baloghblog

Given the fact that I am heading down for the Local Solutions to the Energy Dilemma conference in NYC tomorrow, I have oil and energy on the brain.

Billmon, (IMHO) one of the best political writers on the internet, is back from a recent hiatus. Yesterday's post delves into the United States precarious position as we face growing competition in the face of diminishing output of oil and natural gas supplies. Get a cup of coffee, or tea, and head on over for a good read. Then come back here to comment (no comments on Billmon's site).

Met Simon at the Ithaca Earth Day Fest. Looking forward to meeting the rest of the CNY bloggers at the great NYS fair?

Went to a gas station which had the low price of $2.99/gal. No cars their either = no wait. But wait! The station had plastic bags over the pumps, and a sign saying "Sorry Out of Gas" Wierd feeling as I drove off in search of the next gas station. This was at a Fastrac in Ithaca. (Pic coming soon)

Met Simon at the Ithaca Earth Day Fest. Looking forward to meeting the rest of the CNY bloggers at the great NYS fair?

Went to a gas station which had the low price of $2.99/gal. No cars their either = no wait. But wait! The station had plastic bags over the pumps, and a sign saying "Sorry Out of Gas" Wierd feeling as I drove off in search of the next gas station. This was at a Fastrac in Ithaca.

(Pic coming soon)

UPDATE:

I will be attending the Local Solutions to the Energy Dilemma Conference in NYC from April 27-29th. I encourage others on the east coast, and others with the means to travel to attend this conference. There is a incredible line-up of peak oil experts lecturing, as well as others focusing on sustainability, permaculture, alternative transportation and renewable energy. The schedule has been released and is available HERE. Check out more information on the speakers, and register for the conference HERE.

I will be posting updates from the conference, as well as a full run down when I get back and have time to digest it all. It is a jam packed schedule and a wealth of information on the energy crisis we face, and how we can prepare ourselves and our community for the future.(Going to be at the conference? Drop me an email at baloghblog [at] gmail [dot] com.)

Ford

Times Online: World 'cannot meet oil demand'

“Numbers like 120 million barrels per day will never be reached, never,” he said.

The IEA predicted in its World Energy Outlook that global demand for crude oil would reach 121 million barrels per day by 2030, of which more than half would be supplied by Opec. The agency predicted that more than $3 trillion (£1.72 trillion) of investment in wells, pipelines and refineries would be needed to raise output to such levels.

However, Total’s exploration chief reckons the output rise is impossible, given available resources and geopolitical constraints on gaining access to reserves in Opec countries.

(that pic is supposed to be "ominous" heh heh)

Yahoo/AP:

The cost of building roads has gotten so high, not even dirt is cheap anymore. As a result, many states are postponing scores of highway projects.

The reconstruction work from the eight hurricanes that have hit the United States since 2004 has combined with a rise in population in some states to drive up the demand for labor, material and equipment. That, in turn, has pushed up wages and prices.

Surging fuel prices, China's immense demand for concrete and steel and the reconstruction of Iraq are also pushing U.S. road construction costs higher.

I think that I remember reading this somewhere (pg 265)... Something about how the cost of maintaining the roads would become too high and roads and bridges would quickly become impassable. Maybe Kunstler was right on, on this one.

v

I found out about a great organization that is promoting recycling in school. The Go Green Initiative was started by Jill Buck, a PTA President in California in 2002. Since then it has spread to 5 states, and 5 city schools in Syracuse have just signed up! According to ENN, Ed Smith Elementary was the first to sign up last year, and it was joined by Seymour, Solace, HW Smith, Lincoln, and Nottingham (High School). As part of the commitment to the program, recycling will be added to the cirriculum, they will increase paper, bottle and can recycling, and will adopt national paper conservation standards.

To give a sampling of what this program is keeping out of area landfills, here is what Ed Smith Elementary has managed to recycle since August of last year:

• 4.2 tons of paper
• 35 pounds of plastics
• 1,637 pounds of cardboard

This seems like a great program. If you are interested in starting this in your school district, go to the GGI website and find out how to get started.

Big project #1: (before) Tear Down That Wall! Removal of an old picket fence that did not keep the vermin out of the garden, and did not represent our true property lines.


(after) A little mowing and a little raking will smooth things out.


Other side of the house. Notice my nice neighbor in the background. After sharing a cold beer with him after the labor, he told me that he'd be willing to help me cut down a large dead tree on my property. (Would have cost me $1000 to have professionally removed.)


My heirloom seeds from rareseeds.com


Seeds in the 'incubators' and ready to grow! Click on image to see what I have started so far.

Thoughts on fences and neighbors. The saying goes "Good fences make good neighbors", which I don't disagree with completely. However, something inside of me felt good tearing that fence down. It didn't do anything to protect our privacy, it wouldn't have kept a dog in or other animals out - it was just a marker of this is what is mine. I don't need that in my life right now. After tearing down both fences, I looked all the way down the backyard, and clear across 4 neighbors. I thought, what a perfect place for kids to play. Anyways, it was strange the good feeling that came over me as a bashed the fence down with a big maul (the dull end). For you recyclers out there: I put the fence out in front, and within 45 mins it was claimed by someone that will continue to use it.

SSDD - Same Station Different Day. Aiiiieee!