"... volunteer efforts revolve around creating and managing a new citizens' energy board to assist the city and county of Santa Fe in supplying that which they realize will be required in an uncertain future characterized by both climate change and energy shortages: clean, localized energy sources to fuel a new, equally-regional economy.

"The ad hoc committee has been hammering out a proposal for the formation of Santa Fe's citizens' energy board to be presented to Santa Fe's county commission.

"The draft reflects how a relocalized economy fits naturally with the principle of democratic power sharing."

"As pointed out by Post Carbon Institute's Daniel Lerch, author of the essential planner's guidebook Post Carbon Cities, 'Identifying and mitigating community vulnerabilities is one of the more important ... expectations we have of our local governments. Unfortunately, as with many other undertakings that aren't immediate or regular priorities, local governments often don't have the resources to address such vulnerabilities, except in times of crisis, when it's too late to prepare.'

"Thus the critical need for citizen input."

"If Greensboro leaders became convinced the years of cheap fuel are gone forever, what would they do?

"Residents could soon find out. A citizen effort to educate the public about peak oil is making its way to City Hall. Mayor Yvonne Johnson said she expects a briefing on the issue later this month."

"Now, Guilford County residents and leaders must decide how that transformation should take place and who should lead the effort: local governments or businesses."

"Local government officials need to initiate conversations about how to respond to declining oil supplies, said Daniel Lerch, a program manager with the Post Carbon Institute in California."

"'At the end of the day, government has the capacity and the resources to step in when the market has not prepared us, for when the community has not prepared us,' Lerch said."

Photo credit: Erman Akdogan