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‘Peak oil’ theory gains local converts
Garret Ellison, Grand Rapids Press
Eric Saigeon typed “peak oil” into a Google search this spring, and his life may never be the same.
The 27-year-old Grand Rapids Community College student dove into Internet video and volumes of literature to learn more about the theory that the world’s oil production is about to peak and then decline, causing social upheaval and economic chaos.
So convinced was Eric that he dragged his mother, Ann Saigeon, to a meeting in Middleville on the subject. They both came away “peak oil aware” — and profoundly shaken.
“It struck me pretty hard,” he said.
The Saigeons have joined environmentalists, geologists, physicists and energy industry bankers warning of another “inconvenient truth” — that world oil supplies are not infinite, and we may never have more oil than we do now.
The peak oil debate, long scoffed at by oil producers as alarmist nonsense, is gaining traction in West Michigan and across the country, driven by sharply climbing oil prices, rising food costs, scarcity of new oil discoveries and a growing online community.
… The peak oil flag has been raised in West Michigan by Wayland mathematics teacher Aaron Wissner, of Middleville, who started Local Future and organized the conference.
Wissner predicts food production will become local, because of projected transportation costs. That means the end of strawberries from California and tomatoes from Florida.
(29 June 2008)
Aaron Wissner is an Energy Bulletin contributor.
Update on Michigan peak oil conference
Aaron Wissner, Energy Bulletin
Much has happened since the International Conference. First of all, every talk was video recorded in high definition, and are being published to the LocalFuture.org web site. Currently, Dr. Ehlers, Pat Murphy, Megan Quinn Bachman, and Aaron Wissner’s talks are online. Dr. Goodstein’s talk will be added this week. Additional talks will be added about once per week.
In addition, the DVD of the Friday night sessions has been mastered, and will be send out for replication. It will be available by August for cost. The goal is to get the DVD into the hands of as many people as possible, so Local Future, as a nonprofit, will be selling them for $2 each, or $6 if they need to be ordered and mailed online.
The next conference, effectively the “Michigan Peak Oil Conference” is now set for northern Michigan’s Crystal Mountain over the November 14-16 weekend. This conference will be focused specifically on how Michigan can restructure its economy given the falling stock market and the leveraged position of Michigan due to the failing auto industry. The conference will focus on “training the trainers” as well as emphasizing what individuals can do to prepare themselves and their communities for the various future post-peak scenarios.
The official title for the Michigan conference is “The Conference on Michigan’s Future: Energy, Economy & Environment”. Registrants are limited to a maximum of 200 due to the size of the conference facility. Registration will open on July 2 with an extremely discounted introductory rate. The entire conference is likely to fill up quickly. Visit LocalFuture.org for more information and a list of confirmed and invited speakers.
(29 June 2008)
‘The Archers’ brings the idea of a self-sufficient community to the fore
Rowena Mason, UK Telegraph
World shortages of petroleum and the belief that supplies will become too scarce are driving some to seek an oil-free lifestyle. As ‘The Archers’ brings to the fore the idea of a self-sufficient community, Rowena Mason asks whether this new movement is the product of panic or a common-sense solution.
(29 June 2008)
The towns taking control of their future
Matt Ford, CNN – International
“Within the oil crisis and climate change there is the opportunity for an economic, social and cultural renaissance the likes of which we have never seen before,” says environmentalist and perma-culture designer Rob Hopkins.
“If only we can just unleash all the creativity and genius around us, rather than just lurching from crisis to crisis.”
Hopkins is the founder of the “Transition Town” movement, and the author of its bible, “The Transition Handbook.”
The movement was founded in Totnes, Devon, and Kinsale, Ireland, in 2005 and 2006, with the aim of helping those communities prepare for the twin challenges of peak oil output and climate change.
Since then it’s spread across the United Kingdom and to towns across the world.
There are now 60 other projects already in action, and nearly 700 others considering getting involved. There is even a Transition storyline on the popular BBC radio soap opera, “The Archers.”
Fundamentally, it’s a grassroots initiative, and Hopkins believes that the move to an oil-free society is about community and individuals more than industry and government.
(28 June 2008)
Moving beyond oil in Lawrence, Kansas
Chad Lawhorn, Lawrence Journal-World & News
Imagine the day when your vehicle’s odometer becomes a tax meter – the more you drive, the more you pay in taxes.
When you do drive, you’ll be greeted by more toll stations. And when you stop, you’ll be greeted by more parking meters. Along the way you’ll notice roofs with solar panels, yards with vegetable gardens, construction crews building bike paths instead of roads, and perhaps even large warehouses stuffed with massive amounts of food to deal with an energy emergency that hovers on the horizon.
Farfetched, you say.
Well, evidently you aren’t in Portland, Ore., nor have you bought into the concept of Peak Oil – a supposed economic disaster-in-waiting that will make $4 a gallon gasoline look like the deal of the century.
“I think gasoline probably will hit $5 a gallon over the next year, and I’ve heard credible reports that it will hit $10 a gallon over the next four years,” said Tim Hjersted, a Lawrence resident who has formed a local group urging city leaders to begin preparing for the day that petroleum becomes a scarce resource.
… Hjersted’s group – the Lawrence Peak Oil Action Committee – wants Lawrence leaders to adopt their own Peak Oil response plan. City commissioners tentatively have agreed to receive a presentation from the group later this summer. Hjersted says if Lawrence does nothing – the preferred response of most communities – it is setting itself up for a colossal economic meltdown that could occur in as few as two to three years.
“This is really important for Lawrence to do because Lawrence is definitely a commuter-heavy city,” said Hjersted, a local activist who operates an independent film Web site.
(30 June 2008)
