North Country Peak Oil Study/Action Group

Statment of Intent

The North Country Peak Oil Study/Action Group informs and educates on the impacts of dwindling oil resources and increased energy costs. It works to smooth the transition to a locally-based, self-reliant and sustainable way of living through conservation and cooperation.

We are a group of about 20-30 active people, mostly from the Watertown/Canton/Potsdam/Northern Adirondack areas,with a larger community of interested folks who come to our showings and would work on specific projects. Many of us were lucky enough to attend a month long class on Peak Oil at SUNY Potsdam given by Richard Heinberg for professors and other interested community people. We decided to organize a powerpoint talk by him in June 2006 and out of the hundred or so who attended was born the idea of starting an action group.

Our first meeting was in September 2006 and we have met about monthly since. Please get in contact for more particulars - patricia@ncenergy.org or call 315-379-9466.

THE NEXT MEETING WILL BE ON SATURDAY, JANUARY 5 AT 2 PM. IT WILL BE AT THE HOUSE OF RICHARD GROVER, RAILROAD ST., CANTON, NY 13617. WE WILL HAVE A POTLUCK OF LOCAL FOODS, SHARE SELF-SUFFICIENCY SKILLS AND QUESTIONS, TALK ABOUT POSSIBILITIES FOR IN-TOWN NEIGHBORHOOD AND PEAK OIL ORGANIZING. We have ordered the Post Carbon Cities book to help us with our planning, inventory and education of local officials.

Over 40 people showed up for the November meeting at the Martin farm and sawmill. This amazing family took us by horse drawn wagon to show us how they are producing and pressing their own oil and making the biodiesel and veggie oil that supplement collected waste oil and run their farm equipment and vehicles. We marveled at their huge greenhouses and horse-run machinery. At the December meeting a group of us stayed after others left and sat around the kitchen table talking into the night about many things.

FILM SERIES
Our Peak Oil Series has had public showings of The Power of Community (a film on how Cuba met their own peak oil crisis in the 90's after the Soviet Union fell) and The End of Suburbia and a presentation in the Peak Oil Series by Bill Vitek on Energy, Environment and Economy in a Post Carbon North Country. We have ordered new films for this year (Escape from Suburbia and The Story of Stuff) and will be showing these in January.

ACTION GROUPS
One group created a professional Peak Oil display that attracted attention at our annual Sustainable Energy Fair. The display is now making the rounds of college libraries in our area. Another group is working on creating dvds and a book about Self Sufficiency Skills for the Post Carbon Age (sort of for aware dummies). They are starting to write, put together a story-board and schedule workshops that will be the basis of dvd's. We were set to pay a visit to our state senator, a Republican who is on the energy committee, but he recently resigned and we are waiting to visit his replacement.

We have talked of teaching self-sufficiency skills, getting a local ride board going, creating a speaker's bureau, working with the local bus company to improve and publicize service, exploring the possibility of starting a community garden and other things.

NEIGHBORHOOD ORGANIZING
Last winter we started a project called THE ARK COMMUNITY, which now has well-attended monthly potluck get-togethers where we get to know each other, share self-sufficiency ideas, discuss our situation in the North Country and have work days to help each other. (This summer a group of 40 of us helped raise and side a barn, plus another group of 12 stacked firewood and did gardening for some members who have had health problems.) We are looking for other ways to organize and create a feeling of community. Next summer we will be having a series of Sustainable Living Skills Swaps and classes.

Our group is trying to be positive, not gloom and doom, and relate the larger picture of peak oil to our local situation here in the North Country from Watertown to Plattsburg, NY, including the northern Adirondacks. Although we have four universities in the Canton/Potsdam area at the center of our region, we are a very rural area of upstate NY with our agricultural base still pretty much in tact or revivable. We have good forest resources, a soybean oil plant and developing biodiesel and pelleting industries, lots of homesteading people, several strong local food groups and farmers markets, cheap land and a strong independent tradition that will stand us in good stead during this transition. We hope to form alliances by hooking up with other active groups in our area promoting local agriculture,local currency, reviving trains, using draft horses, etc.

We welcome new members and people who want to be on our mailing list for events.


For more information about this Local Group, please contact Patricia Greene.