Los Angeles
Post Carbon
Educating our Los
Angeles communities on the issue of peak oil and taking steps to prepare
ourselves for the post carbon age.
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News Archive
Sustainable Living Workshops in Santa Monica
If
you are interested in finding out what you can do to shrink your
footprint on your environment then join residents in Santa Monica
who are working together to actively make a difference. Join one
of the many 6-week workshops and learn about all the things you
can do in the following areas: WATER, ENERGY, WASTE, CHEMICALS,
TRANSPORTATION, AND FOOD & SHOPPING. We are focused on helping you
to create the positive change you want to make. Expect to save $200
- $300 on utility bills from adopting the suggestions we recommend.
Workshop is subsidized by the City of Santa Monica and material
costs are only $25 for Santa Monica residents and $35 for all others.
Call or email to be apart of the next workshops starting in January.
Workshops are ongoing through the year. www.sustainable-works.org
/ (310) 458-8717 x 1
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Lawn to be replaced with Edible Landscape in Los Angeles
GardenLab
announces Edible Landscapes #2. They are currently seeking the skilled,
eager and adventurous occupants of one conventional American house
on a typical street of endless sprawling lawns. These L.A. citizens
should be brave enough to break this toxic uniformity, by having
their entire front lawn removed and replaced by an edible landscape.
The landscapes will be established in Spring 2006 and will be the
basis of an exhibition the following Autumn.
http://www.fritzhaeg.com/garden/initiatives/edibleestates/main.html
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Master Gardener Program will be Training New Volunteers
On 13 Saturdays from March 4th to May 27th, 2006, the Common Ground
Garden Program will train Los Angeles County volunteers to help
low-income and limited-resource residents to grow and eat more nutritious
vegetables. Applicants should know the basics of gardening and be
active community volunteers (not necessarily in gardening). There
is a $100 material fee (partial scholarships are available for low-income
participants) and the training is from 9 AM to 4 PM each Saturday.
To get onto the mailing list, contact Administrative Assistant
Gloria Mitchell at phone 323-260-3348 or email gjmitche@ucdavis.edu
Deadline to request application packet is January 16, 2006.
http://celosangeles.ucdavis.edu/garden/
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Fruit Trees in Los Angeles Combat Hunger
For
those of us that have been following the issue of global oil peak
and our dependency on fossil fuels, we know that food security will
become a major issue as fossil fuels go into decline. If you think
otherwise, check out the article "Eating
Fossil Fuels" by Dale Allen Pfeiffer. The below article
published by Tree People highlights how they have been increasing
food security in low income neighborhoods by planting fruit trees.
From TreePeople.org:
Fruits and vegetables are an essential part of a healthy diet,
but for residents of low-income neighborhoods, fresh produce is
often prohibitively expensive. For the past 21 years, TreePeople
has addressed this problem by distributing free fruit trees in
underserved communities. Since 1984, TreePeople’s Fruit Tree program
has distributed approximately 60,000 plum, peach, apricot, fig
and nectarine trees to community groups, schools and churches.
Read more at http://www.treepeople.org/vfp.dll?OakTree~getPage~&PNPK=28
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Sun Valley Watershed Stakeholders Group Addresses Flooding, Water
Conservation, Recreation, Wildlife Habitat and Polution
The
mission of the Sun Valley Watershed Stakeholders Group is to solve
the local flooding problem while retaining all stormwater runoff
from the watershed, increasing water conservation, recreational
opportunities, and wildlife habitat, and reducing stormwater pollution.
There's something exciting going on in Sun Valley! A serious effort
to solve the area's chronic flooding problem is underway, but that's
not the half of it. Planners envision a solution that will bring
many other benefits to the community as well. The implementation
here of what's known as a "watershed approach" to urban environmental
problems could focus regional and national attention on Sun Valley.
On this website, we'll provide both an introduction to the Sun Valley
Watershed Project and a clearinghouse for project information. We
hope you'll find the site informative and useful - maybe even inspiring!
http://www.sunvalleywatershed.org/
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It is within our power – even the Unknown Consumer’s!
by Jan Lundberg
I feel much sorrow for the Unknown Consumer, the poor schlump (blue
collar or affluent) whom I see making any kind of purchase – what
else is anybody doing in public, besides driving? Odds are overwhelmingly
that the average U.S. citizen - rightly called a consumer, if the
shoe fits – is doing nothing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
or the use of that deadly, strategic, dwindling commodity: oil.
