Ecomunicipality.com

Natural
Steppers from around the area met at UW-RF on Friday, November 14, to
continue a discussion begun at a previous meeting about forming an
umbrella organization. Representatives from Amery, Luck, Osceola, Rice
Lake, Hudson, Ladysmith, and River Falls met in the offices of the St. Croix Institute for Sustainable Community Development on
campus. (Representatives from Menomonie/Dunn County who had attended
the previous meeting were unable to attend but did send input via
email.)

A new study has put some hard numbers to the question of traveling to conferences, workshops, trainings and such, versus conducting them via the internet.

Now, on first blush, one might say that this is a no-brainer, and in some ways, of course, it is.  Staying put and letting the electrons do the traveling would certainly seem to be more eco-friendly.

But, don't forget that the world of the Internet is dependent upon servers and switches and hot and cold environments and a hell of a lot of computers being fired up.  So, doing the math and quantifying the different scenarios/outcomes is not as much of a "no-brainer" as first imagined.

To wit:  short travel by train to a conference, may, in fact, be just as eco-friendly as holding a video-conference.  Traveling beyond 150 miles, or using other liquid fuels in the process of virtually any kind of travel means that staying put and letting the electrons do the traveling is a better option. 

In an earlier post, I discussed the idea of "transition towns"--municipalities, mainly in England at that point, that had committed to re-imagining, re-configuring, and re-building themselves on a model of sustainability and post-carbon living.

Well, the Transition Handbook is now out and available online.  Here is an excerpt from the Introduction:

As I stood at the front of that hall, watching the room full of
laughing, twinkling people, waving their Totnes Pounds, I felt very
moved. There is a power here, I thought, which has remained largely
untapped. Surely when we think about peak oil and climate change we
should feel horrified, afraid, overwhelmed? Yet here was a room full of
people who were positively elated, yet were also looking the twin
challenges of peak oil and climate change square in the face.

I've got wind on my mind.

It may be because I am in process of being certified as a wind-site assessor through the Midwest Renewable Energy Association.  It may be because of the recent proposals by T. Boone Pickens and Al Gore, to turn America into the kingpin of wind.  It may be because I am looking carefully at where and how I can harvest wind from my own modest homestead in Wisconsin.

Or, it may be because there are articles like this popping up all over the media these days. 

What a week.

First, T. Boone Pickens, the Texas oil man, comes out and basically says he's going "all in" in investing in wind energy and renewables throughout the Midwest.

Then, Al Gore, former Vice-President and creator of An Inconvenient Truth, comes out with a speech detailing the imperative nature of transitioning to renewable energies--and fast.

Gore's plan calls for going to 100% renewable energy electrical generation in the next decade. While this is an aggressive goal, perhaps even aspirational, there are a lot of people in the know who believe it can be achieved--but only if America gets the kind of leadership that summons the national will to act, much like JFK did in getting a man on the moon in the 1960s

Let's start by admitting that a human being on a bicycle is as close to mechanical perfection as we are ever likely to get.  Zero emissions, maximum energy efficiency, appropriate design, few mobility or parking issues, easily repaired by simple tools and technology, free exercise, good for the brain--you just don't get much better than a human on a bicycle.

So, the trick becomes how to maximize the possibilities for biking while not pissing off people who still cling to their carbon-emitting, fossil fuel chugging, unsustainably wrong paradigm believing vehicle owners.  Of which, because I do own a car, I also include myself.

Where to start?

Minneapolis is already the second most bike-friendly city in the country, after Portland, Oregon.  And, by the look of recent policy initiatives, they may have their eyes on taking over the top spot.

James Hansen is widely considered the pre-eminent scientist when it comes to understanding the potential for global climate change and human contributions to the problem.

He recently presented testimony to Congress on the 20th anniversary of his initial insights into the reality that climate change was likely underway in 1988.

I give you Dr. James Hansen of NASA:

The price of oil continues to spiral, and sadly, as high as gasoline goes there are always people lined up and ready to pay whatever for a fill.

Is that the definition of dependency? I think it is.

So, what's the end game here? $8 a gallon gas? $10 a gallon? And, at what point do people ditch their dependency on dead dinosaurs and do something else?

Here's one scenario, from Jeff Rubin. He foresees a continued escalation of gas prices despite the loss of as many as 10 million cars from America's roads in the next four years. Those of us that follow such things understand that for every car taken off the road in the United States, another 2 or 3 will the pavement in China and India. So, no great hope that eventually we will reach market stabilization.

And, how long will it take for America to build a new transportation infrastructure built around expensive energy? A very long time, so the transition could be rough. Hell, it's rough now.

We all know the story (or should): post World War II, lots of baby-boom families getting started, Leavittown, New York, cheap land, cookie-cutter homes, safe sub-divisions, a lot of road-building, new schools, new municipal governments. A whole new American Dream with profits galore.

Welcome to America's suburb. Land of enchantment, of dreams, of the perfect American experience. Clean. Ordered. Safe. Affluent.

I've never had the pleasure to live in one, though I did, as a teacher, work in one for a decade.

Well, the suburb has come in for a lot of criticism over the last several decades. From the atomizing effects of its single unit, single lot, single family approach to housing, to its consumption of massive amounts of land and habitat, to its wasteful dependence upon fossil fuel as a premise for its existence.

Now the question becomes is the suburb a thing of the past? New studies and new thinking suggest that it is.

Wisconsin is one of the leaders in the United States when it comes to municipal action to fight global climate change. There have been 16 communities, at last count, to stand up and take a stand by declaring themselves ecomunicipalities.

Hopefully, Amery will be the 17th next month when the resolution below goes before the city council. I am publishing this on the Web so that other individuals and communities can begin, or complete, the process of introducing their own resolutions. Steal as much or as little as you want.

Or, leave some comments and feedback. This is an open-source website afterall, with over 30 members, so presumably, there are minds out there ready and willing to engage.

 
(Apologies about the formatting;  not sure why it won't paste in decently.)