The Oil Drum: Europe

This is a guest post by Alexis Ziegler. Alexis is a communitarian, builder, orchardist and environmental activist living in central Virginia. He is the author of a recently published book, Culture Change: Civil Liberty, Peak Oil, and the End of Empire. More information can be found at conev.org.

Abstract

The rapid expansion of biofuel production worldwide has paralleled a dramatic rise in food prices. The expansion of biofuels has been supported by a wide spectrum of people, from environmentalists looking for "sustainable" energy to conservatives wanting to reduce U.S. dependency on foreign oil. With food riots spreading, the U.S. remains committed to an expansion of biofuel.

Biofuels are part of a larger movement toward green capitalism, the idea that we can scale down our energy use through technologies that improve the efficiency of the consumer society. Biofuels are emblematic of the dark side of green capitalism, which is focused almost entirely on the well being of the global upper class. Biofuels are a form of nationalistic environmentalism that is creating a foundation on which more extreme nationalists will try to wed the racist tools of yesterday with a version of "sustainability" that will include the destruction of the global poor.

Real solutions are both impossibly difficult and simple. The cooperative societies in which most humans have always lived are capable of supporting a high standard of living with far less resources than the individualized, consumer society. Enlightened political leadership would be helpful, but we can create a sustainable society without it. Indeed, we have to.

There is a lot going on this week for an aspiring environmental advocate or just folks looking to do their own part at home.

The Upper Green Side is having a press event to announce their first grant from Citizen's for NYC which should be the start of good things for them. Wednesday July 19th at St. Stephen's Church at 414 82nd Street between First and York at 5:30pm

Later that night Ben Jervey of the Big Green Apple, will take part in a panel discussion on the New Face Of Envrionmentalism, which he describes as urban, young, market oriented and with a strong emphasis on higher quality design. I completely agree. The panel discussion will include Josh Dorfman, Kelly Cox, and Chris Neidl. Wednesday July 19th and 7 pm, $12/$15 at door, Makor/92nd Street Y, 35 W. 67th St., (212) 413-8830. Register today

Then the next day, Thursday July 20th, Sierra Club is hosting an Free Energy Forum where people can learn how to make their homes more energy efficient and reduce their personal impact on the release of greenhouse gases. It will take place at Mary Star of the Sea Senior Center, 41 First Street Between Hoyt and Bond, Brooklyn , NY 11231 RSVP by signing up for their Meet-Up Site. You do not have to be a Sierra Club member to attend.

The New York Times style section today has an article called "Greening Up with the Joneses", about lifestyle choices that people are making based on their desires to consume less energy. In some cases, these choices may revolve around people's cars, or it may have to do with the kinds of appliances they buy. The underlying theme of this article is that today's middle class isn't necessarily going all out in their environmentalism, but they are making some choices that reflect their conscience. The NYT is calling these people "light greens":

The trick, Mr. Brotherton said, was not to give up nice things, but to buy nice things that were ecologically sound. "I don't even pretend to be a hard-core environmentalist," Mr. Brotherton explained. "But I do aspire to be a 'light green' kind of guy -- one who thinks carefully about the choices I make as a consumer and tries to tread as lightly on the planet as possible, within my chosen lifestyle."