Dear ,
If you've been following energy news, you know that huge deposits of shale oil and gas in the U.S. are being touted as the solution to our energy woes. In reality, these deposits are just the latest in a long string of (non-)solutions big industry has pushed to try to prolong business as usual (corn ethanol, anyone?).
The current and accelerating disaster of climate change should be enough to take this "solution" off the table. However, it is good for all of us to have a few other talking points available for educating friends and politicians who might be confused by the hype.
Here are some points about fracking (the method of choice for much of the shale oil underground in locations as close as Aromas):
— Fracking uses huge amounts of water, like .5 to 5 million gallons per well
— There are over 1,000 documented cases of water contamination from fracking nationwide, according to the Center for Biological Diversity
— Shale oil and gas fields decline quickly, and will never replace the flow of conventional oil we are used to
— It takes so much energy to frack, that the carbon footprint of fracked fuel may resemble that of coal, even if it's natural gas you are fracking
— Vermont and Alabama have banned fracking, but in California, fracking can be done without public disclosure of location or what chemicals are being injected into the ground.
There is an Assembly Bill, #591, currently in committee, to remedy at least the transparency aspect of the last point above. Let Assemblyman Bill Monning know if you consider this a priority.
—Michael Levy |
Economics for Transition workshop
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• Friday, Aug. 24, 7-9pm: The Big Picture View of Our Economic System
• Saturday, Aug. 25, 10am–3 pm: Money, Finance, and Local Alternatives
Resource Center for Non-Violence
612 Ocean Street, Santa Cruz
$15
Led by Marco Vangelisti of Northern California Slow Money. Marco led a short, fascinating talk at our potluck in April. This will be the extended, get-your-degree-in-one-day version.
We will:|
— Learn how our economic and financial systems work
— Examine the historical context & causes of the current economic crisis
— Hear about ways to relocalize the economic system, including lending & investing, preference purchasing, benefit corporations, worker-owned cooperatives, currencies and time banks
To register, contact Julie Boudreau at JulieBoudreau@msn.com. |
| Edible gardens tour |
Saturday, August 25
All day
Sponsored by Slow Food Santa Cruz
More information here
Public places and private homes will host tours of their gardens, with demonstrations by experts in gardening and other Do-It-Yourself topics. The point is to get people to share ideas on how to grow their own good, clean, and fair food.
The Edible Garden Tour is looking for a few solid volunteers! Volunteers receive free admission to the tour. Opportunities are available assisting with pre-event organization and for 4-hour shifts on event day. Please contact events@slowfoodsantacruz.com, for more info! |
| Why New Earth Exchange? |
Perhaps you've heard of New Earth Exchange but you don't quite get what the fuss is about. Is it a local currency, like Ithaca Hours? (Not quite.) Is it just for "alternative" businesses? (Definitely not.) Is it a great, encouraging step towards regional relocalization? (Ding ding ding!)
Founders Langdon and Daz make their regional trade exchange clearly understandable in this great article. Check it out, and then consider joining. Businesses from the scale of neighborhood dogwalker to, say, Granite Rock can participate, so you just might be eligible. |
| Also worthy of attention... |
♦ Save the date: Saturday, October 6
Northern California Regional Transition Conference
NEXUS event venue, Richmond, CA
All Transition participants from all Transition initiatives are invited to attend this first ever all-day regional Nor Cal Transition gathering.
♦ We quit you, Keystone XL!
A great, funny video in which Keystone's "girlfriend" dumps him for good. Also, a valuable article about the pipeline and why we need to keep fighting it. From Post-Carbon Institute. Here you go!
♦ Gar Alperovitz, author of
America Beyond Capitalism, “tells it like it is” in this keynote speech videoed at the Green Party Convention. His hopeful, yet realistic perspective is worth checking out.
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| Become a member of Transition Santa Cruz |
Help support our important work of building local resilience! Go to http://transitionsc.org/donate and join at the $25, $50, $100 or $200 level, or join as a volunteer. Your participation matters!
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Contact Details
831-427-9916
http://transitionsc.org
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Potluck with a Purpose
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Tuesday, August 28
6-8:30 pm
Live Oak Grange, 1900 17th Ave.
Free/by donation
Family friendly!
Fixing the Future
How about dinner and a movie? Join us for a night of good company and a viewing of PBS' hourlong video "Fixing the Future." Host David Brancaccio visits people and organizations across America that are attempting the reinvention of the American economy. By featuring communities using sustainable and innovative approaches to create jobs and build prosperity, Fixing the Future inspires hope and renewal in a people overwhelmed by economic collapse.
Earlier this summer, this movie sold out theaters in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, and in smaller towns from St. Petersburg, FL, to Bainbridge Island, WA. The movie events brought people together with local organizations and they are starting to take action for the betterment of their communities.
Care to carpool? Please contact Cara to coordinate rides, at ratbert@cruzio.com.
Potluck 6:00, Program 7:00
Feel free to come for either or both!
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