Fwd: Post Carbon Newsletter #18 (August 2006)

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> *Current Number of Post Carbon Groups:*

> <http://www.relocalize.net>

>

> *115*

>

> **Post Carbon Newsletter #18 August 2006**

>

> 1. Relocalization Network update

>

> 2. Oil Depletion Protocol update

>

> 3. Interview with Daniel Lerch, Municipal Response

> Coordinator

>

> 4. Solar Panels donated to the Energy Farm, First

> Wind Turbine

> Constructed

>

> 5. Featured Post Carbon Group: Post Carbon Eugene

>

> 6. Calendar of Events

>

> 7. Next Newsletter Preview

>

> **1. Relocalization Network update**

>

> <http://www.relocalize.net>

> The Relocalization Network Coordinators have been

> hard at work this

> month, posting resources on

> http://www.relocalize.net, putting the

> finishing touches to the first version of the

> Outreach Toolkit and

> helping new Local Groups get started in the Network.

> They enjoyed a

> wonderful visit with the producers of Peak Moment

> Television

> <http://www.apple-nc.org/peakmoment.html> and were

> featured in one of

> their episodes filmed in Vancouver, which will soon

> be posted on

> GlobalPublicMedia.com

> <http://www.globalpublicmedia.com> in the Peak

> Moment special section

> <http://www.globalpublicmedia.com/specials/712>.

>

> With the operating system successfully upgraded, we

> are ready to

> start adding new features to

> http://www.relocalize.net and improving

> the tools that are already there. In order to help

> users and site

> administrators get the most out of the website and

> its features, we

> plan to develop comprehensive help documents that

> will be posted

> under the help section on http://www.relocalize.net.

>

> **2. Oil Depletion Protocol update**

>

> <http://www.oildepletionprotocol.org>The first

> month of the website

> (http://www.oildepletionprotocol.org) has been very

> successful!

>

> In response to our email alert in which we

> encouraged you to visit

> the website and adopt the Protocol, more than 300

> people signed up as

> Individual Adopters! We also received a lot of

> positive, informative,

> and useful feedback which we have incorporated into

> the website.

> Thank you to all who signed up and passed our email

> alert along to

> others. If you haven’t yet visited the website, do

> so now

> <http://www.oildepletionprotocol.org> - read about

> the Oil Depletion

> Protocol, sign up as an Individual Adopter, and

> learn how you can

> reduce your oil dependency. Join others who have

> pledged to reduce

> their oil consumption by 25% over the next 10 years.

>

> Already taking action? Let us know how you are

> reducing your oil

> dependency. Send us an email at:

> share

> <share.

>

> /“The Oil Depletion Protocol represents a

> straightforward route to

> minimizing human misery and is one that is easy and

> practical to

> apply.” —Chris Skrebowski, Editor of Petroleum

> Review/

>

> **3. Interview with Daniel Lerch, Municipal Response

> Coordinator**

>

> Post Carbon Institute will publish *“Responding to

> Energy

> Vulnerability: A Guidebook for Municipalities”* in

> late 2006. We

> spoke with Daniel Lerch, coordinator of the

> Municipal Guidebook

>

<http://postcarbon.orgpostcarbonmunicipalguidebookflyer.pdf>

> project, about the impetus behind the Guidebook, the

> research being

> done to develop it, and the benefit municipalities

> might expect to

> gain from it.

>

> */Other than fueling police cars and keeping the

> lights on at City

> Hall, why would energy vulnerability be any more of

> a concern for

> municipalities than for a large business?/*

>

> In both the U.S. and Canada, municipal governments

> can have an

> enormous range of responsibilities, from providing

> basic services

> like water, police and schools to implementing

> long-term plans for

> future land use and transportation patterns. All of

> these

> responsibilities are affected, in the short run or

> in the long run,

> by energy supply and price.

>

> For example: Nobody knows if the price of oil will

> steadily increase

> by 100% over the next five years, or spike next

> month for just a

> week, or stay right where it is for a decade. But

> each scenario will

> have different implications for municipal

> responsibilities, and

> municipalities need to think through what’s

> possible, what the

> ramifications may be, and what they should do about

> it. This can be

> from as simple as, yes, “How might this affect the

> municipal budget

> for vehicle fuel,” to as complex as, “How might this

> affect regional

> goods movement, and thus the local economy, and thus

> municipal tax

> receipts and the demand for municipal services?’

>

> Read the rest of the article on www.postcarbon.org

> <http://postcarbon.org/node/4174>.

>

> **4. Solar Panels donated to the Energy Farm, First

> Wind Turbine

> Constructed**

>

> Post Carbon Institute's initial Energy Farm

> <http://www.energyfarms.net/> demonstration at UBC

> Farm

> <http://www.landfood.ubc.ca/ubcfarm/>, has just

> received a donation

> of our first 'energy harvesting machines', namely

> three solar

> photovoltaic panels donated by innovative local

> solar panel

> manufacturer, Day4Energy

> <http://www.day4energy.com/> based in

> Burnaby BC (Canada). These were some of the very

> first panels from

> Day4's new production plant and we are both

> delighted and grateful

> for this donation.

