The CEO of Siemens AG, Peter Löscher, believes Europe is on the brink of anew era in energy production. The aim of the €400 billion ($560 billion) project is to provide carbon-free energy that could supply up to 20 percent of European energy needs by 2050.
The biggest solar energy project in the world is about [...]

[ Friday, July 31, 2009; ] Special event at the Village of Civano, Tucson
Colors are names, each given to a specific spectrum of visible light. Visible wavelengths are measured in nanometers (nm). Green just so happens to live in the spectrum between approximately 520 and 565 nm. Building performance is also measured using specific, scientific language. We hope to give you [...]

by Rob Hopkins
Published on Energy Bulletin (http://energybulletin.net), 05/28/2009
At the Transition Network conference, Richard Heinberg gave an online presentation looking at the concept of Emergency Planning for Communities, something he initially unveiled at Findhorn last year. You can see his presentation here. For a while now, Richard and I have been discussing the tension between longer [...]

View Richard Heinberg’s Presentation on Resilient Communities here.

Richard Heinberg on Resilient Communities: Day 7 of the Findhorn Positive Energy Conference
The final day of the recent Findhorn Positive Energy Conference began with rain driving on the bedroom window. This extraordinary week at Findhorn had offered us a year’s worth of weather in one week. Snow, sleet, [...]

[ Wednesday, April 22, 2009; ] Sustainability Actions Everyone Can Do

We in Tucson face an unprecedented sustainability crisis including economic meltdown, climate change, resource depletion, and unraveling of the social fabric.——- Every level of our community is important in the effort to mitigate and adapt to these inter-related crises – household, neighborhood, small business, education, social service agencies, government, non-profits, and [...]

[ Wednesday, March 25, 2009; 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm. ] >online casinoh 25, 2009, Armory Park Del Sol Home Tour, 15th Street and 3rd Avenue, Tucson, 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. Tour homes with solar electric panels, solar water heaters, high-efficiency windows and appliances, ceiling fans, and thermal mass construction. John Wesley Miller, the builder of Armory Park Del Sol, will be our tour [...]

No, we can’t?
by Dave Cohen
Published on Energy Bulletin (http://www.energybulletin.net) March 5, 2009
What is the biggest impediment in 2009 to mitigating the harmful effects of energy problems in the 21st century? The answer may surprise you-it is insolvent zombie banks and our entrenched FIRE economy (Finance, Insurance, Real Estate). Allow me to explain.
Another Tragic Misallocation of [...]

[ Saturday, March 28, 2009; 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm. ] Himmel Park

South of Speedway and East Of Tucson Blvd

12 noon to 6pm

[ Saturday, April 25, 2009; ] 27th Annual Tucson Solar Potluck and Exhibition

April 25, 2009

10:00 a.m. until dark

Catalina State Park, Tucson, Arizona

Presented by Citizens for Solar

For information: 940-2565

Citizens for Solar invites everyone to come and join in the fun of the 27th Annual Tucson Solar Potluck and Exhibition.  This is the longest continuously running solar potluck in the world.  See practical, [...]

[ Thursday, March 12, 2009; 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. ] The Coolest Talk Around: Solar and Low-Energy Cooling

Wilmot Library

530 North Wilmot Road

6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Bill Cunningham, owner of Southwest Solar and sustainability engineer, will give a presentation entitled, “The Coolest Talk Around: Solar and Low-Energy Cooling.”  He will explain about passive and active cooling strategies, what works and what doesn’t work, appropriate technology and exotic [...]

By Tony Davis, February 18, 2009, Arizona Daily Star
The state’s best-known climate-change expert presented harrowing forecasts for sharply higher temperatures and drier rivers and reservoirs before a legislative committee in Phoenix on Tuesday.
Jonathan Overpeck told the House Environment Committee that:

Temperatures could regularly hit the 130s in Phoenix by the second half of this century [...]

Tucson’s problems are increasing. After two years, we continue to have a glut of approximately 8,000 to 10,000 empty, unsold houses. Home prices are plummeting. Families are abandoning their foreclosed houses, especially in the suburbs. Builders are going bankrupt. Skilled workers are losing their jobs and leaving the state. Net population growth in Tucson has [...]

