Post Carbon Salt Lake

How does one prepare for peak oil and peak gas, as the outcome is their outcomes are so unpredictable? Some peakers are promoting head-to-the-hills survivalist preparations. This list focuses instead on community-based response and reducing energy consumption. While fear is natural, the loner stance is simply unworkable. We are all interdependent in many ways. While we will need to engage in individual actions, we will also need to work together collectively – whether we live in cities or small communities. The federal and state governments may not respond appropriately or in a timely manner, so it might fall on us at the local grassroots level to arrive at responses to peak oil and gas.

Weaning away from petro addiction is a step-by-step process, we can’t quit cold turkey. The Oil Depletion Protocol calls on people to reduce fossil fuel consumption 2-3 percent per year, which doesn’t sound like much, but over a ten-year period it adds up to 25 percent. The areas of biggest impact are heating, transportation, and food choices. Focusing on changing more impactful habits, such as driving, is better than agonizing over smaller issues. Some of these suggestions may seem excessive or radical now; they will seem less so as the price of energy climbs.

INDIVIDUAL ACTIONS

- Study and implement Catalyst’s sustainability checklists in the April and July 2006 issues, available at Catalyst Magazine – offering many tips for reducing energy usage. The suggestions listed here are a supplement to those checklists.

- Many homes locally are heated with natural gas. Save your utility bills as a feedback mechanism. Catalyst’s April list offers many energy-saving home heating and cooling tips. Get the highest R-value insulation you can. Double-glazed windows can reduce heat loss through windows by 50 percent. If replacing your furnace, consider a heat pump system rather than a gas furnace, for both heating and cooling: Geoexchange. When replacing a water heater, consider either a solar or an on-demand one. For alternatives to gas heat, read “Natural Home Heating: The Complete Guide to Renewable Energy Options,” by Greg Pahl, covering numerous options, such as wood stoves, biomass, heat pumps, and solar.

- Transportation is a biggie: consider purchasing a more efficient vehicle, even a hybrid, then drive less – walk, bicycle, carpool, use public transit, and coordinate errands. For ridesharing and carpooling, use Salt Lake Craigslist rideshare, Erideshare, and Community Solution's rideshare. For safety tips on urban bicycling: Bicyclesafe. Convert a diesel vehicle to run on vegetable oil: Greasecar and Goldenfuelsystems – or buy B20 biodiesel (no conversion required): Biodiesel.org. Also visit: Utah Biodiesel Cooperative.

- Travel less. Businesses could use teleconferencing, rather than sending employees on business trips. Take more local, less exotic vacations. Consider travel by bus or Amtrak. Longer flights are more fuel-efficient than driving to the same destination, but shorter flights are less so. Two or more passengers makes driving more favorable. Emissions in the stratosphere have a worse effect.

- Buy locally raised produce, meat, and dairy products as much as possible. In choosing between organic or local, choose local. Pesticides and fertilizers are made from fossil fuels, so buy local organic when you can. Participate in farmer’s markets and community supported agriculture. Buy less processed, less packaged foods, and less frozen foods. If possible, grow your own vegetables, even learn to can or dry foods. Plant fruit and nut trees. Compost food and garden waste. Eat lower on the food chain.

- Conserve water, as it requires energy to purify water and run pumping stations.

- Buy fewer new clothes – prefer clothing made from linen, organic cotton, or the new fabrics such as soy, bamboo, and hemp. Non-organic cotton production uses vast amounts of oil-based pesticides. Polyester, acetate, nylon, and acrylic fabrics are all petroleum-based. Rayon takes a lot of energy to make. Buy used clothing, in any fabric you want.

- Choose natural, petroleum-free cleaning and personal care products.

- Get out of debt and reduce consumption. Downsize your lifestyle. Prefer local businesses over chains. Buy less stuff, especially plastic things. Notice where goods are shipped from, and choose those made closer to home.

- Spread the word about our energy situation, telling friends, family, neighbors – be gentle and patient in doing so. Don’t be surprised if those around you don’t get it, don’t want to hear about it, or believe a technofix will take care of everything. Try not to talk about it too much.

- For coping with the emotional aspects of learning about and understanding peak oil: Peak Oil Blues. Develop meditation, deep breathing, or other centering practices.

- Consider joining a co-housing project, an intentional community, or an ecovillage: Cohousing, Intentional Communities, Global Ecovillage Network/. Community Solution advocates living in small communities: Community Solution. Co-housing in Salt Lake: Wasatch Commons Co-housing.

-Learn about permaculture – the philosophy and design system of sustainable homes, gardens, and communities. Many permaculturists are developing responses to peak oil. Visit: Permaculture.net, Permaculture Activist.

- Consider having just one child, or no children. In many ways, the human population is now exceeding the carrying capacity of the planet.

DEEP STRUCTURAL CHANGES

- Join up with others who are aware and involved, such as Post Carbon Salt Lake.

- Write letters to the editor. Write or call those in power, telling them to get serious about ending fossil-fuel addiction. Educate local politicians about Peak Oil - they may be the most important ones we need to reach.

- On the federal level advocate: implementing a carbon tax, eliminating oil, gas, and corn ethanol subsidies; substantially raising CAFE standards; lowering the speed limit; massively increasing R&D for renewable energy; maintaining and raising the wind power tax credit; reviving the railroad infrastructure for both freight and passengers; and legalizing hemp cultivation for ethanol and biodiesel.

- Call on all levels of government launch large-scale public awareness campaigns calling for energy conservation & efficiency at all levels.

- Get our city to pass a Peak Oil Resolution: Peak Oil Resolutions to get a funded, city-wide assessment and response. Initially issues such as mass transit, city fleets, zoning, and asphalt will need to be addressed. Eventually much food production will need to be local – cities will need to address this. Also advocate that the city endorse the Oil Depletion Protocol: Oil Depletion Protocol. Call on all levels of government to adopt it.

