The Power of Place
June 27th, 2009I just came back from London, where I had the exquisite pleasure of reading Harm de Blij’s The Power of Place. (Oxford University Press, 2009)
Media Firestorm
May 5th, 2009Tonight I did an interview with Douglas Rushkoff on his WFMU show out of New York called Media Squat. He’s a “bottom up” proponent and thinker who is coming out with a new book about corporatism entitled Life Inc. I’m looking forward to it.
His path to Small is Possible came via the PLENTY, which is our newly revitalized local currency. In the chapter “Financing Ourselves,” I accidentally did two things. First, I wrote about our locally owned Capital Bank. Local readers became enamored with the idea of banking locally and started opening accounts there. They got a copy of the book to find out what their new customers were talking about. The founder of the bank bought some copies. I accompanied him to his wife’s book club at Mrs Lacy’s Tea Room in Sanford, North Carolina. For a moment there I was the darling of Capital Bank.
Secondly Small is Possible was picked up by BJ Lawson, who was running for Congress. In “Financing Ourselves” I told the story of the PLENTY–which was a currency I had supported and used for many years. Monetary theory is a hobby of BJ’s. One day at lunch a group of us kicked around the idea of breathing fresh life into the PLENTY organization. It was one of those idle conversations where one person says “I could do the website,” and another says I could do “this” and my suggestion was that I might be able to “get a bank.”
We did all of those things, the new PLENTY was launched and it turns out “Local Bank Accepts Local Currency” became international news.
It started with a misquote in USA Today which said, “We are a wiped out little town.” That led to a local burst of media, followed by the national guys. I headed off to Democracy Now. Next thing we knew our mayor was on FOX news, and Melissa was on the BBC, and CNN trucks were rumbling through our little town. Then came the Russians, and the Polish TV crews. Then Inside Edition. It’s been nuts.
I confess to being at a deep disadvantage on the TV front. Having not owned one for 18 years I have never seen many of these shows.
One of my favorite sidebars to this story is that of Janine Saunders. She was raised at Blue Heron Farm–which is an intentional community in Pittsboro–written about in the chapter “Housing Ourselves.” Janine moved to New York, hired on as an assistant with Rushkoff, and was given the task of getting me on the show. I love it. Rushkoff has thought deeply about currency and capitalism, and I am thinking it might have come as a surprise to Janine that in order to get “the story,” from Manhattan she would need to start back in her home town of 2500 souls…
Second Printing
January 18th, 2009The good folks at New Society tell me Small is Possible has gone into its second printing, which is good because I had a chance to fix mistakes emailed to me by readers. And it’s good because they got Joel Salatin’s blurb on the cover.
I confess to being hoplessly behind on this website, but I am delighted that the book has grown legs of its own. I have been writing magazine articles lately–one on sustainable biodiesel for Alternatives Journal (that one was peer reviewed which was interesting and different), one about grassroots communications for BiodieselSMARTER, and one for Wildlife in North Carolina. And I have continued contributing to the News and Observer, where one of my columns caused a minor dust up over food vs fuel organizing.
Most of my writing of late has been devoted to the death of my brother Mark.
Finding my way through a world without Mark has caused this site, and Energy Blog to suffer.
And while I have updated the Random Photos section, I have abandoned my attempt to keep the “Appearances” calendar up to date. These days I am on the “Michael Shuman” track. He once told me he did a public speaking gig once a week for many years. I’m on once or twice a week these days.
A little economic development, some biodiesel, some sustainability in general, and occasional book stuff.
Just enough to keep me stressed and behind…
Small is Possible Blurb
October 15th, 2008
Today I am at a conference for the Society of Enviromental Journalists in Roanoke, VA. Tomorrow I’m on a bus to Polyface Farm. That’s Joel Salatin’s grass growing operation in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. His farm was made legendary in Michael Pollan’s Omnivore’s Dilemma. Can’t wait.
I’m the biodiesel guy on the bus.
The fall colors are on, the weather is crisp, and I am reminded that Joel read Small is Possible prior to its publication, and sent me a wonderful blurb for the back jacket. It came in too late for the first printing, so perhaps we will see it on the next round.
Here is what Joel wrote:
“Cutting through the heady academic and altruistic arguments for local,
small economy, Estill’s captivating storytelling offers practical and can-do reality.
I came away from this book filled with enthusiasm for a pro-neighborhood commercial community.”
I’m looking forward to meeting him tomorrow…
Random Photos and Thoughts
August 9th, 2008My wife Tami is a shutterbug. Since she keeps a photographic record of our lives, I thought I should throw up some photos here.
The World Without Us
August 5th, 2008I have yet to see the new Pixar flick, WALL-E, but apparently the first hour or so parallels Alan Weisman’s The World Without Us (St. Martin’s Press, 2007).
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Small is Possible
June 25th, 2008This book is making some noise. We’ve spent much of the summer doing readings and radio interviews and talking to folks about local economy. We might be coming to a town near you–check out the Appearances page for details, and if not, drop us a line and we’ll see what we can do.
You can buy Small is Possible at your favorite independent bookstore. If your community is without one, you can also buy it from the big chain stores. If you have neither in your town, you can buy the book from the publisher, or from Amazon, or from the Abundance Foundation where proceeds from the sale go toward supporting the good work they do.
Biodiesel Power
June 25th, 2008BIODIESEL POWER: The Passion, the People, and the Politics of the Next Renewable Fuel
Whether we are nearing the end of oil or merely nearing the end of inexpensive oil, it is becoming increasingly clear that we need to find alternative ways to meet our energy needs. Biodiesel is one such alternative — and is one of the fastest growing sectors of the US economy. Biodiesel in North America is in its infancy. As air quality deteriorates in major centers, governments are scrambling for ways to reduce emissions and are embracing biodiesel in their fleets. Conferences on biodiesel are often “inaugural,” as society begins discussing this fuel in earnest.
Biodiesel Power is a chronicle of this emerging industry. Lightly touching on the technical aspects of the fuel, its qualities and specifications, the book is largely about the people and stories of the biodiesel movement. It explores the tensions between:
Reinventing Collapse
June 22nd, 2008I’ve just finished Dmitry Orlov’s Reinventing Collapse; The Soviet Example and American Prospects (New Society, 2008).
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Reviews
June 19th, 2008Move over Amazon, here are some review links and reader feedback which I think are telling: