The Powerdown Show at Flyleaf Books

On March 10, 2010, we aired parts of the Irish TV program The Powerdown Show at Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill. We were joined by over 50 members of the community. These were people already well versed in the challenges of peak oil and climate change, many of them practicing exactly what was being preached that evening. One participant came all the way from Raleigh by bicycle and bus!

We watched two 20-minute episodes and had a lively discussion of what we'd seen, guided by moderators Kathy Shea, Daniel Morris, Margaret Krome-Lukens, and Randy Dodd.

The Powerdown Show introduces the concept of peak oil and explains the developments that are likely to occur once oil supplies start to dwindle. It contains a particularly entertaining allegory in which a trio of young revelers discovers a free fountain of beer in the back yard. Ignoring warnings from a more level-headed friend, they drink and drink as long as the brew is flowing. When it slows to a trickle, they are unable to either stand up unassisted or adjust to the reality of a world in which there is no more free beer.

Fortunately, there are ways to adapt to such shocks. Many of these were discussed that evening, and more will be developed Saturday, May 15 at the Century Center in Carrboro. That's the date of the Great Unleashing of Transition Carrboro-Chapel Hill. The Unleashing is where the foundation will be laid for our own community's Energy Descent Plan. We'll get together and decide as a group what projects should be pursued to make sure our towns are resilient enough to deal with whatever the future holds, environmentally and economically.