Tuesday, 16 June 2009, 12:00noon
KKFI-FM 90.1, Kansas City Community Radio
On this week's EcoRadio KC, Maureen Slater will host a show about local businesses that support healthy eating and lifestyles. At 12:30, the Bioneers Radio Series will present one of their award winning shows. Listen by radio, or on web-streaming at http://www.kkfi.org/
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GOODBYE TO CHEAP OIL ¤ DOE FINALLY COMES CLEAN ON PEAK OIL
Are you surprised and dismayed that President Obama is waging "Bush's" wars even more extensively than Bush? - and increasing the Pentagon budget? Might it be that Obama sees Mid-east oil and the Afgan oil pipeline as in our "national interest", to lubricate a recovery to our former American Dream? Does he not grasp Peak Oil?
Michael Klare, the brilliant energy and security analyst has again sounded a wake up call for those who understand Peak Oil only in price points, not societal implications. The oil extraction/consumption projections that he and others have been warning about for years have now been acknowledged by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) of the DOE. Buried in the third layer of the EIA web site is the EIA - Annual Energy Outlook 2009, and for the first time, the well-respected Energy Information Administration agrees with those experts who have long argued that the era of cheap and plentiful oil is drawing to a close.
In this year's EIA report, the formerly rosy oil extraction growth curve has been adjusted downwards. But more significant is that the global consumption curve is being driven inexorably upward by India and China. Professor Klare notes that "a new era of cutthroat energy competition is upon us". This of course has dire implications for the U.S. energy protection forces, sometimes referred to as the Department of Defense. Likewise, a parallel response will be a sharp rise in unconventional fuels like Canadian oil sands, Venezuelan extra-heavy oil, deep-offshore oil, Arctic oil, shale oil, coal-to-liquids, and biofuels - all of which will be disastrous for climate change. Read the article at Era of Cheap Oil Is Over.
Simultaneously, the clear and insightful 2008 film, Blood And Oil, featuring Michael Klare, has just been released in DVD. He sums it up with "Our military policy and our energy policy have become intertwined. They have become one and the same. And if we continue to rely on military force to solve our resource needs, we’re in for a very bloody and dangerous and painful century indeed". The film unearths declassified documents and highlights forgotten passages in prominent presidential doctrines to show how concerns about oil have been at the core of American foreign policy for more than 60 years. View either the Blood and Oil - Trailer or the Blood and Oil - full length preview.
Take home lesson: "We're addicted to oil" - George W. Bush. If our society attempts to maintain our oil-intense industrial-strength addiction, we will struggle at all costs to find and extract the expensive and ecocidal oil reserves. The costs will be class disparities in energy use, and worse yet, climate catastrophe. And If Obama fails to grasp the repercussions of Peak Oil, even he will use the extreme of war to furnish his fix.
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PERMACULTURE & SUSTAINABLE SOILS ¤ LECTURE #4 IN THE SERIES
Tuesday, 16 June 2009, 7:00-9:00pm
Douglas County Co-op Extension Office, 21st & Harper Ave, Lawrence KS
In this fourth of seven seminars, Steve Moring of the Kaw Permaculture Collaborative will examine living and biologically diverse soils that support abundant life. We will examine basic soil types, their chemistry, nutrient cycling, and dynamics of interaction of life in the soil. We will learn the basics in creating productive soils without the use of petrochemical inputs, an imperative for the coming Peak Oil cost inflation. Pre-registration is required by contacting Steve prior to 13 June.
More info available from Steve Moring at (785)863-4102, <smoring@grasshoppernet.com> or Bill Wood at (785)843-7058, <bdwood@ksu.edu> KPC is a project of the Sustainability Action Network.
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KANSAS CITY URBAN FARMS & GARDENS TOUR
Thursday-Saturday, 18-27 June 2009 (lead up events: at various venues)
the tour: Sunday, 28 June 2009, 11:00am-5:00pm
For ten days leading up to the Farm Tour, there will be many events focusing on how food is being grown within the city of Kansas City. The kick-off event is a panel of urban farmers at the KC Central Library on 18 June at 6:00pm. Ensuing days will have farmers' market mini tours, urban homesteading classes, children's events, and more. Then on 28 June, the Farm Tour will include small and large personal gardens, urban farms, and community supported agriculture (CSA) operations. For more info, a list of events and tour sites, and tickets, go to KC Urban Farms and Gardens Tour
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CONSUMING KIDS ¤ FILM ABOUT TRILLION DOLLAR MARKETING
Saturday, 20 June 2008, 10:00am
Prairie Moon Waldorf School, 1853 East 1600 Rd., Lawrence KS
This is an eye-opening account of the pervasive and pernicious effects of children's advertising on the health and well-being of children. Adults have a difficult enough time resisting sophisticated advertising, but children are especially susceptible, not yet having the experiential or judgmental context to evaluate ads.
