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Vol. 1 No. 3
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EarthWorks Theme #2:
Relocalization
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WORTH A
LOOK:
EarthWorks 2009 Website
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QUOTABLE:
"The dogmas of the quiet
past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled
high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As our
case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew. We must
disenthrall ourselves, and then we shall save our
country."
– Abraham
Lincoln, annual message to Congress, Dec 1, 1862
QUOTABLE:
"And Man created the
plastic bag and the tin and aluminum can and the cellophane wrapper
and the paper plate, and this was good because Man could then take
his automobile and buy all his food in one place and He could save
that which was good to eat in the refrigerator and throw away that
which had no further use. And soon the earth was covered with
plastic bags and aluminum cans and paper plates and disposable
bottles and there was nowhere to sit down or walk, and Man shook his
head and cried: 'Look at this God-awful mess.' "
– Art Buchwald, 1970
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CONTACT:
EarthWorks
Letter
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In
much of Africa, women perform far more farm labor than
men.
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Pacific
Gas & Electric's new Mojave Solar Park will deliver 553
megawatts of solar-thermal power when completed in 2011.
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China's consumption of fossil
fuels increased by more than 9% in 2006 alone. China is now the
world's leading emitter of C02.
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Dear Friend,
You are receiving this
newsletter because you have expressed interest in EarthWorks Expo
and in living more sustainably. Please share this information with
others. Thank you! |
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EarthWorks Theme #2:
Relocalization
EarthWorks Expo will focus on three major themes in
2009 and beyond. The first, Reducing Our Ecological Footprint, was
discussed in last month's newsletter, which you can access HERE.
Our third theme, Greening the Economy, will be discussed next month.
Our second theme is Relocalization.
 Relocalization is a community-based,
community-scale strategy that addresses the adverse social, economic
and environmental consequences of humankind’s unsustainable
over-reliance on fossil fuels. In the face of impending resource
depletion (oil, natural gas, strategic minerals, water), climate
change and global financial turmoil, relocalization calls upon
individuals and communities to reclaim the self-sufficiency,
resilience and security that comes with producing the essentials of
life locally.
Relocalization calls for major investment in local
renewable energy production and energy efficiency; increased
reliance on locally grown food; more local craftspeople and small
manufacturing companies producing essential goods and meaningful
jobs; all aimed at minimizing dependence on energy, resources and
goods from far away, and optimizing the sustainable productivity of
local land, resources and people.
Relocalization is taking root in many communities
across America, and in many other countries. Relocalization efforts
are well underway in Colorado,
especially Boulder
County.
Relocalization is a core strategy of the Transition
movement that first arose in Ireland in 2004 and is fast spreading
worldwide. Transition advocates assumes that fossil-based energy
(especially oil) must soon decline, and that our present
oil-dependent society is headed for environmental and economic
disaster. The answer: Transition to a less energy-intensive society
that re-establishes a resilient, dependable, sustainable balance
between human activity and the natural
world.
Transition leader Rob Hopkins sees great hope and
opportunity in the prospect of “energy descent.” In The
Transition Handbook (2008) he writes: “The idea of energy
descent is that each step back down the hill could be a step towards
sanity, towards place and towards wholeness. It is a coming back to
who we really are, similar to how members of a busy family
rediscover each other during a power cut. Energy descent is,
ultimately, about energy ascent – the re-energising of communities
and culture – and is the key to our realistically embracing the
possibilities of our situation rather than being overwhelmed by
their challenges.”
The reinvigoration of community is
fundamental to relocalization. In the words of Michael
Brownlee, co-founder of Transition Boulder County: “[W]hy is
relocalization so important? Because we are regenerating or
rebirthing community… It turns out that a fossil-fuel-based culture
of consumption—and the economic globalization that it inevitably
spawns—destroys community. And it is only by building community
self-sufficiency in energy, food and economy that we have a chance
of preserving what’s most important about the human species into the
future and ensuring the future of human
freedom.”
As of this writing, discussions are underway to
schedule the first U.S. Transition Conference in conjunction with
the third annual EarthWorks Expo, August 2009 in Denver,
Colorado.
Green News
Highlights
Each issue of the EarthWorks Letter includes
several green news reports summarized from the mainstream press,
with links to more detailed information.
Organic Farming “Could Feed Africa”
Found in The Independent (UK), Oct 22,
2008
A newly released
study by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) finds that
organic farming offers the best chance for much of Africa to break
the cycle of poverty and malnutrition. The study reports that
organic farming methods are bringing large increases in crop yields,
improved soil quality and higher incomes for African farmers, who
number among the poorest people on earth. The findings starkly
contradict the conventional view that only highly-mechanized
agriculture, including the use of chemical fertilizers and
genetically modified (GM) crops, will solve Africa’s food problems.
Organic methods require less up-front capital and have also proven
more resilient in times of drought. GO
HERE for the whole story.
New
Energy Economy Emerging in U.S.
Found in Environmental News Service/World-Wire,
Oct 17, 2008
The state of Texas, long known
for oil production, is now the leading wind-power producer in the
United States. With 6,000 megawatts of wind power installed and
39,000 more in planning, Texas could soon meet all its electricity
needs from wind alone. Meanwhile, in California’s Mojave Desert,
solar thermal technology is being deployed on a vast scale. Within
the next few years, total U.S. solar-thermal generating capacity
will increase by a factor of eight to nearly 3,500 megawatts.
Commercial solar photovoltaic and geothermal power production are
also increasing at break-neck speed. But to ensure that such growth
in renewable energy can continue unimpeded, the new president and
Congress must prioritize the modernization of the national electric
grid. GO
HERE for the whole story.
Recent Greenhouse Gas Emissions Shock
Scientists
Found in The Los Angeles Times, Sept
26, 2008
Despite a
slowing global economy, human activity pumped out 3% more carbon
dioxide in 2007 than in 2006, an increase termed “scary” by some
scientists. At the same time, natural CO2 absorption by forests and
oceans is slowing. Combined, the two trends suggest that
greenhouse-induced global warming might exceed even the worst-case
scenarios projected only two years ago. China is now the world’s
leading emitter of CO2, recently passing the United States, which
still tops the list for per capita emissions. India could soon
outpace Russia for third place. But some nations are making progress
in cutting emissions, among them Denmark (down 8%), Germany and the
UK (down 3%), France and Australia (down 2%). GO
HERE for the whole story.
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