April 2011 Blog Posts (11)

I previously proposed making a thorough examination of our economic future.  I suggested starting out by estimating whether a farmer could provide all of his essentials on a do-it-yourself basis .  That means he would grow his own food and also obtain water, shelter, clothing, and energy for cooking and heating on his own.  This would be much as the pioneers did when living in near isolation.

Some may think it unrealistic or undesirable to start by examining a do-it-yourself economy.…

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Energy Descent Action Plan Team

Planning Group Meeting, Monday April 18, 2011

Synopsis Minutes

Location: at Travis’s house.

 

Attendees:  J.C. Walker, Jr. (new member), David MacLeod, Monica Sjursen, Kyler Royce (new member), Travis Linds, Linda Fels, Francis Ayley, Tris Shirley (Facilitator)

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Interesting news lately on the 'Peak Oil' front.  Tom Whipple has been writing a column called "The Peak Oil Crisis" for several years now.  His latest article looks at how peak oil is "Killing Off the Recovery."  A good article, but most notable is his reporting that the International Monetary Fund has finally acknowledged peak oil (without calling it that): "in a…

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 Last time, I suggested that production beyond the amount required for subsistence ultimately determines our post-transition standard of living.  To understand how this might work, consider the following three scenarios:

First, the least encouraging possibility.  Without all the non-renewable energy we consume now, productivity falls dramatically.  If individual productivity falls enough that a hard working, skilled person engaged in subsistence agriculture can’t supply themselves…

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A sign of 'Peak Everything', a sign of the Apocalypse, and a Sign of Hope...and I heard it all on NPR's Morning Edition

 

A Sign of 'Peak Everything':

Philadelphia Orchestra to File Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

As energy and other resources become harder to get and much more expensive, everything suffers. The age of energy abundance became the 'age of exuberance' as it reached its climax, and we over-extended ourselves with everything. The…

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Previously, I observed that not knowing what level of consumption to expect in the post-transition era is risky business.  It would be very comforting to know that we can sustain ourselves without huge doses of fossil fuel energy. 

Unfortunately, predicting the future is risky business too.  Some have argued that our past has often been shaped by events that were never anticipated.  I agree and see no reason why the future should be any different.  The best we can do is to explore…

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I really appreciate the meeting notes and minutes from the EDAP group.  Every thing I read points to the need to accelerate the process of descent.  I would like you to consider the following:  What specific tools and materials need to be acquired and stored?  What do we do when the city water quits (or the electric pump on your well quits)?  What is your plan for when city sewage quits (or you home drain field lift pump quits)?  Thanks for all the work on food.  I think we might be in better… Continue

Nettle Nourishment!  Links on stinging nettle, seaweed, & other green medicines, including low dose radiation protection idea. 

Nourishing Stinging Nettle (Urtica sp.)- Once juiced, blended, dried & crushed, or cooked they lose their "sting" and are the temperate climates first spring wild…

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I ran across an interesting slogan a while ago.  “Powering down for a brighter future.”   I thought it was an excellent line – succinct, engaging, and optimistic.  But I started to wonder what the slogan really means.  In the Post-transition context, just why should anybody believe in a brighter future?  What, exactly, will be brighter?  How much brighter and in what ways?

I wouldn’t expect a slogan to supply all the details, but I haven’t found the answers anywhere else either.  This…

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Joanne Poyourow (I still have to double check my spelling when I write her name), of Transition US and Transition LA has written an important article on Economic Contraction. She writes, "As the economy we now know crumbles, the far-reaching repercussions will sculpt every aspect of our future. In my opinion, any long-term plan -- Transition EDAPs included -- must anticipate that it will unfold amidst a world of…

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