FRIENDS,

2005 was a great year, with many new friendships formed, much good work done, and an emerging sense of community that reaches from Vallejo to Willits, from Pacifica to Oakland, and beyond.

We have weathered changes in our electronic platforms, venues, and memberships, but a core group of dedicated and concerned individuals has continued to forge into this scary future together, and THAT'S HOW WE START.

Our members, through selfless donations of time, energy, and money, have helped to launch the Post Carbon Institute into a highly visible position that is respected and recognized by our colleagues in the fights for social justice, environmental protection, and restoration of the commons, worldwide.

In short - We Have Arrived.

It is now time to emerge from the chrysalis that Meetup.Com has provided for us, and to join the electronic community in "The Big Tent" that is home to our brothers and sisters in over 54 communities worlwide. (as of this writing) We can widen our reach by using our resources more wisely - isn't that what we're all about, anyway?

12 people are online now, and we hope to see those of you who want to take action move to the new site. Please sign up here, I will be closing the Meetup Group very soon.

And finally - It's HARD to build consensus. Coming up with something that EVERYONE wants to do is TOUGH. I have always maintained that - a large and diverse membership is a good thing. There have been some comments that "I don't WANT to stand in the cold and hand stuff out", or "I see political efforts as pointless", or "when are we going to actually DO something?" With 72 members IN ATTENDANCE, we could have 12 SEPARATE COMMITEES of six people each. Our meeting place is actually THAT big - no kidding. You would be AMAZED at what a six person team of dedicated individuals can do !!

NOW - as to Mike ...
and his, somewhat "Top Down" approach.

I can appreciate that some of you had trouble feeling that you had a say, or were fully invited to participate, or that you did not get a sense of focused goal-driven purpose ... We're not a cult and we don't have a hierarchy. We're more like a collective, trying to get it together, and that's ALWAYS hard to get off the ground.

I think these are normal growing pains of any 'citizen's grass roots group'.
As 'gardener' to this fragile organism, I have been over-protective of our little seedling.

Having burst through the soil into the light of day, we are now strong enough, and our roots have taken. We can even have disagreements, arguments, and animosities over perceived slights ... and all that OTHER dysfunctional group behavior. Or we, can adapt to a new mode, and begin to escape the bounds of "Babylon", if you will, and enter the Age of Community.

Towards that end, we will rotate the positions of responsibility, and distribute the leadership of our group to more fully embrace the aspirations of our members. As we approach Peak, we'll see turnover in our group, and we need to adopt a more organic/cellular structure that can survive the ebb and flow of members. The work is too important to be disrupted by people's personal circumstances, moods, psychoses, or what have you ...

Personal and professional obligations for Mike in 2006 will continue to distract your 'organizer', but our evolving organization structure is intended to be more robust, more dynamic, and more egalitarian. As I prepare to click the button that says "Step down as Organizer", it is with a profound sense that we are ALL now the gardeners, and that nature will take its course with Oil Awareness - SF.

Let's make 2006 a real growth spurt that forms the STALK of our plant, so that each of us can flower, and embrace the aspect of this work that really moves us.

Thanks for all your support.

Mike Carrick
FORMER Meetup organizer ;-)