[ Saturday, March 7, 2009; ]

One response to the global crisis that is gaining enthusiastic momentum in Tucson and around the world is the Transition Towns movement. Sustainable Tucson is taking advantage of many Transition Resources to support our Sustainability Planning Initiative.
Jennifer Gray, a pioneer in the Transition Initiative in the UK and cofounder of Transition US, describes it as [...]

By David Adam, published by The Guardian (UK), December 9, 2008
As ministers and officials gather in Poznan one year ahead of the Copenhagen summit on global warming, the second part of a major series looks at the crucial issue of targets
At a high-level academic conference on global warming at Exeter University this summer, climate scientist [...]

by Richard Heinberg
December 4, 2008
Executive Summary
Our continued national dependence on fossil fuels is creating a crippling vulnerability to both long-term fuel scarcity and catastrophic climate change.
The current economic crisis requires substantial national policy shifts and enormous new government injections of capital into the economy. This provides an opportunity for a project whose scope would otherwise [...]

An important message by an average citizen from Michigan
Friends,
I drive an American car. It’s a Chrysler. That’s not an endorsement. It’s more like a cry for pity. And now for a decades-old story, retold ad infinitum by tens of millions of Americans, a third of whom have had to desert their country to simply find [...]

On October 30th, Dr. David Suzuki, reknowned Canadian scientist and educator, gave “one of the great speeches in history”  to the 20th Anniversary Roundtable on the Economy and the Environment.
Click on the following to watch a video of that speech:
http://www.cpac.ca/forms/index.asp?dsp=template&act=view3&pagetype=vod&lang=e&clipID=2099

The Peak Oil Crisis: Memorandum for the President-Elect
by Tom Whipple, retired CIA analyst, columnist for the Falls Church (VA) News-Press, and editor of Peak Oil Review. Published November 6, 2008
The way things are shaping up, in less than three months you will be in charge of solving the direst set of crises since the ones [...]

Tucson is ideal locale for a ‘Green New Deal’
By David Schaller, published November 6, 2008
SPECIAL TO THE ARIZONA DAILY STAR
Tucson has not been immune to the great economic turmoil of the past year. In recent weeks, the crisis hit home as retail and home sales plunged, financial institutions were shaken, budgets cut and jobs lost.
The [...]

A Desire Named Streetcars: Alan Drake Interview
Click here for interview.
How should North Texas cities meet the public transportation needs of the near and distant future? This is an hour-long interview with engineer Alan Drake and Jay Kline, interim vice president of planning and development at Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART),. They both participated in a [...]

In this Sustainable Business Alliance speaker series,leading peak oil educator, Julian Darley talks with Bay Area business owners about the impact Peak Oil is having on their business and community, October 9, 2008. Click hear for this timely 83-minute discussion on video.
http://globalpublicmedia.com/fireside_chat_with_julian_darley

[ Saturday, August 30, 2008; 9:00 am to 12:00 pm. ] Pima Community College  is offering two classes this fall on basics of solar PV installations. One is on West Campus,  starts Aug 30 and runs Saturday mornings for 3 hours for 12 weeks  (TEC198TD: Photovoltaic Installation Training.) The other will run in October and November on Saturdays and Sundays for 5 weeks at the East [...]

[ Wednesday, May 28, 2008; 8:00 am to 11:00 am. ] SOLAR THERMAL FACILITY TOUR

Tour the Arizona Public Service Solar Thermal facility at Red Rock (35 miles north of Tucson).
It is a one-megawatt plant.

Tour is being arranged with APS by John Kromko….
Carpool group to leave Tucson at 8AM, Wed., May 28.
Expected to return by 10:30/11 am.

RSVP to John via email: jkromko [at] dakotacom [...]

[ Friday, May 2, 2008; ]
Support clean energy by going to the movies…

This Friday, May 2, the Fox Theatre will be showing a screening of the documentary “”Gas Hole””.
And proceeds from the movie will go to the PAG Clean Cities program to advance outreach and education of the use of alternative fuels in the region.

As gas prices continue [...]

