From a survey performed in late 2009, the following list of Top 10 sustainable professions emerged. The responders of the survey had all been motivated to find or develop new skills in response to threats from Peak Oil.
Some survey findings that may help those working to accelerate awareness and action among the general public are:
People are driven to act in the face of global threats largely by a sense of right and wrong – their conscience – with some encouragement and inspiration from books, movies, media programs and articles.
Emphasizing the positive consequences of particular lifestyle changes, and focusing on health and wellness benefits and a simpler, more satisfying life may be more effective ways to encourage change than promoting financial savings.
The lack of support from one’s community and family and lack of assistance with overcoming unhelpful personal habits and attitudes are more significant roadblocks to effective response than not having enough information on what actions to take.
Growing one’s own food is a popular and transformative way to begin living a more sustainable lifestyle, and may lead to a new career opportunity and the development of more community support.
Most people do not feel they need to measure the impact of their lifestyle changes, but some think such feedback would motivate and assist them with doing more. Setting goals, even without measurement, is extremely helpful.
Nine out of ten people plan to make additional changes, including starting or expanding a garden, installing a renewable energy system, or working with others in their local community to make broader, more systemic changes.
Wood, the oldest fuel source known to humans, may be about to experience a renaissance, thanks to rising oil and gas costs combined with shrinking bank accounts. Ultra-efficient, ultra-clean advanced wood combustion technology and fast-growing “perpetual” fuel woods can, on the micro level, bring increased home heating security for landowners and, on the macro level, create a regenerative fuel source for electricity generation.
How does fuel wood combat climate change? Wood is often considered “carbon neutral,” because growing it pulls as much carbon dioxide out of the air as is released into the atmosphere when it’s burned. So, unlike gas or oil, it releases no net carbon. It is a closed-loop energy source, simply recirculating the carbon dioxide already within the Earth’s carbon cycle.
An analysis led by Daniel D. Richter, professor of soils and forest ecology at Duke University, proposes we are missing a key strategy in our search for sustainable energy solutions. Richter says we need to consider advanced wood combustion, which he defines as “automated, high-efficiency wood-fired energy generation systems with strict air pollution control.”
The analysis was detailed by Richter and a multidisciplinary team of experts in the March 13, 2009 issue of Science magazine, and points out that creating thermal and electrical energy with advanced wood combustion has been growing quickly throughout Europe. “These facilities release remarkably low quantities of air pollutants and have system-wide thermal efficiencies approaching 90 percent,” Richter says. According to the article, the cost of wood fuel is several times cheaper than fossil fuel costs (per unit of energy produced).
The authors of the Science article say the United States is well-suited for sustaining a wood-energy economy. Yet currently, energy from wood provides only about 2 to 3 percent of total U.S. energy consumption. This is about half of the potential annual sustainable wood supply available to us for power generation.
The report also identifies “waste” wood as an untapped asset, estimating that 30 million tons of urban wood per year can be safely burned for energy. For example, the District Energy program in St. Paul, Minn., burns 250,000 tons of waste wood and other biomass per year to provide heating, cooling and other energy to part of the city.
This “plan”, whose goal is to have 9 billion people “living well, within the resource limitations of the planet”, was created by corporations in an effort to preserve their usefulness in the face of Peak Everything. While there are some good ideas here to be pursued, such as reducing our carbon footprint and doubling agricultural production, there is no mention of any practical ways to achieve these goals.
For example, in their executive summary they claim that the assets to achieve their ambitious goals already exist: “The participating companies strongly believe that the world already has the knowledge, science, technologies, skills and financial resources needed to achieve Vision 2050…”
Well, that’s great, but they didn’t mention how to provide the basics of life needed to sustain 9 billion people: energy, topsoil and water. Where will they come from? Another planet? The report basically says very little. How is that so much energy gets put into writing something so large that is so useless?
There’s a new prescription for global sustainability being put forth by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. The Vision 2050 report is described as nothing less than the pathway to a world that supports 9 billion people “living well, within the resource limitations of the planet” by that time frame.
The analysis represents the viewpoints of about 29 global businesses (from 14 different industries) who are advocating that the corporate world take a leading role in setting strategy and policy that will lead their respective customers, partners, employees and communities down the right path. In a press release announcing the publication Syngenta CEO Michael Mack (who was involved with the project) describes humanity’s relationship with the planet in the past and present as an “exploitative relationship.” We need to transform it into a “symbiotic one,” he says.
Among the issues businesses need to address are how carbon footprint, ecosystem services and water usage considerations should be mapped into marketplace and pricing structures. Agriculture will come in for major investments: The report calls for a doubling of output over the 40 years between now and the report’s end game. Two other goals are the halving of carbon emissions worldwide, based on 2005 levels and “universal access low-carbon mobility.”
