Robert Paterson's Weblog

Zap Your Pram Conference on PEI this last weekend - Thanks

I spent Saturday at a conference hosted by Dan James of silverorange and Peter Rukavina of Reinvented. Called Zap your Pram (for non Mac folks this means in effect "reboot").

The first Zap back in I think 2004 was one of the first unconferences. While there are speakers, most of the time is set up to be "free". The setting, Dalvay, is more like a large country house than an institution. The food was a major highlight rather than something to save money on.

Speakers would stand by the large fireplace and talk for a bit and then the other people would pile in. It was the nearest thing to a salon that I have experienced. What were we all talking about? What people were interested in. How songs and scripts get written. The struggle to integrate the web and radio. How to see art? How work is organized.

Here is a link to Stephen's post that describes the agenda and also offers up some great pics

Here is the Flickr link

I was the black cloud of the meeting and talked about why we are in the midst of a financial meltdown.

The conference was about being with and conversing with people who were struggling with making meaning in many fields. Quite opposite for hearing the wisdom from the sage - most "speakers" were asking the audience for help. How refreshing!

A big thank you to Peter and to Dan and I bet Kelly had a lot to do with this too.

For all you who may be wondering where to stay and where to eat if you came to PEI - Dalvay is hard to beat.

Good News on a Bad Day - Public transport between Charlottetown and Summerside

Province Announces a New Transit Service Between Charlottetown and Summerside

CHARLOTTETOWN, PEI -- The Provincial Government is taking the first step to bring Island communities together. Hon Carolyn Bertram, Minister of Communities, Cultural Affairs and Labour announced this morning a new transit project which will link Charlottetown and Summerside.

“Islanders have said that they are interested in a regional public transit system; we are very pleased to be able to support this bus route as a response to that call from Islanders,” said Minister Bertram. “Based on forecasted demand, we are confident in both the short-term and long-term success of this initiative. We will look forward to reviewing the project with Trius Tours in 12 months.”

Trius Tours will operate the new service, entitled the 7.5.3 County Line Express, which is scheduled to begin October 27, 2008. The service will run along the main commuter corridor, Highway 2, and connect to Summerside via Route 11. Two buses will be on route, providing timely runs each direction in the morning and afternoon peak periods. The bus will run Monday through Friday, with fares of $7, $5, and $3 one-way, depending on pick-up and drop-off locations.

The service will offer major pick-up / drop-off locations in Charlottetown, Hunter River, Kensington, Summerside and Slemon Park. For customer convenience, there will be additional flag stop location such as Winsloe, Milton, Brookfield, Fredericton, Summerfield and New Annan. Exact times and locations will be announced at a later date.

The case for Geothermal on PEI

Gord Pierce kindly posted this on the Island energy Blog. I have added more detail there too from his PEI Source - Prompt Plumbing. Interesting to be reminded that our sandy ground and experienced well drillers provide us with a good platform for Geothermal.

We had also been looking at “adopting” an older farmhouse, until we realized that any mortgage payment during the years before we actually moved in would be matched (or surpassed) by the cost of “keeping the heat on” during the winter months. Empty houses also want to be warm.

There needs to be more discussion of the ground-based heat pumps that are now available. On the Island, where digging a well is a little easier (no granite to interfere with the digging), putting in either an closed-loop vertical system OR an open (2 well system) will provide unlimited heat in the 42 degree F range.

If a house has either water-based radiators, or a forced-air system, the cost of heating is reduced dramatically.

The only Island-based information site I’ve found so far (although there will be more) is from someone up in Fortune, PEI at http://www.promptplumbing.ca/heat.html

The price of heating oil is going to continue to rise (I’m betting my retirement on that one), so we need to look at alternatives now.

If we continue this then what?

There is news of fish kills die to the oxygen being squeezed out by algae etc on PEI rivers. I go swimming in the Hillsborough River with the dogs on hot  days and have been struck this summer by the huge clumps and mats of vegetation in the river - significantly worse than in previous years.

So what is the end game here?

Our rivers and streams are in enough trouble because of causeways that have choked the flow - but the accumulation of nitrates seems to be reaching a tipping point.

What will PEI be like if its rivers and stream become stagnant marshes?

Many hope that we have time to reduce nitrates. Many see the concentration only in the high use potato areas. But do we have the time? Systems don't change gradually - they tip. Are we Tipping?

Systems are also interconnected - is flow and hence causeways a related issue? Is not the water table also connected?

Some say it's only a few fish? Really - how can a place be livable if all its water systems atrophy? Hello it's all about us and our future.

I suspect that we don't have the time and that this is not as simple as we had thought. So what would I do?

