Programs
What We Do
Post Carbon Institute supports networking, education, research and services. We help communities implement proactive strategies to adapt to an energy constrained world by relocalizing.
Relocalization means meeting more of a community’s needs from local sources, and less from faraway sources. The more a community
can get its food, energy and manufactured goods from local sources, the less vulnerable it will be to rising and unstable oil prices, and the less it will contribute to climate change.
The main goals of relocalization are to increase community energy and food security, strengthen local economies, and dramatically improve environmental conditions.
Energy Farms Network
Energy Farms and Energy Gardens are part of our demonstration and partnership program which is building a broad body of knowledge to help farmers, citizens, and community leaders to understand the possibility of producing vital feedstocks, fuels and electricity by local farmers for local users.
For a resilient food system we must continue to produce food with much less oil and natural gas inputs and pollution outputs. Products of the Energy Farms Network will be processed and used locally. The Network is a model of community participation and relocalization of the food and energy system.
Visitors are welcome at the Sebastopol Energy Garden which is a community-scale demonstration at 327 Murphy Avenue in Sebastopol, California. We have regular open garden days and volunteer opportunities.
Global Public Media
Global Public Media is an Internet broadcasting station that broadcasts and produces long-format audio and video interviews. We provide the world with in-depth information about the social, environmental and economic challenges of peak oil and climate change. We also feature responses from Relocalization experts.
Global Public Media gives the public access to leaders in science, government and business whose views of the world’s energy and environmental problems are often more critical than those found in mainstream media.
Global Public Media is always looking for volunteers to transcribe or translate; please contact transcribe at postcarbon dot org.
Oil Depletion Protocol
The Oil Depletion Protocol is an international agreement to avoid price and supply volatility problems associated with global oil production decline by gradually and collaboratively lowering the global rate of oil production and oil consumption.
Individuals, cities, businesses and countries can adopt it and take steps to reduce their oil dependency by about 3% each year, or 25% over ten years. Much as the Kyoto Protocol is inspiring many cities and individuals to work locally towards global carbon mitigation targets, the Oil Depletion Protocol is inspiring signers to set specific targets for reducing oil consumption.
Signing the Oil Depletion Protocol signals your commitment to reducing your energy vulnerability and connects you to a growing international network which is organizing to dampen the effects of peak oil.
Sign the Oil Depletion Protocol
Post Carbon Cities
Municipal governments have been among the first to feel the effects of expensive and constrained oil and natural gas supplies. As the government bodies that are most closely connected to local communities and economies, municipalities have important roles to play in building resilience against high oil and gas prices, and the localized effects of global climate change.
The Post Carbon Cities program helps local governments understand and prepare for the challenges of peak oil and climate change. The program website is a news and resource portal on these issues, designed specifically for the people who work with and for local governments. The program has published Post Carbon Cities: Planning for Energy and Climate Uncertainty, a guidebook on the local effects of peak oil and climate change and responses for U.S. and Canadian municipal leaders.
Purchase our guidebook and send it to your municipal leaders.
Relocalization Network
The Relocalization Network is composed of citizen groups and affiliate organizations all over the world that are educating and preparing their communities for climate and energy uncertainty.
Members work within their communities and in cooperation with local governments, businesses, media, and community-based organizations to put the concept of Relocalization into practice. Some Local Groups work on projects including movie screenings and hosting conferences. Others support projects like cooperative transportation networks, local currency systems, and assessments of community resource use.
Relocalize.net is a user-generated educational site that allows groups to share their ideas, information, and best practices with other Relocalization members and the public. We provide technical, informational, and community organizing resources.
We invite you and your community to join the Relocalization Network. Sign up for Relocalize, our monthly newsletter at relocalize.net.
Solar Car Share
Our aim is to provide mobility on demand using local solar energy, particularly via solar panels. All of the fuels are ultimately designed to be petroleum free and locally produced with the least environmental impact and the most advantage to the local economy and jobs. The first demonstration city for the Solar Car Share is Sebastopol, California, where we have both electric and hybrid vehicles.
We are currently looking for willing hosts for the vehicles. If you live within the city limits of Sebastopol and are interested in becoming a vehicle host, please contact chargingstation at solarcarshare dot org.
If you live in Sebastopol and are interested in joining the Solar Car Share, please email join at solarcarshare dot org.
