Stories tagged with "garden"

How Can We Make 2009 a Better Year? - Open thread

Posted by Gail the Actuary on January 1, 2009 - 11:17am
Topic: Environment/Sustainability
Tags: foreclosure, garden [list all tags]

It is pretty clear that 2009 will not be a great year. At best, we are likely to see a continuation of what we have seen in the recent past--lots of bankruptcies, more foreclosures, lots of layoffs. At worst, the situation could suddenly become much worse--a major oil exporter could suddenly collapse; the US may experience hyperinflation or deflation; or the US could experience a major hurricane and not be able to recover from it because of credit/import problems.

What can we do to make the year a better one for ourselves, our families, and our communities? We can perhaps plant a garden. We can learn to be more thankful for what we do have. We can let jobless relatives (children, parents) move in with us. Are there any good books that people have read that they would recommend? What are people doing now to cope?

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Have Attitudes Changed?

Posted by aeldric on July 20, 2008 - 6:00pm in The Oil Drum: Australia/New Zealand
Topic: Sociology/Psychology
Tags: garden, peak oil, social behavior [list all tags]

Building the garden

I thought I would share a personal anecdote and see who else is experiencing this strange phenomenon.

Almost 3 years ago I started seriously preparing for Peak Oil. I installed water tanks, planted 30 fruit trees in our back yard, tore up a lot of lawn, planted a permaculture garden, installed two giant fish tanks, started breeding edible fish in an aquaponic set-up.... and, well, did everything else I could think of, regardless of cost.

I wanted to move quickly, so I didn’t economize, I spent whatever it took to get quick results. I spent more than $10,000 a year - sometimes a great deal more, I didn't stop to count the dollars.

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Peak Oil Booklet - Chapter 4: What Should We Do Now?

Posted by Gail the Actuary on August 18, 2007 - 9:00am
Topic: Environment/Sustainability
Tags: food security, garden, investment, tverberg book, water security [list all tags]

This is a draft of Chapter 4 of my proposed book. The link to previous chapters is http://www.theoildrum.com/tag/tverberg_book .

We know that peak oil will be here soon, and we feel like we should be doing something. But what? It is frustrating to know where to start. In this chapter, we will discuss a few ideas about what we as individuals can do.

1. What will the first few years after peak oil be like?

It is hard to know for certain, but a reasonable guess is that the impact will be like a major recession or depression. Many people will be laid off from work. Gasoline is likely to be very expensive ($10 a gallon or more) and may not be available, except in limited quantities after waiting in line for a long time. Fewer goods of all types will be available in stores. Imports from third-world countries are likely to be especially unavailable, because of the impact of the oil shortage on their economies.

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