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The Blackout,
Energy & You
(a People- & Planet-Friendly Portal & Guide)
| (A) Introduction (B) Power Outage Announcements & Appeals (C) Emergencies – Tips, Preparedness & Supplies (D) Save Electricity, Save Money, Save the Planet (E) Media Reports, Press Releases & Links (F) Energy Organizations, Government & Utilities (G) Energy & Electricity (more links) (H) Energy Calendar: Conferences, Fairs, Workshops & Meetings This edition provides a unique collection of tips, information, resources and upcoming events related to the blackout. The focus is on what you can do in your home, your workplace, your community ...and your planet. For many, energy seems a rather esoteric topic. Most of us have nothing to do with it beyond paying our monthly bills. Like magic, our electricity, natural gas, oil and gasoline are there when we need them. Not only do we take it for granted, but we are largely unaware or unconcerned about the harm we cause -- to ourselves, others and the planet – by the energy we use. But the system is not as secure – or sustainable – as it might seem. As the blackout shows, it can fail suddenly and without warning. Day by day, it also creates smog, acid rain, climate change and nuclear waste. Both fossil fuel and nuclear energy have major health, safety and environmental concerns. Dependence on fossil fuel and other unsustainable, centralized technologies is also a major cause of war. It's up to all of us, at all levels of society, to lead ourselves out of this crazy situation. There is much we can do to solve these issues – and in so doing, discover a healthier, happier lifestyle. – Peter Blanchard "Centralization of power, whether political or electrical, is always a critical problem [...] I do hope this will serve as a wake-up call to this, along with the problem of over-reliance on so-called 'modern' technologies." – Russell McOrmond [ www.flora.ca/russell/ www.flora.ca www.flora.org ] "Eastern power outage unfortunate but entirely predictable... Americans should look to distributed, diverse, and resilient clean technologies" - Rocky Mountain Institute www.rmi.org www.rmi.org/sitepages/pid485.php#Blackout www.rmi.org/images/other/MR_PR_NEPwrOutage14Aug03.pdf www.cbc.ca/news/background/poweroutage/energy_warning.html |
| (B) Power Outage
Announcements & Appeals
Power outage advisories, announcements & appeals from the Government of Ontario (and municipalities). Follow these links to find the latest announcements from government. Power Recovery in Ontario www.mpss.jus.gov.on.ca/english/power/factsheet.html (alt. link) Power Outage Announcements, Tips, Appeals & Phone Numbers (Government of Ontario) www.premier.gov.on.ca/english/news/ and www.mpss.jus.gov.on.ca/english/english_default.html (will be archived here) Ontario Power Outage General Inquiry Hotline: 1-800-268-1154. Cities & Towns – Toronto www.toronto.ca www.toronto.ca/residents/ ; Ottawa www.ottawa.ca http://ottawa.ca/whats_new/power_outage_en.shtml ; Other Cities & Towns in Canada: http://directory.google.ca/Top/Regional/North_America/Canada/Localities/ (click on the letter of the alphabet for your community). |
| (E) Media Reports, Press
Releases & Links
Articles & Features "When Joel Swisher, the leader of the Energy & Resources Services team for the Rocky Mountain Institute, saw House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and other politicians take to the airwaves last week, calling for more oil drilling, construction of more centralized power generation facilities and building more miles of power lines in response to the largest blackout in U.S. history, he was skeptical. The campaign, launched before the cause of the blackout was identified and before all the lights were even back on, looked like the old political switcheroo. You know, switch off the air conditioning long enough, and the ignorant masses will agree to anything." – Preventing Blackouts is in Our Power, by Diane Carman for The Denver Post, Aug 20, 2003. www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~53~1579937,00.html Eastern Power Outage Unfortunate but Entirely Predictable – "Americans should look to distributed, diverse, and resilient clean technologies". – Rocky Mountain Institute www.rmi.org www.rmi.org/sitepages/pid485.php#Blackout www.rmi.org/images/other/MR_PR_NEPwrOutage14Aug03.pdf www.cbc.ca/news/background/poweroutage/energy_warning.html Towering Design Flaws (by Amory Lovins, RMI) www.globeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20030821/COLOVINS21/TPComment/TopStories. Lights Out (Time Magazine) www.time.com/time/covers/1101030825/story.html Preventing Blackouts is in Our Power www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~53~1579937,00.html Radical Changes Needed in Approach to Energy Policy www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/business/6574606.htm Time to Escape From the Grid? www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,60089,00.html The World Can Indeed Survive With a Lot Less Oil www.pensacolanewsjournal.com/news/081703/Business/ST003.shtml Blackout Shines Light on Congress' Efforts to Oversee Power Transmission www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/6547665.htm We Predicted This: Energy Expert www.cbc.ca/stories/2003/08/14/energyexpert_030814 Oil – The World's Largest Addiction www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/21588/story.htm Blackout Puts Privatizers and Deregulators on Hotseat www.nupge.ca/news_2003/n19au03b.htm CBC In Depth: Power Outage How Grids Can Fail – System's Fragility
