There's a guy in my town who is quite knowledgeable about PO and what it will take to survive. He has 3 classifications of folks...the Cornucopists, (98%), who believe it will go on forever, Pollyanna (1.9) who think we will slip and slide but muddle thru with bad times, and the Doomers like him (0.1%), who think we will lose 90% of the world's population in a road warrior falling off the cliff scenario. Sometimes I'm there, sometimes I'm a pollyanna, but...I digress.
Todd has lots of info. He just sent this to me as part of a file, and I can forward the entire e-mail. I'll print stuff here, too.
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Getting an Edge
Todd Detzel
detzel@mcn.org
Every gambler knows that the odds favor the casino so they try to come up with something that gives them an edge to increase their chance of wining. The same thing is true of people who play the stock market. They review company reports and watch the newswires so that they can buy or sell a stock before everyone jumps on the bandwagon.
I want to give you an edge too. It isn’t the winning number of the current lottery game. In fact, it is better then that. This edge could mean all the difference between living well or losing everything you have.
Here’s the deal: The world is getting low on energy. Oh, I know you’ve heard we’ll all drive hydrogen-powered cars – eventually. Heck, you might even believe there is some great technology just over the horizon that will solve all our energy problems. But suppose, and here is where the edge comes in, none of that is true. Wouldn’t it be like holding a stock and watching its price go down and down but not selling because you “knew” it just had to go up - eventually. Would you discount the press releases that the company was bankrupt and still hang onto that stock because it conflicted with your belief that the stock was a winner?
Ignoring the mass of information available about peak energy is the same thing. Just go to any search engine and type in “peak oil” or “peak natural gas”. Or, go to your library or bookstore and ask if the have any books on these topics. If they are a good library or store they probably have several. I know from long experience that people have to develop their own information and reach their own conclusions.
Chances are your first reaction will be to reject everything you read; it can’t be that bad! Don’t be surprised if you get depressed and want to quit. That seems to happen to everyone when they first realize the impact peak energy will have on our society. If you can get over that hump and continue plugging along, you will reach a point where everything becomes clear and you fully understand the consequences lurking right around the corner. And, this is your edge. You will be able to take action before the herd knows what hit them.
If you are like most people, you’ve noticed that prices are going up but your wages aren’t keeping pace. Now suppose the price of everything was twice as much. How would you cope with that? And, what if some things might not be available at any price? What would happen if you lost your job because your company couldn’t increase its prices enough to cover higher energy costs? Don’t believe that this could happen? Well, it has in the fertilizer industry where many, many companies have already shut down because of energy costs. If you have used your edge properly you will be able to cope while others fall by the wayside.
There are a lot of hard decisions ahead and I can’t tell you what to do. Your spouse or kids are probably going to think you are nuts for your newly found beliefs. But, you will know in your mind and heart that your actions are the only rational actions you can take.
Some Thoughts on the Future – Establishing Priorities
Todd Detzel
detzel@mcn.org
Here is a very limited list of key elements in what I believe to be their order of importance in a collapse scenario. Some are expanded to indicate the depth to which elements may be addressed but all could be further divided into even finer, more discrete sub-elements.
