Developing a self-sufficient community to meet the challenges of sustainability

Dr Simon Michaux July 2013

Summary
1. The problems, once networked often have the same signatures and outcomes
In response, most of the solutions were the same, across the board

So now we can get on with the applying solutions as opposed to focusing on the problem(s)

2.

Who will do this?

3.
4.

How all this could be done

A list of tasks and developments were distilled from the outcomes

A model for a broad brush event based timeline was developed

A series of probable events on the ground

The problems have very similar solutions

The Glass Rod Experiment

Glass Rod 1: normal glass surface with cracks (normal checks and balances) Glass Rod 2: cracks removed (checks and balances removed)

Cracks on ordinary glass Surface (Magnification: 500x)

Surface cracks removed by etching in hydrofluoric acid, leaving shallow depressions (Magnification: 500x)

A System with conventional checks and balances in place

Glass Rod 1

1.2 kg at failure

Failure happens at a comparatively low stress. The damage is much less. It is even possible to reassemble the broken bits and resurrect the original system

A System with conventional checks and balances removed

Glass Rod 2

22.0 kg at failure

Failure happens at a much higher stress. The damage is complete. There is no possibility of reassembling the broken bits. The original system is permanently destroyed.

We take our modern world for granted. If its too cold, we just turn up the thermostat. If its too hot, we turn on the air conditioner. If we run short of milk we think nothing of driving our car to the supermarket to buy more. Dinner can be on the table in minutes with our microwave. We dress in the latest fashions, laundered by the newest superpower detergent in our five-cycle automatic washer. And merely flicking a switch lights up the room, lets us listen to a concert in stereo, or brings the evening news live, in colour, from half way around the world. Its really quite a convenient life. It may not always be so. Spigarelli, J. The Crisis Preparedness Handbook (1984)

So not only have we become fragile and inflexible, but complacent as well

In terms of problem solving, what are we facing?

Fundamental root causes
Population Overshoot Unsustainable & inappropriate civilisation profile Questionable shadow leadership Peak Oil/ Gas/Coal Just in Time Supply Grid Crash Rolling shortages of food/groceries Severe legal restrictions Questionable Status Quo Leadership Civil Unrest Geopolitical Volatility No money

Finance/Economic Meltdown

Climate/Earth Changes

Large scale natural disasters No petroleum products

Breakdown of law & order

Breakdown of civil utilities

On the ground consequences

In practical terms, what do we plan for to be resilient against, once these changes are permanent

 Too many people for the carrying capacity of the local and global environment In a society that is hopelessly dependent on non renewable finite natural resources Where how they use those resources is extraordinarily wasteful and inappropriate

Past causes of fundamental society collapse

Deforestation and habitat destruction Soil problems (salinity, erosion, soil fertility losses) Exploitation of marginal lands Inappropriate water management Overhunting & overfishing of natural biosystems Effects of introduced species on native species

What is our response to the current problems?

Climate change
That societies understanding of the true nature of the problems it faces The response of that society to those problems

Increased per capita impact of people Large scale industrial pollution & cumulative build-up of toxic chemicals in the environment Energy shortages and natural resource depletion

Problems we face in addition

Full utilization of Earths photosynthesis capacity overpopulation

Evolution of Society Through a Crash

Time Now Transition New System Full Recovery

?
Unbalanced, High energy, High tech, Unsustainable
High risk, Class warfare, Necessity only Balanced, Low energy, Low tech, Sustainable

200 years from now?