Highlighted What About the Food Supply? More www.rmi.org/sitepages/pid513.php
Media Links Public Radio www.cbc.ca/radioguide/
www.cbc.ca/frequency/ Radio Stations across Canada CBC (website, radio, TV) www.cbc.ca www.cbc.ca/news/background/poweroutage/ Commercial Newspapers Alternative & Mainstream Media Guide www.planetfriendly.net/voices.html Public Discussion www.rabble.ca/babble/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic&f=2&t=004815 |
| (F) Energy Organizations,
Government & Utilities
Canadian Green Energy
Organizations & Campaigns About Biodiesel www.AboutBioDiesel.com USA:
Government Ministries &
Departments Energy Sector (Canada) http://www2.nrcan.gc.ca/es/es/main_e.cfm Utilities Ontario Utilities http://listingsca.com/Ontario/Business/Utilities/complete.asp
North American Electric Reliability Council www.nerc.com www.nerc.com/~filez/pressreleases.html |
| (H) Energy Events, Fairs,
Conferences, Workshops, Meetings
2003 and 2004, in order by date; followed by recurring/ongoing; followed by links to other calendars. Mostly in Canada. 2003 Upcoming Solar Conference: The Future is Bright,
Mon-Wed Aug 18-20, Kingston, ON Stop E$$0 Organizing Meeting, Mon Aug
18, Toronto, ON Sunfest 2003 – Wind & Solar,
Strawbale, Sat Sept 6, near Orangeville, ON Energy in Canada: Time to Reinvent
the Wheel, Sept 7-9, 2003, Quebec, QC Renewable Energy Course, Mohawk
College, begins Sept 8, 2003, Hamilton, ON ReCharge Energy Expo & Conference,
Sept 12-13, 2003, Bear Mountain State Park, NY Wind Power Public Forum (free) , Thurs Sept 18, Toronto ON. www.planetfriendly.net/calendar/item.php?id=1750 www.ontario-sea.org Solar & Wind Energy Workshop - Level 1, Sat Sep 20, Kleinberg www.planetfriendly.net/calendar/item.php?id=1853 Canadian Wind Energy Association Conference & Trade Show, Sept 21-24, Pincher Creek, AB www.canwea.ca/AnnualConference.html GTA Infrastructure Summit, Sept
22-23, 2003, Toronto ON The Ottawa Valley: Community Planning Workshop & Tradeshow, Oct 2-3, Barry's Bay www.planetfriendly.net/moddetail.php?id=1876 Solar & Wind Energy Workshop - Level 1, Sat Oct 4, Kleinberg www.planetfriendly.net/calendar/item.php?id=1862 Solar & Wind Energy Workshop - Level 2, Sat Oct 18, Kleinberg www.planetfriendly.net/calendar/item.php?id=1854 Solar Workshop - Level 3, Sun Oct 19, Kleinberg www.planetfriendly.net/calendar/item.php?id=1855 Energy Efficiency Expo, Sustainable Energy Expo, Environmental Solutions Expo, Oct 21-23, London, England. www.energy-expo.info Solar Hot Water Heating Workshop, Sat Oct 25, Kleinberg www.planetfriendly.net/calendar/item.php?id=1857 CERI Electricity Conference, Oct
27-28, 2003, Calgary, AB Solar & Wind Energy Workshop - Level 3, Sat Nov 1, Kleinberg www.planetfriendly.net/calendar/item.php?id=1856 Solar Hot Water Heating Workshop, Sun Nov 2, Kleinberg www.planetfriendly.net/calendar/item.php?id=1858 Ethanol for Transportation –
World Summit, Nov 2-4, 2003, Quebec, QC Tipping the Scale Towards Solar – Canadian Solar Industries Assoc. Annual Forum, Nov 13 - 15, 2003, Ottawa, ON. www.cansia.ca/forum.htm Canadian Power Conference & Trade Show,
Nov 25-26, 2003, Toronto, ON Green Power Trade Show, (Nov 25-26?),
2003, Toronto, ON 2004 GLOBE 2004, Mar 31 - Apr 2, 2004, Vancouver, BC www.globe.ca Environment & Energy Conference - EECO (May?) 2004, Canada www.eeco2003.com Citizens For Renewable Energy AGM, May 2004, near Waterloo, ON www.web.net/~cfre/ Emergency Preparedness Week (annual,
May) www.emergencypreparednessweek.ca
Smog Summit, June 2004?, Toronto www.toronto.ca/cleanairpartnership/smog_summit.htm Renewable Energy and Sustainable Living Fair,
June 18-20, 2004, Wisconsin Recurring/Ongoing Events & Workshops Learning Centres & Places across North America www.planetfriendly.net/learn.html Renewable Energy Workshops,
Kortright, dates in spring & fall Green Energy Workshops www.ontario-sea.org People- & Planet-Friendly Calendar (mostly Canada) www.planetfriendly.net/calendar/ Energy Fairs & Events (mostly USA) www.homepower.com/events/fairs.cfm www.homepower.com/events/ Renewable Energy Calendar (International) www.ttcorp.com/events.asp Energy Conferences (International) http://directory.google.com/Top/Science/Technology/Energy/Conferences/ Learning Centres & Places across
North America www.planetfriendly.net/learn.html
Environmental & Activist Calendars across Canada www.planetfriendly.net/calendars.html
Small Is Beautiful: "The most striking thing about modern industry is that it requires so much and accomplishes so little. Modern industry seems to be inefficient to a degree that surpasses one's ordinary powers of imagination. Its inefficiency therefore remains unnoticed." – E.F. Schumacher, Small is Beautiful www.serve.com/ecobooks/smbeaut.htm (2) (3) (4) "Ever bigger machines, entailing ever bigger concentrations of economic power and exerting ever greater violence against the environment, do not represent progress: they are a denial of wisdom. Wisdom demands a new orientation of science and technology towards the organic, the gentle, the non-violent, the elegant and beautiful." – E.F. Schumacher, Small is Beautiful www.serve.com/ecobooks/smbeaut.htm (2) (3) (4) Small Is Profitable: "Technologies tailored to the needs of the people, not the reverse, can improve the economy and the environment" – www.smallisprofitable.org (2) |
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