PowerDown Project

Thanks to the Wallace Global Fund, 4 Powerdown Project students and I traveled to Yellow Springs, Ohio for the Community Solutions Conference recently. The students did a presentation on their Municipal Template and were well received. We gleaned additional information for the template, as well as valuable contacts and new allies.

I urge all of you to go to www.communitysolution.org and read about Plan C-Curtailment and Community. It's a powerdown answer with a concrete plan for Food, Transportation and Housing. Pat Murphy, the author of the plan, states in his summary, "The first steps are personal ones-changing our way of life to use as little energy as possible, keeping in mind the billions of poor people in the world as well as the welfare of our children and generations to come."

I came home inspired by the conference with people like Richard Heinberg detailing his "Oil Depletion Protocol" project, Julian Darley speaking on relocalization, Peter Bane talking about Permaculture strategies, Sharon Astyk detailing her electricity free living model and victory garden project, Jeff Christian with Zero Energy Housing, and Vicki Robin on "Living simply in a peak oil world."

I represented the Powerdown Project recently at the Northern California Post Carbon quarterly meeting. There is a lot of interest in the municipal template, which we intend to complete by the end of the year. It's valuable to hear of the work of other groups, share resources and cultivate ideas together.

With gratitude,

Ellen Bicheler, Powerdown Project Coordinator

Thanks to the Wallace Global Fund, 4 Powerdown Project students and I traveled to Yellow Springs, Ohio for the Community Solutions Conference recently. The students did a presentation on their Municipal Template and were well received. We gleaned additional information for the template, as well as valuable contacts and new allies.

I urge all of you to go to www.communitysolution.org and read about Plan C-Curtailment and Community. It's a powerdown answer with a concrete plan for Food, Transportation and Housing. Pat Murphy, the author of the plan, states in his summary, "The first steps are personal ones-changing our way of life to use as little energy as possible, keeping in mind the billions of poor people in the world as well as the welfare of our children and generations to come."

I came home inspired by the conference with people like Richard Heinberg detailing his "Oil Depletion Protocol" project, Julian Darley speaking on relocalization, Peter Bane talking about Permaculture strategies, Sharon Astyk detailing her electricity free living model and victory garden project, Jeff Christian with Zero Energy Housing, and Vicki Robin on "Living simply in a peak oil world."

I represented the Powerdown Project recently at the Northern California Post Carbon quarterly meeting. There is a lot of interest in the municipal template, which we intend to complete by the end of the year. It's valuable to hear of the work of other groups, share resources and cultivate ideas together.

With gratitude,

Ellen Bicheler, Powerdown Project Coordinator

Welcome to our Powerdown Project Website. The Powerdown Project is a Post Carbon Institute Fiscal Sponsorship and New College Student Project.

We would like you to participate with our website. Please send us your powering down suggestions and participate in our forum.

New College students are currently completing their portion of Part One of our Municipal Template. The Municipal Template will assist communities in identifying their energy vulnerabilites and provide responses to reduction of energy use. Students have spent the last three months consulting with municipal officials, municipal staff, relocalization group leaders, and renewable energy companies.

Scroll to the bottom of our website to view student, Hank Flannery's interview with Sebastopol, California's Police Chief, Jeff Weaver. "Chief Weaver is fully aware of peak oil and Powerdown and the repercussions that they may have for his department and Sebastopol."

How has your community powered down? Please send us your most innovative community or municipal powering down practices.

Please remit any suggestions, feedback, or comments to Ellen Bicheler, Powerdown Project Coordinator.

Cheers,

Ellen

What are the most effective steps your community has taken to power down?

Richard Heinberg's new book, The Oil Depletion Protocol, coherently describes the Protocol and why such an agreement is necessary. Written for policy makers and the general public, the book is an informative and easy-to-understand must-read.

Specifically, the book:

• * provides an overview of the data concerning Peak Oil and its timing
• * briefly explains the Protocol and its implications for the reader and for decision makers in government and industry around the world
• * deals with frequently asked questions and objections, and
  

• Timely and critically important, The Oil Depletion Protocol is a must-read for all who seek to avert a Peak Oil collapse.

  The Oil Depletion Protocol will be available September 8th, 2006. It can also be preordered through New Society Publishers.

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