Megan Quinn
Yellow Springs, Ohio—More than 350 people from 39 states and five countries gathered here in late September with about 100 area residents to learn how to prepare at the local level for the coming steep decline in global oil production. This permanent decline will follow an all-time high in production, known as peak oil, which will require developing local and sustainable economies, local food systems, and “eco-village” communities, participants at the Second U.S. Conference on Peak Oil and Community Solutions were told. Presentations on peak oil, alternative fuels and the geopolitics of oil were also given at this three-day conference held at Antioch College and sponsored by Yellow Springs-based Community Service Inc. which through its Community Solution program seeks the resurgence of small local communities in an era of increasingly scarce and expensive oil. … John Ikerd, an economist and author of a recent book, Sustainable Capitalism, said that the solution lies in moving “toward an economy based on sustainable energy.” He contrasted the guiding principles of the industrial economic paradigm, to maximize productivity and growth, with that of sustainability, to create permanence. “The fundamental flaw of the industrial economy,” Ikerd said, “is that it uses energy but it does nothing to renew, restore, or regenerate energy.” Thus it cannot last, he said. He brought the audience to a wild applause when he ended by saying, “We will choose an economy of sustainable energy when we realize that our happiness depends on our relationships with people and with nature, as well as our individual, material well-being. We will choose a life of social responsibility when we realize that caring for others is not a sacrifice, but instead enhances our quality of life. One by one, we will create an economy of sustainable energy, as we realize that working and living sustainably is simply a better way to work and a better way to live.” … Faith Morgan, a Community Service trustee, showed The Community Solution’s still-to-be-released video documentary, “The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil.” The documentary shows Cuba’s response to the collapse of the USSR in 1990 and the subsequent loss of 50 percent of oil imports. Morgan gave a tearful introduction, “When I first went to Cuba, in 2003,” she said, “I became so deeply moved by what I was hearing and seeing that by the end I wanted to document it, so it could be shared with everyone concerned about Peak Oil.” The Community Solution staff, in three trips to Cuba, saw firsthand the hope that the Cuban experience can bring to a discussion of surviving peak oil. … Murphy, from The Community Solution, ended the conference, by saying, “The most important thing is for all of us to ‘become the change you wish to see in the world.’ If you want a low-energy, caring community way of living, then become a member of that community – even if you are initially the only member. Remember that community is the solution and the solutions are in community. Have a safe journey home.”
more…