Society

Where Have We been? Where Are We Going?

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On a hot Saturday in mid-July in my corner of the country, when everyone else is cavorting on Million Dollar Beach at Lake George, or plying the aisles of the home Depot, or riding their motorcycles in faux-outlaw hordes, I like to slip away to the neglected places where nobody goes.  I seek out the places of industrial ruin – there are many around here in the upper Hudson Valley, and they are mostly right along the river itself, because there are many spots where the water tumbles and falls in a way that human beings could capture that power and direct it to useful work.

Peak Moment 176: How we live at Lone Bobcat Woods

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Peek behind the scenes at Peak Moment TV’s home base. Janaia Donaldson shows guest host Ivey Cone the solar power system, woodstove for heat (and winter waffles), and super efficient refrigerator. Choosing to reduce their footprint, she and Robyn Mallgren, Peak Moment videographer, don’t feel deprived at all. Janaia discusses what led them to leave the Bay Area, what it’s like to live on 160 acres of forestland, which they’ve preserved “in perpetuity” as a wildlife sanctuary, and shows us some of the members of the natural community they live in.

Seeking the Gaianomicon

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One of the enduring archetypes of popular culture is the quest for some lost tome of ancient and forgotten wisdom. Ironically, books that fit that description tolerably well are among the core resources for a “green wizardry” that could revive the old appropriate technology movement for a world on the far side of Hubbert’s peak. The Archdruid explains…

Struggling to be ‘fully alive’: Reports on coping with anguish

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“I don’t have anything to say that hasn’t been said many times over the centuries.” That may have been the most insightful response to my essay asking people to report on how they cope with the anguish of living in a world in collapse.
(Journalism professor reports on responses to his survey)

Will the peak oil reality change how we raise children?

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As the understanding of the problems created by peak oil are rising exponentially, there are a number of other peaks that have made their collective way in to our consciousness, peak money, peak phosphorus, peak coal to name but a few. All these peaks imply a head on collision with hard limits but not much has been mentioned about another very important peak, the peak of our current parenting practices. What will this peak mean to parents struggling with the usual parenting issues? Will the inevitable slide down the other side of Hubbert’s oil curve, help parents or hinder them?

Peak oil and public transportation

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Michael Lind is the Policy Director of New America’s Economic Growth Program and a frequent contributor to Salon.com. He recently published an article regarding the future of transportation—fixed/high-speed rail. He offers up an attitude regarding our approach to transportation and automobiles that can only cause us more problems as we confront Peak Oil.