Post Carbon Montreal

While we consume fossil fuels ...

Toban Black — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 15:21:23 -0700

Andy Rowell at the Oil Change blog -
"Climate change fuelling refugee crisis" (June 17th)
... "the number of refugees is at a record high, fuelled in part by climate change which is causing conflicts around the world." ...

CBC journalism -
"Diseases, heat-related deaths likely to spike from climate change: report" (July 31st)
[via Red Jenny]

Andy Rowell at the Oil Change blog -
"Antarctica: Climate change exposes 'toxic soup'" (May 9th)
"One of the ways climate change will affect us will be in ways we do not expect. We may have climate models, but we cannot predict all the horrors that lie in store." ...

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Andy Rowell at the Oil Change blog -
"Airline emissions 'far higher than previous estimates'" (May 6th)
... "an unpublished study by the world’s leading experts has revealed that airlines are pumping 20 per cent more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than estimates suggest" ...

Matthew McDermott at the Treehugger blog -
"It’s Not You, It’s Me: 33% of China’s CO2 Emissions From Export Manufacturing" (August 5th)
... "33% of China’s emissions come from manufacturing goods intended for overseas sale" ...
(A previous post about this - "‘Chinese’ emissions" )

CBC journalism -
"Globalization being undone by high oil costs: CIBC" (May 27th)
"The high price of energy is undercutting the advantages of globalization by raising transportation costs so much that they are forcing businesses to look closer to home, says a CIBC World Markets report." ...

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Andy Rowell at Oil Change -
"Shell seals $4 billion Iraq deal" (September 10th)
"After a 35 year absence Shell has become the first western oil company to land a major deal with the government in Baghdad since the invasion of the country five years ago." ...
(A related post - "Imperialism and fossil fuels")

AP journalism -
"Exxon Mobil Has Biggest Profit Ever At $11.68B" (July 31st)

BBC journalism -
"Oil prices boost Shell's results" (July 31st )

Emily Murgatroyd at DeSmogBlog -
"US oil company revenue higher than the GDP of Canada" (July 31st)

======

At my blog -
A list of related links and a little commentary -
"Global warming and other energy & carbon -related crises — as well as associated interests"

Toban Black
(http://tobanblack.net/blog/?p=563)

Advocates for Local Living - ALL (Fernie, B.C.)

Local food

Toban Black — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 04:09:45 -0700

A community garden photo by "sbcg08"

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A Wall Street Journal video clip about urban farming [via Wild Green Yonder]
Most of the video revolves around one guy who farms neighbourhood lawns in Colorado.

A "No Impact Man" blog post about urban rooftop farming (which definitely couldn't "save the world")
The post includes photos and some web links

A blog post from Joshua about chickens in urban backyards [via Red Jenny]
Some of the post is about legislation issues

An article by Karen Von Hahn (in The Globe & Mail) -
‘People Are Looking For Roots’
What I found interesting about this one is the author's commentary on the culture (e.g. the nostalgia) around local foods

---

A couple of related posts at my blog:
- Home-grown food
- Suburban farmland in the United States

---

Community garden photo from Groundwork Lawrence

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Toban Black
(http://tobanblack.net/blog/?p=284)

Carp Ridge Ecowellness Centre (CREWC)

It's time to cut our ties to fossil fuels

Toban Black — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 18:26:44 -0700

Elizabeth Douglass in The Los Angeles Times - "Why The Oil Crunch May Grow Worse"
"Peak Oil: The ‘When’ Doesn’t Matter"

What I appreciate about this article is -
a. The tagline about how "The ‘When’ Doesn’t Matter" -- a message that is repeated at the end of the article (and at the end of the exerpts quoted here)
b. How the article clearly communicates the concept of world peak oil. (See the start of the exerpts below.)

---

Exerpts -

Some "dread" "that the world has found all the easy-to-reach oil, and the daily supply of the essential black goo will fall further and further behind escalating global demand."

'As much as you’re uncomfortable with today’s oil prices, these are going to be the good old days,' oil expert Robert L. Hirsch told a recent ... gathering of policymakers and environmentalists."

"'There are more and more people who believe that oil supply prospects are not very optimistic,' said Fatih Birol, chief economist at the Paris-based International Energy Agency."

