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Group Coordinator Newsletter - May 2006

Post Carbon Institute

reduce/produce : reduce consumption/produce locally


Dear Post Carbon Group Coordinators,

This last month has been an exciting one. The number of groups in the network is approaching almost one hundred, with a count of 98 groups officially registered. We now span 10 countries and have groups in Ciudad del Carmen Campeche, Mexico and Santiago, Chile on our waiting list.

The Relocalization Network Coordinators have been focusing the last month on developing the new http://relocalize.net website. We are very close to rolling out the first of the many positive changes to the face and functionality of the website. In order to help facilitate these transitions, we will send out information on how to use the new or re-designed website functions. Group websites will move from their current home on postcarbon.org to their new home on relocalize.net. We will call you soon after your website moves to ensure that you know how to use the new site and report any glitches to our technical team. If you notice something amiss, please email us.

In this Newsletter:

Latest Relocalization Network News:

A Big Welcome to New Groups

Please help us welcome the following group coordinators and their groups to the network. Take a moment to have a look at their websites:

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Convergence Festival 'Learning to Live without Oil’ Post Carbon Dublin, Ireland

The Post Carbon Dublin group has been busy co-hosting the Convergence Festival, a 5-day festival with the theme 'Learning to Live without Oil.’ The conference focused on the convergence of challenges, most particularly global warming and peak oil, that have brought us to a point where we now need to act decisively and to “rethink how we use energy.” This could mean a healthier, more fulfilling and ethical way of life that values efficiency, community and sustainability. There was no shortage of ideas about what to do to reduce the demand for oil. Over the next year the Cultivate Centre, in Dublin, will host a program of activities that will focus on rethinking some of the key areas of our way of life that depend on fossil fuel. The Convergence Festival was an incredible success, and the recent oil price spike ensured that it made the national news.

Please visit the conference website for more information.

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Please Send Us Your Photos

We are still looking for photos that show your group working on projects and participating in meetings. We want to hang the photos on our office walls and need them for publications. The more smiles the better! Please send them to members@postcarbon.org with Group Photos in the subject line.

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Name that Newsletter

Do you have a good idea for the name of the monthly Post Carbon Group Coordinator Newsletter? Send it to us and if we use your idea we will send you a free Oil Age poster. Please send ideas to us by email with Name that Newsletter in the subject line.

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Bay Area Coordinator Meeting – a Model for Regional Networking

On May 20th the San Francisco Bay Area Post Carbon Network will be holding their second quarterly networking meeting. This is an informal meeting for coordinators to meet one another and to share information on what their group is working on and challenges that they have encountered. The meeting will also focus on developing strategies on how the local groups can support each other by sharing resources and information and collaborating on projects. Julian Darley and Celine Rich will be in San Francisco on May 20th, and will be attending the event to listen and gain feedback on how to better support Local Groups. Any groups in the area are welcome to attend, please contact Deborah Lindsay from Sustainable Monterey County, Beyond Peak Oil to register.

The meeting and the regional network that grows out of this meeting could act as an example for other regions, once each region has more than one Post Carbon Group. We are planning on sending out introductory emails to each region, so that you can at least meet each other via email. Hopefully you will find it valuable to make contact and meet with other group coordinators in your region, especially if you can share resources and collaborate on projects.

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Future Plans for the Relocalization Network Coordinators

Once the new website is up and working, we will be calling all groups. We want to ask you about what your group has been doing, what kind of support you need and to discuss the new website and resources as well as the new voluntary membership program. We are planning on generating a comprehensive semi-annual report on all Local Groups so that Groups in the Relocalization Network have a better understanding of what is happening with the Network. This will be an important way for you to find out what other groups have been up to and who to contact for project ideas, support and collaboration of resources. We hope to release these reports twice a year, starting with the first publication at the end of June.

If your contact information has changed recently, please send us an email so that we are able to reach you.

