There are many good reasons to grow more of NYC's food within the metropolitan region. One of the most important reasons to do so is hardly discussed: the age of cheap oil is over. Long-distance transportation of food will become more expensive. Getting more New Yorkers involved with urban and regional agriculture can promote neighborhood economic development, reduce pollution, and increase NYC's food security. To supplement government sustainability programs and conventional green business sectors, why not explore entrepreneurial, low cost, grassroots business models that can make some money for nonprofit groups serving low-income communities? At a Brooklyn Food Conference workshop we reviewed several. Nonprofits can easily start by brokering heavily incentivized solar photovoltaic projects for a finder's fee, using their local networks. Combining online group ordering, farmer's markets, collection and sale of produce raised by neighborhood gardeners, and innovative urban farming techniques give rise to other business possibilities. A post-conference summary report will be distributed to NYC nonprofits and local food advocates.
The 1% is blocking the
transition to a renewable energy
economy.
The
folks from Occupy Wall Street have a point.
Yes, the taxpayers were stuck with an unimaginably
big bill for the bank bailout. And the big
corporation do have unfair domination of the
political process. But there's more.
The fossil fuel industry and its allies are
fighting to maintain the status quo from which
they profit, although it's destabilizing the
climate. We can create a sustainable world that
works for the 99%, but the 1% is blocking that
transition. As
published in Energy Bulletin. Read an expanded
version.
.
Beyond Oil NYC Blog
Rooftop farming, hipsters and urban agFrom the blog archive
James Hansen and 400,000 A- bombsRFP: urban ag for the 99%
Urban agriculture workshop with Will Allen
Localizing food security with sustainable agriculture, in the developing world or NYC
We refer over 20 buildings to the NYC white roof program
The Transition movement and NYC
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How can NYC respond to climate change, economic volatility, and resource constraints?Public concern about climate change is on the rise, with the rising number of weather disasters leading more Americans to connect the dots. Another reason to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels is that their supplies are limited. The oil shocks of the 1970s and the price spike of 2008 were temporary political and economic events, but now we also have to deal with geological trends. The International Energy Agency quietly admitted in 2010 that the world's production of crude oil peaked in 2006. That doesn't mean that oil is running out, but it does mean that crude oil supplies will eventually go into decline, and become more costly. They wouldn't be drilling miles under the ocean floor in the Gulf of Mexico, or squeezing oil from tar sands, if more easy oil was available. Oil industry claims that we can drill our way to energy independence are unfounded PR, aimed at enriching their shareholders and sticking US taxpayers with the bill. What should we do? Conserve energy, speed up the transition to renewable power, scale up mass transit, and regionalize our food systems. The good news is that a lot of this is already being done in NYC. A broader analysis of why this is necessary will help it happen. Many government, business and military observers expect volatility in oil price and supply to increase prior to 2015. How can we turn these lemons into lemonade? We can proactively address this issue to build public support for sustainability initiatives, and accelerate our green transition. The cities of San Francisco, CA, Portland, OR and Bloomington, IN published reports on preparing for energy volatility and responding to climate change at the same time. We can learn from their work, and make NYC more resilient, while creating more green jobs, and improving quality of life. |
Brooklyn Food Conference, 5/12/12
Renew NYC Boiler Dilemma Panel, 3/22/12
NYC Friends of Clearwater, 3/16/12
OWS Forum on the Commons, 2/17/12
Occupy Green Economy Teach In, 12/16/11
Orange Environment, 12/02/11
Green Spaces NYC, 12/01/11
NYC Business Smart, 11/30/11
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