energy descent plan

An inspiring story

Rob Hopkins of TransitionCulture.org explained to Global Public Media's Andi Hazelwood about the UK's Transition Movement towards relocalization. Includes great discussion on local currency.

On relocalize.net, check out the new Google map of groups.

Watch it on YouTube.

the video compilation

Here is the 34 minute video compilation that Derek and I put together with the help of a dear friend and video editor.



It is a collection of short clips from six current documentary films describing some of the challenges that face us as a species. They are organised under the headings of Peak Oil, Economic Collapse, Climate Change and Responses to these. Here is a list of the films and a description of the specific short clips which are included in this 34 minute compilation:

The Power of Community - A succinct history of Peak Oil and how Cuba came to their own Peak Oil moment with the collapse of the Soviet Union in the late 1980's. It shows a little glimpse of the grass roots response to the need to feed their population, when their oil-dependent agriculture was no longer able to do so.

Oil Smoke and Mirrors - Richard Heinburg, author of The Party's Over: Oil, War and the Fate of Industrial Societies, and the book Powerdown: Options and Action for a Post-Carbon World, expresses how easy it is, even for him, to fall into a level of denial about the significant changes that are almost certainly headed our way. A few other highly reputable politicians, business people and a geologist speak about dependence on Oil, the potential for global economic upheaval, and an explanation of why the media is largely quiet on these subjects.

David Attenborough's BBC documentary, Can We Save Planet Earth - CO2 is made visible in a clever graphic display and explanation of its sources and effects. We hear about China's direction and their part in the growing total of CO2 that is being released into our atmosphere.

Denial Stops Here - Michael Ruppert offers his insights into the global economic environment and makes some startling suggestions about the implications of the current situation.

An Inconvenient Truth - It is hard to go past Al Gore's big CO2 and Global temperature chart for the last 650,000 years, without asking what might be in store for us.

The End of Suburbia - despite this being the oldest film in the line-up, with footage taken from the Paris meeting of ASPO (Association for the Study of Peak Oil) in 2002, it's contribution is valuable. This puts recent world events into perspective, and helps explain some of the lead up to them.

We hope this compilation (in all its amateur and jerky wonder) captures the essence of key issues which are already facing us as we race towards a global population of 7 billion persons. A key message is that each of us needs to learn how to reduce our footprint on this earth, and find ways, through cooperation and mutual support to meet our needs without disadvantaging future generations.

There is nothing refined about this production, but it is our humble effort to share information with you. Now if you know of anyone who wants to throw some money at this project, and have it made into a cleaner presentation, we are more than happy to help. But this was the result of some concerned citizens who squeezed in a few late nights in their busy schedule to put this together with limited technology.

one man, one cow, one planet

Thanks Michael for inviting me over to watch this video with you. Wow!

Peter Proctor is the lie to the belief that "I" can't do much to change things for the better. I would love one day to know that I had done one tenth of what this man has done to benefit the human community.

This film will screen at the Waiheke community cinema on January 30th.

If you are lucky enough to live on Waiheke Island, but you can't wait, then order the DVD directly and support our kiwi producers - well done guys, this is fabulous footage, edited expertly. For the rest of you, if you are beginning to wonder how you might eat when the oil gets too expensive and scarce for driving farm machinery, then order one today.

want to understand?

Catherine Austin Fitts is a woman who has been deep inside the money and political system and understands how it works. I was led to read the article referred to below after reading this critical appraisal of Al Gore's film "An Inconvenient Truth"

In this extensive article she reveals detail after detail, all fully known and available if anyone wants to check her sources. This cartoon says it all - although the details will shock you.



After years of working in the belly of the beast, and then years of harassment by the powers that be, Catherine now works through Solari to evolve a "financially intimate world."

Her story is eye popping even for a hardened investigator of the workings of the ruling elite. And her passion for change is an inspiration.

waiheke cinema rocks

If you are in Auckland or Waiheke (New Zealand) you may want to diary these films that are screening on the 4th and the 18th of July at the Waiheke Island Community Cinema.

Three important and relevant films will screen two weeks apart, at the cinema. The first two address some of the problems associated with Peak Oil. The last film offers inspiring examples of some solutions and opportunities which will arise from it.

-------- Tue July 4th, 7:30pm --------

The End of Suburbia
We are witnessing one of the major
societal changes of a lifetime,
brought on by the end of cheap oil.
78 mins

--------------------------------------

-------- Tue July 18th, 7:30pm --------

Peak Oil - Imposed by Nature
Condenses a lot of important and
compelling information into a clear
introduction to the global oil decline.
30 mins

Followed by...

The Power of Community
Shows how Cuba responded to its
"peak oil" and economic collapse
which occurred suddenly in 1989.
60 mins

--------------------------------------

You can be certain of some lively disussion
following the screening of these films.

politics or self help

A friend wrote last night expressing his, understandable frustration about the slowness of the political leaders to respond to the facts of Peak Oil,and their failure to begin paving the way for new means of providing for the necessities of life. It grew out of a conversation around some documentary films on Cuba (The Power of Community, and The Greening of Cuba), who had their Peak Oil moment back in 1989.