Balanced, High tech, Sustainable

Government profile
Utterly dependant utilities and institutions to function
Finance, credit transfer, monetary exchange Petroleum products, JIT supply grid and utilities to do physical work

Dependant on existing infrastructure and paradigms

Modus Operandi structured in context of reliable communications grid and ease of transport over long distances
Has a mandate to respond to emergencies

Does not have the resources to deal with large scale problems over a wide region and will be eventually overwhelmed
Will problem solve in a triage fashion according to old paradigm

Will think in terms of Continuity of Government (COG) for its own survival
Will go missing for periods and will struggle to prevent being overwhelmed

Corporate sector profile

Conventional corporate sector is utterly dependant utilities and institutions to function
Finance, credit transfer, monetary exchange Petroleum products, JIT supply grid and utilities to do physical function Fragile system that is unforgiving to volatility Each corp operates in isolation, depending on the above to simply work

Dependant on a market to make a profit from Is unable to act proactively as any solution will usually mean the end of its own paradigm Conventional problem solving is usually brutal self interest followed by fragmentation and ends in irrelevance
Will not be able to function to serve their purpose Will be too preoccupied with their own survival to help the people on the ground

So who will respond effectively?

Government will be too overwhelmed to be useful Corporate sector wont be able to function effectively The people on the ground have the flexibility and capability to respond, once they had changed their thinking The work required for self sufficiency is too much for most individuals or even a single family household to be completely self sufficient A community of 30-40 households can respond and could be resilient enough to meet these issues

We the people at the grassroots level. As it was always going to be so, it comes down to us.

So what do we do?

What kind of world do we want to live in

Who are we?

Certain behaviours have got to go

Ordinary people doing extraordinary things

Who are you? Im an Engineer

Ordinary people will surprise us all. Government and corporation business probably will not.

The most difficult but significant task in front of us is a revolution in perception and a restructuring of social responsibility

Why what we think matters

Energy flows where attention goes
What do we focus our efforts on? Obsessing over the problem wont actually fix it There is a lot of work to do, we had best get on with it

The in the world that is coming, the educated will merely be the learned. Completely unprepared for what is required. Learners will carry the day.
Thus it doesnt necessarily matter what you are now, rather what you might do Having lots of useful stuff is great but pales into insignificance compared to what is between your ears, in your heart and in your hands Flexibility in your ability to respond effectively in all things is King!

We have the power and authority to create a new life and change the world around us

So lets start the process of problem solving

A civilisation changing and society-wide shift from our current paradigm Change from a world-view based on short-range consumerist whim to one in which we take intelligently stock of what is necessary It will require us to shift in our attitudes, assumptions and values A shift from maintaining individual households to thinking in terms of the community based village as the fundamental unit of society We will have to evolve past some of our unproductive habits like consumerism and materialism This will bring about a re-valuing and re-prioritising of goods and services, summed up as the difference between
what something costs and what it is worth what we want and what we need what we can or must do without

Map out your current life in all its forms given what you understand
What is it you do, where, how and why? What do you currently consider necessary and what is a luxury? What are the major aspects of your life and how do they work? What are your non-negotiable costs?
Rent & mortgage Rates Pharmaceutical costs like medication

What role does transport play in all this? Dependants?

Children Pets

Now start the process of restructuring all this against a backdrop of the perceived problems

Understand the nature of the period of coming transition

What sort of things you would need to see before you could say the transition has passed and society can return to its normal rhythm Understand how society may change and where you would fit in

Take each issue identified and game theory what might happen
based on historical examples (e.g. Cuba 1990 Soviet Union collapsed, oil supply cut)

Place yourself and your family into that situation Map known events and known timelines to develop possible solutions For each historical case study, understand what you would have had to do to maintain the survival of your family, if you were actually there

Financial meltdown and freezing of all forms of money

No petroleum products No money Rolling shortages of food/groceries Breakdown of civil utilities Breakdown of law & order Severe legal restrictions

Be socially flexible know who to depend on Self sufficient at the household property Low profile problem solving Growing your own food Collect your own drinking water Manage your own sewerage sanitisation

Barter based trade Reduce energy needs to bare minimum Dispose of rubbish carefully Manage your own health needs Transport needs cut to bare minimum Education of children self managed

Zimbabwe 2008 and Germany 1923 (No eftpos and no cash issued)
Hyperinflation Money becomes worthless Utilities crash & government withdraws services Economy disintegrates Most goods unavailable

Break down and degradation of society

No petroleum products No money Rolling shortages of food/groceries Breakdown of civil utilities Breakdown of law & order Severe legal restrictions

