Mythmedia Presents: Q and A with Derrick Jensen
Wednesday December 19th, 7pm @ Disjecta (230 E. Burnside)
Advance Tickets $15, Door $18 (tickets @ www.mythmedia.org)

“Civilization is not and can never be sustainable.”

This is the first of fourteen premises in author Derrick Jensen’s revolutionary book Endgame. For the last decade Jensen has written articles and books concerning the problems of civilization and what we must do about them. In Endgame Jensen challenges the values and tactics of some of histories most influential pacifists, the sustainability™ movement and the painful games we play with those in power while trying to save what is left of our environment. The last time Jensen came to Portland, the Q and A went late into the night and ended with many questions unanswered. This time around Jensen is throwing out the reading and going straight to the Q and A!

Location(s)

We sold our Southern California Home in August of 2006 and moved to Tualatin near Portland. The increasing gas prices and recent fires in Southern California make me glad that I have moved here. My wife and I planted a garden and raised corn, bell peepers and celery. We plan to expand this next year. It helps to offset the increasing food prices. I work swing shift which has prevented me from attending evening peak oil events. I am very interested in week end events. I need to make friends with others who are aware of peak oil and plan for our survival.

***PRESS RELEASE***

How sustainable are America's cities and why is Portland ranked #1 out of the largest 50 US cities? How Green is Your City? The SustainLane US City Rankings (New Society Publishers; $22.95) lead author Warren Karlenzig will present at Powell’s World of Books (1005 West Burnside, Portland) this Thursday, May 31st, at 7:30 p.m.

Karlenzig will be introduced by Portland Sustainable Development Commission member and local attorney Kent Snyder.

http://www.powells.com/biblio/9780865715950

http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/165463/

http://www.howgreenisyourcity.com/

See Warren live!

Cheers,

Ken

http://www.mypeakoil.org/growing-food-in-the-post-carbon-age

by Richard Heinberg

There was a time not so long ago when famine was an expected, if not accepted, part of life. Until the 19th century—whether in China, France, India or Britain—food came almost entirely from local sources and harvests were variable. In good years, there was plenty—enough for seasonal feasts and for storage in anticipation of winter and hard times to come; in bad years,starvation cut down the poorest and the weakest—the very young, the old, and the sickly. Sometimes bad years followed one upon another, reducing the size of the population by several percent. This was the normal condition of life in pre-industrial societies, and it persisted for thousands of years.

Today, in America, such a state of affairs is hard to imagine. Food is so cheap and plentiful that obesity is a far more widespread concern than hunger. The average mega-supermarket stocks an impressive array of exotic foods from across the globe, and even staples are typically trucked from hundreds of miles away. Many people in America did go hungry during the Great Depression, but those were times that only the elderly can recall. In the current regime, the desperately poor may experience chronic malnutrition and may miss meals, but for most the dilemma is finding time in the day’s hectic schedule to go to the grocery store or to cook. As a result, fast-food restaurants proliferate: the fare may not be particularly nutritious, but even an hour’s earnings at minimum wage will buy a meal or two. The average American family spent 20 percent of its income on food in 1950; today the figure is 10 percent.

Hosted by:
Prep

Body:
Portland Peak Oil is pleased to announce a new reading circle for the book When Technology Fails by Matthew Stein. This book is an important reference on how to deal with the disruption of services in many critical areas including water, electricity, agriculture, and medical services, and is highly recommended reading.

The reading circle will meet the first Wednesday of every month at St. Francis Church, SE 11th & Pine.

The following months we will cover one chapter per month unless otherwise noted. It will not be necessary to have done the reading to participate in the meetings or online discussions, but it is likely to enhance your level of participation & the quality of your experience. The reading circle is free and open to everyone.

This week we will be reviewing Chapter 4: Emergency Measures for Survival
Contents Include:
Survival Strategies, Basic Strategies, Compact Survival Kit, Developing a Survivor Personality, Typical Survivor Personality Traits, Intuition: A Survivor’s Powerful Ally, Water Requirements, Dehydration, Conserving Water, Fire, Starting a Fire with Matches, Starting a Fire with Flint and Steel, Starting a Fire with Bow and Drill, Starting a Fire with a Hand Drill, Starting a Fire with a Fire Plough, Food, Basic Guidelines, Plants, Insects, Grubs, and Worms, Shelter, Squirrel’s Nest, Building on Fallen Trunks and Trees, • Scout Pits and Coal Beds, Snow Shelters, Emergency Snow Shoes, Cordage, Recommended Plant Fibers, Fiber Test, Preparing Fibers, Spinning Fibers into Cord, Simple Tools, Discoidal Stone Knives, Bone Tools

opening & closing St. Francis:
Robin

Hosted by:
romain.ollichon@iqpc.co.uk - alexander.agostini@iqpc.co.uk

Body:
Achieve optimal production and control costs in horizontal, high angle and multi-lateral wells
January 30 - 31, 2007 • The Marcliffe Hotel, Aberdeen, UK
EVENT URL: http://www.iqpc.co.uk/GB-2729/ediary
Achieve up to 5 times the productivity of fully stimulated vertical wells with underbalanced drilling methods
Create value using I-Wells to minimise reaction time and remotely reconfigure your wells through smart field management
Avoid erroneous data and errors through formation evaluation, quantitative interpretation and modelling of log responses
Increase the efficiency and cost effectiveness of your interventions using the newly developed downhole ultrasonic camera
Improve your information analysis through 4D observation

Hosted by:
romain.ollichon@iqpc.co.uk - alexander.agostini@iqpc.co.uk

Body:
Comprehensive strategies and solutions to guarantee fiscal stability in your E&P contracts
November 29 - December 1, 2006 • The Hilton Post Oak Hotel, Houston, TX
EVENT URL: http://www.iqpc.co.uk/NA-2820/ediary
Contracts are re-written, amended or even torn up as moves to claim a greater stake in profits between players occurs. Billions of dollars hang in the balance as negotiators, lawyers, developers and analysts strive to forge the best fiscal terms for long term security in their E&P contracts.

