Seventeen people gathered at the Orenco Urban Permaculture Farm last evening for the second Public Meeting of Washington County Peak Oil. An another success it was!

The meeting began with a presentation by Wetlands Scientist and Permaculture Consultant Laine Young on the concepts of Permaculture and how the approach can be applied to urban life and properties. The presentation was followed by the Orenco Urban Permaculture Farm, showing how the principles were applied.

Then the group convened for an outdoor screening of the film, "The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak oil". The film was an outstanding compliment to the presentation, illustrating how Cuba and its citizens, following the collapse of the Soviet Union and their subsequent cutoff of supplies of energy and fertilizers, experienced an enormous cultural change in the country. The average Cuban lost 20 pounds as food became scare and rationing ensued.

Permaculture concepts were implemented across the country for food production resulting in an average of 80% of todays' food production being organic. Large state farms were unable to keep up with the yields being produced in backyard and rooftop gardens, and these privately raised foods are now the primary staple of Cuban society. The country has developed extensive bio-fertilizer and bio-pesticide formulas and techniques that they are now exporting across South America.

The real key to the success of the cultural change came in the form of re-establishing the concept of 'community", with neighbors and town residents realizing that there were tremendous economies of scale in working together to achieve their agricultural success.

Following the film was a discussion on the ability of current American society to duplicate such an approach, and many of the barriers that currently exist in our cutlure, our government approaches, and our land use approaches. We were fortunate to have as a guest State Representative Chuck Riley (who represents Hillsboro, Cornelius, Forest Grove and surrounding areas) who provided insight into the difficulties in swaying the current paradigms that exist in the minds of State Legislators and even at the local government levels, and some approaches that be taken to help change this conundrum.

A request of all attendees was an action item: To write a brief note to your County Commissioner to explain that peak oil is a real and present danger, and to request that they hear from Washington County Peak Oil. Contact information for your elected representatives is available here.