Be socially flexible know who to depend on Self sufficient at the household property Low profile problem solving Growing your own food Collect your own drinking water Manage your own sewerage sanitisation

Barter based trade Reduce energy needs to bare minimum Dispose of rubbish carefully Manage your own health needs Transport needs cut to bare minimum Education of children self managed

Argentina 2001 (degradation of all utilities and civil services of government)

Rationing & curfews Breakdown of utilities Government withdrawal of services Economy disintegrates & most goods unavailable Food riots & civil unrest

Peak Oil/Gas/Coal
No petroleum products No money Rolling shortages of food/groceries Breakdown of civil utilities Breakdown of law & order

Be socially flexible know who to depend on Self sufficient at the household property Assist in society transformation Growing your own food Collect your own drinking water Manage your own sewerage sanitisation

Barter based trade Reduce energy needs to bare minimum Dispose of rubbish carefully Manage your own health needs Transport needs cut to bare minimum Education of children self managed

Cuba 1990 (Soviet Union collapsed, oil supply cut)

Petroleum products severely rationed Effective leadership Money became worthless as average wage dropped to $1:50 a week from government Utilities crashed and had to fundamentally reinvent themselves Conventional economy disintegrates and had to be completely restructured Most manufactured goods unavailable new manufacturing sector had to be locally developed

Climate changes/Earth changes

Rolling shortages of food/groceries Breakdown of civil utilities Large scale natural disasters Breakdown of law & order

Be socially flexible know who to depend on Self sufficient at the household property Spend time and serious resources replenishing local environment land stewardship

Be prepared to use unconventional methods to grow/gather food In the past people have simply moved to a more friendly location

Eruption of Mt Thera in Crete 1450 BCE, Gulf of Mexico oil spill 2010 (environmental breakdown of all bio systems)
Ash covered all flora and fauna and made water very acidic Food crops destroyed Crete subject to a series of large scale natural disasters Minoan civilisation started to break apart (theory)

Political instability & geopolitical volatility

No petroleum products
No money

Rolling shortages of food/groceries

Breakdown of civil utilities

Breakdown of law & order

Severe legal restrictions

Be socially flexible know who to depend on Self sufficient at the household property Low profile problem solving Growing your own food Collect your own drinking water Manage your own sewerage sanitisation

Barter based trade Reduce energy needs to bare minimum Dispose of rubbish carefully Manage your own health needs Transport needs cut to bare minimum Education of children self managed

Poland 1938-1942 and Germany 1935 to 1945 (war torn society and police state profile) Rationing, curfews & social upheaval Radical changes to what is legal Movement and consumption heavily controlled Economy disintegrates & most goods unavailable

Population overshoot in a finite system

No petroleum products

No money

Rolling shortages of food/groceries

Breakdown of civil utilities

Large scale natural disasters

Breakdown of law & order

Severe legal restrictions

Be socially flexible know who to depend on Self sufficient at the household property Low profile problem solving Growing your own food Collect your own drinking water Manage your own sewerage sanitisation

Scarcity and resource wars lead to an inevitable outcome, where no one wins Forming community is not possible in a toxic social environment Problems in a finite system have to be faced not ignored

Easter Island (resource depletion with no way out of a finite system) Resource wars and social upheaval Severe shortages of food and raw materials of all kinds Problem solving to little too late Population drop from 15 000 to 3 000 in 1000 CE to 1772 CE

Solutions in common
Be socially flexible know who to depend on Self sufficient at the household property Assist in society transformation What happens when these Low profile problem solving changes become permanent? Growing your own food Collect your own drinking water Manage your own sewerage sanitisation New systems will be developed to meet these Barter based trade needs through Reduce energy needs to bare minimum unconventional means Dispose of rubbish carefully Manage your own health needs Transport needs cut to bare minimum Education of children self managed Spend time and serious resources replenishing local environment land stewardship

Understand that there are two scales of thinking that happen simultaneously
1. The self sufficient household property
How might your current household transform to become resilient to change and volatility in the coming world?

2. The community need that brings these households together

How your family might retrain into a useful job in this environment and interact with the community around it in a way that is perceived to be needed?

