1. Trans-Atlantic Learning and Linking
2. Post Carbon in $450,000 USDA Organic Farm Study
3. Global Public Media
4. Featured Post Carbon Group: Sequim, Washington, USA
5. Energy Farms Network
6. Post Carbon Cities
7. Putting the Heat on Lomborg
8. Forthcoming Events
9. December Preview
Richard's main effort in Europe was to underline the emerging crisis in global agriculture and to strengthen the relocalization movement. To this end, he spoke in the UK at well-attended events organized by the Soil Association and Transition Bristol, and to a conference in Sweden about the future of food. Richard delivered the Soil Association's Lady Eve Balfour Memorial Lecture 2007 "What Will We Eat When the Oil Runs Out." You can listen to the entire lecture or read the transcript on the Soil Association's website. In London he discussed peak oil matters with two members of the UK Parliament. Even though the MPs were from opposing parties (Labor and Conservative), there was no hint of partisanship, and both were already well aware of the decline of oil and natural gas.
Julian's discussions helped reinforce Post Carbon's connections in Britain and Germany. Post Carbon is now a peer review organization with the Energy Watch Group, which is sponsored by a member of the German parliament and has published some of the most powerful new reports on oil, coal and uranium. At the World Renewable Energy Assembly in Bonn, we forged good links with renowned author of books on sustainable cities, Herbert Girardet, and his new organization, the World Future Council, based in Hamburg. In Britain, Julian became a trustee and Vice Chair of the Oil Depletion Analysis Centre, founded by Colin Campbell. Julian also gave a briefing on the energy situation to BedZED (Beddington Zero Energy Development), a model sustainable housing development in the UK created by the BioRegional Development Group. BedZED has done world famous pioneering work to dramatically reduce the carbon footprint of buildings and we look forward to working with them in the future.
"It is clear that there is so much that different nations can and must quickly learn from each other now that it appears oil has peaked, and we do hope that these trips will benefit all our varied efforts aimed at getting society off fossil fuels fast." - Julian Darley
Bomford credited Post Carbon President Julian Darley with inspiring him to seek the USDA grant in a talk last spring about Post Carbon's Energy Farms Network. In the study, Bomford will be looking at the effectiveness of growing organic food and biofuel crops on three small organic farming systems (biointensive, market garden, and small farm). As Post Carbon has argued for years, transitioning to locally-grown food and locally-produced energy is critical for reducing the agricultural use of oil and lowering greenhouse gas emissions.
As part of the collaboration, Post Carbon will be collecting data from similar demonstration farms in Willits, California, Rogue River, Oregon, and Sebastopol, California, and will post short audio, video, and written material generated by this project to Post Carbon Institute's public broadcasting site, Global Public Media.
We're also looking into potentially helping to create a sustainability center at Peninsula College or similar facility, and working with local city and county leaders to take action on these issues. Being a newly formed group, there's lots of work ahead but we're glad to be part of a growing network of people working towards implementing the relocalization strategy and building strong and healthy communities. Our guiding principles include:
- Communication: Raise public awareness of the environmental, economic and social challenges facing Clallam County; build a compelling case for action to meet these challenges.
- Education: Provide detailed information and facilitate the development of skills, knowledge and resources that will be needed within a sustainable local community.
- Community Development: Strengthen ties between community and governmental groups in order to create or enhance local infrastructure to address the challenges we face.
- Demonstration: Take individual and collective action, in whatever ways we each can, to serve as an example of sustainable local community citizenship.
We invite people to take part in the group and come to our meetings which take place every Tuesday night. For more information and details about upcoming film screenings, meetings and guest speaker events, visit us online at sequim.relocalize.net.
5. Energy Farms Network
Brookside Farm
With four new compost piles built, cover crops sown, and winter veggies growing nicely, Brookside Farm in Willits, California, USA is tucked in for the winter. We have had a wonderful mix of deep rain and warm sun to aid with germination and have established good stands of cereals and legumes.
The fall rain provided us with an excellent opportunity to sow over-winter grains in Willits. However, we were not able to secure the 4-6 acres of land we had hoped to plant. In spite of difficulty in acquiring land, we did secure a small parcel to test the Electric Tractor for a couple of days before rain. In initial tests, we found that the machine has ample power to pull heavy implements while the on-board inverter was handy for using power tools in the field. The machine used an average of 110 amps while towing the disc.
