Volume 2, Number 3, – March 2007
People you should con-
I Eat Too Much—Why Worry About Too Little Food?
tact about peak oil:
The foreseeable future holds many system uses huge amounts of
likely challenges for our food supply: fossil energy to transport and •Senator Barbara Boxer
http://boxer.senate.gov/con-
process food.
1. People make more than a
tact/email/policy.cfm
8. Food crops are increasingly
quarter-million (net) new
•Senator Dianne Feinstein
mouths to feed—every day. being diverted to make biofuels
http://www.senate.gov/~fein-
—many Mexicans are already
2. Rising living standards in stein/email.html
suffering from the rising price
many parts of the world are •Congressman Sam Farr
of corn.
leading to greater demand 1221 Longworth House Of-
9. Long-standing agricultural
for high energy demand fice Building
practices have resulted in the
foods like meat and fish. Washington, DC 20515
great loss of topsoil. (202) 225-2861
3. Climate change is altering
FAX (202) 225-6791
10. In some areas, non-renewable
rainfall patterns: worsening
http://www.farr.house.gov/
aquifers have been largely de-
droughts and intensifying
•Governor Arnold Schw…
pleted for irrigation and no
downpours and floods. And http://www.govmail.ca.gov
easy alternatives exist.
every increment of carbon •President George Bush
11. Vast areas of agricultural land
dioxide we dump into the at- http://www.whitehouse.gov/
mosphere accelerates the are being paved over for sub-
deterioration. urbia. Now you can contribute a
4. The synthetic fertilizers our The convergence of at least some of cent to SMC every time you
these trends has led to several years
industrial agriculture depends do a web search—just go to
of decline in grain reserves, and rising
on are made from rapidly de- www.goodsearch.com, enter
grain prices. Most, if not all, of the
pleting natural gas. “Sustainable Monterey Coun-
readers of this newsletter will experi- ty” in answer to the “Who do
5. The pesticides needed to
you GoodSearch for” ques-
ence the early unfolding of these
make large-scale mecha-
tion, and search .
trends as a minor expense—the real
nized monoculture workable
pain is starting with poorer people who
are made from increasingly
Thanks to all those who have
live far away. However, these trends
precious petroleum.
contributed help and funds to
are not short-term, and many are not
6. Mechanized agriculture SMC
self-limiting. They will get our atten-
needs oil to operate farm
tion eventually, even if we choose to
equipment.
ignore them until they’re streaming
7. Our current food distribution
over our borders and banging on our
UPCOMING EVENTS
March 1, Thursday: SMC Discussion Group: Transportation, 6:45-9pm, Mty Youth
Protect Yourself from Food Supply Center, 777 Pearl St.
Risks, 6:45-9pm, Mty Youth Center, April 14, Car Free in Monterey County
777 Pearl St.
March 4, Sunday: KRXA 540 AM Tomorrow
Matters, 2:00-3:00 PM—Deborah in-
terviews Benjamin Fahrer on perma-
culture.
April 5, Thursday: SMC Discussion Group:
Mission: To ensure an orderly transition through the fossil fuel decline by co-
operatively developing a sustainable economy for Monterey County.

SUSTAINABLE MONTEREY COUNTY
Deforestation, greenhouse gases. The livestock sector is by
FOSSIL FUEL far the single largest anthropogenic user of land. Grazing occu-
pies 26 percent of the Earth's terrestrial surface, while feed crop
DEPLETION WILL
production requires about a third of all arable land. Expansion of
NECESSITATE SOME
grazing land for livestock is a key factor in deforestation, espe-
DEGREE OF FOOD cially in Latin America: some 70 percent of previously forested
land in the Amazon is used as pasture, and feed crops cover a
RELOCALIZATION
large part of the reminder. About 70 percent of all grazing land in
dry areas is considered degraded, mostly because of overgraz-
ing, compaction and erosion attributable to livestock activity.