Think of these in short, medium and long term scales

Practical solutions in various areas of development

Food Stores
The is a need for storages of supplies, especially food, to buffer against variability in supply If there was a fuel disruption event (a high probability actually considering our reliance on Middle East crude processed in Singapore) then there would be food shortages within weeks

Resilience the capacity to withstand shocks is very much about buffers in the system and storage of food/fuel/water is a very important part of that
Most households only have one week of food in the cupboard Ideally, one year of food supply stored under CO2 at home 3-6 months of long life food on a rationing basis
Australias estimated stockholdings at point of use

Buy yourself a learning curve

Australia Liquid Fuel Security: A Report for NMRA Motoring and Services (Feb 2013)

Electricity Power
Existing system is very fragile and vulnerable in its current form Dependant on delicate parts manufactured far from here Delicate electronics need pure sine wave power
(computers/Digital TVs)

Rolling blackouts/brownouts and power spikes will be the norm As things get more difficult, government will not be able to maintain the grid to the same standard it does now Probable contraction of power grid around major cities and services will be withdrawn from regional areas Most electrical equipment is not made to last and will quickly degrade Standalone power systems are now required What power is for needs to be completely reassessed

Solar electricity generation

System requires a battery bank of sufficient amp-hour capacity to handle both input and output loads Pb/acid batteries are 99.9% recyclable

We need to develop the capability to make solar panels & batteries locally

Wind generated electricity

Biogas electricity generation

Manure from livestock can get very smelly! Converting it to electricity could be a way of managing that smell.

Hybrid power systems

Generator System Monitor Windmill Power Charge Control Box DC Circuit Breakers Solar Panel Array Deep Cycle Battery Bank

Inverter Fuse
Inverter with Sinusoidal Output AC Circuit Breakers DC Load Devices AC 240V Power Draw Devices

Household: Ideal Capabilities

Power Generation
Diesel Generator Solar hot water Pure Sine Inverter Solar Panel Deep Cycle Batteries Windmill Fireplace Heating

Lighting
LED lights Gas & Oil Lanterns Candles

Refrigerator
Kalgoorlie Fridge

Household Cooking
Gas BBQ Open Fire Hearth Wood Stove Range

Workshop
Hand Tools Conventional Power Tools Electric Car (golf car)

Sewerage System
Septic or Grey Water System Compost Toilet

Washing Machine
Bucket & Wringer

Water Tank
Hand Pump Water Filtration Unit

Transport
Horse(s) Good Walking Shoes Bicycle Diesel Vehicle

Growing Food
Vegetable garden A Milking Cow Chicken Run Compost Heap

Library Rubbish
Recycling

General Stores
workshop disposables (nails & screws) 10 days drinking water Fertilizer Petrol/Diesel Heritage Seeds 90 days food Vitamins Toiletries Bottled Gas Medication Fire wood

Communications
Computer Battery Radio Land Line Telephone

Incinerator

How do we socially interact in this new environment?

No easy answers our current models are not up to it

We live in linked social-ecological systems

These are nested complex adaptive systems with emergent properties and feedbacks that can change system behaviours
so we need some understanding of dynamic systems

No matter how well individuals adapt, we will need means of coming together collectively to address Universal Harms in the Universal Interest
i.e. mechanisms for agreeing on governance principles and priorities

Requires adaptive management

agile adjustments based on emerging circumstances not assumptions and projections of linear trends (i.e. current attitudes)

Co-designing new system/s of social governance

Neil Davidson et al

If we dont want to descend into chaos, we need to think about this and get it right

Form a Community
Management of appropriate land stewardship in community environment
Attended to by people in the community, to be used by the community A series of local village councils, each representing a geographic area small enough for people to walk to meetings What needs to be done? Who will do it? Where it will be done? Who benefits from the outcome? What tools and community assets will be used? Mapping what is where in the community

Community scale food and product crops

Maintaining communication hubs Building and construction of community assets Dispute resolution Interaction and trade with surrounding communities

Who?

