Interview with Ed Blume originally featured in the Relocalize - Volume 2, Issue 1 - January, 2007

We spoke with Ed Blume, Coordinator of Madison Peak Oil Group in Madison, Wisconsin, USA, about how he got involved with the Relocalization Network, the group's current projects, and his advice for groups interested in starting projects in their community. Ed Blume is also the director for communications and outreach for RENEW Wisconsin, a nonprofit organization that promotes clean energy strategies for powering the state's economy in an environmentally responsible manner.

How did you get involved with the Relocalization Network? How long have you been involved?

I work as the outreach/communications director for RENEW Wisconsin (www.renewwisconsin.org), which encourages development and use of renewable sources for generation of electricity. Unfortunately, RENEW does not often get the opportunity to raise the peak oil issue as the staff goes about its normal activities. That’s true of nearly everyone who participates in the Madison Peak Oil Group. That is to say, they work in the energy field in one way or another, but their daily jobs don’t directly touch on peak oil. We all came together to form a new group that could focus exclusively on the peak oil issue.

What were some of the biggest challenges you faced as a Local Group Coordinator getting started?

It is difficult to find the time to take advantage of opportunities to put peak oil into the public arena for discussion. Our city, county, and state government create plenty of opportunities when they’re considering their budgets for transportation, for instance, but it’s hard for any of us to find the time and energy to write and present testimony at a public hearing about transportation.

To overcome the time constraints, we often piggyback on activities of other organizations. RENEW often co-sponsors events with the Madison Peak Oil Group or the group sets up a display table at an event. We just have so little time to organize many events of our own.

We did not face any financial limitations because RENEW has picked up the costs that the group incurs. As an example, RENEW paid for the room and refreshments when Randy Udall spoke at a co-sponsored event on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus.

How if at all has the focus of your work changed since you started?

When we first began to meet, we all felt that we needed a mission statement with goals and objectives. You know, like a real organization. We got over that pretty quickly, so we didn’t discuss our mission more than a couple of hours in our first couple of monthly meetings. We’ve become comfortable being a loosely knit group dedicated to educating the public and policymakers about the coming end of cheap oil.

I doubt that we take positions on state legislation or make proposals, other than telling policymakers that they need to think about the consequences of costly petroleum and natural gas in the near future.

How if at all has your outlook changed since you started?

To be honest, I don’t think that anyone’s outlook has really changed. All of us were aware, though to varying degrees, about peak oil. While not a change per se, we’re all following peak oil issues more closely, and we’ve become more aware that a peak in natural gas supplies may be more imminent with more serious near-term consequences than a peaking in oil supplies.

What are some of the things you are working on now? Plans for 2007?

In conjunction with RENEW Wisconsin, we’ll host a brown bag lunch briefing on peak oil in the state Capitol for legislators, staff, lobbyists, agency staff, and the general public. The end of cheap oil holds powerful consequences for transportation planning, land use, and agriculture, just to name a few areas where we’ll see some impacts. We want legislators and staff to begin to think about peak oil when they discuss more road building or building codes or other policies.

As the Communication and Outreach person of RENEW Wisconsin and Local Group Coordinator, what would you see as the most important communication outlets that groups should focus on or could take advantage of?

Most media outlets seem eager for information about energy, so it’s not particularly hard to get a radio station, for instance, interested in an on-air interview.

Certainly the Internet cannot be overlooked for its power to spread information. The Madison Peak Oil Group maintains a blog, www.madisonpeakoil-blog.blogspot.com, which sees an increase in visits every week. Not that it’s getting visits in the hundreds of thousands, but it’s out there and people are visiting it.

We also maintain a list serve, though we mostly use it to share information among ourselves.

For those interested in taking on a renewable energy project in their community, where should they start?

I’d suggest that interested people approach a group doing something with conservation issues. Ideally the group could be working in energy areas, as does RENEW, but the group could be dealing with transportation, land use, urban growth, or conservation in general.

A group of people could approach an established group and ask to become sort of a committee or task force of the established group. That was the peak oil people have possible access to funds, newsletter, and co-sponsorships with the established group.

The established group should appreciate the nuances the peak oil issue brings to the groups main issues. Say, the established group primarily works to promote sustainable practices and life styles. Well, the coming peak in natural gas and oil makes sustainability an imperative, not just something nice to do to make people feel good. Sustainability becomes survivability in the context of the peak in oil and natural gas.

At the end of the day, what do you do to unwind?

I bike to and from work every day of the year except for when the streets are snow packed and slippery, so I burn some nervous energy biking back to home. A few years ago, I began practicing Kundalini yoga once or twice a week, and I feel calmer and more energetic at the same time after a yoga session.

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Ed Blume is the Coordinator of Madison Peak Oil Group in Madison, Wisconsin, USA. You can contact Ed Blume via through his contact form. Note: you must be logged in first.