gb #4 the end of suburbia talks

This afternoon I helped host the third screening of The End of Suburbia here in downtown Concord, North Carolina. None of the three have been widely attended but this evening was a bit of a break out. Those in attendance seemed to be aware enough of the situation to be interested but not overwhelmed. There were more than 12 counting all those who watched- 8 who sat through the entire documentary and sat afterwards and talked about ways to make real progress through action in the community. The group was energized and seems ready to get together beyond the watching of a film. There are others who are ready to act in ways that will help our community make anticipatory changes in defense against the upheaval coming as global oil peaks in production. UNplanner writes about a model for community change that involves empowered non-governmental groups who use private resources to research and configure appropriate responses to the coming oil crisis. The idea is that the local government then helps initiates the changes once the situation becomes ready. This leaves bureaucracy and politics out of the equation to some extent. It does however make use of the rules and regulations government is at liberty to impose. My hope is that the group present for the film screening tonight will help form the core of a coalition willing to undertake this challenge. It’s interesting to talk about the issues surrounding peak oil but it’s exciting to see the possibility of response.