>

> The panels are extremely unusual in that they are

> able to accept

> concentrated sunlight (thanks to having copper not

> silver surface

> conductors). Even when assembled into conventional

> flat panels (the

> type we have), their efficiency is higher than

> normal panels. We are

> building an adjustable frame

> <http://www.energyfarms.net/node/186>

> for the panels, which will allow the angle to be

> changed for each

> season. We are now sourcing an inverter and charge

> controllers and

> plan to begin testing in September. The electricity

> generated is

> intended to be part of the power for a future energy

> processing plant

> and a fabrication workshop.

>

> We have also taken delivery of our first Vertical

> Axis Wind Turbine

> <http://www.energyfarms.net/node/184> (VAWT), built

> by Post Carbon

> Institute board director and Energy Panel

>

<http://www.postcarbon.org/relocalize/energyfarmpanel>

> advisor, > Duggleby (left image). VAWTs are still quite rare,

> but they have

> great promise for an urban environment, especially

> in combination

> with solar panels. Hence, this small beginning is an

> experiment

> toward a much wider implementation in both town and

> farm across the

> world.

>

> Energy Panel

>

<http://www.postcarbon.org/relocalize/energyfarmpanel>

> Advisor Professor Rob Millar

>

<http://www.civil.ubc.ca/faculty/rmillar/rmillar.htm>

> is pictured

> here on the right with the new VAWT, which is laying

> on its side at

> UBC Farm awaiting installation.

>

> If you would like more detailed news of the Energy

> Farm Network

> <http://www.energyfarms.net/>, please to

> our Energy Farm

> Network newsletter

>

<http://www.postcarbon.org/phplist/index.php?id=4 & p= & htmlemail=1 & makeco\

nfirmed=0 & email=please+enter+your+email & =>.

> If you are interested in joining the Energy Farm

> Network and beginning

> an energy farm or extending your existing food farm,

> please email

> energyfarm

> <energyfarm.

>

> **5. Featured Post Carbon Group: Post Carbon

> Eugene**

>

> Post Carbon Eugene and the Eugene Permaculture Guild

> held their 10th

> Annual Northwest Permaculture and Bioregional

> Gathering this weekend

> in Eugene, Oregon. The Gathering, August 25th to

> 27th, featured

> workshops, panel discussions and presentations as

> well as delicious

> meals and opportunities to network.

> The Gathering's primary goal was to help facilitate

> the creation of

> region-wide networks based on particular interests

> such as local food

> security, " people's " media, human potential, urban

> land use, rural

> land use, small town and rural networking, health

> and well-being,

> Social Forestry, renewable energy, relocalizing the

> economy, water

> issues and eco-building. In order to facilitate this

> networking the

> group designed a " Connecting Exchange " center that

> helped to connect

> people based on common interest and geography.

> For more information or to view the schedule, please

> visit Eugene

> Permaculture Guild’s website

>

<http://www.eugenepermacultureguild.org/gathering2006>.

>

>

> **6. Calendar of Events:**

>

> **Third U.S. Conference on “Peak Oil” and Community

> Solutions**

>

> <http://www.communitysolution.org/06conf1.html>

> *Friday, September 22 – Sunday, September 24, 2006,

> Yellow Springs,

> Ohio*

>

> This annual event is a key educational and

> networking opportunity for

> all those concerned about Peak Oil and climate

> change and who are

> working to make the necessary changes in their lives

> and communities.

>

> Speakers

> <http://www.communitysolution.org/06conf2.html>

> include

> Vicki Robin, David Orr, Richard Heinberg, Julian

> Darley, Peter Bane,

> Richard Olson, Jeff Christian, Sharon Astyk, Pat

> Murphy, Faith

> Morgan, and Megan Quinn.

>

> At the conference you will:

>

> Learn the latest information on Peak Oil and how it

> will affect our

> economy and our lives.

> Discover the limitations of the proposed energy

> alternatives and how

> many could speed up global climate change.

> Hear about solutions for food and farming, housing

> and

> transportation.

> Explore the concepts of relocalization,

> sustainability, agrarianism,

> and more.

> Strategize with fellow Peak Oil activists, academics

> and community

> organizers in the largest gathering of the Peak Oil

> movement in the

> country.

> Learn about lifestyle solutions based on

> conservation, curtailment,

> and community that will lead to a sustainable and

> equitable future.

>

> For registration information, a detailed conference

> schedule, and

> speaker bios, visit

> http://www.communitysolution.org.

>

> **7. Next Newsletter Preview**

>

> Next month, a special update on the Local Energy

> Farm at UBC

> <http://www.energyfarms.net/>, including an

> interview with farm

> manager Mark Bomford.

>

> Post Carbon Institute encourages the following

> courses of action:

>

> Begin implementing Relocalization

> <http://www.relocalize.net>

> strategies in your community

> Forward this newsletter

> <http://www.postcarbon.org/news/newsletters/aug2006>

> to others

> Encourage your friends, family members, co-workers,

> planners, policy

> makers, and politicians to

>

<http://www.postcarbon.org/phplist/?p= & id=1>.

> If you're not a member yet, then please sign up

> <http://www.postcarbon.org/user/register>

> Donate <http://www.postcarbon.org/contribute/donate>

> to Post Carbon

> Institute

>

> View the Newsletter archives

> <http://www.postcarbon.org/news/newsletters>

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> Post Carbon Institute is a 501c3 registered charity

> chartered in

> Eugene, Oregon USA

>

>

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