November 2009 Blog Posts (12)

Being Open to Abundance

It seems the more we are challenged to our core, the more we tend to contract our energy and hold onto things, money, our stuff we perceive we might need. Heck some of us are holding onto old memories, self views and fat cells that do little to insulate us from life. It's easy to say that such things are not making us any happier. I sometimes wake up at night realizing I have clenched my fist. I just remember what an old teacher said once to me: "You can't receive abundance and joy if you are… Continue

Added by Susan Templeton on November 30, 2009 at 11:00pm — No Comments

More LESS DEBT Slower!

I've been musing more and more about the subject of debt management in the face of so much gone wrong in our culture. Ironic given my work is about helping people buy homes and find funds for things like renovations and building or business expenses. You see, I see people every day who have gotten in too deep. I hear their stories and try to help them find a way to get out of the situation. Most are smart, motivated people who simply did not see a loss of income ('cash for clunkers' killed a… Continue

Added by Susan Templeton on November 25, 2009 at 9:35pm — No Comments

Bicycle Power with Pedal-Assisted Electric Motors for Long-Distance Commutes

Bicycles are one of the most efficient human powered machines.

Riding a bike can be a joy!

However, not everyone in our community is able-bodied enough to ride up our hills or go the long commuting distances from rural home to the urban market on our hilly roads or in our often dark, cold & wet climate.

The new bicycle technology that combines the efficiency of the human powered bicycle with the technology of a power-assisted electric motor & a rechargeable battery…

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Added by Heather K on November 24, 2009 at 5:00pm — 6 Comments

Australian Senate: Peak Oil motion defeated 31:6

This is an interesting posting in the RSS feeds on the Whatcom Transition ning site, that I think is very telling about the level of political will to name the elephant in the room, let alone do something about it.

I think the size of the opposition on this vote reveals that the traditional politician has a huge learning curve on the upcoming "Story of the Century." I also think that when the paradigm shift regarding peak oil and climate change become undeniably avoidable for even… Continue

Added by Rob Olason on November 23, 2009 at 2:53pm — 1 Comment

Netherland School Bans Parents from Dropping Kids Off By Car

A school in the Netherlands recently banned vehicles from stopping at its curb which in turn discouraged parents to drop their children off by car. The Netherlands already has the highest rate of bicycle commuters so this probably wasn't a huge shift in the structure of the community, but still very neat to see.

Check out the delightful video! It will make you want to get out and ride to fanciful music!…

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Added by Deanna Lloyd on November 19, 2009 at 8:30pm — 1 Comment

Great quote spurs the mind

“In times of drastic change, it is the learners who inherit the future. The learned usually find themselves beautifully equipped to live in a world that no longer exists.” - Eric Hoffer, 1972

This quote comes from research into experiential education and service learning. I feel these words will become progressively more prescient and relevant as the future unveils.

More literally, the quote reminds me of a discussion I had with a friend the other day. I told him of… Continue

Added by Brian Carpenter on November 16, 2009 at 12:30am — 1 Comment

Biogas Generation

I found a great book "A Chinese Biogas Manual" which was translated from chinese and is a guide on how to build simple, biogas generators from local material in small communities. It even goes into storage and use of the biogas. I know that the reason most dairies are not generating biogas is due to the the high costs of the stainless steel digesters. This book explains how to make suitable digesters in the ground out of stone, brick, clay and concrete for cheap. Does anyone know of any local… Continue

Added by Travis Linds on November 14, 2009 at 3:30pm — 7 Comments

Good Food-Documentary on local NW food production on KCTS Channel 9 Thursday Night at 10 pm

KCTS public television is broadcasting "Good Food," a documentary on local food production in the Northwest. It is being shown at 10 pm Thursday 11/12/09.

The preview looks like it would be well worth watching. I am attaching a link to the film's website. I noticed the video is for sale ($275) or rent ($95), so catching the broadcast tonight is the way to go.

Good Food Website

Added by Rob Olason on November 12, 2009 at 9:33am — 2 Comments

The IEA and World Oil Supply Projections

A front page report November 9, 2009 in The Guardian tells us that "Key oil figures were distorted by US pressure, says whistleblower."

"The world is much closer to running out of oil than official estimates admit, according to a whistleblower at the International Energy Agency who claims it has been deliberately underplaying a looming shortage for… Continue

Added by David MacLeod on November 11, 2009 at 9:30pm — 2 Comments

The Creation of a Local Peak Oil Task Force

The Energy Resource Scarcity / Peak Oil (ERSPO) Task Force of Bellingham and Whatcom County will soon be releasing its report. In preparation, I thought it would be a good idea to provide some background.

In the spring of 2007, local peak oil educator John Rawlins suggested to me that it might be a good idea to pass around a petition in support of a peak oil task force here in Bellingham, Washington. I didn't have time to get a petition drive going, but soon after that… Continue

Added by David MacLeod on November 1, 2009 at 6:30pm — 1 Comment

Don't Forget to Vote!

Voting is important this year, especially for the Port, Bellingham city council, and the County Council. Your ballot must be postmarked by Tuesday, November 3rd.

Added by David MacLeod on November 1, 2009 at 5:52pm — 2 Comments

To Whomever is Interested

To Whomever Is Interested,

For the past couple years we’ve had an unconventional dream (to create a small, sustainable homestead with a humble cob dwelling) that we’ve gone about trying to fulfill in a conventional way (searching real estate ads and agents, dealing with financial institutions, etc.), perhaps that is why we have come up short thus far. There are many more details to our dream, but that is the concise version, I don’t want to overwhelm you with the details of my… Continue

Added by Deanna Lloyd on November 1, 2009 at 11:30am — 2 Comments