PostCarbon Rhode Island
The Wrong Kind of Green
Johann Hari writes in The Nation on how the environmental movement has, for decades, been co-opted by corporate interests.
A must-read for anyone that wants to know the real rules of the game.
Apeiron sponsors energy auditing certification training
The Apeiron Institute for Sustainable Living, in partnership with the Community College of RI, proudly presents an Energy Auditor Job Training class that begins this month.
Start or Expand Your Career in the field of Residential Energy Efficiency! Build your resume with 9 state and nationally recognized certifications! Learn Hands-on with some of the State’s best known experts! (more…)
Petrobras CEO predicts peak oil in 2010
Over at The Oil Drum, they just posted an article on a presentation Petrobras CEO Jose’ Sergio Gabrielli gave in December 2009. Read for yourself, and decide if the world can come up with a Saudi Arabia’s worth of capacity every two years to supply world oil demand and offset declines in existing fields. Thanks to Luis de Sousa at The Oil Drum for translating the slides from Portuguese to English. Important reading, and evidence for why many–even conservative–analysts predict supply crunches in the next few years.
Peak Moment: Local Food-By and for the people
Another conversation from Peak Moment
The Peak Oil Crisis: A Meeting in California
ASPO principal Tom Whipple writes of a peak oil summit meeting in Berkeley, sponsored by the Post Carbon Institute.
Last weekend, one of the more out of the ordinary meetings in recent memory took place out in Berkeley where some 30 people gathered to begin planning for the world’s transition from the industrial age to whatever is to come.They were a diverse group, coming from all over North America and representing an array of disciplines. Most had grey hair and among them held many advanced degrees and had written stacks of books and papers.
There was, however, a common thread that held them together. Not a person in the room needed to be convinced that the world is entering upon a great paradigm shift that will sweep away much of industrial civilization, thoughts of economic growth, and the lifestyles that have grown up in the age of ubiquitous fossil fuels. Read the rest here.
Local Food Forum returns to Brown on Feb. 3
Farm Fresh Rhode Island brings another Local Food Forum to Brown University.The 6th Annual RI Local Food Forum will gather farmers, chefs, schools food services, restaurateurs and institutions to network. Share best practices for local sourcing and ways to develop our local food system. Learn how to build your menus around the added value of fresh foods from Rhode Island. Discuss the social, environmental and economic benefits of supporting local family farmers through direct food purchasing.Register online here. Hope to see you there.
Transit for a Sustainable Rhode Island
Apeiron Institute presents Transit for a Sustainable Rhode Island tonight.
“The future of Rhode Island is directly linked to developing a robust, sustainable transit network. In recent years our state has begun to recognize the importance of transit and the essential role it plays s in promoting overall mobility, environmental stewardship and economic vitality.”
- From the Providence Metropolitan Transit Enhancement Study
“There’s a new consensus emerging around a sustainable transit future for Rhode Island. An alliance of environmental groups, businesses, unions, senior groups and others have joined together to promote a 21st century transportation system that enhances our economy and provides all Rhode Islanders with healthy transportation choices.
Now is your chance to be part of the conversation.”
Come engage with experts from academia, government, and the non-profit sector to learn how Rhode Island is and should be helping to create the future of Transit in the 21st Century.
Haiti: do whatever you can
The tragedy in Haiti is unimaginable. It has now been more than 36 hours since a 7.0 earthquake struck near Port-au-Prince, killing tens of thousands, and causing incalculable damage. Relief efforts are coalescing, but have been hampered by damage to the airport and roads, and civil infrastructure. Please help however you can, and make informed decisions about relief organizations.
Move your money
Colbert and author/filmmaker Eugene Jarecki. Go to this link for more information. Then do it.
The Colbert Report Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c Move Your Money - Eugene Jarecki www.colbertnation.com Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor EconomyRIPL Film Series begins Sunday Jan. 10 with peak oil doc
RIPL’s annual winter film series begins this year with the groundbreaking peak oil documentary, A Crude Awakening. Come to all of these films if you can. Bring a blanket, the theater can be chilly. Thanks to Judy and Gracious and Rhode Island Progressive League for their tireless efforts.
Rhode Island Progressive League
January 2010 Documentary Series
Sundays at 7 p.m.
