Peak Moment TV: an Alternative to Sitcoms
Peak Moment Television is "an online television series featuring people creating resilient communities for a more sustainable, lower-energy future. Programs range from permaculture farms to electric bikes, ecovillages to car-sharing, emergency preparedness to careers for the coming times." It is aired on WCKN-TV, Time Warner Cable Station 30, at 8 pm Mondays and Tuesdays or viewed at any time on your computer.
PEAK Moment TV is sponsored by the Center for Excellence in Communication at Clarkson University and the Seymour Family of Potsdam. Peak Moment explores locally reliant living for challenging times. The Peak Moment Shows are available at the Potsdam Public Library for borrowing and/or interlibrary loan.
March 4 & 5:213: Two Households, One Car
At first Judy Alexander was reluctant to share a car with neighbors Richard and Sue Dandridge. But their invitation intrigued her, especially since her aging car felt unsafe for long trips. After a trial year, she found the arrangement freeing and sold her car. Judy and Richard discuss their process — the agreement, scheduling, upkeep, and changing life circumstances. Beyond saving money on maintenance and insurance, there are a lot of unexpected benefits: shared errands, closer relationships, and simpler living.
March 11 & 12:
214 Rocket
Stoves — Hot, Healthy, Efficient
Mike Hatfield
says the magic of a rocket stove is getting the heat into what you’re trying to
heat. His tour of a rocket stove reflects designs perfected for decades at Aprovecho
Research Center
in rural Oregon.
They also test and suggest improvements to stoves from developing countries,
aiming to reduce smoke to help children’s respiratory health. Fred Colgan shows
specialized stove parts and assembly jigs he ships to developing countries,
where local people construct rocket stoves from mostly local materials.
Appropriate technology at its best! [aprovecho.org]
March 18 & 19:
215 An
Earthen House Built by Hand
“I think it’s
very, very important to know you can provide things for yourself… build your
own house… grow your own food… make your own medicine.” Walking his talk, Greg
Crawford shows the magical wattle-and-cob house he built with hand tools using
local materials: alder trees in the surrounding forest, and clay from what
later became the house floor. Building his house was an “experiment in
intuitive architecture … using common sense while “letting the building evolve,
change and grow on its own."
March 25 & 26:
216: Titanic
Lifeboat Academy — Navigating a Path to Resilience
Caren Black
and Christopher Paddon couldn’t find mentors to teach them self-reliant living
when they became aware of peak oil. So they created a homestead and opened
their doors to training others. People can take a personalized Lifeboat Course
online or in person, where hands-on learning includes food production with
domestic animals and gardens, renewable energy, and carpentry skills. “We’re
all in this together,” Christopher notes, so the couple educate, volunteer and
share to also make their community more resilient. [titaniclifeboatacademy.org]