Life After Oil

April 14, 2009

The Transition Town movement aims to wean us off our fossil fuel addiction — without knowing if it’ll work. How an unproven social experiment is becoming a phenomenon

By Rachel Dowd

In the late 1980s, Joanne Poyourow’s life looked like the American Dream. A certified public accountant in charge of multistate taxation at a boutique practice in Newport Beach, Calif., she had earned the shiny little sports car, three-inch heels, and business class flights to which she had grown accustomed.

Then she left it behind. more

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Big oil-producing nations consider raising prices on their residents

April 6, 2009

CARACAS, Venezuela – Venezuela has the planet’s cheapest gasoline: At 12 cents a gallon (3 cents a liter), it costs about 30 times less than bottled water.

But falling oil income and sagging crude output could soon mean a pinch at the pump in oil producing countries like Venezuela, where hefty government subsidies have for decades guaranteed cheap fuel.

Iran is already cutting back, while Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has revived talk of a price hike for the first time in 12 years — a politically unpopular move that two decades ago sparked deadly riots in more…

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Two Dozen Show to Transition Chicago (TC) Event (1)

March 26, 2009

Last night the Transition Chicago Event (1) had about 2 dozen people there to see the film The End of Suburbia, a quick presentation on Transition Towns and discuss what is happening in the area. Only about half of the people had heard of the concept of peak oil proir to the meeting, so it was good to get a few more into the awareness mode. 

The ages ranged from 13 to about 50 with a diverse background of professions and life styles. It was great to see people from different backgrounds and interests learning to educate themselves on climate change, peak oil and the financial uncertainties that are all interlinked. 

The next awareness meeting for Transition Chicago is: 

Transition Chicago Community Event (2)

Transition Chicago (TC) invites you to attend an abridged screening of The Crash Course by Chris Martenson followed by a quick presentation on Transition Towns and open discussion. The focus is to learn about future energy, climate change and financial challenges (and opportunities) that we face as a society. The goal is to learn about some of the obstacles we face and how people are planning for a future that provides abundance, a high living standard and is sustainable. This is an opportunity to meet with other like-minded people and learn about what is going on here in Chicago to plan for a low energy future.

Screening Info:
Date: Tuesday May 5th, 2009 Time: 6:30 to 9:00 (movie starts about 6:45)
Location: Wicker Park Library, 1701 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60647, (312) 744-6022
Room: It is up stairs in the meeting rooms. Ask at the reference desk.
Cost: Free

Contact: Email: TransitionChicago@gmail.com

Feel free to bring food and drinks. You can eat and drink in the meeting room, just not in the library.


Transition Chicago Community Event (1)

March 19, 2009

The Transition Chicago Group invites you to attend a screening of The End of Suburbia followed by a quick presentation and discussion, to learn about future energy and climate change challenges (and opportunities). The goal is to learn about some of the obstacles we face and how people are planning for a future that provides abundance, a high living standard and is sustainable. There will be an opportunity to meet with other like minded people and learn about what is going on here in Chicago to plan for a low energy future.

Screening Info:
Date: Wednesday, March 25th, 2009 Time: 6:30 to 9:00 (movie starts about 6:45)
Location: Wicker Park Library, 1701 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60647, (312) 744-6022
Cost: Free

Contact:
Email: TransitionChicago@gmail.com

About The End of Suburbia:
Since World War II North Americans have invested much of their newfound wealth in suburbia. It has promised a sense of space, affordability, family life and upward mobility. As the population of suburban sprawl has exploded in the past 50 years, so too has the suburban way of life become embedded in the American consciousness. Suburbia, and all it promises, has become the American Dream.

But as we enter the 21st century, serious questions are beginning to emerge about the sustainability of this way of life. With brutal honesty and a touch of irony, The End of Suburbia explores the American Way of Life and its prospects as the planet approaches a critical era, as global demand for fossil fuels begins to outstrip supply. World Oil Peak and the inevitable decline of fossil fuels are upon us now, some scientists and policy makers argue in this documentary.

The consequences of inaction in the face of this global crisis are enormous. What does Oil Peak mean for North America? As energy prices skyrocket in the coming years, how will the populations of suburbia react to the collapse of their dream? Are today’s suburbs destined to become the slums of tomorrow? And what can be done NOW, individually and collectively, to avoid The End of Suburbia? More at: The End of Suburbia (http://www.endofsuburbia.com/)

About Transition Towns:
It all starts off when a small collection of motivated individuals within a community come together with a shared concern: how can our community respond to the challenges, and opportunities, of Peak Oil and Climate Change?

They begin by forming an initiating group and then adopt the Transition Model with the intention of engaging a significant proportion of the people in their community to kick off a Transition Initiative. A Transition Initiative is a community working together to look Peak Oil and Climate Change squarely in the eye and address this BIG question:

“for all those aspects of life that this community needs in order to sustain itself and thrive, how do we significantly increase resilience (to mitigate the effects of Peak Oil) and drastically reduce carbon emissions (to mitigate the effects of Climate Change).

More at: Transition Towns http://www.transitiontowns.org/