TV advertising out paces programming content in two ways. The programming-to-advertising ratio in the 1970's was 50minutes-10minutes, whereas today it is 40minutes-20minutes; production dollars spent on advertising is ten times greater than spent on the program, and most of that is spent on psychologists! But these ratios are even losing their meaning, because anymore, the program has become mostly a product-placement ad itself. Read more at Advertising Run Amok | Kator Legaz and A Quarter Century of TV Food Advertising Targeted at Children.
Consuming Kids zeroes in on the often shocking practices of the multibillion-dollar youth marketing industry, exposing how marketers have used the latest advances in psychology, anthropology, and neuroscience to transform American children into one of the most powerful and profitable consumer demographics in the world. Watch the trailer at Consuming Kids film TICKET PRICE: FREE, RSVP required at Consuming Kids RSVP Lawrence
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MIDWEST RENEWABLE ENERGY FAIR ¤ 20TH ANNUAL
Summer Solstice, Friday-Sunday, 19-21 June 2009
MREA Grounds, 7558 Deer Rd, Custer, WI 54423
Each summer the Energy Fair transforms rural central Wisconsin into the global hot spot for renewable energy education. The Energy Fair is the world's largest renewable energy, energy efficiency, and sustainable living educational event of its kind. 2008 saw a record 22,500 attendees, an all time record! For more info, and registration materials go to Midwest Renewable Energy Association.
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FOOD NOT LAWNS KC ¤ HANDS-ON WORKSHOP
Saturday, 20 June 2009, 10:00am-2:00pm
2401 N.W. 53rd Terrace, Kansas City MO 64151
As an "extension service" for the Communiversity Food Not Lawns class, this workshop will be making a minimal tillage sweet potato patch to replace a section of lawn. This will take place just west of Waukomis Drive a short distance north of I-29. Directions though, are not simple, so it's easier to just Google the address. For more info contact Steve at
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SUSTAINABILITY ACTION NETWORK SUMMER SOLSTICE CELEBRATION
Sunday, 21 June 2009, 3:00pm-????
Vajra Farm, Oskaloosa KS
The June meeting of SAN will actually be a shared get together with SAN members and KPC members. The Kaw Permaculture Collaborative is one of the most active of our projects, for we consider permaculture to be a major vehicle for transition to a post-carbon economy.
The gathering will begin at 3:00pm with informal sharing of stories, resources, successes, proposals, and plans by both groups. At 6:00pm will be a pot luck dinner and social time. And at 9:00pm we will light the Solstice bonfire, and party until the embers have died. Please bring lawn chairs or blankets, bug repellent, a pot luck dish, and dinner service. If you plan to come, please RSVP at <smoring@grasshoppernet.com> and you will receive directions.
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52 ACRE NATIVE PRAIRIE WALK IN LEAVENWORTH COUNTY
Wednesday, 21 June 2009, 6:00pm
Meet at: Casey's General Store, McLouth, 310 E. Lake St. on 16 Hwy (caravan about 10 minutes from there)
The Kansas Native Plant Society is sponsoring a hike through this high quality, privately owned prairie that includes a scenic hill-top climb and many wet-seeps. Some amazing plants grow there like Wood-betony/Lousewort, Groundplum milkvetch, Yellow stargrass, different sedges and showy plants like Wild hyacinth, Breadroot scurfpea, New Jersey tea, Pale spike lobelia, Cream wild-indigo, Prairie phlox, Biscuitroot, Blunt-leaf milkweed, Porcupine grass, and Prairie dropseed grass. There also is a small but diverse woodland where you'll find plants like Walking fern and Jack-in-the-pulpit
Dress for a hike, because we will need to walk approximately a half-mile through a crop field and cross a small creek to access the prairie.
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LOCAL FOODS ¤ CELEBRATION & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TALK
Wednesday, 24 June 2009, 7:00pm
Liberty Hall, 642 Massachusetts St., Lawrence KS
Eight pioneers of local food will be honored at this celebration, which will feature a presentation by Ken Meter of Crossroads | Local Foods Economy. Preceding the talk will be music by local band "Is an' I Ain't", and h'ordeurves by the Community Mercantile and Local Burger. Tickets may be purchased at either of these local businesses or at Liberty Hall.