- Join the campaign to pressure Ford to develop more efficient vehicles, and eventually fossil-free vehicles: Jump Start Ford.

- The Apollo Alliance is an impressive coalition of labor groups, environmental groups, justice- and faith-based groups, foundations, and business partners working to advance the development and implementation of clean energy solutions, and energy-saving solutions for the nation, for states, cities, and universities (available in comprehensive reports at their website.) Visit: Apollo Alliance.

- Healthcare professionals should start considering peak oil’s impact on the health care system and ways to mitigate. Visit: Peak Oil Medicine.

- Learn about, then work to eliminate corporate personhood. This is a good place to start: Reclaim Democracy. Work to bring about campaign finance reform.

- “Unlimited” energy supply, “unlimited” growth, and “unlimited” currency are all intertwined, and may be about to hit the wall on this finite planet – which would necessitate an overhaul of the monetary system. One possibility is to institute a local currency system, redeemable locally only, as Ithaca has done: Ithaca Hours. This will promote community self-reliance and the local economy. A local currency could also provide loans for energy-saving or energy-making devices. Learn about steady-state economics, and study ways to implement it. Websites: Feasta, Schumacher Society, Steady State, Time Banks, Reinventing Money.

Post Carbon Salt Lake

Peak Oil QUICK FACTS

JeanArnold — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 09:20:02 -0800

PEAK OIL: When about half the world’s oil supply is used up, production reaches its highest level and then declines 2-3% a year, even as demand grows. Relentlessly, year after year the world has to make do with less oil, even as there are more and more of us. Growing numbers of leading petroleum geologists and analysts believe we are at global "Peak Oil" now or will be within a few years.

Fossil fuels are involved in nearly all we own, eat, wear, do, and everywhere we go. Salt Lake imports nearly all its energy, food, and material goods, often from thousands of miles away - all brought here using fossil fuels. We are somewhat like a Mars colony in this respect. Our city's ecological footprint is far larger than the physical square mileage of the Salt Lake area. If Salt Lake were to lose more than a small percentage of its imports OR if the price for these items, or their transport, were to rise significantly, we could not support our existing population at current levels of consumption.

When we finally agree on the date of peak oil, it will already be upon us or will have already passed:
• Leading experts predict peak will occur within this decade.
• Natural gas is predicted to peak around 2020, compounding the peak oil issue. North American natural gas has already peaked. Transporting it across the ocean is costly and risky.

The gap between oil consumption & oil discovery is growing:
• Global oil discovery peaked in 1964.
• Discovery has declined steadily since.
• Since 1981, the world has consumed more than it has found.
• Today, we consume 4 or 5 barrels of oil for every 1 barrel that is discovered.

Our economies are dangerously oil dependent:
• Oil and natural gas currently account for 65% of global energy consumption.
• Oil accounts for 95% of global energy used for transportation.
• In the U.S., food travels an average of 1500 miles from farm to plate.
• For every calorie we eat, we “consume” at least 10 calories of fossil fuel - used in raising, processing, and transporting.
• We rely on hundreds of fossil fuel-based products in our daily lives: plastics, clothing, medicines, appliances, ammonia, shoes, roads, toys, fertilizer, computers, cars, building materials, tires, detergents, paints, cosmetics, insecticides.
• Chinese oil consumption has doubled in the last decade, demonstrating that oil dependency is not only a developed world issue.
• Oil prices may become increasingly volatile, impacting the entire economy.
• Nations will compete for dwindling resources, escalation international tensions.

How do we know this is going to happen?
• U.S. production peaked in 1970, and is now at less than half its peak.
• 95% of global oil comes from 45 nations - most have peaked.
• The second and third-largest world’s super-giant fields have peaked, and the first-largest may have peaked.
• These declines will more than offset new discoveries.

What about largely untapped “non-conventional sources”?
• Tar sands, oil shale, heavy oil, and coal-to-liquids all use a lot of energy to produce.
• Producing from these sources causes a lot of pollution, including major releases of greenhouse gases.
• This sort of production proceeds slowly, and is difficult to scale up.

Can’t we just shift to alternative energy sources?
• Presently, there is no replacement for oil’s energy density.
• Ethanol and biofuels use alot of oil and gas to produce, and their production will compete with food production.
• Creating hydrogen uses alot of energy. It may never be viable for use in cars.
• Any viable solution(s) are still years away, and will take years to implement.

Post Carbon Salt Lake

STATEMENT OF INTENT - Post Carbon Salt Lake

JeanArnold — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 08:50:55 -0800

Initially, Post Carbon Salt Lake plans to continue raising community awareness about Peak Oil through film screenings and informational meetings. Several members have expressed an interest in taking a Peak Oil Powerpoint presentation out into the community. Potentially, our group could extend its outreach to citizens, government officials, organizational leaders, and possibly LDS Church leaders, through multiple screenings of “End of Suburbia” or other films, or through Powerpoint presentations to key entities (those in government and organizations). We could also collaborate with another organization to bring a guest speaker to further raise awareness.

We would like to see our city government publicly face and acknowledge the challenges of Peak Oil, by passing a Peak Oil Resolution to begin addressing the enormous issues at hand. Although our city government, under Mayor Anderson, has been an internationally recognized leader in meeting Climate Change targets, the preparations for Peak Oil must go much further and involve members of the community on a deeper level. Peak Oil awareness and energy conservation issues could be raised by city government, on a greater scale than an activist group could achieve. Salt Lake City has an upcoming mayoral race; perhaps our group could make Peak Oil a central issue in the campaign by educating the candidates and pressing them to take a stand one way or the other.