Mandate

Tasks

The Village Community

livestock
Work sheds

crops
Storage sheds Meeting Hall Storage sheds
Tasked vacant land

crops
crops crops crops livestock

crops
crops livestock

This is a basic idea. Perhaps you could refit it to suit your local area?

The Network of Communities

Textiles Beef & Leather Products Dairy Products

Metal Casting & Fabrication

Fruit & Vegetables

Hospital

Food Production
Required to be completely organic in method No petroleum based herbicides/pesticides/fertilisers Land stewardship very important
Balance between fruit & vegetables vs. livestock Allowing soil/land to recover effectively & sustainably

Managing seasons with planting calendars critical Seed saving needs to be done in a way that does not impact the rest of the crops Based on soil health
Mineral balance Humus levels Micro-organism content

Nutrition will be more important than ever before Food preservation, canning and meat smoking will be important The key to a communities health is the quality of its food source

Household scale fruit and vegetable production

Attended to by people living on the property
Appropriate land stewardship

Tree Making Trimmin Fertilizer g Companion planting Appropriate planting cycles Soil Health & Testing Sustainable recovery

Fruit Trees

Dairy Cow

Herb Garden

Vegetable Garden

Chickens, Ducks & Geese

Equipment to preserve crops Storage of preserved crops Date tracking & stock rotation Green Waste

Grazing land livestock poo

Natural medicine

Recyclable Food Scraps Green Waste

Chicken Poo

Worm Farm
Compost Heap

Water tank

Grey water system

Septic tank reed bed

Irrigation system

Water pumping system

Water Management

Community scale fruit and vegetable production

Attended to by people in the community, to be used by the community Appropriate land stewardship
Community scale food crops

Long term soil health

Tree Trimming

Date tracking & stock rotation Community scale storage & distribution

Community vegetable crops on vacant land Community herb crops on vacant land Fruit & nut trees on vacant land Tracking of seasons Bee keeping

Large scale compost fertilizer

Milking cattle on vacant land

Making dairy products Food processing, preservation & canning Secondary food products (cooking oil etc)

Water tanks

Grey water systems

Irrigation systems

Water pumping systems

Water Management
Administered by people in the community, to be used by the community

Community scale running of livestock

Attended to by people in the community, to be used by the community
Community scale storage & distribution

Veterinarian support

Community scale livestock on vacant land

Appropriate Land Stewardship

Herd improvement & breeding

Beef & Dairy Cattle Sheep Goats Pigs Containment of Billy Goat/ Bull/Boar/Ram

Paddock rotation Prevention of over grazing Noxious weed control Manure management

Seasonal cycles
Long term soil health & pasture quality
Infrastructure Abattoir and butcher

Multiple paddocks Fencing (electric?) Feed & gear sheds Containment yards Stables Water troughs

Leather hides
Blood & bone fertilizer Meat smoking and curing Administered by people in the community, to be used by the community

Cooking food without electricity

A non-trivial problem to set up in the modern home. Refit your fireplace? Move kitchen to your garage?

The refrigerator that doesnt need power

Take two earthen pots, both being the same shape but different sizes Put one within the other

Fill the space between the two pots with sand

Pour water into the same cavity to make the sand wet Place food items into the inner pot, and cover with a lid or damp cloth Keep the pot-in-pot refrigerator in a dry, well-ventilated space
the laws of thermodynamics does the rest. As the moisture in the sand evaporates, it draws heat away from the inner pot, cooling its contents. The only maintenance required is the addition of more water, around twice a day

Drinking water
Collection of tank water or refit a swimming pool A community understanding of our water as a crucial resource
water safety, economy and management issues

Alternative ways of pumping water that do not depend on electricity or diesel Methods of making contaminated water safe in an emergency
Filtration of drinking water via (non-electric) carbon or charcoal filters Distillation Pressure cook it at 1200C for 20min to sterilise = no viable micro-biotics or viruses

Installation of gravity-feed water tanks on stands, hand pump or tap outlet on tanks Development of local resources and expertise for maintaining and testing rainwater and groundwater systems for water quality Grey water recycling systems for the rest of the property

