By David Dawson
Many readers will have read this column, and seen the words ‘Transition’ and ‘Initiative’. For the benefit of new readers, this week we will try to explain what is meant by these two words and what a small group of people is doing.
First, ‘Transition’ - common sense tells us that oil reserves around the world (amongst many things) will not last for ever. Common sense also tells us that the economic growth that we have enjoyed for the last 100 years cannot continue either. This growth has been due to the availability of cheap energy in the form of oil. But, the price of oil is rapidly rising as it gets harder to get from deep-sea wells, tar sands or under the polar ice. As the price of energy goes up, economic activity goes down. Many people have been borrowing money to maintain a standard of living that cannot be sustained without growth. The good growth times will likely never come again so we must stop borrowing and live with what we have. Cheap oil is a thing of the past so we must downsize our expectations.
‘Transition’ is the understanding, planning and process of changing from an economy based on continual growth to one where there is no growth.
This no-growth scenario is inevitable and the sooner our leaders accept this fact the sooner they can start making plans for society to live an acceptable lifestyle under the new circumstances. With no growth, new jobs will not be created, so we must find ways of job sharing. For example, instead of giving one person a ‘pink slip’ let two people share one job. This will of course require changes in EI and other social programs, but that is for our leaders to work out.
Secondly, ‘Initiative’ - small group of local people (and we welcome anyone to join us) is taking the first steps at considering how we shall live in a high-oil-price no-growth environment. Farming methods of today that rely on energy-rich artificial fertilizers will likely be too expensive and will have to be replaced by more sustainable practices. Importing fruit and vegetables from all around the world will be too costly so we shall have to go back to growing locally and growing our own garden. That suburban non-productive lawn will be replaced with cabbages or potatoes by necessity.
Let us give you a simple example of what our politicians could do right now. As energy gets more and more expensive, solar power will become more necessary. The building codes could simply be amended such that all new houses must be ‘solar ready’. Solar panels need to face south but you cannot turn the roof of a house around: much better to build it facing the right way in the first instance.
We are running lectures and workshops on many of the traditional skills that were normal to our grandparents but have been forgotten over the years of cheap oil. We are taking the initiative to teach people how to live in a self-sustainable way by growing their own food. In short we are trying to revive forgotten skills and equip people with the knowledge on how to live in a no-growth world.
This column is prepared by the South Eastman Transition Initiative. Go to www.setimanitoba.org.