Homework 3 Week Three: Cuba

This article discusses Cuba and its lack of oil. It also discusses how we can learn from Cuba, and potentially lead oil free lives. Since it was cut off rapidly from soviet oil, Cuba has managed to maintain its economy and grow more sustainable crops. They use bio-pesticides instead of petroleum based alternatives and oxen instead tractors. It's little changes like that that have the most prominent effect on Cuba's transformation, and are the very same changes that will be so crucial for us make soon.

In addition, Cuba has made fantastic headway on its medicine for being both a poor country, and one with little oil supply. It has a strong focus on preventative treatments and encouragement to lead healthy lives. Cubans have the same life expectancy as Americans, despite the economic difference. Cuba also boasts a strong educational system. All children attend school, something that can't even be said about the U.S. Cuba has also made big changes in their transportation. It's now illegal to remove cars from the island, and there are very few new cars. They use largely public transport, with large buses primarily.

The relocalization of resources is a vital step for the world to take if we're to ween ourselves off oil. Since it's local, hence relocalization, it can be done on both a large and small scale. Relocalizing would be very beneficial to farming in america. Relocalizing and diversifying our crops would allow us to greatly reduce our use of industrial fertilizers. If we implemented a system mimicking Cuba, we could revert to oxen or horses as the source for both our farming power and our fertilizer. a foreseeable isssue with this system is the variance of the U.S. landscape. What you can grow in one region, you can't necessarily grow 100 miles away. This would mean an abundance of crops in one place, and a possible shortage in others. This would also mean a lack of diversity of crops in the same vein. People in maine probably wouldn't be getting too many fresh kumquats from florida for example. Relocalizing crops would also mean a change in our social infrastructure. Smaller, more numerous communites would have to be formed, and huge populations would likely be unable to live as they had before.

Relocalization is a great, and relatively simple thing for small communities in our country. Would it be able to effectively handle larger communities?

The world seems aware of Cuba, why have we not followed logically in their footsteps?

Cuba is a working example of life with little oil. However, its culture and government are very different from our own. Would a similar system work in the U.S. because we're so different?