In April 2007, Films For Action screened The End of Suburbia to an audience of 180 people, and launched a campaign to have the Lawrence City Commission create a Peak Oil Task force, which would study the local impacts of peak oil and propose recommendations for the city to take action on.At this time, Films For Action mailed to every commissioner and many of the planning commissioners a copy...
Today's LJWorld editorial about voter apathy got me thinking. I also find our abysmal voter turnout deeply troubling, and I think I may have a solution.If we want to inspire more people to go to the polls, they need something to get excited about. We're going to be facing some serious challenges in the coming years, and this can easily get pretty depressing to think about. Simply trying...
You wouldn't know it from the mainstream media's coverage of the BP oil spill, but the 184 million gallons of oil that are now devastating the Gulf region is only a part of a much larger problem. Corporate greed and corrupt government oversight played their roles in the disaster, but so far little attention has been given to why the hell oil companies are drilling miles below the ocean...
You know you're a nerd when an animation of parking lots being replaced with sweet, well-designed density gives you goosebumps. And I, my friends, am a nerd. This video created by ArnoldImaging for Kansas City Public Television asks how, within a decade, alternative transit would change life in Kansas City, where the average resident currently spends the equivalent of six work weeks per...
Though Citicorp is deemed too big to fail, it's hardly reassuring to know that it's been allowed to sink its fangs into the Mother Zombie that the US Treasury has become and sucked out a multi-billion dollar dose of embalming fluid so it can go on pretending to be a bank for a while longer. I employ this somewhat clunky metaphor to point out that the US Government is no more solvent than the...
The campaign that we launched last year to pass a Peak Oil Resolution has succeeded. Joining forces with members of the Sustainability Action Network earlier this year, we were able to host presentations on peak oil to the City's Sustainability Advisory Board and the City Commission itself. With the helpful initiative of the Mayor, Michael Dever, the resolution was put on the agenda promptly the...
When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1990, Cuba's economy went into a tailspin. With imports of oil cut by more than half – and food by 80 percent – people were desperate. This film tells of the hardships and struggles as well as the community and creativity of the Cuban people during this difficult time. Cubans share how they transitioned from a highly mechanized, industrial agricultural system to...
In James Howard Kunstler's view, public spaces should be inspired centers of civic life and the physical manifestation of the common good. Instead, he argues, what we have in America is a nation of places not worth caring about. Reengineering our cities will involve more radical change than we are prepared for, Kunstler believes, but our hand will be forced by earth crises stemming from our...
Time to buy a bike: Gasoline prices in North America will soar over the next four years to $7.00, causing a massive jolt to the continent's manufacturing base not seen since the oil shocks of the 1970s, a leading economist is warning. Jeff Rubin of CIBC World Markets was laughed at three years ago when he predicted $100 per barrel oil, and now thinks it will climb to $225 in four years. (Houston...
You wouldn’t know it from the mainstream media’s coverage of rising gas prices, but the squeeze we’re all feeling at the pump is just a small part of a much larger picture. The current price of gas is more than a just a little rough patch that might get worked out by the markets or policy wonks in Washington. Global oil production today is at or near its max capacity, and in the next few years...
I was recently interviewed for the cover story of this weeks Lawrence.com mag. A great article by Frank Tankard. You can read it online here, or in the deadwood edition found in shops and restaurants all around downtown. When you get a chance to check it out, you may find another surprise - a tasty peak-oil sandwich! ;) ...Cheers - Tim
A documentary film screening presented by Films for Action7pm. Liberty Hall 644 Mass St. $3CRUDE IMPACT is a powerful and timely story that deftly explores the interconnection between human domination of the planet and the discovery and use of oil. This documentary film exposes our deep-rooted dependency on the availability of fossil fuel energy and examines the future implications of peak oil —...
KU student groups E.A.R.T.H. and Environs are teaming up with Lawrence's best independent media outlet Films for Action to bring a week of events, March 31st through April 3rd.
Over the past century, our cities have been shaped — literally — for the benefit of the automobile and oil industries. Today, with global oil reserves headed toward irreversible decline, we need to face the challenges of the imminent post-oil reality. Seizing foreign oil fields (then “spinning” the story to make a prophet of Orwell) will not solve our environmental problems. Building Green Cities...
To the 256 people who made it to the screening Tuesday, thank you for coming out and bringing your great vibes to the show. We definitely appreciate the support. We'd also love to hear your thoughts on the film and the screening, so feel free to drop us a line
Described by Jan Lundberg at www.CultureChange.org as “perhaps the most important media message of our time”, What a Way to Go, features interviews with Daniel Quinn, Derrick Jensen, Jerry Mander, Richard Heinberg, William Catton, Paul Roberts, Chellis Glendinning, Thomas Berry, Richard Manning and Ran Prieur. Released this year, the creative non-fiction documentary looks head on...