Cognition

Most of my (non-work-related) thinking these days circles around how we, as a species, a culture, or a geographical collection of human flesh, can make a smooth recovery from our petroleum addiction. I read a fair bit on the subject, from the “Post-Petroleum Survival Guide and Cookbook”, to my current muse, “Peak Everything”.

As is often the case with the large, complex issues facing humanity, most of our effort is (dare I say it?) wasted on trying to fix the wrong things. Like changing our lightbulbs. Even changing our cars is, most of the time, the wrong thing. Why?

Making a thing, almost ANY thing, takes an enormous amount of energy input. These days, most of that energy input is petroleum, generating huge amounts of waste carbon. So regardless of how much BETTER the end product is, it needs to fulfill two criteria to justify the switch:

1. It needs to last forever (or some reasonable facsimile).
2. It needs to use so much less carbon, that it offsets the output of buying something NEW in the first place.

Our problem, as a culture, is less an OIL addiction, as it is an addiction to CONSUMING. Endlessly.

Let’s take the principles of the “Tucker” automobile, and apply them to all consumer goods. Do away with “designed obsolescence“, and try building things to LAST, for a change.

My favorite example of this? A Stanley #2 plane.

(‘But wait!’ you cry. ‘What about the Rabbits?’)

Ah yes. The Rabbits.

Even in “Peak Everything”, when the author discusses how America may need to shift back to a nation with 20-40% of our workforce involved directly in agriculture (in a move called re-ruralization), which mimics much of what Cuba did after the trade embargo was put into place – there’s still too much emphasis on simple vegetables and grain. As a passionate carnivore, I have to ask – Where’s the beef?!?

What’s wrong with cows, anyway? A lot, as it turns out.

1. They produce tons of methane, a greenhouse gas that’s hundreds of times worse than simple carbon dioxide.
2. They’re horribly inefficient at converting feed or pasture to meat.
3. They’re grazed at great distances from where they’re processed, and then transported great distances AGAIN to where they’re consumed.

4. They require relatively high-quality rangeland, and human-edible feed – which contributes directly to the worldwide shortage of arable land.

What’s better? Locally-grown, locally-processed rabbits. Why?

1. Rabbits are incredibly efficient at converting vegetable scraps, and simple non-human-edible vegetation (dandelions, for instance) into meat.
2. Their meat is lean, perhaps cutting down on the obesity endemic.
3. They’re fast and simple to process, with very little toxic byproduct from slaughtering.
4. They breed like, well, like rabbits.
5. They’re simple to breed on a highly-localized scale, reducing transport and attendant fuel costs, pollution, etc.

So here’s my pitch, Mr. Cuban – strike some direct-to-restaurant business deals with major fast-food chains (I’m thinking Wendy’s or McD-scale) for the “Bunny Burger”. Work with these guys on some compelling branding to take the stigma away from breaking fast on the bunny scramble, and put together massively distributed production of bunnies (and their attendant feed). Compost and sell the manure. Feed them kitchen scraps from the same restaurants that are buying your bunny burgers.

Hire the homeless as Neo-shepherds, to keep stray dogs and eagles away from your flock. And where do you put them? How bout the parking garages that will be abandoned as our global economy (and our ability to make ridiculous monthly payments) hits the toilet?

Rabbits. FTW.