Mention the concepts permaculture, global warming, environmental

education and the peak oil crisis five years ago and the reaction

would have been a glazed-eyed vacant expression.

Say it today and you can expect dire Apocalyptic predictions about

impending doom and gloom with parts of Al Gore's "Inconvenient Truth"

quoted with religious fervour.

But these trendy catchwords aren't vague concepts for Cuba's Roberto

Perez – they've been part of his stark reality since the early 1990s

when his home country was plunged into economic crisis overnight with

its loss of access to Soviet oil, fertilizers and export trade market.

Perez was only in his early 20s when his world changed. Basic

essentials – like food and medicine – were not readily available and

people faced the very real risk of starvation.

But out of Cuba's impossible, cruel and unfair crisis – a strong

community was formed where people "talked to their neighbours, grew

vegetables in their garden and learnt what to do with their waste".

Today Havana – Perez's home city – produces 60% of its fruit and

vegetables within its city limits and peri-urban areas.

It has transformed itself into an economy that is virtually

self-sustainable while leading the way as a "low energy society" where

public transport is the norm and recycling is an integral part of life.

Perez works as a permaculture and environmental educator for the

Foundation for Nature and Humanity – Cuba's major environment

organisation. He has been visiting Australia to teach basic principles

of permaculture and detailing the Cuban experience.

Where about four years ago "only about 30 people" would have attended

his talks, he has been warmly embraced across the country as people

look to Cuba as a model of how to survive and make technology work for

us – instead of the other way round.

"Today all the talk about climate change and the peak oil crisis has

become Apocalyptic and scary but the power of the community is a good

thing, a breath of fresh air and I hope I bring inspiration and

educational tools. We have a global problem, but it seems we've become

numb."

Perez was a biology student as the crisis in his country unfolded. But

when a group of Australian permaculture trainers came to teach their

skills to the struggling country he found his niche.

"I was always looking at ways to do something with nature to improve

the lives of people," he said.

"When the Australians started talking to us about food chains and the

knowledge from nature to human settlements I was interested," he said.

He attributes Cuba's ability to achieve food security to the

introduction of permaculture by these experts and its transition to an

"urban agriculture" where people living in the cities transformed "car

parks into areas to grow their produce".

He has also been helping correct the image of permaculture as

something based in the past with images of feudal systems or "hippies"

growing their own vegies to something that combines traditional ways

of doing things with modern science.

And he believes Australia has a lot to learn and a lot more to do in

terms of changing its reliance on "dirty" coal, big cars and concrete

jungles.

"Australia is rich enough to get rid of coal," he said.

"People should put a lot more pressure on the government to do this

and the resources are available."

Perez has been meeting with local mayors including Sunshine Coast

mayor Bob Abbot in his tour across Australia and sees huge scope for

Australia to embrace permaculture and lead by reducing emissions.

He simply hoped Australia – and other countries in the world –

wouldn't have to wait for a crisis before they embraced change.

By Kathy Sundstrom

from: http://www.thedaily.com.au/news/2008/apr/20/apocalypse-now/