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  • From: "Scott Pittman" <scott@permaculture.org>
  • To: "'permaculture'" <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] what about lubrication?
  • Date: Wed, 2 Apr 2008 18:56:41 -0600

For my money the sooner this fuel collapse happens the better! Imagine
living within our own bioregion, coastal fishing with sail boats, the
incredible quiet, getting to know our community and learning how to support
each other. I think that Gaia will heave a great sigh of relief and that we
as small mites on the body of Gaia will find our very small place in the
scheme of things and join in that sigh.

I remember many years ago there was a blackout in NYC and the stories that
derived from that 2 or 3 day period had mostly to do with sitting on the
stoop and meeting your neighbors, seeing the stars for the first time, an
amazing lessening of stress, people walking and bicycling to work. Most
work couldn't happen without the electrical energy to drive the industry.
Anything above eight floors was not useable.

I find it very difficult to buy into this bunker mentality that brays about
taking care of ones self and nuclear family and to hell with everyone else.
This thought process leads to arms, violence, and fear - none of which leads
to sustainability. I find that if I classify people as "fat, lazy and dumb"
it is so much easier for me to feel superior, and more deserving. Most
billionaires probable have their own adjectives for the working class that
allows them to justify their hogging the trough of the commons.

Scott Pittman
Director
Permaculture Institute
www.permaculture.org
-----Original Message-----
From: permaculture-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:permaculture-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Robyn Francis
Sent: Wednesday, April 02, 2008 6:18 PM
To: permaculture
Subject: Re: [permaculture] what about lubrication?


On 3/4/08 1:27 AM, "lbsaltzman@aol.com" <lbsaltzman@aol.com> wrote:

> But once again --
> without cheap oil, there is no possible way to feed the current
> population of humans, probably not even half. You forget that most of
> our cropland has been thoroughly poisoned with chemicals that will no
> longer be available. Another substantial portion of cropland requires
> irrigation and their source of water is rapidly drying up.

I think the Cuba experience most relevant here - over 11 million people on a
small island suddenly deprived of fuel, ag fertilisers and chemicals, and
the 80% of their food which was imported. There was hunger until the gardens
started producing but no-one died of starvation - largely due to the food
rations for staples and the natural neighbourliness and generosity of the
population.
Cuba largely feeds itself from small organic farms and urban agriculture -
still imports around half its rice and cooking oil.
I think the intellectuals have forgotten food production existed before
modern fossil fuel agriculture - we need to contract to small scale farming
and localised food production to feed ourselves. And yes, the days of cheap
food are coming to an end.
Water will be a big issue, but a lot of water is wasted in commodity farming
and food processing. A family can produce most of their vegies in a small
garden using only household waste water - the permaculture kitchen garden
programs in semi-arid India are living evidence of this.

Ciao
Robyn


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