Local Action for a Sustainable Tomorrow

There are good reasons to consider what could be done right now to prepare for sudden oil shortage emergencies. This could happen in several ways: 1) The media begins real coverage of the end of oil scenario, causing panic on Wall Street, a serious economic downturn, and a recession, if not a depression. 2) Our favorite president could do something stupid in Iran, inflaming the Middle East even more, and in return Iran could attack Israel and close the shipping routes from Saudi Arabia. This would make the oil embargo of the 1970's look like a picnic. 3) China could take real exception to our attempts to control resources in Africa, with who knows what consequences. 4) Saudi Arabia and other oil producers might admit that they have passed peak production, causing the panic in #1.
The most worrysome consequence of a sudden oil emergency for us on the Peninsula particularly is in the delivery by truck of our food! If fuel for trucks reaches $10.00/gallon or is unavailable, we may not be high on anyone's list for food delivery. Think Seattle and the Puget Sound megaplex. At least they have a rail system. Our local producers could not possibly feed the people on the peninsula, even Sunny Farms relys on trucking for most of its produce. Nash Huber does not raise enough food to feed all of us. Do we want to live on broccoli and carrots?
So what is the "right now" solution? We'd better start stockpiling food and gasoline if we expect to be ready to eat or get anywhere. The most pressing thing is to begin growing our own personal food in our own gardens as soon as possible. We have five acres, three in trees, and I'm going to start cutting down trees and clearing land. But this solution requires that we have enough time for a harvest in 2008. It also requires that I'll have gasoline to run my chainsaw and a tractor.
A big part of the solution is coming together as a community to give each other moral and physical support. I'll grow lots of carrots if you grow lots of spinach, and if you grow lots of whatever else. With 100 people doing that we might be able to eat, somewhat. We could also start setting up community food banks of non-perishables for an emergency. It would have to be a BIG food bank.
Since PUD gets its energy from Bonneville dam, maybe electricity will be available if IT happens. Then I can run my heat pump. But my gas stove? Maybe the tank I have now is all I'll get. Then what, the grill?
My wife Ann wants us to put a wood stove in the house, which might not be a bad idea, since I have the wood. Regards, Joe Raab