Peak Oil Prep: Prepare for Peak Oil, Climate Change and Economic Collapse [Paperback]

Mick Winter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2006

Three Things You Can Do to Prepare for Peak Oil, Climate Change and Economic Collapse -- You can easily lead a more sustainable, money-saving life right now. But you have to do it yourself. No one, including the government, is going to do it for you. The book covers topics that list three free, or low-cost, things you can do to save money; decrease energy dependence; fight global warming and abrupt climate change; and improve your home, your community, and your environment. Topics include: Self-employment, relocation, local business, car, food, shopping, money, neighborhood, kitchen, bathroom, yard, heating, cooling, lighting, and many more.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A directory of ideas, resources and information to get you through the coming challenges of energy scarcity, climate change and economic collapse...Mick presents his information with humour and in a very practical and down-to-earth way...Peak Oil Prep provides a wealth of information and should prove useful to anyone trying to Powerdown and make the necessary changes to prosper through the changes that are coming." -- Graham Strouts - Zone5.org

"A user's manual for sustainable living with lots of practical tips and links to additional resources. Will help you save money and adopt a more sustainable lifestyle while lowering your ecological footprint. A good book for anyone trying to live sustainably." -- Robert Rapier - The Oil Drum

"Excellent! Very comprehensive with a strong focus on solutions." -- Megan Quinn, CommunitySolution.org, Co-producer of "The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil"

"From my perspective, anything we can do to build lifeboats for ourselves and our loved ones as we move closer to collapse is essential. Mick Winter's Peak Oil Prep is a powerful and practical guidebook for doing just that...Winter has provided us with a superb manual containing the basics of preparation for a world which seems both inevitable and not that far in the future." -- Carolyn Baker - Speaking Truth to Power

"A summary of the many ideas floating around, with the theme of individuals preparing themselves for peak oil and similar events. Author Mick Winter takes a reasonable, moderate tone in presenting the information and references. The book would be most useful for newcomers to the field and might make a good textbook for a short course." -- EnergyBulletin.net

From the Publisher

How you can help your family, neighborhood and community prepare for Peak Oil, climate change, and economic collapse. A practical handbook of ideas, suggestions, and book and Internet resources.

Our modern global society is heading full speed into the worst crisis in its history. We're rushing faster and faster toward accelerating energy depletion (that means higher gas prices--if gas is even available); likely catastrophic climate change, including rising temperatures and sea levels; and a cyclically certain economic crash. And there are no adults in charge.

Think the government will come to your rescue? Ask the people in New Orleans. You're on your own. And it's time you start getting ready.

Even if you don't accept the likelihood of this challenging future, you can--and should--still take action simply to improve your life. You can save money, bring your family closer together, enjoy a healthier and more sustainable lifestyle, and improve the security and well-being of your community.

The suggestions in this book will help you save money and fight global warming by using less energy in your everyday living. You'll discover tips on low-cost heating, cooling, and lighting in your home. You'll get ideas on how to survive with little or no use of a car, how to improve your health, eat better and still save on food bills, and supplement or replace your current income. And you'll learn ways to help, and benefit from, your neighbors and your community.

There are no magic secrets. But there are lots and lots of good ideas that are either free or low-cost to help you spend less, save more, and prepare for an uncertain future.

Why wait? The sooner you start, the better.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 246 pages
• Publisher: Westsong Publishing; 1st edition (November 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0965900045
• ISBN-13: 978-0965900041
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,408,705 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not quite as advertised, October 14, 2007

By 

Cartoon lover (Mid west) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Peak Oil Prep: Prepare for Peak Oil, Climate Change and Economic Collapse (Paperback)

I have been reading this book, and am mostly through it - enough that I feel that I can render an opinion on this.

First, please note that I subscribe to the theory of peak oil - it's a question of when, not if - and ecological
living.

Having said that, the book frankly lacks focus and is somewhat sophomoric in its approach. It seemed less focus on life when energy is no longer affordable and more on promoting a certain view of how things should be. Really, he spends very little time writing and more time giving massive blocks of internet references that seemed to have passed his filter of political correctness than utility. For example - he talks about home power generation, and then appears to have ignored an all-purpose website - Home Power magazine -for reasons unknown, other than perhaps the magazine doesn't pass his concept of correctness (after all, it is available at Barnes and Noble). Another case in point - heirloom seeds. A very good idea - but his one source is some kind of communal seed outfit. A fast internet search shows a dozen or so outfits from Burpee on down. I'd prefer working with someone who actually tests their seeds in multiple environments.

Most of the book seems focused on socialized/communal living. For example, he promotes the idea of cohousing - which is fine - but his example is the N street housing complex in Davis California, which adapts the idea a couple of steps further where everyone proceeds to eat in communal settings. There are many other examples that can be found that may be more palable to ones living rather than be forced to come under someone's else's idea of political correctness.

Indeed, he talks about Cuba as a shining example of a country that has passed through Peak Oil, and how wonderful life is there now - ignoring one very obvious fact that Cuba has milder weather than most of the US - at least I am not aware of Havana having snow storms - which makes life much easier. And I didn't need a paragraph on how the US doesn't allow travelers to visit Cuba in a book about survival after peak oil.

Indeed, one of the things he promotes is moving to smaller communities - 5000 people or so. Somewhat elitist - I've run into many, many people who can barely keep food on the table and a roof on their heads, and somehow I cannot see them packing up into a beat up old car and driving to sunnier climes to an uncertain economic future.

Finally, he shows little imagination about how life may really be like when the crunch does hit. For example - one of the things he talks about is using the internet for communications after peak oil starts rippling through the economy. An interesting concept, given that there is a debate among people in information technology as to whether or not the internet is a massive energy hog. Certainly having to run multi-terabyte server farms 24/7 cannot be done with 300 watts.

This is not to say that the book won't get you thinking at least - it will - but some of the insitutional reviewers indicated that it was a blueprint for living after peak oil - I'd call it less of a blueprint and more of a sketch - with many details omitted and not well thought out.

One other thing - he promotes three big ideas - they are using compact flourescent bulbs, planting a garden, and biking to work - and all I can say is - "Duh".

32 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, December 28, 2006

By 

TD (Boston) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Peak Oil Prep: Prepare for Peak Oil, Climate Change and Economic Collapse (Paperback)

Wow, this is bad. It's poorly written and basically a cut n paste job from many websites on the topic. Do a search on Peak Oil and you will find the same info for free on the top websites dealing with this issue.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Doing it at my own speed, March 7, 2007

By 

Bugey (San Francisco) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Peak Oil Prep: Prepare for Peak Oil, Climate Change and Economic Collapse (Paperback)

The neat thing about Mick Winter's book is that I can choose a simple response form the "Three Things You Can Do" or go all the way. And thanks to Mick, I don't have to spend a lot of time searching; he's already done it for me. So I can now go gradually into some necessary behavior change, or -- if one area matters more to me -- I can really alter my lifestyle! The tools are all here, and the choices are mine.