Hosted by:
romain.ollichon@iqpc.co.uk - alexander.agostini@iqpc.co.uk

Body:
LNG strategies for a competitive supply, trading, pricing and downstream advantage
November 28 - 30, 2006 • The Hilton Post Oak Hotel, Houston, TX
EVENT URL: http://www.iqpc.co.uk/NA-2821/ediary
The growing gap between demand and local supply in North America has thrusted the market to increasingly becoming dependent on Global LNG imports. With numerous terminals almost nearly completed, reinforcing and expanding supply diversity will ensure you tackle current capacity problems and meet the required LNG demand. From the LNG vessel to the pipeline, your supply strategy is important to ensure the North American market remains competitive. This includes determining which supply agreements will make you the most profit at the right price, which storage solutions will expand your capacity and which quality of gas is going to serve your pipeline.

This is the place for online discussion about the book When Technology Fails by Matthew Stein. We'll do a separate forum topic for each chapter to keep the size more manageable. Please feel free to participate even if you have not done the reading - it’s all still a good learning experience! We understand that Laughing Horse will be unable to get copies of the book until sometime in November (this was news to us until after the circle began!), but don’t worry - there is not TOO much catching up to do yet!

Chapter 1 talks about some recent weather-related breakdowns in our power and transportation systems to illustrate situations in which we could be without familiar resources for extended periods of time. It also lists scenarios in which you would find this book (and its recommended resources) helpful your personal preparation plans for short, medium, and/or long-term survival, or even to discover ways to live a more sustainable lifestyle. It has an interesting section on Preindustrial Self-Sufficiency,” and another on “Old-Fashioned Self-Reliance and Modern Sustainable Technology.” Both cite examples of how people used to provide for their needs differently than we do today.

Hi all,

I think you might be interest in this e-mail from Mat Stein.

Let me know how your reading circle progresses. I am especially interested in feedback from your group as to how to improve the 2nd, and future editions. My new publisher wants me to focus on updating the existing chapters ASAP for edition #2. We will consider adding chapters for subsequent editions. As I see it, my main focus on updates for this edition are: global climate change, peak oil, terrorism, latest updates in renewable energy, green building, and some more material for the health / low-tech healing chapter. Future chapters might be: full chapter on animal husbandry; a chapter on "Living Life Effectively: The Best of Time Management and Self-Help; Low Tech Transportation; Building Sustainable Communities.

Recommended favorite sources, materials and books are always appreciated.

All the best,
Mat

Hosted by:
Jeremy

Body:
Portland Peak Oil is pleased to announce a new reading circle for the book When Technology Fails by Matthew Stein. This book is an important reference on how to deal with the disruption of services in many critical areas including water, electricity, agriculture, and medical services, and is highly recommended reading.

The reading circle will meet the first Wednesday of every month at St. Francis Church, SE 11th & Pine. In addition, after each month’s reading, a forum topic will be posted for online discussion on the current chapter at www.portlandpeakoil.org/cs, which will allow participation by anyone who is unable to attend the Wednesday night meetings due to their schedule or remote location. Copies of the book may be ordered through Laughing Horse Books at SE 10th & Burnside, 503-236-2893.  Last we heard new copies would not be available until mid to late November but there might be other sources in Portland.

opening & closing St. Francis:
Robin

Hosted by:
Jeremy

Body:
Portland Peak Oil is pleased to announce a new reading circle for the book When Technology Fails by Matthew Stein. This book is an important reference on how to deal with the disruption of services in many critical areas including water, electricity, agriculture, and medical services, and is highly recommended reading.

The reading circle will meet the first Wednesday of every month, starting October 4th at 7:00 p.m. at St. Francis Church, SE 11th & Pine. In addition, after each month’s reading, a forum topic will be posted for online discussion on the current chapter at www.portlandpeakoil.org/cs, which will allow participation by anyone who is unable to attend the Wednesday night meetings due to their schedule or remote location. Copies of the book may be ordered through Laughing Horse Books at SE 10th & Burnside, 503-236-2893.

On October 4th we will introduce the reading circle format and review chapters 1 & 2 (10 pages). The following months we will cover one chapter per month unless otherwise noted. It will not be necessary to have done the reading to participate in the meetings or online discussions, but it is likely to enhance your level of participation & the quality of your experience. The reading circle is free and open to everyone.

opening & closing St. Francis:
Robin

Hosted by:
Carla

Body:
Did you know that you are surrounded by plants that can aid your health? Join Portland Peak Oil 9/20/06 for an evening with Judy BlueHorse Skelton, nationally-recognized herbalist and educator, to get to know some of your allies in the plant world and how they can help you. Judy will have examples of plants commonly found in our area and will share with us how to identify them and how they can be used as medicine. This is a great opportunity to start to take your health into your own hands and deepen your connections with nature.

opening & closing St. Francis:
Nellie and Mike

I realize that the long-term solution to transportation is mass transit, but in the short term, it'd sure be nice to give people a real incentive to buy efficient cars.
I was reading today that Ferndale Michigan gives free parking to people who drive cars that get above a certain mileage. People pay a yearly fee of $8 for a parking permit. I think this idea would work well in Portland and other parking-congested towns. Just imagine, you know you can park for free if you buy a car that gets better than 35 mpg. This tips your decision away from the accord and toward the civic, and we all breath cleaner for the entire 10 years that you own your car. The cost of implementing this would be minor compared to a tax break or something. And it is neutral as to how the car achieves that mileage. In other words, we aren't singling out hybrids or fuel cells or whatever. We're just rewarding the mileage. I think it's worth suggesting to the Peak Oil Taskforce.