Initial calculations suggest that the tractor's 20 kw/hr battery bank would allow around 5 hours of work at 110 amps. The tractor is equipped with an extra, exchangeable 10 kw/hr battery pack. The auxiliary pack would give us another 2 hours of work, boosting total run time to 7 hours on a full charge of batteries. After field tests, we look to work with the designers to modify key components related to steering and braking.
Energy Garden
In preparation for the highly anticipated rains, we have recently installed a rainwater collection system. The system consists of four tanks and a rock and reed constructed wetland. This system is being built to be capable of processing the house's gray water. To do this we will need to go through a process to get a permit from our local authorities. (Gray water is water that comes from the sinks, washing machine, dishwasher, and bathtubs.) Rain water and Gray water systems generally use plants, soil and gravel to clean the waste water. More complex systems like ours use water circulation, aquaculture, and fish to further purify the water.
The Energy Garden is currently planted with cover crops, and brassicas are set to emerge. The cold frames hold tasty salad greens and the peas are vigorously climbing up our front fence.
6. Post Carbon Cities
Last week Post Carbon Cities Program Manager Daniel Lerch wrapped up his five-week book tour to promote Post Carbon Cities: Planning for Energy and Climate Uncertainty, our new guidebook for local governments in the U.S. and Canada. Daniel's whirlwind tour hit 14 different cities in the northeastern United States and Canada, including over 30 events such as public presentations, meetings with local citizen groups, and meetings with local officials and staff. Highlights of the tour included:
- Presentation to city staff in Montréal, Québec
- Meeting with Brattleboro (Vermont) Regional Peak Oil Task Force
- Presentation to city staff in Cambridge and Boston, Massachusetts
- Public presentation in Providence, Rhode Island
- Meetings with local groups in Central Massachusetts
- Presentations and meetings in New York City
- Presentation and workshop for regional planners in Philadelphia
- Meeting with local group in Toronto
The response to the tour has been tremendous. The city of Providence alone ordered 50 copies of Post Carbon Cities following Daniel's visit, and peak oil interest in New England overall is so strong that we're planning on organizing a Post Carbon Cities conference there in Spring 2008, in partnership with local citizen groups and city officials. Read more about the tour in Daniel's posts to the Post Carbon Cities blog, and visit www.postcarboncities.net/guidebook for more information or to order the book.
We're pleased to announce the addition of Laurel Hoyt to our staff! Laurel has taken over as Editor of the Post Carbon Cities website, posting daily news, resources, events and commentary on the challenges cities face with peak oil and climate change; she is also providing research, website, writing and administrative support for the Post Carbon Cities program overall. Prior to joining Post Carbon, Laurel was the Education Coordinator of Free Geek, where she helped this collectively-managed computer recycling and computer training non-profit grow into a national model for community-based technology centers.
7. Putting the Heat on Lomborg
Climate delayers and climate deniers took a major hit this month with the release of the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The report followed on the heels of the announcement that the IPCC would split this year's Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore "for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change." Far from following Lomborg's advice to "Cool It," the chairman of the IPCC said that "Slowing or even reversing the existing trends of global warming is the defining challenge of our age" [italics added]
(See "Climate Panel Does Not Want Us to Cool It")
8. Forthcoming Events
Nov. 29-30, 2007
Environmental Health, Energy, and Transportation: Bringing Health to the Fuel Mixture
Washington, DC, USA
This workshop, one in a series sponsored by the Roundtable on Environmental Health Sciences, Research, and Medicine, will focus on current and emerging environmental issues as they pertain to transportation and U.S. energy policy. This workshop will examine the composition of traditional and alternative fuels and fuel additives and discuss the potential health impacts associated with their use.
Nov. 30, 2007
Renewable Fuels and Green Technology
11355 W. Olympic Blvd. Conference Center West Tower 4th Floor Los Angeles, CA, USA
Bilateral Information Exchange Between California and Brazil to Promote Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction. The seminar will feature ways in which renewable energy projects could represent an innovative strategy for economic development and a significant benefit for the environmental quality of Brazil (on the forefront of renewable energy usage) and California (leader on climate change regulation). It will provide legal practitioners with the latest information and developments in the use of renewable fuels and green technology in California and Brazil.
