[Culturechat] The end of the (suburban) world as we know it

[WesTexas@aol.com]

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(Basically, we have made a huge mistake by not following the European model=20
for cities.   One of the commentators, Jim Kunstler, in the documentary that=
 is=20
reviewed below noted how ironic it is that many Americans go to places to=20
vacation to get away from the car culture, e.g., Nantucket, Seaside, London,=
=20
Paris, etc.  Kunstler calls the project of suburbia =E2=80=9Cthe greatest mi=
sallocation of=20
resources in the history of the world=E2=80=9D and says =E2=80=9CAmerica has=
 squandered its=20
wealth in a living arrangement that has no future.=E2=80=9D).  =20

http://www.energybulletin.net/1246.html

Published on Thursday, July 29, 2004 by MMN
It=E2=80=99s the End of the World as We Know It

by Thomas Wheeler
:: A review of The End of Suburbia =E2=80=93 Oil Depletion and the Collapse=20=
of the=20
American Dream (The Electric Wallpaper Co., c/o VisionTV, 80 Bond Street,=20
Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5B 1X2, web site: www.endofsuburbia.com) 87 minut=
e DVD,=20
$27.75 US / $34.50 Canadian ::

A simple fact of life is that any system based on the use of nonrenewable=20
resources is unsustainable. Despite all the warnings that we are headed for=20=
an=20
ecological and environmental perfect storm, many Americans are oblivious to=20=
the=20
flashing red light on the earth=E2=80=99s fuel gauge. Many feel the =E2=80=
=9CAmerican way of=20
life=E2=80=9D is an entitlement that operates outside the laws of nature. At=
 the Earth=20
Summit in 1992, George H.W. Bush forcefully declared, "The American way of=20
life is not negotiable." That way of life requires a highly disproportionate=
 use=20
of the world's nonrenewable resources. While only containing 4% of the world=
=20
population, the United States consumes 25% of the world=E2=80=99s oil. The c=
enterpiece=20
of that way of life is suburbia. And massive amounts of nonrenewable fuels=20
are required to maintain the project of suburbia.

The suburban lifestyle is considered by many Americans to be an accepted and=
=20
normal way of life. But this gluttonous, sprawling, and energy-intensive way=
=20
of life is simply not sustainable. Few people=20
are aware of how their lives are dependent on cheap and abundant energy. Are=
=20
these Americans in for a rude awakening? In a fascinating new documentary, T=
he=20
End of Suburbia =E2=80=93 Oil Depletion and the Collapse of the American Dre=
am, the=20
central question is this: Does the suburban way of life have a future? The=20
answer is a resounding no.

The film opens with the quote, =E2=80=9CIf a path to the better there be, it=
 begins=20
with a full look at the worst.=E2=80=9D You=E2=80=99d think from that openin=
g we=E2=80=99re in for a=20
very depressing flick. Not so. Despite the serious subject matter the=20
documentary is actually quite engaging and entertaining. Not only is it info=
rmative for=20
those already familiar with the issues but it=E2=80=99s also quite accessibl=
e and=20
enlightening for the uninitiated. It serves as great introduction and a real=
=20
eye-opener for people who are largely unfamiliar with the topic of energy=20
depletion and the impact it will have on their lives and communities.

The End of Suburbia marshals an impressive array of evidence that the growin=
g=20
energy demands of the =E2=80=9CAmerican dream=E2=80=9D in suburbia will ecli=
pse our planet=E2=80=99s=20
ability to provide it. The suburban way of life will soon become economicall=
y=20
and ecologically impossible to maintain. We will see the inevitable collapse=
=20
of the suburban lifestyle and the end of the American Dream. And it will=20
happen within our lifetimes.

How bad will it get? Put it this way. We are looking at the mother of all=20
downsizings.

For those who are familiar with the issues of peak oil and resource=20
depletion, the usual suspects are here. They include Richard Heinberg, Micha=
el Klare,=20
Matthew Simmons, Michael C. Ruppert, Julian Darley, Dr. Colin Campbell, and=20
Kenneth Deffeyes, among others. All of these individuals provide valuable=20
information and insights concerning the coming energy crisis and the impact=20=
it will=20
have on the lives of people on the North American continent.

But the standout star of the film is author and critic of contemporary=20
culture, James Howard Kunstler. The sometimes humorous and always entertaini=
ng=20
presence of Kunstler is prominent throughout the documentary =E2=80=93 and f=
or good reason.=20
He grabs your attention. He explains in refreshingly blunt, easy to=20
comprehend language that suburbia is screwed. His undiluted, tell-it-like-it=
-is style=20
is a potent mix of George Carlin humor and wit wrapped around an incisive=20
Chomsky-like comprehension and understanding. With Kunstler you get an=20
intellectually penetrating person armed with a functioning bullshit detector=
 wrapped up in=20
an intensely candid New York attitude. Kunstler has a blog on the web he=20
calls =E2=80=9CThe Clusterfuck Nation Chronicles=E2=80=9D (www.kunstler.com)=
. Need I say more?

