Agriculture and Peak Oil: Will We Have Enough to Eat?
The Pioneer Valley Post Carbon Council (PVPCC), an Outpost of the Post Carbon Institute, will be hosting a talk about the local and regional effects of Peak Oil on agriculture by Al MacIntire. The talk will be held on May 5th at 7pm at Greenfield Community College, Room E125. There is no cost, but donations will be welcome.
(PRWEB) April 29, 2005 -- The Pioneer Valley Post Carbon Council (PVPCC), an
Outpost of the Post Carbon Institute, will be hosting a talk about the local and
regional effects of Peak Oil on agriculture by Al MacIntire. The talk will be
held on May 5th at 7pm at Greenfield Community College, Room E125. There is no
cost, but donations will be welcome.
Al MacIntire is a part of the
Diemand Egg Farm family. He works on facilities improvement for the farm. He
also operates his own business as an expert on RF Shielding. Mr. MacIntire has
been leading the Diemand Farm's effort, along with Donald Campbell Associates
and Solar Design Associates, to install a major photovoltaic facility which will
offset up to 50% of the farms annual electrical load.
"Many people, for
honest reasons, do not understand how dependent our food system is on cheap
fuels," says Mr. MacIntire. "Right now, approximately 85% of the food in
Massachusetts comes from out of state. If, as James Howard Kunstler says, the
days of the 3,000 mile Caesar Salad are over, how do we replace the food that is
now traveling an average of 1500 miles to get to the grocery
store?"
"This region has some fabulous strengths that can help us face
the coming energy shortfalls in a robust and resilient way," says Don Campbell,
Executive Director of PVPCC. "The agricultural base present in our area, right
now, is one of these strengths and it is extremely important to protect these
local and regional food sources as we move into a lower energy
future."
Steven Strong, an energy expert from Harvard, Massachusetts has
said, "On top of the direct uses for transportation, agriculture and industry,
our region has the highest consumption of oil per capita for heating and
electrical generation of any in the country."
The Pioneer Valley Post
Carbon Council is a think tank and action group that subscribes to the
principles of the Post Carbon Institute. Regionally based, we support the
efforts that so many are already making to address the energy transition we are
facing. We also develop specific projects of our own to strengthen our regional
response.
Post Carbon Institute is a think and action tank that explores
in theory and practice what cultures, civilization, governance & economies
might look like without the use of (non-renewable) hydrocarbons as energy and
chemical feedstocks. Post Carbon Institute advocates global relocalization as an
essential response to peak oil, resource conflicts, climate change and other
ecological problems. Their "Outpost" program is designed to start the
relocalization process by mobilizing community groups to experiment on how to
meet their essential needs within walking distance. http://www.postcarbon.org
We hope you will join
us.
For more information, please call Don Campbell at (413)
498-0027.
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/4/prweb234127.htm