ee 'Q'o:J·o I) .' "'bf "=:Po • • ~ ,pD The Coming ofNorthern Technology Page 4 RAIN May 1979 by Birny Birnbaum and Steven Ames IfYOll were to superimpose Alaska onto a map of tbe lower 48 states, tbe lip oftbe Aleutians would be in Los Angeles, the Southwest 1vould be in Florida. and Barrow would be on the border of Nortb Dakota and Canada! It 's a country in itself-one whose unique resources and conditions make it ripe for self-reliance sttategies. Birny Birnbaum, an organizer and networker in appropriate techno'iogy, and Northwest field rep for NCA T, bas recen tly been exploring the Alaskan scene and brillgs back evidence of strong interest tbere in reshaping Alaska's winner·take·all eco71omy into a sustainable model for the nortbern ll.ltitudes. Togetber we've condensed here an overview of Alaskan possibilities and a field sampler of those wbo are working to make it all bappCll. - SA The economic history of Alaska has largely been one of uncontrolled exploitation carried out by absentee commercial interests. From its first colonization, through the early growth of unrestricted monopolies that extracted its natural wealthfurs, whaling and fishing, lumber, gold and other mineralsto its wartime domination by a defense establishment economy, Alaska's exploitation. as opposed to economic develop .ment, has proceeded without interruption. Even since statehood, Alaska has remained a colony of sorts, heavily tied into government subsidization. In 1969, federal expenditures i.O the state, dominated by military outlays, equaled three quarters of a billion dollars, or fully one-half of Alaska's total economic output. Hardly a diversified economy! Around that same time, oil was discovered along Alaska's North Slope, NATIVE ALASKANS AND THE BUSH In many ways, native people and rural villages are the bel/wetber of Alaska's future. The i1l1pact ofa more-of-tbesame e:)Ctractive economy bits tbem first and bardest;,tbe bope of localized renewable energy producti071 and appropriate tecfmologies may belp save tbeir cultures and tbe cooperative model tbey provide us all. Ultimately, tbeir Slirvival ;S Ollr survival. "Why Technology Has Fared Poorly in the Bush," Harold Sparck, article in four parts, April 5, 12, 19, 26, 1978, Tundra Times, $20 per year from: 639 "I" Street Anchorage, AK 99501 An excellent investigation into how Alaskan villages are the end-of-the-endof-the-line in a system on its way out, and why hi-tech won't work in rural settings, particularly in cold, northern climates. Very specific in detail-both of dismal failures and what advocacy planning around village micro-economies might look like. "Given the history of development in rural Alaska, more time is a good thing. " Rural Alaska Community Action Program Box 3-3908 Anchorage, AK 99501 9071279-2441 RurAL CAP serves all of rural Alaska. The area is mind-boggling. Needless to say, travel is a large part of their budget. Like most CAPs, their energy component deals with emergency relief and weatherization- as well as energy advocacy. There are only 6-10 weeks out of the year when weatherization can be done in most areas. Materials have to be barged in. Barry Harmon, weatherization foreman, explains that the emphasis is on doing the job right because they'll never get a chance to go back a second time. They use materials that will last and spend more money on them than authorized by supervisory agencies in order to do a tight job. They emphasize working closely with village councils and training local people to do the a.ctual work. RurAL CAP provides strong technical assistance in coordinating testimony on energy problems and advocating rural needs in state anJ federal agencies. Energy program director Sherry Valentine is a strong advocate for low-income rural Alaskans and more: "Many rural Alaskan communities'have not yet become dependent upon large faceless conglomerates for directly providing utility services. Instead, they run village generators and home heating systems on fuel for which they pay exorbitant prices and for delivery of which they are at the mercy of the seasonal and barge schedules. These isolated villages
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTc4NTAz