The Power of Community - How Cuba survived Peak Oil

I was very fortunate to attend a screening of 'The Power of Community - How Cuba survived Peak Oil' last night in Midleton, hosted by the new Midleton Transition Town group.

For those of you who haven't seen this film it is a fascinating documentary about how Cuban society was forced to react in the early 90s to the fall of the USSR and US trade embargos. With imports of oil cut by more than half – and food by 80 percent – people were desperate. The film tells of the hardships and struggles as well as the community and creativity of the Cuban people during this difficult time. Cubans share how they transitioned from a highly mechanized, industrial agricultural system to one using organic methods of farming and local, urban gardens. It is an unusual look into the Cuban culture during this economic crisis, which they call "The Special Period."

The evening was intended as a food-for-thought evening and a seed for discussion of what lessons east Cork and Midleton could perhaps learn for the future. Interestingly one member of the audience felt moved to emphasise the extreme differences between Cuba in the early 90s and Ireland in 2008 and the futility of trying to glean anything from their experiences. He made some interesting points, but I sensed that the gentleman in question felt threatened by the misconception that environmental activists wanted to turn Ireland into some quasi-neolithic society!

I agree entirely with the gentleman that it would be wrong to throw out the baby with the bathwater (not that anyone really wants to in my view however) and revert to a different way of living for its own sake. In Cuba, this wasn't really a luxury they could afford due to dramatic political and economic influences. In the Irish context of course I think that some ways of life really are worth reverting to - such as stronger reliance on the power of community and local economies, and other sophistications we've developed are also worth keeping. In many ways we seem to be doing this, although some of us would like to go a little faster than others!

To me progress should always be a forward step, although perhaps paradoxically this can also mean re-embracing ideas and ways that have gone out of fashion along the way.