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Cheer up — things really are as bad as you think

By November 13, 2012
dark mountain

In last week's election, Obama may have been a better choice than the alternative, but no American president is likely to have much positive impact on climate change, peak oil and the worldwide economic crisis anytime soon. Given the sorry state of national governments, controlled as they are by rapacious corporations driven by the profit motive, there's little chance of either hope or change coming from the top in Washington or any other capital. So, it's up to local communities around the … [Read more...]

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Vote Romney-Ryan to hasten collapse

By November 2, 2012
Romneymobile in the final stretch

This election year, the total collapse of industrial civilization has gained a popularity not seen since the heyday of The Planet of the Apes franchise. All over the blogosphere, people who worry about climate change, peak oil, financial meltdown, debt slavery, species extinction, overpopulation and rampant commercialism along with the spread of military drones, techno-warfare and the surveillance state have given up on the electoral process. They say that voting for either one of two big … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Politics Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Peak oil and climate change: hold your nose and vote

By October 23, 2012
Obama at debate

At last night's third and final presidential debate, we heard about horses and bayonets, nukes and drones, Israel and Iran and whether we should just give up on Pakistan. But, for the first time since 1988, we didn't hear anything last night or in either of the two previous debates this year about climate change. As to energy, it came up much less in last night's foreign policy debate than in the previous week's debate on domestic issues, but anything said on energy was just as … [Read more...]

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You built that: 3 top strategies for resilience

By October 17, 2012
letterpress

President Obama aroused the GOP's ire for reminding business owners of the obvious point that their success relies in part on roads and bridges built at public expense. But the rest of us would do well not to place too much faith in big government in the uncertain times coming with peak oil, climate change and economic collapse. Whether you think we're facing another financial meltdown this fall that could lead to global chaos or just another fifty years of on-and-off recessions and partial … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Transition Tagged With: , , , , ,

Clean power for all (Offer not available in some areas)

By October 2, 2012
electric storm

A year ago I would've loved the optimistic and can-do tone of Power from the People: How to Organize, Finance, and Launch Local Energy Projects. The book is not only inspiring. It's also realistic. While all too many solar panel and wind turbine buffs are Polyannas who promise that America can enjoy decades of economic growth in the future if only we'd dump dirty energy for solar and wind, author Greg Pahl offers a more realistic assessment of the real but limited potential of clean energy. … [Read more...]

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A new way to save the Net from Big Brother

By September 6, 2012
Internet Defense League logo

If you're into "re-skilling" and urban homesteading activities like canning or raising backyard chickens, then you probably think that working outside in the fresh air is better than sitting at a computer and spending time online. Since you're reading this, you're obviously not a total Luddite. But if you spend more than a couple hours online at a time, you may feel a bit guilty about it. When it seems like the Net is just a time waster at best and a huge, self-deceiving ego-trip at worst … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Politics Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

A Labor Day without jobs

By September 3, 2012
Labor Day Parade 1909

Even if you recognize that Labor Day wasn't always just a day off from work to spend on cookouts and watching sports on TV, you may think of it as another bland holiday dedicated to celebrating something people don't care much about. Namely, work. A little history reminds us that labor leaders pushed through the holiday to further their cause and pressured President Grover Cleveland to sign it into law as part of an election-year compromise in 1894, only six days after federal troops broke a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Economy Tagged With: , ,

Your fossil fuel free garden

By August 27, 2012
scythe

It's the first season for our Transition group's community garden, but already we've taken to calling it the Fossil Fuel Free Garden. The tagline is an easy way for us to make the point that not only do we expect our fellow gardeners to stay organic (no chemicals, please) but that we have the additional requirement that no power tools be used at the garden. This may sound unnecessarily fussy, but most of our gardeners just work their own plots, so any inconvenience falls only on the small … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Gardening Tagged With: , , , , ,

Portrait of a climate science denier: Piers Corbyn

By August 20, 2012
Banksy I don't believe

I've got better things to do than write about climate science deniers. I could schedule a proctological exam. Or listen to Barry Manilow's Greatest Hits enough times to memorize the words to "Can't Smile Without You." Or ask a teenage girl to explain why The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part Two will be the most awesome film made since Au revoir les enfants. Yet, if you care about energy and the environment, it's impossible to avoid the handiwork of climate science deniers online. I try … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Climate Tagged With: , , , ,

Charles Eisenstein wants to devalue your money to save the economy

By August 15, 2012
Charles Eisenstein

Imagine if you had a warehouse full of bread that would go stale in three days. You'd want to get rid of it as quickly as possible. Of course, you wouldn't try to sell it at premium prices. Instead, you'd want to hold a liquidation sale. Or, maybe even not go through the bother of trying to sell it at all — just give it away. In that way, you'd earn both gratitude and favors that you could call in later. In a sense, giving away all your bread would become an investment in social … [Read more...]

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