For most of my life I have had an ominous sense that the future could be problematic if we continue to pollute the water and the air, deplete the soil, and kill off bees with pesticides. I am not alone in these thoughts. Though I am mostly optimistic this subtle fear is always there. I think it is a positive fear because it keeps me vigilant, active in raising awareness about the environment, and walking lightly with respect upon the land. Part of my hopefulness, despite the overwhelming environmental bad news, is that I have a best friend who is a permaculture expert named Andrew Millison. He spends his time showing the world that environmental solutions abound and he recently produced an inspiring video about his visit to Cuba.
Cuba is one of the permaculture capitals of the world. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1990, their economy went into a tailspin. With imports of oil cut by more than half and food imports cut by 80 percent, people had to learn new ways to live. There is a great film called The Power of Community, How Cuba Survived Peak Oil, that I highly recommend to anyone who wants to learn more.
Technology can be a big part of the healing and transformation that is coming our way yet our unsustainable use of technology is central to the problem. Modern technology and traditional permaculture concepts can be integrated and work together for a sustainable future. Andrew shows us this bby utilizing social media to educate people and help the movement grow.
I think that all of us know deep inside that a big change is on the horizon and it can be scary if we aren’t able to envision how it might look. Yesterday, Andrew called me to let me know that he had finished the video he had made of his travels to Cuba. It is quite enlightening to watch and it might just give us a glimpse of how our future can look when we live more sustainably and grow more food locally. The music in the video was all recorded on-sight and it compliments the community sense of “we can do this, it can be simple, fun, and beautiful.” It has Spanish and English subtitles and I felt like I was along for the journey while watching it.
Thanks Andrew, as always, for your inspiration and for the opportunity to help you share it with The Culture Collective Community. Make yourself some tea and check out the video below. Be sure to leave a comment telling us how you envision a sustainable future and share this with your friends!