Nevertheless, there is a sleeping force of change biding its time
among today's unconscious and oppressed folk. I see working people
as well as disabled or unemployed people trying to manage as low-income
consumers. They constantly do things such as drink from plastic
soda bottles and thus poison themselves, thereby cheating their
bodies out of clean water and honest food. I'm sorry for these folk,
but I'm getting more angry at their plight and the greedy few who
keep them in their condition and class. It is no consolation that
the greedy rich are poisoning themselves too and weakening the gene
pool. Also sad is the fact that an oppressed member of society is
likely to desire the usual "opportunities" that lead nowhere. There
are better approaches to dealing with "The System," even when leaders
don't lead...
www.culturechange.org/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=30&Itemid=2#cont
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DRY DIPSTICK LAUNCHES "BEYOND PEAK"
DryDipstick,
a web guide to Peak Oil, launches BeyondPeak.com, a guide to self-sufficiency
and preparing for, and dealing with, Peak Oil and economic collapse.
The new website focuses on preparation for, and dealing with, the
effects of Peak Oil, economic collapse, and a host of other looming
disruptions, any one of which could cause serious problems in our
society. Mick Winter, founder of both Dry Dipstick and Beyond Peak,
says: "Many visitors to Dry Dipstick have told us, 'Okay, we get
Peak Oil. Now what can we do about it?'"
www.beyondpeak.com
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Free NYC Cyclists Campaign
A
year ago on Aug. 27, the New York City police mounted a major offensive,
but not against drug dealers, terrorists or criminals. They went
after people on bicycles, cracking down on a Critical Mass group
bicycle ride. Since then, more than 500 cyclists have been arrested
and many more have had their bicycles stolen by police. Video evidence
shows beautiful, peaceful bike rides in New York with artistic bikes,
stunt bikes and even small children on training bikes. Then, the
camera shows unresisting cyclists being stopped by the police, beaten
to the ground, tear gassed and hauled away in handcuffs. Truckloads
of bikes have been confiscated, many cut from their locks while
their owners stand by helplessly. This is a blatant abuse of human
rights, not to mention the equal rights to use public streets. World
Carfree Network has initiated the "Free NYC Cyclists" campaign.
You can help by sending letters to the New York mayor and police
commissioner demanding an end to the arrests, by organizing screenings
of the documentary film Still We Ride and by passing out letters
at your local bike rides and other events.
Take action: www.worldcarfree.net/nyc/index.php
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The Second U.S. Conference on Peak Oil and Community Solutions
More than 350 people from 39 states and five countries gathered
with about 100 area residents in Yellow Springs, Ohio in late September
to learn how to prepare at the local level for the coming steep
decline in global oil production.
Richard Heinberg, author of the seminal work, The Party's
Over, gave a keynote address on the unprecedented challenge of peak
oil at the global and local level.
Steve Andrews, the ASPO — USA co-founder, followed with
an assessment of alternative fuels..."Long term, we must focus on
renewables," he said.
Jan Lundberg, founder of the Auto Free Times magazine, Alliance
for a Paving Moratorium, and CultureChange.org, talked of this upcoming
petrocollapse as a chaotic disruption of society that may occur
from even a small decline in oil supplies.
Read more:www.communitysolution.org/p2conf1.html
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Petrocollapse for change of culture
Jan Lundberg speaks at Manhattan peak oil conference, Oct. 5
...One reason for my stance is that petrocollapse, like peak
oil, is inevitable and is right up ahead. There is little the government
can do about it except to try to protect the most powerful elites.
This will not work in the long run, and more equitable means of
people helping one another will jump in. I’m accused of being too
optimistic about a new culture of egalitarianism and mutual aid,
when I predict cooperation and solidarity will be the order of the
new day. I frankly do not see any alternative if we are to survive
as a species, and if peace is the only state we can allow at this
juncture.
Read more: www.lapostcarbon.org/petrocollapse.htm
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A Peek Beyond the Peak: Heinberg in Venice, California
by Margaret Morris
On July 16, the United Methodist Church of Venice hosted a gathering
under the sponsorship of the Post Carbon Institute dealing literally
with the end of civilization as we know it. Richard Heinberg, one
of the world’s most respected experts on peak oil, spoke to a group
of 50 to 60 people about the impending depletion of the world’s
petroleum reserves and how best to meet the challenges this presents.