Sunday February 7th, 7pm, at Mainfilm. More details below:
The Resilience Cycle aims to inform citizens about the issues raised by peak oil and climate change, and to help them take concrete action to help Montreal become more “resilient” in the face of future challenges. The purpose of this fifth evening will be to provide you tools to spread the word around you: family, neighbours, elected officials, community organizations…
How to talk about peak oil and convince others that this issue will impact us very soon?
How to discuss climate change and its consequences for Montreal?
What is the Transition Town movement, which offers a response to these issues – a movement created by citizens for their community? It is based on facts, focuses on concrete action, and most importantly, is also fun and inclusive!
How can we find inspiration in the Transition Town movement to launch initiatives in various areas of Montreal, in order to reduce our dependence on oil and better resist the shocks of the near future?
We are inviting to this evening all the folks who want to take action and start initiatives in their neighbourhood, in preparation for the challenges we will face very soon: limited energy supply (in particular gasoline, whose price will go up), more expensive food, challenging of the current road transportation system – and therefore of the way and price at which we bring food and items to Montreal stores… As well as the risk that our communities rise against each other, and that governments be even less able to protect the most vulnerable citizens.
Where: Main Film – Saint-Laurent subway
4067 Saint-Laurent in Montreal
When: Sunday February 7, at 7pm.
While 100% electric vehicles are positive, an extension of the Montreal Metro system and the creation of high-speed rail service to Toronto and Dorval airport would make me more excited.
In collaboration with the City of Boucherville, Hydro-Québec will test the performance of up to 50 all-electric Mitsubishi i-MiEVs on the road under a variety of circumstances, notably winter conditions. The project, which is evaluated at $4.5 million, is the first of its kind to include the participation of a car manufacturer, a public utility, a municipality and local businesses that will integrate the vehicles into their existing fleets. The trial is designed to study the vehicles’ charging behavior, the driving experience and overall driver satisfaction.
“This new pilot project is part of our action plan for the electrification of vehicles,” noted Thierry Vandal, Hydro-Québec’s President and CEO. “It will allow us to advance our knowledge of the technology and its integration into our grid, which in turn, will help us plan the necessary charging infrastructure for homes, offices and public places…”
i-MiEV, which stands for Mitsubishi Innovative Electric Vehicle, is an all-electric, highway-capable, charge-at-home commuter car. Because the battery, the motor and other items are mounted out of the way beneath the floor, the i-MiEV seats four adults and offers surprising interior room and cargo space. Other i-MiEV features include excellent low-speed acceleration and a very low centre of gravity, which contributes to superior handling and stability. Moreover, the i-MiEV is extremely quiet…
At the recent Tokyo International Motor Show (2009), the i-MiEV won the Japanese Car of the Year award for “Most Advanced Technology.”
Six years ago, Matthew “Quint” Redmond suggested to Milliken planners that a corn farm north of Denver could increase its agricultural value and still anchor nearly a thousand homes.
“I got laughed out of the room,” Redmond said.
Today, Milliken’s 618-acre Platte River Village is ready for construction, with 944 planned homes surrounded by 108 acres of backyard farms and 152 acres of drip- irrigated community farms. The plan is for the farms to feed local residents and supply restaurants while paying for community upkeep. And Redmond, a 47-year-old planner-farmer, has 13 other Front Range projects mulling his “agriburbia” concept.
Redmond, co-founder of the Golden-based design firm TSR Group, travels the country preaching his urban farming and development idea. He envisions a future where the nation’s 31 million acres of lawn are converted to food production. He sees golf-course greens redefined with herbs; sand traps as “kale traps.” He sees retirement homes engulfed by farms and office buildings where workers escape cubicles on farming breaks.
Redmond, along with his born-on- a-farm biologist turned planner wife, Jennifer, sees an urban landscape like none before.
“This is where we are all going to go. We need this,” said Redmond. “Everyone thinks they are so smart by crafting a 2030 plan for the future. I say we need a $180-a-barrel plan, on how our communities can be self-sufficient when oil becomes too expensive to ship food across the country.”
Self-sufficient. Sustainable. Locally produced. Agriburbia incorporates all three concepts.
“Is there a better use of the land than growing your own food right where you are going to be eating it?” said Janie Lichtfuss, mayor of Milliken, which is positioned to become the first agriburbia community.
Perhaps, one day, Montreal might realize a version of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Broadacre City, a city of tall buildings surrounded by open space and farms.
I’m not sure why Montreal needs windmills given the enormous hydro electric resources in Quebec that already churn out some of the best sustainable energy in the world, but why not? It’s only taxpayer money, right?
St. Laurent will be getting one of the island’s first wind turbines, its whirling blades making enough power to light up a public sculpture and paths in one of the borough’s parks.
The borough council this month approved the $37,000 installation of the turbine at Philippe Laheurte Park.
“This is one illustration of our sustainable development plan,” said borough mayor Alan DeSousa.
A Laval company, Enseignes Valois, will install the 30-foot turbine in a wooded area in the park, which is on Ernest Hemingway Ave., west of Cavendish Blvd.
