Transition Town Dillingham?

Climate Change and the Peak Oil crisis have jettisoned hundreds of towns, villages, and cities across the globe to adopt a strategy for dealing with the changes. These towns are called Transition Towns and many of them have opted to follow the training program and utilize the resources available through Transition Towns - an online wiki site that aims to raise awareness of the issues surrounding Peak Oil and climate change, as well as providing a toolkit for community leaders and change agents to aid in the transition from a petroleum-based economy to an economy based on principles of sustainability.

Would anybody in Dillingham be interested in the Transition Towns model and working on a community adaptation plan?

My Post-Carbon Present

Our car wouldn't start (again) this morning. So, I bundled up, packed my lunch and a change of clothes in my panier, lowered the seat, and headed out on my husband's bicycle. It seems ironic to me that last night I had a strange dream about the gasoline running out, and cars being stuck on the highway. People were mad at being forced to leave their cars on the highway, but some just started walking.

The synchronicity here is almost eerie. As a handful of our UAF Rural Development students attend the climate change talks in Copenhagen, I ponder my own post-carbon life. How will life in Dillingham look when we run out of oil? Many economists have already named the time period that we are currently in as "peak oil." What does Peak Oil mean exactly? If you google peak oil, you are likely to be overwhelmed by the amount of information on this topic - some of it a little apocalyptic, some if it a little optimistic, and some of it downright scary.

Here is the definition of Peak Oil, according to the omniscient source, Wikipedia:

Peak oil is the point in time when the maximum rate of global petroleum extraction is reached, after which the rate of production enters terminal decline. The concept is based on the observed production rates of individual oil wells, and the combined production rate of a field of related oil wells. The aggregate production rate from an oil field over time usually grows exponentially until the rate peaks and then declines—sometimes rapidly—until the field is depleted. This concept is derived from the Hubbert curve, and has been shown to be applicable to the sum of a nation’s domestic production rate, and is similarly applied to the global rate of petroleum production. Peak oil is often confused with oil depletion; peak oil is the point of maximum production while depletion refers to a period of falling reserves and supply.

When I think of what Peak Oil implies for life in our little village of Dillingham, Alaska, I am a little heartened by a few key insights. First, Dillingham was a town prior to the advent of the combustion engine. Yes, it was a small, predominantly Native village (and still is today). Villagers traveled by dog sled or boat, if they traveled at all. My ancestors, some of them still living, told me stories about cutting over 100 salmon in a day to feed their dogs during the winter months. I'm not advocating for turning back the clock - that would be impossible anyway. What I would like to see is a discussion the what a post-carbon future looks like for Dillingham. Our residents and community leaders need to come together to have this ongoing discussion. In other cities across the globe, there is a movement toward resiliency and adaptation as strategies in the post-carbon end game.

Here is an interesting TED talk on the post-carbon future by Rob Hopkins: http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/696.

Earth-friendly Christmas options

Christmas with no presents?

The link above will direct you to an article in Yes! magazine about one man's quest for a stress-free holiday season (no presents = no credit card debt = no stress).

Here are a few other "green" options for the Christmas holiday season:
*Decorate with natural (preferably local) materials - spruce boughs can add a nice touch the interior of your home and bring a nice fragrance indoors
*Don't purchase a bunch of tinsel and other throwaway holiday stuff that will only end up in a landfill
*Instead of focusing on gifts and material objects, try to shift the focus to spending quality time with family - Christmas caroling, playing games (charades, anyone?), cooking together (preferably local foods), and other low-impact activities
*Try making your own wrapping paper - we use recycled packaging paper at our house and let the kids color it with markers, crayons and paint. It's a fun activity and it is more cost-effective than buying wrapping paper.

If you have other ideas for spreading earth-friendly holiday cheer, please feel free to add them to the comments section (below) and I will update this list.

Happy holidays!

Dillingham planting goals 2010 growing season

Although there is about a foot of snow outside on the ground, with the solstice coming up and the inevitable lengthening of days, the middle of winter seems like as good a time as any to memorialize some goals about the upcoming planting season.

Jerry Liboff, my friend since I was a small child, has generously given us permission to put in a garden at Liboffville. Here's what we had in mind:
Potatoes - 150 plants
Kale - 40-60 plants
Turnips - 50 plants
Beets - 50 plants
Rutabegas - 50 plants
Lettuce and mesclun salad mix - one 4x10 foot plot

Because we are going to have to build the soil all in one year, we were going to introduce lime to the soil, and incorporate the existing organic material into the land as soon as the weather thaws the plants and topsoil enough to cut them and work them into the topsoil. Jerry has offered to purchase a used roto-tiller, but it probably won't arrive until late April or May. So, we will be reduced to good, old-fashioned hand tools, such as shovels, rakes, and hoes.

We will also be making some starters indoors, such as cabbage starters and perhaps broccoli.

Can climate change lead to better cooperation?

