Act: Inspiration

Energy Transitions and the Next “Paradigmatic Image of the World”

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The history of modern humankind has undergone two major energy transitions, marked by the invention and development of agriculture and the discovery and exploitation of oil. The two energy transitions partition human history into three phases: hunter-gatherer, agricultural, and industrial. Faber et al. (1996) refer to these phases as “Paradigmatic Images of the World,” because they describe the common structure of societies throughout the world. The most important question is “what is the next paradigmatic image of the world?”

Deconstructing Dinner: Farming in the City XIII (Backyard Chickens X)

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In November 2009, a panel discussion on urban agriculture was hosted by Backyard Bounty and the University of Guelph…This episode hears from two of the panelists who both share innovative urban agriculture projects: the Carrot City exhibition – a collection of conceptual and realized ideas for sustainable urban food production, and the Diggable Communities Collaborative – a community garden initiative that demonstrates the importance of partnerships and the ways in which regional health authorities and local governments can support and implement local food system and urban agriculture planning. Rounding off the show – regular contributor Bucky Buckaw and his Backyard Chicken Broadcast.

Leading the way to a low-energy future

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My disappointment in government leaders is matched by my admiration for a new influential group of Americans, whom I call lifestyle leaders — those who take matters into their own hands, by building gardens, weatherizing their homes, getting rid of their cars… Believing this group may hold the key to the rapid dissemination of low-energy lifestyles, I conducted an online survey of 2,005 of them in late 2009.

Tales from the riverbanks

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The transition to a sustainable economy requires that we lock horns with the beasts that stalk the corporate jungle, if only to replace their world of testosterone and risk with one of stability and mutuality, argues green economist Molly Scott Cato. So what can we propose as our vision for the banking system?

Family values

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Every debate has its blind spots and the one about community in peak oil circles is no exception. It is fascinating to see how little discussion there is about what is, after all, the most basic community in all human society : family. There are, of course, good reasons for that. Few among us have any sympathy for the family values crowd, a species unfortunately every bit as widespread and nefarious on this side of the Atlantic as on the other one and we certainly don’t want to be put in the same basket as they. This is however unfortunate, for, no matter how polluted it is by religious non-issues, the family question and its evolution is of the foremost importance if we want to make sense of the post-peak world.

Food & agriculture – Feb 12

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-Children ‘believe sheep lay eggs’
-Red wigglers could be the new black gold
-The GM tomato that stays fresh for SIX WEEKS – but would you want to eat it?
-India bans planting of first GM food crop
-Another Assault on the SOLE Food Movement
-Legislation intended to help orchard companies
-Demand for food “staggering”

Beyond Copenhagen – Now what?

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Are current corporate-dominated international institutions inadequate to the task of meeting the multiple planetary survival challenges they themselves have helped create?…Richard Heinberg of the Post Carbon Institute (postcarbon.org), talks about the factors contributing to the stalemate in the Copenhagen climate summit, the other ‘game ending’ challenges confronting the current economic system, and the bottom-up steps necessary to move to a post-carbon economy.

Deconstructing Dinner – Speerville Flour MIll

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The Speerville Flour Mill is a locally-owned and operated business in New Brunswick that has for over 25 years been supplying the Atlantic Provinces of Canada with local, organically grown grains and foods. The mill supports dozens of organic grain farmers in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. One of those farmers is Andrew Kernohan of Parrsboro, Nova Scotia. In September 2009, Deconstructing Dinner visited Speerville and Andrew’s farm while touring throughout the provinces.