Peep Peak Oil

I just had lunch today with David Room. He was instrumental in helping Post Carbon Institute grow into the go-to site for info on oil depletion. I have him in my film talking about the phenomenon of Oil Peak. We talked about how to get Consume This Movie! noticed. One of the films that inspired me to make this little documentary that could, was another little documentary that could, The End Of Suburbia which did extremely well for an independent production. Dave was instrumental in getting the film noticed by helping to organize screenings at house parties. Consume This Movie is in the same kind of bring-people-together model. More later on the films progress but here's an appetizer from the film with D-Room  

Jan 12th, Oakland Ca. 76 Degrees

I'm in shorts as I'm writing this. I remember as a kid, having a December heatwave in Oakland that reached 71, maybe 72 degrees. It must be today's scorching sun that jarred my memories but I'm noticing more and more Dec. & Jan. heatwaves.  I think we have to be careful not to lose our critical faculties in order to uphold good science around climate change. As Oakland is cooking in January, the Midwest is freezing more than usual. That's why we need to call it climate change and not global warming. We also might need a sense of humor to get through this climate crisis so here's a little Sarah Silverman 

Eco-Batteries From Fuji

Fuji has announced the first battery that can be absorbed back into the Earth. Apparently they cost the same as the toxic ones. Of course the best bet is to not use batteries at all as there is still an ecological tax in the energy invested to make, package and ship them. If we must use them, this looks like a great alternative.  http://www.greenfuji.com/press-release.html

Golden Arches

I just went to the Rachel Maddow show over on MSNBC.com to watch her latest video about the Bush administrations leasing of oil drilling rights in Utah. Suddenly, my Powerbook began to stutter like a bad James Brown interview. I went off track and plotted schemes to get a new computer. When I came to, I gathered my senses and became interested with the Tim DeChristopher story. There is an interesting oil drilling/activist parallel with Subhankar Banerjee who is in my film. Subhankar went to ANWAR and photographed the breathtaking aliveness of the place. A book of his photographs was held up by Senator Barbara Boxer on the Senate floor in a 2003 rejection by the Senate for drilling in Alaska. I expect to see more act's of civil disobedience like DeChristophers in the coming months and years.

The Next Big Thing

One thing I've been trying to figure out is this insatiable desire I have for a Mini Cooper. Not that I can afford it, but let me explain why I still crave one.  As a flooring contractor I currently drive a Nissan Frontier that gets 20 mpg. I need this truck for hauling my equipment for maybe 60 or 70 days out of the year. The problem is that the truck is all I have for the other 300 something days. My eco-footprint is fairly high and cutting back on total miles driven is, of course, the first priority. I've managed to make improvements with that. I still need to get around and a car with better fuel economy would be the right thing to drive. There is some debate about the ecological footprint of a new car as opposed to a used one. I like what photographer Chris Jordan says: he vow's not to buy a car with less than 100,000 miles on it. That got me thinking about getting a Mini with more than 100,000 miles. Of course, the ultimate choice is to live in such a way as to not need a motorized vehicle at all. Very few of us can pull that off considering the massive car-centered lifestyle we have in America. Some day I hope we can have cars that are as fun as Mini's while at the same time using some form of sustainable energy. We are a long way from that, but we can make better choices to change the current situation until renewable energy technology improves. Are we spending too much time waiting for the next big thing or should we take whatever steps are necessary now to improve the situation? 

Change

We've been hearing a lot of talk about change lately. Obama made it a mantra during his run for president. But how do you gauge change? How do we know if we've changed enough to ward off economic, social and ecological collapse? Oh, sorry we're already feeling the economic part but I'd like to add one change that I've made. To conserve water I get the dishes done faster. At least the ones that don't go into the dishwasher. I am also taking shorter showers. This is a quite a challenge on a cold winter morning when the hot water feels oh so good on my back. With issues around water management most of us want to feel empowered about deeply complex issues such as Peak Water in the video below. Are you using less water for the dishes? What about other areas where you've been conscious of conserving resources?

Christmas with my 5 year old

I grew up with Christmas. My Jewish partner Sonja celebrates Hanukkah. My stuff loving son Zachary gets plenty of attention in this gift giving time of year. I'll bet if I didn't give him a gift he wouldn't even notice. Our house is over-run with stuff. It may or not be as over-run as the average American's house, but it is over-run. We usually balance out by donating the toys from his earlier days; you know, the ones that he probably doesn't notice. Yet, there is still a flow of incoming and outgoing, used resources, and time management. Here is the problem. I love his love for stuff. I remember as a 10 year old waking up with my brother Joe on Christmas morning and sneaking into the living room. Next to the tree were two spanking new red bicycles. Goose pimples burst on to my arms. I've been chasing that feeling ever since, although, not always through consuming. I see that same kind of enthusiasm for toys in Zach, and I see the value in a great toy. The story he can create with a toy race car shapes his character. His agility gained from riding a bike strengthens his body and his confidence. He wants a toy gun (anybody else out there struggling with this boy-gun thing?), but I'd like to get him something that challenges his brain. I can spend the time googling and researching, but I have this film to promote and this discussion is a way to do that. I'll bet someone can hook me up with a great gift suggestion. One that honors the limited resources of Earth. This can be an exciting discussion as others may take you up as well. The blue comment button below is for your participation.