What a year it's been: revolutions, protests, financial crises, high oil prices, a tsunami, massive floods, record droughts,...and all the many personal stories behind these headline events. PCI readers know that we're experiencing the effects of overshoot on a finite planet. But the mainstream narrative is still focused on a return to economic growth at any and all costs—literally. Our work is therefore more urgent than ever.
Together, with your support, we've punched above our weight in 2011, and we want to do even more in 2012. The first item on the agenda is our new customizable presentation— You Are Here: The Oil Journey— that you can deliver in your community. Following shortly will be the release of Michael Shuman's new book Local Dollars, Local Sense: How to Shift Your Money from Wall Street to Main Street and Achieve Real Prosperity, just the first in a series of Community Resilience Guides. There's so much more, and we need your support. If you haven't done so already, and can pitch in with a contribution, please donate here.
Thanks again for your help this year in spreading the word, and giving us feedback and ideas. Our very best wishes to you and yours for the holidays.
From all of us at Post Carbon Institute.
you are here: the oil journey
Thanks to your support, we have just completed "You Are Here: The Oil Journey." This is a customizable presentation *you* can use to tell your own journey and to invite new people to join the larger conversation.
 This animated slide show delivers PCI's core message honestly, but in a compassionate way that...well, just watch it and see for yourself.
The recording presented above features the mellifluous voice of the legendary actor, author, screenwriter and narrator Peter Coyote. The video is intended as a model upon which you can base your own real-world presentations of the Oil Journey deck. Please feel free to share it with your friends and peers.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO PRESENT THE OIL JOURNEY IN YOUR COMMUNITY?
We'd love you to join our team of presenters. Contact us and we'll email you information about our coming Presenter Trainings.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SUPPORT THIS PRESENTATION & PCI?
We'd love to have your support. In fact, we depend upon it. Donate now and we'll keep products like these coming! |
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latest publications
Read, watch or listen to the latest content by our Fellows, Board, Advisers and Staff anytime on our website. Here are some selections from the last month:
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Buying Local Yields More Jobs, Stronger Communities
Post by Michael Shuman • December 19, 2011
According to the National Retail Federation, Americans will spend an average of about $700 per person on holiday season shopping this year and, despite the hype surrounding Black Friday, the busiest shopping week... Read more |
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"Another world is not only possible...she's opening a bakery round the corner".
Post by Rob Hopkins • December 15, 2011
I spent a fascinating afternoon on Monday at an 'Economic Summit' (nowhere near as glamorous as it sounds) for Members of South Hams District Council... Read more |
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Chris Martenson, "If we're at Peak Oil we might have 10 or 5 Years"
Video interview with Chris Martenson • November 29, 2011
Do global leaders and politicians really understand what the stakes are in global economy, the environment and the energy picture? Are all three of these "E's"... Watch |
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Soaring Oil and Food Prices Threaten Affordable Food Supply
Article by Richard Heinberg • December 14, 2011
The current global food system is highly fuel- and transport-dependent. Fuels will almost certainly become less affordable in the near and medium term, making the current, highly fuel-dependent agricultural production system less secure and food less affordable... Read more |
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Making 2012 The Year Resilience Built
Post by Asher Miller • December 13, 2011
It's all too easy to feel that hope is lost. But with your help, we're determined to make 2012 the year that resilience built. 2011 has been another turbulent year... Read more |
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As Global Population Grows, Water Matters More - interview
Audio interview with Sandra Postel • December 13, 2011
And Sandra, immigration - irrigation has helped greatly with food production. Mesopotamia, thousands of years ago, is where we began urban society, thanks to diversion of water from rivers. It's not a fully sustainable project, though... Listen |
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Can We Restore the Prairie—And Still Support Ourselves?
Article by Wes Jackson • December 12, 2011
Since ripping open the prairie for modern monocultures, we're losing soil and fertility. Agricultural pioneer Wes Jackson says there's another way... Read more |
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'The Post Carbon Reader' at one year old
Post by Daniel Lerch • December 9, 2011
Just over a year ago we released our flagship publication, The Post Carbon Reader: Managing the 21st Century's Sustainability Crises. In that time, this hefty book from a small publisher (and with an even smaller marketing budget) has sold... Read more |
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The Post Carbon Reader: Ecological Economics
Article by Joshua Farley • December 8, 2011
Many people would agree that the central desirable end of economic activity is a high quality of life for this and future generations. Conventional economists argue that humans are insatiable... Read more |
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Global Mayors Start Acting Upon UN's Sustainable City Manual
Post by Warren Karlenzig • December 6, 2011
After providing the curriculum for training urban leaders from 12 Southeast and Central Asian nations a few weeks ago, the United Nations is now globally launching the full content of the Shanghai Manual... Read more |
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the end of growth
Richard Heinberg has been busy spreading the word about his new book The End of Growth, published by New Society Publishers. Catch some of Richard's recent press interviews and writing.
