Email Article
50 by 25
Running on empty? Some local citizens hope to shape a Berea that can live on half its current energy needs by 2025. The next meeting is Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at the Appalachian Center Gallery.
Editor's note: If you like the fact that this Web site covers this type of story, spread the word by sending someone a link to KYNews.org or by emailing the story.
BEREA – The year is 2025. The price of gasoline, when you can get it, is exorbitant. The scarcity of fossil fuel, hastened by increased industrial competition from India and China, has rocked even the most stable economies throughout the world.
The price of everything from basic food stuffs to clothes to paper products has gone sky high.
Remarkably, life in 2025 Berea is still good. Food is plentiful, less expensive and better than in other cities, residents have good jobs in the new green economy, and people work closer to home. Home owners, meanwhile, spend less of their income cooling and heating their homes because of community initiatives to encourage energy conservation. All of it is because of work begun by Berea residents in 2008.
That was the vision of “Transition Town Berea,” presented Wednesday night at Berea City Hall by two local groups: Sustainable Berea and Interdisciplinary Programs Collaboration at Berea College.
Dr. Richard Olson, director of the Sustainability and Environmental Studies program at Berea College, began the evening by noting that while gas prices have dropped for now, increasing global demand, combined with what he says are shrinking resources of oil, natural gas and coal will make fossil fuels more expensive and scarce in the future.
“Overall, the perfect storm of environmental and economic factors is still there despite the low gas prices we saw this morning,” Olson said.
Unless Berea develops strategies to deal with the coming energy crunch, the community will lack “resilience” in the face of external shocks like energy crises, food shortages or environmental degradation, Olson said.
To increase the city’s resilience – the ability to weather those challenges - the two groups propose achieving “50 by 25” – the use of 50 percent less energy by 2025, generating 50 percent of needed energy from local renewable resources, ensuring that 50 percent of Berea’s food supply is produced within 100 miles of the city, and developing an economy in which half of the city’s economic activity is generated by locally owned businesses.
With those goals in mind, the panel presented three suggestions for meeting the above objectives:
On the economy, panel members recommended the creation of a local currency – Berea Dollars – which would promote local commerce. The economic component also included suggestions for promoting “green” industries, such as local insulation businesses, as well as launching an annual festival that highlights sustainability and resilience issues.
In the category of energy, the panel recommended widespread community conservation such as employing rain barrels to preserve water, encouraging the use of solar panels on homes and businesses, promoting community transit and ride sharing, and encouraging the development of bike paths.
Other ideas included educating builders about green building design that will reduce energy use in local homes. The energy component also calls for the Berea Municipal Utilities to offer energy audits and offer low-interest loans for home owners and businesses to implement the recommendations outlined in said energy audit. Another facet of the energy component was to direct the Berea Planning and Zoning Commission to consider energy and conservation issues in its future zoning and land use decisions.
On the issue of agriculture, panel members recommended the promotion of better and more accessible farmer’s markets, the promotion of small farms on the outskirts of town, the use of locally grown foods at area restaurants, and the formation of a task force that will study “Berea Food Security” issues – such as what would happen to the local food supply in the event of a national or economic crisis.
When the discussion was opened to the audience, several participants offered ideas for change, including banning the use of plastic shopping bags in Berea, adopting strategies for reducing waste to zero, allowing residents to use golf carts on designated roads, encouraging the use of geothermal energy in the construction of new homes, and encouraging the local governments to purchase hybrid vehicles.
“It seems to me it might be worth it to look at doing a joint project with the city, Sustainable Berea, and other governmental entities,” said Craig Williams.
At September meeting of the Madison County Fiscal Court, Magistrate Bill Tudor asked the county to look at the feasibility of replacing some of the county fleet with electric cars or buses.
While there may be a long way to go as far as changing attitudes in favor of sustainability, Olson said he is encouraged by the number of people who attended Wednesday.
“It’s a big job transitioning a town,” Olson said. “But it’s heartening that so many people are here tonight. To me, it’s trading blind faith that ‘they’ [someone government entity or organization] will solve the problem.”
