Urban Green: Lessons from Cuba

Myscha Theriault — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:35:18 +0000

I recently saw a rather interesting documentary. The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil, takes a detailed look at how this tiny nation has dealt with a decades-long shut off from supplies the rest of us deem necessary, and in the process provides a blueprint for how larger countries might actually begin making some of the same transitions themselves, including a nation-wide organically grown food system. Ready for a peek at how they did it?

I have to say I'm impressed. As we sit and discuss with friends quite frequently how we think this country might deal with the severe energy crisis that has yet to hit, Cuba's been successfully dealing with one for years. In the process, they've also managed to achieve an organic agricultural production rate of eighty percent. On a dime. How have they done this? Well, I won't spoil the whole movie for you, but suffice it to say that when pesticide deliveries dried up after the fall of the Soviet Union, they had to figure it out in a hurry.

In instances where tractors and fuel weren't affordable, old timers were brought in to train the younger generation on the use of oxen and even to train the young oxen themselves. Water saving measures were implemented for irrigation through a concept called “food forests”, and rooftop city gardens were developed along with squatted garden plots on unused strips of available land. Larger farms from the older system were broken down into smaller private cooperatives which voluntarily contribute food to the needy. With an externally enforced energy crisis, Cuba was also forced to develop increased public transportation options virtually overnight. Again, I won't spoil the film for you, but I found their “camel” buses to be quite creative, along with their distribution of individual bicycles to those in need.

No matter what one's political opinions on the Cuba situation, I think we can all appreciate the tenacity and resilience it has taken to make these adjustments for the long haul and with little access to external support. Going almost completely organic with agriculture, and significantly independent when it comes to fuel is impressive. Doing it when most people barely have a pot to pee in is downright inspiring. I'm not saying that every measure Cuba has taken will be feasible for the United States. What I am saying is that Cuba has already dealt with an energy famine successfully. Why not take the opportunity to learn from our nearby neighbors who have actually pulled off a working model of how to deal with energy adversity?

At any rate, I found the film of note and recommend it to any of you who have the chance for a viewing. It's available on Amazon. A couple of other urban green posts are available on Wise Bread, including several city shopping bag options.

This post was written as a movie review, and to promote discussion on green transitions at the national level. I ask that we keep the comments focused on those things, rather than straying to the political conditions that caused this situation.

Written by Myscha Theriault and published on Wise Bread. Read more articles from Wise Bread.

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Urban Green: Lessons from Cuba