Hosted by:
Mike Dill

Body:
Where There is no Doctor
A Village Health Care Handbook
David Werner
This book was written by the Peace Corps under conditions where medical facilities are not at-hand. Many common sense solutions to many common problems.
We will review parts of the book as an example of how to take medical care back into your and your neighbor's hands. Examples of how to use the materials around you in your environment and your own common sense to solve a variety of common medical needs in the event that medical facilities would be over-taxed or unavailable. Might be some show-n-tell.

opening & closing St. Francis:
Jeremy

At the prep meeting last night we kicked around the idea of using the 1st Wednesdays at St. Francis for a reading circle/review for the book "When Technology Fails". It is a big book it will take a while to complete, but I think would be of value to long time PPOers and to folks new to peak oil if we start off the meeting with a brief review of the chapter and how it is relevant to Peak Oil.

So, what do you think?

FYI, here is the table of contents.

I An Introduction to Self-Reliance

An uncertain Future, Why This Book, Preindustrial self-sufficiency, Old-Fashioned Self-Reliance and Modern Sustainable Technology

II Present Trends, Possible Futures

Current Trends, Sustainability and Limits to Growth, Oil Reserves, Water and Food, What about the Weather?, Systems Modeling and Systems Response, Trees, Greenhouse Gases and Global Warming, Depletion of the Ozone Layer, Ozone and Plankton, Polar Ice Caps, Earthquakes and Volcanoes, Prophecies, What Can I Do?, Planning for the Future, The “Hundredth Monkey Phenomenon”, Effective Action

Hosted by:
Mike Dill

Body:
The prep group will be discussing personal housing and shelter options.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Homesteading_and_Self_Reliance/2006_April_and_May/Plan_the_Perfect_Homestead 

Issue #215, April/May 2006

Edited by John Stuart, Carol Mack and Megan Phelps

Turn your dreams of country living into reality.

Ever since 1970, when Mother Earth News was founded, readers have been writing in with questions about homesteading and stories about their own experiences with rural living. We get calls and e-mails every week confirming that thousands of Americans still dream of going “back to the land” to learn to grow their own food, build their own homes, generate electricity from renewable sources and live a self-reliant lifestyle.

Often, people ask us “What should I do first? How can I learn what I need to know?” To answer these questions, we’ve gathered advice from people with decades of experience with different kinds of homestead living. Many of their suggestions are included in these pages, and you can read the entire discussion online at www.MotherEarthNews.com/forums.

I had this e-mail forwarded to me and figured the group might find it interesting.

+ Jeremy

---------- 

Do you know how hurricanes, preparedness, and maggots are connected?

Last month, I learned a surprising preparedness lesson I hope I never have to use.

Janet and I spent a week in New Orleans to celebrate a milestone anniversary.

We had honeymooned there years ago, and decided it was time to go back to show a little support.  I'm glad we did, because we met a lot of great people, had a great time, and learned how the effects of hurricane Katrina are still hurting just about everyone there.

We learned the preparedness lesson from a lovely lady behind the counter at a jewelry store.  Older, but a quite beautiful and elegant Japanese-American woman, she told us her story.  Today, she still lives in the upstairs of her two-story house while the downstairs is being rebuilt.  She still washes her dishes in the bathtub, almost a year later.

But the thing that really stuck with me was her experience of returning home to clean up.

Let me ask you, if you were forced to leave your home, knowing you might not be able to return for weeks or months, and the power would be out, what would you do before you left?

I can tell you what I would do.  Empty the refrigerator.

It turns out that one of the most miserable and gruesome tasks of people who have already faced financial disaster and worse, is returning to the refrigerator.

I could see it on this poor lady's face how miserable it was to go back and clean up.  She spared us goriest details, but she told us enough to turn our stomachs.

She said that in some cases sealed freezer bags exploded, spreading the mess throughout the room for the flies to lay their eggs.  You can imagine the rest.

So, the lesson is: when you have to leave, empty the refrigerator, toss the food in the garbage or somewhere outdoors, and prop the door open.  That way, no matter what happens, at least you won't have one more miserable task to make your recovery even worse than it needs to be.

While not explicitly peak oil related, knowing the answers to these questions are almost a necessity in a low energy world. 

+ Jeremy 

http://www.kk.org/helpwanted/archives/001084.php

1) Point north. [Recommendations for answer methods]

2) What time is sunset today? [Recommendations]

3) Trace the water you drink from rainfall to your tap. [Recommendations]

4) When you flush, where do the solids go? What happens to the waste water? [Recommendations]

5) How many feet above sea level are you? [Recommendations]

Sometimes, I just have to step back and let people fall down...

