Post Carbon Newsletter #19 September 2006

1. Relocalization Network update

2. Oil Depletion Protocol update: Australia
3. Energy Farm update from Vancouver
4. New Stories on Global Public Media
5. Featured Post Carbon Group: Relocalisation Works in the Burnett Inland (RWBI)

6. Calendar of Events

7. Next Newsletter Preview

1. Relocalization Network update

Some of you have asked the question, “What is the difference between Post Carbon Institute (www.postcarbon.org) and the Relocalization Network (www.relocalize.net)?” We thought we would share with you the answer that we gave in our FAQs.

Over the last six months Post Carbon Institute has developed into an umbrella organization with several different initiatives, including Global Public Media, Local Energy Farms Network, Oil Depletion Protocol, and the Relocalization Network.

For this reason, www.relocalize.net has become the center for communication between on-line users who are actively pursuing Relocalization. The Relocalization Network website was established as an interactive outlet for community members to share ideas, post blogs, news and events, hold forum discussions, and communicate with other members of the Relocalization Network. The Post Carbon Institute website, www.postcarbon.org, will continue to develop into an informational resource website with, among other things, an academic and policy focus where you will be able to go to find all of the most recent updates on current developments.

This transition has been and will continue to be gradual and open to adaptation based on what is needed. Understandably, the transition has left a number of people confused and we thank you for your patience. We are working to clear up the confusion by re-organizing the information on www.postcarbon.org and by posting the information about these changes on www.relocalize.net as they occur. We welcome your feedback and suggestions as to how the websites can be improved as we go forward. Please send us an email at network@postcarbon.org.

We'll be sending a sample of the Relocalization Network newsletter to everyone next month, so watch your inbox!

2. Oil Depletion Protocol update: Australia

“The overwhelming thing we need is a national plan to deal with oil depletion.”

-Christine Milne, Senator for Tasmania, Australia

Australia is the nation of the month. Ian Cohen, Member of Legislative Council in New South Wales, put forward a notice of motion in Parliament on August 31st, asking that New South Wales adopt the Oil Depletion Protocol. This motion makes Australia the first country to consider official adoption of the Protocol at a state or national level. We will continue to keep you posted on this issue, or you can check for updates online at www.oildepletionprotocol.org.

The project has continued to progress and we are now undertaking the crucial research that will enable the Protocol’s success. Education and outreach also continue. Richard Heinberg’s book about the Protocol, The Oil Depletion Protocol: A Plan to Avert Oil Wars, Terrorism and Economic Collapse has been published.

Online, an interactive map has been added to the website that highlights what specific nations are doing to reduce their oil dependency and consumption. Several other tools are also being developed for the website. Want to be updated about the Protocol’s progress via email? Sign up for Oil Depletion Protocol updates here.

3. Energy Farm update from Vancouver

This fall, Mark Bomford the coordinator for the Energy Farm Demonstration Project in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, is preparing for winter at the UBC farm.

Volunteers and UBC students have finished seeding a large research area of different combinations of cover crops that will add, fix and conserve nitrogen in the soil. These crops will have winter cereal production for harvest in July.

Chris Hansen, a volunteer from Portland, is in the process of creating a batch biogas digester and perfecting the ingredients for cultures to seed the digester. We will get the digesters running with our onsite feedstocks of small amounts of animal manure and abundant leguminous material from clover.

Bomford is also working on a plan for the coming year to make the Energy Farm more efficient, by integrating John Jeavons' techniques for biointensive minifarming into the design of farm. This will produce adequate compost and biomass from the site in order to then feed the site. Garden beds at the Energy Farm will be standardized in order to simplify work and the collection of data.

Techniques will be standardized, such as the use of push seeders and wheel hoes, as well as a variety of weed management techniques, to allow the farm to stay within the low input, human powered context while still having a large area (nearly 1 hectare) that can be managed by several students, volunteers and one coordinator.

In addition to Jeavons' and permaculture techniques, Bomford is also applying lessons and experience learned from the previous five years of onsite market gardens in the development of the plan for 2007, with the hope that the new tools, new equipment and new techniques will provide plenty of food, energy and healthy soil at the UBC Energy Farm.

The Vancouver Sun featured the Energy Farm during its week-long special series on energy.

4. New Stories on Global Public Media

This month, Richard Heinberg and David Holmgren wrapped up their speaking tour of the Australian capital cities. Audio and PDFs of their Perth, Western Australia presentations on peak oil, the Oil Depletion Protocol and Permaculture are available on Global Public Media.