"Birol counts himself among those who believe the world has reached at least 'a peak of easily accessible oil.' That alone is cause for worry, because many economies are built around the assumption that oil would continue to be cheap and plentiful.

Birol is leading a groundbreaking reassessment of the worldwide outlook for oil supplies, investment and production that many believe will deliver bad news when it is released in November.

"Tyson Slocum, director of the energy program at Public Citizen, a Washington-based consumer group, doesn’t care when the peak will come.

'We should be planning as though we’re there,' he said, 'because from a national interest standpoint, from an economic standpoint and from an environmental standpoint, our dependence on oil, whether it comes from California or Saudi Arabia, is unsustainable.'"

---

The rest of the article is OK.
It's misleading, however, when the author suggests that there isn't extensive analysis and documentation to back up concerns about impending or present world peak oil.

---

Related writing from Richard Heinberg -
Oil Price Falls! Peak Oil a Non-Problem! (July 30th)
..."The fundamental cause of the recent oil price spike has not gone away. Global demand for oil is still increasing; supply isn’t."...

---

Toban Black
(http://tobanblack.net/blog/?p=295)

The G8 summit and global warming

Toban Black — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 11:58:51 -0700

Robert Weissman on the G8 agreement on global warming -

"Dragged down most of all by the anti-leadership of the United States, the G8 announced a commitment to a 50 percent reduction in carbon emissions by 2050. Well, a sort-of commitment.

The best science says the world needs at least an 80 percent reduction from 1990 emissions levels by 2050, and very likely more, so the G8 commitment is totally inadequate on its face.

But the G8 position is even more lame than it first appears. A statement from an environmental coalition including Friends of the Earth International explained the key flaws. 'First, the G8 formula is a global cut,' not imposing particular responsibility on the rich, high carbon-polluting countries. Second, 'the cut has no clear baseline. It was revealing that in announcing it, Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda initially said it was from 1990 levels, then had to take back that statement and subsequently mentioned a 2000 baseline.' Third, the statement is not binding, and 'indeed, the G8 announcement reinforces the G8 as a site for climate action that rivals the UN process [for climate change negotiations] and effectively subverts it.'"

---

Additional reporting from Les Whittington -

"It appears intended to paper over the stark divide between Bush, whose country did not sign the Kyoto treaty, and European countries that favour strong climate change action, [environmental] groups said."

"Antonio Hill, spokesperson for Oxfam International, said, 'At this rate, by 2050 the world will be cooked and the G8 leaders will be long forgotten. Rather than a breakthrough, the G8’s announcement on 2050 is another stalling tactic that does nothing to lower the risk faced by millions of poor people right now,' Hill said."

" 'While the statement may appear as a movement forward, we are concerned that it may, in effect, be a regression from what is required to make a meaningful contribution to meeting the challenges of climate change,' South African Environment Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk said in a statement.

'To be meaningful and credible, a long-term goal must have a base year. It must be underpinned by ambitious mid-term targets and actions,' he said."

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Toban Black
(http://tobanblack.net/blog/?p=245)

Carp Ridge Ecowellness Centre (CREWC)

Is The World About To Be Running On Empty?

Toban Black — Sun, 25 May 2008 08:23:55 -0700

Sustainable Burlington

Rising oil prices

Toban Black — Mon, 19 May 2008 12:11:35 -0700

Andy Rowell - "Oil Price 'May Hit $200 A Barrel'"

"Do you remember the days when oil was only $100? Although there has been speculation in recent days concerning the oil price, one of the most authoritative predictions so far has the price of crude oil at $200 within as little as six months.

The prediction by Goldman Sachs was made as benchmark US light crude passed the $123 mark for the first time. Surging demand was increasingly likely to create a “super-spike” past $200 in six months-to-two years’ time, said Goldman Sachs.

Oil prices have now risen by 25% in the last four months and 400% since 2001. Soaring global demand for oil is being led by China’s continuing economic boom and, to a lesser extent, by India’s rapid economic expansion.

Both are now increasingly competing with the US, the European Union and Japan for the lion’s share of global oil production."