By Steve Andrews and Randy Udall, ASPO-USA   April 21, 2008 
On April 13, Reuters reported the following from Riyadh:
Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah said he had ordered some new oil discoveries left untapped to preserve oil wealth in the world’s top exporter for future generations…
“When there were some new finds, I told them, ‘no, leave it [...]

Listen to one of the best discussions of our current energy challenges (one hour) by three of the leading U.S. energy analysts, recorded on Februrary 2, 2008. Choose by clicking one of the following audio formats:  (Mp3 plays on Apple’s Quicktime)
Mp3 • Real Player • [...]

by James Howard Kunstler, American Social Commentator
Out in the public arena, people frequently twang on me for being “Mister Gloom’n’doom,” or for “not offering any solutions” to our looming energy crisis. So, for those of you who are tired of wringing your hands, who would like to do something useful, or focus your attention in [...]

Are you bored or anxious that much vital news is not being presented and discussed in the broadcast and print media? Here are four recent video reports on two of the most important topics of our current times: The future of oil and the future of the American dollar. These YouTube programs from the People [...]

By George Monbiot, The Guardian (U.K.), December 4, 2007
Outdated figures have been hiding the full extent of climate change. But I am still advocating action, and not despair.
When you warn people about the dangers of climate change, they call you a saint. When you explain what needs to be done to stop it, they call [...]

By Thomas L. Friedman, published December 2, 2007, The New York Times
It was 60 degrees on Thursday in Washington, well above normal, and as I slipped away for some pre-Christmas golf, I found myself thinking about a wickedly funny story that The Onion, the satirical newspaper, ran the other day: “Fall Canceled after 3 Billion [...]

[ Saturday, November 3, 2007; 12:00 am; ] You are invited to join us for the
Tucson Innovative Home Tour and Tucson Solar Tour

Next Generation Home Course
will also be Saturday, November 3.

New Ways for Better Living in the Desert

Contact Tucson Solar Institute

New Ways for Better Living in the Desert

Coming soon is your once-a-year chance to see exceptional examples of the latest innovations in home [...]

By Eugene Linden, BusinessWeek, published June 25, 2007
Oil output has stalled, and it’s not clear the capacity exists to raise production
With global oil production virtually stalled in recent years, controversial predictions that the world is fast approaching maximum petroleum output are looking a bit less controversial. At first blush, those concerned about global warming should [...]

…and nothing short of a planetary rescue will save it from the environmental cataclysm of dangerous climate change. Those are not the words of eco-warriors but the considered opinion of a group of eminent scientists writing in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.
By Steve Connor, Science Editor, The Independent (UK) published June 19, 2007
Six scientists from some [...]

Scientists challenge major review of global reserves and warn that supplies will start to run out in four years’ time
By Daniel Howden, The Independent (UK), published June 14, 2007
Scientists have criticised a major review of the world’s remaining oil reserves, warning that the end of oil is coming sooner than governments and oil companies are [...]

By Dan Sorenson, Arizona Daily Star, May 5, 2007
As officials around the globe discuss what to do about climate change, the authors of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s latest report and some local experts say there is work to do here, now.
“It’s easy to say, ‘I’m the small guy and I don’t count,’ but [...]

The world has come full circle. A century ago our first transportation biofuels — the hay and oats fed to our horses — were replaced by gasoline. Today, ethanol from corn and biodiesel from soybeans have begun edging out gasoline and diesel.
This has been hailed as an overwhelmingly positive development that will help us reduce [...]

The Portland Peak Oil Task Force, a twelve member
citizen committee appointed by Portland´s City Council in May 2006,
today delivered a strongly worded report advising that the City
accelerate efforts to curb the use of oil and natural gas.

The report´s key recommendation is that the City take action to
reduce fossil fuel use by half over the next 25 years. The report
finds the best path to this goal is in accelerating current
initiatives such as high-density planning and zoning, public
transportation and acquiring electricity from renewable resources.
Additional recommendations suggest specific actions elected officials
can take to move towards the goals.

