Articles @ TulsaNow.org

Now accepting submissions! Articles must be pertinent to the mission of TulsaNow (including topics such as revitalization, urban design, historic preservation, transit, zoning, the arts, economic development, etc.) The statements and opinions expressed on this page are the author’s, and do not necessarily represent the position of TulsaNow. TulsaNow does not have the resources to verify the validity of the information presented in these articles and will gladly remove anything that is deemed inaccurate. To submit an article, email: submissions(at)tulsanow.org

Will Tulsa be a Peak Oil Ready City?

by Wendy Thomas

As one of the founders of TulsaNow, I knew that citizen involvement in the future development of our city was an essential element to its success.

My love of the arts grew into a love for historic preservation, which developed into an appreciation for sensitive downtown development, which morphed into an understanding of the principals of new urbanism and walkable neighborhoods, which led me to an interest in public transit, which introduced me to the idea of sustainability, which cultivated an interest in community gardens and green living. See any trend here? These issues have all been a part of the community dialogue fostered and facilitated by TulsaNow.

These issues are also all integral to the ability of our city to survive in a Peak Oil environment. If you’ve never heard that term before, Google it! You’ll be amazed at what you find.

According to many sources, it is quite possible that world oil production peaked in 2008. In other words, all the world producers will never suck more oil out of the ground at one time than they did in 2008. The oil left is harder to get out of the ground, more remote, and more expensive to find and process. If it wasn’t 2008, then this point will still be reached at some date in the not so distant future.

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist (or a petroleum geologist) to understand that the United States uses much more oil than we produce. With all the other developing nations wanting a US lifestyle too, soon worldwide demand will outstrip worldwide production. Last year’s oil price run up and subsequent price crash will likely be repeated until we can develop a stable economy that is not run on petro-chemicals, or at least not exclusively.

So what does this mean for Tulsa? It means that the ideas promoted by TulsaNow are more important than ever. We need walkable areas of our city and good public transit to get people to them. We should preserve nearby agricultural land for local food production and encourage people to “think global but eat local”. We must invest in green tech as an industry, and also form green energy neighborhood cooperatives. We need a smarter energy grid that allows individuals to monitor and better control their own energy use. We should also encourage community gardening and provide incentives for conservation projects and private investment in green technology.

But most importantly, we need to be flexible and creative in facing a future that may not look exactly like the past. We need to foster a sense of community and cooperation. TulsaNow will continue to serve a vital role as a mechanism through which people can discuss, debate, educate and engage each other in that most ancient and essential art – citizenship.

The Arts Mean Business

by Ken Busby

Forgetting for a moment about the aesthetic and "art for art's sake" arguments of why the arts matter (quality of life issues, which I hope we all know) let’s get down to the fundamentals: the arts make darn good economic sense!

On a national level, the nonprofit arts sector generates 6 million jobs and $166 Billion--that's billion with a "B"--of economic impact. This is a pretty big constituency, making an enormous difference in the US economy.

Every day, we hear and read arguments from people who think that the arts are "fluff;" that we don’t need to support the arts, we need to put food on the table. That public money should not be squandered on arts programs. And my favorite: that philanthropists shouldn't waste money on arts or culture--they should help people. (As if investing in the arts has no positive impact on people, jobs, or communities!)

Consider this: if you took the wealth of all the billionaires in the world and divided it evenly among every man, woman, and child in the world, each person would receive a one-time payment of less than $1,000. After that, there would be no more money to share. It would be a mere hiccup to the economy.

So, let's look at the arts as food for the soul AND the economy. Public funding for the arts has a tremendous economic multiplier: 8:1. Studies have proven that for every $1 the government invests in the arts, an additional $8 in private sector spending is generated. (How many of us wish we were getting a return of $8 for every $1 we invested?) That $8 is creating jobs, buying goods, and providing services – locally!

It's simple arithmetic. The arts industry is an economic generator with a powerful return on investment. (Talk about an economic stimulus plan!) Investing in the arts puts money in our pockets, food on our tables, and joy in our hearts.

One final thought. We just came off a four-day rally on Wall Street last week, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average gaining 9% in value for the week. Some pundits were on the talk show circuit this weekend saying that this isn't a trend, and the Dow still has half its value of 18-months ago.

But consider what the Premier of China said last week: it isn’t how much gold you have but how much confidence you have that makes the markets work. We need to believe that things are improving, and they will improve. History has proven this simple fact time and time again. It's like Professor Harold Hill's "Think System" in The Music Man. If you "think" the Minuet in G, you can "play" the Minuet in G.

So, believe that our economy is improving. Go buy a ticket to see a concert or an exhibition. While you're at it, make a donation to your favorite arts organization. You'll feel great, and you'll be helping the economy. You'll be providing jobs for hard working Americans. (Yes! Artists!) You'll get a terrific return on investment. And the self-fulfilling prophecy will be realized.

Ken Busby is the Executive Director & CEO of the Arts & Humanities Council of Tulsa, which provides arts education to 150,000 youth and adults each year, mostly from at-risk and underserved communities, throughout Tulsa County.

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Do you have an issue that is of great importance to you that you want to get the word out about? This section of our website is to allow people like you, to have a voice in their community. We are now accepting submissions for articles to be featured on our homepage, TulsaNow.org. Articles must be about issues that fall in line with the mission of TulsaNow which include topics like revitalization, urban renewal, smart design, zoning, etc. Tulsanow will read and review all articles and reserves the right to reject articles based on content. For example, topics that are overtly political or inflammatory in nature will not be published. Want to get started? Send your articles to submissions[at]tulsanow.org