Stories tagged with "self-sufficiency"

A Resilient Suburbia? 3: Weighing the Potential for Self-Sufficiency





A backyard garden in Oregon

Over the past two weeks, I have examined the challenges facing suburbia in a post-peak world. I’ve argued (in Part 1) that financial reality will prevent us from building an alternative to suburbia, and (in Part 2) that the superficial transportation issues facing suburbia are better viewed as a much broader economic threat posed by peak oil that equally threatens urban and suburban living. In this post, I’ll look at some of the unique advantages of our present suburban arrangement—is it possible that suburbia not only won’t be abandoned post-peak, but that peak oil will act as a catalyst for the adaptation of suburbia into a flourishing, vibrant built environment? I think it’s possible, but that it will be challenging. In this post I’ll explore this possibility—both the potential, and the challenges—of creating A Resilient Suburbia.

Has Fossil Fuel Consumption Within the EU Peaked?

The title will hopefully make some readers choke on their coffee and spill the remains in their cup all over their computer(s).



Click on all charts to enlarge

[Editor's note: Rune Likvern the Norwegian energy man otherwise known as nrgyman2000 or NGM2 has joined TOD E as a contributor. Welcome aboard Rune.]