Relocalization (local food, local energy, local economy and energy conservation) might only be ultimately achieved with a combination of grassroots effort, local and state government involvement, and LDS Church involvement – because of transportation and land useage issues, just for starters. Were the Mormon Church to involve itself by informing its members - this would have a tremendous impact. Whether or not local government gets behind relocalization efforts, our group might begin making assessments as to tasks needed towards it.

We wish to provide information about other organizations also working towards similar goals of relocalization, clean energy development, and energy conservation, so that people who wish to get involved might find the group most suited for their needs, interests, and skills. There are many possibilities for collaboration with these groups.

Post Carbon Salt Lake

Transportation Security

KJD — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 17:24:32 -0800

See attachment

Post Carbon Salt Lake

Film Screening - WHAT A WAY TO GO: life at the end of empire

Sam Schmidt — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 11:11:40 -0800

Start: 2008-01-17 18:30

End: 2008-01-17 21:00

Post Carbon Salt Lake

RALPH BECKER: BLUEPRINT FOR A GREEN CITY

JeanArnold — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 20:01:23 -0800

Start: 2007-12-06 19:00

End: 2007-12-06 21:00

Post Carbon Salt Lake

Saudi Arabia and the world production peak: two views

Sam Schmidt — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 19:11:39 -0800

The official line of limitless supply as argued by Saudi Aramco President and CEO Abdullah S Jum‘ah:

Aramco CEO pulls apart 'Doomsday' Energy Forecasts (Second story down on Energy Bulletin.net)

http://www.energybulletin.net/37226.html

while a completely opposite view is offered by the former head of Saudi Arabian Exploration and Production Sadad Al-Husseini:

The Perfect Storm

http://www.energybulletin.net/36510.html

The contrast in these articles highlights how doubt can be created about a production peak in oil simply by offering wildly optimistic numbers. The natural inclination is to cut the difference in half between the two Saudis, i.e the truth must be somewhere in the middle, in which case we would still have a lot of time left before the peak. Of course, the Saudi Aramco CEO has little incentive to be honest with the world about this issue, any serious response by the industrialized world to reduce demand will for sure mean a serious reduction in revenues for Saudi Arabia. By contrast, Mr. Al-Husseini would by nature have spent most of his energy on the technical aspects of getting Saudi Arabian Oil out the ground.

Post Carbon Salt Lake

WSJ front page article: Oil officials see limit and two responses from the peak oil community

Sam Schmidt — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 18:16:14 -0800

Link to the November 19th front page Wall Street Journal article which discusses how Oil company officials believe we are facing significant constraints to increasing oil production.

http://www.energybulletin.net/37382.html

Two responses from the peak oil community posted on Energy Bulletin.net.

The Peak Oil Crisis: Wall Street comes to reality by Tom Whipple of Falls Church News-Press.

http://www.energybulletin.net/37523.html

which discusses the spin by WSJ and how this is still a dramatic admission.

Response to WSJ article by the Oil Drum's Gail Tverberg:

http://www.energybulletin.net/37438.html

Excellent refutation of the line in the article "Traditional peak-oil theorists, many of whom are industry outsiders or retired geologists, have argued that global oil production will soon peak and enter an irreversible decline because nearly half the available oil in the world has been pumped. They've been proved wrong so often that their theory has become debased."

As well as an excellent explanation of peak oil with good graphs of the present plateau.

Post Carbon Salt Lake

Film Screening - The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil

JeanArnold — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 15:46:32 -0800

Start: 2007-11-07 18:00

End: 2007-11-07 20:00

Post Carbon Salt Lake

STEP IT UP 2007: NO NEW COAL

JeanArnold — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 20:23:37 -0700

Start: 2007-11-03 19:00

End: 2007-11-03 21:30

Post Carbon Salt Lake

Letter writing guidelines

KJD — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 20:54:00 -0700

This was submitted by Brenden Kendall. There is some good information here.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Guidelines for Writing a Letter to Your (Soon-to-Be) Elected Representative

It’s easy to forget the value of directly contacting our elected representatives and candidates for public office. Since the peak of world oil production, or “peak oil”, is an often unknown or underestimated scenario, establishing its visibility and importance for public officials is crucial. The same goes for “relocalization”, the reinvigoration of local infrastructure, economies, communities, and resource cycles. To establish visibility, groups of concerned citizens must generate sufficient comment about the issue. To be convincing of the issue’s import, those groups must craft unique, persuasive comments. That’s why we’re providing you the guidelines below rather than just another form letter. These guidelines, used to build a brief and pithy letter under one page in length, should help you craft an effective appeal to your candidate or representative.

