Wed Jan 11, 2012 9:18 pm
Hybrid Doomsteading...
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- Mankind got by for millennia before the petroleum-enabled Cornucopian Age. So, when contemplating the impending collapse, one obvious way to cope would be a return to pre-Cornucopian ways... Small farms employing pre-petro technology to produce the essentials of life, much as out great-grandparents did. Obviously we can't support 7 Billion people this way, but it seems like it would be a viable approach for some families and small communities.
- The problem with the "Back to 1890" idea is that the rise of Cornucopia destroyed many of the resources and infrastructure that our ancestors depended upon. Surface water sources have been eliminated or contaminated. Invasive weed and pest species have been spread. And, perhaps worst of all, the base knowledge and skills needed to do things without massive petroleum-dependent input has been nearly lost, along with the family/community networks then facilitated the sharing of same.
- To compensate for the loss of traditional infrastructure, we can use what's left of our Cornucopian resources to employ modern solutions, creating hybrid Old School/High Tech Doomsteads. I've discussed using 'alternative energy' to power the deep well pump, charge GMRS and CB radios, etc. Tractors to break-up the ground to facilitate hand or animal-powered cultivation later. And, of course, using the Internet to gather information and make contacts.
- I've been building-up our doomstead for well over a decade, and mastering pre-petro skills most of my life, and there's still a daunting amount that I need to learn and do... And time has just about run-out.
- I started my blog, then was among the first on the original LATOC Forum the better part of a decade ago, trying to let folks know what was coming, and that they needed to get in-gear and prepare for it. Hopefully I've been able to help a few people build their 'lifeboats'.
- Now it's 2012. Endgame. I you're still planning a doomstead, but haven't yet harnessed your first plow horse, learned how to milk a cow, dressed-out an animal for meat, or even found a viable property to work on... Well, you probably should just forget about doomsteading at this point and find another option. (Seriously. You'll probably be able to play Farmville to your heart's content in the Fedghetto.)
- But, if you're late to the game and are hellbent to try doomsteading anyway, you're going to need to rely heavily on the modern tech aspects of Hybrid Doomsteading... If only as a crutch to buy you the time to learn how to do things old-school (which is much harder than most people imagine).
- This thread is to discuss the short-term things you can still do to be ready to hang-on long enough to master the long-term solutions.
.
- Mankind got by for millennia before the petroleum-enabled Cornucopian Age. So, when contemplating the impending collapse, one obvious way to cope would be a return to pre-Cornucopian ways... Small farms employing pre-petro technology to produce the essentials of life, much as out great-grandparents did. Obviously we can't support 7 Billion people this way, but it seems like it would be a viable approach for some families and small communities.
- The problem with the "Back to 1890" idea is that the rise of Cornucopia destroyed many of the resources and infrastructure that our ancestors depended upon. Surface water sources have been eliminated or contaminated. Invasive weed and pest species have been spread. And, perhaps worst of all, the base knowledge and skills needed to do things without massive petroleum-dependent input has been nearly lost, along with the family/community networks then facilitated the sharing of same.
- To compensate for the loss of traditional infrastructure, we can use what's left of our Cornucopian resources to employ modern solutions, creating hybrid Old School/High Tech Doomsteads. I've discussed using 'alternative energy' to power the deep well pump, charge GMRS and CB radios, etc. Tractors to break-up the ground to facilitate hand or animal-powered cultivation later. And, of course, using the Internet to gather information and make contacts.
- I've been building-up our doomstead for well over a decade, and mastering pre-petro skills most of my life, and there's still a daunting amount that I need to learn and do... And time has just about run-out.
- I started my blog, then was among the first on the original LATOC Forum the better part of a decade ago, trying to let folks know what was coming, and that they needed to get in-gear and prepare for it. Hopefully I've been able to help a few people build their 'lifeboats'.
- Now it's 2012. Endgame. I you're still planning a doomstead, but haven't yet harnessed your first plow horse, learned how to milk a cow, dressed-out an animal for meat, or even found a viable property to work on... Well, you probably should just forget about doomsteading at this point and find another option. (Seriously. You'll probably be able to play Farmville to your heart's content in the Fedghetto.)
- But, if you're late to the game and are hellbent to try doomsteading anyway, you're going to need to rely heavily on the modern tech aspects of Hybrid Doomsteading... If only as a crutch to buy you the time to learn how to do things old-school (which is much harder than most people imagine).
- This thread is to discuss the short-term things you can still do to be ready to hang-on long enough to master the long-term solutions.
.
I may be gettin' old, But I've been fightin' DIRTIER LONGER!
