Aaron Lehmer believes regional self-reliance and renewable energy are key to strengthening local communities. He is Co-Founder and Network Coordinator at
Bay Localize. We agree with Aaron's philosophy. All neighborhoods have much to gain by building strong social connections and supporting the immediate economic region. Let's hear more from Aaron.
Q 1: In a nutshell, what is Bay Localize?
Bay Localize is a public benefit organization working to build a more livable and resilient region, while decreasing our reliance on oil, coal, and natural gas. We work to catalyze a shift from a globalized, fossil fuel-based economy that enriches a few and weakens most, to a localized green economy that strengthens all Bay Area communities. We advance projects and initiatives that boost our regional self-reliance in food, water, and energy, while ensuring equitable access to low-income communities.
Q 2: What was your motivation to launch Bay Localize?
Our growing dependence on declining fossil fuels coupled with mounting climate instability are converging to a crisis stage that imperils the long-term viability of the Bay Area's economy, infrastructure, and natural environment. To address this perilous situation, I and several concerned people came together in 2006 to found Bay Localize as a vehicle for advancing positive solutions. Fundamentally, we believe that vibrant local economies and healthy communities are the answer. They are the best guard against global insecurity, an essential part of achieving social equity, and a vital way to enrich our day-to-day lives.
Q 3: Why do you think vibrant local economies and healthy communities are the answer to declining fossil fuels and climate instability?
As we've become an increasingly globalized society, we've sacrificed environmental health and community well-being for the sake of convenience and efficiency. Despite growing public awareness, our use of fossil fuels continues to rise — and as a consequence, our global climate is becoming increasingly unstable and potentially lethal. What's more, we are now dangerously dependent on far-flung regions to supply us with fossil fuels to produce our manufactured goods, grow our food crops, and power our vehicles and buildings. A growing chorus of reputable energy analysts and geologists are now warning that our demand for fossil energy will soon outstrip supply.
To help prepare our region for the coming end of cheap oil — and the progressive decline in long-distance imports that will follow — we are developing flexible tools and models that area groups and municipal governments can implement in their own locales to bring the production of food, energy, and essential goods and services closer to home. Localization can also decrease global greenhouse gas emissions by cutting the need for imports, and increase regional vitality by encouraging the recirculation of dollars within the local economy.
All Bay Area residents are affected by our over-reliance on fossil fuels. But our region's poor are particularly exposed to the consequences of global warming and fossil fuel dependence. Many face increasing difficulty making ends meet and getting from here to there as energy costs rise. By being consigned mostly to low-lying areas, the poor are also the most vulnerable to flooding from sea level rise due to climate change. By advocating for policies and projects that build a regionally-focused economy, we believe we can help increase the livability of all Bay Area counties. And by shifting our energy use to renewables – thereby slashing fossil fuel burning for electricity and transportation – we believe we can improve the quality of life for low-income communities and people of color who suffer disproportionately from exposure to pollutants from nearby gas-fired power plants, petroleum refineries, and congested freeways.
Q 4: Can you tell us more about your Localization Asset Map?
Our
Localization Asset Map is an interactive tool designed to help us live more locally and better here in the Bay Area. We rounded up some of the most exciting projects, community groups and innovative businesses in the nine-county region that are focused on local food, energy, and materials reuse. All are doing incredible work to make our environment healthier, our society more just, our economy more sustainable, and our region more livable. The map displays these resources geographically, includes organizational and project descriptions, and provides contact info, so that you can get involved with localization in the ways and places that best fit your life.
Q 5: What role does the internet play in establishing localized economies?
The internet is a powerful, dynamic medium for connecting people with one another, sharing best practices, and building networks that can coalesce and push for local change. It's important to put the internet into perspective, however, in the sense that it's a poor substitute for in-person, face-to-face dialogue and community organizing. The best online tools and strategies are those that assist people in getting involved in their community's future, and that empower local residents to assert their right to come together to determine their own destinies.
Q 6: Why should someone consider starting a rooftop garden?
Whereas most rooftops are unused space, we see incredible opportunity for these spaces to hold hydroponic gardens, plant communities, solar panels, and rainwater catchment systems. Such systems are popular solutions around the world — yet their viability is relatively unknown here in the US. We have been working with urban planners, structural engineers, and community groups to explore their many benefits and assess barriers to their development.
