Recommended Reading, April 7, 2011

[David MacLeod]

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 economic contraction. We have to plan for it, and put alternative financial tools in place to weather it, or it will undermine all of our other efforts." And "It is very important to understand that inherent in the Energy Descent scenario is the downhill slope – the understanding that there must be a descent. There must be a powerdown. There must be a significant decrease in consumption overall. And as you will see in the following discussion, that means there will inevitably be a severe contraction in our economic systems."

 

Kevin Phillips, by the way, wrote a good book called "Bad Money: Reckless Finance, Failed Politics, and the Global Crisis..." that includes peak oil in his analysis. I have a 2nd copy for anyone who asks.

 

John Michael Greer this week talks about passive solar architechture in Alternatives to Absurdity. If you're in an intellectual frame of mind, and interested in world history and culture as it relates to sustainability, you might enjoy reading Ugo Bardi's The Cuckoo That Won't Sing: Sustainabilty and Japanese Culture.

 

My favorite internet posting so far this month: Unpacking For Disaster: What You Need to Survive the Unexpected by Rebecca Solnit. Really good advice on what not to bring, words to throw out, technology to avoid, and further preparations. Thanks to Bruce Horowitz for pointing me to this article.

 

On our own TW site, the most popular postings: Organization Methods and Communication by Cindi Landreth, TW Assembly Meeting Minutes by Juliet Thompson, and Online Permaculture Class/Study Group by Monica Sjursen.