Post Carbon Toronto (Ontario, Canada)

Dundas Sustainable Lifestyles Project #14

grahamia — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 08:28:16 -0800

Start: 2008-11-16 15:00

End: 2008-11-16 22:00

Post Carbon Oakville

Credit crisis hits energy investment: industry

lifetree76 — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 09:19:03 -0700

Sustainable Burlington

World Town Planning Day November 6th

lifetree76 — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 08:56:33 -0700

Hey folks,

Our municipality is planning a conference on World Town Planning Day. I hope to get as many members from our outpost to attend as possible. If there is one taking place in your area I would suggest checking it out with the possibility of attending.

http://myapa.planning.org/worldtown/index.htm
http://www.ontarioplanners.on.ca/content/Events/wtpd.aspx

Vancouver Area Relocalisation Network

A letter to city hall regarding the Meadowlily retail development proposal

Toban Black — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 16:48:15 -0700

A letter to the municipal goverment in London, Ontario
from the Post-Carbon London steering committee:
(regarding issues that you can learn more about here and — if you dig through recent posts at the following site — here).

--------

London Councillors and City Staff:

The proposed big box retail complex -- far from core areas of London, at 168 Meadowlily Road South -- would further increase our dependency on automobiles and fossil fuels, while leading to further destruction of local farmlands and carbon sinks. This proposal is completely unacceptable, given how it is increasing clear that global warming and fossil fuel depletion (including worldwide "peak oil") are realities that we must face. The sooner our city recognizes these facts and begins taking major steps toward embracing this reality, the better off we will be. While we proactively face fossil fuel depletion and global warming challenges, we also can confront smog, oil spills, and various other social and environmental problems associated with the consumption, distribution, and extraction of fossil fuels.

We must refuse to accept development projects that continue to contribute to global warming. A retail complex far from the core of the city is at odds with these important goals, as consumers will tend to reach such retail outlets in cars -- an inefficient mode of transportation.

In addition, the infrastructure required to support this new retail shopping plaza will be an enormous waste. Although proponents will say that these up front costs will be paid for with development fees and taxes, London will be on the hook for all the maintenance and surrounding upgrades required. In an energy constrained future, the cost of attempting to maintain this infrastructure will be an unnecessary burden on Londoners.

Moreover, we should be preserving precious local farmlands toward the outskirts of inhabited areas of the city -- with the Meadowlily woods, and surrounding carbon sinks. Yet, another heavily trafficked big box retail complex would be a magnet for further construction -- over what presently are important farmlands and carbon sinks that we still can preserve.

Important changes can happen at the local and community level. Our city hall should be a centre of proactive change to help residents to deal with looming energy constraints, while -- at the same time -- mitigating ongoing global warming. This means that our mode of business as usual needs to change; but London does not have to be anti-business to make these changes. Instead, we should support businesses which are suited to a lower carbon and lower energy future. We should not be making choices that clearly are a holdover from a past when we did not understand global warming and energy constraints.

Given the aforementioned grounds for grave concerns about this proposal, London city planners and councillors should stand firm by rejecting this submission, which promotes further steps away from sustainability. Approving this development proposal would be an enormous mistake.

Sincerely,
Post-Carbon London

-------

The Post-Carbon London steering committee co-wrote the above statement (and I don't mean to suggest otherwise by posting it on this blog).

Tonight I was the one from the group who presented a nearly identical version of this letter to the London municipal planning committee at a public participation meeting (which followed an earlier rally to oppose the big box retail development discussed in the above letter).

Vancouver Area Relocalisation Network

Resiliency planning

Toban Black — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 03:08:29 -0700

Hi everyone,

I'm starting this forum thread for discussion about resiliency planning. As some of you here in London, Ontario (in Canada) will know, this Tuesday there was a meeting about the approach that Post-Carbon London will take to implementing that framework -- which we will be doing.

A few possible discussion topics that come to mind:
- How to approach this framework in London
- The types of groups and organizations we should focus on networking with
- Thoughts on how those groups and organizations should be approached about this

---

In a separate post to this thread I'll try to sum up (from memory) some points that were raised at the meeting

---

I have cross-posted this to the Coordinator HUB, where coordinators from other groups on Relocalize.net can respond. (This is an experiment that we haven't tried in this group.) And I have cross-posted this to a few nearby groups (which is unusual for us) -- plus the "Vancouver area" group (since someone from that group has said that they would like posts from our area).

Vancouver Area Relocalisation Network

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." ...

---

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." ...

---

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.)

Why we must "roll" "back" Wal-Mart and other fossil fuelled big box stores

Toban Black — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 20:16:17 -0700

A speech that I read at a September 6th rally against Wal-Mart. (I since have touched it up a little).

-----

Hello everyone.
I’m Toban. I’m an organizer in Post-Carbon London, and I’m a Phd student (which I only say so that you might take me a little more seriously).

There are many important grounds to “roll” “back” Wal-Mart and other companies like Wal-Mart (because of unacceptable and even outrageous exploitation of workers, and many other problems), but today I’ll be raising issues surrounding fossil fuel consumption that we focus on in Post-Carbon London.

Basically, we promote alternatives to fossil fuel usage and dependencies --
through alternative energy sources (such as solar power), through improved energy efficiencies (in home appliances, in some cases), and -- most importantly -- through changes to our way of life. Rejecting big box stores and big box shopping is one way to challenge the fossil fuel consumption in our lives today.