I've been talking to friends about Peak Oil now for a year or so, so most of them are aware of the problem - at least, they can't claim they've never heard of it.

The response? A collective, "oh well"...

What's sad is listening to the same people talk about buying new SUV's (the Honda Pilot seems to be quite popular with my friends), new Sports Cars (one friend just bought a V8 Camaro, another wants to get a Supra or 3000GT), and other oil sucking vehicles....And so life goes on in our Happy Motoring Country...

Frankly, I give up. We went to "An Inconvenient Truth" with a friend of ours a few weeks ago. She came out of the movie saying "Wow, that movie made me want to DO SOMETHING!".. Two weeks later, I asked her "so, have you done anything?" She answered, "well, no. Actually, I've been driving more lately because I'm house sitting a friends' home..." Although she did counsel her sister to buy a new Saab or Audi (despite my pleas for her to buy something which got better gas mileage and at least was dependable - which neither Saab's nor Audi's are known for..)

Hosted by:
Mike

Body:
Joe Leitch of the Portland Permaculture Institute will be speaking about rainwater catchment systems. Given Portland has several months of little or no rain during the hottest months of the year, being able to collect some of your own rainwater becomes very important. In addition, you don't need water from Bull Run to water plants in your yard.
Here are a few topics that will be specifically covered:
- How to calculate rainwater storage capacity for your house
- Ways to store and conserve water
- How to select a cistern $$
- How to build a sand filter
- How to build a roof washing system
More generally speaking rainwater catchment systems are low-cost, technologically simple water supply systems for use in rural and urban areas. The system itself usually consists of a catchment surface, delivery system and storage tank. In the case of a simple roof catchment system, the roof itself is the catchment surface, the gutters and drainpipe the delivery system, and barrels collect and store the runoff. Ground catchment systems consist of a sloped cement or treated earth area for harvesting rainwater, a stone and sand filter at the entrance to the drainpipe, and an underground storage tank.

opening & closing St. Francis:
Jonathan and Carla

http://www.raisethehammer.org/index.asp?id=284

[Editor's Note: This essay is an excerpt from a longer paper that will appear as a Chapter in the book New Urbanism & Beyond: Contemporary and Future Trends in Urban Design (Tigran Haas, Editor), due to be published in 2007.]

Introduction: Re-integrating the Urban Form

A new way of understanding the growth of urban form leads to practical suggestions for reconstructing a more sustainable suburbia. Combining theoretical results with pragmatic experience, and combining "top-down" controls with "bottom-up" processes, we offer guidelines for implementing small-scale changes that eventually lead to large-scale improvements.

The goal is a re-integration of the urban realm, resulting in a more humane and sustainable environment. Importantly, this can be achieved by a minimum of new investment applied all at once. Changes need to be implemented over time, and subsequent interventions will respond to the success of the preceding ones.

I thought folks might find this interesting, though it appears that the "Best-Case" scenario assumes that there won't be any massive breakthroughs that allow for an easy rollover to a hydrogen based economy and that David Blume's "Alcohol can be Gas" vision is still aways off.

http://www.raisethehammer.org/index.asp?id=211

As we creep ever further into the new millennium, it is becoming increasingly clear (the highly doubtful claims of "cornucopians" notwithstanding) that the age of oil will soon be ending.

Oil is a finite resource. Its production will, at some point, peak and begin to decline, and there are numerous indications that we are at or past that point.

The picture for natural gas is slightly more complex, but potentially more dire in the short-term, as gas supplies in North America and the U.K. are in decline, and gas is not easily shipped overseas.

What will become of suburbia, where most North Americans now live and depend on oil and natural gas for transportation, home heating, and a large percentage of electricity generation?

Hosted by:
Jeremy

Body:
Jenny Leis will be talking about placemaking, how to build places where community can happen right in the hearts of our neighborhoods.
Placemaking means creating a shared vision based on a community’s needs and assets, culture and history, common interests and shared vision, local climate and topography. Placemaking is as much about psychological ownership and reclamation of space as it is about physically building a place. In a context of isolation in our neighborhoods, placemaking is a reminder that we share common interests and the power to manifest them. Great places are created by people who use them.
Copies of the new edition of City Repair's PlaceMaking Guide will be available for purchase.

opening & closing St. Francis:
Mike and Carla

Hosted by:
Carla

Body:
Portland is blessed with winters that are mild enough to allow many plants to grow through the winter or simply go dormant until spring and now is the time to start your fall garden. Come hear what three local folks are doing for their fall garden and how to start yours.

opening & closing St. Francis:
Jeremy

http://www.motherearthliving.com/issues/motherearthliving/homesteading/Homestead-Now_218-1.html  