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Toban Black
(http://tobanblack.net/blog/?p=194)

Carp Ridge Ecowellness Centre (CREWC)

May Meeting

durruti — Thu, 08 May 2008 21:15:58 -0700

Start: 2008-05-10 11:00

End: 2008-05-10 13:00

Post Carbon Montreal

May Meeting

durruti — Thu, 08 May 2008 21:15:35 -0700

Start: 2008-05-10 11:00

End: 2008-05-10 13:00

Post Carbon Montreal

May Meeting

durruti — Thu, 08 May 2008 21:12:44 -0700

Start: 2008-05-10 11:00

End: 2008-05-10 13:00

Post Carbon Montreal

May Meeting

durruti — Thu, 08 May 2008 21:07:19 -0700

Start: 2008-05-10 11:00

End: 2008-05-10 13:00

Post Carbon Montreal

Gas prices

Toban Black — Tue, 06 May 2008 06:52:23 -0700

A YouTube video

"My response to an email circulating to '300 million people!' about boycotting major gas companies -

I'd just like to take a moment and comment on the flaw of this plan."...

---

In this video Cassandra stresses how driving less is a way to save money while doing good at the same time.

Toban Black
(http://tobanblack.net/blog/?p=187)

Carp Ridge Ecowellness Centre (CREWC)

End of Suburbia Public Screening

durruti — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 10:41:47 -0700

Start: 2008-04-22 19:00

End: 2008-04-22 21:00

Post Carbon Montreal

April Meeting

durruti — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 10:58:38 -0700

Start: 2008-04-05 11:00

End: 2008-04-05 13:00

Post Carbon Montreal

Update! For New Visitors

durruti — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 10:54:23 -0700

If you found us from the Gazette article, and want to keep abreast of our activities and discussion in a timely fashion, we are currently using a Yahoo Groups discussion list called: MontrealPeakOil. Please sign up, and maybe introduce yourself.

Post Carbon Montreal

lquid fuels from biomass

jaro_in_Montreal — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 13:02:07 -0700

Hi, I'm new here.

"Post Carbon" is a bit beyond post-Peak Oil, but the two are closely related and have interested me for some time.

Liquid fuel from biomass is not quite "Post Carbon," but may be a useful transition.
The point is that liquid fuel from biomass is carbon-neutral, and that it can augment or displace imported oil.

As regards local industry, it is hard to argue with Quebec's decision to back away from developing a corn-based ethanol industry in the province, if that industry is indeed only limited to corn, rather than the huge amount of corn "stover" (corn stalks) produced in the process of growing corn, and the even larger amount (in Quebec) of logging residues.

Unlike edible corn, these corn stover and logging residues are already being produced, without impacts on food, fiber, or lumber costs.

Corn, which is made of starch, is easy to convert to ethanol. But it requires a great deal of energy: The process requires heat in the form of low-grade steam. Steam is one-half of the energy input in the overall process of growing corn and converting it to ethanol.
While farming and forestry residues can be burned to provide the required steam, its a very inefficient process, because this much larger quantity of biomass could also be turned into liquid fuel, instead of a great deal of smoke and ashes.
In fact, it is only by using these farming and forestry residues - instead of corn itself - that liquid fuels can be produced without impacts on food costs.

But the residue biomass is made of cellulose, not starch like corn, and it also requires a great deal of steam heating for the conversion process. It also requires a source of hydrogen, if instead of ethanol we decide to produce "bio-diesel" fuel.
The advantage of biodiesel is that liquid fuel production per ton of biomass is three times that of ethanol.

The old process for converting biomass cellulose to biodiesel fuel is similar to the so-called "Fischer-Tropsch" process for converting coal to liquid fuel.
The big difference is of course that, once that fuel is burned in automobiles etc., the carbon dioxide gas from biomass gets recycled into plants (ie. it is greenhouse gas neutral), whereas coal-derived fuel just keeps adding carbon to the atmosphere.

There are also modern and more efficient methods for converting biomass cellulose to biodiesel fuel, based on sophisticated catalyst chemistry.
But it still requires a great deal of heat and hydrogen input.

Obviously, if we convert the biomass to liquid fuel, instead of burning it to produce steam for the conversion process, then that steam and hydrogen must be obtained from somewhere else.

It turns out that the cleanest and most economical way of producing the steam and hydrogen on a large industrial scale, is by using nuclear power plants.

So instead of Quebec building its first ethanol-processing plant in Varennes, it would make a lot more sense to build a pilot plant for residue biomass-to-biodiesel conversion next to the Gentilly nuclear power station in Becancour.
In the future, the liquid fuel production could be greatly increased, by adding another CANDU reactor or two on the existing site.

