New College Core Faculty Member and Post Carbon Institute Fellow, Richard Heinberg, initiated the Powerdown Project in September 2005, to engage his students in relevant local work related to peak oil. The Project became a fiscal sponsorship of Post Carbon Institute in January, 2006. In September 2005, Heinberg and his students were offered the opportunity to work with civic leaders in Sebastopol to formulate a local plan for energy transition in response to peak oil. Students researched vulnerabilities in the areas of water, sewage treatment, transportation, food security, police, fire and emergency services with increasing costs for electricity, natural gas, and oil and interruptions to supply. The group presented its findings in a report to Sebastopol. Through feedback and additional discussions with local municipal leaders, project members decided to create a template to assist other municipalities to identify energy vulnerabilities and strategies for energy reduction. Part one of the Municipal Template has a completion date of December 1, 2006. The Powerdown Project's approach to energy reduction is three-fold: development of renewable energy sources, increase in efficiency and a change in our consumption patterns. Potential future projects include an internship program (January 2007) to community and relocalization groups to assist them with their municipal powerdown plans.