FRANK FRETZ Although many people dream of buying several acres in the country, sometimes it’s more practical to start homesteading where you are. Login or register to post comments Read more new PPO council mailing list Submitted by Jeremy on June 29, 2006 - 6:48am. PPO Council http://portlandpeakoil.org/mailman/listinfo/council_portlandpeakoil.org  The above link is for subscribing to the council at portlandpeakoil . org mailing list which was created for two reasons. a mailing list generally has a faster turn around time then people thinking to check a website. This is for administration and management of Portland Peak Oil events (Wednesdays at St. Francis, ...) getting the speaker's bureau online, .... Please only subscribe if you want to be involved on a fairly regular basis. Login or register to post comments Portland Permaculture Guild presents: Introduction to graywater systems Submitted by Jeremy on June 14, 2006 - 3:33pm. Workshop/Class Start: Jun 19 2006 - 7:00pm End: Jun 19 2006 - 9:00pm Body: Learn about three different types from presenters who are experienced in their construction/use. 1) Direct application with Ole Ersson and Joe Leitch 2) Constructed wetlands with Capra J'Neva 3) Living machines with Candace Gossen Recycling graywater is a way to conserve one of our most precious resources, clean water. Come find out which system is right for you, as well as some of the most innovative technologies in use today! The meeting will be held at Pacific Crest Community School, NE 29th & Davis (2 blocks N of Burnside). Optional potluck starts at 6:00 p.m. - please bring your own plate/cup/utensils & a yummy dish to share. The meeting proper starts at 7:00 p.m. Hope to see you there! Login or register to post comments Calendar PPO Preparation working group's June meeting Submitted by Emily on June 13, 2006 - 12:03pm. Meeting Start: Jun 15 2006 - 7:00pm End: Jun 15 2006 - 9:00pm Body: Join us Thursday June 15th for a discussion on alternative strategies for heating, lighting, cooking, and other functions currently covered by electricity or gas in our homes! Investigate strategies that would be most helpful to you in your living situation and make a plan that will help lessen your dependence on the utility companies. Some ideas we can discuss: Needs - heat, light, cooking, preserving food, appliances, forging/blacksmithing? Fuels - plant oils, wood, solar?, microhydro?, wind?, methane?, ??? Will there be access to any electricity, propane, natural gas, coal, etc? Make charcoal? Grow/locate coppice trees. Lamps (lanterns), candles, stockpile & cold-store batteries, run compact flourescents? Solar cookers, hayboxes. PC/cell phone/backpack-sized solar arrays - lifespan? We will also do some check-ins to see how much progress people have made in their water-related goals, and set topics for the next several preparation meetings (3rd Thursdays). Bring a snack to share if you'd like. Hope to see you there! Login or register to post comments Read more Calendar Setting up and Running a School Garden - A Manual for Teachers, Parents and Communities Submitted by Jeremy on June 8, 2006 - 7:18am. Food & Health FAO is pleased to announce publication of Setting up and Running a School Garden - A Manual for Teachers, Parents and Communities. FAO has prepared this manual to assist school teachers, parents and communities who wish to start or improve a school garden with the aim of helping school children to grow in both mind and body. Children's health is the concern of the whole school and community. The classroom curriculum, extra-curricular activities, the school establishment and the school environment should reinforce each other and work together with the family and community to ensure that children have their basic rights to education and to adequate nutrition. The School Garden manual works on all these fronts - growing food in the garden, learning about it in the classroom, involving the school meals service, and bringing in the family and community to support the programme. This multi-faceted approach is the best way to successful education for better nutrition and learning. More than that, it may play a part in promoting not only the children's health but also the health of their families and of the natural environment. Login or register to post comments Read more staying put for a while, I think Submitted by Jeremy on June 5, 2006 - 10:48am. Something I have been grappling with is about if I should sell my house or not.  Getting a bunch of cash out of the house would be nice, but given housing prices are so freaking insane I would be blowing all of the cash I would get out of my house and end up with either higher or much higher monthly mortgage payments. Currently all signs point to me staying put for a while but I'm trying to proceed with options that I would need to do anyway.  Replace the front room window, fix the gutters, fix or rebuild the back porch and maybe replace the furnace.  I'm also having Mr. Sun Solar come out my house tomorrow to look at options for putting in photo-voltaic, solar hotwater and maybe a radiant floor heat system (see furnace).   Some of the changes I would fully expect to break even if I sold the house in the not too distant future, but I likely wouldn't break even with the photo-voltaic and possibly break even with the radiant floor heating system. Jeremy's blog 3 comments Read more Solar, solar, everywhere! Submitted by Chaster on June 1, 2006 - 10:39pm. Yahoo! My Solar PV (Photo-Voltaic) System just went live today! 4 KW of pure, non-polluting, non-combusting, clean, sustainable, and just darn COOL solar power! It took a while to get going, but by 6:05pm today, my electric meter was spinning backwards (albeit very slowly - it was rainy and overcast today). I can't wait to see how much power is generated on a clear sunny day! Woohoo! Also, I've had a solar water heater system going now for a few weeks, and I'm very happy with the results. On average days, the 80 gallon solar hot water tank gets up to about 110-130 degrees, but I've personally seen it go over 150 (!). In case anyone is interested, I had Mr. Sun Solar install the system (www.mrsunsolar.com). If you decide to go check them out, tell them that Eric sent you! =) Chaster's blog 9 comments Farming without a farm Submitted by Jeremy on May 26, 2006 - 12:19pm. Food & Health http://www.springwise.com/about/inmedia/2005/05/farming_without_a_farm_city_dw.html For most city dwellers, the term "urban farmer" is likely to conjure up images of Paris Hilton slogging through manure while wearing Manolo Blahniks on The Simple Life. But to contemporary hipsters, urban farming is the latest way to marry the rural idyll with big city living. Chic Britons are raising suburban hens in designer backyard coops. Swiss urbanites are enjoying double-cream Brie from privately leased cows. Metropolitan Americans are renting everything from beehives to maple trees, and Canadians are growing organic goodies on highrise rooftops.  