Act: Inspiration

Scenario 2020: the future of food in Mendocino county

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Most dire of all was that within three days of the halt to trucking, the grocery stores were out of food. Looking back at historical records it is clear that, while shocking, this was no surprise. Community-based organizations had been warning of this exact possibility for years. Nowadays we have buffers and resiliency built into our systems, but that was not the case in 2009.

Collapse +11 years in the Napa Valley

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As I sip my morning espresso, I have a brief moment of longing for an earlier time when I could make my stovetop coffee quickly on a gas burner. It takes a lot longer using this electric one. Little did we know that gas was right behind oil in peaking. Fortunately we finally have plenty of solar-produced electricity and, once again, access to coffee. So it’s a minor inconvenience, but just another reminder of things we used to take for granted.

Why dissensus matters

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What we think we can know about the future determines how we prepare for it. The speculative bubbles that have left rubble across the economic landscape offer a useful lesson about the difference between knowing what won’t happen, knowing what will happen, and knowing the kind of things that will happen.

Towns and cities should prepare for the peak oil energy crisis

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Local governments face: (1) declining revenues due to declining property values and declining family incomes; (2) increasing costs for gasoline, diesel, and heating oil; (3) inflation in the costs of equipment, materials, products, services, and electric power …

Making a Future for the Disabled: Facing Hard Times With Special Needs Kids

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Yesterday morning, Eli put on snowpants and boots before he went outside. This was a big accomplishment for him – for years we’ve been struggling to balance his need to be outside in all sorts of weather with the fact that he really doesn’t like socks, shoes or shirts that much. In June, this is no problem, but as the world gets colder, each year we have to struggle with the “Eli, you have to be dressed before you go out, and yes, you actually have to keep the clothes on.”