He is a professor of ecology and author of Powerdown — Options and
Actions for a Post-Carbon World and The Party’s Over: Oil, War and
the Fate of Industrial Societies.
www.hopedance.org/new/issues/52/article12.html
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Love-Ins No More, Now We Have Critical Mass!
Published September 19, 2005 by CICLE.org
By: Harv
...A growing awareness of the downside of the bell curve of world
crude oil supply has created a thirst for information among the
forward-thinkers of L.A. Exacerbating the decline in oil production
is the volatile motor fuel supply/demand balance; we are on the
razor's edge. Current events in the Gulf Coast area are the text-book
example of this; one glitch in the petrol-system and prices rise
and waves of anxiety are generated. A video concerning peak oil
would be shown at F y C. Since I wanted to see these particular
videos I decided to pedal over there at the appointed hour. Some
of us have already begun changing our lifestyle for less petroleum-dependence.
Bicycles are the new symbols of opting out of corporate commodification
of transportation, cutting the oil-umbilical cord, while simplifying
and naturalizing our lives. Love-ins of the 60's have given way
to Critical Masses in modern times...."
Read more at www.cicle.org/news/harvs_fyc.html
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Md. Representative Roscoe Bartlett hosts public
Peak Oil conference
by Paula Hay
Congressman Roscoe Bartlett, representing Maryland’s 6th district
in the U.S. House of Representatives, hosted an energy conference
Sept. 26 focused entirely on Peak Oil and its potential solutions.
Approximately 400 people filled the Kussmaul Theater at Frederick
Community College in Frederick, Md., to hear a broad range of expert
perspective on the issue.
Read more at adaptationzine.com/content/bartlett-conf
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In Los Angeles:
Solutions for Food Security and Peak Oil/Energy Decline
This
is one of the topics that will be covered in the Permaculture Design
Certificate Course. Come see what people are calling "tremendously
hopeful", "life-changing" and "an enormous breath of fresh air"...
Join us as we will examine some of the most inspiring examples of
human ingenuity and sustainable solutions ever documented. It will
be held one weekend a month for six months, second weekends of Oct
2005 through March 2006. There are still spaces available. Reserve
your space now!
www.earthflow.com
Larry Larry Santoyo
Earthflow Design Works
805.459.0452
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Update on the South Central Farm
I'm writing this message on behalf of the South Central Farmers
today to thank those of you who have showed support and interest
in our struggle. Currently things have been quiet at the farm as
we wait for our appeal to be prcessed in the Supreme Court, but
we still have the threat and fear of physical eviction. At the moment
we are looking to build a "phone tree" for that in the event of
an action against us, we can call in friends to support us. However,
you should know that there is possibly a risk of being arrested.
I know for some of you it is not a risk you'd like to take but you
can still support us by showing up at the farm as witnesses. The
importance is having people there to have an imposing presence on
the authorites and developer. You can also help by contacting the
media and swarming them with urgent messages of our situation. If
you are interested in supporting us or would like visit the farm,
contact me so we can make arrangements or visit the farm Sunday
for our open to the public farmers market (41st ST. and Alameda,
Los Angeles). If you have any questions or would like to give us
an endorsement through your organization, please contact me.
Also, every Wednsday night we have our support coalition meeting
at 7:00 pm at the farm to discuss our struggle to save the farm,
community, culture and the supplemental food supply for hundreds
of families.
Thank you, Fernando
www.southcentralfarmers.com
www.saveourgarden.com
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What is an Ecological Footprint?
Have you ever stopped to consider the total environmental impact
involved in you daily activities? The ecological footprint is one
technique to answer the question of how our lifestyle effects the
planet.
The ecological footprint (EF) was developed at the University
of British Columbia department of Community and Regional Planning
by Dr. William Rees and Dr. MathisWackernagel. It estimates how
much of Earth's productive land and sea is used to produce the food,
materials and energy that we consume and to assimilate our wastes.
The EF looks behind the scenes to really see what it takes to make
an alarm clock, a cup of coffee, our clothes, our home and to operate
our automobile.
