Initial items for agenda:

* greet/brief intros

* report on the latest work to regionally premiere(and group preparations for) "Escape From Suburbia" in Eugene Sept. 29 with Community panel, director Greg Greene & producer Dara Rowland(EFS is the pro-active sequel to "The End of Suburbia")

* finalizing draft on outreach material for upcoming public events, such as Sept. 29

* report on Doug & Rob's meeting w/city's new Sustainability Manager Felicity Fahy

* jan's report on his July Kindred Spirits permaculture/culture change WA. State speaking tour

* appointing treasurer for new Post Carbon Eugene bank account

* lobbying to expand farmer's markets to 7 days a week; developing similar expanded county-wide initiatives

* expanding food-growing education and workshops in the community through city, public school, and county initiatives

* developing relocalization education outreach to broad constituencies like the cities' Sustainability Commission, faith-based community, neighborhood associations, and civic organizations

* expanding work on local intiatives/resolutions addressing energy descent, thru group participation
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Post Carbon Eugene meeting notes from 7-25-07

Present: Cindy Biles, Doug Black, Maggie Springer, Charlotte Anthony, Bill Zwicker, Dana Furgerson, Jason Schreiner, Rob Bolman, Thrreen Smith, and Sivananda Ishaya.

Introductions
Charlotte said she was interested in effective gardening and farming techniques, the relocalization of energy, and how people connect.
Maggie said she wanted as many area people as possible to be prepared for energy descent.
Cindy wants to follow what's going on in the area of relocalization.
Rob is applying for a seat on the new city Sustainability Commission even though what he has had to say at previous meetings with mainstream business and civic leaders has often been met with "blank stares." Rob and his partner Melanie Rios will be appearing on the ABC TV show "Wife Swap" on August 6th, representing a couple living in an ecovillage.
Bill and his partner have 'recently' moved to Eugene from the East coast. They are gardening, but want to go further in the direction of sustainability, including shared work and living arrangements. Bill is on the board of the Tamarack Wellness Center, which he says is very interested in sustainability.
Thrreen and Sivananda recently moved to Eugene from North Carolina because they thought it would be a better place to live during energy descent.
Dana attended the transportation panel at the recent Relocalization Conference. She's concerned about outreach to the larger community.
Doug invited Jason to attend this meeting to talk about the recent work of the Cascadia Commonwealth Institute toward appointing members to the Sustainability Commission.

Agenda

* Discuss the appointment of members to the city's Sustainability Commission and the development of a relocalization-oriented program to present to the Commission, including the study of needs relative to energy descent. We also need to work on other local initiatives and resolutions addressing energy descent.

Jason said that the Cascadia Commonwealth Institute wants to "take an agenda with substance to the Commission." The Institute has based its work on the idea of democratizing sustainability, making it something in which all can participate regardless of income. Jason listed five basic principles:

1) The practice of sustainability is a right and a responsibility.

2) As a right, it must be made financially accessible to all.

3) Citizens should take an active, empowered role (the responsibility).

4) Public financing of sustainable projects must reflect their full costs to the ecosystem, the rest of the world, etc.

5) Government should prohibit, penalize, or discourage practices that degrade the commons or add costs to the citizenry. Projects must produce a net gain.

As one of his examples, Jason mentioned that "vitalizing practices" like massage should be made available to all, as well as preventive health and mental health care.
Institute members are working on "substantive policy ideas" that flow from these principles, so that a "researched proposal" can be presented to the Sustainability Commission.
Charlotte expressed concern that the input of the whole community might not be represented if all the proposals are generated by "experts." She added that many examples of positive policy and technology are available in other countries if they can't be found here. Maggie mentioned the health care systems in other countries as an example and recommended Michael Moore's latest film, "Sicko," which shows the health care systems in Canada, England, France, and Cuba.

* Doug mentioned that volunteers are needed to lobby for the expansion of farmer's markets to 7 days a week (on the county level as well), and the expansion of community food-growing education through city, public school, and county initiatives. Maggie said that the Eugene community gardening program is going to attempt to make more plots available next year.

* Doug described plans to regionally premiere "Escape from Suburbia" in Eugene Sept. 29th with director Greg Greene and a post-viewing panel. The film, the pro-active sequel to "The End of Suburbia," will be shown at the Central Presbyterian Church on September 29th. Doug added that he has outreach materials that need to be "re-drafted" to have available at this kind of event. Maggie volunteered to work on this. Suggestions for people to serve on the panel are also welcome. Other films on this subject include "Crude Awakening," "The Eleventh Hour," and "What a Way to Go."

* We discussed the need to work with other groups to develop relocalization education outreach to broad constituencies like the faith-based community, neighborhood associations, and civic organizations. Dana said she gave a successful presentation on peak oil and the need to relocalize at a recent meeting of her neighborhood organization (Crest Drive).

* Maggie mentioned Jeanie's idea (expressed after the last meeting) of getting input from Native elders, perhaps at a fundraising event in the longhouse. Others agreed that this would be a good idea.

* Doug mentioned the need for Post Carbon Eugene participants to share leadership roles with him. Anyone is welcome to register at the website and post information or suggest agenda items for meetings, for example.