Monthly Archive: October 2009

THE POWER OF COMMUNITY: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil a documentary by Director Faith Morgan and Co-Producers Pat Eugene Murphey & Megan Quinn (53 min) 2006 “…gives hope and explains the transition that we need to make.” Shimmering with life like a cornucopia of colorful vegetables, this vibrant, hopeful film brings to light one of the most important stories of the last two decades – how a small island nation responded to a sudden and dangerous drop in oil supplies. When Cuba’s hefty subsidies of oil, food and other goods ceased after the Soviet Union collapsed and the U.S. tightened its embargo, Cubans suffered terrible hardships. During this ‘peak oil’ crisis, electric power became intermittent, transportation nearly stopped, parts were unavailable, and without fertilizers and tractors, food production declined to precarious levels. But Cuba bounced back. This inspiring film offers us a living model of sustainability, as Cubans tell the remarkable story of their nation’s recovery and its transition to organic agriculture, renewable energy, effective mass transit, lowered consumption, better health, and stronger communities. A project of the Arthur Morgan Institute for Community Solutions, a non-profit organization that designs and teaches low-energy solutions to the current unsustainable, fossil fuel based, industrialized, and centralized way of living. Visit www.communitysolution.org for more information.