Sincerely,

Jaro

Post Carbon Montreal

Home-grown food

Toban Black — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 16:37:51 -0700

Sharon Astyk on what we can gain from home-grown food -

"- Better Food - Fresher, better tasting, straight off the plant food money literally cannot buy!

- Better Health - More nutrition in just picked vegetables, grown without chemicals, while getting the kind of exercise many of us pay the gym for! Safety from industrial food contamination and toxic imports.

- Food Security - Food in your pots as prices get higher, supplies that can’t be disrupted by energy shortages, greater regional self-sufficiency. Millions of new gardeners can make sure that Americans don’t have to wait for distant food supplies to be trucked in - weeks after they are needed. Every gardener makes your region more secure.

- Higher Quality of Life - A more beautiful environment, stronger community, a better environment.

- More Money in your Pocket, More Time for What Matters - If you don’t need as much money for food, or to work as many hours to pay the grocery bills, you can use that money or take that time for what you really care about.

- The Chance to Serve Others and Create a More Just Society - Your [home garden] can be a strike against hunger and poverty - you can have food to donate, and the ability to teach others to fish (ok, garden), and thus, eat for a lifetime.

- Reduce Corporate Power and Improve Democracy - We cannot simultaneously deplore the power corporations have in our society and depend on them to supply our most basic necessities. If we stop giving our hard earned money to the corporations who undermine our democracy, they will be less powerful!

-Protect Against Climate Change - Humus rich soils, full of organic matter can sequester tons of carbon, quite literally - and grow the best vegetables. We reduce our carbon emissions when we don’t have to drive to the store or buy fossil fuel grown food.

- Reduce our Energy Dependence - Fossil fuels are used in agriculture, both industrial and industrial organic at every step, from the fertilizer in the ground to the refrigerated truck to plastic bag they come in. We can eliminated fossil fuels from almost every step when we grow our own.

- Create Peace - We’re at war for oil right now. If we can cut back on our need for the stuff, we don’t have to kill or die for it.

- Hope for the Future - In a changing world, the ability to grow food, to share and enjoy it, and to live in a healthy world full of beautiful gardens may be the best legacy we can our children and grandchildren."

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Toban Black
(http://tobanblack.net/blog/?p=165)

Carp Ridge Ecowellness Centre (CREWC)

Oil depletion and other energy & carbon -related crises -- as well as associated interests

Toban Black — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 16:39:20 -0800

"I used to worry for my grandchildren. Now there is a fairly high probability that I will experience the more severe effects of climate change at first hand."
- Jeremy

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Matt Price (of Environmental Defence) and Allan Adam (of Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation) address issues surrounding the Albertan tar sands in an Ottawa Citizen op ed (February 21st)

Terrance Berg at DeSmogBlog - "Report: Alberta [Tar] Sands Most Destructive Project on Earth" (February 18th) -
Yet "approvals have already been given that will double the size of existing operations"

Joseph Romm on a Chinese liquid coal plant (February 21st) -
"Nothing is worse for the climate than large scale coal-to-liquids. Not even the tar sands."

A coal industry advertisement (in a February blog post)

Mark Trevelyan in Reuters - "Cheap, renewable energy years away: Shell" (February 21st) [via Sharon Astyk] -
"The world faces a doubling of energy demand by 2050 but renewable sources are still too expensive and will take decades to make a big impact, Royal Dutch Shell CEO Jeroen van der Veer said"

Andy Rowell - "[Tar] Sands Firms See Record Year" -
"The Canadian oil industry is poised for record year with 2008 profits rising 18 per cent to nearly $23 billion"

Ross Gelbspan and Kevin Grandia at DeSmogBlog on ExxonMobil profits from oil sales in 2007

Joseph Romm on corporate greenwashing--and "Beyond Petroleum" greenwashing, in particular (February 23rd)

Andy Rowell on how the company that dubbed itself Beyond Petroleum has invested in the Albertan tar sands (February 8th)

Richard Littlemore at DeSmogBlog - "Environment Canada's Muzzle Mandate Available for Viewing" (February 25th) -
"We now have a copy (attached) of the new Media Relations Protocol with which Environment Canada is muzzling its scientists."