Firehouse Theater
4 Equality Park Place , Newport, Rhode Island
Sunday, January 10th - A Crude Awakening; The Oil Crash, directed by Basil Gelpke & Ray McCormack, this intensively-researched film drills deep into the uncomfortable realities of a world that is both addicted to fossil fuels & blissfully unaware of the looming “peak oil” crisis.
Sunday, January 17th – Garbage! The Revolution Begins at Home, directed by Andrew Nisker, asks an average urban family to keep every scrap of garbage for 3 months. By the end of this trashy odyssey, you are truly inspired to revolutionize your lifestyle!
Sunday, January 24th – The World According to Monsanto, by French director Marie-Monique Robin, reveals this company’s corporate influence in government & technology as it races to genetically engineer (and patent) the world’s food supply.
Sunday, January 31st – Rethink Afghanistan is directed by Robert Greenwald.
Rescheduled from Jan. 3rd.
$5.00 Donation requested
Perennial polyculture prevails over peak oil
Nice video from Kris Can. Take notes. Eric Toensmeier mentions many unusual vegetables, berries and fruits you would never imagine could be grown in an urban setting in the Northeast.
South County Green Drinks January meetup
The South County Green Drinks meetup this month is Wednesday, January 13, and will take place at the Alternative Food Co-op, 357 Main Street, Wakefield. Time is 6:30pm. Come early to shop at one of the nicest natural foods markets in the state. BYOB. Bring a dish or beverage to share. Soup and hot drinks will be served. Hope to see you there!
EcoRI.org: Web-based environmental news for the Ocean State
When it comes to Rhode Island environmental reporting, it would be hard to replace the now offline Natural News Network (Thanks to Mary Grady and company for a superb job for several years). Frank Carini has more than twenty years of journalistic experience that he now brings to bear with his environmental news site, EcoRI. We look forward to seeing what they have to offer. Among the latest news: an article on Greg Gerritt’s and Providence Urban Agriculture Task Force’s effort to institute a statewide curbside composting program.
Martenson on Copenhagen and economic growth: you can’t have both
Since Chris Martenson published his illuminating and essential Crash Course, his general essays have been few and far between. This new piece is equally important, and examines how the goals of the Copenhagen agreement are at odds with conventional ideas about economic recovery. Heck of a predicament we’re in. To repeat a time-worn phrase: Time to get real.
Economic growth requires energy, and most of our energy comes from hydrocarbons - coal, oil, and natural gas. Burning those fuel sources releases carbon. Therefore, increasing economic activity will release more carbon. It is a very simple concept. (more…)
In Transition 1.0
This is part one. Many thanks to our friends in the UK for making this film freely available. More info at Transition United States and our site, Transition Rhode Island:
Jared Diamond’s Ecocidal NYT Op-ed
Stephanie McMillan offers this most excellent response to Jared Diamond’s latest exercise in high-profile corporate apologetics in the New York Times. Did it strike you as amusing that Diamond held up Wal-Mart as a shining example of green business best practices? This is important reading for those wanting to keep a clear head about such things.
How many bicyclists does it take to power a hair dryer?
An illuminating article from the UK’s Daily Mail. An experiment designed by owners of a company called Electric Pedals takes the concept of “energy slaves” and makes it real. The discoveries may surprise (and challenge) you. Switch off, scale down, power down….
Ordinary Fears, Extraordinary Times
Kathy McMahon of Peak Oil Blues offers sage advice here.
Peak Oil, Climate change and the Greater Depression will pose many challenges to our way of life but let’s get real, for a moment: Golden Hordes aren’t one of them. At least not now. Economic depression brings with it a host of serious problems, and I think you can say quite confidently, without being a chicken little, that most of the world is in a Greater Depression. But still, we’ve got a few years to go before we can say that the USA is no longer a viable culture, when no one wants to live in Paris or London, when potatoes no longer grow in Poland, and before donkey’s begin pulling our rusted-out cars. Bikers with shotguns; weaving socks from milk thistle; crashing waves drowning our cities; evacuating your house on a moments notice to house troops; the government coming to confiscate your precious metals; a mass exodus of cities as the violence and mayhem escalates to untolerable levels—all of these things should not be on the top of the list of what to prepared for.
So what should be?
