As of February 1, 2013, we will no longer post to this site. We’ll leave it up, so you can still watch past Peak Moment Conversations here.

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Stay with us as the Peak Moment journey continues! ~Janaia and Robin

“Changing times calls for changing lifestyles.” says Brian Kerkvliet. “So [we’ve] put more energy into the land… The more you get your fingers in the soil, the more endorphins rush through your head. You get excited by all of that.” Using permaculture and biodynamic practices, Brian’s family is endlessly experimenting and innovating to find what works. His wife Alexandra and daughter Rosalie introduce us to the goats, pigs, and cows who are essential players in their farm’s web of life. Don’t miss the outdoor shower with water heated by microbes in the compost pile! (Episode 226). [inspirationfarm.com]

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“The external growth of a budding economy is over. The focus on growth now needs to be on the inner world.” Carolyn Baker’s Navigating the Coming Chaos is a toolkit to prepare emotionally and spiritually for the collapse of industrial civilization now underway. First build an “internal bunker,” she suggests, to begin healing the fear, grief and despair that immobilize many people in our “culture of numbness.” From that foundation, she invites us to look at who our allies are — people, places, possessions. Carolyn observes that many people experience a level of joy by doing this work (Episode 225). [carolynbaker.net]

BlipTV | Janaia’s journal Carolyn Baker on Navigating the Coming Chaos | iTunes | Audio

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“No violence. No theft. No drugs or alcohol. No constant disruptive behavior. Everyone must contribute to the village.”  While finishing our tour, Jon Hawkes lays out the five agreements residents must abide by, all forged by real-world experience. What would it be like if our entire society followed these rules? Celebrating its tenth anniversary, Dignity Village is an organically evolving, self-organizing intentional community — and a model for others. [dignityvillage.org]

BlipTV | Janaia’s journal Dignity Village: Intentional Community for the Homeless | iTunes | Audio

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“Anybody can come through our gates 8 am-10 pm and use all of our facilities. We have hot showers, a telephone, free computers internet-ready, our commons, offices, [and a free store of donated items.] Anybody has access to this.” Tour guide Jon Hawkes highlights this community’s generosity to the larger community: its residents well understand what homeless people need. Visit their greenhouse, gardens, houses, and business enterprises — all built with ingenuity on a city-owned site. [dignityvillage.org]

BlipTV | Janaia’s journal Dignity Village: Intentional Community for the Homeless | iTunes | Audio

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“If peak oil occurs, it will dominate most everything else that we do, because energy drives everything.” Financial consultant Jim Hansen’s peak oil filter doesn’t just guide  investment decisions for his client portfolios. He applies it to his personal lifestyle (you may be surprised to learn what car he drives). He’s also concerned about community impacts when fuel prices are higher, like centralized hospitals dependent on people driving to them, rather than many smaller localized facilities. Jim makes an important point: “If I get it right but my community gets it wrong, it could overwhelm everything I’ve done personally.” [ravennacapitalmanagement.com]

BlipTV | Janaia’s journal Applying the Peak Oil Filter | iTunes | Audio

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Jump on that bike and power up the blender for your morning smoothie! Matthew Corson-Finnerty shows several machines he has developed while at Aprovecho Center in Oregon. Watch us pedal power an electricity generator, a grain mill, a blender, and a straw-chopper. Matthew notes there’s “considerable difference between the power that one person can generate, and [what’s] generated by a fossil fuel engine or a coal-fired plant to provide electricity.” After watching these machines, what do you think? [aprovecho.net, bikeblender.blogspot.com]

BlipTV | Janaia’s journal: Taking a Ride on Pedal-Powered Machine(s) | iTunes | Audio