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SOLAR ELECTRIC INSTALLATION TRAINING COURSE
Wednesday-Sunday, 24-28 June 2009
Ecovillage Training Center, 184 Schoolhouse Rd, Summertown TN 38483
This five day course will be taught by David DelVecchio, owner of the photovoltaic company Solar Seed. Upon completion of this course the students will be able to design and size solar electric systems. They will understand the detailed functionality of PV system components, and all common PV systems from straight water pumping to stand alone battery based systems, and grid tie PV with and without batteries. Students will receive the textbook entitled "Photovoltaics: Design and Installation".
The course fee is $500 which includes gourmet vegetarian meals, snacks, and lodging, or $350 if you just want the instruction without accommodations. A $50 deposit is required to register. For more info go to Ecovillage Training Center Courses, or e-mail to
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TRANSITION KANSAS CITY ¤ PLANNING TEAM
Thursday, 30 June 2009, 7:00pm
Plaza Library, 4801 Main St., Kansas City MO, 1st floor large meeting room
This will be the second planning meeting of the Kansas City Transition Initiative. Meeting discussion will cover: issue statement for distribution, public presentation with a speaker, weekend festival with key local groups, becoming "transition literate" about the Transition Handbook and the twelve organizing steps, set up local office, and more. For more info, or to get on their e-mail list, call (816)767-8873, or contact them at
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KEY BICYCLE LINK IN LAWRENCE ¤ BICYCLE LANE MEETING
Monday, 6 July 2009, 7:00pm
Lawrence City Hall, Commission meeting room
Urban bicycle transportation is becoming a critical need, as peak oil and climate destabilization make it imperative to reduce fossil fuel use. In Lawrence, the east-west bicycle lanes are piecemeal and ineffective. Several have been planned for years, but few have been constructed.
Directly west from downtown is 9th Street, a key bicycle link from the University of Kansas. It is heavily traveled by bicyclists, but it also shows the highest bicycle-auto accident rate in Lawrence. Space for striping bicycle lanes on 9th Street is possible simply by removing parking on the south side, where virtually no one ever parks anyway. This plan has been on the books for ten years, and has been waiting for when the 9th Street pavement is rebuilt - which is happening now.
All that blocks these bicycle lanes is a pending decision by the Traffic Safety Commission to remove parking on the south side of 9th Street. The public may attend the TSC meeting to voice opinions about the importance of safe bicycle lanes on this street. For more info, contact the City Traffic engineer at
DONATIONS ARE APPRECIATED for the SUSTAINABILITY ACTION NETWORK. Please send checks to P.O.Box 1064, Lawrence KS 66044
The SUSTAINABILITY ACTION NETWORK, Inc. is a Kansas not-for-profit organization
Our mission is to advocate and organize societal scale action to address sustainability issues. The triple crises of Energy-Ecology-Economy, the global "3E Trifecta", are building so rapidly that large scale action is needed immediately and methodically to overcome institutional barriers and advance public policy that preserves ecological sustainability. Our focus is to build a relocalized economy-ecology in concert with the Transition Town movement in many other communities. To join the Sustainability Action Network (until our website is operational) please contact us at
Our current projects include:
1) Peak Oil Action & Relocalization - initiating municipal level Peak Oil response planning and transition to a relocalized post-carbon economy.
2) Kaw Permaculture Collaborative - developing skills and resources for sustainable food production.
3) Energy Conservation & Renewables - advancing a green economy through decentralized technologies and regulations, for conservation and renewable energy.
4) Land Consortium - organizing interested stakeholders to acquire prime farmland in the urban fringe for land-based economic development and regional food security.
5) Water Rights and Watersheds - protecting the water commons, the source of all life, from privatization and contamination, and restoring our watersheds.
6) Small Vehicles: Electric & Human Powered - promoting neighborhood electric vehicles and utility tricycles, including infrastructure and pro-active regulations.
7) Weekly Sustainability Announcements - informing and encouraging others to become active in our Sustainability Action Network, or other such action driven groups.
8) Collaboration with sister organizations - such as: The Light Center eco-village; Kaw Valley Food System farm-based economic development; Citizens for Responsible Planning; Films for Action; Kansas River Valley Growers fighting for local water rights; national efforts by the Sustainable Energy Network; KC Metro groups like the Kansas City Food Circle and the All Species Project, etc.
We welcome suggestions for items to be included. Please send items to
To subscribe to this list, please send an e-mail to
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