John Michael Greer  wonders whether the Transition Town Movement is engaging in "premature triumphalism." As a part of the initiating group in Transition Town Montpelier, which on Tuesday received official recognition from the international transition folks, I doubt it.

We're happy if people even notice what we're up to.

Luckily, there's a chance Monday for everyone in the central Vermont area to find out more about Transition Towns and judge for themselves. Naresh Giangrande, co-founder of the first Transition Town, Totnes in the UK, will speak on “Transition Towns: From Oil Dependency to Resilient Communities.” The talk is Monday, November 24, 7 pm. Unitarian Church, Main Street, Montpelier. We're being contacted by people as far away as Maine and Massachusetts who want to hear the talk, so come early!

Greer provides a nice summary of the Transition Town movement:

Damn it! 

Our tomato crop is way down this year from
last.  In 2007 our garden produced more than 230 pounds of
tomatoes that we canned, dried and froze, and enjoyed all the way up
through the middle of July of this year.  But with less than a
measly 125 pounds from this year’s garden, I was starting to
panic.  How would I fill the gap?  Would I have to resort to
buying canned tomatoes in the grocery store?  

When I first heard about biochar, the miracle soil amendment also known as terra preta, it seemed too good to be true. One-time additions of powerded charcoal could make soil significantly more productive,  the effect lasts for centuries, and it can slow climate change by sequestering carbon. I assumed biochar  was over-promoted and didn't pay attention to it.

Then I went to a couple talks about it at the Ecological Landscaping Association's annual conference in the spring, and I saw that there seemed to be good, scientific evidence to back up the soils claims for biochar, as well as increasingly understood mechanisms for the wonders it works in soil.

Food Works in Montpelier offered a workshop on backyard biochar production earlier this year, and they added some of the charcoal to the soil in one of their herb gardens. Co-director Martin Kemple told me that already this season, "the difference in production is noticeable. Also in the vibrancy of  the plants." He called the difference "pretty remarkable," and invited me to take a look for myself, saying that I'll immediately be able to see which bed received the biochar treatment.

This Saturday afternoon, October 4, Food Works is again teaching backyard biochar production at their Two Rivers Center in Montpelier. You can download the brochure for the event here (PDF).

Theoildrum.com recently had a good overview of biochar, its effects on soil and climate, and production. The article has a ton of links, with even more in the comments. Check it out if you want to learn more about biochar. 

Today is the first anniversary of this Relocalizing Vermont blog here at Vermont Commons. Rob, thanks again for inviting me aboard!

On Sunday, I finished a Permaculture Design Certificate course taught by Mark Krawczyk  of Burlington Permaculture and Rivenwood Crafts, and Keith Morris of Prospect Rock Permaculture at Rock Point Conference Center in Burlington. Great course!

As part of the course, I completed a draft design for our homestead, with the specification that it include "special, transformative places." I've been noodling with how to use permaculture techniques and principles to create some of those places. Inspired by the hops-covered gazebo outside the Stowe Street Emporium in Waterbury, as well as by Arborsculpture, I've come up with what I think is a pretty neat idea for a couple home-grown, hops-covered gazebo. Details and photos below the fold...

Pat Murphy, producer of the much-admired video, The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil, will be on the air with me tomorrow, Wednesday, on Equal Time Radio on WDEV (96.1/96.5 FM, 550 AM) Waterbury-Montpelier, 1:05 - 2:00 pm.

We'll be talking about his new book, Plan C: Community Survival Strategies for Peak Oil and Climate Change. From the book's description:

Plan C explores the risks inherent in trying to continue our energy-intensive lifestyle. Using dirtier fossil fuels (Plan A) or switching to renewable energy sources (Plan B) allows people to remain complacent in the face of potential global catastrophe. Dramatic lifestyle change is the only way to begin to create a sustainable, equitable world.

Also joining us will be State Senator Ginny Lyons, chair of the Natural Resources and Energy Committee, to talk about what Plan C might look like in Vermont. And at the beginning of the show, if all goes well, I'll describe what it was like to ride from Montpelier to Waterbury on an electric bicycle.

Please consider tuning in at 1:05 pm tomorrow!

From September 14-20, the Mad River Valley Localvores will be organizing their third annual "Eat Local" Challenge. I encourage everyone to try and register and participate in this eye-opening (and fun) experiment.

Unfortunately, for much of the world, eating regular, healthy, nutritious food is not a fact of life, as this article by Peter Phillips explains.

We'll be interviewing Peter on our "Free Vermont Radio" program tomorrow.

-- snip --

The young people of Vermont are showing us the way to a sustainable future.    

During the past two years, a committed team of high school students has been investigating the scientific, economic, and political possibilities of creating a locally based biofuel industry in Vermont. Through compelling presentations to other students, the media, and policymakers, and effective use of the internet, their network now includes more than 200 students from 26 schools around the state, and they stand a real chance of making their ambitious vision a reality.      

April 18, 1775, Dijon, France

An angry mob gathered outside the shop of a wealthy miller suspected of mixing bean flour with wheat flour to cut costs.  The miller was assaulted and his house and mill plundered for flour, then burned to the ground.  In the weeks that followed, similar scenes followed at bakeries and mills throughout France.  Everywhere, people were angry about the same things: flour was too expensive, often of poor quality, and bread, priced at 14 sous nationwide, was unaffordable to many.

I feel like I must be living under a rock.  It wasn’t until the mainstream media started beating it into us late this spring that I realized food prices have been skyrocketing over the past couple of years.  My ignorance is not due to financial irresponsibility.  The simple fact is that the rising prices have not affected me all that much.  As my husband and I have gradually moved to eating an all-local diet over the past three years, one unintended consequence is that we have largely insulated ourselves from rising prices at the grocery store.  

I first heard the term “Transition Town” spoken by peak oil activist Richard Heinberg at the end of his talk in Montpelier last April. The words “Transition Town” struck me powerfully. “Ah! The End of Cheap Oil need not mean sudden, dystopic collapse. Yes, our future lives will be local lives, and, if we embrace this change as opportunity NOW, we can transition our communities to a life that is ‘energy-lean, time-rich, less stressful, healthier and happier.’” Right here, among the hills of home.