It's farming, without the farm. And a new global trend report shows it's top-of-mind with savvy marketers. "There's definitely a need to reconnect with pure products, pure processes," says Reinier Evers, marketing strategist and founder of Springwise.com. "This is not to say we all want to 'go back to nature.' It's more like adding a touch of the real world to our increasingly technological, manufactured lives."  Urban farming tops a colourful list of business concepts in Springwise's May marketing report, with sightings of the trend spanning the globe. Login or register to post comments Read more City Repair's Village Building Convergence! Submitted by Jeremy on May 19, 2006 - 10:24am. City Repair's annual Village Building Convergence is going on  and I would strongly recommend you attend as many of the workshops, eventing events and work on the demostration sites around the city as you possibly can. Here are the VBC6 events that I'm planning on attending.  You might find the calendar of VBC events posted at thedirt.org  a little easier to get around in. Friday 5/19 Guerilla Gardening - 3pm to 5pm - http://www.thedirt.org/node/2317 Saturday Templekeeping: The Art of Creating and Maintaining Sacred Space - 1pm to 3pm - http://www.thedirt.org/node/2321 Portland Emergent: Weaving a New World in the Shell of the Old - 3pm to 5pm - http://www.thedirt.org/node/2322 VBC6 evening event- Judy BlueHorse Skelton & Tryon Creek Farm - starts at 6pm -  http://www.thedirt.org/node/2358 6 comments Read more PPO Preparation working group's May meeting Submitted by Jeremy on May 16, 2006 - 3:50pm. Meeting Start: May 18 2006 - 7:00pm End: May 18 2006 - 9:00pm Body: This month the prep group will start our newest project, which is working to create actual preparation plans for anyone who wants to develop one. We will focus on a different area every month - this month will be water resources. Everyone who attends will be able to describe their living situation and get recommendations for a “To Do” list specific to their situation, as well as to learn about additional information resources on that subject. Everyone is welcome (and encouraged!) to attend these monthly 3rd Thursday meetings. The more we prepare ourselves, the easier our transition beyond cheap energy will be, and the better resource/role models we can be for our communities. We may still have to do a little administrative business, but the majority of the meeting time will be devoted to creating the preparation lists. Hope to see you there! 1 comment Calendar NATURAL PEST CONTROL - Attracting Beneficial Insects to Your Garden Submitted by Jeremy on May 16, 2006 - 1:42pm. Food & Health http://www.grinningplanet.com/2005/04-26/beneficial-insect-natural-pest-control-article.htm   In previous Eco-Logicals, we've talked about the problem of chemical pesticides around the house and yard. We don't want our kids and pets being exposed to these toxic substances. We've also talked about "adaptive pesticides," otherwise known as beneficial insects that prey on pest insects. This approach helps reduce or eliminate the need for toxic pesticides by providing natural pest control for your garden. Doing this also avoids the issue of pests developing resistance to pesticides since the beneficial insects evolve right along with the garden pests. Today's article will further explore the topic of natural pest control using beneficial insects and give specific tips about how you can add certain plants to your yard to create a haven for the good little buggers that can help you fight the bad little buggers. The information comes to us from the good folks at Eartheasy.com, a site that is chock-full of handy tips about how to live naturally and sustainably. Login or register to post comments Read more Triage for the post-peak oil age Submitted by Jeremy on May 15, 2006 - 9:21am. Sustainability and Permaculture  http://www.energybulletin.net/15955.html When casualties overwhelm battlefield doctors, they are often forced to sort the wounded into three groups: those who will survive without treatment, those who will likely die even with treatment, and those who will probably live but only with treatment. In the post-peak oil age we will likely be faced with a similar situation in deciding which activities a lower-energy society can support. Tentatively, I propose the following triage for various broad areas: 1) activities that are "Expected to Make a Full Recovery," ones that I think will spread and intensify out of necessity, 2) activities labeled "Code Blue"--the medical term for emergency treatment of heart attack patients--activities which I think may only survive with our active intervention or which may only be available at the level we want them to be through special efforts, and 3) activities labeled "Do Not Resuscitate" which are unlikely to survive post-peak no matter how much effort we put into them. Only "Code Blue" items are meant to indicate my preferences for a post-peak oil world. The other categories are predictions (a dangerous practice) about what I think will and won't thrive in a low-energy society. I will certainly miss some activities such as cheap air travel. Others such as motorized sports, I won't. But, my preferences don't matter since the availability and price of liquid fuels will, in my view, determine the fate of both activities. The table below is not meant to be a complete list by any means. No doubt readers will disagree--perhaps vehemently in some cases--with my predictions and preferences. My aim is neither to irritate nor to prescribe, but rather to help begin a process that I believe will become absolutely necessary. I say absolutely necessary because our failure to recognize those activities which won't survive under any circumstances may cause us to waste valuable (and diminishing) energy resources on hopeless cases. That lost energy will be energy that we cannot spend on things that we will desperately need such as wind and solar power. No one likes to choose, but choose we must if we are going to have the future that we want (given our constraints) rather than the one that is simply forced upon us. Login or register to post comments Read more World Watch Institute Submitted by Jeremy on May 13, 2006 - 7:14am. Sustainability and Permaculture If you are not familar with World Watch Institute, I would highly suggest you get aquatinted.  