Awakening

One morning, early last summer, I was eating breakfast and getting my daily news-fix on the internet. I was reading an article on global warming and saw a reference to something called Peak Oil. I didn't really know anything about it, but my interest was piqued (pardon the pun), as it was mentioned as something that was related to the global warming problem. As I followed the link and began reading what Peak Oil was all about (and what it meant to me and my family), I felt the blood drain from my face. I was mortified. Ever have one of those "Holy shit, this can't be real" moments? Well, I had one of those right then and there. I can't really describe the funk I was in after reading that stuff. I was deperate to find a valid scientific or technical response from someone - anyone - that said "No, Peak Oil is just a theory, and we'll all be fine." Sadly, none was forthcoming. This was an unpleasant way to be starting my weekend.

Over the next month, as I learned more about Peak Oil, and was able to both emotionally and rationally digest what I was learning, I went through two distict phases; denial and anger. I understand now that these are actually two of the phases in the grieving process, though I didn't actually see it that way at the time (more about that another time). Shortly thereafter, I found myself at a web page for an oranization based in the UK called Transition Towns. These guys had been working a response to Peak Oil for a few years already! They weren't offering a solution to prevent Peak Oil, but rather a rational response to adapt to Peak Oil - a way to transition from how we live now to how we'll have to live in the future.

I have to say, these guys were a lifeline, a beacon of light if you will, in a darkness that the knowledge of peak Oil can bring on someone. And amazingly, this wasn't some nut-job fringe movement - there were "Transition Communities" in several countries, the majority of which being in the UK. Morover, I also discovered a US based network that operated on a similar premise; the need to transition smoothly away from fossil fuels. That group is called the Relocalization Network, and actually had a branch in London, Ontario. Between the two organizations, over 250 communities (and growing) had begun a process towards a more resilient, relocalized, and low energy future. These guys were shedding light not only on the problem, but on the ways we can adapt to the changes that are coming.

That's when I decided I wanted to engage our community in this process, and so began reaching out to people who I thought may want to be made aware and get involved. By August, a small group of us had officially become PHCRI (Poplar Hill/Coldstream Resilience Initiative), and our own journey had begun.