relocalize.

ASPO-USA 2007 Houston World Oil Conference

ASPO

October 17-20, Houston, Texas, USA
See www.aspo-usa.com for details and registration.

18th Annual Bioneers Conference

Bioneers

October 19-21, San Rafael, California, USA - with various downlink sites
The Bioneers Conference is a major gathering of leading experts and speakers on every aspect of making the transition to a sustainable world. Sustain Spokane in Washington will host a downlink site, combining local sessions with feeds from the main conference. Relocalization Network coordinator Shelby Tay will participate in the Spokane panel on local economies on Friday the 19th. See www.sustainspokane.org for details.

Oil Change International: No War, No Warming

Oil Change International

October 21-22, 2007, Washington, DC, USA
No War, No Warming says: "Stop the war in Iraq and future wars! End our addiction to fossil fuels. Shift resources to rebuild New Orleans and communities impacted by racism and corporate greed. Go green and promote environmental justice with new jobs in a clean energy economy." See www.NoWarNoWarming.org for more information or call 1-888-Oct22-DC.

Community Matters '07 Conference

Community Matters

October 23-25, Burlington, Vermont, USA
See www.communitymatters.org for details and registration.

The Community Solution: Planning for Hard Times 4th Annual Conference

The Community Solution

October 26-28, Yellow Springs, Ohio, USA
See www.communitysolution.org for details and registration.

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

Best,

The Relocalization Network Team

Post Carbon Institute
Tel. +1 707 827 3221
+1 800 590 7745 (toll-free)
Email Us
327 Murphy Avenue
Sebastopol, California, 95472, USA
www.relocalize.net
www.postcarbon.org


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