Thanks to the continuing wonders of Twitter I stumbled across EnergyBulletin.net today. The offending tweet (thanks Ed) contained a link to one of its articles (which is superb) but it’s the peak oil primer that really caught my eye.

Of all the reading we’ve done I’d say that this was the most succinct and easily accessible I’ve seen. It’s an excellent place to start and is packed full of links to continue research afterwards.

I couldn’t help but note this under the What can be done? section:

Intentional Community (IC) is an inclusive term for ecovillages, cohousing, residential land trusts, communes, student co-ops, urban housing cooperatives and other related projects and dreams… ICs represent one of the sanest ways of dealing with energy peak.

If you’re looking for a quick intro to the subject, this is it.

I stumbled across the PowerSwitch website this evening which seems to have a well supported forum and lots of UK specific Peak Oil background information.

I thought that their Personal Energy Descent Plan was particularly interesting.

Here’s how they describe it:

When confronted with the implications of the decline of global oil supplies, it can initially be terrifying to any individual. With the foreknowledge of this scenario, you can take steps to minimise your exposure to the problems that will come.

PowerSwitch has put together this Personal Energy Descent Plan to help you develop your own approach for preparing for the oil and gas decline. We have kept it simple, enough to give you ideas and directions on what to do with your knowledge of Peak Oil. You can’t expect yourself to implement this all in a hurry, but you will be at an advantage by preparing early. It will not be easy, but it will be rewarding.

A lot of this will involve measures not absolutely necessary now, but which will get you ready for when it is. You may even wonder why you should start ‘doing without’, especially since any pressure you relieve off the system will be used up by others. It is all about preparing yourself and your expectations.

This is all presented as a list but an entire book on this subject can be written. No such specific book exists yet, but the good thing is that there are many books out there that cover the different aspects of this plan.

There are many people taking the Energy Descent Road, willing to offer help and advice. You may find them in your family, your local community or even on the Internet in places such as the PowerSwitch forum.

It’s an excellent document. I think we should try the no power for 24 hours one soon, though that does sound *really* hard.