The Fifth U.S. Conference on Peak Oil and Community Solutions: Connections Café

Vital Connections for Surviving the Energy Crisis

An exciting new feature of this year's Peak Oil and Community Solutions conference will be the Connections Café. The Café will give participants a chance to join small roundtable discussions on topics and issues relevant to surviving the energy crisis.

Discussions at each of the roundtables will be facilitated by a Connector, who will offer practical experience and useful resources. The topic tables will be very interactive and can be joined and left at any time throughout the three-hour Saturday session (see schedule). This open format will allow conference participants to both gather and share information and viewpoints on a number of topics and issues of their choosing.

The session will offer 15-20 roundtables on a wide variety of topics which will focus on individual opportunities for reducing both fossil fuel use and general consumption, while improving quality of life, and strategies that can best be achieved through cooperative efforts at the community level (neighborhood, city, region, state), including efforts to promote the cultural changes needed to implement community solutions.

Connector: Topic

Christina Snyder: Passive Solar Homes and Zoning Issues
The first step to living in a home that can produce as much energy as it uses each year in a cold, cloudy climate and make sure it is affordable, durable and healthy is to create an ultra energy-efficient building envelope. Let's talk about how you can move towards zero energy in your new or existing home, and use renewable energy affordably. Solar energy as part of our national energy solution requires solar access to the buildings intended to be heated by the sun, yet most neighborhood planning is done without consideration of solar access to buildings. See some tools used for solar site assessment, a Michigan ecovillage designed for good solar access to all buildings, and learn a little about your rights to solar access in existing neighborhoods. Let's talk about your solar dreams for your neighborhood!

Aaron Wissner: Reaching Out – Organizing Successful Events in Your Community
Aaron Wissner is founder of Local Future, a nonprofit educational organization. In 2008, under Wissner's leadership, Local Future hosted two major sustainability conferences and dozens of evening community programs with limited lead time and minimal funding. In this round-table, participants will discuss success, failures, and tips for hosting effective events.

Jared Bogdanov-Hanna: The Crash Course
Jared will lead a discussion of the internet phenomenon, The Crash Course by Chris Martenson, which seeks to provide a baseline understanding of the economy so that you can better appreciate the risks that we all face. Jared will provide a hard copy outline of the course and discuss the videos, talk about emerging alternatives (Transition Town movements) and actions everyone can take to support the transition into local economies. The Crash Course topics include Exponential Growth, Compounding is the Problem, Growth vs. Prosperity, What is Money?, The Fed, A Brief History of US Money, Inflation, Debt, A National Failure To Save, Assets & Demographics, Bubbles, Fuzzy Numbers, Peak Oil, Energy Budgeting, Energy & The Economy, Environmental Data, Future Shock, and What Should I Do?

Robin Mallor and Greg Kruszewski: Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in Action
Robin Mallor and Gregory moved to Columbiaville from Detroit in 1993, to start a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Three Roods Farm just completed it's 13th season. Greg and Robin, both health professionals, have managed the CSA in their spare time with the help of young people from the WWOOF (Willing Workers On Organic Farms) network. They are able to enjoy their family, their careers, and their farm by keeping the CSA small and manageable. The farm has many permaculture features. Half the 23 acres have been reforested under PA 116 which defrays our property taxes. The other half contains pasture for the sheep. They will share their knowledge and experience with you. The number of CSAs in Michigan has grown from 7 to 70 in the past 10 years, but there is still room for more.

Marc Zupmore: DTE's Energy Gardens
Connector Marc Zupmore, DTE Energy Gardens Project Manager, worked with more than 250 volunteer in the pilot year to convert 12,000 square feet of grass at two Detroit Edison substations into community gardens that produced more than 5,000 pounds of food. The produce from these gardens went to the Gleaners Community Food Bank to help feed the hungry in southeast Michigan. The project is a win-win-win. It is helping those in need, building community, and educating individuals on gardening. As a senior engineer in the DTE Energy Operating and Reliability Strategy group, Marc uses his experience as an industrial engineer, networking, continuous improvement techniques and gardening expertise to make the project fun and successful. Outside of work, he is the president of the Temple Beth El Men’s club where his motto is “making dreams a reality.” He is coordinating a second annual tree planting.