December 01, 2007
Go Green, Save Green
Jessup, MD, USA
This introductory seminar on green building covers the following topics: steps to reduce energy costs, conservation methods, how to use natural resources on your site; improve indoor air quality; take action in your own homes and lives; use community resources and contacts; and decrease the burden on the local environment.
December 2-4, 2007
Building On the Promise: Canadian Renewable Fuels Summit
Quebec City, QC, Canada
The 4th Annual Canadian Renewable Fuels Association (CRFA) Summit will bring together a diverse and influential group of approximately 800 professionals from throughout North America whose common goal is to promote and discuss the production and utilization of renewable fuels.
December 04 - 06, 2007
Green California Schools Summit
Pasadena, CA, USA
The Green California Schools Summit and Exposition will focus on the strategies, technologies and services that will ensure that new and existing public schools are models of sustainability and provide healthy learning environments for the students.
December 3 - 14, 2007
United Nations Climate Change Conference
Bali, Indonesia
The Conference, hosted by the Government of Indonesia, brings together representatives of over 180 countries together with observers from intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations, and the media. The two week period includes the sessions of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC, its subsidiary bodies as well as the Meeting of the Parties of the Kyoto Protocol. A ministerial segment in the second week will conclude the Conference.
Dec. 7-8, 2007
China's Environment: What Do We Know and How Do We Know It?
University of California, Berkeley, USA
UC Berkeley's China Initiative presents an international lineup of experts including NRDC's Barbara Finamore, Asia Society's Orville Schell, China environmentalist Ma Jun and New York Times Beijing correspondent Jim Yardley to discuss how data on China's environment is collected, verified, disseminated and utilized.
December 8, 2007
KYOTO NOW
Worldwide
Rally Around the Earth for Climate Justice and a Safer, Healthier Planet! Join with people from dozens of countries for the largest planetary day of action yet to stop climate chaos. For information on the rally site nearest you, or to pull together your own rally, go to climatechaos.ca.
Dec. 10-14, 2007
American Geophysical Union Fall National Meeting
San Francisco, CA, USA
This meeting offers an opportunity to learn about the latest research in climate change and more. Some 15,000 scientists are expected to attend.
December 10 - 13, 2007
Ecobuild Fall and AEC-ST Fall
Washington, DC, USA
Ecobuild Fall and AEC-ST Fall is an annual event that goes beyond green to cover the breadth of green building, sustainable design, renewable energy, environmental planning processes and information collaboration strategies for commercial, industrial, institutional and residential construction.
December 11 - 14, 2007
4th ArcticNet Annual Scientific Meeting
Collingwood, ON, Canada
ArcticNet is a Network of Centres of Excellence of Canada that brings together scientists and managers in the natural, human health, and social sciences with their partners in Inuit organizations, northern communities, federal and provincial agencies, and the private sector to study the impacts of climate change in the coastal Canadian Arctic.
8. December Preview
Exciting news about Post Carbon Institute's plans for 2008.
Post Carbon Institute encourages the following courses of action:
- Begin implementing Relocalization strategies in your community
- Please tell a friend about the Post Carbon Institute
- Encourage your friends, family members, co-workers, planners, policy makers, and politicians to subscribe.
- If you're not yet a member of the Relocalization Network, then please sign up
- Donate to Post Carbon Institute
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Post Carbon Institute is a 501c3 registered charity chartered in Eugene, Oregon USA
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Richard Heinberg and Julian Darley have just returned from Europe, where they gave lectures and had in-depth discussions about how North America and Europe can learn from and help each other to move away from fossil fuels in integrated and planned ways. It is never easy to justify burning jet fuel. The goal of these trips is to lay the foundations of systems which will in the future use no petroleum yet still allow sustainable societies to prosper. Richard and Julian both found great interest in bringing climate and peak oil issues together. Achieving unified "peak-climate" policies and actions will surely make the energy transition much easier and more effective.
We are proud to announce our collaboration with 
This month on Global Public Media:
