Group news RSS feed

Peak Oil Scenario Planning

humble — Wed, 14 Dec 2005 20:18:46 -0800

Author, Affiliation, Date:
Lakis Polycarpou, Raise the Hammer, 14 Dec 2005 Teaser:

For some reason, the idea of local governments preparing for peak oil - despite the fact that no one disputes that oil is a finite resource - has not taken hold.

Vancouver Area Relocalisation Network

ARGENTINA: Urban Gardens Provide More than Just Food

Sarah Smith — Fri, 05 May 2006 10:46:33 -0700

ARGENTINA: Urban Gardens Provide More than Just Food
Marcela Valente

For the original article click here.

BUENOS AIRES, Feb 9 (IPS) - The community gardens initially created to help confront the effects of the late 2001 economic collapse in Argentina have now "grown" into a government-run urban agriculture programme, which provides unemployed workers with much more than just food for their families' tables.

Some 7,000 people who were out of work before entering the programme have joined forces to clear the land, plant and harvest vegetables, and sell their produce in street market stalls.

Alliance for a Post Petroleum Local Economy - APPLE Shasta

Sustainable Living Expo in Vancouver March 16-18/07 @Canada Place

greeninsight — Tue, 16 May 2006 17:01:13 -0700

Vancouver Area Relocalisation Network

Hamilton Publishes Peak Oil Report and Plan to deal with it

lifetree76 — Mon, 22 May 2006 16:09:39 -0700

The City of Hamilton just published its official plan for the city and Peak Oil. It is encouraging that a major Canadian city has picked up the ball and run with it. Their plan may offer some insights into municipal action plans for the rest of us. For those of us lobbying our local councils, we can pick up this document and use it as further evidence for the need to move forward with this.

I encourage all groups to pick up a copy of this document. I would guess that it would be 20 dollars at most. The link to it in pdf is here:

http://www.odac-info.org/bulletin/documents/Hamilton-ElectricCity.pdf

Chatham-Kent Oil Age Planning Group (CKOAP Group)

Mayors to go it alone on Kyoto

Sarah Smith — Thu, 08 Jun 2006 13:14:08 -0700

Michelle Lalonde, CanWest News Service; Montreal Gazette

Published: Sunday, June 04, 2006

MONTREAL -- Canada's mayors will not let Prime Minister Steven Harper walk away from Canada's international commitments on climate change without a fight, and like their counterparts in the United States, Canada's mayors intend to work toward the goals of the Kyoto Protocol.

At its annual meeting in Montreal Saturday, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, representing 1,400 municipal leaders across Canada, adopted a policy statement supporting Canada's ratification of the Kyoto Protocol.

"Municipal governments commit themselves...to implementing policies and operational changes that will achieve a global reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of 30 per cent by 2020 and 80 per cent by 2050, based on 1990 levels," the statement reads.

Those targets go beyond what Canada committed to in the Kyoto Protocol. The federal government has described the Kyoto targets as impossible to achieve.

Municipal governments can have a major impact on reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Canada by changing land use rules, improving public transit, reducing methane-producing landfill waste, and other concrete measures, according to the FCM statement.

"In Canada, close to 55 per cent of the country's greenhouse gas emissions can be influenced by decisions made by municipal governments," the statement says.

Mayors in the U.S. have mounted an aggressive campaign against the anti-Kyoto stance of President George W. Bush and his administration.

As of May 26, 2006, 238 mayors representing over 45.4 million Americans had signed the U.S. Mayors' Climate Protection Agreement, pledging "to meet or exceed Kyoto Protocol targets for reducing global warming pollution by taking action in our own operations and communities."

Lloyd Hines, chair of the FCM's standing committee on environmental issues, said the FCM hopes to be consulted on Harper's climate change plan, promised for this fall. He said FCM members are concerned about the environmental message the Harper government has sent so far.

"They are concerned that there may be some lessening of commitment on Kyoto and other environmental issues," Hines said.

He stressed that the FCM is anxious to build a good relationship with the federal government and wants to be consulted as Harper works to define his so-called "Made in Canada solution" to the climate change issue.

Senior policy analyst Mary Jane Middlekoop said, who was asked by one delegate if the organization intends to "raise holy hell" over the issue, replied: "We intend to raise cool hell."

Montreal executive committee member Alan De Sousa said the FCM has to walk a fine line between maintaining good relations with the federal government and advancing its own environmental policies. But he said FCM members are staunchly committed to fighting climate change with concrete action.

"Fundamentally no one (at the municipal level) is dancing around this issue. (The mayors) have seen the impacts (of climate change) in their communities. They don't have to be convinced."

Environment Minister Rona Ambrose was to address the FCM's meeting today but has cancelled, citing a schedule conflict.

Today, Parti Quebecois Leader Andre Boisclair and Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe are expected to launch a Save-Kyoto coalition at a news conference in Old Montreal.

And Monday is World Environment Day, designated by the United Nation's in 1972 as a vehicle to "stimulate worldwide awareness of the environment and enhance political attention and action" and commemorated each year on June 5.

Montreal Gazette http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/info/contactus.html

Post Carbon Ponoka

Peak oil not piquing the interest of Cowichan Valley Regional District board

Sarah Smith — Wed, 26 Jul 2006 11:55:19 -0700

Author, Affiliation, Date:
By Don Maroc Jul 19 2006 Teaser:

North Cowichan Councillor Glen Ridgway voiced the feelings of many when he laughingly explained that even if there is a crisis, and he wasn't too sure about that, there is absolutely nothing we can do locally that would address the problem. Ridgway is a lawyer so he ought to know.

Vancouver Area Relocalisation Network

Helping cities adapt to peak oil

greeninsight — Mon, 04 Sep 2006 13:54:41 -0700

Author, Affiliation, Date:
Randy White, Energy Bulletin, 25 Aug 2006

Vancouver Area Relocalisation Network

At Last - Article about Food Security with the Urban Food Garden

PhilipBr — Wed, 06 Sep 2006 14:41:06 -0700

Teaser:

The Green Cycle Urban Agriculture motto says it all, “grow what you eat”. A hardy group of urban gardeners have learned that first hand this spring, with a practical boot camp approach to food security in a large Vancouver garden on Ontario Street donated by a generous permaculture enthusiast.