In September Dr. Jason Bradford's radio show, "The Reality Report", featured interviews with Ann Hancock and Jessica Prentice. Hancock led all local governments in Sonoma County towards agreements to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and Prentice, professional chef and author of "Full Moon Feast," founded the San Francisco Bay Area Locavores group.

Global Public Media also pulled two video interviews out of the archives from 2004: Julian Darley talking with Barry Silverthorn and Greg Greene, the Producer and Director of End of Suburbia (click here for more), and Julian Darley speaking with David Goodstein, physicist and vice-provost at the California Institute of Technology, about his book Out of Gas (click here for more).

GPM's UK correspondent Richard Scrase has been covering reaction and analysis of the UK Energy Review. This month he spoke with Professor Peter F. Smith, Special Professor in Sustainable Energy, Nottingham University.

And finally this month GPM featured an article from The Cultural Economist, Ron Cooke, entitled "Oil Shortages? It’s Happened Before. And It Will Happen Again."

5. Featured Post Carbon Group: Relocalisation Works in the Burnett Inland (RWBI)

Relocalisation Works in the Burnett Inland (RWBI- affectionately known as Ruby) celebrated her official launch on the 25th of September in Biggenden, Queensland, Australia. Ruby is becoming the relocalisation hub for the Burnett Inland region of southeast Queensland, which encompasses 12 shires from Monto to Kingaroy and is home to some 55,000 residents. Ruby founders Chérie McGregor and Andi Hazelwood detailed their vision and values in a prospectus, which they presented to a select group of potential patrons and partners. Richard Heinberg and David Holmgren agreed to support Ruby as patrons, and Foresters ANA Mutual Society and the Relocalization Network have agreed to be partners. Negotiations continue with another potential partner.

The RWBI launch followed a presentation by Chérie and Andi at the Annual General Meeting of the Burnett Inland Economic Development Organisation (BIEDO). The meeting represented a forum of delegates from each of the Inland’s shire councils, together with representatives from some state and federal government departments and local businesses. At the presentation Chérie and Andi introduced peak oil, the Relocalization Network, the Oil Depletion Protocol and RWBI. After the presentation BIEDO delegate Judy Harvey said, "I was quite impressed. Oil prices are going to get worse so I guess we'd better start listening." You can view Chérie and Andi's presentation materials on their website under "Community Blog". Anyone interested in more information about RWBI is encouraged to contact Chérie McGregor or Andi Hazelwood for more information.

6. Calendar of Events:

2006 Boston World Oil Conference

Wed. Oct. 25 to Fri. Oct. 27, 2006 (Plus Evening & Sat. Sessions), Boston, MA

The Association for the Study of Peak Oil-USA (ASPO-USA) and Boston University’s Center for Energy and Environmental Studies (CEES) will co-sponsor the 2006 World Oil Conference, Time for Action: A Midnight Ride for Peak Oil, on the BU campus October 25-27, 2006. The Conference will bring energy experts from around the world to discuss the likely timing, impacts, and intelligent responses to the growing Peak Oil challenge.

In addition to Matthew Simmons and Robert Kaufmann, conference speakers will include Ali Samsam Bakhtiari of the National Iranian Oil Company (retired); Arthur Smith, CEO of John S. Herold, Inc.; Roger Bezdek, President of MISI and co-author of the Hirsch-Bezdek Report; Professor Cutler Cleveland of CEES at BU; Dave Hughes, Geological Survey of Canada; Jeremy Gilbert, Chief Engineer, BP (retired), Richard Heinberg, journalist and educator; Julian Darley of Post Carbon Institute; Milton Maciel, former Agricultural Minister in Brazil, organic farmer, consultant, author, and sugar cane-to-ethanol expert; and many others.

Conference topics include: Oil & Gas Depletion (What's the evidence on Peak Oil? What geologic, political, economic and technical constraints limit oil production? Why is forecasting a date for Peak Oil an inexact science?); Mitigation (What responses are available and when can they be implemented?); Relocalization (What benefits does it hold?); Alternative Energy (What unconventional petroleum and non-petroleum energy sources are available, and can they fill the depletion gap?); Economics (What economic challenges do decreasing energy supplies present?); Transportation (What is the future direction of personal transportation, its limitations and prospects, and how should planners and fleet managers respond?); Net Energy (What’s the meaning of energy return on energy invested (ERoEI), and why is it critical to intelligent responses to the Peak Oil dilemma?); Energy Security (Can we achieve energy security in a world of escalating competition for a finite resource?) and Government Policy (What is the direction of energy policy at the local, state, and federal levels? Do these policies need obvious tweaks, or a massive overhaul?)

For Conference details, please visit the ASPO USA website.

7. Next Newsletter Preview

• Next month we'll feature a new addition to the Energy Farms Network: Willits, California