Industrial Evolution. Lyle Estill

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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

      [phone]

      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

Acknowledgments

1 Introduction

2 Breaking into the Business

3 Accidental Diversification

4 Local Food Friday

       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

Acknowledgments

      I’VE NOTICED THAT the “Acknowledgments” section of my books is getting longer over the years. It could be that I am becoming increasingly indebted, thereby needing more space for “thankyous,” or perhaps I am learning better to share my gratitude.

      Whatever the case, I need to thank Tami and the boys for suffering through yet another book. It could be they like leaving town so that I can have the kitchen table in peace, but I secretly hope they wish I could tag along on their many adventures.

      Tami needs standalone recognition. She’s not only a great speller, she reads with a sharp eye, and more importantly, she coasts through her husband’s angst and writerly horrors with ease and aplomb.

      And I would like to thank my daughters Jessalyn and Kaitlin for being sounding boards and for offering feedback on some of my ideas. Jessalyn continues to remind me of my many “flops,” and Kaitlin tends to offer a healthy skepticism for everything I do. I’d also like to acknowledge their mother Megan, who suffered through my early years of “wanting to be a writer,” but who never got to experience the pain of when it “came true.”

      I also need to mention my brothers Glen and Jim, whose stalwart support has kept me going