after oil

Last week, I sent a message to all of my co-workers asking them for any copies of the August 2005 National Geographic. The magazine has an article, FUTURE POWER, and a cover photo of two old "dry" gas pumps with the caption "After Oil". I am going to use the article in my environmental science class. One person who read the article talked to me about how he is very concerned about this topic, even to the point of losing sleep over it. I am sure he is concerned first and foremost about the future world his children are going to grow up in. He was also wondering what people can do about this situation.

Basically, world oil production has peaked, or will do so in the very near future, and every new barrel is going to be more difficult and more expensive to find and extract. We are running out of oil. Oil is the very fabric of the economy and lifestyle we have created. We currently swim in it in many ways. The world, especially the United States, is not prepared for the changes to come. It is going to be a very serious problem, though NOT worth losing sleep over. NOTHING is worth losing sleep over. There are solutions to this problem. Europe is light years ahead of the U.S. in terms of looking towards an oil free future. Even in America, there are pockets of hope.


In Portland, Oregon, a 35 block neighborhood may become the first urban neighborhood to cut itself off of the fossil fuel power grid. (Can you see this happening in Green Bay?)

There are already calls for re-building New Orleans in a sustainable manner.

In Wisconsin, the Citizens Energy Cooperative offers citizens the opportunity to invest in, purchase, and expand the use of renewable energy resources.

Yes! magazine has a great special issue out called "Can We Live Without OIL?" . It offers many ideas and resources for living in an oil-free economy.

Despite what most people think, there is a lot of potential in locally produced alternative energy sources.

Sales of gus-sucking SUVs are finally declining while there are waiting lists for hybrids.


Actually, the "end of oil" gives me reason to be optimistic about our future. The transition is not going to be easy, but can you imagine the future if we did NOT run out of oil? We may finally be FORCED into building sustainable and pollution-free communities.

I saw a powerful movie a couple of weeks ago called "The End of Suburbia" that dealt with these exact issues. It also warns that people are not ready for the "shit-storm" that is about to come and that our over-extended, resource-sucking, petroleum-driven suburbs may indeed become the "slums of the future". If you have not seen it, it is well worth your time. I know that some local libraries have a copy. (And I now have a copy.) Basically, the movie is about how our oil dependency crisis has been caused by our consumptive suburban culture and in order to deal with the end of the age of oil, we need to become a nation of city dwellers and to make our cities places that are enjoyable places to live and work.

The importance of cities is something that environmentalists have realized for a long time. After all, if everyone moved to the country, it wouldn't be the country anymore. Audubon magazine had an article about this topic a couple of years ago called "Real Enviros Live in Town". A huge part of the solution to our most serious environmental problems is to eat (but not meat!), work, shop, grow food, produce energy, and breathe LOCALLY! In order to make this work, our cities need to be exciting places to live and work.

Which brings me to the topic of Green Bay. Local environmentalists (including myself) need to be more concerned about the development of our downtown. Currently, more businesses seem to be leaving the city for suburban profits than coming into our city. This is actually an environmental issue. We need to participate in the downtown development discussion and help Green Bay develop an exciting (And did someone say sustainable?) downtown where people want to hang out and live and work.

thinking of new orleans,
rich

fox river cleanup

The Duluth News Tribune recently had this article about the paper company / insurance company battles over the Fox River cleanup: "Insurance firms, paper mills fight over Fox River cleanup bill". It was brought to my attention by the blog "BABBLEMUR!". I don't need to comment because BABBLEMUR did. 'nuf said

DO SOMETHING: Great Lakes

The bulletin below is taken from a recent email sent out by the Wisconsin InterNetwork. If you would like to become involved with many Wisconsin environmental issues, their list is a great one to become a part of. Also, for two great reads about the Great Lakes, go to:
*THE GREAT LAKES (The Detroit News)
*Greatest Lakes in the World (National Wildlife)

DO SOMETHING !!
Help protect the Great Lakes.

ACTION NEEDED:
Please attend an upcoming public hearing on the Great Lakes Basin Water Resources Compact in Green Bay (Ashwaubenon) and ask Governor Doyle to strengthen the pact in order to protect the Great Lakes.

August 29- Ashwaubenon 5-8pm
Ashwaubenon Village Hall
Council Chamber
2155 Holmgren Way
Enter the north public entry.
Open House - 5:00-5:30 (Comment forms and DNR staff will be available.)
Formal Presentation - 5:30, followed by public comment period.

It is important to attend the hearings as a visible demonstration of support. However, if you cannot attend the hearings, submitting your comments to Governor Doyle will make a big impact.

Governor Jim Doyle
Office of the Governor
115 East State Capitol
Madison, WI 53702
608-266-1212
608-267-8983 (Fax)

Deadline for responding:
Please take action
by August 29, 2005.

PROBLEM:
The Great Lakes, one of the natural wonders of the world, are a place we call home and the heart of the ecosystem that we rely on for life. The Great Lakes are vast, but they aren't infinite - only one percent of the water in the Lakes is renewed by rainfall and snowmelt every year. The remaining 99 percent is a one-time gift from the retreating glaciers of the world's last ice age. Piping more water out of the Great Lakes without protective standards threatens the future health and supply of fresh water in the Great Lakes drainage basin. It's not a sustainable solution for communities that are using water faster than it can be replenished. Although more than 40 million residents drink it every day, there is no plan that will ensure the long-term protection and sound management of our Great Lakes water. We should all be working to change this.

