The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil January 5, 2009

Climate change and peak oil challenge us to to change how we live in ways that are hard to imagine. How will we respond, and what systems are possible to help us adapt to radically changing conditions? One powerful model we can learn from is Cuba.

This film is about Cuba’s response to the sudden loss of trade and drastic cuts in oil imports when the Soviet Union collapsed in the early 1990s. Cuba's Gross Domestic Product dropped by more than one third, transportation halted and food became scarce - on average Cubans lost 20 pounds during the first 3 years of the economic crisis. Yet Cubans triumphed over adversity through local solutions. The film visits urban gardens and organic farms, explains the relationship between food and fossil fuels, and shows how a society can change from an industrialized, global focus to a local, community based one.

Film website: http://www.powerofcommunity.org

7:00 PM - Gather, refreshments & snacks

7:30 PM – Screening

8:30 PM - Discussion – implications to our local community and positive actions we can take.

We will speak briefly about the Transition Initiative starting up in Pasadena and how is can be used to transition away from fossil-fuel dependency to a resilient, sustainable community.

Please consider biking, walking, taking public transportation (www.mta.net) or carpooling to this event. Suggested voluntary donation of $5. For more information call 714-906-8686 or email [email protected]

Sponsored by Converging Storms Action Network

Official Website: http://oilawareness.meetup.com/1/calendar/9451425/