Kunstler calls the project of suburbia =E2=80=9Cthe greatest misallocation o=
f=20
resources in the history of the world=E2=80=9D and says =E2=80=9CAmerica has=
 squandered its wealth=20
in a living arrangement that has no future.=E2=80=9D You immediately get the=
 idea he=E2=80=99s=20
not exactly a fan of suburbia. How and why did this happen? The End of=20
Suburbia outlines the seemingly rational and logical impulse behind the proj=
ect of=20
suburbia, tracing the beginnings to the late 19th century when it was=20
originally envisioned as an antidote to city life and an escape from the hid=
eous=20
aspects of industrialism. Modern suburbia traces its beginnings to just afte=
r World=20
War II when the suburban project took off with a massive housing boom and th=
e=20
increasing dominance of the automotive industry. This car-centered suburban=20
project ended up being the template for the massive development of the secon=
d=20
half of the 20th century. That project was wrapped up, packaged, and sold to=
 the=20
American public as =E2=80=9CThe American Dream.=E2=80=9D

The End of Suburbia points out that the rise of the suburbs was made possibl=
e=20
by abundant and cheap oil. It allowed for the creation of a system of=20
habitation where millions of people can live many miles away from where they=
 work and=20
where they shop for food and necessities. And there is no other form of=20
living that requires more energy in order to function than suburbia. But the=
=20
voracious and expanding energy needs of our industrial society, our insane c=
onsumer=20
culture, and the affluent suburban lifestyles are brushing up against the=20
disturbing reality of finite energy resources.

The biggest impact will be felt by those who currently live in the sprawling=
=20
suburbs of North America. The end of cheap oil will signal the end of their=20
way of life. Frankly, many of the things we take for granted will come to an=
=20
end. The End of Suburbia makes clear that the effects of energy depletion go=
 way=20
beyond paying more at the pump. It will literally get down to the question o=
f=20
how you will feed yourself and your family.

Although the documentary mostly avoids the gloom and doom of some peak oil=20
theorists, it does occasionally touch on some of the darker aspects of fossi=
l=20
fuel depletion, notably how it will impact food production. The film briefly=
=20
looks at the energy-intensive process needed to bring food to supermarkets.=20=
Our=20
modern industrial agriculture relies heavily on petroleum for pesticides and=
=20
natural gas for fertilizer, not to mention the energy used in planting, grow=
ing,=20
harvesting, irrigating, packaging, processing and transporting the food. It=20
stands to reason that if suburbia is going to collapse, it also means this=20
centralized model of agriculture will collapse too.

The End of Suburbia shows how the suburban way of life has become normalized=
=20
and reveals the enormous effort currently put forth to maintain it. On a=20
foreign policy level, it means continued aggressive attempts to secure acces=
s to=20
the remaining reserves of oil on the planet in order to prop up and maintain=
 the=20
increasingly dysfunctional and obscene suburban lifestyle. But The End of=20
Suburbia makes it crystal clear that suburban living has very poor prospects=
 for=20
the future. Any attempt to maintain it will be futile. There will eventually=
=20
be a great scramble to get out of the suburbs as the global oil crisis deepe=
ns=20
and the property values of suburban homes plummet. Kunstler asserts that the=
=20
suburbs will become =E2=80=9Cthe slums of the future.=E2=80=9D

What about alternative sources of energy? The End of Suburbia points out tha=
t=20
no combination of alternative fuels can run and maintain our current system=20
as it is now. What about hydrogen, you ask? The film does a great job of=20
shooting down the hysterical applause for hydrogen. The idea of a hydrogen e=
conomy=20
is mostly fantasy. Hydrogen is not a form of energy. It is a form of energy=20
storage. It takes more energy to make hydrogen than you actually get from=20
hydrogen. Same with ethanol. It is a net energy loser. It takes more gasolin=
e to=20
create and fertilize the corn and convert it to alcohol than you get from bu=
rning=20
it. When you look at all the conceivable alternatives the conclusion is ther=
e=20
is no combination of any alternatives that will allow us to continue consumi=
ng=20
the way we do.