Above all, Post-Carbon London raises fossil fuel issues in response to global warming and oil & gas depletion (including world “peak oil”); this oil peak -- this present or soon-to-come challenge of worldwide peak oil -- will entail skyrocketing gasoline and natural gas prices, and many other related problems (including rising electricity costs, and increasing poverty). Given smog, given ongoing oil spills, and given the incredibly unjust distribution of fossil fuel profits in and around state and commercial enterprises -- as well as numerous other grounds for concern about fossil fuel consumption -- we must cut our ties to these carbon fuels.

Yet, Wal-Mart and companies like Wal-Mart have been driving up the fossil fuel consumption in various ways as their operations have been expanding.

Wal-Mart is a leading importer of overseas products. Over two-thirds of Wal-Mart’s inventory is imported from China -- where factories are fuelled by coal (and dirtier coal at that) -- far more than other energy sources. These products then are shipped to Canada and other countries in oil-fuelled vehicles.

Yet, all of these fossil fuels are burned to sell poor quality ‘goods’ which are considered to be relatively disposable. When these items are replaced, more fossil fuels are burned up, and further pollution is spewed out.

And shoppers usually reach stores like Wal-Mart by car (or van, or truck) -- because these stores are on the outskirts of cities (and other areas where people live), and because of the one-stop-shopping at these stores (where customers buy clothing, appliances, and a wide range of other items during separate trips). Buses and other alternatives to cars also are inadequate and otherwise discouraged. In Post-Carbon London we aren’t completely opposed to cars (or vans, or trucks), but we do object to fossil fuelled automobiles -- that is, the gasoline-fuelled vehicles that generally are driven today. (We also object to electric cars, air cars, and hydrogen cars, in a society that is a long, long, long way from generating adequate electricity, air, or hydrogen for car drivers without significantly relying on coal and other fossil fuels –- which we may prove to be necessary to fuel so many vehicles.) The cars on the road also are not as efficient as they could be, and drivers usually are very wasteful (as cars are driven with one or two people in them, for instance).

Given various forms of fossil fuel consumption behind companies like Wal-Mart, these big box stores are driving us toward more rapid global warming, and toward even more rapid depletion of the more affordable and accessible oil & gas supplies.

In these and other ways, Wal-Mart has been leading a lowering of standards. But we shouldn’t settle “for less” -- which is what Wal-Mart is selling.

So let’s take a stand. Let’s “roll” “back” and “roll” away Wal-Mart and other big box stores.

---

(At the White Oaks mall Wal-Mart in London, Ontario)

---

From this page you can reach a poem and two more speeches that were read at the rally -
http://londonontario.indymedia.org/?q=node/684

---

I'm planning to post a longer version of the above writing.

---

Here are two other relevant rally speeches I've written and presented over the past year -
- "Social and environmental problems and opportunities"
- "Imperialism and fossil fuels"

The "Social and environmental"... speech was on behalf of Post-Carbon London, but the other one was not; and I brought a lot of my own personal perspective to the "Social and environmental"... speech.

(Believe it or not, I'm still planning to post an extended version of the "Imperialism"... piece.)

Toban Black
(http://tobanblack.net/blog/?p=594)

Vancouver Area Relocalisation Network

Photos from the "save our forest city" rally against Wal-Mart

Toban Black — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 20:00:30 -0700

At a September 6th rally against Wal-Mart -

---

On Facebook, Teresa T. also has posted other rally photos.

If you have a Facebook account, you can get to one of those photos here -
http://www.new.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=4199102&o=a...

From there, clicking "next" (at the top-right of the picture) will take you to Teresa's other rally photos.

---

Note:
London, Ontario is often called "the Forest City" -- a name that some consider to be very inappropriate

---

Toban Black
(http://tobanblack.net/blog/?p=586)

Chatham-Kent Oil Age Planning Group (CKOAP Group)

Janet Bike stencils

Toban Black — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 12:23:40 -0700

Selections from a set of photos of stencils about bicycling -

Those photos were taken by Martin Reis.

Janet lives in Toronto.

---

There are more of Janet's stencils at these Flickr pages -
http://www.flickr.com/photos/janetbikegirl/

---

Here's another one -

---

Toban Black
http://tobanblack.net/blog/?p=466

Sustainable Burlington

Local food

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

A community garden photo by "sbcg08"

---

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

---

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."

---

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

Carp Ridge Ecowellness Centre (CREWC)

All Aboard! A July meetup on the future of rail in Canada.

Kjel Oslund — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 07:29:31 -0700

Start: 2008-07-16 19:00

End: 2008-07-16 21:00

Post Carbon Toronto (Ontario, Canada)

Time for Action!

Kjel Oslund — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 19:04:29 -0700

Start: 2008-06-25 19:00

End: 2008-06-25 21:00

Post Carbon Toronto (Ontario, Canada)

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."

---

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

Carp Ridge Ecowellness Centre (CREWC)

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)

Post Carbon Toronto Annual General Meeting

Kjel Oslund — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 18:44:20 -0700

Start: 2008-03-30 15:00

End: 2008-03-30 17:00

Post Carbon Toronto (Ontario, Canada)

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."

------

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

------

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."

------

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."

------

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)

Unsafe at Any Price ...

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

Sustainable Burlington

The future is food

Toban Black — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 06:37:16 -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.

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

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

Carp Ridge Ecowellness Centre (CREWC)

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)

Canada missing golden opportunity in Bali

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

Carp Ridge Ecowellness Centre (CREWC)