Do Sustainable Cities Have a Future?
By Neil Peirce, The American Prospect
Posted on February 21, 2007, Printed on February 21, 2007
http://www.alternet.org/story/47728/
This article is reprinted from the American Prospect.
A “green revolution” is burgeoning in America’s cities and towns.
And it’s a surprise. Six years ago, as we exited an economically exuberant but perilously polluting 20th century, the idea [...]

Ten Ways to Prepare for a Post-Oil Society
By James Howard Kunstler, Kunstler.com. Posted February 10, 2007.
The best way to feel hopeful about our looming energy crisis is to get active now and prepare for living arrangements in a post-oil society.
EnviroHealth RSS Feed
Editor’s Note: James Howard Kunstler is a leading writer on the topic of peak [...]

Presentation
at
Southwest Renewable Energy Fair
duBois Center, NAU
August 9, 2002
Man was the first creature to use fossil fuel…or was he?
E. Allan Blair, Ph.D.
Fossil energy or fossil fuel is solar energy stored as chemical energy in the form of coal, petroleum, and natural gas. It is plant material that has accumulated in sediments and thereby removed from [...]

Howard Odum’s following paper, published in 1974, was considered one of the most concise—yet most sweeping—examinations made of the real problems of the world up to that time. His groundbreaking book Environment, Power and Society (John Wiley, 1972) also introduced us to his paradigm-changing energetic analysis of economics and ecology. This paper should be included [...]

 
This article by James Howard Kunstler appeared in the Jan/Feb issue of Orion Magazine; On the web at http://www.orionmagazine.org/pages/om/07-1om/Kunstler.html
 
 
Making Other Arrangements
James Howard Kunstler
 
AS THE AMERICAN PUBLIC CONTINUES sleepwalking into a future of energy scarcity, climate change, and geopolitical turmoil, we have also continued dreaming. Our collective dream is one of those super-vivid ones people have just before awakening. It [...]

ISIS Press Release 11/12/06
Biofuels: Biodevastation, Hunger & False Carbon Credits
*******************************************
Europe’s thirst for biofuels is fuelling deforestation and food price hikes, exacerbated by a false accounting system that awards carbon credits to the carbon profligate nations. A mandatory certification scheme for biofuels is needed to protect the earth’s most sensitive forest ecosystems, to stabilise climate and [...]

by Robert Rapier
March 23, 2006
Energy security. Homegrown fuels. Better markets for our farmers. And by gosh, it’s good for the environment. Sounds good, doesn’t it? Where do I sign up?
However, the truth behind grain-derived ethanol is masked behind half-truths and myths promoted by a very powerful lobby on behalf of agricultural and ethanol interests. This [...]

by Bob Cook
October 6, 2006
Transportation is the largest user of energy, accounting for more than 60% of all energy demand.  More than 99% of all transportation is powered by petroleum fuels and more than 65% of U.S. petroleum consumption is from imported oil. Trends in petroleum and natural gas supply and demand indicate rising costs [...]

by Stewart Udall and Matthew R. Simmons
November 20, 2005
This summer’s hurricanes have triggered the most serious energy emergency in the nation’s history. With gasoline, natural gas and heating oil at near-record highs, many families face the chilly prospect of much higher energy bills in the future. The entire economy is at risk, but airlines, tourism, [...]

By H. Josef Hebert
The Associated Press
July 11, 2006
WASHINGTON — Ethanol is far from a cure-all for the nation’s energy problems. It’s not as environmentally friendly as some supporters claim and would supply only 12 percent of U.S. motoring fuel — even if every acre of corn were used.
A number of researchers, the latest in a [...]

Our most neglected problem—global warming
by Stewart L. Udall
November 19, 2006
“We are all riders on the Earth together.”
— Archibald MacLeish (1969)
The aftermath of a discordant election is a good time to focus on our biggest, most neglected problem — global warming.
Two powerful energy trends are converging to define the parameters of a changing world. The first [...]

Discover Magazine Issues Apr-06 features Anything Into Oil
Anything Into Oil
Turkey guts, junked car parts, and even raw sewage go in one end of this plant, and black gold comes out the other end.
By Brad Lemley
Photography by Dean Kaufman
DISCOVER Vol. 27 No. 04 | April 2006 | Technology
The thermal conversion plant turns [...]