The films tell how the average Cuban lost several pounds of body fat before their food growing efforts yielded fruit, but they came through and met the challenge in creative and innovative ways. They moved away from fossil fuel dependent agriculture and turned to permaculture and organics. There is much we can learn from them. One of these films is being screened at the Waiheke Community CInema on July 18th.

This is my letter in response to my friend's outpouring of frustration:

The Greens, Labour, ACT, National, and any others that may come along are part of an old system that I have been saying for some time is broken and is not supposed to be fixed. It is based on old models of working which don't (work) anymore. They assume a top down management model that wont work.

I dont waste my energy supporting or fighting them, but prefer to channel it into creating the bottom up foundational systems which will grow and thrive as the old systems collapse. As people wake up and see the extent to which they have been lied to by their leaders, they tend to express anger first, but then they look for other ways to function, operate, interact, live and get their needs met.

I dont believe that pointing fingers at Bush, or Cheney, Clark or any other 'leader' does anything more than postpone the inevitable moment when we wake up and realise that we are the responsible party. Looking to someone in a 'leadership' position and demanding they fix things is a form of giving away power. Me weak, you strong, you big powerful person fix this problem for poor powerless me.

The entire system that is consuming the final supplies of oil is being encouraged by those people, yes to be sure. But it is we the people who are filling our tanks, buying the produce which has travelled around the globe to get to our table, after being fertilised and pesticided and packaged to get there. As we wake up and do things differently we buy out of that system and withdraw our suppport for it.

Now it could move faster if 'leaders' got on board and helped educate the masses, who are asleep, because they continue to be fed world cup football and told that everything is fine - just keep consuming. But then those people would remain in the same position of being manipulated by whatever the latest message is. And this moment seems to be about awakening from the slumber and becoming self-aware and aware of our inter-dependent place in the totality of humanity.

My reading of the situation is that there will be a significant die-off of the human population. We have found a food/energy source that has enabled us to explode our population - it has doubled in my lifetime. Now that food/energy source has peaked and we are on the downward slide, and with it will surely come a reduction in the population that depends on it.

Some realise this, and are stepping back from dependence on oil as an energy/food source, and I would rather put my time into supporting and working with those people, than struggle to wake up those who are fast asleep.

Good news about the thermette - thanks for the prompt, I will put this on my preparedness list.

Gently,

James
--
www.yesterdaysfuture.net

from freedom to fascism

"FOUR STARS" (Highest Rating).The scariest goddamn film you'll see this year. It will leave you staggering out of the theatre, slack-jawed and trembling. Makes 'Fahrenheit 9/11' look like 'Bambi.' After watching this movie, your comfy, secure notions about America -- and about what it means to be an American -- will be forever shattered.

Producer/director Aaron Russo and the folks at Cinema Libre Studio deserve to be heralded as heroes of a post-modern New American Revolution. This is shocking stuff. You'll be angry, you'll be disgusted, but you may actually break out in a cold sweat and feel a sickness deep in your gut."

--- Todd David Schwartz, CBS

global warming a big hit

The big production film on Global Warming, An Inconvenient Truth, is racing up the charts!

If you compare other films and how many theatres each film is screening in, this is quite remarkable. In only its second week of release, and playing in only a miserable 77 theatres, it has managed to climb to 9th position - based on last week's gross box office takings! Let's see how many cinemas try and grab for this one next week!

Update 23 June: It's at 12 place and now in 404 cinemas.

I'm betting the Waiheke Community Cinema will be getting this one as soon as it becomes available.

two solutions films

The Power of Community
On the Transition Culture blog was an announcement about a new and uplifting film: The Power of Community, which explores what happened to Cuba when their oil supply disappeared, almost overnight, with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989. Read more about The Power of Community here:

Transition Culture blog
The Community Solution


Fuelling the Future
Last year there was a two day conference held in Kinsale (County Cork, Ireland) who produced the Energy Descent Plan.

The conference addressed not only the issue of peak oil but also a range of solutions to it, from natural building and local food production to renewable energy and local economics. The weekend was a huge success and has done much to promote discussion around the issue of peak oil in Ireland.

Speakers included Richard Heinberg, Colin Campbell, David Holmgren and Richard Douthwaite. Fuelling the Future has just released a 2-disc DVD set of the conference featuring all the main speakers. Read more about Fuelling the Future here:

Energy Bulletin - a great resource in itself
Association for the study of Peak Oil and Gas - Ireland

I am ordering copies of both of these films and look forward to a couple of nights of viewing at the Waiheke Community Cinema.

You will also find some more solutions films here.

an inconvenient truth

There's a new film out - a major motion picture by all accounts on a subject that dares to address global warming. It states very clearly that Global Warming is man made and that we can have some impact on it. Al Gore is putting his weight behind this issue, with a sense of humour thrown in for good measure. Happy to see he didn't just roll over after the debacle called a democratic election.