About Us

Alliance for a Post-Petroleum Local Economy is a grassroots group concerned about the repercussions of higher priced or less available oil and natural gas in Nevada County. APPLE is a local, nonpartisan citizen forum to develop practical solutions for the challenges ahead. Our vision is of a more self-reliant, sustainable local economy which is localized - the opposite of globalized: we produce locally what we consume locally, as much as possible.

We have been working in the areas of energy, transportation, food and water, preparedness, and the economy. APPLE is building alliances with local organizations, government, and businesses to share information and engage other groups in creating their own local sustainable solutions.

APPLE grew from a seed planted at the Town Hall Institute's Peak Oil Conference in May 2005. In our first 18 months, APPLE started or inspired these spin-off groups/projects: Community Gardens, The Clean Power Co-operative of Nevada County, Peak Moment Television, Nevada City CarShare, and PowerUpNC.

Some of the events that we have organized or co-sponsored are:

• November 2005: Richard Heinberg presentation
• March 2006: Come Home to Eat (celebration of local food)
• May 2006: Climate Change Town Hall Conference
• August 2006: The PowerPaloozza (alternative energy fair)
• November 2006: Whatcha Gonna Drive? (car & bike show and transportation conference)
• June 2008: Kiss Your Gas Goodbye - presentation from Richard Heinberg

APPLE does not have a formal membership at this time, but maintains a large e-mail list for a twice-a-month e-newsletter. A 16-member Board of Directors and a small core group of volunteers have been the driving force, with support from hundreds of citizens who have attended APPLE's events. We are a non-profit group with 501(c)(3) status.