A Personal Vision of NorthTec
by Grant Steven
Many people now believe that we are at the Peak of World Petroleum Production, which is not the same as saying we are about to run out of oil. That will not happen for many decades, if ever, because we have only used up half the supply and they are still discovering small pockets of the stuff all round the world. But what is now beginning to be universally recognised is that the high quality, easy to extract, cheap oil is just about gone, and the remaining supply is mainly heavy, sour expensive oil from politically unstable regions or from more extreme environments such as deep water or freezing Arctic climates. Also we are not finding big oil fields anymore and all the small discoveries can not compensate for the declining production in the big fields such as Ghawar, Burgan, Canterell and Da Qing, which are the biggest fields in the world and were discovered 50-60 years ago. We have not found any more since then, because the big fields were easy to find and they were found first.
So what has all this got to do with North-Tec ?
Well, if oil is not about to run out, it is about to become a lot more expensive.
This has enormous implications for modern civilisation as oil is its Life Blood and is involved in just about everything we do or consume.
So, is increasing economic growth possible without increasing energy supply ?
Our transportation systems are more than 90% dependent on petrol and diesel.
So what are the implications of dramatically higher fuel costs ?
Modern Agriculture is petroleum-based and as the higher energy costs flow down the food chain, it will result in higher food costs.
So are we going to be able to afford to feed our families especially if the economy is in a severe recession from declining oil supply
and high levels of unemployment ?
North-Tec has some of Northland`s best minds in Organics and Permaculture, teaching courses in Horticulture, so there are many opportunities for people to learn how to grow their own food. These courses run all over Northland at well resourced venues where you can get hands-on practical experience.
But growing food will not be enough. We will also need to re-learn how to MAKE THINGS.
Isn`t this what Polytechnics are supposed to be about ? Applied Art and Science ?
Metal-working, Wood-working, Arts, Crafts, Pottery, Weaving, Knitting, Sewing, Cooking and numerous other Trades and Skills are going to be desperately required, because the best way to respond to Peak Oil is to Relocalise the Economy and develope strong Community Networks. This will involve producing food locally and manufacturing and retailing goods locally. A term used to describe this phase is The Great Re-Skilling.
The price of oil is an inevitable inbuilt cost in everything we use and consume and as this cost travels through the economic system it compounds on itself. So the price of clothing, shoes, household goods, building materials, etc, will become very expensive and as well, these goods are usually manufactured in China and have to transported by ships and trucks to us on the other side of the world. This is an extremely vulnerable position to be in.
The Polytech has a huge role to play in helping a town [eg Kerikeri] become a Transition Town, that is a town that is transitioning away from Fossil Fuels.
One of the first steps that needs to be done at the beginning of the transition process is to put together an Energy Descent Action Plan.
Once again the range of skills and knowledge at the local Polytech could make a big contribution. This could also involve the students, who could work on different segments of this plan according to their field of study. We already have an example of this from the Irish town of Kinsale, where students on a two-year Permaculture Course put together a plan which has been adopted by the local town council and is now studied worldwide.
Another model we have is at Oromahoe School, where North-Tec is running a Hort Course based around a Community Garden set up on the school grounds. As well as the Hort Course, there are Raised Bed Gardening Workshops where different systems of Raised Bed Gardening are showcased so that students can learn to grow veges in an easy-care, low-input system, just using hand tools and human labour. This has created a brilliant synergy between the School, the Polytech, and the Community, which is producing food and upgrading local skills and knowledge on Horticulture.
We already have enough people with computer skills and business skills, and with the current contraction in the credit market, it will no longer be possible to base a local economy around Housing Speculation and Land Subdivision. So we are going to need people who can make and grow things.
If the last thirty years was the Age of the University, the next thirty years is going to be the Age of the Polytech.