They have the very well earned tagline of "Independent research for an environmentally sustainable and socially just society" They have many videos and a research library that offers free pdfs on some of their older but still very useful reports, like "The Anatomy of Resource Wars".   You will need to register (for free) to download the PDFs. Login or register to post comments Changes in Government Policy Submitted by Lisa Marechal on May 8, 2006 - 7:44am. We desperately need new leadership to promote the following ideals through changes in all levels of government policy: Changes in zoning laws to allow living above work spaces and allowing homes to be modified to accommodate small business activities. Tax Credits for working from home. Tax incentives for real estate developers to build real estate products that promote live/work, less consumption of energy and self sufficient communities. Federal legislation promoting + mandating major changes in energy policy, incentives for clean energy sources and major investment in Amtrack high speed rail throughout the country. A serious effort to cut back on road building and make existing roads work harder to carry various alternative types of transit to carry bicyclists and mass transit. Even macadam has oil content... Tax credits for small agricultural plots in unconventional places. Tax credits for organic farming which does not use petroleum based pesticides. Serious tariffs for imported goods. Let's start thinking about the real built in cost of transportation of goods via auto and ship that presently consume large quantities of fossil fuels. These should also include costs to our air quality. Lisa Marechal's blog Login or register to post comments Read more James Howard Kunstler - Weds May 10th Eugene; U of Oregon Books; 895 East 13th St.; 7:30pm Submitted by flatrock on May 7, 2006 - 8:48pm. Sustainability and Permaculture Anyone care to carpool? Jason Login or register to post comments Community Supported Agriculture: A Secure Market, A Local Food Supply Submitted by Jeremy on May 4, 2006 - 9:21pm. Community May-June, 2006 Volume 14, Number 3 Newsletter of ATTRA - National Sustainable Agricultural Information Service: A project of the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT). Community Supported Agriculture: A Secure Market, A Local Food Supply Community Supported Agriculture programs, known as CSAs, began in Europe and Japan as a way for urban people to rally around a local farm and secure a safe, fresh food supply for their families. Consumers hire a farmer, paying in advance for a share of the harvest. When things go well, shareholders have an overflowing abundance of local food. If the season brings drought or floods, pickings may be slim. 3 comments Read more Delivering Local Food to Local Institutions Submitted by Jeremy on May 4, 2006 - 9:16pm. Food & Health http://attra.ncat.org/newsletter/attranews_0106.html January-February, 2006 Volume 14, Number 1 Newsletter of ATTRA - National Sustainable Agricultural Information Service: A project of the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT). Delivering Local Food to Local Institutions Farmers and ranchers are discovering new markets for their products in local institutions such as schools, colleges, hospitals, and businesses that run cafeterias for employees and guests. These cafeterias may have conventional, large-scale supply lines, but they are increasingly aware of the advantages of buying produce and meat from local farms. Chefs, consumers, and nutritionists appreciate the high quality of just-picked produce and grass-fed beef. Farmers are pleased to sell products close to home, and are often willing to tailor production for appreciative customers, building long-term relationships. This issue of ATTRAnews looks at this emerging sustainable food system, where local farmers and local institutions all benefit. Login or register to post comments Read more Fertilizing the Organic Way Submitted by Jeremy on May 4, 2006 - 9:04pm. Workshop/Class Start: May 6 2006 - 9:00am End: May 6 2006 - 4:00pm Body: Luscher Farm 9am-4pm (POTLUCK lunch!) Farmhouse Classroom and Demonstration Garden Cost: FREE Come learn a variety of techniques to fertilize organically! We will explore and apply* methods to maximize short-term and long-term fertility, including bed preparation, soil building, composting, foliar feeding, soil amendments, and mulching. We’ll also cover basic soil chemistry and how to establish balanced soil fertility over time. *All participants (with exceptions) are expected to perform moderate garden work in exchange for instruction and educational materials. For more information or to register call (503) 638-0735 or e-mail andyp@tilth.org. PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED Login or register to post comments Calendar MIT issues call to arms on energy Submitted by Jeremy on May 4, 2006 - 2:34pm. Energy & Transportation  http://news.com.com/MIT+issues+call+to+arms+on+energy/2100-1008_3-6068262.html?tag=nefd.top CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--The Massachusetts Institute of Technology issued a preliminary report on Wednesday that calls for technology development and government policies to avert a "perfect storm" forming around energy. MIT's Energy Research Council report (click here for PDF) was the result of a year-long study. It concluded that industrialized nations need to accelerate a switch to cleaner and more efficient sources of fuel, a transition that could take 50 years. 4 comments Read more McMinnville Peak Oil? Submitted by ktho on May 1, 2006 - 3:18pm. Community Ideas/suggestions for the group PPO: Neighborhood PPO: Outreach PPO: Policy PPO: Preparedness Talk about Wednesday night events I live in McMinnville and have been following all the work you are doing in Portland. Currently I am taking the NW Earth Institute's class on Globalism which is being sponsored by Yamhill Valley Peacemakers. We have discussed how we could take care of ourselves here in the Valley if petroleum powered systems fail and I think there is interest in starting a sister chapter of Portland Peak Oil in McMinnville. I'd like to set up working groups and discussion nights that happen on the same nights your's do up there so that there could be two groups of folks working together on the same things separated only by distance, and interfacing with each other for information exchange and networking. It doesn't make sense to me to burn dinosaurs to actually drive up to Portland, when we could be doing the same work with you all, only here in McMinnville, and communicating/networking via Internet. Oh PPO Gods and Goddesses - would you be okay with that and would you be willing to mentor us? How would be we get started? 