The next 20 years ain’t going to look like the last 20

By Frosty Wooldridge

In a scant 100 years, humans escalated their numbers from 1.5 billion to 7.1 billion as they climb toward 10 billion within 38 years.  The environmental damage alone might make anyone shudder.  The human compaction in cities around the USA and the world should make most world leaders take pause, but they don’t utter a word.  One might think citizens in the United States would be clamoring for population stabilization, but they don’t even understand their own predicament.

Religions steeped in endless growth, won’t speak up.  Capitalists that feed on relentless growth won’t speak up. Presidents, governors and senators that seemingly enjoy the highest educational degrees, won’t whisper a word.

But the population train continues gaining speed. It accelerates beyond anyone’s understanding.  While it doesn’t make impact daily, it runs straight and true like a torpedo headed toward its target.  You can’t see it, but it’s coming at an added 1 billion human beings every 12 years onto planet Earth.

Marilyn Hempel, director of Population Press, www.populationpress.org , entertains some of the finest demographic and environmental experts in the world.

Managing the 21st Century’s Sustainability Crises

What Should I Do? The Basics of Resilience

One such expert is Chris Martenson.  He’s brilliant and he’s sobering.  I met him in Washington DC at a population conference two years ago.  He’s highly articulate as to what we face. For more information, you may go to his website: www.christmartenson.com .

“My primary goal is to position you for a positive tomorrow by taking appropriate action today,” said Martenson. “I built an entire website (http://www.chrismartenson.com) to help you stay informed, protect wealth, build resilience into your life and community, and connect with other concerned citizens. The point of personal and community preparedness can be summed up in one single word: resilience.

“It can feel pretty personally overwhelming to learn about all the economic, environmental, and energy challenges in store for us for the rest of this century. There’s plenty of work to be done by governments and businesses, sure—but what about preparing yourself and your family for this quickly changing world? The choices seem overwhelming. Where does one begin?

“Six years ago, I began to address these questions for myself and my family. I’ll be honest; my first motivation came from a place of fear and worry. I worried that I could not predict when and where an economic collapse might begin. I fretted that the pace of the change would overwhelm the ability of our key social institutions and support systems to adapt and provide. I darkly imagined what might happen if a Katrina-sized financial storm swept through the banking system. I was caught up in fear.

“But I am no longer in that frame of mind. Here, six years later, I am in a state of acceptance about what the future might bring (although I am concerned), and I have made it my life’s work to help others achieve a similar measure of peace. While I am quite uncertain about what might unfold and when, I am positive that anyone can undertake some basic preparations relatively cheaply and will feel better for having done so.

“I am passionately interested in helping others to gracefully adapt their lifestyles and adjust their expectations to a very different-looking sort of future. I have no interest in scaring you further, or having you approach the future with trepidation, anxiety, or fear. Quite the opposite. I want to let you know that adjusting and adapting can be one of the most rewarding and fulfilling journeys you could undertake. It has been so for our family.

“Just so you have a sense of the scope and the pace of these changes in our lives, I should mention that in 2003 I was a Vice President at a Fortune 300 company, forty-two years of age with three young children (the oldest was nine), living in a six-bedroom waterfront house. By every conventional measure I had it all.

“Today I no longer have that house, that job, or that life. My “standard of living” is a fraction of what it formerly was, but my quality of life has never been higher. We live in a house less than half the size of our former house, my beloved boat is gone, and we have a garden and chickens in the backyard.

“Peering in from the outside, someone might conclude that our family had fallen off the back of the American-dream truck with a thud. But from the inside they would observe a tight, comfortable, confident, and grounded family. We owe much of our current state of unity to the fact that we embarked on a journey of becoming more self-sufficient and discovered the importance of resilience and community along the way.

“Anyone can do the same. But first, we must lay some groundwork and address the question, “Why prepare?” After that, we can delve into the details.”

Becoming Resilient

“The point of personal (and community) preparedness can be summed up in one single word: resilience,” said Martenson. “We are more resilient when we have multiple sources and systems to supply a needed item, rather than being dependent on a single source. We are more resilient when we have a strong local community with deep connections. We are more resilient when we are in control of how our needs are met and when we can do things for ourselves.

“We are more resilient if we can source water from three locations—perhaps from an existing well, a shallow well, and rainwater basins—instead of just one. If we throw in a quality water filter (essential for the rainwater anyway), then just about any source of water becomes potentially drinkable.

“We are more resilient if we can grow a little bit more of our own food, rather than rely on a single grocery store. Our community gains food resilience when we demand local food, perhaps by shopping at a farmers’ market or purchasing a farm produce subscription (also known as “community-supported agriculture”), and thereby increase our local supply of food and farming skills.

“We are more resilient when our home can be heated by multiple sources and systems, perhaps wood and solar to complement oil or gas.  For my family, resilience now stretches well beyond our four walls and physical things and deep into our local networks and community. But it began with focusing our initial efforts within our household.

“Resilience, then, becomes the lens through which we filter all of our decisions. It is a great simplifying tool. Should we buy this thing? Well, how does it make us more resilient? Should we invest in developing this new skill? Well, how will that help us be more resilient? Should we plant these trees or those? Well, which ones will add the most to the natural diversity and abundance around us?

“It’s really that simple. Instead of finding ourselves overwhelmed by all the things we could or should be doing, we find our lives simpler and easier. The first concept of becoming prepared is resilience.”

Part 2: Insufficient, but necessary, preparation for food, water, energy

You may discover more information on what America faces by visiting www.populationpress.org

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In a five minute astoundingly simple yet brilliant video, “Immigration, Poverty, and Gum Balls”, Roy Beck, director of www.numbersusa.ORG, graphically illustrates the impact of overpopulation.  Take five minutes to see for yourself:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPjzfGChGlE&feature=player_embedded

“Immigration by the numbers—off the chart” by Roy Beck

This 10 minute demonstration shows Americans the results of unending mass immigration on the quality of life and sustainability for future generations: in a word “Mind boggling!”  www.NumbersUSA.org

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muw22wTePqQ