Archive for September, 2009

Local Energy News

• Waldorf Commencement Address
  I was honored to give the commencement address to the Santa Fe Waldorf School's 2013 graduating class. The full text of my speech is here.   […]
• Kent Cravens Promotes Hydraulic Fracturing
    Kent Cravens, who resigned his post in the New Mexico Senate 2011 so that he could become the state’s top oil and gas lobbyist, assured the Senate Conservation Committee last month that hydraulic fracturing was safe, clean and necessary. Here are highlights of the rebuttal testimony he gave after I spoke on the dangers of hydraulic fracturing. No Documente […]
• Ban Hydraulic Fracturing in New Mexico
  A formatted copy of this post is available here. (PDF - 483kB) Photo by Katherine Minott I recently provided expert witness testimony to the New Mexico Senate Conservation Committee for a bill to ban the spread of a controversial method of oil and gas extraction known as high-volume hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking." New Mexico is still highly re […]
• Microgrids Paper Published by APEC
  The paper I presented at the APEC Conference last October in Vladivostok, Russia has been published in the conference proceedings, and is now available online. The paper is about microgrids, which are electric power systems that have been decentralized to the point that they can stand alone from the larger power grid. You can download just my paper by clicki […]

Permaculture Institute

• Fallen Fruit Leather - No Sugar Added
   Sounding slightly unappetizing, this is actually a tremendously delicious way of using fruit abundance as it comes - instead of waiting until all the apples (plums, pears) ripen. The fallen fruit is usually either ahead of the game (i.e. nearly ripe) or at times is damaged by birds, hail, worms. Unattractive perhaps, but still is mostly good and tasty. In a […]
• Cucumber Over-abundance and Refrigerator Pickles
  When the garden (or farmers' market) is overflowing with fresh seasonal cucumbers, consider this easy and tasty recipe to enjoy the bounty - refrigerator pickles. These are not canned, they are fermented to give them their lovely flavor and to increase their palatability and nutrient content. Summertime fermentation goes so fast, that these pickles can […]
• Gardening with Herbs - Tea Time!
   What a delight for senses, all the herbs that come out of the garden all season long - starting in springtime with Nettle harvest, and moving right along with the rich bounty of leaves and blossoms of such garden favorites as Lemon Balm, Strawberry, Rose petals, Lavender and a whole list of plants! Gently dried in the shade in a deep roasting pan for a cont […]
• Peach Tree in Permaculture and Peach Chutney in Your Pantry
  July and August mean delightful times come for those of us with peach trees.   Great for fresh eating, they also make delectable jams, preserves and chutneys.  Handsome small tree, peach is very easy to grow, and it rewards you with quick returns of affection – fruiting at times the next year from planting! Peaches are reputed to have short lives – only abou […]
• Sustainable Living in August: Hand-dipped Beeswax Candles
   A short introduction to making candles with beeswax a few years back was an inspiration enough to dabble with my own candle dipping project on a hot August day. Honey harvest of the season is in progress, with some coming in July, and the final collection in mid August after which point bees will be left to rest and get ready for winter. Mid August in cold […]

Fund Balance

• Whither Generational Theft? A Tale of Two Decouplings: Profits and Pensions, Investment and Productivity
• The Road To Serfdom Is Paved With Austerity OR The Interest Rate Bubble That Isn’t Yet
• A Clean Slate for 2013: Rejecting the Politics of Plutocracy, Singularity, and Pollution
• Annie Lennox to Narrate Documentary centered around Haitian Artist Frankétienne, 2009 Nobel Prize candidate.
• Fund Balance Recommends: The Social Change Film Festival (SCFF)

Small Farmers Journal

• The Cost of Working Horses
• Variety and Diversity Deliver Security for Small Farms
• Horsedrawn Auction Flavors
• The more choices we allow the more resilient our farming
• Small Farmer’s Journal back issues are treasure troves

Environmental Finance