Cohousing-L Mailing List: RE: Advantages of Community

[Brian Setzler (brian]

Dear Zev,

Thnaks for your commment.  Although I'm concerned about Y2K, the looming oil
crisis is actually going to happen in 15-20 years from now, after we hit the
peak of oil production sometime around 2015-2020.  This isn't to say we'll
run out, we'll just have less and less each year rather then more and more.
Our entire industrial society is built on cheap and abundent oil.  Notice I
didn't say energy.  Although renewables will help, nothing can replace oil
for a variety of reasons (petrochemicals, btu's per pound, portability,
etc).

When the industrial society collapses, cohousers will play a unique role in
providing one alternative living and economic model.

If this interests you at all, I recommend checking out the website
www.dieoff.org.  Their are numerous academic articles on sustainability,
resource depletion and energy consumption.

Brian Setzler
Trillium Hollow Cohousing Community
Portland, Oregon

-----Original Message-----
From: cohousing-l [at] freedom2.mtn.org
[mailto:cohousing-l [at] freedom2.mtn.org]On Behalf Of Zev Paiss
Sent: Tuesday, November 09, 1999 9:33 AM
To: Multiple recipients of list
Subject: Advantages of Community


Dear Cohousers:

More Than a Bump in the Road

In 1973 I was 15 years old, and I remember quite clearly the so called
?Energy Crisis.?  I remember waiting in long lines to fill my one gallon
tank on my Honda 90 motorcycle!

What did we learn from that time?  It seems to me that all we really
learned, was how to put our own gas into our cars and the much missed
loss of the little bell which rang every tenth gallon.

That experience of 1993-4 was caused by a 7% reduction in available
fuels.  What do you think it would be like if something caused a 10% or
20% or 30% percent reduction in supplies?

How about a 70% reduction!  Well folks, that is exactly what is quietly
being discussed in the oil, gas and government circles. The Department
of Defence is using the estimate of 30% available fuels in their
contingency planning.  They didn?t make up those numbers, they got them
from industry. Some industry consultants are trying to let people know
that having much gasoline in the early part of 2000 may be a fantasy.

We are in for some exciting changes!

With even a fraction of this reduction, the fuels would need to be saved
for the most critical uses which would include running railroads, power
plants and emergency facilities.  The military would most likely get the
remainder to move food, water, trash and help keep order.  I actually
like the idea of our military overseeing the safety of the people rather
then how it currently spends it time and energy

As members of cohousing communities we are at a distinct advantage to
weather many kinds of environmental and economic storms.  I strongly
encourage you to talk with one another about being prepaired for an
emergency, because if Y2K turns out to be just a ?bump in the road?, no
doubt that preparation will come in handy for something else.

Respectfully Submitted,

Zev Paiss