The winter strawberries that arrive
At the same time, the livestock sector has assumed an often
by jet from Chile are only one of
unrecognized role in global warming. Using a methodology that
the more extreme examples.
considered the entire commodity chain, FAO estimated that live-
In some ways the beef and pork stock are responsible for 18 percent of greenhouse gas emis-
some of us eat may be worse. The sions, a bigger share than that of transport. It accounts for nine
manure from livestock once raised percent of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions, most of it
on diversified farms is now toxic due to expansion of pastures and arable land for feed crops. It
waste that accumulates near highly generates even bigger shares of emissions of other gases with
specialized and concentrated feed- greater potential to warm the atmosphere: as much as 37 per-
cent of anthropogenic methane, mostly from enteric fermentation
ing operations. Separating feed-
by ruminants, and 65 percent of anthropogenic nitrous oxide,
growing and feeding operations
mostly from manure.
saves money in a subsidized,
Livestock production also impacts heavily the world's water
cheap-energy environment—but it
supply, accounting for more than 8 percent of global human wa-
creates two problems: pollution of
ter use, mainly for the irrigation of feed crops. Evidence sug-
the environment around the live- gests it is the largest sectoral source of water pollutants, princi-
stock, and a need for synthetic fer- pally animal wastes, antibiotics, hormones, chemicals from tan-
tilizer for raising feed. neries, fertilizers and pesticides used for feed crops, and sedi-
As fossil energy becomes more ments from eroded pastures. While global figures are unavail-
expensive (in more ways than one) able, it is estimated that in the USA livestock and feed crop agri-
transport of all kinds will have to di- culture are responsible for 37 percent of pesticide use, 50 per-
cent of antibiotic use, and a third of the nitrogen and phosphorus
minish, as will the use of pesticides
loads in freshwater resources. The sector also generates almost
and fertilizer. This will lead to
two-thirds of anthropogenic ammonia, which contributes signifi-
greater local crop diversity, recom-
cantly to acid rain and acidification of ecosystems.
bination of livestock and feed rais-
Excerpted from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
ing operations, and a more local
Nations: Livestock Impacts on the Environment
and labor-intensive agriculture. http://www.fao.org/ag/magazine/0612sp1.htm
Years ago, in 1984, I did my first major study on agriculture, not because I’m an agriculturist, I’m not, but I was very
troubled about the fact that extremism had emerged in Punjab, terrorism had emerged in Punjab, and nobody could
understand. Where was it coming from? So I went and did a study, and I found out the anger of the farmers – it’s a
peasant state, it’s a farmers’ state, Punjab. It means the land of the five rivers.
It’s the most prosperous state of India, the most prosperous well-to-do farmers, most hard-working farmers, and yet
the introduction of chemicals and mechanisation had meant that initially, they had subsidies and it looked like a free
ride. Slowly, the subsidies got withdrawn, the World Bank paid for a decade but now they needed four bags of urea
rather than one per acre. Their water levels had gone down and they needed more energy to pump out water, be-
cause the green revolution takes 10 times more water to produce the same amount of food compared to organic
farming. –from Vandana Shiva’s Closing Address to the Soil Association Conference.

SUSTAINABLE MONTEREY COUNTY
FOOD SECURITY IS EATING WELL ENOUGH—WHATEVER COMES
There is vast waste in the way we feed ourselves. Therein lie a problem and an opportunity.
The problem is that it will have to change—maybe quickly. The opportunity is in all the effec-
tive ways that we can change. An average American food calorie now implies the expenditure
of about 10 fossil fuel calories, but some food takes a lot less and some takes a lot more.
• Meat and other animal products are a trophic level above fruits, vegetables and grains.
That means they require about ten times as much input per unit of output as the vegetarian
stuff does. If you know how to eat well as a vegetarian, you can substantially reduce your
expense and your ecological footprint, while still being healthy and well-fed.
• Processed foods are more energy intensive than fresh, whole foods.
• Locally growing saves energy and improves freshness.
• Organic methods use much less fossil energy than industrial agriculture.
Add all the best things together and we can feed a pretty big population sustainably.
For the human race, the discovery of fossil fuels has been like an
unexpected inheritance, or a winning lottery ticket. So far we
have been profligate spenders, partying like there’s no tomorrow.
Will we sober up before or after the riches run out?
