Are You Prepared for Transition Time?

Our industry is in the midst of some wrenching changes, but a much deeper transition is just over the horizon.

You could be forgiven for thinking the economic crash was bad enough. The next big shift will affect the way we grow our food, manage our buildings, and transport ourselves and the products we use every day. We’ve reached the end of cheap oil, and the effects were captured in this short video, aired at MPI’s 2009 World Education Conference by panelists Elizabeth Valestuk Henderson and Fiona Pelham.
It’s rare for a two-minute video—a two-minute cartoon, no less—to tell a story that adds up to life, the universe, and everything. To put yourself or your business in the picture, think of the driver at the bottom of the hill and ask yourself the following questions:
How did I get to work today? (If you work from home, how did you get to your last client meeting?)
How far did my breakfast travel to get to my plate?
Where will my next three meetings be held? How are those facilities heated and cooled? Where do they get their power?
How many participants will fly to and from those meetings? If they’re travelling regionally, can they find high-speed rail—or any reliable rail at all?

If you can answer those questions, you’re probably already thinking about “peak oil.”

Meetings