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Q&A: Richard Heinberg, author, The End of Growth: Adapting to Our New Economic Reality
Terence McNally podcast
Economists, politicians, and pundits insist recovery is at hand, yet unemployment remains high, real estate values continue to sink... Listen |
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An Eco-Literate Conversation With Richard Heinberg
Sea Change Radio
This week we welcome Mr. Heinberg back to the show as we discuss his latest article published in Energy Bulletin titled, What We Are For... Watch |
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Richard Heinberg: Decline of Oil, Rise of Local Economies
Shift Shapers
What happens when the very thing that has fueled the global economy for more than 100 years - fuel itself - gets past its peak and begins a sure, steady decline?... Listen |
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Behind the Durban Blame Game
Post by Richard Heinberg • December 9, 2011
Why did the Durban climate talks fail? Ultimately, the culprit is the near-universal pursuit of economic growth. All the major players want growth... Read more |
fellows and advisers in the press
energy bulletin highlights
Below is a selection of recent articles and media appearing on Energy Bulletin.
energy bulletin featured articles
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Soil Capital: A ground-level investing opportunity
by Ellie Winninghoff, FA Green
What would it be like to invest in—not just eat from—the veggie farmers, cheese artisans and ranchers at the local farmers' market? When Woody Tasch published his book, Inquiries into the Nature of Slow Money...Read more |
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the spark that lights the stove
by Charlotte Du Cann, Transition Norwich
"People don't want to be told about those things anymore," said Diana. We're at a Dark Mountain meeting on a dark December night in a small house in Pottergate. Nine of us, arts and science PhD students mostly, are sitting in a circle...Read more |
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From Druids, to biorefineries: Innovation in a small nation
by John Thackara, Doors of Perception
How best do you help a resilient economy emerge in a region that has one foot in ancient ways and traditions - its other in the world of global universities and nuclear power? North West Wales has the ingredients to be... Read more |
energy bulletin featured media
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Simplifying Complexity
by Justin Ritchie & Seth Moser-Katz The Extraenvironmentalist
In Extraenvironmentalist #31 we speak with Dr. Joseph Tainter about collapse, complexity and energy. Dr. Tainter recently co-authored Drilling Down which explains why the BP Gulf Oil spill occurred in terms of the complexity... Listen |
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Get Ready: Naomi Klein on Occupy, the tar sands pipeline, and the economy
by Ian MacKenzie Occupy Vancouver
On Dec. 1, Naomi Klein joined "Occupy Condos: Take the Pantages!" to show support for affordable housing in the DTES.... Watch |
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Winter gardening, guerilla gardening
by Alex Smith Radio Ecoshock
With tougher times around the corner, we'll need to find local sources of fossil-free food year-round. We can grow it, even in the northern USA and Canada. And we can plant food perennials and trees in pubic and private spaces... Listen |
transition US update
A monthly update from the US regional hub of the international Transition movement.
 This year has been a full year for us at Transition US. Here are some highlights of key moments: we welcomed our 100th Official Transition Initiative in an American city/town (and we're now at #107); over 1500 actions in 226 different cities and towns were leveraged as part of our 350 Home & Garden Challenge, which we organized in collaboration with a crew of amazing partner organizations; 24 two-day Training for Transition (T4T) courses were held across the country; we hosted over 30 webinars and online dialogue events, including (click on the link for the recording):
In 2012 we plan to mobilize thousands of new residents, create innumerable sustainability actions and provide the community networks and cross-sector collaborations needed to Transition our towns and cities across the US. We will need your help to do it. Please consider a financial gift to Transiiton US today |
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Image credit: Combine harvesters — Bloomberg News
Image credit: Water stream — John 'K'/flickr
Image credit: Bread & cheese — im just jody/flickr
Image credit: Students explore Transition in the University Setting at the University of New Mexico — Transition UNM |
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The Ecology of Money