Further Reading
The Oil Drum http://www.theoildrum.com/
Association for the Study of Peak Oil--USA http://www.aspo-usa.com/
Energy Bulletin http://www.energybulletin.net
Oil Addiction: The World in Peril, Pierre Chomat
Eating Fossil Fuels, Dale Allen Pfeiffer
Plan B 2.0, Lester R. Brown
Limits to Growth: The 30-Year Update, Meadows, Randers & Meadows

Director’s Note
CONTACT
INFORMATION
In my house I’ve started putting away a small cache of food – not sever-
al years’ worth, but certainly enough to get my family through a month or
MARK FOLSOM:
two. One of my tricks is to buy food in bulk; a 50 lb bag of wheat or rice,
Phone: 831 648 1543 for example, which I break into smaller portions and store in thoroughly
washed and dried 1 gallon apple juice bottles and stash away in the
E-Mail: folsomman@red-
pantry. I like glass bottles better then plastic as mice have proven skilled
shift.net
at chewing through even fairly thick plastic containers.
Another good deal is to buy sale items in quantity. Albertsons has a 10
for $10 section. Once I’ve confirmed the expiration date is well within a
Steering Committee Members reasonable consumption time frame, I’ll stock up on certain foods my fam-
Deborah Lindsay, Director deb@sus-
ily eats regularly. We then rotate through these items to keep supplies
tainablemontereycounty.org
fresh. I keep these items in places were we actually use them. It’s not
about putting food away and forgetting about it… it will go bad and then
Ruth Smith, 831-620-1303
money and food is wasted. It’s about having extra around and being able
Committee Chair and Budget Chair
to handle crises in a managed, levelheaded manner.
Virginia Chomat,
Recently someone asked me why I bother… that when an emergency
Secretary and Co-treasurer
hits, the folks who haven’t put food away will come barging in to take what
Pierre Chomat,
I’ve collected. This could prove a true statement, but what if we all put
Resident Expert
food away? What if we did what they’re doing in San Francisco with the
Mark Folsom,
“Are you Prepared?” program…www.72hours.org. The City of SF real-
Newsletter Editor,
izes that emergency services cannot be in every location when a critical
folsomman@redshift.net
city-wide disaster occurs. They have handed the responsibility back to
George Wilson,
831-372-0659 their citizens to prepare themselves and ultimately be more sustainable.
Committee Evaluation Coordinator I have studied Peak Oil for several years. I have read hundreds of pa-
Denyse Frischmuth, pers on the subject and one of the first recommendations for mitigating
831-643-0707 the crisis of declining fossil fuels is to store food. Ask yourself if you’re
Volunteer Coordinator and Urban Envi- ready for fuel prices rising to a point that transportation vehicles are un-
ronmental Accords Coordinator able to afford to ship their wares to our community. “Are you Prepared?”
Robert Frischmuth, if you’re not… then now’s the time.
Co-Treasurer
Deborah
Program Heads:
Annette Chaplin,
831-372-8725
Sustainable Pacific Grove
Linda Parker,
phone # 831-656-0664
…Establishing year round local food systems in Toronto would be difficult,
surite@sbcglobal.net
though possible, but in Dublin I have found it to be much easier. I am still amazed
Big Sur Powerdown
at the diversity of vegetables that I can harvest fresh from my allotment every
month of the year.
Of course parsnips are the king of winter vegetables, becoming sweeter after a
Newsletter Design by few hard frosts, and providing the ground is not frozen or waterlogged, they are
Adrienne Allen content to stay in the ground until needed. Celeriac, winter radish, scorzonera and
aa_nixon@comcast.net salsify, though not traditionally part of the Irish diet, will easily wait out the Irish
winter in the place where they grew. It is also best to leave Jerusalem artichoke, or
We’re on the Web! more accurately the sunroot, buried until needed. Add the roots and tubers tradi-
See us at: tionally stored in the shed or cellar, including potatoes (the staple of the Irish diet),
http://www.postcarbon.org/ swedes (referred to as rutabaga in North America but which the Irish insist on
groups/monterey calling turnips), beetroot (the most noble of all vegetables) and the humble soup
carrots, and you have a feast readily available throughout the cold months and into
the spring.
http://foodurbanism.blogspot.com/2007/02/winter-harvesting.html