Why Buy Local Food?
EAT LOCAL! Guide
BUY LOCAL FIRST!
EAT LOCAL!
GROW LOCAL!
LOCAL ENERGY!
LOCAL CURRENCY!
Keep Me Informed About the BOULDER COUNTY GOING LOCAL! Campaign.
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LOCAL ENERGY!
A new and intense focus on renewable energy and energy conservation is now emerging in the face of the challenges of peak oil and gas and the environmental ramifications of global over-reliance on cheap energy. To help mitigate the potential local economic impacts of the emerging fuel crisis, and to reduce local contributions to greenhouse gas emissions, the LOCAL ENERGY! Campaign will educate the public, local businesses and institutions, demonstrate effective strategies, and help catalyze appropriate community responses.
LOCAL ENERGY! is a community response that makes sense for a variety of reasons:
- Economic: Local energy often translates into keeping more money in the immediate area, that is, local investors are involved in the development and support of local energy projects. Local energy research, production and management has the potential to create jobs within communities
- Educational: Local energy projects increase the number of people in the community involved in energy production and thus raises public awareness in regard to energy issues and initiatives, through public exchanges of information and ideas
- Environmental: Local energy represents a move towards more environmentally-sound energy production. Local energy initiatives are often natural energetic processes which can be harnessed with little pollution, such as geothermal power, wind power, solar power, biomass power and small-scale hydropower. Reduces the hazards of global warming by reducing harmful emissions
- Social and political: Enhances the reliability of our system through the diversification of the energy sources. Reduces our dependence on outside (often unstable) energy sources. The loss in ability to be self reliant for energy production is becoming increasingly apparent as further crises develop within the oil and gas industries worldwide. Recognizing this dependence on unstable energy sources around the world has been the impetus for many local energy projects.
- Security: Unstable foreign energy sources threaten local economic viability and community security. Severe energy shortages and energy price spikes can make it difficult and even impossible to provide local essential services, emergency services, food and essential goods. Implementing lower energy consumption, emergency preparedness plans and viable locally produced alternative energy sources can help protect energy and community security.
Vision & Goals
- Demonstrate effective strategies for reducing and eventually eliminating community dependence on imported fossil fuels for energy.
- Document project successes and shortcomings, organize community tours of appropriate projects, and provide journalistic coverage in our web site and in our affiliated publication Transition Times.
- Wherever possible, use specific project sites for training and public workshops.
Adapted from Post Carbon Institute (www.energyfarms.net)
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