Manual water pumping

When there is no electricity

The return of the windmill water pump

Pump bore water without electricity

Water filtration charcoal filter

Useful for managing sanitation

Distilling water

Useful for managing sanitation

Sewerage sanitisation
Understanding of the safe management of human waste
Local expertise and resources to maintain and repair
Old fashioned septic tanks Composting toilets

Linked to stand alone power generators like solar panels or alternative forms of human waste management during water or power shortages Development of methods of making spare parts from locally sourced materials and / or design modification Introduction of biogas power systems to manage human compost and animal manure

Local manufacture of soap for hygiene

Alternative to toilet paper developed

Sewerage systems

Transport
A shift of attitude and practice from reliance on private motor cars towards greater use of walking and cycling
Group sharing of all running vehicles Access to good quality shoes suitable for lots of walking in less than optimal conditions Form a network, for people, equipment, food products and anything else that needs transporting

Horses, with the goods, facilities and knowledge to care for and work them (farriers, vets, harness makers / repairers and the like)
Development of a biodiesel manufacturing plant as a (tradeable?) resource managed by the community
To run 3-4 trucks and tractors

A return of the horse culture

Management of the seasons (overgrazing) Appropriate land stewardship Infrastructure like stables and feed sheds Herd improvement & breeding Horse care Nutrition Farrier Manufacture of horse shoes

Horse Dentist
Property management Veterinarian Daily grooming & health care

Blacksmith

Appropriate infrastructure

Containment of Stallion

Appropriate infrastructure

Support build repair

Harness & leather work (saddles)

Horse drawn vehicle manufacture Horse specific tool manufacture Plows etc..

Distillation of alcohol

Alcohol is very useful for all sorts of things like making solvents

Medical health care

Medical procedures developed in post transition world Development of medical centres into mini-hospitals Local training of more nurses/midwives/doctors/etc. Local manufacture of medical supplies
Bandages Disinfectant

Medical equipment manufacture & maintenance reinvented Sterilization of tools and bandages without electricity

Integration of natural health medicine with conventional medicine

Growing a herb garden for medicinal purposes and home grown manufacture of pharmaceuticals

Natural medicine

Preventative in nature, able to be managed locally

Trade and goods exchange

Barter and trade of all goods needs to become part of our culture Form a market place for people to come together Encourage and support the development of local business that contributes to the sustainability of the region Phase out of business practices that detract from the sustainability of the community Establish trade with other communities based on locally produced goods To do this we would seek to become an export based economy, where all of our needs are met locally Develop a transport network between communities based on trade The social institution of money may well have to be reinvented

Castelen & The Green Shed

Organic farm, no herbicides or chemical fertiliser A training centre to teach people how to grow food

The Green Shed was set up as a market place where small growers could sell their wares

Monetary exchange
What does money really do and who for? Revise and restructure the concept of debt

Revise and restructure the concept of ownership

The individual vs. the community

what you see is what you get

Get off fiat electronic currency as a medium of exchange

Have practical logistical support to engage local business with:

Barter in some form (a LETS scheme) The purchase large scale goods (like real estate) with gold or silver bullion Existing Federally issued fiat currency

Whatever the Australian Federal Government recommends as a replacement for the existing Australian fiat currency dollar

Have the authority for local community to make a legally accepted choice with regard to which of the above options is exercised

What will our future technology manufacture profile look like?

Rare examples of early twenty-first century technology Hybrid constructions from recycled parts used innovatively 1930s (pre transistor) technology (what we can manufacture from obsolete equipment around us)

1880s base level technology (what we can create from scratch from the surrounding environment)
We are well past the point where this will be smooth, easy or even polite

Recycle and Recover

Nails, bolts, washers and screws Electrical/ Mechanical parts Leather Wood Metal Plastic Rubber Glass

Supporting Technology
Electrical power

Metal Machining Workshop

Milling Machine

Feed Raw Materials

Tree felling & timber dressing

Skill Set
Woodwork

Welding Power tools

Energy Source
Solar Power

Hydraulic Press Wood Turning Metal Lathe Leather Work Basket weaving Textiles and rope Manufacture of useful devices fit for purpose Forge & bellows Blacksmith Wind power Biogas Water wheel Steam Technology

Animal hide
Bamboo, Hemp & Plant

Shredded rubber Metal feed stock

Rubber Casting Blast furnace Raw materials to provide energy to run (gas, charcoal or coal)

Metal Casting
Pottery Kiln Clay feedstock Ground glass Pottery Glass Kiln Glass Blowing

Blacksmith metal work

How do you fabricate metal without electricity?

