About NYC Peak Oil Response Meetup Group

How will New York City adapt to the peaking of world oil production, economic crisis, and climate change?

To successfully adapt, we must accelerate the transition to sustainability. We don't yet know exactly what this will look like, but we have some general ideas. Since 2004, we held a monthly night of free form discussion. Back then, when PO was still a tin-foil hat conspiracy theory, it was helpful for those aware of it to meet and discuss its ramifications. Now, random discussion is counterproductive, and action is called for. For those new to the peak oil issue, it's easy to catch up online. Since a monthly meetup is no longer needed, it has been suspended until further notice. We will continue to send out announcements of specific events to our list. Follow the links below to find out how to get involved. We hope to see you around town at future events - and more importantly, behind a caulk gun, planting trees, and talking to legislators.

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The future is here, it's just not widely distributed.

Even though there is an abundant literature, and articles published in April 2009 in the New York Times Sunday magazine and Elle Magazine on Transition Towns, most people are both unaware of peak oil and resistant to discussing it. As long as oil prices are low, the general public will not heed warnings about peak oil. Remarkably, the reality of climate change is still being denied by the huge industrial and financial industries that benefit from the old energy systems.

"The end is near! (yay!)," NY Times, April 16, 2009,
http://www.energybull...
"Do Worry. Be Happy," April 16, 2009, Elle Magazine,
http://www.elle.com/B...

We are taking our cues from Post Carbon Institute, changing focus and message. PCI is working to build connections with other sustainability communities in areas of common interest: climate change, fighting coal, encouraging gardening, and responding to the economic collapse. PCI has adopted EnergyBulletin.net and Transition US as key partners, adding to their research capacity, coming out with reports, and building bridges to other networks. http://postcarbon.org...

World-renowned climate change advocate Bill McKibben has joined PCI's board of advisors, as has Transition Towns founder Rob Hopkins, and Chris Martenson, author of The Crash Course, a 20-chapter online video course that educates viewers on our broken economic system, the crisis of population demographics, and peak oil. http://www.chrismarte...

Here in NYC, there is work to be done, in collaboration with other sustainability advocates. We need continued research and discussion to figure out: where we really need to aim to make NYC more sustainable; the best next practical steps that can be taken or encouraged; and the psychologically and politically effective ways to get New Yorkers moving in those directions. The work continues.

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Resources:

Neighborhood Energy Network: an email update list of NYC sustainability events.
To get on their list, email loisnen@yahoo.com.

Tri-State Food Not Lawns: along with NEN, they set up sustainability documentary screenings and events around the City. email jayagusti8@yahoo.com.

Sierra Club NYC: the local chapter of the national environmental group. Volunteers are setting up neighborhood sustainability forums, connection city and state programs with grassroots networks, aimed at setting up Transition events at a neighborhood level. email beyondoilnyc@yahoo.com. www.nyc.sierraclub.org

Transition US: Bringing the Transition Towns model of community organizing and local response to fuel depletion and climate change from the UK to the US. http://www.transition...

Post Carbon Institute: http://www.postcarbon...

Energy Bulletin: www.energybulletin.net

Association for the Study of Peak Oil: http://www.peakoil.ne...

Association for the Study of Peak Oil - USA: http://www.aspo-usa.o...

Beyond Oil NYC: http://www.beyondoiln... - A 50 page report to the Bloomberg Administration and City Council advising on how and why preparation for fuel depletion should be integrated into PlaNYC.