♣ Establish who you are. Are you a “concerned citizen”? Are you actively involved with Post Carbon Salt Lake? (Our group can use all of the exposure we can get!) Are you an employee of a prominent local business or organization? Use these identities to your advantage and to the advantage of those groups.
♣ Establish relocalization and/or peak oil as your topic. Provide a basic description that compels the interest of the reader. Establish peak oil as a problem and relocalization an opportunity. Provide useful references, such as PCSL’s website, http://www.relocalize.net/groups/saltlake.
♣ Explain why you’re concerned about peak oil and/or relocalization. Do you have particular concerns related to these topics? Do you get all hot and bothered about food production and distribution, transit, housing, energy procurement and use, or something else? Tackle the sub-issues that interest you. Being specific makes your letter more emotionally honest and intellectually interesting.
♣ Explain why the person to whom you’re writing should be concerned about peak oil. A few statements telling this person why there important serve several functions. They can stoke the recipient’s self-esteem and sense of efficacy. Also, such statements can personalize the letter. Why did you write this decision maker – beyond the fact that they are a decision maker and opinion leader, perhaps – in addition to or instead of other individuals?
♣ Make connections between their platforms/professional history and the actions necessary to mitigate the effects of peak oil or to relocalize Utah communities. Appeal to the common ground between your personal and political interests, perhaps those of PCSL, and those of the recipient of the letter. Demonstrate the programs or ideas espoused by this candidate that are to some degree consonant with the requirements of peak oil and relocalization.
♣ Call for action. What do you want this person to do about this issue and your letter? Some possibilities include:
o request a response to your letter,
o request that the recipient study peak oil further,
o ask the recipient to see a peak oil/presentation by a member of our group (Jean Arnold has conducted presentations with the two remaining ’07 Salt Lake City mayoral candidates),
o ask the candidate/official to talk about peak oil in their regular professional capacity,
o ask that the recipient support specific extant groups or initiatives,
o ask that the recipient initiate further initiatives, such as convening a peak oil task force much like that in Portland, Oregon: http://www.portlandonline.com/osd/index.cfm?&a=150007&c=41625.
♣ Close with the emotional tenor you hope to convey. Do you want to convey appreciation for the attention to your letter, urgency about the issue, optimism about the ability of the recipient to create change, or something else? This, the closing paragraph of the letter, is where you “frame” everything that came before. Make sure its emotional tenor is consonant with much of the rest of the letter.
♣ Provide your contact information. If you want a response, provide this person or their staff with a way to get in touch with you. Providing your contact information also signals the import of your concerns, as doing so implies that you want to take the time to hear a response.
♣ Tell others to make contact, and keep Post Carbon Salt Lake abreast of inroads you make with your letters and contacts. Encourage others to participate in the democratic process as you have. Contact PCSL representatives about any dialogue you strike up on the issue. The information you provide will be important to our membership.

Thanks for doing your part in the democratic process, and for working on issues related to peak oil and relocalization. Generating a community of sentiment and action is inspiring and imperative!

Post Carbon Salt Lake

HEAL Utah - The pros and cons of the Nuclear-card

Sam Schmidt — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 11:14:49 -0700

Start: 2007-10-05 19:00

End: 2007-10-05 21:00

Post Carbon Salt Lake

Crude the incrdible jouney Online

KJD — Sat, 26 May 2007 16:34:33 -0700

If you read the energybulletin every day then you may have spotted this already.

This is a well done documentry on a subject we all know. I liked part 2 the best, but part one was still interesting. http://www.abc.net.au/science/crude/

Post Carbon Salt Lake

Real Energy Solutions: Dan Syroid PowerPoint on Solar Energy and Electric Vehicles to SLC Green Team

Sam Schmidt — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 19:48:11 -0700

Start: 2007-05-11 12:00

End: 2007-05-11 13:00

Post Carbon Salt Lake

Utah Moms for Clean Air Meeting

Sam Schmidt — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 19:40:12 -0700

Start: 2007-05-02 18:30

End: 2007-05-02 20:00

Post Carbon Salt Lake

Hearing Air Quality Board: Utah Moms for Clean Air Action

Sam Schmidt — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 19:35:13 -0700

Start: 2007-05-02 13:30

End: 2007-05-02 15:00

Post Carbon Salt Lake

Utah Sustainability: Calendar and Community Action Website

Sam Schmidt — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 18:58:32 -0700

Post Carbon Salt Lake

LECTURE: “America’s Time Famine,” by John De Graafe (author of AFFLUENZA)

Sam Schmidt — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 15:08:59 -0700

Start: 2007-04-14 13:00

End: 2007-04-14 14:30

Post Carbon Salt Lake

Film Screening: "Crude Impact" at University of Utah

Sam Schmidt — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 20:40:16 -0700

Start: 2007-04-19 18:30

End: 2007-04-19 20:30

Post Carbon Salt Lake

EarthJam 2007 Celebration of Earth Day - Visit PCSL table

Sam Schmidt — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 20:33:16 -0700

Start: 2007-04-22 12:00

End: 2007-04-22 21:00

Post Carbon Salt Lake

Step It Up 2007 National Day of Climate Action

Sam Schmidt — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 20:21:51 -0700

Start: 2007-04-14 15:00

End: 2007-04-14 19:00

Post Carbon Salt Lake

Jim Kunstler at Commonwealth Club of CA

KJD — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 19:34:56 -0700

If you have read the Long Emergency then you know what a great writer and speaker Jim Kunstler is. Listen to the audio of his latest talk at this address below. MP3 version works great, enjoy.

http://www.theoildrum.com/node/2420

Post Carbon Salt Lake

Portland Peak Oil Task Force Releases Final Report

cunderwo — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 11:22:35 -0700

Portland is leading the way and may be a good model to follow.

"Over the past six months, the Peak Oil Task Force held more than 40 meetings and involved dozens of policymakers, experts, stakeholders and interested citizens in gathering information and preparing a draft report for public comment. The final version of the report is now ready, and was presented to City Council on March 7, 2007. City Council passed resolution No. 36488 in response.

The 86-page final report, titled “Descending the Oil Peak: Navigating the Transition from Oil and Natural Gas,” includes recommendations to reduce oil use and strengthen the community’s ability to respond to social and economic stress. "

Here is the link to their report:
http://www.portlandonline.com/osd/index.cfm?c=ecije

Post Carbon Salt Lake

Peak Oil and 911 Documentary Free Online

cunderwo — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 10:59:01 -0700

There is a good documentary available to watch on the internet called "Oil. Smoke and Mirrors". The whole documentary consists of interviews with the usual peak oil activists, (Cambell, Heinberg). The first half is all about peak oil. The second half is about how Peak Oil is related to 911 and the War on Terror. They make a pretty good argument for government complicity, but can't prove it.