In a study we just released called "
Tapping the Potential of Urban Rooftops," we found that hydroponic and intensive gardens planted on suitable buildings within the Eastlake neighborhood of Oakland could produce 124 metric tons of vegetables per year. This would meet the USDA's annual recommended produce needs of 8,500 residents! Rooftop gardens also help meet environmental objectives like greater energy efficiency, cleaner air, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions, as well as yield social benefits like stronger community bonds and green-collar jobs.
Q 7: Up to this point, how have rooftop gardens contributed to the Oakland community?
There have been selected rooftop gardens planted in Oakland — most prominently the publicy accessible garden on top of the Kaiser Permanente building downtown. In addition, Bay Localize is partnering with the Oakland Food Connection to develop a vegetable
garden program at the EC Reems Academy of Technology and Art in east Oakland. The EC Reems principal and faculty have wanted this kind of program for their school, but lacked the ground capacity for a garden. The rooftop surfaced as just the right space at just the right time! The kids have been helping to build out the garden and learning powerful lessons about healthy, fresh food. The partner organizations are taking the lead in documenting the project so that when complete, other schools can adapt the model to their own needs.
Q 8: Can I start planting on my rooftop today, or would I need to get a professional involved?
It's definitely critical to have someone assess the structural integrity of your rooftop before planting a garden. In the report I mentioned earlier, we've included ready information on the considerations you should keep in mind when starting your own project. Since most buildings weren't designed to hold a considerable amount of weight — and since we're living in an earthquake zone — it's important to be sure that your rooftop has sufficient load-bearing capacity, especially when planting intensive gardens with thicker soil depths. Even if your building cannot hold a full-scale intensive garden, there are often other proven options like light-weight hydroponic systems, perimeter planter boxes, and even vertical wall gardens that can yield significant amounts of produce.
Q 9: Widespread use of renewable energy is one of Bay Localize's goals. How can Bay Area residents start using renewable energy today?
Unfortunately, since PG&E holds a private monopoly on providing our region's electricity, we're mostly subject to their investment and purchasing decisions when it comes to using renewable energy. At this stage, PG&E is supplying only 13% electricity from renewable sources, the balance of which is coming from nuclear, coal, large hydropower, and natural gas. All utilities must supply 20% of their energy from renewable sources by 2010 — but this is still woefully insufficient to move us away from fossil fuel dependence and to curb global warming.
To address this issue, Bay Localize recently co-founded the
Local Clean Energy Alliance of the East Bay, which includes groups like Pacific Environment and Sierra Club, green energy companies, and concerned citizens. We're working in Oakland, Berkeley, and Emeryville to educate the public and encourage those city councils to adopt a clean, reliable, and affordable electrical energy system. These cities are now considering a program called Community Choice Aggregation to provide 50% renewable energy to their residents and businesses by 2017. With Community Choice, local governments purchase green power in bulk and sell it at stable, reasonable rates, leaving PG&E to handle transmission and billing. We encourage people who want to get involved to contact us!
On the household level, there are a couple of ready options to increase your use of renewable energy.
Renewable energy certificates (RECs), also known as green certificates, green tags, or tradable renewable certificates, represent power produced from renewable energy projects. People can buy green certificates whether or not they have access to green power through their local utility, and can purchase green certificates without having to switch electricity suppliers. Also, the state of California has a number of rebate programs to help cut the cost of installing your own solar system. Check out the Go Solar California website for full details.
Q 10: What advice would you give to people in other regions interested in strengthening their local economy and living a more sustainable lifestyle?
Connect with like-minded people in your neighborhood or community who have at least some time and energy to commit. A lot of localization groups around the country have held potlucks, house parties, or movie nights where they show "
End of Suburbia" or "
The Power of Community" to learn about the issues, meet one another, and get inspired to take action. It's easy to get overwhelmed at the enormity of the challenge before us — so it's important to take on a project or activity that your group can make progress around. Listen to what people care about and come up with some goals you can jointly get excited about. In any localization effort, it's always helpful to assess your community's assets: how much arable land do you have, how much potential for local renewable energy, and what are the skills that people are bringing to the table? Also, it's critical not to reinvent the wheel: reach out to existing local groups (e.g., thos working on permaculture, food justice, renewable energy, biking, green building, mass transit) to see if there are ways you could collaborate with them to make a difference.
Localizing our economies will require millions of people rolling up their sleeves to literally transform the way we work, live, and play — no easy task. The good news is that this is an historic opportunity to both protect our environment AND uplift our communities, providing dignified, green opportunities for all.
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