Post Carbon Cities Blog

City planners descend on Las Vegas... and largely ignore energy

Daniel Lerch — Fri, 09 May 2008 18:58:55 -0700

Last Wednesday John Kaufmann, Jennifer Brost-Sarnecki and I held a session on "Responding to Peak Oil and Energy Uncertainty" at the annual American Planning Association conference in Las Vegas -- the only session this year specifically on peak oil, and likely the first ever at thi

Relocalizing North Carolina

laurel — Thu, 08 May 2008 11:15:17 -0700

[Note: This post was written for the Relocalization Network's forthcoming May newsletter, which is why it's addressed to Relocalization Network Groups. The Relocalization Network is another project of Post Carbon Institute, created to support grassroots groups in strengthening their communities in preparation for energy uncertainty. Check if there's a Relocalization group in your area; they could be valuable allies! - Laurel]

What's beyond a Platinum award? Think of the kids.

laurel — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 14:36:48 -0700

By Laurel Hoyt, Post Carbon Cities Program Coordinator

Post Carbon Cities at the APA conference!

Daniel Lerch — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 09:39:12 -0700

This year's American Planning Association conference is in Las Vegas next week, and while the theme for 2008 isn't exactly "sustainability", there are a lot of great sessions this time around focusing on green initiatives, climate change, and even peak oil.

I'll be hosting a session on "Responding to Peak Oil and Energy Uncertainty" (S639) on Wednesday starting at 4:00pm. Here's a quick overview:

Santa Barbara's energy and climate initiatives; Portland's "new green space"

laurel — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 18:08:23 -0700

With Daniel off in Ireland, it's both quieter and busier in the Portland office. On top of keeping Post Carbon Cities going in his absence, I've had additional part time work, filling in at Global Public Media. Those of you who are familiar with the Post Carbon Institute primarily through the Post Carbon Cities project may want to check out some of the media distributed through that site.

Ireland putting local energy and efficiency into practice

Daniel Lerch — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 17:30:15 -0700

I'm on the road for another set of presentations for the Post Carbon Cities book -- this time in Ireland courtesy of the Cultivate Centre in Dublin, which has brought me here to keynote their thirteenth annual Convergence Festival.

Three recent surprises, and $110 oil wasn't one of them

Daniel Lerch — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 12:23:27 -0700

We've had a few minor surprises here at Post Carbon Cities over the last few days.

Portland Peak Oil Task Force: one year later

Daniel Lerch — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 22:31:03 -0800

"If I only had a time machine..."

Since we started tracking local government responses to peak oil over a year ago, our little map has filled up a bit -- the latest addition being Haines, Alaska.

'Slow blogging' and the scale of solutions

laurel — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 17:19:14 -0800

A few weeks ago in his blog Dot Earth, New York Times science reporter Andrew Revkin called for a "slow blog" movement. As a fan of the related concepts like Slow Food and Slow Cities (Città Slow), I felt a little thrill of recognition -- there's a movement I'm already in!

U.S. city first to fight climate change and peak oil together

Daniel Lerch — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 10:08:07 -0800

PRESS RELEASE - 14 February 2007

U.S. city first to fight climate change and peak oil together

by Daniel Lerch, Post Carbon Institute

Focus the Nation podcast available

laurel — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 10:58:03 -0800

Focus the Nation was a nationwide event, with teach-ins about climate change at schools, businesses, and other organizations. Daniel had the opportunity to talk at the Lewis and Clark College law school in Portland, Oregon about the role of government in addressing energy and climate uncertainty.

Peak Oil and Minnesota: "We need to do an inspection."

Daniel Lerch — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 16:46:29 -0800

By Daniel Lerch, Post Carbon Cities Program Manager

Finding energy where you need it

laurel — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 14:25:19 -0800

The other day my friend Steve Darnley in "that other Portland" (i.e., Maine) sent me a link to an article about changes in his office building. He has sent me photos of the office before, because it's in a cool old converted mill.

Start off 2008 with these articles on peak oil and climate change

Daniel Lerch — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 13:59:37 -0800

Here at Post Carbon Cities we've got a lot to prepare for in the next few months, what with a two-day whirlwind tour of Minnesota next week, a webinar for Canadian local governments hosted by Federation for Canadian Municipalities at the end of the month, and a slew of upcoming conference appearances, including the American Planning Association's annual conference, read more

Happy New Year from Post Carbon Cities

laurel — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 15:14:18 -0800

Oil's brush with $100 was an exciting New Year's moment, perhaps a more sobering one than we'd wish. But, thanks in part to these market fluctuations, popular awareness of peak oil and the energy uncertainty problem is clearly rising. 2008 promises to be a big year in many ways that will profoundly shape the future.

Popular, popular rail!

laurel — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 12:12:03 -0800

This weekend my partner and I took a pleasant train trip up to Seattle to visit family for Christmas. For me, the travel itself was one of the most enjoyable facets of a very full weekend. Amtrak employees rose to the occasion of the busy season with charm and efficiency, making cheerful quips as they worked their way along long lines and helping laden passengers with their holiday packages. Most everyone on the packed-full train laughed when the stop for "Tacoma - City of Destiny" was dramatically announced over the intercom.

Northeastern cities acting on peak oil

Daniel Lerch — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 12:41:56 -0800

Forthcoming in HopeDance magazine

By Daniel Lerch, Post Carbon Institute

When I left New York City for Portland, Oregon nearly ten years ago, I was consciously turning my back on a whole region of the country that, in my eyes, didn't take sustainability seriously. With crises of climate change and energy depletion looming just over the horizon, Northeastern local and state governments seemed to me indifferent and, ultimately, impotent.

Light rail and streetcars in vogue again

laurel — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 16:52:45 -0800

By Laurel Hoyt, Post Carbon Cities Program Staff

The Post Carbon Cities office is located in downtown Portland, Oregon two short blocks from the MAX light rail line. I may like this aspect of the location even better than the beautiful view from our 10th-story office window. Riding the train into town for work just seems so civilized -- and it is always impressive to look at the fellow passengers crowded together and visualize that many more cars on the street.

Post Carbon Cities Fall 2007 Tour (3 of 3): New York, Philadelphia, Toronto

Daniel Lerch — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 17:06:05 -0800

By Daniel Lerch, Post Carbon Cities program manager

Reality shift needed in how we develop transportation and buildings

laurel — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 16:15:58 -0800

By Laurel Hoyt, Post Carbon Cities Program Staff

One of the most daunting things about preparing for climate and energy uncertainty - apart from the uncertainty bit - is that the most necessary actions are not additions to what we already do, but systemic changes. What's at stake is the status quo, so there's going to be a lot of inertia. People are invested in the status quo because it's what they know about how the world works; it's their job, their house, their comfort zone.