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Group Coordinator Survey – Results and Responses

We would like to extend a big thank you to all the Relocalization Network Coordinators who participated in our online survey and to congratulate Dave Ewoldt of Sustainable Bellingham, who won a free Oil Age Poster for his survey submission! Please take a look at the great work his group is doing. Follow the link to the group’s main website.

Your feedback is invaluable and we thought that you would be interested in a short summary of the results. Most people agreed that the Relocalization Network was one of the most important initiatives of Post Carbon Institute and are interested in seeing it grow. Judging from everyone’s comments, the website and resources that we provide are most valuable area of support for the groups.

In terms of improvements to the Relocalization Network, most observations were about the need for a more accessible website, as well as about how you’d like to see the Network provide better communication links between groups, in order to facilitate the sharing of project ideas, information and templates. In addition, several people expressed interest in a more comprehensive “how to” manual for new groups and for groups starting relocalization projects.

Our goal is to support a vibrant, diverse and self-sustaining network of local groups working to relocalize their communities. We aim to supply Relocalization Network members with comprehensive and necessary information on how to build local group capacity and how to undertake a variety of different Relocalization projects.

Please note that as we are still in the process of obtaining our charitable organization status, we are not able to sell any kind of books, buttons, t-shirts, or any other items as a way to raise funds for the Network.

In order to guarantee the Network’s financial sustainability over the long term, we would eventually like to fund the Network wholly through member contributions rather than relying on new grants and donations each year. Our first step in moving towards this goal is creating a voluntary membership model, which we will introduce over the next couple of months. Although all Relocalization Network members will be able to access our new website and post and share resources with other groups, some new features will only be available to groups who are committed to supporting the Network through a voluntary membership fee. Look for more details in next month’s Coordinator Newsletter.

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Upcoming Events

Have an event you would like to share with the group? Please send an email to Sarah and Shelby before the last week of the month and we will include it in the monthly newsletter.

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Energy Vulnerability Summit & Powerdown Project

The Energy Vulnerability Summit: Can Local Public Policy Support a Competitive and Sustainable Economy in the Face of Rising Energy Costs? is taking place on May 19th at Petaluma Community Center in Petaluma, California. The summit will provide a forum for North Bay elected and appointed officials to explore the local implications of rising energy costs. Richard Heinberg and Julian Darley will be presenting on the supply side problems and the measures being taken by municipalities and counties. This first session is limited to elected and appointed officials only, but a follow-up summit is planned for September 29, 2006, which will include participation from business leaders and the public. For further information email ecoleader@ecoleader.org or (707)578-9133.

The Powerdown Project, an initiative of Post Carbon Institute, is a key aspect of this summit. It is made up of a team of students from New College Santa Rosa and a coordinator, and is advised by Richard Heinberg. They are working on creating a template that any municipality can adapt and use to measure its vulnerability to future energy shortages and price spikes, and to plan a path toward energy conservation and security. The template will be unveiled at the Energy Vulnerability Summit. It will be posted on the web shortly thereafter. Click here to visit the website.

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Harmony Festival in June: want to get involved?

An Invitation for Local Post Carbon Groups to participate in the 28th Annual Harmony Festival, June 9-11, 2006: Sonoma County Fairgrounds, Santa Rosa California.

This year's theme for the Harmony Festival is "Creating Sustainable Local Communities." Local Post Carbon Groups and Network Affiliate of the Relocalization Network have been offered a ‘table island’ in the Eco-Village where community outreach materials and projects can be displayed. Camping passes and a special tabling rate for groups are available. Also, if you would like to be more involved in this event, there is an opportunity to coordinate panels and presentations focused on Relocalization. For more information please contact, Jahn Ballard at jballard@commons.org. Visit the website at harmonyfestival.com

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All the best,

Shelby & Sarah

Shelby Tay & Sarah Smith
Relocalization Network Coordinators
Post Carbon Institute
Tel. 1 + 604.736.9000
Contact Us
3683 West 4th Avenue
Vancouver, B.C., V6R 1P2, Canada
postcarbon.org
globalpublicmedia.com

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