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Advance Praise for
Industrial Evolution
Lyle Estill conveys the insight and breadth of a true visionary with the plain-spoken, common sense of your favorite uncle. Likewise, Industrial Evolution shows how the key to the very survival of our civilization lies in the rational, incremental return of commerce and innovation to the realm of the real-world, human-scaled community. This is the path.
— Douglas Rushkoff, author of Life Inc: How Corporatism Conquered the World and How We Can Take it Back
Industrial Evolution is a report from the front lines of the sustainability movement, conveying both its promise and its frustrations. Estill is a reliable guide, and anyone interested in the future should find his story riveting.
— Richard Heinberg, Senior Fellow, Post Carbon Institute, and author, Peak Everything
Lyle Estill tells the amazing story of how a biofuel company became, among other things, a worm ranch, a garlic farm, a housing coop, and a foundation. In short, Industrial Evolution reveals how a vibrant business created a resilient community, able to ride out the credit crunch, Depression 2.0, and whatever else that’s thrown at the folks at Piedmont Biofuels.
— Novella Carpenter, author of
Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer
Industrial Evolution
Local Solutions for
a Low Carbon Future
LYLE ESTILL
Copyright © 2011 by Lyle Estill. All rights reserved.
Cover design by Diane McIntosh. Oil drums © iStock (aki yoko);
Sunflowers © iStock (Photographer Olympus, matejmm)
Interior photos Tami Schwerin
Printed in Canada. First printing April 2011.
Paperback ISBN: 978-0-86571-674-2
eISBN: 978-1-55092-480-0
Inquiries regarding requests to reprint all or part of Industrial Evolution should be addressed to New Society Publishers at the address below.
To order directly from the publishers, please call toll-free (North America)
1-800-567-6772, or order online at www.newsociety.com
Any other inquiries can be directed by mail to:
New Society Publishers
P.O. Box 189, Gabriola Island, BC V0R 1X0, Canada
(250) 247-9737
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Estill, Lyle
Industrial evolution : local solutions for a low carbon future / Lyle Estill.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-0-86571-674-2
1. Small business--Environmental aspects. 2. Entrepreneurship--Environmental aspects. 3. Sustainable development--Environmental aspects. 4. Environmental economics. I. Title.
HD2341.E87 2011 658.02’2 C2011-900867-X
New Society Publishers’ mission is to publish books that contribute in fundamental ways to building an ecologically sustainable and just society, and to do so with the least possible impact on the environment, in a manner that models this vision. We are committed to doing this not just through education, but through action. Our printed, bound books are printed on Forest Stewardship Councilcertified acid-free paper that is 100% post-consumer recycled (100% old growth forest-free), processed chlorine free, and printed with vegetable-based, low-VOC inks, with covers produced using FSC-certified stock. New Society also works to reduce its carbon footprint, and purchases carbon offsets based on an annual audit to ensure a carbon neutral footprint. For further information, or to browse our full list of books and purchase securely, visit our website at: www.newsociety.com
To my brother Jim, who may be skeptical of me and my stories but who loves and respects me just the same.
Contents
5 Piedmont Biofuels Industrial
6 In Bed with Government
7 Depression 2.0
8 Oilseed Community
9 Bringing Product to Market
10 Piedmont Biofarm
11 State of the Bubble
12 Fighting Town Hall
13 The Abundance Foundation
14 On the Label, Label, Label
15 Solar Double Cropping
16 Our Place in the World
17 We Are Not Alone
Epilogue
Bibliography
About the Author
I’VE NOTICED THAT the “Acknowledgments” section of my books is getting longer over the years. It could be