Water wheel mechanical power

Used to power larger scale engineering

Steam technology

Used to power larger scale engineering

Approximate event based time line

Phase 1 Warning Signs Characterized by: a business as normal attitude Issues like peak oil, climate change and problems with fiat currencies are discussed in alternative news streams only (large scale mainstream officialdom deny such things exist) Phase 2 System Strain Characterized by: many large scale events of disruption on every front, each is seen as separately dealt with Multiple fundamental system hubs break down and are hastily patched together with stop gap measures Phase 3 Systemic Breakdown At the boundary between Phase 2 and 3, the system hubs break down permanently Characterized as: one in which many goods are hugely expensive or largely unavailable Basic society functions simply dont work in spite of best efforts of government and corporations

The longer it takes for society to face these problems, the more serious and far reaching the consequences. Covering up and papering over of these problems all but guarantees them blowing up at a later date, but with a steeper time frame to the worst case scenario. Governmental and corporate covering up these serious issues makes a hard fast crash into systemic failure more likely.

Food Production Public Awareness Establish knowledge to grow fruit and vegetables organically

Water Collection Public Awareness

Waste Sewerage Public Awareness

Waste Solids Public awareness of the need for self sufficient management of solids rubbish and what useful methods of recycling garbage in the home

Health Public awareness of: the need for self sufficient management of our health needs link between health and nutrition in our diet benefits of preventative health measures

Energy Educate as many people as possible with regard to the importance of power and energy to our society and the current systems vulnerability to peak oil, gas and peak coal Reassess what power is really needed for

Housing & Property Development Public Awareness Community workshops or small scale consultations in how to develop houses/properties Start working bees for resilient projects

Phase 1

Canning and preserving food of all kinds Composting and generate fertiliser Establish the first community garden Chicken coops (with a rooster) Establish a market place where people can sell their produce

Phase 2

Established seed swapping practice and a seed savers network in the local area Establish fruit tree orchards in public spaces Establishment of a number of dairy cows in the local area

As many water tanks as possible have stand alone powered pumps or manual pumps, preferably both Have several tradespeople develop the method of repairing and maintaining water tank systems with parts made in the local area

Get the right trades people with local sewerage system expertise working to develop methods for making/modifying spare parts with locally sourced materials and machinery Develop the use of several kinds of systems to manage human sewerage safely

Establish a wrecking yard to house broken equipment (fridges, cars, etc) that can be used for parts in manufacture of other things. Start thinking about how

Training and support of a midwife to assist with childbirth

Develop procedure to make: I. Biodiesel

Community herbal garden for medicinal purposes

Network of health practitioners and facilities

II.
III. IV. V.

Manufacture a windmill
Batteries Solar panels Water turbines for power generation Biogas

More than 50% of properties on the mountain are self sufficient to stated degree Start working bees for resilient projects with greater urgency

VI.

Build community warehouse(s) for food storage

Phase 3

Compost fertiliser system functional and stable Local area self sufficient in: I. fruit and vegetable production II. dairy products & eggs III. beef production at a sustainable level

Several community water bores in place and working, all with stand alone power generation and manual pumps
Protocol to completely maintain and repair water tanks using parts manufactured developed, and shown to be hygienically safe

Have a system fundamentally overhauled using parts manufactured locally, and shown to run safely for an allocated period of time
Have all systems with stand alone power generation (solar or wind)

Establish multiple community recycling centres in the local area. Each centre would process that garbage into something useful, or into something that can be put in landfill where it will quickly biodegrade in a locally sustainable fashion
Prepared storage sheds in place to store useful recycled products