What is in our future? The consensus is the suburbs will surely not survive=20
the end of cheap oil and natural gas. In other words, the massive downscalin=
g=20
of America =E2=80=93 voluntary or involuntary =E2=80=93 will be the trend of=
 the future. We=20
are in for some profound changes in the 21st century. The imminent collapse=20=
of=20
industrial civilization means we'll have to organize human communities in a=20
much different fashion from the completely unsustainable, highly-centralized=
,=20
earth-destroying, globalized system we have now. There will need to be a mov=
e to=20
much smaller, human-scale, localized and decentralized systems that can=20
sustain themselves within their own landbase. Industrial civilization and su=
burban=20
living relies on cheap sources of energy to continue to grow and expand. Tha=
t=20
era is coming to an end. One of the most important tasks right now is to=20
prepare for a very different way of life.

While The End of Suburbia doesn=E2=80=99t provide any easy answers, it does=20=
provide a=20
much needed look at the reality of the situation many in North America will=20
be facing in the coming years. For that reason, The End of Suburbia is one o=
f=20
the most important must-see documentaries of the year.




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Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
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<HTML><FONT FACE=3Darial,helvetica><HTML><FONT COLOR=3D"#000000" FACE=3D"Gen=
eva" FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" SIZE=3D"2">(Basically, we have made a huge mistake=
 by not following the European model for cities.&nbsp;  One of the commentat=
ors, Jim Kunstler, in the documentary that is reviewed below noted how ironi=
c it is that many Americans go to places to vacation to get away from the ca=
r culture, e.g., Nantucket, Seaside, London, Paris, etc.&nbsp; </FONT><FONT=20=
COLOR=3D"#000000" FACE=3D"Geneva" FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" SIZE=3D"2">Kunstler c=
alls the project of suburbia =E2=80=9Cthe greatest misallocation of resource=
s in the history of the world=E2=80=9D and says =E2=80=9CAmerica has squande=
red its wealth in a living arrangement that has no future.=E2=80=9D</FONT><F=
ONT COLOR=3D"#000000" FACE=3D"Geneva" FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" SIZE=3D"2">).&nbs=
p;  <BR>
<BR>
http://www.energybulletin.net/1246.html</FONT><FONT COLOR=3D"#000000" FACE=
=3D"Geneva" FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" SIZE=3D"2"><I><BR>
<BR>
Published on Thursday, July 29, 2004 by</FONT><FONT COLOR=3D"#0000FF" FACE=
=3D"Geneva" FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" SIZE=3D"2"><A HREF=3D"http://usa.mediamonit=
ors.net/content/view/full/8515/"> MMN</A></I></FONT><FONT COLOR=3D"#000000"=20=
FACE=3D"Geneva" FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" SIZE=3D"2"><BR>
</FONT><FONT COLOR=3D"#000000" FACE=3D"Geneva" FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" SIZE=3D"=
5"><B>It=E2=80=99s the End of the World as We Know It<BR>
</B></FONT><FONT COLOR=3D"#000000" FACE=3D"Geneva" FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" SIZE=
=3D"2"><BR>
</FONT><FONT COLOR=3D"#000000" FACE=3D"Geneva" FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" SIZE=3D"=
2"><B>by Thomas Wheeler</B></FONT><FONT COLOR=3D"#000000" FACE=3D"Geneva" FA=
MILY=3D"SANSSERIF" SIZE=3D"2"><BR>
</FONT><FONT COLOR=3D"#000000" FACE=3D"Geneva" FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" SIZE=3D"=
2"><I>:: A review of The End of Suburbia =E2=80=93 Oil Depletion and the Col=
lapse of the American Dream (The Electric Wallpaper Co., c/o VisionTV, 80 Bo=
nd Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5B 1X2, web site:</FONT><FONT COLOR=
=3D"#0000FF" FACE=3D"Geneva" FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" SIZE=3D"2"><A HREF=3D"http=
://www.endofsuburbia.com"> www.endofsuburbia.com</A></FONT><FONT COLOR=3D"#0=
00000" FACE=3D"Geneva" FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" SIZE=3D"2">) 87 minute DVD, $27.=
75 US / $34.50 Canadian ::</I></FONT><FONT COLOR=3D"#000000" FACE=3D"Geneva"=
 FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" SIZE=3D"2"><BR>
<BR>
A simple fact of life is that any system based on the use of nonrenewable re=
sources is unsustainable. Despite all the warnings that we are headed for an=
 ecological and environmental perfect storm, many Americans are oblivious to=
 the flashing red light on the earth=E2=80=99s fuel gauge. Many feel the=20=
=E2=80=9CAmerican way of life=E2=80=9D is an entitlement that operates outsi=
de the laws of nature. At the Earth Summit in 1992, George H.W. Bush forcefu=
lly declared, "The American way of life is not negotiable." That way of life=
 requires a highly disproportionate use of the world's nonrenewable resource=