Here is the link:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8677389869548020370

Post Carbon Salt Lake

Saudi Arabian Oil Production Declines 8% in 2006

Sam Schmidt — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 18:37:24 -0700

Saudi Arabian oil declines 8% in 2006

Stuart Staniford of The Oil Drum explains why he believes Saudi Arabia oil production has peaked using data from four different sources fit to a linear graph. Another graph compares the decline in production to the increased rig count in the country. Needless to say, if Staniford's reasoning turns out to be correct, the world has probably peaked, given the centrality of Ghawar and Saudi Arabia to the question.

http://www.theoildrum.com/node/2325

Post Carbon Salt Lake

Film Screening: "The Power of Community" hosted by Post Carbon Salt Lake

Sam Schmidt — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 17:35:49 -0800

Start: 2007-03-30 19:30

End: 2007-03-30 21:30

Post Carbon Salt Lake

Jean Arnold on Peak Oil: Powerpoint Presentation to SLC Green Team

Sam Schmidt — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 19:56:44 -0800

Start: 2007-03-09 12:00

End: 2007-03-09 13:00

Post Carbon Salt Lake

William Rees - Author of "Our Ecological Footprint"

Sam Schmidt — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 11:14:02 -0800

Start: 2007-03-12 16:30

End: 2007-03-12 18:00

Post Carbon Salt Lake

LinkTV - End of Oil Documentary

cunderwo — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 00:54:13 -0800

There is a Dish Network and DirectTV channel called LinkTV which is owned by a nonprofit corp. in California whose purpose is to educate the public. They will be airing a 4 hour 2 part documentary called the End of Oil on March 1st and 2nd, between 5pm and 12AM. For more info her is the link:
http://www.linktv.org/programming/programDescription.php4?code=end_oil1

If someone receives this channel, please record it to add to our library.

Post Carbon Salt Lake

The Globalocal Food Movement: Act Globally, Eat Locally - Notes from a Bioneers Conference Talk

Sam Schmidt — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 20:38:04 -0800

THE GLOBALOCAL FOOD MOVEMENT: ACT GLOBALLY, EAT LOCALLY – October 20, 2007

Neva Hassanein spoke about a COMMUNITY FOOD ASSESSMENT done in Missoula County
Hassanein is a professor of Environmental Studies, University of Montana, community organizer and author of “Changing the Way America Farms”

About 30 of these studies have been done around the country. They are a look at a local food system for its assets & challenges. This process gives a clearer understanding of how the food system works. These studies involve a lot of people in the process, and bring disparate groups together.

Here is what happened in Missoula:

The analysis was used for recommendations for change, looking at:
1. Production
2. Processing
3. Distribution
4. Consumption

Fifteen were on Steering Committee to guide process & research, and came up with recommendations. Fifteen students did research, and 700 people participated – farmers, ranchers, consumers – in interviews, focus groups, and surveys. When the findings were publicly released, the room was packed. The process emphasized participation – collaboration between the university & community.

One major outcome: Community Food & Agriculture Coalition (Food Policy Council) to promote policies and projects that will:
1. Support local farms
2. Move Missoula toward regional self-reliance
3. Provide access for all to healthy & affordable foods

Other outcomes:
1. Farm-to-school program
2. Inventorying agricultural lands in and near the city to promote farmland protection
3. Pushing for changes to subdivision regulations, so to stem tide of farmland loss
4. Setting up “land link program” to connect people with agricultural land who don’t want to farm it, with people who are looking for farmland to either lease or buy
5. Partnering with local farmer’s markets to take electronic food stamps
6. Educating public
7. Celebrating place they live through harvest festival

Hassanein then noted that it is predicted that there will be no more agriculture in central valley of California in 100 years, due to development pressures.

For more information, visit The Community Food and Agriculture Coalition’s website: http://www.umt.edu/cfa/

Great quote from Michael Pollan, author of “Omnivore’s Dilemna” who also spoke:

"We have an industrial food system that is unsustainable in many ways…What that really means though (let's recover the meaning of that word) is that it will break down...it cannot go on as it has. There are many people in that system who recognize that fact. When it breaks down we sure want to have another way to eat. That way may be organic....We could move the whole country to industrial organic agriculture, but that could fail us, too. It could fail us on the energy front most quickly of all. Again, we have energy to think about and that's a huge part of it, and we need a way to eat when the cheap oil runs out...."

Post Carbon Salt Lake

Catastrophe: Man, Nature & Climate Change with Elizabeth Kolbert

Sam Schmidt — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 16:56:23 -0800

Start: 2007-02-28 19:00

End: 2007-02-28 21:00

Post Carbon Salt Lake

5th Annual Community Supported Agriculture Open House

Sam Schmidt — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 20:32:53 -0800

Start: 2007-02-21 18:30

End: 2007-02-21 20:30

Post Carbon Salt Lake

Allied Organizations

JeanArnold — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 16:30:56 -0800

Post Carbon Salt Lake has sought to discover organizations already working towards goals of achieving relocalization (local food, local economy, and local renewable energy) – all needed to prepare for the “energy descent” brought on by Peak Oil. We encourage people to get involved in these groups, or form allliances with them.

American Institute of Architects’ initiative for sustainability
www.aia.org/release_121905_fossilfuel

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has adopted position statements to promote sustainable design and resource conservation to achieve a minimum reduction of fifty percent of the current consumption level of fossil fuels used to construct and operate buildings by the year 2010. In order to accomplish this goal, the AIA will collaborate with other national and international organizations, the scientific research community, and the public health community. As part of this initiative, the AIA will also develop and promote the integration of sustainability into the curriculum for the education of architects and architecture students, so that this core principle becomes a guiding mindset for current and future architects.

BALLE – Business Alliance for Local Living Economies
http://www.livingeconomies.org
See Vest Pocket Coalition for local contact information

BALLE is a growing alliance of business people around the US and Canada, who join BALLE networks dedicated to building local living economies. BALLE comprises 42 such business networks with more than 12,000 business members overall. It is our mission to catalyze, strengthen, and connect these local business networks.

