Meeting on jobs and energy next week in Staunton

WHAT: “Beyond Pain at the Pump: What is Peak Oil and What Does It Mean to You?” a community conversation on jobs, energy and our local economy.

WHEN: Tuesday, September 13, 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm.

WHERE: Staunton Public Library, 1 Churchville Ave.

WHO: Speakers will include Jeff Sties, sustainable architect and owner of Sunbiosis PC in Charlottesville, and Erik and Lindsay Curren, co-founders of Transition Staunton Augusta. Co-sponsored by the Sierra Club (Shenandoah Group), the Augusta Peace and Justice Coalition and the Community Network.

WHY: Could today’s high gas prices be the sign of a new, permanent energy crisis? Some experts think we’re in for an even wilder ride than in the seventies now that the world has passed the point of “peak oil.” If it’s true, from now on, gasoline and everything else connected with oil will get more expensive. There are alternatives — from “unconventional” fossil fuels like tar sands and shale gas to renewable energy like solar and wind — but will they be big enough    and can they come soon enough? In this conversation, you’ll learn the basics about peak oil and get to join a discussion about what it means to America, the Shenandoah Valley and your family. Part of TSA’s series of three conversations, “How Peak Oil Will Change Everything in Your LIfe and Why That Could be Just What You’ll Need.”