Christopher Ryan

On the darker side…waiting for the other shoe

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The dark, wet days of early summer in the northeastern U.S. are fitting for how it seems many are feeling these days. As we’ve transitioned into a new season on the calendar, the weather hasn’t followed suit. And as we’ve entered a new era after the economic crash of 2008 and the looming threats of climate change and peak resources, much of the world speaks not of these issues but guardedly anticipates a return to normalcy [sic]. I don’t believe that’s going to happen.

Peak Oil Day

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We are now approaching the first-year anniversary of Peak Oil Day. Where are we now? The global economy is in tatters, yet oil prices have recovered somewhat (they’re now about half what they were in July 2008). World energy consumption is down, world trade is down, the airline industry is shrinking, and most of the world’s automakers are on life support.

Deep thought – July 6

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Bugging Out
How Politics Works and Why Activism is So Important
Risk Assessments: Playing the “What If?” Game
The Future of Transport
Dopamine Returned on Energy Invested (DREI)?
Tällberg Forum 2009
One Second After: A Book Review from a Prepper’s Perspective
Ruins of a Second Gilded Age

Grains and how we get them – July 12

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This post talks about a seldom-mentioned aspect of local sustainable food production: how do we get our carbs? Local and urban fruit and veg production is all very well and needs to be encouraged, but as East Anglia Food Link Coordinator Tully Wakeman says, “…fruit and veg supplies only about 10% of our calories”. How and where our grains are grown, and how they can be sustainably transported and processed form the crux of this issue.

Pediatrician sees three-year-old on cell phone

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The long-term consequences of young children already taking their gaze away from living people and constantly-changing nature to look down into and be captured by static machines concerns me. Who benefits and what is lost? What is appropriate technology use? What induces obsessive/compulsive/addictive behavior?

The peak oil debate

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The debate about when the world will reach peak oil production is not a new one. But recently, as the price of crude oil has been unusually volatile, the issue of peak production has received heightened attention in the media, and the tone has changed in the discussions among oil industry and energy watchdogs about the future of global oil supply.

A brief ecological manifesto

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For a European website I attempted to write a concise, blunt assessment of our ecological predicament in hopes that perhaps at least one person of influence might read and understand what I believe we face: “We are in overshoot. Failure to recognize this fact and act on it will ultimately condemn humans worldwide to nature’s cure for this condition: collapse.”

Responding to Sharon Astyk on permaculture and Transition

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Sharon concludes: “All that matters is that the work gets done, as well as possible, that the floods are as small as we can make them, and that the suffering is as little as possible. That’s honestly all I care about.” Indeed. That is the task to which we all dedicate ourselves, whatever we choose to call this work.

Housewifely virtues: handwork

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Handwork is not and should not be a gendered province – all of us have time when we must sit and listen, or time when we want to converse. As times get more stressful, we may find that we have more of this time, not less – for all that we have more work to do when we must make do with less money and energy, we also often have more of this time. That is, unemployment, a more seasonal life, less television, fewer nights out and fewer long car trips may mean more reasons to sit, and be quiet together. If the power does go out, or get too expensive, handwork makes the evening hours productive, artistic, graceful – and the movement of fingers enables conversation.