All Blog Posts (115)

"Mechanical Engineering", the official magazine of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, in the May issue has a tagline on the cover of "Running on Empty" and and article inside on "Bang for the Buck" and a discussion of EROEI.  They've had articles previously about (essentially) Peak Oil, the need for alternative sources of energy, a transition away from fossil fuels, etc., but this is a different level, I think.  I might try to get  the original article he refers to, as his numbers…

hi everyone,



I am not planning on being part of the organizing this year but last year there was lots of interest in doing another Power down Week this year so we have a date.   Natalie Berland is looking for some people who are interested in giving some real time to the project, anyone interested?  click on the doodle link below if you are then click on the times you could make it.  it can be just what we make it.    …

Asking an economist to evaluate the work of Nicole Foss is a bit like asking a Baptist Minister to evaluate the work of a secular, agnostic theologian or philosopher of religion, for we are dealing with two competing belief systems and Foss (along with Richard Heinberg, John Michael Greer, Juliet Schor, Wendell Berry, and to some extent Bill McKibben) is, among other things, challenging the economists unquestioned belief in a very specific view of the world ,as well as numerous elements of…

Despite its brief history, one might identify changing emphasis in peak oil commentary and analysis.  Though the overlap is far greater than the difference, the earliest stress, it seemed, was on the simple depletion of the oil itself and thus the impact its growing scarcity would have on our trains, planes, and automobiles.  Because of its rather direct use of fossil fuel inputs, the coming challenges of industrial agriculture was also an early topic of extensive…

Why Infrastructure Spending Won’t Work: A Progressive Perspective.

For mainstream Keynesian Democrats who have not yet become troubled about resource depletion and its rather intimate relationship with the economy, infrastructure spending makes obvious sense.  It represents investment in the economy of the future and in this sense will be “self-liquidating” or dividend-paying.  But that this belief is not the main motivating factor for infrastructure spending is in itself…

Invisible Fortunes: Brief Thoughts on Wealth in America

Last week my wife and I saw an unremarkable movie, “Crazy Stupid Love.”  It was good for a few laughs and a highly suspect message on the essential nature of true love, but not much beyond that, unless you were willing to look at the movie in terms of the American ideology of affluence and wealth, of which it provided a very good example while, at the same time, inviting some insights about the way ideology in general…

Postcarbon political activists need to keep an eye on the Tea Party.  Or rather, we need to keep both eyes on them, each eye looking for different things.

From the traditional liberal perspective out of which most Postcarbon, End of Growthers have emerged, and whose values concerning civil rights, equality, and inclusiveness we generally share, the Tea Party’s intolerant politics of myth and fear represent the early stirrings of a movement that could, under the right…

Just wanted to say Power Down Week 2011 was wonderful.   There are so many people to thank I am not going to try at the moment in case I forget someone!   But huge thank you everyone that organized, worked on events, offered workshops, came to events, helped spread the word and also to those who just had a relaxing staycation and powered down at home!  I had a great time and again I highly recommend an off the hook staycation.  Stay home and urban camp in your home!

We have decided to…

Greetings new friends.  I've created a google map version of the Bike to Farm list...

You can see the spreadsheet @

https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AiuWO8esNupfdGNmaXBBOU5EU1NFck1SM0RYSE00OHc&hl=en_US

and you can view the map @

 …

I thought I would post links to the Press we got last year and this year, in case people were interested, or wanted to share it! 

This is getting really exciting. Even if we don't get more press, I am so pleased with all the work people have put into this, and all the stuff we are going to get to do together next week! 

And I am looking forward to my Staycation! 

How Many Ways Are There to Power Down?

written by sura faraj.

 …

“Kids of today should defend themselves against the 70s”

                                                                        -Mike Watt

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by

And that has made all the difference.

                                                                        --Robert Frost

Lately I have been reading archived issues of Time and Newsweek from the 70s in…

Bicycles are key to better cities