Action options was Re: [Peakoil] Important Announcement

[Alex P]

The current ACT Peak Oil constitution being drafted is pretty minimal. There
isn't any plan to incorporate at this stage. It's basically all about
looking after a bank account and finding and motivating the people dedicated
enough to do some awareness-raising.

There is a need for the practical work Keith and others are doing and I'm
glad it's being done. I agree it must take account of all the Limits, and it
must take a scientifc approach. So I'd be happy to help out the Nature and
Society forum out when I have time!

Alex
O4O4873828

ACT Peak Oil discussion list
http://act-peakoil.org

P.S. In a similar vein the submission to the Senate inquiry is more holistic
than just talking about oil, and I was sure to mention the need for a
scientific approach. If anyone wants a copy email me, the Senate rules say
it is confidential until it is accepted, which was probably today though I
haven't heard.

On Mon, 27 Feb 2006 22:13:55 +1100, Keith Thomas <keith at evfit.com> wrote :

> 
> 
> I have thought about this long and hard. I'd love to help and my 
> instinct is to join in. It'll be a challenge, but fun working with you. 
> But I have allowed my rational mind to talk me out of it. I am already 
> spread quite thin now. As you know, I think climate change is the 
> bigger one and that's where I'll be focusing my public energies.
> Another reason for declining is that I have switched over the past 
> couple of years to a down-shifted lifestyle (cutting my income by 75%) 
> and making myself about as peak oil-ready as I can get in Canberra. 
> This means I spend (a) between 5 and 20 hours a week in my garden, (b) 
> another ten hours in the kitchen and (c) another eight hours a week 
> cycling - doing what wage-earners spend just a few hours doing (i) in 
> the supermarket, (ii) in front of the microwave and (iii) behind the 
> wheel of a car. There's not a lot of leeway there!
> 
> A few further thoughts. These are pretty extreme, so read no further if 
> you don't want to read about a possibly unpleasant future.
> 
> Traditional social structures (committees, constitution, minutes) are 
> in danger of bogging you down and hampering you. You'll have a meeting 
> and believe you have done something (that's a sure sign the rot has set 
> in :-).  I am doing my stuff (observing my garden as I water it by 
> hand, learning what to take notice of among my chooks, maintaining my 
> physical fitness and friendships and sharpening all sorts of useful 
> skills that don't require fuel or electricity).
> 
> The old system is pretty much on its last legs (at peak the partying is 
> the hardest it will ever be) and none of us know what it will look like 
> ten years from now. I expect that I'll be able to ride it out better 
> than 90% of the population. I could survive for years with no income at 
> all (that wouldn't be in Canberra!), not because I have stockpiled 
> stuff - just knowledge, attitudes, skills, good health and friends. I 
> can travel light. Each person who knows about peak oil (and climate 
> change and other perils) may be better off preparing quietly, and not 
> talking to anyone else about the problem, as the more people who are 
> prepared, the worse off they'll all be - millions of people will die 
> worldwide, so you might as well make it easy on yourself.
> 
> There are good reasons for incorporating ACT Peak Oil. But all these 
> are predicated upon 'business as usual'. One thing we know is that 
> there won't be business as usual for more than about four years. If you 
> slot in with the reality-denying mainstream then you'll get results 
> that match.
> 
> However, if there was a peak oil / climate change action committee (the 
> emphasis on action) with a community mandate to provide solutions 
> (think up, build and run - without the debilitating requirement for 
> consultation) for communities to weather PO and climate change, that 
> would be better. Remember the magnificent, rule-breaking mobilization 
> to deal with Cyclone Tracey?
> 
> At Nature and Society Forum we are working on a "Social Change 
> Project". This looks at a whole raft of issues (climate change, 
> pollution, ozone depletion, biodiversity, water, salinity, energy 
> depletion, urban design, transport, nutrient cycles, human population, 
> soil health, GM, human health and others) under a single scientific 
> paradigm with a view to proposing social change sufficient to reduce 
> the worst of the effects that are amenable to reduction. Perhaps it's 
> quixotic, perhaps it's futile, but it's a genuine attempt to do 
> something practical - even if it is politically incorrect. We need more 
> volunteers to help with that, so it you are interested .....
> 
> Best wishes
> 
> Keith
> 
> On 15/02/2006, at 6:46 PM, Leigh Kite wrote:
> 
> > All,
> >  
> > The time has finally come for ACT Peak Oil to become more than a bunch 
> > of people sending email around, or attending the occasional stall.
> >  
> > As Alex announced recently, he's being paid for the Senate submission 
> > by the cycle dudes, and we want a bank account for this.
> >  
> > To open a bank account with signatories in the name of an 
> > organisation, we need a constitution describing how we operate, and 
> > letterhead/logo for identification purposes, as well as minutes 
> > detailing the decision.
> >  
> > We need to form an exec committee, and we need cash to open the 
> > account with.  Buy in will probably be around $50, so along with Alex, 
> > Sarah and I we're looking for two to three members to join us, who can 
> > commit a few hours a week this coming year for active political 
> > engagement and community awareness raising.
> >  
> > If anyone wants in, please contact me ASAP
> >
> 
>