Building a resilient local community
What would Worcester be like if it was less dependent on oil and had a strong local economy?
This was the question explored at a One Planet Worcester workshop on Saturday 8 November 2008 at St Andrew’s Methodist Church. Members of this eco-congregation were joined by folk from the Worcester Volunteer Centre, Worcester Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth.
“It will affect every aspect of our lives,” said Robert Lewin-Jones, leader of the eco-congregation working group. “We have all seen the shock caused by recent rises in oil prices and the effect this has had on transport, the cost of food and our heating bills.”
In a 'Peak Oil Party', each person told one part of the story to others in the group, before going on to look at the way peak oil affected Cuba. Cuba experienced a crisis in the early 1990s as the collapse of the Soviet Union cut off its supply of oil. We looked at the way it transformed its economy through a period of hardship to create a much more vibrant and self-reliant society.
Andy Hope-Hall was one of those who found this aspect of the workshop a real eye-opener. He commented,
“They really stepped up to the challenge in a creative way – it left me wanting to learn much more.”
The afternoon was spent brainstorming ways in which each of us can be part of the change we wish to see in our city. One Planet Worcester is one of a growing number of transition initiatives starting to work at a grassroots level to address the twin challenges of Peak Oil and climate change.
We would be happy to run similar events with other groups in the city.
Contact Robert Lewin-Jones: robert@lewin-jones.net
