Gryphon (Tem?):

That sounds like an interesting and potentially educational event! I won't
be able to make the trip myself, but I hope that someone there will act as
my proxy and make a sincere effort to cut through the very serious hype that
surrounds some of the touted alternatives to petroleum. Having such a
discussion about the Post-Petrol Era - which many of us know is coming - is
indeed a good thing, but only if dogma and fanaticism on BOTH SIDES of the
issue can be left at the door along with the pitchforks and knives and guns
that usually accompany such mental states.

My point, of course, is that there's dogma on the environmental side of the
issue as well, with various "high priests" preaching the virtuous perfection
of this or that alternative source of energy, in particular proclaiming them
as more sustainable than is petroleum. I don't happen to agree with most
(if any) of those claims, because there's a simple fact of physics and
chemistry that their claims ignore:

It takes lots of energy to create any form of stored energy, AND ALWAYS MORE
INPUT THAN EVENTUAL OUTPUT.

Even with biodiesel and solar cells, which allegedly bring us the free
energy of the sun, there are energy inputs and secondary consequences which
will, especially once the liberal energy inputs of petroleum are gone,
render them just as unsustainable as petroleum. In the case of biodiesel,
for instance, how does one grow enough biomass to create enough fuel to
replace petroleum one-for-one, while at the same time preserving current
farmland and crop yields to feed billions of humans, and doing so in the
face of the absence of petroleum-supported fertilizers and eventual soil
depletion?

I first cackled and then ranted when the idiot Ron Gremban made national
headlines by packing thousands of dollars worth of extra batteries in his
hybrid Prius and modding it for a wall socket, and then proclaiming to the
world that he was doing the environment an even bigger favor because he was
now burning so much less fossil fuel! Yes, true, he was no longer burning
it HIMSELF in his vehicle... but every time he hooked it up to an electrical
outlet, a far-off power plant now had to BURN THAT FOSSIL FUEL FOR HIM, and
burn enough to also overcome the incredible attenuation that occurs trying
to get all that electricity down a copper wire to him. All he managed to do
was shift the "crime" farther back up the supply chain! Another fanatic
idiot guilty of tunnel vision and taking one factor completely out of
context.

Unless someone reins them in with cold hard logic, I suspect there will be a
lot of such antics at this event. Such antics help no one except those
making the claims, who make themselves famous and line their pockets in much
the same way that their fellow Christian televangelists do.

The truth is, our species has been experiencing an energy flash in the pan,
racking up a stored-energy deficit that Mother Nature now wants back. Who
do you suppose will win that civil suit? We need to re-acclimate ourselves
with a horse-and-buggy world, in which ANY form of stored energy is a rare
and precious commodity, not one squandered with abandon on a daily basis.
Will we have to revert to a complete absence of electricity? No, probably
not, but gone will be the massively wasteful globe-spanning power grids, to
be replaced by embarrasingly modest localized electricity generation created
on-site rather than 1000 miles away. There won't be enough of it for
luxuries like neon signs and 24/7 streetlights or plasma televisions running
half the day, limitless cellphone minutes or fueling evenings of bar-hopping
or long excessive commutes. Electricity will be valued more than gold, and
the world will be a dramatically different place. For human society, the
world will stop shrinking and become once again a much larger place, filled
with lots of empty spaces rarely traversed by humans and lots of glorious
SILENCE.

Oh, and we'll no longer have the energy resources to effect space travel and
colonization on a large scale, once we've squandered all the "free"
petroleum before we've established energy-independent presences elsewhere.
We'll be stuck here; it's likely why we've met no aliens, because they made
the same mistakes and got trapped on their own third rocks from their suns.

I hope somebody in my absence has the foresight and forthrightness to speak
of these things, rather than let the dogmatists drown out the cold hard
truth and skew the debate into the realm of fantasy. That is what's been
happening.

Mark

----Original Message----
From: NorCalPermaculture@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:NorCalPermaculture@yahoogroups.com]On Behalf Of Gryphon
Sent: Tuesday, October 17, 2006 10:25 PM
To: NorCalPermaculture@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [NorCalPermaculture] "Whatcha Gonna Drive?” for a Sustainable
World

> "Whatcha Gonna Drive?" for a Sustainable World
> ... when fossil fuels are no longer an affordable option: Biofuels,
> Electric, Fuel Cell, Hybrids, or Bikes?
>
> On Sunday, November 19, at the Center for the Arts in downtown
> Grass Valley, experts, hobbyists, and the simply curious will gather
> to try to answer these questions: What will replace fossil fuels as we
> move toward the post-petroleum era? What are the pros and cons of
> biofuels, fuel cell technology, and electric vehicles? Are hybrids the
> best way to go? What should your next car be? It seems everyone is
> talking about this lately.
>
> APPLE of Nevada County (Alliance for a Post-Petroleum Local
> Economy) is hosting a two-part fundraising event. First, the free
> "Post-Petroleum Car and Bike Show" (2:00 - 6:00 pm) will fill the
> parking lot directly behind The Center for the Arts. On display will
> be plug-in hybrids, several electric cars, all types of bikes,
> segways, multi-fuel vehicles, and some unique inventions. (Wait 'til
> you see the J-Pod!) There will also be a portable biodiesel plant and
> local biodiesel suppliers at the event.
>
> Along with the car show, a series of demonstrations and workshops
> by local and nationally recognized experts will be held inside the
> Center for the Arts starting at 2:00 pm. Topics include: Plug-In
> Hybrids – What's Under the Hood; Land Use and Biofuel Ethics; The Fine
> Points of Owning and Maintaining an Electric Car; What's Coming from
> the Big Automakers; and The Benefits of People-Powered Transportation.
>
> Then, at 6:30 pm, in the main auditorium, APPLE will present
> "Fueling the Future." Two dynamic speakers, fuel-cell researcher Glenn
> Rambach and Executive Director of the Biodiesel Council of California,
> Kimber Holmes, will give illustrated presentations showing why we are
> on the brink of a massive change in personal transportation and the
> technologies available to help us make a sustainable transition. They
> will also explore how much we will need to alter our consumption
> habits. The evening will conclude with a panel discussion to field
> comments and questions from those in attendance.
>
> There will also be information tables on APPLE projects and other
> local transportation-related groups, along with food, festivities,
> and fun!
>
> More details on the program and an updated vehicle list is posted
> at www.apple-nc.org. Space is limited, and tickets are $13 in advance
> (or $15 at the event) for an all-day pass. Advance tickets may be
> purchased at: Briarpatch Market, Record Connection, Booktown Books,
> Yabobo, Harmony Books, After the Gold Rush, Plan-It Solar (Penn
> Valley), and Cherry Records (Auburn). To attend just the afternoon
> presentations or just the evening program is $10 (same-day purchase
> only). To find out more, call (530) 274-3435 or e-mail
> info@...
>
> Also, some hybrid/electric car owners are organizing a parade,
> leaving the Rood Center at 1:30 and proceeding to downtown Grass
> Valley. For information on how to participate, call (530) 274-9913.
>
>
> For additional information, contact:
> Tem Tarriktar
> pcurrents@...
> website: www.apple-nc.org
> PO Box 163
> Grass Valley, CA 95945
> 530.274.3435
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>