Insight and inspiration in turbulent times.
Proposed solutions are often so big and general that we feel helpless. What can one person do about the Kyoto protocol? Permaculture brings a unique emphasis on what can be done by individuals and small groups, fostering a sense of empowerment. This article describes how a classic permaculture technique — zone and sector analysis — can be adapted to deal with peak oil and climate change.
Two big-state governors have hit the headlines last week with grand plans for the future. In California, Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed a massive infrastructure construction program, while in New York, George Pataki has called for a renewable energy program. Both plans were developed by comparatively moderate Republican governors with an eye to the challenges of tomorrow. Unfortunately for the residents of these states, both wind up missing the larger point.
Professor Richard Harris talks to Trevor Shaw about the logic of suburbia and the future of sprawl.
There is a lot of talk about the hydrogen economy. It is at best naïve, and at worst it is dishonest. A hydrogen economy would be a pitiful, impoverished thing indeed.
A fleet of new ships built for BG and other companies to meet Britain’s growing energy needs by bringing in liquefied natural gas (LNG) from abroad has been hit by leaks and safety scares.
Long article in urban planning journal that takes depletion seriously and suggests new priorities for the sector.
The Swedish Prime Minister, Göran Persson, has founded a non-political committee with the intent of making Sweden fossil fuel independent by 2020.
In the wake of the continuing fuel shortage in South Africa, Minister of Minerals and Energy Lindiwe Hendricks has called for fuel companies operating in South Africa to reimburse motorists for the payments they receive for storing extra stocks of petrol and diesel, meaning the industry could face a collective payment of about R60-million.
In the era of cheap and abundant oil GM and Ford dominated the top industries in both the US and the world. There are various reasons why these two companies are now in crisis, but here I will focus on how difficult it will be for them to recover.
Whistler 2020 (fully-sustainable, low-footprint) /
Bike industry, advocates unite, and Congress starts to notice /
How to live off the land (local produce) /
Gardener on the Roof /
Modes de transport (human-powered) /
Folke Günthe talks about re-ruralisation /
Red Pepper: the clean green route to power
“We can’t keep going the way we’ve been going,” said Congressman Mike Thompson. “That’s a no brainer.” Speaking during Mondays meeting with local officials and members of the Willits Economic LocaLization (WELL) group, Thompson was referring to an economy based on insatiable consumption of fossil fuels.
There are at least seven major reasons why dependence on petroleum and its products for the lion’s share of the world’s transportation fuel creates special dangers in our time.
