Seeking the Happy Story (part 2) – Reality Ain’t What You Believe

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"If you really grasp the idea that this is not suddenly going to turn around, in six months or a year, you begin to look at your life very differently," says Dr. Kathy McMahon, clinical psychologist and self-named "Peak Shrink." Despite government silence, she declares, the … [Read more...]

Seeking the Happy Story (part 1) – But What Do You Feel?

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We live in a culture that wants only the upbeat response, the story with the happy ending. We marginalize people who express anger or grief about the impossible predicament we're in — societal and ecological collapse. Clinical psychologist Kathy "Peak Shrink" McMahon, uses … [Read more...]

Connect the Dots: Systems in Collapse (Video)

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Our close friend Ivey Cone hosted and produced Connect the Dots: Systems in Collapse, a panel discussion with Nevada City, CA activists Terra Nyssa, Tom Grundy and myself in late March, 2013. It's a courageous discussion about some of the issues we face at this time of … [Read more...]

We are Empowered by Self-Defense Training

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I am posting this on V-day, in solidarity with the global movement One Billion Rising, demanding an end to violence against women and girls—with events all over the globe including our community. Robyn and I just completed a 12-hour self defense course for women. … [Read more...]

Port Townsend Shapes a Locally Reliant Community

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Local Investing Made Easy, James Frazier, Kees Kolff, Matthew Day How Many Community Gardens? Judy Alexander, Celia & Ray Carnighan Menu for the Future – Bringing Farmers to the Table, Dick Bergeron, Judy Alexander, Peter Bates Partners in Preparedness – … [Read more...]

Oil Puts the Squeeze on the Economy

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This turbulent, troubled global economy is precisely what Chris Martenson predicted in early 2010, "When Exponential Meets Reality" (episode 166). He asserts that we can no longer look at the economy without factoring in the terminal decline of its master resource — oil. … [Read more...]

Soccer Mom Prepares for the Unexpected

 "I have a ball preserving food with my friends!" And at the same time Kathy Harrison is making sure her kids can eat if storms knock out power or roads. The author of Just in Case: How to Be Self Sufficient when The Unexpected Happens gives practical tips on storing food … [Read more...]

Sharing Gardens — Giving and Receiving

More than a community garden, this sharing garden provides fresh produce for all who've contributed to it, with surplus going to the local food bank. Coordinators Chris Burns and Llyn Peabody note that with one large plot rather than separate plots, Alpine Sharing Garden … [Read more...]

Managing the 21st Century’s Sustainability Crises

"There are no real solutions, there are only responses." So say the expert contributors in The Post Carbon Reader, pointing to society's complex, interdependent systems squeezed by growing demand and declining resources. Co-editor Daniel Lerch tells us renewable energy will … [Read more...]

Daniel Lerch and The Post Carbon Reader

December 15, 2010. Seattle, WA. The final week of our 2010 Pacific Northwest Tour. We left Seattle December 15th amid pouring rain and packed freeways a bit before the so-called  rush hour, reminding us why automobile-dependent suburbs and outlying areas will have the … [Read more...]