John Sarver: The Future of Energy in Michigan
Michigan Governor Granholm signed energy bills on October 6 that include a Renewable Portfolio Standard, net metering, energy efficiency programs, and changes to utility regulation. New energy policies and existing energy efficiency and renewable energy programs will be discussed by Connector John Sarver, Michigan Energy Office. John started with the Michigan Energy Office in 1976 and has been involved in a variety of energy efficiency and renewable energy programs. He is presently responsible for energy efficiency programs in the residential, commercial, and industrial sectors and efforts to promote solar and wind energy. John chairs the Michigan Wind Working Group and is a board member of the Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance. He has a Masters in Public Policy from the University of Michigan.

Bill Vandercook: Land and Wealth Preservation
Do you own or are you thinking about purchasing land? Would you like to enhance, restore or protect your properties natural resources and your wealth? This is possible by understanding how to reduce your taxes (property, capitol gains, and estate) and through entering into value added conservation programs. Bill Vandercook can help you explore your options. Bill has worked for the Michigan Conservation District's Natural Resource Conservation Service and was previously the director for the Sporting Lands Alliance, a statewide land conservancy. He created a system called Full Spectrum Conservation Planning.© This system allows property owners to realize the full potential of their land.

Clark Tibbits: Good Living in Hard Times
You will have an opportunity to discuss many sustainable alternatives, from the way you eat and entertain yourself to where you live and how you travel. The discussion will include a few simple planning tools you will need to get out of any credit holes and back on solid ground as well as enable you to redirect and control the way you spend and invest money in the future. Clark Tibbits, has an MBA from Harvard Business School and additional graduate study in finance and economics at the University of Michigan. Perhaps a more important qualification, however, is that for the past 25 years he has raised a family and lived well while voluntarily keeping his spending and fossil fuel usage far below US averages.

Other roundtables include:
Dick Lawrence: Peak Oil and the Legislators
Harry Pianko: Saving Energy through Better Food Choices
John Malcomnson: Solar Energy Ideas for Your Home
Nick Meima: Living the Co-Housing Life
Nick Mihailoff: Urban Economic & Environmental Solutions – Small Steps, Big Results
Roland Mikan: Fringe Energy Concepts – What You Can Build in Your Garage
Shane Snell: Life in an Eco-Village

Top of Page

For more information, email info@plancconference.org.

Download the conference brochure and registration form.


