On November 1, I attended Seattle Peak Oil’s first Thursday-of each-month meet up, where Jan Lundberg himself was speaking, discussing his plans for a Sail Transportation Network.

I arrived a half-hour late, as I had to find the Phinney Neighborhood Center, north of downtown Seattle. After having been there listening, I thought that the future that Jan Lundberg envisioned was ideal, someday being able to use sailing ships to transport people and cargo.

Several people did have critical concerns about pulling this project off in the Puget Sound area, with respect to current government regulations, laws, etc. To add to this discussion, I couldn’t resist raising my hand.

While I thought his vision was a great idea, I didn’t see it really happening until after the Petrocollapse, after the mass-anarchy and die-off had already occurred, as the survivors (us, hopefully) re-engineer what’s left of our technology. It wasn’t an effort to try to sharpshoot Jan, as much as it was just being a realist, who tries to specialize in predictive analysis. I mentioned how difficult it would be in the present to try to sell the average person on the water these days, the average Johnny Punchclocks who are into NASCAR and the NFL, who spend $60.00 to fill-up the tank in their jet skis, and never heard of Peak Oil. Jan’s response was something to the effect that if enough people were actively involved, it could be pulled-off.

During the informal breakout session, I was able to introduce myself to Jan and others as “Jerry Erwin, Portland Peak Oil.” I told Jan it was an honor to meet him. He introduced himself as “Jan,” and said “the honor was his.”

I followed Jan and the Seattle Peak Oil group of “hardcores”, (about a dozen of them) to a local pub. When I was introduced as being from Portland Peak Oil, I received a celebrity welcome! Particularly from Chris Adams, one of their main organizers. I told them I couldn’t take any credit for the accomplishments of the activist side of PPO, however, but that I have gotten more involved in the exchange of knowledge, since becoming a member. Chris told me that they practically had trading cards of us PPO members! He also told me he knew Jeremy. While there I described to Chris Adams roughly how PPO was organized, while he drew a conceptual diagram of how Seattle Peak Oil is organized.

Needless to say, I had a great time, discussing things with Jan Lundberg himself, and the members of Seattle Peak Oil. Just like in Portland, it’s like therapy, while living in a decaying, NFL and NASCAR watching, out-to-lunch culture.