s. While only containing 4% of the world population, the United States consu=
mes 25% of the world=E2=80=99s oil. The centerpiece of that way of life is s=
uburbia. And massive amounts of nonrenewable fuels are required to maintain=20=
the project of suburbia.<BR>
<BR>
The suburban lifestyle is considered by many Americans to be an accepted and=
 normal way of life. But this gluttonous, sprawling, and energy-intensive wa=
y of life is simply not sustainable. Few people <BR>
are aware of how their lives are dependent on cheap and abundant energy. Are=
 these Americans in for a rude awakening? In a fascinating new documentary,=20=
The End of Suburbia =E2=80=93 Oil Depletion and the Collapse of the American=
 Dream, the central question is this: Does the suburban way of life have a f=
uture? The answer is a resounding no.<BR>
<BR>
The film opens with the quote, =E2=80=9CIf a path to the better there be, it=
 begins with a full look at the worst.=E2=80=9D You=E2=80=99d think from tha=
t opening we=E2=80=99re in for a very depressing flick. Not so. Despite the=20=
serious subject matter the documentary is actually quite engaging and entert=
aining. Not only is it informative for those already familiar with the issue=
s but it=E2=80=99s also quite accessible and enlightening for the uninitiate=
d. It serves as great introduction and a real eye-opener for people who are=20=
largely unfamiliar with the topic of energy depletion and the impact it will=
 have on their lives and communities.<BR>
<BR>
The End of Suburbia marshals an impressive array of evidence that the growin=
g energy demands of the =E2=80=9CAmerican dream=E2=80=9D in suburbia will ec=
lipse our planet=E2=80=99s ability to provide it. The suburban way of life w=
ill soon become economically and ecologically impossible to maintain. We wil=
l see the inevitable collapse of the suburban lifestyle and the end of the A=
merican Dream. And it will happen within our lifetimes.<BR>
<BR>
How bad will it get? Put it this way. We are looking at the mother of all do=
wnsizings.<BR>
<BR>
For those who are familiar with the issues of peak oil and resource depletio=
n, the usual suspects are here. They include Richard Heinberg, Michael Klare=
, Matthew Simmons, Michael C. Ruppert, Julian Darley, Dr. Colin Campbell, an=
d Kenneth Deffeyes, among others. All of these individuals provide valuable=20=
information and insights concerning the coming energy crisis and the impact=20=
it will have on the lives of people on the North American continent.<BR>
<BR>
But the standout star of the film is author and critic of contemporary cultu=
re, James Howard Kunstler. The sometimes humorous and always entertaining pr=
esence of Kunstler is prominent throughout the documentary =E2=80=93 and for=
 good reason. He grabs your attention. He explains in refreshingly blunt, ea=
sy to comprehend language that suburbia is screwed. His undiluted, tell-it-l=
ike-it-is style is a potent mix of George Carlin humor and wit wrapped aroun=
d an incisive Chomsky-like comprehension and understanding. With Kunstler yo=
u get an intellectually penetrating person armed with a functioning bullshit=
 detector wrapped up in an intensely candid New York attitude. Kunstler has=20=
a blog on the web he calls =E2=80=9CThe Clusterfuck Nation Chronicles=E2=80=
=9D (</FONT><FONT COLOR=3D"#0000FF" FACE=3D"Geneva" FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" SIZ=
E=3D"2"><A HREF=3D"http://www.kunstler.com">www.kunstler.com</A></FONT><FONT=
 COLOR=3D"#000000" FACE=3D"Geneva" FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" SIZE=3D"2">). Need I=
 say more?<BR>
<BR>
Kunstler calls the project of suburbia =E2=80=9Cthe greatest misallocation o=
f resources in the history of the world=E2=80=9D and says =E2=80=9CAmerica h=
as squandered its wealth in a living arrangement that has no future.=E2=80=
=9D You immediately get the idea he=E2=80=99s not exactly a fan of suburbia.=
 How and why did this happen? The End of Suburbia outlines the seemingly rat=
ional and logical impulse behind the project of suburbia, tracing the beginn=
ings to the late 19th century when it was originally envisioned as an antido=
te to city life and an escape from the hideous aspects of industrialism. Mod=
ern suburbia traces its beginnings to just after World War II when the subur=
ban project took off with a massive housing boom and the increasing dominanc=
e of the automotive industry. This car-centered suburban project ended up be=
ing the template for the massive development of the second half of the 20th=20=
century. That project was wrapped up, packaged, and sold to the American pub=
lic as =E2=80=9CThe American Dream.=E2=80=9D<BR>
<BR>
The End of Suburbia points out that the rise of the suburbs was made possibl=
e by abundant and cheap oil. It allowed for the creation of a system of habi=