Read More at www.lapostcarbon.org/footprint.htm
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Upcoming USA Peak Oil Events
Second U.S. Conference on Peak Oil and Community Solutions
September 23 – 25, Yellow Springs, Ohio
Website: www.communitysolution.org
Congressman Roscoe G. Bartlett’s Maryland 6th District 2005 Energy
Conference
September 26, Frederick, Maryland
Website: http://www.bartlett.house.gov/Events.asp
Sustainable Living Fair with keynote by Pat Murphy of “The Community
Solution”
October 1, Columbia, Missouri
Website: http://peaceworks.missouri.org/
Peak Hour Conference on Community Development and Alternative Energy
October 1, Muskegon, Michigan
Contact: vbown@aol.com
Global Oil Depletion and Implications for the Pacific Northwest
October 4 – 5, Spokane, Washington
Website: www.capps.wsu.edu/globaloil
Petrocollapse Conference
October 5, New York City
Website: http://www.petrocollapse.org/
ASPO – USA Denver World Oil Conference Beyond Oil: Intelligent
Response to Peak Oil Impacts
November 10 – 11, Denver, Colorado
Website: http://www.aspo-usa.com/fall2005/index.cfm
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THE ESSENCE OF PERMACULTURE
By David Holmgren
[Permaculture] is 'Consciously designed landscapes which mimic
the patterns and relationships found in nature, while yielding an
abundance of food, fibre and energy for provision of local needs.
People, their buildings and the ways in which they organise themselves
are central to permaculture. Thus the permaculture vision of permanent
or sustainable agriculture has evolved to one of permanent or sustainable
culture.
The design system
For many people, myself included, the above conception of permaculture
is so global in its scope that its usefulness is reduced. More precisely,
I see permaculture as the use of systems thinking and design principles
that provide the organising framework for implementing the above
vision. It draws together the diverse ideas, skills and ways of
living which need to be rediscovered and developed in order to empower
us to provide for our needs, while increasing the natural capital
for future generations.
Read
more
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Food Safety, Costs and Oil Dependency Lead Pasadena Residents
to Grow Food
Suburbanites getting back to farming roots
By Daisy Nguyen, Associated Press writer
Pasadena residents Jules Dervaes, Tony Kleintz, and Dermott O'Connor
and others are interviewed about growing their own food.
Read more at lapostcarbon.org/PasadenaUrbanFarming.html
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Inevitable: New Orleans as victim of oil
by Jan Lundberg
There is more than a double whammy at play in the U.S. Gulf as
to the energy supply picture. Besides the devastation of the general
infrastructure, Katrina has inflicted two shortage situations as
never before experienced simultaneously: oil (and refined products),
and natural gas.
www.culturechange.org
More articles
on Katrina at www.postcarbon.org
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Council supports Sustainable Willits:
Unanimous vote for economic localization
By Claudia Reed/Willits News Staff Writer
[The relocalization effort in Willits seems to be making great
headway, this is a group we should watch - Eric Einem]
A statement calling for sustainable local production of necessary
goods and services including food was unanimously endorsed by the
city council Wednesday night.
http://www.willitsnews.com
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The 'Green Car' Myth
by Richard Register
Consider the energy required to move a 130-pound human body by
foot as compared to moving that same body the same distance seated
behind the wheel of a 4,000-pound SUV. The average human can hit
about 5 miles-per-hour in a brisk walk while the typical car averages
40 mph (city and freeway). While it is true that you can move eight
times faster inside a two-ton vehicle, accomplishing this feat requires
burning around 1,900 times as much energy (and that’s not factoring
in friction, which increases with speed). This should tell you something
about the fundamental insanity of depending on gas-fueled cars in
an oil-starved future.
http://www.energybulletin.net/8248.html
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Jamey Hecht reports on ASPO in Lisbon
Portugal
After three days of mathematically powerful modeling, surveys of
the discrepancies between industry and government statistics, histories
of the political distortions affecting reserve reporting, and regional
studies of basins and traps, nobody could blithely walk out the
conference doors with much hope for world economic growth.
http://www.fromthewilderness.com
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Announcing ASPO-USA
A Non-profit, Non-partisan Research and Public Education Initiative
to Address America's Peak Oil Energy Challenge
www.aspo-usa.com
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LA Post Carbon at the 2004 Doo
Dah Parade
by Eric Einem
LA Post Carbon Entered the Doo
Dah Parade with an entry called Got Oil? The actors included
the out-of-gassers pushing their car carrying empty gas cans, the
Earth being followed by a doctor(s) with a thermometer and stretcher,
a Soldier fighting for oil, Uncle Sam who is "Addicted to Oil",
a TV set looking for a place to plug in and a "Wake up!! We
are here, Peak Oil" sign.
Read More http://www.lapostcarbon.org/doodah.html
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Ice Cap, 1979

Ice Cap, 2003

source: NASA
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LA
Post Carbon Homepage
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