Neighborhood-Level Lifestyle Changes
by Michael Graham Richard, Gatineau, Canada on 08. 3.05
This Denver Post article is a nice little fictional scenario of what the near future might look like because of rising energy costs. It doesn't paint an apocalyptic portrait (it's set in 2009, so it's not very far into peak oil), but it still shows a very serious situation where oil is at $110/barrel and natural gas is twice as expensive as it is now, leading to higher prices for pretty much everything. The most interesting part is the second half where an optimistic vision of an emergent local community is described. Neighbors are organizing meetings to talk about how they to best reduce their energy consumption, create gardening cooperatives, share things and find ways to reduce commutes. The reality is that we live in a very individualistic society and that it will take a lot to succeed in bringing back a real sense of community, but then, maybe we won't have much of a choice. In the meantime, lets all act locally as much as possible and share knowledge and tips with friends, family and neighbors. Maybe the Dancing Rabbit eco-village will look a lot less extreme some years down the road...
I gotta say, I'm almost looking forward to oil prices like that. European fuel prices are inconceivably astronomical by US standards, and yet they're getting on just fine over there. I think it would be the kick in the pants that the average US citizen needs to actually start consuming a little more intelligently.
Besides, it'll be a LOT less scary to bike to work when I'm not competing with so many Expeditions and H2s on the road!
Sounds like those great posters by Diane Schatz RAIN magazine used to offer back in the 70s (still have a nearly complete run in my storage room). We've known what has to be done for years and years but we just haven't done it. In fact, the mainstream culture has been ridiculing and running from such communitarian ideas since at least the first Reagan administration. Maybe it's because the mainstream culture is an addictive culture and antithetical to the very idea of "community."
The solution is not particularly dramatic or spectacular. It's more like conscious changes on a daily basis, day after day after day. It's like a higher order of housekeeping and that's something we don't really like to think about.
I´m quite interested in seeing if the eco village couldn´t be stepped up a bit and trying to build a whole eco town. Seeing large scale eco infrastructure in working order would be useful for existing towns and neighbourhoods as a model.