The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil
Encyclopedia
The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil is an American documentary film
that explores the Special Period in Peacetime and its aftermath; the economic collapse and eventual recovery of Cuba
following the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. Following the dramatic steps taken by both the Cuban government and citizens, its major themes include urban agriculture
, energy dependence, and sustainability
. The film was directed by Faith Morgan, and was released in 2006 by The Community Solution.
The film is a reflection of the peak oil
scenario argued by oil industry experts and political activists, including Matthew Simmons
and James Howard Kunstler
. The Cuban economy, heavily dependent on economic aid from the Soviet Union, suffered tremendously following the end of the Cold War
. The nation lost half of its oil
imports, and 85 percent of its international trade
economy. Cuba began a slow recovery focused not on finding new energy sources, but on rejecting consumption
in favor of sustainable growth. Director Faith Morgan, together with the non-profit group The Community Solution, seeks to educate audiences about peak oil and the impact it will have on transportation, agriculture, medicine, and other industries.
program. Amazed by stories of survival during The Special Period
, she learned that the Cuban economic plight was not solved with new energy sources, but instead with a fundamental shift in the country's economic mindset. Morgan began securing funds for the film in 2004 with help from Community Services, Inc. and began filming in the fall of the same year.
With the assistance of Gregory Greene, cinematographer and director of the documentary The End of Suburbia
, photographer John Morgan, producer Tom Blessing IV
, editor Eric Johnson and others, “The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil” was produced to “give hope to the developed world as it wakes up to the consequences of being hooked on oil, and to lift American’s prejudice of Cuba by showing the Cuban people as they are.”
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
that explores the Special Period in Peacetime and its aftermath; the economic collapse and eventual recovery of Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
following the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. Following the dramatic steps taken by both the Cuban government and citizens, its major themes include urban agriculture
Urban agriculture
Urban agriculture is the practice of cultivating, processing and distributing food in, or around, a village, town or city. Urban agriculture in addition can also involve animal husbandry, aquaculture, agro-forestry and horticulture...
, energy dependence, and sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainability is the capacity to endure. For humans, sustainability is the long-term maintenance of well being, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions, and encompasses the concept of union, an interdependent relationship and mutual responsible position with all living and non...
. The film was directed by Faith Morgan, and was released in 2006 by The Community Solution.
The film is a reflection of the peak oil
Peak oil
Peak oil is the point in time when the maximum rate of global petroleum extraction is reached, after which the rate of production enters terminal decline. This concept is based on the observed production rates of individual oil wells, projected reserves and the combined production rate of a field...
scenario argued by oil industry experts and political activists, including Matthew Simmons
Matthew Simmons
Matthew Roy Simmons was founder and chairman emeritus of Simmons & Company International, and was a prominent advocate of peak oil. Simmons was motivated by the 1973 energy crisis to create an investment banking firm catering to oil companies. In his previous capacity, he served as energy...
and James Howard Kunstler
James Howard Kunstler
James Howard Kunstler is an American author, social critic, public speaker, and blogger. He is best known for his books The Geography of Nowhere , a history of American suburbia and urban development, and the more recent The Long Emergency , where he argues that declining oil production is likely...
. The Cuban economy, heavily dependent on economic aid from the Soviet Union, suffered tremendously following the end of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
. The nation lost half of its oil
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
imports, and 85 percent of its international trade
International trade
International trade is the exchange of capital, goods, and services across international borders or territories. In most countries, such trade represents a significant share of gross domestic product...
economy. Cuba began a slow recovery focused not on finding new energy sources, but on rejecting consumption
Consumption (economics)
Consumption is a common concept in economics, and gives rise to derived concepts such as consumer debt. Generally, consumption is defined in part by comparison to production. But the precise definition can vary because different schools of economists define production quite differently...
in favor of sustainable growth. Director Faith Morgan, together with the non-profit group The Community Solution, seeks to educate audiences about peak oil and the impact it will have on transportation, agriculture, medicine, and other industries.
History of the film
The idea for a film based on the Cuban recovery first arose in August 2003 when Morgan traveled to Cuba as part of the Global ExchangeGlobal Exchange
Global Exchange is an advocacy group and non-governmental organization , based in San Francisco, California, United States. The group's mission is to promote human rights and social, economic, and environmental justice around the world.-History:...
program. Amazed by stories of survival during The Special Period
Special Period
The Special Period in Time of Peace in Cuba was an extended period of economic crisis that began in 1991 after the dissolution of the Soviet Union and, by extension, the Comecon. The economic depression of the Special Period was at its most severe in the early-to-mid 1990s before slightly declining...
, she learned that the Cuban economic plight was not solved with new energy sources, but instead with a fundamental shift in the country's economic mindset. Morgan began securing funds for the film in 2004 with help from Community Services, Inc. and began filming in the fall of the same year.
With the assistance of Gregory Greene, cinematographer and director of the documentary The End of Suburbia
The End of Suburbia
The End of Suburbia: Oil Depletion and the Collapse of The American Dream is a 2004 documentary film concerning peak oil and its implications for the suburban lifestyle, written and directed by Toronto-based filmmaker Gregory Greene....
, photographer John Morgan, producer Tom Blessing IV
Tom Blessing IV
Thomas E. Blessing IV is an independent film and television producer and artist manager from Yellow Springs, Ohio. He is known for his role as a production manager on the television series pilot Loveline , for his production management work with Dick Clark Productions and co-producing the...
, editor Eric Johnson and others, “The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil” was produced to “give hope to the developed world as it wakes up to the consequences of being hooked on oil, and to lift American’s prejudice of Cuba by showing the Cuban people as they are.”
See also
- OrganopónicosOrganopónicosOrganopónicos are a system of urban organic gardens in Cuba. They often consist of low-level concrete walls filled with organic matter and soil, with lines of drip irrigation laid on the surface of the growing media...
(the Cuban post-oil urban agriculture system) - CUBA: Defending Socialism, Resisting Imperialism (documentary)CUBA: Defending Socialism, Resisting Imperialism (documentary)CUBA: Defending Socialism, Resisting Imperialism is a documentary film produced by Rock Around the Blockade in 2010. The film consists of a series of interviews with various Cuban workers including farmers, a healthcare worker, a lawyer and an economist as well as footage of May Day in Cuba...
- Making Sweden an Oil-Free Society
- Peak oilPeak oilPeak oil is the point in time when the maximum rate of global petroleum extraction is reached, after which the rate of production enters terminal decline. This concept is based on the observed production rates of individual oil wells, projected reserves and the combined production rate of a field...