Climate Change as a Tool for Increased Inter-Governmental Cooperation - written for the Bristol Bay Times 11/26/09 issue

In 2007 a storm hit the town of Kivalina.  Half the town decided to self-evacuate due to the storm surge.  This prompted the State to form a working group into action on this issue.  The State of Alaska Sub-Cabinet on Climate Change consists of the following groups: 1) Immediate Action Work Group, 2) Mitigation, 3) Adaptation, and 4) Research Needs.  Now, there are six communities that the Immediate Action Group is working with - Kivalina, Koyukuk, Unalakleet, Shaktoolik, Shishmaref, and Newtok.  The strategies of the Sub-Cabinet include: 1) building the state’s knowledge of the actual and foreseeable effects of climate warming in Alaska; 2) developing appropriate measures and policies to prepare communities in Alaska for the anticipated impacts from climate change; and 3) providing guidance regarding Alaska’s participation in regional and national efforts addressing causes and effects of climate change.  I learned about this group and a number of other agencies and collaborative efforts during my recent Alaska Community-Based Climate Change Adaptation Outreach Program training held in Fairbanks November 16-18.  

How do we engage communities at the local level in a meaningful process that aims to identify potential problems, issues and opportunities associated with climate change?  Whether you saw Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” or not, the issue is much bigger than whether an individual believes in global climate change or not.  There are so many examples of climate change, and those who refute the fact that our world is changing should perhaps talk to one of 20 million worldwide environmental refugees identified by the Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS), a group of experts affiliated with the United Nations.[1]  The eco-refugees have had to relocate due to climate change related storms and events, such as flooding, rising sea levels, salt water inundation, etc.  And the number is only expected to increase to 50 million by 2010 and as much as 150 million by 2050. 

In Alaska, we are already starting to see the impacts of climate warming, such as coastal erosion, increased storm effects, sea ice retreat and permafrost melt. Shishmaref, Kivalina, and Newtok have already begun relocation plans.  The Army Corps of Engineers has already identified over 160 rural communities threatened by erosion.  This number doesn’t include those villages that may be potentially affected by flooding.   

So, how do we protect our communities from some of the more drastic and immediate effects of climate change that could potentially force us from our homes?  The question needs to be asked at the local and regional level, and involve many key players at the discussion.  The Marine Advisory Program can facilitate a climate change adaptation planning session.  This could be an important component of a village or city’s comprehensive community long-term strategic planning process.  If you are interested in this process, please contact your local MAP office.

Some issues, such as ocean acidification are so large and global in nature, that individuals are really going to need to put pressure on our leaders at all levels – local, regional, state and international, in order to mitigate and attempt to reverse current trends.  Because ocean acidification is such a huge issue, and involves the future of our sustainable fisheries, this will be a topic for another article – so stay tuned for that article. 

While most people view potential effects of climate change as detrimental to Alaskan communities, there may also be potential opportunities.  One of the industries that will likely see great strides is agriculture.  As Alaska warms and permafrost in the southern portion of the state diminishes, we will see a longer growing season and increased yields.  Additionally, as some of the lower-48 croplands shift from food production to production of biofuels, the itinerant rise in food costs may coincide nicely with more local food production, and, lower costs of locally-grown foods.  Another opportunity may exist for Alaska Native Corporations to participate in carbon sequestration programs on their lands through planting of trees and other efforts to “capture” atmospheric carbon, generating carbon credits that can then be traded on an international carbon exchange. 

For more information, go to: www.climatechange.alaska.gov.  If you would like more information on climate change and what it could mean to your community, or if you would like a community-based climate change adaptation workshop in your community, feel free to contact me at izetta.chambers@alaska.edu or (907) 842-8323. 

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[1] Stefan Lovgren, Climate Change Creating Millions of "Eco Refugees," UN Warns (National Geographic News, Nov. 18, 2005).

Slogging through

It was a rough ride this morning - I think I could have made it to work on foot faster than riding my bike.  But, it was an adventure, to say the least.  I was biking in about 3 inches of half-melted snow from yesterday.  No, I don't have studded tires, but after today I will probably order some.  It was a fun ride though - what a workout! 

I kept waving at the snow plowers as they were making multiple passes at the carbon-emitting vehicle portion of the road, while our poor pedal-powered bike path got buried in ever more snow from the snow plow.  It's still the best part of my day though.  I'm not going to let a little snow get in my way if I can help it.

Follow up on Community Garden

Well, I spoke with the superintendent at the Dillingham City School District, who informed me that she discussed the community gardening idea with the City of Dillingham.  After their discussion, they essentially decided that it was not something that they wanted to participate in, and recommend that I pursue the idea with Grandma's House, an assisted living located downtown. 

Needless to say, I was a bit disappointed that the school didn't want anything to do with a gardening project, as I think it would be a tremendous asset to the school.  However, the manager at Grandma's House was very encouraging and seemed genuinely excited. 

I sent a letter to Grandma's House with a brief proposal of the idea, and am in the process of writing follow-up letters to both school principals, the superintendent, and the City Planning Office.  I am attempting to remove some of my feelings of disappointment from the letter, and to keep the process positive. 

I will be posting updates to this blog as the project transpires. 

the gears are turning . . .

Community garden in Dillingham?

Perhaps someday this will become a reality. To date, I have discussed the idea with the City of Dillingham Planner, Planning Commission, the Dillingham City School District Superintendent, Darlene Triplet, and the Elementary School Principal, Marilyn Rosen.

All of the above-mentioned individuals and organizations seems positive and upbeat about the endeavor, as long as there is committed and continued involvement from elsewhere.

I hope to provide that involvement, and will likely pitch the ideas as an after-school program.

Future developments on this project will be posted to this blog, as well as other musings and some diatribes.