dealing with peak oil - part 2

Thinking about the story of Joseph and Pharaoh's dream. Anything for us to learn here? In some ways the situations are different, there was not a finite supply of food unlike oil. That said it gives an example of how planning and restraint can help people prepare for a difficult future.

We use oil for relatively unimportant things, eg. petrol in cars. We have better alternatives, eg. hydrogen. But there is little motivation for car manufacturers to switch, the amount of necessary investment is very high. The short termism of governments also hinders the development of alternative energy sources.

What ideas from the film could be adopted in Redbridge?

• An allotment market, like current farmers market.
• Give and take days - encouraging re-use.
• High impact symbolic actions. For example Milan banned cars completely from the city centre for a weekend.
• Reward people for recycling etc. rather than punish for not, eg. get vouchers for something [maybe LBR facilities like the swimming pool].
• Free cycle system / encourage cycling and make safer.
• Give clearer information on what exactly can be recycled.
• Less street lighting.
• Are the video displays on High Road really necessary? how much energy do they use?
  

What actions could we take in the next six months: as individuals; as a Church; and with other groups in the borough?

• Create a lending/borrowing list at the church centre. People could list large items that they are happy to lend out, also people could use the same space to list wants/needs.
• Regular sale of allotment produce.
  
• Lists of items to give away and possibly things for sale?
• Carry on doing small individual actions, refusing bags, avoiding packaging, walking and using public transport etc. refuse, reuse, recycle.
  

Using your ideas from Session 1, if we don’t agree on peak oil (for instance, don’t think it’s happening, don’t think it’s important, don’t think we can do anything about it, don’t agree on what we should do about it etc.) how should we deal with our differences at St John’s?

• We ran out of time again so no answer to this question...:-)
  

dealing with peak oil - part 1

We watched the DVD "How Cuba survived peak oil - the power of community, our thoughts/response (no particular order).

• there was a change in culture
• the government relaxed some regulations, but enforced others.
• local organisation was preferred over national and seemed to work better - fitting in with need to reduce transport costs.
• big emphasis on keeping things local, so food production, housing, education and work all brought together. eg. lots of small Universities rather than a few big ones.
  
• old ideas came back (small farms, oxen etc.) but also new technology was used.
• quality of life was, arguably, better? people had less consumer goods but had more exercise and better diet, also were more involved with their neighbourhood. People shared more.
• could what Cuba did scale to UK or London? we had our doubts.

Thinking about UK and alternatives to oil dependency etc.

• thermal heating
• hydrogen cars
• nuclear power using latest generation of small efficient power stations, also makes power more local which is more efficient.
• wind
• tide
  

How should we respond internationally?

• we need to share benefits of technology
• we need to question our consumption
• and we need to question our values - ie. that we find happiness through having / consuming things.