Develop the medical centres locally to be able to handle the more serious medical needs
Manufacture the disposable products used in medicine

Stand alone power generation source(s) for several community facilities

Biodiesel manufacture established and sustainably supplying fuel for community use

All properties on the area are self sufficient to this degree

Support for the ambulance/fire

Transport Public Awareness Encourage the purchase of good shoes & bicycles Develop skills handling and riding horses

Communication Public Awareness Support and nurture existing community groups

Education and Re-Skilling Conduct an awareness raising campaign concerning the need to reskill for greater local resilience

Business and the Economy Public Awareness Planning for what would be required to transition between a nation state/global economy and a local self sufficient small town economy

Finance Public Awareness Planning for what would be required to transition between a Federally issued fiat currency to a hard asset (gold/silver) backed currency

Manufacturing and Repair Public Awareness Develop a Skills register (who can do what?) Map existing resources in the local area

Community Coordination Public Awareness Development of And support of community activities/groups Encourage links between existing community groups

Develop skills to make horse harness gear (leather work)

Farrier and horse shoeing (black smith) Shoe making (leather work) Learn to make biodiesel

Run community based workshops (reskilling) Start to think about how formal schooling for children would work in a post peak oil world

Encourage the phasing out of business practices that detract from the sustainability of the local region

Encourage those people to acquire or make/buy the necessary tools to apply their craft

Start to get existing community groups to coordinate some of these tasks Start to develop a fast word of mouth communication network

Develop ability to breed and break in horses

Biodiesel manufacture established Network of non fossil fuel freight transport throughout local area

Phase out dependency on mobile phone network.

Establish local expertise in HF/UHF ham radio operation to communicate with other communities Develop means of transport of postal items that are not dependent on fossil fuels

Have people using the skills in various crafts learned in the reskilling process.
Have the products of their labours being used by parts of the community on the mountain Establish formal school training for children in a post peak world

Develop a vibrant local economy that services all the basic needs of the local area
Establish trade with other communities based on locally produced goods

Practical logistical support to engage local business with: I. A LETS scheme II. The purchase goods with gold or silver bullion Existing Federally issued fiat currency Replacement for the existing Australian dollar

Build metal foundry blast furnace

Develop the use of steam technology to power larger machinery Establish a chemistry laboratory to make useful items from raw materials

III.

IV.

Use community groups to determine the schedule of these tasks

Phase 3

Use community groups to determine the best places for community based assets

Phase 2

Develop horse and cart skills

Development of a community based information resource hubs at the local library and at any community garden markets

Establish a skills register. Establish a library of useful books that contain useful self sufficiency information

Encourage and support the development of local business that contributes to the sustainability of the local region

Development and implement a LETS scheme

Encourage individual people to personally purchase gold and silver bullion

Encourage the reskilling of local people into useful crafts that were prevalent in 1880-1945

Have an idea who/what/where you community looks like

Phase 1

The Household: resilience to change

Power generation in rolling blackouts Computer/ Tablet Mobile Telephone Land line Telephone Growing Food Chicken Run Buying Food Supermarket/ Pharmacist Communications Vegetable garden

Centralized water supply

Petrol Car or Public Transport Good Walking Shoes Bicycle

Drinking water

Bucket & Rope (boil water for drinking) Centralized sewerage Camping Portable Toilet Mains power electric stove Gas BBQ (full gas bottle) Kalgoorlie Fridge Mains power electric refrigerator Washing Bucket (different to water tank bucket)

Transport

Water Tank with Pump Sewerage System Household Cooking Refrigerator Washing Machine

Food for 1 pay cycle (10 days) 60 days food 5 days drinking water Toiletries & Sanitation General Stores

Medication

Consider developing alternatives

Lighting Mains power supply

Lanterns [oil or gas]

Candles

The world we live in now is backwards and out of balance. We need to make a new one anyway.

The problem is not the problem.

The problem is your attitude to the problem.

Do you understand?
Captain Jack Sparrow (some time ago)