Personal and Area Physical Security
Personal Financial Security
Drinking Water Sources
Irrigation Water Sources
Moving/Transferring Water
Gravity
Manually
Electric pumps
AC
DC
Wood Gas fueled pumps/generators
Hydraulic Rams
Windmills
Understanding Nutrition
Seed/Crops
Appropriate species
Appropriate varieties
Open Pollinated varieties
Fertilizer
Offal/manure
Cover crops
Compost
Field Preparation
Manual
Horses/oxen
Conventional animal-drawn implements
3-point implements using a hitchcart/forecart
Power-driven machinery
Wood gas
Biodiesel
Harvesting
Tree Crops
Meat Production
Animal Feed Production
Aquaculture
Dairy
Hunting/Gathering
Food Preservation
Dehydrating
Electric
Solar
Oven
Open Air
Hot Water Bath/Steam Canning
Canning Containers – about 250-300 quarts per person per year
Canning Lids
Canning wax
Making sugar/sugar substitutes
Homemade pectin for jams and jellies
Pressure Canning
Juicing
Freezing/Refrigeration
Electric
PV
Generator
Solar Absorption Refrigeration/Ice
Wood gas to replace propane
Vacuum Packing
Vacuum Packing Bags
Canning Jars/Vacuum Packing Containers
Cold Cellar
Smoking/Jerky
Pickling/Brining/Fat Seal
Dry Storage
Clothing
Residential Energy Efficiency
Equipment Repair
Communications
Land-line/Cell phone
CB/CB with SSB/FRS/GMRS/HAM
Health
Roads/Transportation
Information/Culture
Once a priority list is established, it is necessary to determine which elements should be or could be addressed on a Macro-Community level, that is the entire area; on a Micro-Community level, that is, the road where people live; on an Individual level. Finally, and it is only at this point, that action can be considered.
One problem I believe people face when thinking about preparing for a worst-case is that they really don’t know what to prepare for. I believe that one way to gain insights as to what is involved is by reading books that revolve around either personal accounts of alternative living or fictional literature dealing with societal change.
Most of these books are old but I’ll list a few I think apply. They are in no particular order.
NON-FICTION
The Nearing’s books – Helen and Scott Nearing
They have insightful things to say but they are still part of a functioning society.
The Last of the Mountain Men – Harold Peterson
The story of Sylvan Hart who lived alone on Five Mile Bar on the River of No Return in Idaho.
Flight From the City – Ralph Borsodi
Lots of good ideas for homesteading.
Wilderness Wife – Brad and Vena Angier
The story of their life in Hudson Hope, BC living in a log cabin. I love this book.
An Island to Myself – Tom Neal
Tom’s story of living alone on an atoll in the Pacific.
The Fourth Turning – Strauss and Howe
Almost Jungian in its approach to society and how society may unfold. Worth a look.
Getting Back Together – Robert Houriet
Report of his trips to various communes and communities in the 70’s. Why the KISS principle is important.
FICTION
Atlas Shrugged – Ayn Rand
Yea, it’s verbose but it gives an idea of how society might go down.
Ecotopia – Ernst Callenbach
An old classic I still enjoy reading.
It Can’t Happen Here – Sinclair Lewis
It doesn’t take long for fascism to take root. This is a very frightening book.
The Disappearance – Philip Wylie
Fundamentalist Christians won’t like the plot but it gives a possible view of how society might collapse and regroup.
Dark Winter – Tom Sherry
This is the story of what happens when Mt. Rainier erupts. This book is available only to members of Timebomb2000.com. Good read with many excellent ideas for survival and how society might collapse. It prints out at about 388 pages.
Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse – James Wesley Rawles
Excellent book but self-published and hard to get.
Testament - Movie
The story of Marin after SF is nuked and what the people did (and from a survival point of view, should have done but didn’t). Very depressing; no gore. I have the movie on tape. I’ll be glad to loan it to the committee.
IDEA JOGGERS
There are lots of minutiae that should be considered that we forget about. These are books and magazines that might help.
The Whole Earth Catalog series.
The Foxfire series.
Traditional American Farming Techniques - Gradner
Country Wisdom & Know-How: Everything You Need to Know to Live Off the Land – Storey Books
How to Get Out of the Rat Race and Live on $10 a Month – Herter & Herter
Countryside magazine
Home Power magazine/homepower.com
Mother Earth News
Encyclopedia of Country Living – Emery
Added 7-15-05: The Integral Urban House – Farallones Institute
I don’t know why I forgot to include this book in the first place. I highly recommend it although you’ll probably have to get a copy from the library. Go to the link for an idea about the place:
motherearthnews.com |