The group will meet again Thursday, Nov. 20, 6:30, at the Appalachian Center Gallery in the Bruce Building.
BEREA – The year is 2025. The price of gasoline, when you can get it, is exorbitant. The scarcity of fossil fuel, hastened by increased industrial competition from India and China, has rocked even the most stable economies throughout the world.
The price of everything from basic food stuffs to clothes to paper products has gone sky high.
Remarkably, life in 2025 Berea is still good. Food is plentiful, less expensive and better than in other cities, residents have good jobs in the new green economy, and people work closer to home. Home owners, meanwhile, spend less of their income cooling and heating their homes because of community initiatives to encourage energy conservation. All of it is because of work begun by Berea residents in 2008.
That was the vision of “Transition Town Berea,” presented Wednesday night at Berea City Hall by two local groups: Sustainable Berea and Interdisciplinary Programs Collaboration at Berea College.
Dr. Richard Olson, director of the Sustainability and Environmental Studies program at Berea College, began the evening by noting that while gas prices have dropped for now, increasing global demand, combined with what he says are shrinking resources of oil, natural gas and coal will make fossil fuels more expensive and scarce in the future.
“Overall, the perfect storm of environmental and economic factors is still there despite the low gas prices we saw this morning,” Olson said.
Unless Berea develops strategies to deal with the coming energy crunch, the community will lack “resilience” in the face of external shocks like energy crises, food shortages or environmental degradation, Olson said.
To increase the city’s resilience – the ability to weather those challenges - the two groups propose achieving “50 by 25” – the use of 50 percent less energy by 2025, generating 50 percent of needed energy from local renewable resources, ensuring that 50 percent of Berea’s food supply is produced within 100 miles of the city, and developing an economy in which half of the city’s economic activity is generated by locally owned businesses.
With those goals in mind, the panel presented three suggestions for meeting the above objectives:
On the economy, panel members recommended the creation of a local currency – Berea Dollars – which would promote local commerce. The economic component also included suggestions for promoting “green” industries, such as local insulation businesses, as well as launching an annual festival that highlights sustainability and resilience issues.
In the category of energy, the panel recommended widespread community conservation such as employing rain barrels to preserve water, encouraging the use of solar panels on homes and businesses, promoting community transit and ride sharing, and encouraging the development of bike paths.
Other ideas included educating builders about green building design that will reduce energy use in local homes. The energy component also calls for the Berea Municipal Utilities to offer energy audits and offer low-interest loans for home owners and businesses to implement the recommendations outlined in said energy audit. Another facet of the energy component was to direct the Berea Planning and Zoning Commission to consider energy and conservation issues in its future zoning and land use decisions.
On the issue of agriculture, panel members recommended the promotion of better and more accessible farmer’s markets, the promotion of small farms on the outskirts of town, the use of locally grown foods at area restaurants, and the formation of a task force that will study “Berea Food Security” issues – such as what would happen to the local food supply in the event of a national or economic crisis.
When the discussion was opened to the audience, several participants offered ideas for change, including banning the use of plastic shopping bags in Berea, adopting strategies for reducing waste to zero, allowing residents to use golf carts on designated roads, encouraging the use of geothermal energy in the construction of new homes, and encouraging the local governments to purchase hybrid vehicles.
“It seems to me it might be worth it to look at doing a joint project with the city, Sustainable Berea, and other governmental entities,” said Craig Williams.
At September meeting of the Madison County Fiscal Court, Magistrate Bill Tudor asked the county to look at the feasibility of replacing some of the county fleet with electric cars or buses.
While there may be a long way to go as far as changing attitudes in favor of sustainability, Olson said he is encouraged by the number of people who attended Wednesday.
“It’s a big job transitioning a town,” Olson said. “But it’s heartening that so many people are here tonight. To me, it’s trading blind faith that ‘they’ [someone government entity or organization] will solve the problem.”
The group will meet again Thursday, Nov. 20, 6:30, at the Appalachian Center Gallery in the Bruce Building.