Founded in 2003, The Post Carbon Institute’s mission is to lead the transition to a more resilient, equitable, and sustainable world by providing individuals and communities with the resources needed to understand and respond to the interrelated economic, energy, and ecological crises of the 21st century.

The organization espouses that the world is experiencing a confluence of crises in four interrelated systems — energy, ecology, economy, and equity. From the Post Carbon Institute's website, a more thorough explanation of the 4 crises includes:

• The age of extreme energy. Declines in the amount of affordable energy available to society mean far higher environmental, economic, and social costs.
• Overshoot abounds. Across the board—food, population, water, biodiversity, climate change, etc.—we are hitting biophysical limits.
• The end of growth. As a result of the limits within and outside the economic system, we are experiencing the end of economic growth as we’ve known it.
• Increasing inequality. Rising domestic and global inequality could lead to tremendous socio-political unrest (and ultimately economic and environmental disaster), as an growing population struggles to share diminishing economic and natural resources.

In order to tackle these crises, Post Carbon Institute has assembled a team of experts and leaders who recognize the complexity of the interconnected challenges facing the world today; their work is organized and promoted through various publications and the Speakers Bureau. Post Carbon Institute also makes connections and build relationships among these thought leaders and the many people and organizations doing like-minded work.

Post Carbon Institute is currently focused on 3 programs:

• Busting the "shale hype"
• The "Energy Reality" confronting the Planet
• Building Resilience in Communities

This blog is part of an on-going series highlighting thought leaders in the Non Profit sector.

The Politics of Energy - Educated Voices Needed

The next two years will be challenging for advocates of clean energy in America.  

The new Republican majority in Congress is threatening to rollback the progress of the past 6 years.  Fossil fuels (tar sands oil, coal and natural gas) are their energy sources of choice - with renewable energy (solar, wind, geothermal) pushed aside and starved of funding.

That is why the non-profit organizations we are highlighting in this series need your support.  They have the means to educate - to inspire - to call to action - the people (like you) that can make a real difference in the debate - and keep us moving on the road to clean energy.

Look here for assistance with installing solar on your residential or commerical property,