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I have come across several related websites which are run by groups that are actively promoting the importance and necessity of local economies.

http://www.relocalize.net, http://www.postcarbon.org, http://relocalize.net/groups/applebloomington

The first, The Relocalization Network is an organization that is an initiative of the Post Carbon Institute and their main goal embodies what we are learning in this class. It's a good name because we all started out having everything local and it seemed to work a lot better than our current system. They are promoting local sustainable food production, energy and goods, local currencies and governance. It is believed that by producing and consuming everything locally then communities will become more vibrant, people will have more jobs and social equity and the environment will degrade less. The current state of the world is one that requires polluting fuels for energy, wars for oil procurement, poor working conditions and a multitude of hazardous chemicals in our products, consumables and food. The network consists of 173 Post Carbon groups across North America and even one in Japan. Each group under the direction of the national organization are implementing educational programs to promote their ideas.

As we have seen here, film screenings are a great way to get people to notice what we're trying to convey and the Relocalization Network promotes screenings and festivals followed by question and answer sessions to further understanding. They have listed 17 films on their website complete with a brief description of each and where you can either obtain a copy or view them on the Internet. Such films include: The End of Suburbia, The Power of Community, The Future of Food, The Corporation, Energy Crossroads and other films on sustainable food, oil and communities. http://www.relocalize.net/screenings

One of their publications is the Oil Age Poster, a large very detailed and colorful poster depicting oil production from 1859 to 2050, predicting the peak and decline. It details where all of the world's oil comes from and who uses the most among other details and other fossil fuels. http://www.oilposter.org/posterlarge.html

The Relocalization Network and the Post Carbon Cities program have had some success in collaborating with city governments to make resolutions regarding peak oil and its implications. Portland, OR, San Francisco, CA, Oakland, CA, Bloomington, IN and Franklin, NY have all passed resolutions within the past year or two recognizing the need to seek alternatives to oil not just for the environment but for local economies as well.

To promote local food and agriculture systems they have a great wealth of books, articles, ideas and programs listed. CSAs, the Slow Food movement and the 100 mile diet are among them.

The energy and transportation sections also includes books, DVDs, articles and ideas for localizing our everyday common needs. Among them are of course renewables and reliable, efficient public transportation. The website also has ideas for production and manufacturing, currency, the built environment and culture. Very much and all encompassing set of resources to live a sustainable life via local control of every aspect of our lives.

The second link above is for the Post Carbon Institute and all they promote.

The third belongs to the Bloomington, IN group which is known as APPLE or the Alliance for Post-Petroleum Local Economics and their slogan is, "It's a small world after oil." This particular site covers what their group is doing and has many blog postings by its members.

The nearest group to us here in Fairfield is the Ames Citizens for Clean Energy in Ames. Their site is quite spartan but it's a start.