Kevin Krolicki in Reuters - "GM [Vice Chairman] Stands by Calling Global Warming a 'Total Crock of Shit'" (February 23rd)

Tom Krisher in the Associated Press - "GM urges automakers to oppose greenhouse-gas limits" (February 9th) -
"General Motors Corp. CEO Rick Wagoner [has] urged a group of auto dealers ... to lobby against individual states trying to set their own limits on greenhouse-gas emissions.

Rachel Oliver for CNN - "Shipping's impact on the air" (January 20th) -
Shipping "emissions could be double the amount everyone previously believed."

A blog post about temperature measurement trends and global warming

Simon on a book with images that show impacts that global warming has had and might have on Spain -
The images show "how tourist paradises sinks down in the sea, how huge wildfires destroy the forests and how severe droughts turns everything to a desert.

Terrance Berg at DeSmogBlog - "First Nations to Alberta Government: Enough Already!" (February 25th) -
"A coalition of First Nations aboriginal groups in Northern Alberta has called for a freeze on all new [tar] sands development"

Simon Lewis in The Guardian - "Climate Change Is Killing Us. It’s Time for a Body Count" (February 26th) -
"Why are we relying on a single, limited, out-of-date study for our information on the numbers of people killed by climate change?"

Michael T. Klare at TomDispatch - "Something Had to Give: How Oil Burst the American Bubble" (February 1st) -
"Oil, in fact, has played a critical, if little commented upon, role in America’s current economic enfeeblement — and it will continue to drain the economy of wealth and vigor for years to come."

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We're in trouble.
Please do what you can--with others--to get us out of this mess!

If not you? Then who? If not now? When?

Please don't assume that others will sort all of this out.
That isn't happening.
Attention to these issues has been very superficial and watered down (as in talk about simple "things you can do," for instance--talk that implies that the ecological problems around us aren't very serious.) Again and again as I've tried to raise energy & carbon issues (such as global warming) through Post-Carbon London I've found that few people out there are very concerned or interested in these crises.

There's much to be done--and very, very soon. Please pitch in.

Battles are underway on many fronts--and, on the whole, they aren't going well. If you've been on the sidelines, please step into the fray.

Toban Black
(http://tobanblack.net/blog/?p=157)

Carp Ridge Ecowellness Centre (CREWC)

"If you care about climate change forget about ‘saving the planet’"

Toban Black — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 16:34:35 -0800

George M. on why we shouldn't ask others to "save the planet" -

"One psychological response to climate change is to find language and images that create distance - to suggest that it will affect someone else in the future. So the talk and images are of ‘climate’ not ‘weather’, polar bears not hedgehogs, African children not our own.

‘The Planet’ is about as distant as one can get - I am not being called on to save my family, my community, my country, my world or even my Earth. It is The Planet - a lump of cold rock seen from space. I’ll be honest - I don’t give a damn about ‘The Planet’ - it means nothing to me."

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George raises other noteworthy points in the rest of his blog post, which is worth reading.

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A related issue (which I've raised here--albeit without editing my comment carefully enough) -

People often imply that global warming will only harm arctic wildlife--and particularly polar bears.
That view is conveyed by these protestors, for instance:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/isisdc/sets/72157602622773240/
http://www.indiescribe.com/2008/02/greenpeace-prot.html
http://www.desmogblog.com/this-oil-sands-campaign-could-show-up-anywhere-in-alberta

How many people will commit to dramatically restructuring their lives and our society in order to save polar bears (and penguins and seals--not to mention less familiar arctic wildlife)?
Very few of us will do so -- and the blog post exerpt above indicates why this is the case. Although it's downright tragic that we are wiping out polar bears and other animals in the arctic, most people are not apt to care much about these distant creatures.

As usual, a radical message--in this case, about how we need to dramatically reshape our way of life in response to global warming--has been watered down.

The phrase "climate change" likewise is a less threatening alternative to talk about "global warming" (or, to be more precise, "global warming and related climate changes.") And neither of these terms are as dramatic as Joseph Romm's phrase "hell and high water," which hasn't caught on (yet). People aren't about to flock to this more frightening way of framing global warming, and George's post--the one quoted above--sheds light on this as well.