	Connections Café – 3-6pm, Saturday Vital Connections for Surviving the Energy Crisis An exciting new feature of this year's Peak Oil and Community Solutions conference will be the Connections Café. The Café will give participants a chance to join small roundtable discussions on topics and issues relevant to surviving the energy crisis. Discussions at each of the roundtables will be facilitated by a Connector, who will offer practical experience and useful resources. The topic tables will be very interactive and can be joined and left at any time throughout the three-hour Saturday session (see schedule). This open format will allow conference participants to both gather and share information and viewpoints on a number of topics and issues of their choosing. The session will offer 15-20 roundtables on a wide variety of topics which will focus on individual opportunities for reducing both fossil fuel use and general consumption, while improving quality of life, and strategies that can best be achieved through cooperative efforts at the community level (neighborhood, city, region, state), including efforts to promote the cultural changes needed to implement community solutions. Connector: Topic Christina Snyder: Passive Solar Homes and Zoning Issues The first step to living in a home that can produce as much energy as it uses each year in a cold, cloudy climate and make sure it is affordable, durable and healthy is to create an ultra energy-efficient building envelope. Let's talk about how you can move towards zero energy in your new or existing home, and use renewable energy affordably. Solar energy as part of our national energy solution requires solar access to the buildings intended to be heated by the sun, yet most neighborhood planning is done without consideration of solar access to buildings. See some tools used for solar site assessment, a Michigan ecovillage designed for good solar access to all buildings, and learn a little about your rights to solar access in existing neighborhoods. Let's talk about your solar dreams for your neighborhood! Aaron Wissner: Reaching Out – Organizing Successful Events in Your Community Aaron Wissner is founder of Local Future, a nonprofit educational organization. In 2008, under Wissner's leadership, Local Future hosted two major sustainability conferences and dozens of evening community programs with limited lead time and minimal funding. In this round-table, participants will discuss success, failures, and tips for hosting effective events. Jared Bogdanov-Hanna: The Crash Course Jared will lead a discussion of the internet phenomenon, The Crash Course by Chris Martenson, which seeks to provide a baseline understanding of the economy so that you can better appreciate the risks that we all face. Jared will provide a hard copy outline of the course and discuss the videos, talk about emerging alternatives (Transition Town movements) and actions everyone can take to support the transition into local economies. The Crash Course topics include Exponential Growth, Compounding is the Problem, Growth vs. Prosperity, What is Money?, The Fed, A Brief History of US Money, Inflation, Debt, A National Failure To Save, Assets & Demographics, Bubbles, Fuzzy Numbers, Peak Oil, Energy Budgeting, Energy & The Economy, Environmental Data, Future Shock, and What Should I Do? Robin Mallor and Greg Kruszewski: Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in Action Robin Mallor and Gregory moved to Columbiaville from Detroit in 1993, to start a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Three Roods Farm just completed it's 13th season. Greg and Robin, both health professionals, have managed the CSA in their spare time with the help of young people from the WWOOF (Willing Workers On Organic Farms) network. They are able to enjoy their family, their careers, and their farm by keeping the CSA small and manageable. The farm has many permaculture features. Half the 23 acres have been reforested under PA 116 which defrays our property taxes. The other half contains pasture for the sheep. They will share their knowledge and experience with you. The number of CSAs in Michigan has grown from 7 to 70 in the past 10 years, but there is still room for more. Marc Zupmore: DTE's Energy Gardens Connector Marc Zupmore, DTE Energy Gardens Project Manager, worked with more than 250 volunteer in the pilot year to convert 12,000 square feet of grass at two Detroit Edison substations into community gardens that produced more than 5,000 pounds of food. The produce from these gardens went to the Gleaners Community Food Bank to help feed the hungry in southeast Michigan. The project is a win-win-win. It is helping those in need, building community, and educating individuals on gardening. As a senior engineer in the DTE Energy Operating and Reliability Strategy group, Marc uses his experience as an industrial engineer, networking, continuous improvement techniques and gardening expertise to make the project fun and successful. Outside of work, he is the president of the Temple Beth El Men’s club where his motto is “making dreams a reality.” He is coordinating a second annual tree planting. John Sarver: The Future of Energy in Michigan Michigan Governor Granholm signed energy bills on October 6 that include a Renewable Portfolio Standard, net metering, energy efficiency programs, and changes to utility regulation. New energy policies and existing energy efficiency and renewable energy programs will be discussed by Connector John Sarver, Michigan Energy Office. John started with the Michigan Energy Office in 1976 and has been involved in a variety of energy efficiency and renewable energy programs. He is presently responsible for energy efficiency programs in the residential, commercial, and industrial sectors and efforts to promote solar and wind energy. John chairs the Michigan Wind Working Group and is a board member of the Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance. He has a Masters in Public Policy from the University of Michigan. Bill Vandercook: Land and Wealth Preservation Do you own or are you thinking about purchasing land? Would you like to enhance, restore or protect your properties natural resources and your wealth? This is possible by understanding how to reduce your taxes (property, capitol gains, and estate) and through entering into value added conservation programs. Bill Vandercook can help you explore your options. Bill has worked for the Michigan Conservation District's Natural Resource Conservation Service and was previously the director for the Sporting Lands Alliance, a statewide land conservancy. He created a system called Full Spectrum Conservation Planning.© This system allows property owners to realize the full potential of their land. Clark Tibbits: Good Living in Hard Times You will have an opportunity to discuss many sustainable alternatives, from the way you eat and entertain yourself to where you live and how you travel. The discussion will include a few simple planning tools you will need to get out of any credit holes and back on solid ground as well as enable you to redirect and control the way you spend and invest money in the future. Clark Tibbits, has an MBA from Harvard Business School and additional graduate study in finance and economics at the University of Michigan. Perhaps a more important qualification, however, is that for the past 25 years he has raised a family and lived well while voluntarily keeping his spending and fossil fuel usage far below US averages. Other roundtables include: Dick Lawrence: Peak Oil and the Legislators Harry Pianko: Saving Energy through Better Food Choices John Malcomnson: Solar Energy Ideas for Your Home Nick Meima: Living the Co-Housing Life Nick Mihailoff: Urban Economic & Environmental Solutions – Small Steps, Big Results Roland Mikan: Fringe Energy Concepts – What You Can Build in Your Garage Shane Snell: Life in an Eco-Village Top of Page For more information, email info@plancconference.org. Download the conference brochure and registration form.		Connectors If you are planning to attend the conference and would like to propose a topic or issue for one of the round table discussions and serve as the Connector for that discussion, please contact Jill Hollowell by . Priority will be given to proposals from people who are actively implementing an individual curtailment option or cooperative community strategy. Connectors will be offered a free half-day conference pass discount for their session time(s).