Recent Posts
The recent International Energy Agency “World Energy Outlook 2008” report is a mixture of blind optimism and dire warnings. It reads as though it were written by several different authors some of whom see peak oil in sight and others who continue to deny the inevitable.
Even the IEA Chief Economist, Dr. Fatih Birol, encourages us to read between the lines. In a recent Energy Bulletin article he was quoted as saying “If you read the report carefully, or run a word search on it, you will see that two words occur more frequently than any others. The first word is “oil”. The second word is “if”.”
Below the fold is a guest post from Duncan Russell analysing the report. You can read my earlier review here.
Do you live in Callan?
Are you interested in growing your own food (or with others)?
Meeting regarding Garden Allotments in Callan at the
Friary on Thursday 4th December at 7.30pm
Organised by Transition Town Callan
For more info: email transitiontowncallan at yahoo.com
Many of you will be glad to read of the remergence of the ‘The Dance of Life’. This previously regular Kilkenny event led by Trish Fox and friends is a great way to keep those winter/recession/pre christmas/credit-crunch/rainy day blues at bay until May!
So bring a touch of sunshine to yourself next thurs Dec 4 th at the Shanti Yoga Centre.
Details:
When Thurs. Dec. 4th at 7.30pm
Where Shanti Yoga Centre (behind Springhill Clinic on Waterford Rd)
Cost €10
Bring Water, a snack, a friend/family, and an open heart : )
Contact Trish Fox, tel 085 7112976
“Emergence” is a term that is often used to describe what is arising out of the Transition Town movement. I have always been puzzled by the term but the following paragraph explains it clearly and grounds it as a naturally occurring phenomena of living systems. It is a short extract from the Berkana Institute‘s “Using Emergence to Take Social Innovation to Scale”.
Emergence violates so many of our Western assumptions of how change happens that it often takes quite a while to understand it. In nature, change never happens as a result of top-down, pre-conceived strategic plans, or from the mandate of any single individual or boss. Change begins as local actions spring up simultaneously in many different areas. If these changes remain disconnected, nothing happens beyond each locale. However, when they become connected, local actions can emerge as a powerful system with influence at a more global or comprehensive level.
These powerful emergent phenomena appear suddenly and surprisingly. Think about how the Berlin Wall suddenly came down, how the Soviet Union ended, how corporate power quickly came to dominate globally. In each case, there were many local actions and decisions, most of which were invisible and unknown to each other, and none of which was powerful enough by itself to create change. But when these local changes coalesced, new power emerged. What could not be accomplished by diplomacy, politics, protests, or strategy suddenly happened. And when each materialized, most of us were surprised. Emergent phenomena always have these characteristics: They exert much more power than the sum of their parts; they always possess new capacities different from the local actions that engendered them; they always surprise us by their appearance.
You can read the rest of the publication here.
To coincide with this weeks “Future Proof your Business” seminar we have added an evening event called “The Money Bubble” – all are welcome.
Thursday 27th November, Butler House, 8pm, 5€, Tea & Coffee, All welcome
First its inflation, now its deflation. Does anyone really know whats going on, or is it all just out of control?
This event will try to explain the unravelling in the global economy and why our current monetary system is no longer fit for purpose.
Following a 40minute documentary film called “Money as Debt“, David Korowicz from FEASTA (Foundation for the Economic of Sustainability) will give a talk called “Building the future in an uncertain present”. The evening will conclude with a discussion on what we can do locally and explore options for setting up a local currency such as those being promoted by Transition Town groups throughout the world.
Below is an inspiring clip of the launch of the Lewes pound in the UK.