Posted by Jason Bradford on April 1, 2009
This is a guest post by Michael Foley (user Greenuprising) who is another academic-turned-farmer. This post makes a nice follow-up to Nate's What Do We Tell Our Children? essay. Perhaps we don't have to say a whole lot if our actions align with newly emerging realities. Want a sense of purpose? Want to belong and feel valuable in your social sphere? Reskilling might make a whole lot of sense. What do you think?
Reskilling for an Age of Energy Descent
Transition Towns founder Rob Hopkins calls the educational work we need to be doing over the next couple of decades “the Great Reskilling,” acquiring and re-acquiring the skills we will need to manage the energy transition we face. I've already written a bit about the organizational skills we will need on the local level. Here I want to offer some thoughts about the sorts of practical skills adults and children alike could start learning now to cope with a world of drastically reduced and altered energy sources.
The police are rioting in England. The economy is still collapsing. The Leafs are out of the playoffs. And Peacenik is heading for the northern wilderness. Yes Peacenik will spend this weekend surviving. Living off the land. Cooking over an open flame. Burning wood to stay warm. Drinking rainwater. And reading the Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants. Peacenik will return on Sunday, cold, tired, and hungry. What new skills does Peacenik needs to survive in the months ahead? Peacenik will find out. Peacenik is excited.