3 comments Read more Now or Later? NOW. Submitted by Chaster on May 1, 2006 - 10:08am. I've talked to many of my friends and family about Peak Oil. Almost all of them have done...nothing.. to prepare for Peak Oil. I think the reason is they believe that "everything is fine" right now, so why do anything now? Why not just wait for Peak Oil (repercussions) to actually start happening THEN start doing something about it? Well, here in the US the reasons are obvious. There are about 280 million reasons (well, in October of this year, there will be 300 million, according to the census bureau). When the effects of Peak Oil are finally apparent, EVERYONE who hasn't prepared WILL TRY TO PREPARE AT THE SAME TIME! Hello, how many Solar Panels are going to be available when everyone in the country wants a set? (Incidentally, there is a global SHORTAGE right now, so factor that right in there).. How many hybrid/micro cars will be available when millions of SUV drivers are trying to dump their gas sucking behemoths so they can trade in for the aforementioned gas-sippers? What kind of money are you going to get for your trade-in SUV when everyone else is trying to trade in theirs at the same time and nobody in their right mind is going to buy an SUV when gas is more $6/gallon? Chaster's blog Login or register to post comments Read more Confessions of a Recent Convert Submitted by Chaster on April 27, 2006 - 10:57am. Sometimes when I read about other Peak-oilers in their blogs, or on forums, or in articles, I feel a bit guilty. You see, less than 2 years ago, I was the prototypical American. Wasteful with energy, drove a sports car (Infiniti G35 Sports Coupe) which was LOTS of fun, but got probably less than 22 mpg (which sucks for a car which is a small 2+2 coupe), and professed on more than one occassion "I will NOT buy a minivan, no WAY. The image thing would KILL me. SUV all the way!". I drove everywhere. Even to the park which was less than 2 miles away from my home. I hated the idea of gardening. I spent gobs of money constantly upgrading my computer(s) and other gadgets. But things are changing. Ever since I learned about Peak Oil, I've been slowly turning over a new leaf. The G35 is gone. In it's place, a Mazda5 Mini-minivan (needed the 6 seats, and it still gets 25+ mpg). I bought a bike (well, a tadpole trike recumbent... still haven't quite got the gadget-freak out of me yet) and I used it all last summer to take my kids to daycare. I've invested in Solar (hotwater and PV), moved to a location where we have room to garden in a neighborhood which isn't full of cookie-cutter McMansions. The local park is about 500 feet away and the schools are about the same distance. I'm working on an electric motorcycle. I'm learning about gardening and composting (bought a composter from Clackamas County for $35! Good deal!). I recycle more. I replaced all the lightbulbs in our house with CF bulbs. I bumped the insulation in our attic up to R-40 (it was a measly R-16 before.. not even to code!). We invested in all Energy efficient appliances (induction cooktops are da bomb!). We plan on checking out all the local farmers markets and paying a visit to the portland Food Co-op too (we were once members of a food coop back in college, and now it's time to rejoin the party.. =) I'm also taking a sabbatical from my career as a computer game programmer to focus on developing my handyman skills by remodeling a good portion of our home. Embarrassing as it is for me to admit, I was pretty UN-handy before (although I was great at putting together/taking apart/troubleshooting computers). I figure now is the time for me to learn the ancient art of using TOOLS... LOL.. Chaster's blog 4 comments Read more Therapy for this Modern Day Cassandra Submitted by Chaster on April 20, 2006 - 9:09pm. Well, I've joined this group to kind of get some support. I've gone around and told most of my friends about Peak Oil and the response has been....disappointing. Everyone pretty much scoffs at the idea or just shrugs and says "that's terrible, but oh well, la de da da.." Hence, the title of my first EVER Blog Entry - Therapy for this Modern Day Cassandra (Cassandra was the greek mythological character who was able to see the future but was cursed by Apollo so that nobody would believe her predictions). The Death of our Civilization will not be from Violence, it will be from APATHY. -------------------- Good news: Got our Solar Hot Water heater installed yesterday. Woohoo! Better News: Our 4KW PV array should be going in next! Other stuff I'm working on - remodeling our home (yeah, bought a fixer-upper, but I figure learning the skills and acquiring tools for general handyman stuff is a "good thing"). Also gathering parts for my motorcycle conversion to electric power. All in all, makin' progress... Chaster's blog 3 comments Read more 12next ›last » User login Username: * Password: * Create new account Request new password PPO working group: Preparedness You must register/login in order to post into this group. 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Who's new BarbaraSilber teknotus katherinehowton pdewitt Juniper Upcoming events Daniel Lerch of Post Carbon Institute (Events - PPO)(6 days) Film: King Corn(Events - Other)(10 days) VBC8 Peak Oil Workshop: John Kaufmann of the Oregon Department of Energy(Events - PPO)(12 days) more Forum, Blog & Resources Check it out: Libraries that will lend you fishing gear (Rhode Island) Water Distillation using a Fresnel Lens Vancouver Peak Oil Blacksmith videos Urban miners look for precious metals in cell phones Free Organic Gardening Workshop 5/13, 6:30-8:30pm Query: Toby's presentation the showing of End of Suburbia @ the Bagdad more Recent comments it's public 3 days 24 min ago Council Meeting 3 days 11 hours ago Fresnel lens 5 days 21 hours ago Review of "After The Peak" on Energybulletin.net 2 weeks 6 days ago nice find 5 weeks 1 day ago ALTI 6 weeks 5 days ago An alternative energy stock that may interest you 6 weeks 5 days ago It's been resident on my laptop 6 weeks 6 days ago Video 7 weeks 4 hours ago video 7 weeks 14 hours ago All content on this site © 2006 by each individual author, All Rights Reserved. </