[Mpls] ...Long before we heard of "E85", over a decade ago, under

[Gary Hoover]

Bill K:
>>>>>
The idea that sustainable technologies and sustainable lifeways are the
exclusive domain of the American Green Party is ludicrous. We have been 
moving in
that direction with Two Party domination in the last half century in this
country long before there was an active US Green Party;
<<<<<
Gary H:

The Republicratic duopoly has not been moving us toward sustainability at 
all -- quite to the contrary.  At national and local levels the two parties 
pursue public policy which exhausts resources, pollutes, and causes 
geopolitical strife on a global scale.  I'll post reference links to a 
couple of articles and books at the end of this post, but imagine two models 
for Minneapolis as an energyscape....

Unsustainable (current) Minneapolis model -- extends extractive tentacles 
out to siphon energy from:

* Manitoba Hydro (see Green Green Water)

*from Canada's natural gas supply (of which the US already uses half, and 
which the Canadians need more of for processing "tar sands" among other 
things)

*from Nigeria ( military funded by big oil; conveniently butchers poor 
people who are in the way)

*from the Middle East (USA subverted democracy in Iran, supported Saddam 
Hussein, Saudi royal family, and so on...)

*from the Gulf of Mexico (petrochemical industry dredging created 
environmental degradation of marshland which formed a natural storm barrier 
along the southern shore of Louisiana; intense hurricanes will lower 
energy/economic return on investment)

*from many other places at great environmental, economic, and geopolitical 
costs...

Sustainable (Potential) model:  Minneapolis works to harvest solar and wind 
energy in the bioregion, adding more sustainable energy harvesting methods 
as they are developed. We "powerdown" to live largely within a bioregional 
energy budget.

Urgency for change:  there are a number of books, articles, and websites 
people can check to better understand why it is urgent that we change to a 
sustainable model. Check this Seattle Times article:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2002542956_oilwoes06e.html

It will take months to recover from this year's hurricane season so 
far....check out the "shut in" stats.  Will next year's season do any 
damage?  How does that affect our energy/dollar returns on energy and 
dollars invested in such extraction...?  Is there a better way?

http://www.mms.gov/

Two good websites to explore are:

http://www.theoildrum.com/

http://www.communitysolution.org/

The best books I've found relating to the urgency of the need for change so 
far are Richard Heinberg's "Powerdown,"  Matt Simmon's "Twilight in the 
Desert," Michael Klare's "Blood and Oil," and Kunstler's "The Long 
Emergency."  You can google for the homepages of the authors or find them at 
bookstores or libraries.

The above works relate to energy issues alone.  Others relate more fully to 
sobering implications for food production and distribution and also to 
concerns related to pollution.

Fuel for thought:  "The aspects of things that are most important for us are 
hidden because if their simplicity and familiarity....--and this means: we 
fail to be struck by what, once seen, is most striking and most powerful." 
(Wittgenstein, Philosophical Investigations, #129)

-- still pedaling for peace and ecojustice from Lynnhurst -- Gary Hoover