The turbine is expected to provide the borough with about 800 watts of lighting power. The park’s pedestrian and bike paths will be lit using energy from the turbine, DeSousa said.
Energy created by the turning blades will be stored in batteries which have a capacity of seven hours.
While a Sports Utility Bike (SUB) is only useful about 7-8 months a year in Montreal, I wouldn’t be surprised to see someone modify an SUB to make it stable enough to ride in light snow (maybe a 3-wheeled version?). Also, the idea that an electric bike is just a new kind of moped is missing the bigger picture.
As gas prices climbed in 2007 and 2008, and people started looking around for relief, the Xtracycle was there. It was still being produced by the same company that Evans had started, out of its small headquarters in the Bay Area of California, a fitting location for the start of such a revolution. The tripartite of high oil prices, concerns about Peak Oil, and concerns about climate change came together to make at least some people start thinking about alternatives to automobile-centric business-as-usual. The possibilities engendered by a bicycle that could easily carry people and gear (lots of it) became much more apparent. This culminated with an article in Salon magazine about the Xtracyle, along with significant shortages of the product due to unanticipated demand, in the summer of 2008.
Things have calmed down since then, but the idea that we need to move towards a future of less reliance on fossil fuels stuck in many people’s minds. The Xtracycle continues to help a steadily increasing number of people gain automobile independence for their daily errands. And with the likelihood of future oil price and supply shocks, the people who are getting set up with an alternative like this now are ahead of the curve.
…And that’s where the Xtracycle fits in. It takes an old concept and makes it work for places where there is less available space on the road, where people want gears, and where people generally demand a more aesthetic solution than duct tape and bailing wire. It may have been a fortunate accident that the Xtracycle has a narrow profile and is thus amenable to on-road use in places like the US. It was designed for use on narrow, winding foot paths; some people even use it for mountain-bike camping.
Most importantly, the Xtracycle has given people a very important idea: It is possible to build a bike for on-road use in North America that is practical for carrying cargo and passengers. In some areas of the US, such as Portland, Oregon, cargo bikes like the Xtracycle are the trendy new family transportation alternative to the Sports Utility Vehicle – the Sports Utility Bicycle (SUB). This new revolution is slowly, but surely, making its way to other areas of the US, as well.
N.B. The Extracycle cargo bike does not come pre-fitted with an electric motor. To install one, see Stoke Monkey. To get a brushless, inline wheel motor, consult the online bike shop Cycle9 and they can help you pick a motor right for you.
What: Screening of “The Power of Community – How Cuba Survived Peak Oil”
Followed by a discussion on the impact of peak oil for Montreal.
Even if you have seen this film online or at another venue, please come and meet with other like-minded people to organize and plan for a future, sustainable Montreal!
Description: In the early 1990s, the Cuban population was faced with painful shortages of oil and other goods after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the tightening of the U.S. embargo. What happened to Cuba at that time is not only a case study for what is in store for the rest of us on the down-slope of the fossil fuel era, but also an inspiring example of what communities can do to live a more localized, ecological and healthy society, even in the face of climate change and the current financial meltdown.
Film Preview:
When: Monday, July 27th at 7pm*
Where: Main Film – Room 303 – 4067 Saint Laurent (just north of Duluth)
*This event can only accommodate a maximum of 40 people, so please get there early!
Instead of relying upon the state of California, the city of San Jose has taken it upon itself to become energy independent (Montreal politicians take notice).
Europe has already adopted this technology because it kills two birds with one stone: reducing the amount of organic waste that goes to landfills and renewable energy gets produced.
San Jose, CA – Achieving a goal of 100 percent energy independence is a little closer for San Jose thanks to a momentous move by the City Council today. The City Council authorized the City Manager to negotiate and execute a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to develop potential lease terms and guidelines for developing an organics-to energy bio-gas facility…
This project would also see the cooperation of GreenWaste and Harvest Power, Inc., a company that provides leading technology and project development capabilities for harnessing the renewable energy in organic waste.
The Zanker Road Biogas facility would be the first facility in the U.S. with the technology to turn organic waste into bio-gas, keeping San Jose at the forefront of clean technology innovations. The technology that would find its home at the San Jose facility would use a process known as dry anaerobic fermentation to generate renewable bio-gas and high-quality compost. This technology has already been made popular in Europe.
All of the existing anaerobic digestion systems in common use in the United States currently process wet waste. By contrast, the technology for the proposed Zanker Road Biogas would use the dry fermentation technology specifically designed to process the relatively dry organic waste found in the municipal solid waste stream which is difficult to recycle without extensive pre-processing and currently ends up in a landfill.
This anaerobic digestion system technology has been commercially demonstrated in Europe by BEKON Energy Technologies, which has built 12 facilities in Germany and Italy and has 13 additional facilities scheduled for construction in 2009.
“This project not only demonstrates San Jose’s leadership in the production of renewable energy but will help us meet the economic development, zero waste and energy goals of our city’s Green Vision,” said San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed.