Great Salt Lake Resource Conservation & Development
www.greatsaltlakercd.org
Jeff Williams – Coordinator
(801) 263-3204 x14
Jeff.Williams (at) ut.usda.gov

The Great Salt Lake RC&D is one of seven RC&D Councils in Utah, serving Tooele, Salt Lake, Davis, Weber and Morgan counties. Some of its benefits and projects include:

• Land Conservation: Helping to conserve open space and other land, improves soil quality, reduces soil erosion, and reduces sediment in water supplies.
• Water Management: Encouraging wise water use, controlling flooding, and improving the quality of local water supplies.
• Land Management: Working to protect agricultural land, energy conservation, and protection of fish and wildlife habitat.
• Community Support Agriculture (CSA): Facilitating the creation and expansion of CSA operations around Utah.

HEAL Utah (Healthy Environment Alliance of Utah)
www.healutah.org
John Urgo – Outreach Director
(801) 355-5055
john (at) healutah.org

HEAL Utah is protecting public health from nuclear and toxic wastes. Heal Utah is a watchdog for Energy Solutions. The group is particularly active during the legislative season with numerous relevant issues in front of the legislature. Visit the website to learn about the many opportunities to get involved. We may never be successful at keeping out all radioactive waste from Utah until we address all of our energy issues. Heal Utah has recently made energy issues a cornerstone in their focus, by supporting efforts to promote the development of renewable energy and energy efficiency in Utah.

Kilowatt Ours (A Plan to Re-energize America)
www.kilowattours.org
Janna Simonsen
(801) 232-1387
jannasimonsen (at) yahoo.com

Kilowatt Ours is a film that reveals the consequences of our coal powered economy. The documentary advocates energy conservation and renewable energy. The website provides links for information on how to increase the energy efficiency of your home.

Local First (Buy Local First Utah)
www.localfirst.org
Gavin Noyes – Executive Director
(801) 828-0676
gavin (at) localfirst.org

This is the largest local first campaign in the country. A business is defined as local if business ownership totaling more than 51% are Utah residents. Franchises are not allowed to join. There is a large sustainability component. There are 759 listings on the Local First website. Provides opposition to big box stores. For information about “Big-Box Swindle,” a DVD of a lecture by Stacey Mitchell, author of a book by the same name, contact Gavin.

Net Impact
www.netimpactslc.org
Steve Klass
(801) 484-5322
steve (at) netimpactslc.org

Net Impact is an international organization with a mission to improve the world by growing and strengthening a network of new leaders who are using the power of business to make a positive net social, environmental, and economic impact. Shorthand terms frequently used for this approach to business are corporate social responsibility (CSR) and the triple bottom line (social, environmental, and economic impact).

Post Carbon Salt Lake
www.relocalize.net/groups/saltlake
Jean Arnold – Coordinator
(801) 582-4148
PCSLC (at) comcast.net

Post Carbon Salt Lake seeks to raise awareness in our community about peak oil and the need to prepare for “energy descent” by transitioning to reduced-energy lifestyles and by strengthening communities - promoting local food, local economy, and local energy. We regularly host meetings and film screenings and can provide Powerpoint lectures to groups.

ReDirect Guide (Resource for healthy and sustainable living)
www.redirectguide.com
(801) 994-1844
Kirsten Gellella - Publisher, Creative Director, Illustrator
kirsten (at) rediredtguide.com
Bridget Stuchly - Account Representative
bridget (at) redirectguide.com

This is a directory of businesses & services that make environmentally friendly, sustainable living accessible and easy. This guide has an incredible amount of information in easy to locate categories like Community, Educate, Alphabetical, Categorical and Marketplace.

SEED (Sustainable Environments and Ecological Design)
www.sa.utah.edu/bennion/students/seed.htm
Lindsay Clark – Program Director for SEED 2006/2007
(801) 450-4495
lindsay.clark (at) utah.edu

SEED is a student-based group at the University of Utah. The group focuses on education about sustainability – the search for balance between economy, society, and the environment.
SEED has two primary focuses:
• SEED is part of a movement to transform the University of Utah into a more sustainable campus through the Sustainable Campus Initiative
• SEED also promotes sustainable environments by helping students explore our interaction with the land. By building community gardens, such as at the Realms of Inquiry School and the Day Riverside Library, students learn about sustainable environments as they help the garden grow.

Sierra Club’s Utah Smart Energy Campaign
www.utah.sierraclub.org/
Utah Chapter of the Sierra Club
Tim Wagner
(801) 467-9294, ext 4
timwagner (at) sierraclub.org

The Sierra Club’s Utah Smart Energy Campaign advocates for the positive choice … RENEWABLE ENERGY! The Utah Chapter is committed to promoting a more progressive energy future in Utah, and helps people learn how they can influence public policy.

Slow Food Utah
www.slowfoodutah.org
Christie Paulson – Conviva Leader
SlowFoodUtah (at) xmission.com

The mission of Slow Food is good, clean, and fair food. Slow Food people are connoisseurs of taste, protectors of food heritage, and champions of local producers. Slow Food is a non–profit, eco-gastronomic member-supported organization that was founded in 1989 to counteract fast food and fast life, the disappearance of local food traditions and people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from, how it tastes and how our food choices affect the rest of the world.

TreeUtah
www.treeutah.org
Jeff Ward – Executive Director
(801) 364-2122
treeutah (at) treeutah.org

TreeUtah is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the planting and care of trees around the state. Through the planting of trees, we hope to inspire and empower our community to become better stewards of our natural environment.

Utah Biodiesel Cooperative
www.utahbiodiesel.org
(435) 649-0316
info (at) utahbiodiesel.org

Utah Biodiesel Cooperative is a charitable non-profit organization dedicated to advocacy, research, and education of environmentally sustainable biodiesel fuel for on- road and off- road vehicle use in government, business, and private use. We manage an e-mail list and database for anyone interested in using biodiesel. These services are open to anyone, even if they are not a member of the organization.