SOLUTION:
On June 30th, 2005, the bi-partisan governors and premiers of the U.S. states and Canadian provinces that share the Great Lakes released a draft cooperative agreement for the future protection of our waters. The agreement, known as the Great Lakes Basin Water Resources Compact, calls for the responsible use and protection of Great Lakes waters. This binding "responsibility pact" sets rules for the withdrawal of Great Lakes waters and ensures that local communities will have a say on any future diversions of our water to areas outside of the Great Lakes basin. The draft agreement contains many important protections for our Great Lakes, but we must do better.

ORGANIZATIONS PARTICIPATION IN THIS CAMPAIGN:
1000 Friends of Wisconsin
Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin
Citizens for Safe Water
Around Badger
Clean Wisconsin
Environmental Defense
League of Conservation Voters
League of Conservation Voters Education Fund
Madison Audubon Society
River Alliance of Wisconsin
Sierra Club, John Muir Chapter
Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters Institute
Wisconsin Wetlands Association

DO SOMETHING: Governor's "Conserve Wisconsin" Event

Attend Governor Doyle's announcement of his "Conserve Wisconsin" conservation agenda. This event will take place Thursday, August 18. It would be great to have a nice crowd.

For details, click HERE.

McMansions on the shore

I found a bit of sad news among my emails yesterday morning. The Alexian Brothers Novitiate property (176 acres) along the Red River, near Gresham, is going to be developed and subdivided into 17 private lots. The property is worth millions of dollars. The mansion/novitiate on the site is the one taken over by the Menominee Warrior Society in 1975. For more information about the history of that takeover and the current impending development, see “Gresham Mansion, land to be sold” in yesterday’s Wisconsin State Journal.

Every kayaker and canoeist who lives in Green Bay knows about the Red. It is where many of us learned to paddle whitewater and was even one of the training grounds for Olympic silver medalist and Green Bay native Rebecca Giddens. Besides being a perfect river for teaching and learning, it offers challenges for even the best paddlers. The Red River is a great place for paddling, tubing, swimming, fishing, just hanging out, (as the “locals” and the “Tuesday night paddlers” know too well), and enjoying the company of other people who appreciate rivers. Some of the best people I have ever known, I met on the Red River. What draws a lot of people to this river is just its simple beauty. The historic Novitiate property, with the burned out mansion at this point still standing, is especially beautiful because it borders “Monastery Falls”.

A few years ago I still had some hope that this area would remain undeveloped. There were rumors that a state assemblyman at the time, DuWayne Johnsrud, was going to introduce a bill to set it aside as a state park. Some DNR employees that I know pursued that idea vigorously. I really do think the area, because of its beauty, historical significance, and recreational uses, is worthy of state park status. However, that idea never did come to fruition. (did i just use the word fruition?)

So now, here come the “McMansions” to the shores of the Red River. The rapids will still be there, but there is no way that this development will be good for the river. Even if this developer is planning a perfectly sustainable environmentally correct development with organic farms and wind mills and solar panels and “green construction”, the river will be harmed. The extraction, transport, manufacture, and use of the materials and fossil fuels needed to build these homes will harm ALL rivers. At the site, there will be soil erosion, nutrient loss, loss of forest habitat, increased runoff, a lowering of the water table, more air pollution caused by increased traffic, and more water pollution caused by fertilizer and herbicide use. -And most importantly to me, the site will become much less beautiful. Downright ugly.

I doubt if any environmental group or land trust or the DNR has enough money to buy this property. However, there still may be hope. I situations like this, I am always looking for what can be done and for the smallest glimmer of hope. Maybe President Bush could set aside the area as a national monument. (Fat chance!) Maybe some government entity could use its powers of eminent domain to set aside this natural treasure, but seeing how Town of Richmond Board Chairman Steve Guerths is salivating over the “increased tax base from new homes” (Is he forgetting about all the services these homeowners are going to demand?) and how the Supreme Court has recently made it easier to grab land for mini-mall development than it is to preserve natural areas, I doubt that this will happen.

Maybe somebody will organize a protest campout, ala Cindy Sheehan. If anyone else starts camping, I will be there. We could get Rebecca Giddens to camp out with us and draw some national attention! We could convince the developer to set aside the land as a conservation easement. We could have a demonstration at the auction.

According to the Wisconsin State Journal article, the 1975 dispute was ended when the Alexian Brothers agreed to sell the land to the Menominee Tribe (whose land it was initially) for one dollar. The dollar was delivered, but the land was never signed over to the Tribe. Maybe it is time for the Tribe to step in and claim their deed, and for the Alexian Brothers to step in and do the right thing. Maybe.

eddy out,
rich

welcome

Happy August everyone! I am starting this blog for a few reasons. First of all I feel it is needed and could be helpful. Secondly, it will give a few very good area environmental commentators a popular forum in which to express themselves. I plan to invite area writers to be official contributors to this blog. They will be introduced as they start posting. Also, for some strange reason, I am curiously attracted to blogs and their current raging popularity. They may be just a fad but for now they are turning out to be a very useful way to encourage discussion and disseminate information, especially among young people. Anyone will be allowed to post comments, but we will be doing some moderating.

If anyone knows of a similar forum or blog that is already out there, please let me know. I have no need to be the only one doing this and would gladly become a part of what is already being done or would simply close down this particular blog.

For now, this blog is posted on blogger.com. My goal, within the next year or so, is to have it posted on an independent server such as these two well known blogs:

*The Vast Dairy State Conspiracy
*DAILY KOS

If anyone reading this in the Green Bay area has the technical know-how and would be willing to help me set up an independent blog, please contact me!

eddy out,
rich