Putting the word out there

I've been thinking this over for the past week or so...that I really need to take a bit more action in helping those around me understand more about Peak Oil and what that might mean for them.

Until now I've just basically gone about my life, making my own changes and openly talking about what I'm doing, but not necessarily *why*. I'm not covering it up, but I'm not really putting out there what I talk about on here. I guess I still feel like the freak amongst most people.

But I'm changing!

A friend recently sent an email to her friends about Peak Oil urging them to learn more and prepare for a future where we would need to exist without cheap oil - and not just for fuel in their cars. She laid out how *everything* around them does/or has relied on oil at some point.

I then decided to become more active in the circles I run in. I have been having an uncomfortable feeling that I am aware of information that it seems most around me are either not aware of, or don't place enough importance on or not having a wider understanding of it where they can then begin to take action. So, without trying to alienate those around me, I have been gently bringing up conversations that talk of my involvement in the Transition Towns movement whose intent is to bring communities together. How by building community we can come together and share knowledge and resources and come up with ways of solving issues around transport, growing food (whether that is setting up community gardens or allotments, helping those with their own land to grow their own food, education, or planting out public areas with food bearing trees), managing water and sewage, community monetary systems etc.

But somehow I felt that I was still missing the mark. How could this be? Am I at fault here in the way I am presenting the message - or are people still not seeing further than the obvious price rises in fuel? Why is the focus stuck on the most energy efficient cars, or using less fuel, or carpooling and reduced driving - yes, all fantastic things, but there's more to it. Or is it that people don't *know* how what else to do (totally know that feeling)? Afterall, Peak Oil's still not out *there* in an obvious way and I believe it makes us all vulnerable.

However, this morning as I was travelling to visit a friend I hadn't seen in months who is also informed about Peak Oil I realised that perhaps where I was going wrong was that I wasn't being direct enough in my message (or helping others think about it) - I really need to open the conversation further by asking people the same as my friend's email did "take a look around you and ask yourself what items and goods rely on oil". Whether it's through the manufacturing process or the transporation of those items - TV's, fridges, food, bed linen, clothing, shoes, electric kettles, deoderants, toys, bikes, books, even those "green living" items, medicines and machinery/equipment to run the factories or replace parts in our homes...the list is endless. And how would their lives look without access to these things? Would their jobs still be secure in that sort of environment (ok, so that's a trickier part of the topic to approach and not something I've delved into)?

I believe it is simple enough to bring this conversation about without being alienating or off putting. With the rise in prices actually happening, it makes for an easy conversation starter. Whether or not people believe this is to be a long term thing or not is another matter - the way I see it, it doesn't really matter if this did end up being a short term phenomenon - but even living in a depressed economy for a few years could have devastating results.