Utah Clean Cities
www.utahcleancities.org
Beverly Miller – Director / President
(801) 535-7736
beverly.miller (at) slcgov.com

Utah (formerly Salt Lake) Clean Cities Coalition is one of 85 coalitions around the country that's part of the U.S. Department of Energy's strategy to reduce America's dependence on imported foreign oil. To achieve this goal, the Utah Clean Cities Coalition advocates for the increased use of alternative fuel vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, fuel economy and efficiency, "blends" of ethanol and biodiesel, and engine idle reduction.

Utah Clean Energy
www.utahcleanenergy.org/index.html
Sarah Wright – Executive Director
(801) 363-4046
sarah (at) utahcleanenergy.org

Utah Clean Energy works to speed the transition to a cleaner, safer, more sustainable energy future. Through advocacy, education, and diverse partnerships, we advance renewable energy and energy efficiency.
Organizational Aims:
• Promote policy change that positively influences the economic factors that drive energy development decisions and investments in new energy technologies.
• Develop community-based economics from local generation of energy sources and increased energy efficiency measures; ensure local participation and accountability in local energy issues.
• Encourage businesses, local governments and Utah citizens to engage in behaviors that support clean energy use and the efficient use of our energy resources.
• Provide public education and outreach that increases awareness and understanding of the environmental and economic implications of our current electricity portfolio.

Utah Community Gardens
Mandi Herbert – Government Outreach Chair
(801) 792-6073
happihippielady (at) hotmail.com

A non-profit youth-run, organic community garden. We are self-sufficient by selling some crops at farmers’ markets. The remainder of the harvests is donated to families in need, such as Utah Food Bank and refugees. Goal: one community garden for two high schools, most food donated, complete with water saving drip system & organic compost. The group has four gardens now and is looking for fifteen by 2010. The space for gardens is donated from lands in the area.

Utah Population and Environment Coalition
www.utahpop.org/vitalsigns
Sandra McIntyre – Project Director
(801) 484-5308
smcintyre(at) utahpop.org

The Utah Population and Environment Coalition is proud to announce a new research project to evaluate how well Utah is sustaining its unique natural heritage. Working with partner organizations, the Utah Vital Signs project is developing an Ecological Footprint for Utah, comparing consumption to biocapacity. The first report, Utah Vital Signs 2007, will be published in May 2007, along with open-access data, press kits, and educational materials.

Utah Society for Environmental Education
www.usee.org
(801) 328-1549
info (at) usee.org

The Utah Society for Environmental Education (USEE) fosters environmental knowledge, skills, attitudes, and actions that serve to expand the quality, scope and effectiveness of environmental education. USEE provides discussion courses, professional development for educators, and support services for environmental education providers. The society offers courses and certification in Deep Ecology, Voluntary Simplicity, Sense of Place, Global Warming CO2 changing course, and Healthy Children Healthy Planet.

Vest Pocket Business Coalition
www.vestpocket.org
Ellen Reddick – President
(801) 581-0369
ellen (at) elitebusinesscommunications.com

The Vest Pocket Coalition is a group of locally owned and managed independent businesses who are passionate about their community and about their unique contributions to it. The Coalition works actively to ensure the future of Salt Lake’s local independent businesses, so that we continue to contribute to Salt Lake’s rich character and vibrant quality of life. As a group, we believe that by preserving what is unique about our city, we can all continue to thrive as well as avoid becoming “Anywhere USA.”

Wasatch Commons Co-housing
www.econ.utah.edu/~ehrbar/coho/index.htm
Mike Polacek
(801) 972-3773
mpolacek1 (at) msn.com
Hans Erhbar
ehrbar (at) economics.utah.edu

An environmentally sensitive co-housing community 10 minutes from downtown Salt Lake City. Balancing privacy needs with community living, including an on-site organic community garden, shared meals & responsibilities, and wonderful people.

Wasatch Community Gardens
www.wasatchgardens.org
(801) 359-2658
admin (at) wasatchgardens.org

Wasatch Community Gardens helps people grow and share fresh produce. The group is an active resource for sustainable organic gardening. They have four urban gardens and sponsor free workshops such as how to can food and make compost. They work to procure land in the cities. They also teach urban youth responsibility, cooperation and ecological awareness.

Post Carbon Salt Lake

Electric Vehicle information

KJD — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 21:37:29 -0800

There are several companies that are near to producing production quality full electric vehicles. I will list these in order of my favorites first.

www.teslamotors.com

www.phoenixmotorcars.com

www.acpropulsion.com

www.commutercars.com

www.ebay.com
If the new EV vehicles are a bit out of your price range ( like me ) there are sources of used vehicles if you look for them. ebay is a good source for slightly used electric vehicles. As with anything else used "buyer beware". Check the feedback rating and ask tons of questions before you bid.

http://www.austinev.org/index.html
Austin EV Trading Post is another good source of used vehicles.

http://www.eaaev.org/ Electric auto association has some good links.

Books

Convert It by Michael Brown and Sheri Prange. It is somewhat dated, but there is still a ton of good information in this book. It was listed on Amazon for 24.95

Secrets of El Ninja by John Bidwell. This book can be purchased on the www.21wheels web site. Cost is 40 dollars. This is a how to guide for building an electric motorcycle.

Post Carbon Salt Lake

Electric Vehicle information

KJD — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 21:27:41 -0800

There are several companies that are near to producing production quality full electric vehicles. I will list these in order of my favorites first.

www.teslamotors.com

www.phoenixmotorcars.com

www.acpropulsion.com

www.commutercars.com

http://www.austinev.org/index.html
Austin EV Trading Post is another good source of used vehicles.

http://www.eaaev.org/ Electric auto association has some good links.

Books

Convert It by Michael Brown and Sheri Prange. It is somewhat dated, but there is still a ton of good information in this book. It was listed on Amazon for 24.95

Secrets of El Ninja by John Bidwell. This book can be purchased on the www.21wheels web site. Cost is 40 dollars. This is a how to guide for building an electric motorcycle.