I would change my time horizon to immediate and I would ask myself what would be the outcomes if our rivers died in say 3 years? That might change where I put this issue. I would expand the issue to riverine health - that would include flow.

Finally I would ask this question - what happens to a place that has no moving surface water?

Cotton Park Stratford PEI - What next?

Just down the road from where is live is Cotton Park. The dogs and I go there nearly every day - it is the best walking park on PEI. The Council are looking input for how they should manage the park. But as is often the case - few people knew of the public meetings and so turnout and input was modest.

Please consider the web? Why not set up a Ning site for the Future of Stratford? I keep getting reminders that I should go to the town hall and see the plan. I get getting told that great things are happening at Stratford. I believe it on faith but I am not going to drive to the town hall to get information.

Come on guys - the tools are there - the price is right.

By the way - here is my feedback for the Cotton Park - Please no minor Disney - not swings etc. Please keep it as an oasis from urban life. Maybe add some mystery such as the proposed labyrinth - of course make it consistent with the towns emerging sustainable values and use no presticides - make it a model and a learning resource for the rest of us who are struggling to do this in our homes.

School on PEI - Peak Oil and Fewer Kids

Even without Peak Oil - We face a school infrastructure crisis on PEI. Here are the anticipated numbers of High School enrollments (Source UPEI). Of course the primary school situation will be even more dramatic.

Our system of centralized regional schools means that already some primary schools are becoming marginal using traditional cost benefit accounting.

The traditional modern "solution" will be to centralize even further where we end up with maybe 2-3 primary schools and very long bus journey's and the same for high schools.

Fortunately Peak Oil makes this choice impossible.

So what to do with shrinking enrollment and higher oil costs? Here are a few ideas - what are yours?

• See the school no longer as a dedicated school but as a community resource - could mean this is where people work if there is a big push for telecommuting and people don't drive all the way into town but join their kids on the bus for school?
• See the school buses as the core of a new public transportation system - where the fleet is optimized to serve the wider needs of the community
• Bring back the One Room School House in communities where kids can walk to school - but with a difference - this one room school is linked to the web so that the kids are in connection with all kids on PEI and to many resources from all over the world
• Build on school at home - where many things are done by the kids at home online - no more "snow days" After all the kids do so much online now any way

What do you think we should do as we face both rising costs and shrinking enrollment?

No excuse now for you not to come to PEI in the Summer

New Delta Flight!

Beginning June 13th and continuing to September 17th Delta Air Lines regional partner Comair will add new weekend flights for direct non-stop service between New York City and Charlottetown.

Getting here has never been easier!

Hopetoun Barn - Your Cottage on PEI for 2009 - We are sold out in 2008

My first Flip movie. Very easy.

When I Tweet about Mowing - this is where you can find me

Our never ending Bad Weather - A sacrifice needed?

I am not alone - many us who live on PEI are going nuts with the constant cold and rain.

There may be a way out. In ancient times, a "King" was sacrificed in the spring to bring good fortune to the crop.

The "King" would have have every wish fulfilled and would have to be acknowledged as being important - other wise the Gods would take no notice.

All we need is a willing "King" - Boomer?

Foreshadowing our Future?

" ... Rome is hollow at the heart and one day she will come crashing down. A hundred years ago, it must have seemed that all this was forever; a hundred years hence - only the gods will know ... If I can make this one province strong - strong enough to stand alone when Rome goes down, then something may have been saved from the darkness. If not, the Dubris light and Limanis light and Rutupiae light will go out. The lights will go out everywhere. "

Dubris (Dover) Roman Lighthouse

From The Silver Branch by Rosemary Sutcliff - foreshadowing the fall of Rome and the transition that will occur in Britain.

I acknowledge that some of my readers feel that I am being unfriendly to America when I talk like this. I am not. I just have this feeling that we are terrible SYSTEMIC trouble. Some have asked - "What can we do?"

I think the answer is found in Sutcliff's later books in the series that root the Arthur legend in a realistic view what what life might have been like in post Roman Britain.

What she portrays are a group of people who work hard to keep the light alive in their area - the essence of Arthur.

There is no help from Rome. There will no longer be subsidies from Ottawa or Washington. The global transportation system collapsed. Our future will be determined by how self sufficient we can become.

We have to be able to grow our own food and to make our own energy - both are linked.

All our talk about farming misses this critical part. If we lose the knowledge and then lose our access to the global food system - what then?

If we don't work to become self sufficient in energy and we lose access to oil - what then?

How exciting might it be instead to make this our context and to join together as Lantern Bearers to become self sufficient