tation where millions of people can live many miles away from where they wor=
k and where they shop for food and necessities. And there is no other form o=
f living that requires more energy in order to function than suburbia. But t=
he voracious and expanding energy needs of our industrial society, our insan=
e consumer culture, and the affluent suburban lifestyles are brushing up aga=
inst the disturbing reality of finite energy resources.<BR>
<BR>
The biggest impact will be felt by those who currently live in the sprawling=
 suburbs of North America. The end of cheap oil will signal the end of their=
 way of life. Frankly, many of the things we take for granted will come to a=
n end. The End of Suburbia makes clear that the effects of energy depletion=20=
go way beyond paying more at the pump. It will literally get down to the que=
stion of how you will feed yourself and your family.<BR>
<BR>
Although the documentary mostly avoids the gloom and doom of some peak oil t=
heorists, it does occasionally touch on some of the darker aspects of fossil=
 fuel depletion, notably how it will impact food production. The film briefl=
y looks at the energy-intensive process needed to bring food to supermarkets=
. Our modern industrial agriculture relies heavily on petroleum for pesticid=
es and natural gas for fertilizer, not to mention the energy used in plantin=
g, growing, harvesting, irrigating, packaging, processing and transporting t=
he food. It stands to reason that if suburbia is going to collapse, it also=20=
means this centralized model of agriculture will collapse too.<BR>
<BR>
The End of Suburbia shows how the suburban way of life has become normalized=
 and reveals the enormous effort currently put forth to maintain it. On a fo=
reign policy level, it means continued aggressive attempts to secure access=20=
to the remaining reserves of oil on the planet in order to prop up and maint=
ain the increasingly dysfunctional and obscene suburban lifestyle. But The E=
nd of Suburbia makes it crystal clear that suburban living has very poor pro=
spects for the future. Any attempt to maintain it will be futile. There will=
 eventually be a great scramble to get out of the suburbs as the global oil=20=
crisis deepens and the property values of suburban homes plummet. Kunstler a=
sserts that the suburbs will become =E2=80=9Cthe slums of the future.=E2=80=
=9D<BR>
<BR>
What about alternative sources of energy? The End of Suburbia points out tha=
t no combination of alternative fuels can run and maintain our current syste=
m as it is now. What about hydrogen, you ask? The film does a great job of s=
hooting down the hysterical applause for hydrogen. The idea of a hydrogen ec=
onomy is mostly fantasy. Hydrogen is not a form of energy. It is a form of e=
nergy storage. It takes more energy to make hydrogen than you actually get f=
rom hydrogen. Same with ethanol. It is a net energy loser. It takes more gas=
oline to create and fertilize the corn and convert it to alcohol than you ge=
t from burning it. When you look at all the conceivable alternatives the con=
clusion is there is no combination of any alternatives that will allow us to=
 continue consuming the way we do.<BR>
<BR>
What is in our future? The consensus is the suburbs will surely not survive=20=
the end of cheap oil and natural gas. In other words, the massive downscalin=
g of America =E2=80=93 voluntary or involuntary =E2=80=93 will be the trend=20=
of the future. We are in for some profound changes in the 21st century. The=20=
imminent collapse of industrial civilization means we'll have to organize hu=
man communities in a much different fashion from the completely unsustainabl=
e, highly-centralized, earth-destroying, globalized system we have now. Ther=
e will need to be a move to much smaller, human-scale, localized and decentr=
alized systems that can sustain themselves within their own landbase. Indust=
rial civilization and suburban living relies on cheap sources of energy to c=
ontinue to grow and expand. That era is coming to an end. One of the most im=
portant tasks right now is to prepare for a very different way of life.<BR>
<BR>
While The End of Suburbia doesn=E2=80=99t provide any easy answers, it does=20=
provide a much needed look at the reality of the situation many in North Ame=
rica will be facing in the coming years. For that reason, The End of Suburbi=
a is one of the most important must-see documentaries of the year.<BR>
<BR>
</FONT><FONT COLOR=3D"#000000" FACE=3D"Geneva" FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" SIZE=3D"=
2"><I><BR>
</I></FONT><FONT COLOR=3D"#000000" FACE=3D"Geneva" FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" SIZE=
=3D"5"><B><BR>
</B></FONT><FONT COLOR=3D"#000000" FACE=3D"Geneva" FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" SIZE=
=3D"2"></FONT></HTML>
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