Post Carbon Salt Lake

Electric Vehicle information

KJD — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 21:24:42 -0800

There are several companies that are near to producing production quality full electric vehicles. I will list these in order of my favorites first.

www.teslamotors.com

www.phoenixmotorcars.com

www.acpropulsion.com

www.commutercars.com

http://www.austinev.org/index.html
Austin EV Trading Post is another good source of used vehicles.

http://www.eaaev.org/ Electric auto association has some good links.

Books

Convert It by Michael Brown and Sheri Prange. It is somewhat dated, but there is still a ton of good information in this book. It was listed on Amazon for 24.95

Secrets of El Ninja by John Bidwell. This book can be purchased on the www.21wheels web site. Cost is 40 dollars. This is a how to guide for building an electric motorcycle.

Post Carbon Salt Lake

Ken Deffeyes Peak Oil Update

Sam Schmidt — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 20:11:37 -0800

Ken Deffeyes, author of "Hubbert's Peak - The Impending World Oil Shortage", gives a January 19th, 2007 update reaffirming his belief that 2005 will be the year that Peak Oil was reached globally. Ken Deffeyes is a retired geologist who taught at Princeton and was a colleague of M. King Hubbert (who predicted in 1956 that US production would peak in 1970). This update provides a good introduction to Deffeyes understanding of the issue and his substantial humor in explaining it.

http://www.princeton.edu/hubbert/current-events.html

Post Carbon Salt Lake

Screening: "Who Killed the Electric Car?" with discussion following

JeanArnold — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 15:29:13 -0800

Start: 2007-02-13 18:30

End: 2007-02-13 21:00

Post Carbon Salt Lake

Oil Production at Cantarell Declines 25% in 2006

KJD — Sat, 03 Feb 2007 10:11:46 -0800

The largest oil field in Mexico has declined at a much faster rate than most predicted just a year ago.

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2007/01/oil_production_.html

What effect will this have on total world production and the timing of world peak oil? According to Matthew Simmons the result could be profound. Others are not so sure.

http://www.theoildrum.com/node/2239

So what do you think. Are we there yet?

Post Carbon Salt Lake

Energy Film Festival

JeanArnold — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 09:44:02 -0800

Start: 2007-02-17 13:00

End: 2007-02-17 18:00

Post Carbon Salt Lake

Comparison: Peak Oil Resolutions & Climate Change Agreements

JeanArnold — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 08:40:41 -0800

A chart is now available on the Relocalization Network comparing Peak Oil Resolutions with Mayor's Climate Change Agreements:

PEAK OIL RESOLUTIONS AND MAYOR'S CLIMATE PROTECTION AGREEMENTS

This comparison is very helpful in noting similarities and differences between the two types of initiatives. Both proposals emphasize conservation and reduction of CO2 emissions, listing similar means of accomplishing this. However, the Climate Protection Agreements do not take into consideration the serious impact depleting petroleum supplies will likely have communities.

The Peak Oil Resolutions suggest that we must go much deeper and further, and involve the entire community on a deeper level than the Climate Change Agreements - emphasizing the need for education at all levels of society about the need to reduce energy consumption. They call for farmland preservation, more community gardens, planting of fruit and nut trees, and local food assessments. They also call for revitalizing the American rail system, gas taxes, shifting of highway funds to more light rail funding, a carbon tax, speed limit reduction, more local manufacturing, green taxes towards public transportation.

Tim Moerman, an urban planner in Canada, makes this distinction about peak oil and climate change responses: "...peak oil is more demanding in that (1) it doesn't let us set our own targets, it will dictate them and it will be our task to adapt, and (2) it calls for more system-wide thinking and doesn't allow us some of the sloppy/wishful thinking that has characterized many approaches to global warming. For instance, much was made of hydrogen cars and how we'd run them on H2 from renewables... but peak oil forces us to really look at the numbers on how these alternatives would work...Another way to make the link is that global warming--and the decades of denial, half-measures and messing around that led up to where we are now--were in some ways a test run for peak oil. Now we have to make the same leap, only much faster."

Richard Heinberg recently wrote an excellent article, "Bridging Peak Oil and Climate Change Activism," describing differences in perception between depletionists and climate change activists, and ways of finding common ground. These differences must be worked out so that together the two camps can move forward.

Salt Lake City has been an internationally recognized leader in the Climate Change arena...now can we make Peak Oil a prominent issue in the upcoming mayoral race, and can we pursuade our Council members to pass a Peak Oil Resolution and set up a Peak Oil task force?

Post Carbon Salt Lake

Post Carbon Salt Lake & Peak Oil on KSL-TV News

JeanArnold — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 19:46:01 -0800

Post Carbon Salt Lake

Man on a Mission

KJD — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 08:31:46 -0800

Man on a mission is NOT a 19 year old at the MTC :)

This post is about an audio broadcast that is on the www.evworld.com website. I found this audio interview very interesting for a number of reasons. The link to the full post ( about 30 minutes ) is at this address.

http://www.evworld.com/view.cfm?page=article&storyid=1179

Here are a few quick sound bites that may get your attention.

1) Non opec world production was less in 2006 then 2005. First time this has happened.

2) 33 of the 45 oil producing nations have peaked and are now in decline.

3) There is a nation has a 5 point plan to address the end of oil. The 5 point plan consists of these items
a) Conservation
b) Domestic energy production
c) Diversify energy production
d) Reduce pollution
e) Use International cooperation to acheive the above goals

What nation has this 5 point plan? ( Hint it is not USA )
Listen to the broadcast to find out. The answer may surprise you. :)

Cheers,
Kyle

Post Carbon Salt Lake

Global Dimming

JeanArnold — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 09:02:35 -0800