Second Peak Oil Miniconference

Event Description:

Maintaining our way of life depends on cheap oil but this is ending.

Global oil production will peak soon, if it hasn’t already, and then decline.

The expected consequences are rising gasoline prices, rising food prices and a stagnant economy.

Come to our conference to learn what you and Houston can do to respond wisely to this paradigm shift.

Program: 

12:30 Registration – Space is limited, so please pre-register at www.HoustonPeakOil.org or with the form on the back. 

1:00   Keynote address: “Peak Oil – The Quantitative Case” by Jeffrey J. Brown, independent geologist in the Dallas area. Brown explains the geology on which our current lifestyle depends. Brown will explain why we’re in for a shock. Brown will talk about when to expect these radical changes. He recommends cutting consumption, getting out of debt, and becoming a net food and energy producer. 

1:50  “Solutions to Peak Oil” – A panel discussion with: 

• Karl Pepple, City of Houston, Director of Environmental Programming for City of Houston. 
• Fred Yebra, Director of Austin Energy’s nationally recognized energy efficiency program. 
• Alan S. Drake, a New Orleans engineer devoted to the electrification of transportation by rail. 
• Jamie Mitchell, Plug-In Partners, which urges auto makers to produce plug-in hybrid autos. 
• Chris Boyer, Vice President of Houston Renewable Energy Group, a non-profit citizen group. 

3:00  Workshops & Movie:

• Movie – “End of Suburbia: Oil Depletion and the Collapse of American Dream” and independent documentary, featuring Matthew Simmons and other national citizen leaders discussing how peak oil will affect our daily lives. Don’t miss this wake up call or buy a copy at the conference or from www.EndOfSuburbia.com. 
• “Austin, Houston and Energy Efficiency” by Fred Yebra and Karl Pepple and Issa Dadoush.  Dadoush is Houston’s Director of Building Services. Pepple is Director of Environmental Programming for City of Houston. Yebra is Director of Austin Energy’s Demand Side Management Division. He directs award winning energy efficiency services for homes and businesses for Austin’s electricity company. 
• "The Electrification of Transportation as a Response to Peaking World Oil Production" by Alan S. Drake. Drake will talk about freight rail, urban rail, trolley buses and transit oriented development. Drake is a consulting engineer, former accountant, and professional researcher based in New Orleans. 
• “The Renewable Energy Solution” Dr. Chris Boyer, VP of Houston Renewable Energy Group, will talk about solar, wind, and biofuels, sources of clean energy for a sustainable future.  www.txses.org/hreg
• “Biofuels: Their Potential and Limits to their Development” by Sandy Mathieu, who has a Masters in Alternative Energy from Washington University in St. Louis and is working on a startup biodiesel plant in Houston. In June, she attended the international Biodiesel Investors Conference held in Houston. 
• “An Overview – Softening the Collapse of Our High Energy Lifestyle; Looking at Ways to Reduce Our Energy Uses”. By Earl Gerhard, chemical engineer, who has studied peak oil for four years. 
• “Plug-In Hybrid Electric Autos” by Jamie Mitchell, of Plug-In Partners, a national grass-roots initiative to demonstrate to automakers that a market exists for flexible-fuel Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV). 
• “Blood for Oil – The Drive to Control Access” by Herb Rothschild, retired academic, community activitst, and co-founder of the Houston Peace and Justice Center. 
• “Declining Oil Production Makes Climate Protection Easier” by Geoffrey Castro of Clean, a Houston non-profit organization that has spearheaded climate protection efforts. 

4:00 Break

4:15  Closing Session

• Reports from workshops, panelists’ closing statements
• Questions from the audience
• Discussion of how we can organize to continue learning together. 

5:15 End  

Contact:

Don Cook 713-705-5594 escramble('zenblews','hotmail.com'); or Nan Hildreth 713-842-6643 escramble('NanHildreth','riseup.net');

 
Details:  See the flyers below (see Attachments). The 2-up flyers has a summary, two per page. The "front" and "back" attachments are for a more detailed 2-page flyer.

Event Sponsor:
Houston Peak Oil Progressives, 1st Unitarian Universalist Community Involvement Committee, Oil Patch Democrats-Houston, PAA

Event Contact Name:
Donald Cook

Event Phone Contact Information:
713-705-5594

Event Email Address:
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Event Website:
www.HoustonPeakOil.org

Event Fee:
$10 donation, no one turned away for lack of funds