Toban Black
(http://tobanblack.net/blog/?p=40)

Carp Ridge Ecowellness Centre (CREWC)

Meeting Agenda and Wiki

durruti — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 13:28:04 -0800

Hello All,
Here's the info on our next meeting:

When: Saturday, March 8, 2008 at 11:00 AM
Where: Second Cup
400-2200 Avenue McGill College
Montreal, QC H3A 3L3

(514) 843-4567

Continuing from discussions at last meeting, here is the proposed agenda:

New Stuff (20 mins)
- Report on Urban Ecology Centre and screenings (local focus: NDG, Milton/Parc; others?)
- Earth Hour Event, March 29
Presentation of Transition Towns initiative, Relocalization Project Guides (20 mins)
Discussion of 12 Steps and Forming a Steering Group (40 mins)
Next Actions and who's doing what (25 mins)
Wrap-up and next meeting - possible meeting space (15 mins)

Please see the "12-Steps" at
http://civitas.homelinux.net/wiki/index.php?n=Main.12StepsOfTransition

BTW, This site is the wiki I metioned -- let me know what you think --
this is easily editable, so it's a good place to hash out any kind of
group texts we want, and we can add a "Français" link when we're ready
to translate stuff -- but any page can be created, French or English.

Please RSVP me by e-mail or at
http://oilawareness.meetup.com/268/calendar/7307823/
thanks,
derekt

Post Carbon Montreal

Unsafe at Any Price ...

Toban Black — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 08:51:53 -0800

Sustainable Burlington

The Ecological Economy

prof — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 02:49:55 -0800

Post Carbon Montreal

Confessing your carbon sins

Toban Black — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 19:44:52 -0800

Sustainable Burlington

Will a carbon tax actually reduce emissions?

Toban Black — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 04:30:06 -0800

Sustainable Burlington

Versatile bicycle parts

Toban Black — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 04:16:31 -0800

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98rXCoEk6vE
http://www.bikeforest.com/?p=77
http://www.blogto.com/arts/2007/12/vidto_pedal_power_vs_toronto_police/
http://www.ecofriend.org/images/bicytaxi.jpg

Bike machines can be semi-motorized, they can be enclosed (rather than leaving riders exposed to the wind and what not), and they can be collaboratively peddled; we have a lot of options.

------

Update -
Related blog posts -
"The Twike"
"Velomobiles"

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Toban Black
(http://tobanblack.net/blog/)

Carp Ridge Ecowellness Centre (CREWC)

February Oil Awareness Meetup

durruti — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 13:14:34 -0800

Start: 2008-02-09 11:00

End: 2008-02-09 13:00

Post Carbon Montreal

Trams, trains and airplanes in Montreal

prof — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 09:32:45 -0800

Small steps yet... but the City of Montreal appears to be seriously considering (again) a rail link to Dorval airport and the West Island - and Lachine is seeking to revive a tram line to downtown. (Tram-train link to West Island studied; http://tinyurl.com/3e2ltu ).

I'm all for the tram line, as I feel it could do a lot to reduce congestion in the downtown area. But is the Dorval train not just in time for a PO-induced reduction in air travel? Should we be encouraging more investment in the high-speed rail line between Montreal and TO (Quebec-Windsor)? Justin Bur of Transport 2000 Canada suggests the latter, but he seems to be walking carefully near the question of air feasibility.

"What the population [in this corridor] is not sufficient for, however, is building high-speed rail while also retaining all the air traffic. Airlines and politicians are legitimately worried about the risk of destabilizing the fragile Canadian air transport system. The way out of this problem is not for lobbyists to block high-speed rail, but rather for airlines to negotiate favorable terms for using high-speed trains to transport passengers bearing airline tickets. This is common practice in Western Europe and of benefit to traveller and airline alike." See http://tinyurl.com/2sqgcf .

Is anyone familiar with the European arrangements in this regard?

Post Carbon Montreal

Ontario to cut down clothesline bans

Toban Black — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 05:17:15 -0800

Sustainable Burlington

PCT makes The Star! Way to go folks! (A request for media outreach ideas.)

prof — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 13:44:46 -0800

Congratulations to Post Carbon Toronto, and especially Dr Lemon, for getting the ear of Tyler Hamilton, the Star's "Energy Reporter". (I wonder how long they've had one of those?) His article is in the Business section for Jan 3, 2008, at http://www.thestar.com/article/290582.

