PEAK OIL PRELIMINATY PLANNING

WHAT TO DO UNTIL THE LAST DROP

In disaster preparedness planning, mitigation efforts are those that reduce or eliminate some aspect of the disaster
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addressed. With proper preparedness, you can mitigate much of the foreseeable personal consequences of resource
depletion (such as peak oil) and demand (per person and standing population) exceeding possible supply of
renewable resources.
While our challenges are global in scope, there is no readily apparent bigpicture or topdown solution. !"erything
from our pollution of the air # water, unsustainable food systems, dependence on $mining% of e"en fossil water,
emphasi&es that the solutions need to be implemented starting at the most basic le"els in order for the bigger picture
to be one of comprehensi"e, effecti"e, and lasting solutions, such as are appropriate to the local conditions.
'ou can complain about the situation, and demand someone else act, or you can take personal initiati"e and
responsibility, get your own house in order, and ser"e as an example and guide to others. 'ou can seed a grassroots
effort to rede"elop and rebuild your community.
(he post)atrina e"ents in *ew +rleans included expected riots, theft, and assaults. (he complex and expensi"e
infrastructure and controls of the city, and larger go"ernmental entities, failed. (here were also though instances of
people banding together for protection and mutual support. 'ou must get beyond coping, and act.
1. ,ccept that oil, and other fossil fuels are a finite resource. ,ccept they are, and will continue to be burned. *ot
only can-t you stop it, our infrastructure is so dependent that stopping the burning and other fossil fuel uses could
trigger the crash of ci"ili&ation.
.. /on-t feel 0guilty0 about your personal use of fossil fuels, 12( take prompt steps to lessen and 0,3,40
eliminate your /!4!*/!*5! on such. (Including your dependence on the fossil fueled infrastructure, including
food and earnings to pay debts.)
6. 3elect your personal "ision of what an oil depletion (and depletion of our other finite resources) scenario looks
like, and act accordingly. If you expect World War III, head for the hills, build and stockpile a bunker. If you expect
the continued stress of products and ser"ices being priced out of the marketplace due to rising cost of depleting
resources, plan ahead to li"e without them and look for alternati"es.
7. Where"er you intend to call home, make it such that home can be li"able without the need for constant input of
fuel or outside energy. (ake up the hobby of gardening now. 8earn what you can grow in your area, and get
accustomed to a diet from your own crops.
9. (he :ob market, good and ser"ices, income and therefore tax base are not going to resemble what we see today.
;. What do you need to consider, and to, to create a personal home and local post crash community<
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*+(!= In disaster preparedness, the focus is normally not a"oiding the fact of $disaster%, but establishing ways to
either reduce the impact of the disaster on you, or for you to be prepared to deal with the consequences of the
disaster.