WorldCafe: ENERGY

Participants:

Mary Lou Kemph
Richard Fireman

Kendall Hale
Diane Stanton

Phil Biser

Bob Howarth

Subsequent email excert:

Thanks to Kendall for the Transition Town Notes. Thanks to both Richard and Kendall for the recommended reading. I plan to check out these suggestions. Would be interested in meeting again to plan the agenda for this work group. Mary Lou

CHAS’S NOTE: It’s been my experience that meeting to plan works less and less, maybe because our modern lives are already so full or maybe because it’s so much in our heads. Rather than meeting to plan, meet to learn and then see where the conversation goes after that. Go to Sundance Power’s offices or a demonstration site, or talk to someone at the First Congregational Church (20 Oak Street) about the solar array they are installing, or?
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COMPLETE NOTES

What would be immediate consequences of gas price shooting up to $8/gal?

• Negative: Mass panic, gasoline rationing by gov., hoarding, gasoline theft, blaming government, unemployment due to sharp decline in tourism, price increase of consumer goods.
• Positive: car pooling, more walking & biking, increase use of public transportation, neighborhood cohesiveness, more local shopping, decrease in CO2 emissions, more demand for electric plug- in cars and hybrids.

Proactive projects/ideas to soften negative outcome:

1)More public transportation 2) Increase in small businesses 3) More ecommerce (internet commerce) 4) Job sharing & 4 day work week 5) More sustainable farms/home gardens 6) Trade/barter 7) Re-skilling 8) Local processing of agricultural products 9) Interest in sustainable bio-fuels.

Local Allies:

Mentioned were: All solar companies,alternative energy companies, City of Asheville, universities and colleges, the hospitals, Environmental groups: WNC Alliance, Sierra Club, Canary Coalition, Dodwood Alliance, Land of Sky, WNC Green Building, Blue Ridge Sustainable, Advantage West, Asheville AIA, Green Drinks, Interfaith Power and Light, Green Monday, RiverLink, some local politicians, local banks.

Long Range Benefits:

Turn the flood plans into parks, support the Park Service, Redefine Gross Domestic Product. Redefine prosperity (gross happiness index). “Energy Realized for Energy Invested.” Sound Science! Investment & Research in Clean Energy.

Metrics to measure change:

The group did not address what results/changes would indicate that we are moving in the right direction for energy descent plan by next year or in 5 years. Nor did we speak to some ‘next steps’ Transition Town could pursue toward this goal.

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CORRESPONDENCE

Date: Tue 1 Feb 2011
From: Kendall Hale
Subject: Transition Town Notes
To: "Richard Fireman" , "Diane Stanton" , , ,
Cc:

Dear Diane,Richard,MaryLou,Bob and Phil:

I have briefly summarized our discussion in the attachment. I am not
sure we are ready to do a presentation to the entire group, in that we really did not complete the exercise in the time allotted.

All of the ideas we came up with are ones that have been widely discussed in many forums in Asheville. If we wanted to deepen our discussion, I would be happy to meet again. Yes! Magazine is great to check out for reporting on local initiatives around the country. Good books to read on the subject of economics, energy and the environment are Natural Capitalism, by Paul Hawken, Amory Lovins, Hunter Lovins, and The Ecology of Commerce by Paul Hawken. David Korten has also written a great deal about local economics and the environment, and right now there seem to be more authors by the minute pumping out books and articles on the subject.

Thanks for a great afternoon, Kendall Hale, MA,LMT

www.sharonspringcabin.com

www.radicalpassions.com

828-628-4075

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Date: Tue 1 Feb 2011
From: Richard Fireman
Subject: Re: Transition Town Notes
To: Kendall Hale
Cc: "Diane Stanton" , , , ,

Kendall

thanks for quick turnaround. it was great working thru this Energy conundrum at the World Cafe, and afterword I wondered if the first question that was asked about $8/gallon got us off track.

As there will be a Transportation Working Group, I wonder if we should be thinking more about energy other than liquid fuels. Kendall listed several general resources. Here are two that may be more practical reads for our purposes if we are to actually organize a Working Group on Energy.

Robert (don't know if you prefer Bob or Robert) wanted us to read the EROI pages in the Transition Handbook. I am attaching Heinberg's more comprehensive and recent Searching for a Miracle for you to look at if you wish. Also a post on the Transition Town Network website speaks to some issues of developing a working group on Energy in the Energy Descent Plan format. [http://www.transitionnetwork.org/patterns/implementing-infrastructure/energy-descent-action-plans] I just scanned this post, but think that we all need to read the links to get full value of this article.

When the full minutes are released by the Initiating Group, I will send an email to all, and try to convene a next steps meeting of the Energy Working Group. until then, happy reading

For Earth Peace! Richard Fireman