Insight and inspiration in turbulent times.
In June, we wake up at 5 am when the sun rises. It’s important to get our outside work done before the heat of the day. Since we can’t afford A/C, we try to take siestas, or at least not move much, from 11 to 3. The ceiling fans help, and we’ve found that our bodies are getting used to the absence of climate control. I’ve seen a lot of lovely sunrises in the past few years from getting up at the crack of dawn.
Permablitz: An event in which volunteers use permaculture principles to transform a suburban garden into a place that produces its own food.
The Powerdown Show: brilliant, and now available
A Job and No Mortgage for All in a Spanish Town
The Case for Working With Your Hands
At the Transition Network conference, Richard Heinberg gave an online presentation looking at the concept of Emergency Planning for Communities … For a while now, Richard and I have been discussing the tension between longer term planning for resilience and the more immediate and pressing responses demanded by sudden and rapid change. It is still an ongoing discussion, but … What follows is the series of email exchanges we have had since late last year.
Here’s Good News About Your Net Worth
Energy: The Achilles Heel of the Resource Pyramid
The Renewables Hump 2: Digging Out of a Hole
Green (1/8th) Acres sprout in the city
Bay Area’s new crop of gardeners digging in
How a greener city gets growing
From Motor City to Garden City
A lively film promoting activism via video that is in itself a sophisticated example of the medium. With a personal narrative from author/activist Jon Cooksey, this is a rapid fire account of five problems that are bringing the human race to the brink of disaster due to ecological deterioration of the planet.
Simplicity: Peter Lawrence and Jim Merkel
Rethinking land use at Dartington: Rob Hopkins presentation
PBS documentary points to Portland transportation planning
Live Local (in Australia)
Paul Hawken commencement address: Healing or stealing? – “You are brilliant, and the earth is hiring…”
Carolyn Baker: Simplicity on the outside, complexity on the inside
Message in what we buy, but nobody’s listening
Kathie Breault is one of the bravest people I know – she’s looked at the future, and remade her life for it. And unlike me, she’s willing to stick herself out there for the mainstream media. [Kathie is a permaculturalist and peak oiler, who was recently the subject of a piece on ABC’s Nightline.]
Contrary to what many now believe, Rhode Island’s relative prospects are excellent. This is because the primary challenge to America’s economic recovery is likely to be the cost of energy. As recovery spurs rising energy consumption, prices will increase, perhaps dramatically. Since energy underpins all economic activity, those regions capable of operating in an energy-constrained environment will have relatively bright futures. Rhode Island, which already uses less energy per person than any other state, is particularly well-suited to meet the challenge.
A fascinating update on how things are going in Japan.