Calling from Montreal, I would like to see a comparable article produced here, and would be grateful for any tips on contacting and/or addressing the media. I believe the time is ripe and many editors may be receptive to addressing the problem... and this may be key to getting it onto the public agenda.

I had a student who managed to get a short piece in the Montreal Mirror, which was helped by the fact that we were having a screening of The End of Suburbia in a public forum. I would appreciate hearing others' experiences of getting press attention, perhaps to build a list of tactics from which others may draw.

Again, congratulations and gratitude.

Shane Mulligan
Montreal

Post Carbon Montreal

Different means and approaches

Toban Black — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 16:01:17 -0800

Kurt Cobb on services, assumptions, and oil depletion -

"Unfortunately, most people, especially those in North America, equate their cars with transportation. They may also equate air-conditioners with a cool environment in summer. And, they may unconsciously think of grocery store shelves as the point of origin for their food. To simply tell them that all of this is coming to an end because it is unsustainable seems to imply that every service they depend on for mobility, comfort and nutrition will abruptly disappear. People either won't believe it or they'll say that the situation as described seems hopeless.

But neither the need for these services nor the means to provide them will disappear. Rather the mode in which they are offered and the cleverness and amount of effort needed to get them will change. The challenge then is to get people to think not about such notions as electric cars, but rather about how to get the mobility they want, say, through public transportation, passenger rail, cycling and even walking. They need to be led to contemplate how they can keep their homes and offices and themselves cool in ways other than turning on their air-conditioners. They need to be encouraged to think about alternatives to getting the food they need such as farmers' markets, local farms, and home or community gardens. In short, they need to participate in the response. All of this seems plainly obvious. The point then is this: It is only half a discussion to talk about the things we'll have to give up after peak oil and not about the ways in which we'll obtain the services those things represent."

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Toban Black
(http://tobanblack.net/blog/)

Carp Ridge Ecowellness Centre (CREWC)

Running On Empty film series

MaureenL — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 16:53:34 -0800

Start: 2008-01-10 19:00

End: 2008-01-31 19:00

Post Carbon Montreal

Canada missing golden opportunity in Bali

Toban Black — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 14:04:37 -0800

Carp Ridge Ecowellness Centre (CREWC)

China’s Not Alone in Environmental Crisis

Toban Black — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 07:37:54 -0800

Sustainable Burlington

Franchises

Toban Black — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 07:29:12 -0800

Franchises take away and obstruct localization, and Wal-Mart is at the forefront of this franchising and the anti-localization that it entails. The documentary Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price addresses these issues (among others). So does the book Big-Box Swindle, which I recommend (even though I found the author's emphasis on buying from more local and more independent businesses to be insufficient to say the least; feeble strategies like that won't do).

Wal-Mart is also closely tied to the energy demands of 'developing' countries like China. Here's a recent article that addresses how Chinese natural material demands are tied to the First 'World': "China’s Not Alone in Environmental Crisis" (Unfortunately, the author doesn't take oil and gas depletion into account, but I'm sure you can see how the article relates to energy reserve issues.)

Of course, vast quantities of carbon energy are also burned up as products and materials are transported around the world...
for now--while supplies last.

Correction - This post is about franchises and chains rather than just franchises

Carp Ridge Ecowellness Centre (CREWC)

... So far the Bali deal is worse than Kyoto

Toban Black — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 15:48:08 -0800

Carp Ridge Ecowellness Centre (CREWC)

Luz: Girl of the Knowing

Toban Black — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 06:01:19 -0800

Part of Luz: Girl of the Knowing - Episode 4 by Claudia Dávila ("Fran") (in Toronto)

Claudia's work is important because she's grappling with oil & gas depletion in a fresh way -- a way that may reach people who haven't connected with other presentations (e.g. The End of Suburbia, e.g. Kunstler's blog, etc).

Of course, the comic is only one approach to the future that might come and how we might respond to it. We can't know what will happen, and there are several strategies and visions out there. Claudia's take is a relatively positive one, I think. She sure isn't advocating a Mad Max or Night of the Living Dead last-one-standing and/or bunker-building vision. So the comic doesn't only put peak oil and gas issues on the table in a new way; it's also a constructive approach.

Carp Ridge Ecowellness Centre (CREWC)